Giants ponder center options
Five players in mix to spell Dubón when he’s deployed elsewhere
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Giants fans should expect to see a different Mauricio Dubón in 2021. Not the Mauricio Dubón who swings at anything close but the Mauricio Dubón who extends plate appearances and gets on base far more.
“If I can’t hit it out, I’m not swinging,” Dubón said, realizing he can raise his onbase percentage by drawing more walks and his slugging percentage by swinging at better pitches.
Dubón is a valuable asset on the Giants’ roster because he can play almost anywhere. He’s the No. 1 center fielder and has taken spring training reps at shortstop as Brandon Crawford’s primary backup and also at second and third.
That Dubón is reinventing himself at the plate is a bonus. He walked just 15 times in 177 plate appearances last year. In spring training, thanks to a lot of work and guidance from coaches and teammates (particularly Brandon Belt), Dubón hads walked eight times in 23 plate appearances through Monday.
“I want to do damage, especially now that I got a little stronger,” said Dubón, who has added 12 to 15 pounds since last season. “It’s about not
wasting atbats. If they’re not going to give it to you, then just take your base. If it’s not there, don’t swing.”
If it is? “I’m trying to elevate and celebrate,” he said.
The Giants need to figure out their outfield mix, starting with how much Dubón will play in center. Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Steven Duggar have played Cactus League games in center as management considers all available options.
That includes top outfield prospect Heliot Ramos, who survived Monday’s first round of cuts because of his scorching bat and impressive defense, but he’s likely destined to begin the season in the minors.
“I’ve been learning a lot from everybody,” said Ramos, who cited Dubón and Yastrzemski for pulling him aside and offering defensive pointers. “I’ve been playing hard. Thank God, I’ve been doing good. That’s something I’ve been proud of.”
Until further notice, the Giants see Ramos as a center fielder. Manager Gabe Kapler said, “That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t move to a corner at some point, but I think he’s got the speed, athleticism, explosiveness and instincts to play center.”
Yastrzemski will be in the lineup every day, and his best fit is right field, though the Giants would love for him to master center as a leftyhitting alternative to Dubón. Alex Dickerson is a platoon left fielder with either Darin Ruf or Slater or both. Like Wade, who bats lefthanded, Slater can play all over the outfield.
Amid all the outfield goingson, Kapler is pleased to see Dubón’s progress.
“He’s made physical changes to his body, mechanical changes to his swing,” Kapler said. “He’s much more calm, much more stable in his lower half, much more patient and much more devoted to seeking a pitch he could drive and especially patient on pitches he can’t drive.”
Whatever the outfield mix, Jaylin Davis won’t be in it. He was optioned Monday and instructed to work more on making better contact after striking out eight times in 14 atbats. It’s the same issue that kept Davis, who hit 35 minorleague homers in 2019, at the alternate site last summer.
Noticeably disappointed, Davis told reporters contact will come with “a lot more reps. For me, it’s just trying to feel comfortable and getting back to being comfortable in the box.”
Kapler said the Giants still believe in Davis and that the
outfielder has made progress in recent days, but further adjustments are needed because the bat’s still not connecting with the ball enough.
“We felt it’s the right time to put his mind on making progress with his contact, and that’s really the one thing that is going to keep him from being a majorleaguer for a really long time,” Kapler said. “He knows that. We’ve talked about that.”
The Giants have a couple of weeks to settle on an outfield mix based on defensive strengths, leftright combinations and simply who’s hot and who’s not.
“The goal when we break camp,” Kapler said, “is to have the best group of outfielders with the most versatility.”