Giants offseason report: Club banking on 2018 rebound, not rebuild
Enduring the second-worst season in the
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Giants’ 60 years in San Francisco provided motivation for the team’s
brass to seek some changes in the offseason, and executive vice
president Brian Sabean made it clear where the improvements need to
start. “Center field needs to be upgraded,” Sabean said. “We need to
find an everyday third baseman. And we have to be resourceful in how we
reconstruct the bullpen.” And those are just the biggest needs. San
Francisco also desperately needs an infusion of power, and some fresh
blood would be welcome. Jorge L. Ortiz takes an inside look at the team.
(*Prospect).
Catcher
Gold Glove finalist Buster Posey collected his fourth Silver
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Slugger award. Posey’s batting average (.320) and OPS (.861) were his
highest since his MVP season of 2012, but he hit only 12 homers — two
after the All-Star break — and drove in 67 runs. Both figures were his
lowest over a full season. Nick Hundley had a solid year as Posey’s
backup and started 65 games behind the plate, but he is a free agent and
might pursue more playing time, leaving some uncertainty at the
position.
Depth chart: Posey, *Aramis Garcia
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First base
Brandon Belt was on the way to shattering his career
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high for home runs when he was hit in the head by a pitch Aug. 4 and
missed the rest of the season with concussion symptoms. So Belt settled
for tying his personal best of 18 homers, a modest figure for a first
baseman. Belt’s batting average dropped 34 points to .241, and he
continued to frustrate fans with his inability to consistently drive in
runs. Belt turns 30 in April and will make $17.2 million in each of the
next four seasons, so the Giants hope the real Belt is the All-Star of
2016, not what they saw this year.
Depth chart: Belt, Posey, *Ryder Jones, *Chris Shaw
Second base
After re-establishing his offensive credentials with a .288 batting
average and .768 OPS, Joe Panik might be the Giants’ top trading chip as
they seek to bolster weak spots. At 27, Panik offers youth,
unparalleled contact skills — his 89.9% contact rate was the majors’
highest — and a trusty glove, although defensive metrics indicate he
took a step back from his Gold Glove season of 2016. Should the Giants
trade Panik, they would have several r eplacement candidates in top
prospect Christian Arroyo, Kelby Tomlinson and Miguel Gomez. Arroyo, 22
could use more seasoning.
Depth chart: Panik, Tomlinson, *Arroyo, Gomez, Micah Johnson
Third base
Giants third basemen earned the “quadruple crown” of offensive futility
last season, registering the majors’ lowest batting average for the
position (.216) as well as the fewest home runs (nine) and RBI (51), to
go along with the lowest OPS (.568). Pablo Sandoval was not the answer
after rejoining the club in early August, rookie Ryder Jones struggled
badly (.173) and Arroyo proved he wasn’t ready. All three could be back,
which would not represent an upgrade.
Depth chart: Sandoval, *Jones, Tomlinson, *Arroyo, Orlando Calixte
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford endured a difficult season at the plate, where his OPS
dropped 63 points, and off the field with the sudden death of his
sister-in-law from an asthma attack. Crawford, who turns 31 in January,
still earned his third consecutive Gold Glove and is regarded as one of
the club’s untouchables. He led the club in RBI for the second year in a
row, although his total of 77 is just as much a testament to clutch
hitting as it is to the Giants’ offensive woes. They expect a
bounce-back season from Crawford in 2018 and don’t have an obvious
replacement on the horizon.
Depth chart: Crawford, Tomlinson, Arroyo, Calixte, *Engelb Vielma
Left field
If third base was a black hole for the Giants, left field was no better
than a brown one. San Francisco left fielders combined to hit 11 homers,
drive in 70 runs and put up a .666 OPS. All three figures ranked second
from the bottom in the NL at the position. This will be another area
targeted for improvement. Depending on whom the Giants acquire in the
offseason, they might consider shifting Hunter Pence and Denard Span —
who are owed a combined $29.5 million in 2018 — into a platoon in left
or right field. Jarrett Parker and Austin Slater, both of whom missed
long stretches with injuries last season, are options as well.
Depth chart: Parker, Slater, Gorkys Hernandez, Mac Williamson, Jones,
Calixte
Center field
The Giants have made it clear they don’t want Span back in center field,
where he was by some metrics the league’s worst defender. What’s not so
clear is who might replace him. Gorkys Hernandez had his moments last
season but doesn’t project as more than a fourth outfielder. The Giants
have been linked to a number of center fielders in the offseason. They
also have a speedy prospect in Steven Duggar who could
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