Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly continues to be faced with a difficult decision. Alex Guerrero keeps performing each time he's called upon and he's making a strong case to be the team's starting third baseman.
The Dodgers were just swept by the San Francisco Giants during a three-game set at AT&T Park where they scored only six runs. Guerrero drove in four of them and kept the team competing in two of those contests. He has appeared in only nine games this season (making 20 plate appearances), but owns an incredible stat line of .474/.450/1.211 with four runs scored, four home runs and 12 RBIs.
His counterpart at third base, Juan Uribe, is batting just .250/.289/.278 with three runs scored and no home runs or RBIs in 12 games (38 plate appearances). Mattingly previously noted the team was not going to bail on Uribe as the starting third baseman because the veteran batted a career-high .311 last season and has remained reliable on the defensive side of the ball, whereas Guerrero is a shaky defender and only started playing third base in spring training (he's primarily considered a middle infielder, even though there were still concerns about his defense in that role).
But what will happen if Guerrero continues putting up considerable offensive numbers and Uribe struggles?
"Dodgers management now appears to be most comfortable with [Guerrero] as a third baseman, which places him in direct competition with Juan Uribe," writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
"Uribe is 36, but still considered one of the best defensive third baseman in baseball. He is also one of the most popular players on the team.
"Other players acknowledge Manager Don Mattingly has a difficult decision to make.
"On one hand, how can Mattingly not play Guerrero if he's hitting like this? On the other, is it fair to Uribe to demote him less than three weeks into the season?"
Guerrero refused to start the season in the minor leagues (he had final say on the decision based on a clause in his contract) because he firmly believed he could contribute at the major league level. He also signed on for four years and $28 million prior to the 2014 season, so he's not someone who can be entirely forgotten about or merely left on the bench.
Mattingly likely knows that and he's being open to the idea of playing Guerrero more if the team is in need of an adjustment.
"We'll see," he told Hernandez. "We're not going to be hardheaded to the point where we're going to say, 'This is what we said we're going to do and we're going to stay with it.' You make decisions based on where you're at, where you're going."
Guerrero won't keep hitting at his current rate, but if he still continues to produce runs and help the team win, there's no doubt pressure will build for Mattingly to give him more playing time.
