Let’s talk dancing for a moment.

Not NCAA Tournament dancing. Even though that’s pertinent these days, that’s another sport. I’m talking about baseball and dancing.

Several years ago, I interviewed Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel’s grand niece, Toni Harsh, who told me how much Stengel loved dancing, to the point of showing off the waltz to his family with his wife Edna. He passed on the importance of dancing to his players, encouraging them to take lessons.

“Dancing taught shifting weight, turning, and stretching,” Harsh said. “It was about staying light on your feet.”

Stengel would have loved the answer Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez gave us when we asked him how he stayed in good physical shape during the offseason, besides doing basic baseball work. He likes to dance.

“First of all, it’s a way to enjoy the moment, enjoy the music, enjoy your family,” Giménez said on the latest episode of The Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast. “Dance is an easy way to show love. And if you move your feet, you’re going to be in a great position to dance or to catch a ground ball. When I have the opportunity to dance with my wife or other family members, I do it, because you move your feet there. When the ball is coming, you kind of dance with it.”

Giménez brought to mind similar thoughts from former Red Sox minor league coach Bianca Smith, who is now coaching in Japan. A few months ago she told us, “No matter what you’re doing, whether you’re hitting, you’re on the bases, you’re in the field, you’re dancing with the pitcher.”

Said Giménez: “I’m with her. If you move your feet when you’re dancing, it’s going to be easier to take a ground ball. I’m not the best dancer, but I can do it, so it helps me for my defense.”

Giménez danced his way into the hearts of Guardians fans in 2022 with an MVP-caliber season. He wasn’t quite as good a hitter in 2023 but he dominated in the field. His 22 Defensive Runs Saved led the majors at his position. He won both our Fielding Bible Award at second base and the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award as the top AL defensive player last season. Giménez’s deft athleticism led to him making 23 sliding defensive plays, most in MLB in 2023.

This season, Giménez has a new middle-infield partner to tango with, as fellow Venezuelan Brayan Rocchio is slated to be the Guardians’ everyday shortstop and another Venezuelan, Gabriel Arias, is a possible backup. Notable all-Venezuelan double play combinations of the past include Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor, Alcides Escobar and Omar Infante, and Ozzie Guillén and Fred Manrique.

If Giménez is at the top of his game his double play combo has a chance to be the best all-Venezuelan one ever. And perhaps they’ll give a new meaning to ‘dancing with the stars.’