FORT MYERS, FLA. – Jorge Polanco gobbled up a ground ball hit by Orioles infielder Johnny Giavotella on Thursday. Throwing to first on the run, Polanco missed his target for an error, and Giavotella was safe.
"I didn't think I had enough time to [plant and throw],'' Polanco said. "He's a fast runner, so I tried to make a quick throw."
It was Polanco's third error in four games this spring, all on throws.
"We've had a couple where I thought he could have planted and thrown when he's throwing on the run," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "And there are other times when I wished he would have thrown on the run and he planted. It is about getting a feel to where it becomes more automatic where he doesn't have to think about it."
While Polanco's errors are troubling — and he looks more suited for second base — the Twins remain committed to giving him a long, hard look at shortstop. His offensive potential — he was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI on Thursday — is a big reason.
Second base is manned by Brian Dozier, an All-Star in 2015 and slugger of 42 home runs last season. The Twins fielded offers for Dozier during the offseason but decided to keep him. That kept Polanco at short with Eduardo Escobar in a backup/utility role.
The Twins have vacillated on whether Polanco, signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, should be a shortstop or second baseman. As he matured and filled out, the Twins became more willing to look at him at short. When he made his major league debut on June 26, 2014, he was a shortstop.
But two years later, their opinions changed, and he was back at second base for Class AAA Rochester. He had four stints with the Twins during the season, and played short the rest of the year after being called up.