Giants still evaluating options in center field
With Opening Day fast approaching, the Giants are still sorting out which of their outfielders are capable of playing adequate defense in center field.
Mauricio Dubón, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, LaMonte Wade Jr., Steven Duggar and prospect Heliot Ramos have all appeared in Cactus League games, but outside of Dubón, it’s unclear who the Giants really trust in center field.
Given the small sample size of spring training games and the lack of innings to gain deeper insight into how much ground players such as Yastrzemski, Slater and Wade can cover, it’s likely the Giants’ evaluations of their options in center field will continue in the majors and at TripleA during the first month of the season.
With center field still a question mark and the corners largely settled, we looked at the Giants’ outfield personnel and how the depth chart could evolve as the season rolls along.
The mainstays
MIKE YASTRZEMSKI » The Giants’ 2020 Willie Mac Award winner wasn’t just the team’s most inspirational player last year, he was also their best. Yastrzemski finished eighth in National League MVP voting and has been the most productive player of Farhan Zaidi’s tenure. He’ll start on an everyday basis in 2021 and play against both righties and lefties, but his ability to play center field will be a key to the Giants’ season. If Yastrzemski shows he’s at least an adequate defender in center, he can start there against right-handed pitchers, allowing the Giants to have Alex Dickerson start in left and another left-handed bat such as Wade in right. ALEX DICKERSON » When healthy, Dickerson is a bonafide middle-of-the-order bat and the player who stands to gain the most from hitting behind leadoff man Tommy La Stella and Yastrzemski, the presumed No. 2 hitter. Dickerson will start as often as he can in left field against right-handed pitchers and rest up and be available off the bench when the Giants face lefties. Since joining the Giants, his OPS+ is above 130.
MAURICIO DUBÓN » Dubón figures to be one of the Giants’ most important players at the outset of the 2021 season because he’s the best
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defensive center fielder on the roster and the only backup shortstop. There’s still time for Zaidi to swing a trade for someone else who can provide depth behind Brandon Crawford, but until that point, Dubón figures to be a regular in center field and a key part of the infield depth chart as well.
The must-be-morethan-platoon bats
DARIN RUF » When rosters expanded to 28 players for the 2020 season, the Giants were able to carry a pair of right-handed outfield bats who spent much of their time in platoons. Ruf spelled Dickerson in left field while Slater either played in right or served as the designated hitter. With roster sizes dropping back to 26 players this season, the Giants need Ruf and Slater to handle righthanded pitching with more regularity and both appear capable of doing so. Ruf in particular has had strong at-bats against righties in Cactus League play and while it’s possible he’ll only start against lefties, he’ll be
a key bat off the bench in the late innings.
AUSTIN SLATER » The Giants may not grade Slater ahead of Yastrzemski as a defender in center field, but he’s athletic, a base stealer and a proven asset at the top of the lineup when a left-hander is on the mound. Slater has taken steps forward in recent seasons by improving his plate discipline and launch angle and now that he’s consistently hitting the ball in the air, the next way for him to prove his value is to become a more dependable bat against righties.
Will they hit enough to play?
LAMONTE WADE JR. » With first baseman Brandon Belt’s status for Opening Day uncertain, Wade could be first in line among position players to snag a roster spot if Belt requires a stint on the injured list. How would that work? Aside from playing all three outfield positions, the lefthanded hitter with excellent plate discipline has also shown he’s a solid defender at first base this spring. The Giants love versatility, so that should increase Wade’s chances of having a chance to make an impact. Wade owns a career .211 average and .684 OPS in 95 major league at-bats, so the Giants
are hoping that with more consistent opportunities, he could develop into a platoon option and potentially play his way into a bigger role. STEVEN DUGGAR » It’s hard to believe Duggar was one of the last cuts at the end of spring camp in 2018 because the Giants were so certain at the time he would be their center-fielder-ofthe-future. It took until July, 2018 before he made his major league debut, but since that time, he’s struggled to hit enough to hang onto a roster spot. Keeping both Wade and Duggar on the 40-man roster might be a challenge for the Giants at the end of spring and there’s almost no way they have room for both on the 26-man roster, but Duggar has shown enough improvements at camp to justify consideration for a job.
The prospect who can change it all
HELIOT RAMOS » At 21 years old, Ramos has been among the Giants’ most impressive performers this spring and was the only top prospect who wasn’t reassigned to minor league camp when the club made cuts on Monday. Kapler said the club wanted to reward him for his strong showing, but it’s also an indication that Ramos may not be as far away from making his major league debut as we initially thought. A late-summer or September call-up still feels like the most likely scenario for Ramos, but if he crushes Double-A or Triple-A pitching at the outset of the season and forces his way onto the roster, it could blow up the current depth chart. Like so many other outfielders in Giants camp, it’s a bit unclear whether Ramos has the range to handle center field on a full-time basis, but at least early in his career, the team might give him the chance to prove he can do it.