We are regularly asked questions about the state of the Giants’ outfield, so I decided to assess the 10 (soon to be 11) players they’ve used out there so far. I also took a look at their options in the upper minors.
Outfielders The Giants Have Used In Their First 40 Games
Left Field
- Gerardo Parra (40.7% of defensive innings) – Parra signed a minor league deal in February and broke camp with the big league club, but was designated for assignment on May 3rd, signed with the Nationals, and has started their last three games. The Giants pulled the plug on the 32-year-old veteran after 97 plate appearances.
- Yangervis Solarte (12.0%) – Much like Parra, Solarte was a veteran signed to a minor league deal in February who made the big league team but is now out of the organization. Solarte received 78 plate appearances. It should be noted that he’s much more of an infielder by trade.
- Tyler Austin (10.7%) – A 13th round draft pick of the Yankees in 2010 after serving as a catcher in high school, Austin began seeing significant outfield time in the minors in 2012. According to Baseball America after that season, Austin combined “physical maturity with athleticism” and ascended to Double-A as well as a 60 grade in their prospect rankings. He was considered one of the 80 best prospects in the game at the time. Perhaps with a contribution from a wrist injury, Austin’s status as a prospect took a tumble after he played regularly at Double-A in 2013. BA still considered Austin “a potential everyday outfielder” after another injury-affected season at that level in 2014. He started 2015 at Triple-A but was demoted back to Double-A in August, finally getting designated for assignment by the Yankees to make room on the 40-man roster for September call-ups. Austin passed through waivers at that time.
- Austin battled his way back to Triple-A in the summer of 2016 and raked in 57 games, finally getting a shot with the big league club alongside Aaron Judge. A broken foot sidelined Austin in February 2017, and once he was healthy in June, he soon replaced Chris Carter as part of the Yankees’ first base mix. Soon after, Austin returned to the DL with a hamstring injury. He spent the rest of 2017 bouncing up and down from Triple-A, but managed to break camp with the big league club in 2018 due to a Greg Bird injury. At the ’18 trade deadline, the Yankees dealt Austin to the Twins as part of the return for Lance Lynn. Austin was in the Twins’ DH/first base mix for the rest of that season, but found himself competing for a backup role this season after Minnesota added C.J. Cron and Marwin Gonzalez. Though he broke camp with the Twins, Austin was quickly designated for assignment in April this year when they needed bullpen help. The Giants picked him up via trade, and despite a minor elbow injury Austin has hit well in his 47 plate appearances for San Francisco. Austin has split his time between left field and first base, the latter of which is typically manned by Brandon Belt. The 27-year-old Austin has struck out a ton but has also showed good power in his scattered 456 big league plate appearances. He’s out of minor league options and the 17-23 Giants represent a great opportunity for Austin, particularly if Belt is traded this summer. That said, Austin has started only three of the Giants’ last ten games.
- Mac Williamson (9.8%) – Williamson was drafted by the Giants out of Wake Forest in the third round in 2012, a known overdraft at the time according to Baseball America. BA graded Williamson as a 50 prospect, noting huge raw power, questionable contact skills, “surprising athleticism,” and an impressive work ethic. After a strong 2013 season at High-A, Williamson was upgraded to a 55 grade prospect by BA, but he went down for Tommy John surgery in April 2014. The injury did little to dim Williamson’s star, and he moved through Double and Triple-A quickly in 2015, earning a September call-up to the Giants. In need of regular at-bats, Williamson started the 2016 season back at Triple-A. At the time, BA’s outlook was that “his power and on-base give him a chance to be a useful big leaguer, though his swing is not conducive for a player who plays sporadically.” Williamson was up and down for much of 2016, hitting the DL in August with a shoulder injury and then in September with a quad injury. His competition for regular playing time in 2017 was interrupted with another quad injury, and he again bounced up and down from Triple-A to the Giants that year. Williamson revamped his swing before the 2018 campaign, finding his way back to the Majors before the end of April. He endured a concussion in late April that effectively ruined his season. There was a point in March this year when Williamson was the leader for the Giants’ starting left field job, but he was designated for assignment weeks later, which says a lot about the team’s outfield situation. He cleared waivers, raked at Triple-A for a month, and was re-added to the Giants’ 40-man last week. Williamson, now 28, has never had an extended period as a starting player for the Giants. Like Austin, he’s out of minor league options and must make the most of a great opportunity. He’s said to be getting an “extended look as the starting left fielder,” which in light of Williamson’s recent DFA suggests either that the Giants are very fickle about what constitutes a starter, or they’re just desperate.
