Feb/070
For the love of Nick “Nails” Punto
I hope Jeff Cirillo knows that he will not be the opening day starter at third base. Nick Punto is a no-brainer for that position, and here is why.
Nick Punto is the founding member of the Piranhas and will man 3rd base for us, full time, for the forseable future--and for good reason. Cirillo has a history of injuries and large fluctuations in offensive productivity. Cirillo was injured for large parts of the 03-05 seasons before hitting .319 last year. In the last five years, Cirillo has hit .319,.281,.213,.205,.249. It's hard to know which Cirillo we will get. Also, he doesn't drive in runs, walk, or steal bases. He played 112 games last year and only had 23 RBI, 21 walks and 1 SB. The bottom line is that he is 38, injury prone and doesn't manufacture or drive in runs. Punto is only 30, batted just under .300 last year, steals bases, drives in lots of runs per at bat and plays amazing defense. Punto, in my opinion is the obvious 3rd baseman of the future for the Twins, which is why Gardy probably wants him to focus on the hot corner rather than back up second or third (as Beane mentions in the following article). I don't know anyone who is not a fan of Nick Punto. How can you not root for a guy who puts his heart, soul and bodily safety on the line every play? His effort alone is reason enough to love him--which is why I have dubbed him, "NAILS."
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