By Marc Carig
Unless the Yankees scare up a better option from somewhere else, journeyman utility guy Cody Ransom appears to be the favorite to step in if Alex Rodriguez undergoes hip surgery.
"I like his versatility and his athleticism," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
But, because it's a lot more fun to hypothesize, it should be noted that the Yankees have a couple of guys who have logged some big league time at third base, albeit very limited time.
Ransom himself has played only seven major league games at third, fewest for any of the infield positions he's played. Non-roster invitee Angel Berroa (this dude was rookie of the year?) has exactly one-third of an inning at the hot corner in the big leagues.
Then, there are the unusual suspects, such as first baseman Mark Teixeira, who played 15 games at third base in 2003 for the Texas Rangers. In 37 total chances, he committed seven errors. Small sample size, obviously. But still. ...
Outfielder Xavier Nady played three games at third base in 2005 with the San Diego Padres. Moving Nady to the infield could open a spot in right field for Nick Swisher, who might help lessen the sting of missing A-Rod's bat in the middle of the order.
Girardi said on Thursday that such position swapping hasn't been talked about yet. But he doesn't seem so keen on the idea.
"If it ever does get to that point, obviously you're going to have to start looking at all of your options," he said. "The thing about when you start moving multiple guys is you start getting multiple guys out of position, and sometimes that can be tough."
"I like his versatility and his athleticism," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
But, because it's a lot more fun to hypothesize, it should be noted that the Yankees have a couple of guys who have logged some big league time at third base, albeit very limited time.
Ransom himself has played only seven major league games at third, fewest for any of the infield positions he's played. Non-roster invitee Angel Berroa (this dude was rookie of the year?) has exactly one-third of an inning at the hot corner in the big leagues.
Then, there are the unusual suspects, such as first baseman Mark Teixeira, who played 15 games at third base in 2003 for the Texas Rangers. In 37 total chances, he committed seven errors. Small sample size, obviously. But still. ...
Outfielder Xavier Nady played three games at third base in 2005 with the San Diego Padres. Moving Nady to the infield could open a spot in right field for Nick Swisher, who might help lessen the sting of missing A-Rod's bat in the middle of the order.
Girardi said on Thursday that such position swapping hasn't been talked about yet. But he doesn't seem so keen on the idea.
"If it ever does get to that point, obviously you're going to have to start looking at all of your options," he said. "The thing about when you start moving multiple guys is you start getting multiple guys out of position, and sometimes that can be tough."
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