Eddie Rosario to be Moved Back to the Outfield?

According to the program Inside Twins on ESPN 1500 this morning, Eddie Rosario could be moved from second base to the outfield next season. Rosario, a fourth round pick in the 2010 draft, was transitioned from the outfield to second base during the 2012 season. It sounds like that experiment might over, due in part to the faith that the organization has in Brian Dozier as a long term option.

Originally moved to the infield as an experiment to fill what had become a gaping hole in the Minnesota Twins farm system, defensive scouting reports were never glowing about Rosario at second. Because he continued to hit in spite of his position change, his stock as a prospect shot up the charts.

By moving back to the outfield, Rosario's value as a batter would take a bit of a hit. Second base prospects with numbers like his (.302/.350/.460 combined this season between Fort Myers and New Britain) are rare; outfield prospects with those numbers aren't quite as exciting, even if it's still good.

If the Twins would choose to go forward with this transition, it's likely that Rosario would be tried in one of the corner outfield spots, since there's unlikely to be much of a future in center field with Byron Buxton on the way. Originally being groomed as a center fielder, Rosario only has token appearances in the corners under his belt.

For a guy who will be in his age 22 season in 2014, there's still plenty of time for patience when it comes to Rosario's development. In spite of a good year at the plate, it wouldn't be surprising to see him start '14 in Double-A to get game experience in his long-term defensive position, whatever that ends up being, before, hopefully, earning a mid-season promotion to Rochester. Until he can prove otherwise, I wouldn't think this move would delay his projected time of arrival by any significant amount of time.