San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Giants’ defense remains dubious
Moves didn’t seem to help deficient area
With MLB’s elimination of extreme shifts this coming season, defense will be a topic throughout the spring for all teams. The San Francisco Giants must make the conversation a priority all year.
The Giants finished last in the majors in almost every significant defensive category in 2022, and while the team made numerous additions this winter, there are no indications the team is better defensively. In fact, with third baseman Evan Longoria and first baseman Brandon Belt moving on as free agents, the team might not be as good at the corner spots. Longoria and Belt, when on the field, were among the Giants’ better fielders.
“I don’t think we have a Gold Glover at every position,” said manager Gabe Kapler, who like president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has repeatedly said that the Giants’ defense must improve substantially.
“I guess it’s kind of an unknown right now,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “But I think it’ll be something that’ll be a focus for us.”
Either of the team’s major free-agent targets, outfielder Aaron Judge and shortstop Carlos Correa, would have helped from a defensive standpoint as well as offensively. Judge could have played center, moving Mike Yastrzemski to right when in the lineup. Correa would have moved Crawford to third base, giving San Francisco one of the better left sides of the infield in the game.
Instead, the outfield is likely to feature a platoon of Yastrzemski and Austin Slater in center, with new players Mitch Haniger in right and Michael Conforto in left. Both are considered average outfielders, and Conforto is recovering from shoulder surgery, but his throwing progression is coming along well.
Yastrzemski and Slater are considered good defenders, but both had some issues last year, usually involving overly aggressive mistakes, especially throwing to the wrong base. Using Statcast’s defensive metrics, Yastrzemski’s Outs Above Average dropped from 5 in 2021 to 2 last year, and Slater dipped from 3to2.
Overall, the outfield was ranked last in the majors last year, but should be better largely because most of that was owed to poor defense in left field — reflected in the metrics — and Joc Pederson will be DHing most of the time instead of playing left. Pederson’s minus-11 Outs Above Average last season ranked third-worst among ma
jor-league outfielders.
“I think we’re going to have outfielders playing the outfield,” Kapler said. “Last year, we had some guys, just because we needed to get some offense in the lineup, playing out there when it wasn’t ideal.”
Crawford is a four-time Gold Glove winner, and even playing short at 36 he should be among the better defenders in the league, especially if he plays the position as well as he did the final month or so of last season.
“I think Craw is going to come into the season healthier, and I think he’s going to come into the season in really good condition,” Kapler said. “We know what Craw is when he’s in his best shape and fully healthy.”
Like most second basemen around baseball in the wake of the rules change, Thairo Estrada will be asked to up his game, with range an even more important factor given the elimination of shifting. His work this spring will be watched closely. And remember, he’s also the backup shortstop.
The infield corners are big question marks. Will David Villar get the bulk of time at third, as hinted, with LaMonte Wade Jr. playing first most of the time? Kapler said that he believes Wade will provide good range at first now that he is back to full health after a knee injury last year.
“I think we have guys that maybe have to prove themselves just because we haven’t seen as much of them at those positions, whether it’s Villar at third or LaMonte at first,” Crawford said. “But I’ve also seen them make some good plays at those positions, too.”
So where does the always useful Wilmer Flores, a Kapler favorite, play? Is he a platoon DH with Pederson? What about J.D. Davis, who like Flores and Villar is a right-handed hitter who plays the corners and some outfield?
“I guess it’s kind of an unknown right now.”
Brandon Crawford, Giants shortstop, on the team’s defense
Other names to watch? Minor-leaguer Casey Schmitt, a third baseman named the team’s top defensive prospect. He will also get some time at shortstop this spring. Another left-handed-hitting infielder likely to be called up at some point is second baseman Brett Wisely, who also can play third and who has speed, something the Giants have little of in the lineup apart from Estrada and Slater. Isan Diaz is a good defender who could provide help at multiple spots.
Decisions to be made at catcher will be interesting to follow. Joey Bart is the only catcher with MLB experience on the 40man roster, but two-time Gold Glove winner Roberto Perez will be in camp on a minor-league deal and is a strong bet to make the team out of the spring if he’s fully healthy after a hamstring injury cost him much of the 2022 season.
If Bart comes along offensively, he and Perez might make a decent tandem. Perez won’t hit a ton unless the Giants hitting coaches work some major magic, but he has a superb reputation for his work with pitchers. Austin Wynns, back on a minor-league deal, is decent defensively, and Rule 5 draftee Blake Sabol is an unusual utility option — he can catch, play the outfield and first base, and he bats lefty.
“We’ve got some options at the catching position. I don’t think anything is clear cut, I’m just giving you a heads up on that,” Kapler said. “These guys are going to come in and compete for both playing time and roster spots.”
The Giants’ pitching staff was slightly better than average defensively last season, and needs to stay at least at that level. They could help themselves by picking up a few more outs.