- Connor Joe (9.3%) – Joe was drafted 39th overall out of the University of San Diego by the Pirates in 2014. He was traded to the Braves for Sean Rodriguez in August 2017, and then to the Dodgers for international pool money the following month. The Reds snagged Joe in the 2018 Rule 5 draft with an eye on his work at the catcher position, but dealt him to the Giants in March this year. The Giants gave Joe eight games (including the Opening Day left field nod) before designating him for assignment, and he has now been returned to the Dodgers organization.
- Mike Gerber (8.2%) – Gerber was drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round out of Creighton in 2014. Baseball America considered Gerber a “possible late round bargain” after his pro debut. Though Gerber was old for Low-A in 2015, he hit well and saw his status upgraded to a 50 prospect by BA. At the time, BA suggested that at least some scouts saw him as a possible big league regular in right field. Gerber made it to Double-A the following year, and the Tigers saw fit to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Gerber spent 2018 moving up and down between Triple-A and the Majors, struggling in his brief big league sample. The Giants claimed him off waivers in December, but designated him for assignment in January upon signing Drew Pomeranz. Gerber cleared waivers at the time, began his year with a strong run at Triple-A, and was re-added to the Giants’ 40-man roster on May 3rd. The 26-year-old was optioned back to Triple-A last week. The Giants’ actions suggest they see Gerber as a depth piece.
- Brandon Belt (7.6%) – The veteran Belt has generally played first base, but has dabbled in left field over the years. Belt, 31, is owed the remainder of his $16MM salary this year plus $32MM from 2020-21. Though he has a limited no-trade clause, Belt’s contract and recent injury history are the bigger impediments to a deal.
- Michael Reed (1.7%) – Reed was a fifth-round draft pick by the Brewers in 2011. Before the 2017 season, Baseball America wrote, “Reed’s ceiling appears to be extra outfielder with on-base ability and speed, though as a right-handed hitter, he will need to shine in those areas to elevate himself above lefthanded candidates for the bench.” Reed was removed from the Brewers’ 40-man roster that summer and spent time with the Braves in 2018 before being claimed off waivers by the Twins. The Giants picked him up in a March trade and though he made the Opening Day roster when Williamson was designated for assignment (and started that first game in right field), Reed himself was designated on April 2nd when the club acquired Kevin Pillar. He remained in the organization on a minor league deal.
- Breakouts are always possible, but it’s difficult to see anyone who has played left field for the Giants this year as a likely long-term piece.
Center Field
- Kevin Pillar (82.9%) – The Giants acquired Pillar in a trade with the Blue Jays on April 2nd. The veteran Pillar is generally known for his glovework, though it seems to have slipped this year in a small sample. Pillar has always been a below-average hitter. He’s earning $5.8MM this season and though he’s controllable for 2020, my guess is that he’ll be playing elsewhere.
- Steven Duggar (17.1%) – Duggar was drafted by the Giants out of Clemson in the sixth round in 2015. After his pro debut, Baseball America rated Duggar as a 45 prospect with plus speed and a plus arm who had nonetheless disappointed scouts in games to that point. His star brightened to a 50 grade after a 2016 season that saw Duggar reach Double-A, with BA writing, “Duggar is a premium athlete who is proving he can hit.” He missed a large chunk of the 2017 season due to hip and elbow injuries, but played in the Arizona Fall League and nearly broke camp with the Giants in 2018. He got the call in July after the Giants traded Austin Jackson but suffered a shoulder injury in late August. The injury required season-ending surgery, but Duggar made it back to begin the year as the Giants’ Opening Day center fielder. So far though Duggar has spent much more time in right field, which makes sense given the Pillar acquisition. Barring a breakout, Duggar’s bat would really only seem to play in center field. The acquisition of Pillar, who is not a long-term piece for the Giants, seemingly denies a chance to see whether Duggar can settle in as the team’s everday center fielder.
Right Field
- Steven Duggar (73.3%) – Duggar has shown well defensively in his 261-inning right field sample this year, but again, the bat profiles in center.
- Gerardo Parra (19.9%)
- Michael Reed (3.7%)
- Mac Williamson (2.5%)
- Brandon Belt (0.6%)
The Giants’ Most Recent Outfield Acquisition
- On Saturday, the Giants claimed Aaron Altherr off waivers from the Phillies. Now 28, Altherr was drafted by the Phillies out of high school in the ninth round a decade ago. The Fresh Prince of Altherr has shown flashes of brilliance in his 332 game Phillies career, particularly in a 2017 season in which he posted a 121 wRC+ in 107 games. Altherr was considered a high risk, high reward player when he was drafted. Like many of the Giants’ outfielders, Altherr is out of minor league options and has a lengthy injury history but could become interesting if he takes advantage of his shot at regular playing time. The Giants had mostly settled into a Williamson-Pillar-Duggar alignment from left to right, and it remains to be seen how Altherr fits in.
