Iribarren gets some love from Kevin Goldstein

[battlekow]

In an article about which prospects are improving their stock (sub. req.), Goldstein says:

Iribarren has always hit-he entered the season with a career minor league average of .324-but his defensive shortcomings always got him dinged him as a prospect... a little too much. A bat like this always plays, and while the Brewers moved the 23-year-old Venezuelan to the outfield this year, he's still hitting, to the tune of .348/.426/.413 in 12 Nashville games wrapped around a brief big league debut. He doesn't have much in the way of power, but his contact ability is big league-worthy as an occasional starter and high-end utility guy.

[DrWood]

defensive shortcomings? I was pretty sure the managers voted him best defensive 2b in their league a couple of years ago.

[JoeHova]

I assume he meant defensive shortcomings in the sense of Iribarren not having the arm for SS or 3B, which could make it hard for him to be a utility guy. Maybe I'm wrong though.

[battlekow]

Yeah, I think Goldstein was referring to the fact that he was shackled to 2B in the infield.

[paul253]

If his arm is so bad, why did they move him to the outfield? This is just the stupidest, most baffling decision the Brewers have made, as far as I am concerned. Now that they moved him, Nashville doesn't even have a 2nd basemen listed on their roster, Weeks is stuggling, as usual, in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, the outfield is crowded from Nashville all the down to West Virginia. Just complete nonsense.

[battlekow]

I don't think he's been moved off 2B, I just think they're having him learn the outfield so that he can be a credible big league backup. Can't be a utility player if your only utility is playing second base. Nobody survives as a pure backup second baseman.