But my man Howie possesses none of those 4 skills... 
Your man Howie is the starting second baseman. When he's not, Difo is, and if Difo's starting, you don't need SS on the bench and can carry an extra dude in another category, such as an above-average RH hitter to match the lefty. And there fits your man Howie. Alternatively, just delete the word "lefthanded" from the post, as it's the single least important word in any of those criteria.