Down On the Farm
- The Giants have one premium outfield prospect in Heliot Ramos. However, he’s only at High A plus he’s currently on the IL for an LCL sprain. According to MLB Pipeline, Ramos’ ETA is 2021. Prospects Alexander Canario, Jairo Pomares, and Sandro Fabian are also not close to the Majors.
- At Triple-A, the Giants have the aforementioned Gerber still on the 40-man roster, while Reed would need to be re-added (the Giants’ 40-man roster is currently full).
- Also on the 40-man is Austin Slater, the Giants’ eighth round draft pick from 2014. Slater has a good amount of big league experience and he’s playing well at Sacramento. This year he’s played first base more than anything at Triple-A, and otherwise he’s mostly just a left field option. He was generally a regular in the Giants’ outfield in the summer of 2017 until sustaining a hip injury and a sports hernia. Slater was up and down in 2018 and figures to face a similar fate this year. He’s played five different positions at Triple-A in the early going, but mostly first base. Slater projected as a second-division regular as of about a year ago, according to Baseball America.
- The Giants’ Triple-A roster also includes outfielders career minor leaguers Anthony Garcia, Henry Ramos, and Mike Yastrzemski. While any of them could conceivably help the big league club in a pinch, they’re all at least 27 years old and aren’t considered prospects.
- The Giants’ Double-A roster includes Chris Shaw, who is on the 40-man roster after a cup of coffee last September. Shaw, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2015, was said by BA to have “top-of-the-scale raw power” after being drafted. He’s a below-average defender at left field and first base, according to BA, so his bat will have to carry him. Shaw was surprisingly demoted to Double-A to start the season, but the 25-year-old still has a chance to help the Giants this year and even carve out a future as a regular.
- The Giants also have Heath Quinn, Jacob Heyward, and Johneshwy Fargas at Double-A. Quinn rated as a 45 prospect prior to the season, though he’s struggled in his first 107 plate appearances in trying to make the jump to Double-A. Jacob Heyward, Jason’s younger brother, rates as just a 40 prospect at MLB Pipeline but is performing well in the early going for the Flying Squirrels.
- The Giants will draft tenth overall this June, and FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel reported, “The rumor is that this is another pick that will go college, and likely a college hitter, with new Giants GM Farhan Zaidi having prized versatility and defensive value when building the Dodgers.” So that pick could certainly be used on an outfielder.
It’s early, but Zaidi hasn’t acquitted himself well with regard to his outfield. After Bryce Harper went to the Phillies, the Giants had something of a blank canvas in the outfield that would ideally allow them to find a diamond in the rough or at least give semi-interesting prospects regular playing time. Instead both Opening Day corner outfielders are gone, the dalliance with Parra was brief, Williamson went from DFA to starter, Pillar was acquired to push Duggar to right, and now Altherr is in the mix. There’s actually some real talent in the Giants’ outfield mix, but so far the team hasn’t inspired confidence in how they’re doling out playing time.
The Giants have neglected their outfield for the last how many years?
Williamson has insane power. He’s their most intriguing outfielder, could be the break they need.
Here’s to hoping Mac stays healthy
Dilly dilly
Mac sucks and you know it.
Mark Reynolds of the outfield.
Bunch-ah-bums
Last homegrown OFer the Giants produced that became an All-Star? Chili Davis. That’s right. Chili gawdamn Davis. I’m referring to the 1980’s here. The nineteen eighties.
So it’s safe to say after all these years, either they havnt valued developing young OFers or just as likely preferred to trade for established OFers or sign a FA.
Personally, I don’t really care how Farhan Zaidi acquires an OFer, or just hitters in general. Just find some. The last few years Giants hitters would’ve had more success at the plate without a bat in their hands.
I agree with your comments, and the Giants definitely have struggled developing OF talent. No breaks given on that track record.
I am curious whether the Giants may have produced one or two more OF over the last decade or so had their IF prospects not been drafted or developed as successfully and proportionally more of those IF had been moved to the OF as they may have been by other organizations.
I found it hard to believe so, I checked who was the last all star OF the Giant’s produced. It is in fact Chili Davis who was a rookie in 1982. Even worse, since then, they only produced three starting OFs: Dan Gladden 1984, Marvin Benard 1996 and Fred Lewis 2007 who was a full time OF only in 2008 in place of Barry Bonds.
Braves have some extra outfielders right now. Duvall and Ender come to mind as guys that have potential, although Ender is really struggling at the plate and Duvall really fell off the map last year. But Duvall is hitting pretty well in the minors. I feel like those are good options for SF, but not great. Better than the puzzle they have been predicting so far it seems.
Duvall was bad when he was first here, I doubt he’d be any better now.
