Brian McTaggart's new blog post says that Jeff Keppinger should be starting at 2B. Not Kaz Matsui.
Jeff Keppinger isn't going to hit .391 for the season, and he's probably not going to hit .291 when all is said and done, either. He's a career .279 hitter entering this year, but is off to a terrific start at the plate in 2010 after going 2-for-4 with three RBIs as the starting shortstop in Thursday's win -- yes, win -- over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kaz Matsui, on the other hand, is hitting .095.
At this point, I'm all for Keppinger getting the bulk of the playing time at second base. He's proven to be a better hitter in his career than Matsui, who's a career .271 hitter entering this year. Neither one provides much power, though Matsui did hit nine homers in a career-high 132 games last year. Matsui had a stellar year on defense last year, but Keppinger is no slouch and will make most of the plays Matsui will make...
...But Keppinger should continue to be in the lineup every day, and he should be starting at second base as long as Matsui has trouble getting on base.
There is no statistical or anecdotal evidence available that could discount this argument.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
