Idea of fewer platoons popular
Conforto, Yastrzemski hope everyday play leads to consistency
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The San Francisco Giants’ starting outfield skews very left-handed, with Jung Hoo Lee in center field flanked by Michael Conforto to his left and Mike Yastrzemski to his right. If the Giants roll with just four outfielders on their Opening Day roster, Austin Slater stands to be the only right-hander in a platoon, probably most often with Yastrzemski.
The way manager Bob Melvin sees it, a lefty-heavy outfield isn’t a matchup concern. Unlike in years prior, the staff feels comfortable with Yastrzemski and Conforto against left-handed pitching if the situation arises. The rookie Lee will face lefties, too.
Melvin hopes to have the top and middle of his lineups stay consistent game to game and pegs Conforto as one of those everyday players. The manager also envisions flexibility with the Yastrzemski and Slater platoon that didn’t bend last season. Melvin asked Yastrzemski soon after he was hired in November why he spent last season in a strict platoon with Slater; Yastrzemski didn’t have a good answer.
“Yastrzemski’s numbers have gone down (against lefties), but he came back to camp saying, ‘Let’s swing it back to where it was before,’ ” Melvin said. “His approach will have something to do with that. He has had success before against lefties, I don’t know why it wouldn’t happen again.”
The justification is based on performance. Yastrzemski has hit a career .223 with a .690 OPS against left-handed pitchers and .247 with a .821 OPS against righties. Slater has hit .285 with an .837 OPS in his career against left-handed pitching.
Yastrzemski bought into the platoon because it made sense on paper. But the rigidity took a mental toll on him last season. Interrupting his flow was the nagging reminder that he’d be pulled without second thought if the matchup was favorable. He’d get in his head if a slew of southpaws were lined up to start against the Giants or if he saw a lefty reliever warming in the bullpen. Yastrzemski saw that paranoia permeate the clubhouse last season.
“Guys felt that once you see someone warming up in the bullpen, sometimes you can (let it get to you),” Yastrzemski said. “For me, if I saw a lefty in the bullpen, I knew Slater was going to hit — then I get told to go on deck to give a look and it’s almost like you’re expecting the move to be made because it’s been made so many times.
“All of the sudden you get the opportunity to hit there and you’re caught off guard. It was definitely tough to manage at times — whether or not you knew you were going to hit or get hit for. Not wanting to make excuses, but it was tough not knowing what was going on into atbats like that.”
That struggle showed itself in his .200 batting
average in the second half last season.
“To an extent I think there’s definitely some validity to it in terms of numbers,” Yastrzemski said. “But there’s something to be said about your mentality when you feel like there is not a whole lot of belief in you on one side of the game. Then when you get those opportunities, you put a lot of pressure on it to try to prove a point and say, ‘Look what I can do.’ So those at-bats became very tense for me
and felt like they had pressure even if it wasn’t a pressure situation in the game.”
Conforto and Lee factor into a top of the lineup that Melvin hopes won’t change much throughout the year. Lee is the projected everyday leadoff hitter, and Conforto — the presumed designated hitter before Jorge Soler signed — has the opportunity to “be that guy,” too, in terms of his daily presence.
“Michael has been an everyday guy in the past,”
Melvin said. “(If he has a) fully healthy, full spring this year, I expect him to have a really good year for us.”
Conforto held an everyday role last season until he suffered a hamstring injury in late June. When he struggled upon his return, Conforto was moved to a platoon role and spiraled due to the inconsistent playing time. Conforto played every day during his best seasons with the New York Mets, including an All-Star season in 2017.
“I’m excited about it,” Conforto said. “The years I have done well I’ve been in a role where I’ve been in there every day. Having had both experiences, somewhat platoon, somewhat every day. The dayto-day preparation is much easier when knowing you’ll be in the lineup.”
Versatility in the outfield depth expands Melvin’s options to take advantage of some matchups without adhering to strict platoons. Soler has gotten some time in the outfield in spring and could play there once a week during the season against lefties or to give one of the regulars a day of rest. That also opens up more at-bats for Wilmer Flores in the DH spot away from his platoon responsibilities at first base with LaMonte Wade.
“When you perform like ‘Flo’ does, you find a way to get your at-bats,” Melvin said.
With Heliot Ramos optioned on Monday morning, Luis Matos has an outside chance to break camp as a fifth outfielder to increase their righthanded bat depth. After a frustrating rookie season (.661 OPS), Matos has had his moments this spring, drilling three home runs but hitting just .240.
“There’s times where you’re going to have to do (a platoon) one way or another,” Yastrzemski said. “I think it’s going to be really good to be able to manage workloads and I think when you can have those off days to be in a situation where it’s advantageous to get Slater in a lineup, that’s going to play better for both sides versus every single time there’s a lefty, knowing you’re not going to be there. Hopefully we can find a really good routine.”