This Giants team will have plenty of options for lineups
There will be platoons, but expect some regulars to play almost every day
SAN FRANCISCO >> When Gabe Kapler sits down to fill out his lineup cards this season, the first-year Giants manager should be overwhelmed by all of his options.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has spent much of the last two years attempting to build a more versatile roster featuring players who can move from position-to-position with ease. The team still has a handful of holdovers from a previous era who exclusively play one spot on the diamond, but nearly every player acquired since Zaidi’s hiring in November, 2018 has multiple gloves in his locker.
With MLB expanding rosters to 30 players for the first two weeks of the 2020 regular season, the Giants also expect to carry at least 13 position players and potentially as many as 14 or 15.
The combination of expanded rosters and a group of players with added positional flexibility makes predicting Giants lineups a significant challenge, but based on how Kapler drew up spring training lineups and what’s taken place in summer intrasquad games, we’re starting to understand how the Giants might structure their
squad against right and lefthanded starters.
The lineups will change on a daily basis, but with Opening Day just 10 days out, here’s a look at how the Giants might look when facing a Dodgers left-hander such as Clayton Kershaw or a Los Angeles righty such as Walker Buehler.
The Kershaw lineup
1. Mauricio Dubón, CF
2. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
3. Wilmer Flores, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, LF
6. Darin Ruf, DH
7. Donovan Solano, 2B
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Tyler Heineman, C
THE BENCH >> Alex Dickerson (LF), Pablo Sandoval (1B/3B), Austin Slater (OF/IF), Brandon Belt (1B), Jaylin Davis (OF), Rob Brantly OR Chadwick Tromp (C)
OTHERS IN THE MIX >> Billy Hamilton (OF), Steven Duggar (OF), Joey Rickard (OF), Yolmer Sánchez (IF), Joe McCarthy (1B/ OF), Zach Green (3B/1B), Abiatal Avelino (SS/2B)
THE EXPLANATION >> The Giants will go heavy with righthanded hitters on Opening Day, so that’s why you don’t see regulars such as Belt or Dickerson in our projected lineup. It’s anyone’s guess as to who will take the lion’s share of reps in center field this season, but Dubón appears to be the early favorite to start there against Kershaw because the Giants would love to have Solano’s bat in the lineup against a left-handed starter.
The left-handed hitters you do see are Crawford and Yastrzemski and both are there for different reasons. Crawford has started every Opening Day game for the Giants since 2012 and even with a 6 for 48 career mark against Kershaw, it’s almost impossible to imagine Kapler running a lineup without Crawford, Belt (4 for 60, 29 strikeouts against Kershaw) or Buster Posey onto the field for his debut as the team’s manager.
Yastrzemski had reverse splits in 2019 and offers the Giants a bit of balance when a relief pitcher does appear, so he’s the only other left-handed hitter you see listed.
It’s possible the Giants have Dubón start at shortstop and throw a right-handed hitting outfielder such as Davis into center field, but that’s a lineup configuration fans are more likely to see a few days into the season.
It’s also too early to rule out the possibility of Chadwick Tromp starting at catcher over Heineman. Tromp’s bat speed “is real,” according to Kapler and with a strong history against left-handed pitchers in the minors, the Giants may prefer that matchup.
Regardless of how the starting lineup shakes out, the Giants will substitute freely once the Dodgers move into their bullpen, so fans could see Belt (if he’s healthy), Dickerson and Austin Slater all finish out the game.
The Buehler lineup
1. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
2. Mauricio Dubón, CF
3. Brandon Belt, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Alex Dickerson, LF
6. Pablo Sandoval, DH
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Donovan Solano OR Yolmer Sánchez, 2B
9. Rob Brantly, C
THE BENCH >> Hunter Pence (LF), Darin Ruf (1B/LF), Austin Slater (OF/IF), Wilmer Flores (1B/2B), Jaylin Davis (OF), Tyler Heineman OR Chadwick Tromp (C)
OTHERS IN THE MIX >> Billy Hamilton (OF), Steven Duggar (OF), Joey Rickard (OF), Joe McCarthy (1B, RF), Zach Green (3B/1B), Abiatal Avelino (SS/2B)
THE EXPLANATION >> The Giants’ lineup against righthanded starters could look very different depending on who makes the Opening Day roster.
If Belt isn’t healthy enough to play, McCarthy could become the favorite to pull down reps as the starting first baseman against right-handed pitchers. If Hamilton returns to camp over the next few days, his presence could bump Davis or Slater off the initial Opening Day roster while giving the Giants another left-handed option in the outfield.
Depending on who the Giants keep at the catcher position, the switch-hitting Heineman
could be in line to play more against lefties if Brantly makes the team, or righties if the club goes with Tromp. Keeping all three catchers is still a possibility, but it seems more likely the third catcher will regularly travel with the club on the taxi squad.
If non-roster free-agent Sánchez makes the club, expect the switch-hitting infielder to start regularly at second base against right-handed pitchers. Sánchez isn’t a particularly strong hitter from either side of the plate, but one of the smoothest infield defenders in baseball has demonstrated more power against righties.
The coronavirus pandemic has given teams the chance to keep more players on Opening Day rosters, but it has also removed much of the clarity from roster decisions and the daily choices managers will have to make with their lineups.
As we’ve seen in all facets of life, so much is unpredictable and our early predictions for Giants lineup configurations against right and left-handed starters could change drastically in the coming days.