Usually utility infielders are guys who can play pretty good defense at all three positions, but who can't hit very well. With the firepower the Royals have in the rest of their lineup this year, a good defensive player as a backup infielder would seem to be what would benefit the team the most. Betancourt would not seem to be the ideal guy for that role. His strength, if you can call it that, would be more as a hitter than in the field -- especially at 2B. It is puzzling, but then it seems like there is always at least one puzzling thing going on with the Royals, no matter how well the rest of the team is shaping up. I guess having Betancourt as the backup infielder is this year's puzzler.

Do we really need to see him play more? Do you think he went to Milwaukee last year and suddenly figured it all out?

We know what we're getting with Betancourt defensively. I don't care where he lines up.

Wow. I can't believe it, but you have finally posted something that I agree with 100%.

Agreed - I would have preferred an option that can play both MI positions defensively - and any offense is a plus. Of course - those guys don't exactly grow on trees.
I'm just hoping Yuni can at least play both 3B or 2B at a somewhat respectable level.

"Do we really need to see him play more? Do you think he went to Milwaukee last year and suddenly figured it all out? "

Huh?

His defense at short is not a mystery. His defense at the other two spots certainly is. Even for Ned Yost.

If he can't handle SS, how is he going to handle 2B?

"If he can't handle SS, how is he going to handle 2B?"

Well, for one, it's just not that simple. Two, I'm fine with his defense at short as a backup - just not a regular.
But, you seem to have mistaken my initial post as some kind of Yuni praise or something.

No, I didn't.

I've just seen enough of his defense to know that the only glove I want to see him wearing on game day is a batting glove.

And even that doesn't excite me.

Well I still would be against letting Yuni take over 3B from Moustakas on occasion when there is a Left on the mound because Moose needs to learn how to hit lefties. Were not building the future to have a platoon of Moose/Yuni at 3rd base. I don't care if that leads to us with a couple less victories because Moose isn't hitting LH's as well, who cares? I want Moose developed without any distractions, like Yuni playing over him on occasion..

Well Yuni WILL play for him on occasion. That's his job. Moustakas isn't going to play 160 games. But there is a different between a platoon - and 'on occasion'.

I see Yuni playing a couple games a week somewhere maybe more during the summer but he is going to play.

yep, moose will need days off ..... and why not give him those days off when a tough lefty is on the mound? it doesn't mean that he won't have ample opportunities to develop his skills against lefty pitching.

I just looked and the Royals will be paying Yuni more then Arizona will be paying Bloomquist.

Baseball reference also says the Royals were to receive a player to be named or cash when they traded Willie. I don't remember what it ended up being do you?

[["Well I still would be against letting Yuni take over 3B from Moustakas on occasion when there is a Left on the mound because Moose needs to learn how to hit lefties. Were not building the future to have a platoon of Moose/Yuni at 3rd base. I don't care if that leads to us with a couple less victories because Moose isn't hitting LH's as well, who cares? I want Moose developed without any distractions, like Yuni playing over him on occasion.."]]

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Hear, hear!!

Absolutely on the money with this comment, Gordo.

Good lord!

So in a single day I've agreed with both Topeka and you. I am getting horribly soft in my old age...

Oh come on. So you two don't want Moose to get off days in general......Or just because Yuni is the backup? Or you would just rather the off day be completely arbitrary instead of doing it when it makes the most sense?

For the love of.....you just agreed with:
"[["Well I still would be against letting Yuni take over 3B from Moustakas on occasion when there is a Left on the mound because Moose needs to learn how to hit lefties."
" I want Moose developed without any distractions, like Yuni playing over him on occasion."

No, I have no idea if the Royals ever received anyone for Bloomquist. All things considered, things are pretty quiet so far this spring. Nothing to get overly excited or upset about (well, maybe Betancourt). Getting Salvador Perez signed long-term has been the only surprise, and it was a pleasant one.

The Royals look much better so far this spring, which is what I think most of us expected. I'm still not sold on Sanchez or Broxton. Sanchez is the more important one of the two. If he's good, then the team should have a winning record this year. But if he's not, or if he develops a sore arm early in the season, then the offense will really have to score a lot of runs for the Royals to have a winning record. SF was reportedly going to let him go before the season, and before the trade. I don't know.

Yost said three to four days a week.

No, I don't want him out in the field that often. Unless he gets there as a pinch hitter in late innings when we're already up by more than two runs.

"SF was reportedly going to let him go before the season, and before the trade. I don't know."

That reminds me too much of when I heard Jacobs was going to be released before the Royals traded for him and after posting that I was nearly run off the board here and at the Star.

By the way, I still miss the old Star board and many of its members. Some made it over here but not all of them.

Yeah, I'm not sure why Yost thinks he has some fancy super utility guy when he can't really be sure what the guy can do at two of the positions.
I'd give each of the three guys a day off every 10 games or so. That would put Yuni at 3 games per every 10ish.

As Topeka said, the signing of Yuni was this year's puzzler. A back up infielder is usually selected based upon his abilites defensively. Yuni was known to be adequate at short but an unknown commodity at 3b and 2b. The signing was particularly puzzling as at the time we had three guys in Navarro, Zawadski, and Falu who could have in all likelihood fulfilled a back up infielder role while the debate was if we needed to bring in a veteran with experience at each of the infield positions. And then we got Yuni.