DUGGAR LOOKING TO MUSCLE INTO LINEUP
Outfielder trying his best to win a starting spot in SF’s 9-man lineup
Steven Duggar didn’t crush the ball in the second inning of Tuesday’s spring training game. The San Francisco Giants outfielder simply got his bat around to a low fastball and lifted it into left field.
Duggar knew the ball was gone, though. He trotted slowly from the left-handed batter’s box and placed his bat down parallel to the white line that connects home to first base. He squinted as he looked toward the sky, tracking the baseball until it landed just a few feet past the left-field wall.
It was Duggar’s second opposite-field home run in two games, manifestations of the improvements the 27-year-old outfielder made over the offseason and statistical proof of what Giants manager Gabe Kapler deemed “some really good things” from Duggar throughout the spring.
Those home runs are a big step for Duggar, whose offensive production was absent at the outset of spring training games, a stretch that saw him strike out in six of his first eight at-bats. But the way Kapler sees it, Duggar has only delivered on part of what the Giants are looking for this spring.
“It’s kind of been a tale of two camps,” Kapler said Tuesday. “On one hand, more recently, he’s been having fantastic at-bats. Obviously, gone deep a couple of times. We also see opportunities for him to be more aggressive on the bases. We see opportunities for him to be more aggressive in getting bunts down.”
Duggar has been an enigma since a breakout spring training three years ago that appeared to cement his status as the franchise’s center fielder of the future.
Duggar is an elite defender, but he has struggled immensely at the plate as a major leaguer. He’s seen action in just 135 games in three seasons and owns a .236 batting average, six home runs and nearly five times the amount of strikeouts (133) than he has walks (27). Since he made his MLB debut on July 8, 2018, Duggar has been optioned to the minor leagues five times. He’s also battled injuries that have slowed his progress.
Perhaps it’s that speed and alluring potential on the basepaths that keeps the Giants calling Duggar’s name. After all, he has swiped 51 bags since his minor league debut in 2015 and put the same speed on display as a fielder. Kapler is yearning for more of it before the season starts in less than a month.
Baserunning is an aspect of Duggar’s game that even he won’t deny needs to shine more than it has in the last several years. He feels this spring is his time to prove himself in that regard.
“I’m an aggressive player and it doesn’t always show up in a game and that’s on me,” Duggar said. “Part of that is just the mentality of the approach but I feel like if I get on first there’s an opportunity to get to second and an opportunity to get to the third, it’s only going to help the rest of the team.”
Kapler said, “He’s a great all-around athlete. Elite speed and an incredible person and a great teammate. I think we can see him step, you know, take a step forward.”
Kapler did not explicitly
say it, but the Giants need Duggar to take that step forward in a crowded outfield mix. Since 2019, eight players other than Mike Yastrzemski have played at least 25 games in the Giants’ outfield. Combined, they have a two-year WAR of just 6.9 — just barely more than double the WAR that Atlanta Braves first baseman and 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman had in 60 games last year.
With Yastrzemski back in the fold for the Giants, offensive production from another outfielder would be a welcomed addition. Duggar is hoping to provide that spark.
“The thought this offseason was just to try to get back to just being myself,”
Duggar said. “There was some really good dialogue between (Giants hitting coaches) Donnie (Ecker), [Justin Viele] and (assistant hitting coach) Dustin (Lind) trying to refine a couple of things and being a little bit wide in the box. Ultimately just lead to consistency. So far so good.”
Duggar’s offseason search for his optimal swing was process directly aided by his improved health. Since he debuted in 2018, Duggar has been placed on the injured list three times, once with a left shoulder bruise, once with a lower back strain and once with an AC sprain in his left shoulder that required a stint on the 60-day injured list. He feels
like all of that could be behind him.
“I feel strong,” Duggar said. “I’d like to be a little heavier but I feel strong with what I have and the frame feels good. My shoulder feels great. All eyes on the baseball. Let’s go get it.”
In a way, it seems as though Duggar controls his own destiny with the Giants. If he continues to perform with the bat throughout the remainder of the spring and demonstrates his base-running capabilities, there’s a chance he makes the Opening Day roster.
That’s what makes him so confident. He feels he’s ready to grab his situation by the reins and steer it in the right direction.