As expected, the Twins optioned utility infielder to Triple-A on Friday. This isn’t much of a shock to me however I would have much preferred to see Tolbert make the big league squad. There are several reasons for this. First off, I love his speed and he is a definite spark plug coming off the bench. Secondly, I don’t really like the idea of Harris and Buscher both riding the pine. I have my doubts about Harris. Specifically his abilities in the field. He is a defensive liability at second/short and is only marginally better at the hot corner. While his bat is much better than Tolbert I think that it is important to think more about what situations Tolbert or Harris would be used for. If Gardy is looking for a bat off the bench then without questions, Harris is the guy. If however Gardy is looking for a defensive substitution or someone to fill in for Casilla or Punto then I think that Tolbert should be the guy.
