Dodgers' Spring Training position battle: Backup infielders

With the signing of Justin Turner, the Dodgers officially have viable options for their utility infield spots. The Dodgers may not be done adding infielders. Emilio Bonifacio is out there at 2B/3B/SS/LF/CF/RF (but for $3.5M plus something in trade), as is Brett Wallace at 1B and emergency 3B (emphasis on "emergency").

Bonifacio is super fast and can hold his own at all those positions (well, maybe not SS). Wallace has a little power. Also, there's rumors of an international man of mystery.

The signed options, as of now, are a mix of guys who are bad at offense and defense vs. guys who are terrible at offense and good at defense. How can we choose? Well, the WAR framework helps. Its components quantify the runs above/below average a player creates on offense and on defense, and lets you add it all up.

Scott Van Slyke can handle first base, as can Juan Uribe. So there's not a big need there. But second base, third base and shortstop depth are all big concerns. Hanley Ramirez can play third base, but probably won't be asked to. Alex Guerrero can play SS (and maybe 3B?) but probably won't be asked to. Although, Van Slyke is probably up and down to Albuquerque all year, unless an outfielder is traded.

The candidates, in brief

Dee Gordon - Extreme speed, not much bat, although showed an increased patience last year and seems to have bulked up (from stick figure to slightly thicker stick figure) over the winter. Borderline unplayable at SS, he's been learning 2B & CF. Left-handed batter. He has never played 3B.
Chone Figgins - Gordon with a little less (but still great) speed, a little more bat, good defense at 3B. Experience at all 3 OF spots, but horrible numbers out there despite the speed. At 36, and having fallen over a cliff several years ago, comes with big question mark stamped on his back. Switch-hitter.
Justin Turner - The best hitter of the bunch. Primarily a 2B who can cover 3B and SS (not well). Could play 1B and OF if necessary. Despite checking all the boxes for "grit" (especially the "ginger" box), he does not come with a reputation for grit. The Mets let him go because they didn't like his hustle. Unlike the Diamondbacks and Rockies (and apparently Mets), the Dodgers are actually fairly progressive in the grit department, repeatedly able to look past small things to see the total value.
Brendan Harris - Bad hitter. Also a bad fielder, although has done alright at second base. Can field 3B, SS and 1B poorly.
Miguel Rojas - Bat is really, really, really not there. He did horrible at Double-A and could likely embarrass himself in the big leagues, possibly to a historic degree. Scouting report on the glove is great though. Plus-SS who has some experience at 2B and 3B.
Justin Sellers - Bat is not there, although has the glove to contribute at SS, 3B and 2B.

I'm going to give you my projections of how each player will fare offensively next year, and convert that to a number of runs above (actually below) the average major league hitter. The baserunning runs and the overall offensive runs are scaled to 600 plate appearances. However, none of these guys will likely not reach that number in a single season for the rest of their careers.

Player	BA	OBP	SLG	Base Running	OPS+	Off. Runs above Avg
Dee Gordon	0.248	0.332	0.308	8	78	-8
Chone Figgins	0.254	0.329	0.324	5	81	-9
Justin Turner	0.264	0.323	0.374	-1	92	-7
Brendan Harris	0.239	0.285	0.339	-2	71	-21
Miguel Rojas	0.220	0.260	0.270	1	47	-35
Justin Sellers	0.228	0.295	0.308	-3	67	-25

Well, what about defense? Can Rojas or Sellers make up 15 -25 runs with their glove over Gordon/Figgins/Turner (scaled to full time)? Harris is pretty much out, as his bad fielding outside of 2B can't make up for bad hitting and bad baserunning. I don't mean to sound so harsh, but the time when he was an adequate major league player was seven years ago

Twenty runs is a lot of runs to save. The general range of great to terrible fielding is from about +15 to -15 runs over the course of the season. These guys all play the same positions, but positional adjustment would have to be figured in too since Gordon and Figgins hardly play SS. It's hard for me to translate Rojas' minor league fielding numbers to major league runs saved, but he's clearly above average at all three spots. After his back injury, Sellers is probably not the fielder he once was -- although he's still quite good.

Looking at major league and minor league stats, I'll take a shot at predicting everyone's defensive value at 2B/3B/SS in terms of runs saved over a full year. Gordon has the advantage of supposedly playing CF too (although he has never to my knowledge attempted 3B). Some of these guys have played 1B or OF in a pinch, but you wouldn't want any of them there for more than a few innings per year.

Player	2B	3B	SS
Dee Gordon	-10		-15
Chone Figgins	-10	5	-15
Justin Turner	-10	-5	-5
Brendan Harris	0	-10	-10
Miguel Rojas	15	10	10
Justin Sellers	5	10	10
Position Value	2.5	2.5	7.5

How about need? It'll be interesting to see if Gordon can handle CF, because the Dodgers only have Andre Ethier as an OK option there.

If the Dodgers go with a 5-man rotation and 7-man pen, that leaves the fourth OF, Tim Federowicz, and three other bench spots. Van Slyke will have one sometimes, leaving two or three spots. You really need a backup SS, which to me comes down to Turner or Sellers. The 18-run advantage of Turner on offense is pretty much countered by Sellers' edge in the field. It's hard to see Rojas being so good on defense that he makes up another 10 runs on top of Sellers. Based on Gordon's record to date, -15 is actually a generous grade. And Figgins hasn't been trusted to play there in years.

If it's me, I'd take Turner & Gordon. Figgins could make it if he really shows something in Spring Training, or Van Slyke is spending some time in Albuquerque.

Graphic credit: Cody Stumpo, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue