Fielding skills matter in the middle infield

Newcomer Brendan Harris, competing to be the everyday second baseman, needs to show he can do more than hit.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: March 1, 2008 - 5:31 PM

FORT MYERS, FLA. - It's an election year, which makes this an interesting time for new Twins infielder Brendan Harris, who has a political science degree from William & Mary.

Harris spends his winters in Washington D.C., and he's keeping close tabs on the presidential race while competing for his team's second base job.

"It's a big year," he said. "I love following the issues and seeing what everyone has to offer."

The Twins have similar curiosity about second base, where Harris and Nick Punto are the favorites for the starting job, with Alexi Casilla running a distant third.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire used Harris as his starting second baseman for Thursday's Grapefruit League opener, and Nick Punto got the nod for Friday's home opener against Boston.

The Twins love Punto's defense, but last year, he posted the worst batting average of any major league regular, at .210.

Harris is not as polished defensively as Punto, but last year with Tampa Bay, he hit 286.

Early in camp, Gardenhire gave a telling quote:

"I'm not going to sit here and say, 'If you don't catch the ball, but you hit .380, you're my second baseman.'

"No, I'm not big on that. I know in the middle [infield], you don't give extra outs."

By failing to turn a double play in the first inning Thursday, Harris gave Cincinnati an extra out. The Twins surely won't base their decisions on one game, or even one week, but it's all notable.

Harris welcomes the chance to compete.

"You know what I love about here?" he said. "You don't get credit for playing hard. That should be expected. That comes when you put the uniform on."

Harris, 27, has bounced around enough in his career to know how to handle himself during a spring competition.

A fifth-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2001, he reached the big leagues in 2004 after batting .311 at Class AAA Iowa.

The Cubs traded him to the Montreal Expos, who became the Washington Nationals, giving Harris a taste of the nation's capital before he got shipped to Cincinnati in 2006.

There, he made a good impression on former Twins executive Wayne Krivsky, now the Reds' general manager.

"I think he's a great fit for the Twins," Krivsky said. "He's a great person and a smart player. He'll do well there."

Last year, Harris opened the season on Tampa Bay's bench with Carlos Pena. Harris recalled telling Pena early in the season that American League bench players have limited chances at playing time because there is no pitcher's spot in the batting order.

"[Pena] was like, 'Yeah, but we don't stop hitting. We don't stop preparing ourselves. The season's too long for people to cut corners.' "

By season's end, Harris was Tampa Bay's regular shortstop, and Pena finished with 46 home runs and 121 RBI.

Harris said he wasn't expecting to get traded again, but Tampa Bay included him with Young and Jason Pridie in the trade that sent Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan to the Rays.

Now, in the battle for second base, Harris said he can only focus on himself.

"I think they have a pretty good idea what they want to do," he said. "They just want to let it play out a little bit."

In politics, Harris said, he leans "heavily to the right."

Gardenhire leans toward defense when picking middle infielders, so Harris will spend the spring showing what he can do.

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