Giants use to have Duvall and at that time they never considered him an OF (he was a 3B/1B). The Giants also have someone like Duvall named Mac Williamson. The difference between the two is 1) Williamson is a legit corner OF on defense, 2) he has all the same power Duvall does, 3) he’s probably an all around better hitter. Though unlike Duvall he hasn’t got a chance to showcase it elsewhere.
I’m not agreeing or disagreeing on whether or not the Giants should go after Duvall, but Duvall is actually a pretty solid defensive OFer.
Williamson does have some potential though. Hopefully he’ll get that shot to consistently show it.
Duvall was actually a Gold Glove finalist in 2017 and 2018.
Bad outfield. Bad infield. Barely mediocre starters. Farm system that looks like a plague of locusts and drought have come to stay. About the only positive is the bullpen. Better trade the good pieces and get the rebuild going…..
In 21 at bats for Williamson so far he’s .143 with 5 RBIs, 1 homer. Not bad for RBIs in a short period compared to the rest of the team. But how is he doing overall? Does he deserve a longer look? Yes. Gerber only played in 3 games before being sent back to AAA. Think he only had one hit but 3 games is certainly not a ‘long look’. Gerber and Williamson had about the same BA in AAA when Gerber was called up. We look like the gang who couldn’t shoot straight!
All Mac’s production was from 1 game. He’s ghosted since. Gerber got the golden sombrero in one game striking out like 4 times. Looked completely over matched albeit in a small sample size.
At least Mac has been hitting the ball unlike Gerber, reed, or Joe. Macs been making consistent loud contact, hes just hitting everything to a glove. A .133 BABIP isn’t gonna last. He’s not the greatest but he’s certainly an upgrade to Reed/Joe/Parra/Gerber striking out every single AB
Grounding back to the pitcher isnt exactly “hitting.” Sad state when just not striking out is enough.
Yeah but this is the Giants LF we’re talking about. It’s been a sad state for years
Don’t blame Zaidi. He’s just doing what the computer says.
I know… and when he did what the computer said in LA, he certainly failed there, too, didn’t he?
The Padres have excess OF’s and need RP. The Giants have extra middle relief? I know they’re in the same division but I see a viable match.
True and the Dodgers aren’t going anywhere again without RP but Zaidi isn’t dumb (I hope), there’s enough getting back to meaningful in this division without giving the competition a lending hand.
Giants are not contending this year anyway, no reason not to trade rentals.
Watching the Dodgers during the Zaidi years as a division rival would do, I pretty much laughed at their constant changing of fringe players. Every day it was someone new and someone gone.
Meanwhile, the Giants built a championship run on the building blocks of team chemistry created through a commitment to their own drafted players. One might forget that, beginning with 2010, Bumgarner, Belt, Crawford, Panik, Posey, Romo, Cain, Lincecum, Sandoval and more were ALL Giant’s draft picks. That’s the Giant’s way.
Surely the Dodgers are good based on THEIR home grown Bellinger, Kershaw and Seager, but have you noticed they don’t have the magic to get over the hump? Six straight titles with six straight post season appearances and a couple also rans is all you got to show for it?
Let’s not forget Zaidi was with Oakland who by necessity change players everyday as well. Obviously Zaidi is talented but we’re being asked to root for a color, not a player anymore. Anybody who picks up a dusty Orange jersey is now supposed to be our new found hero.
Anyone else notice that the team with the most wins in MLB at the All-Star break was the Giants, then they traded Duffy at the break and the chemistry chain was broken. They traded Crick, Wheeler, Reynolds and many more and since then?….. the worst record in baseball.
Sorry Farhan, I was raised on building a team from within with a sprinkling of mercenaries, not a revolving door.
(sorry for the long post, I had to get it off my chest.)
@baytown.. well written my friend, I feel your pain.
It’s OK. I’m a Rangers fan.
I understand!
The Giants won 0 titles with Friedman and Zaidi running the Dodgers. What an exaggerated, biased and out of touch statement
Friedman and Zaidi won 0 titles running the dodgers with their revolving door. The giants won 3 based on their homegrown core. They stopped winning when they traded their homegrown 3rd basemen Duffy away. That’s what he’s trying to say.
Jeez man you actually believe all this. Guess the middle aged SF fans are the most out of touch fans out there.
I am by no means a Bobby Evans apologist, but to be fair Duffy hasn’t really done anything since the trade other than be hurt.
But he’s done more than Matt Moore. And Kenley, is any of what I say wrong? This is a tired argument I know but the dodgers have not won it all in years despite 7 straight division titles and the highest payroll in sports by far. The giants won on the strength of their core and not trading away homegrown talent, it’s just their core is old now. And the losing started in 2016 when they traded Duffy away at the deadline. Btw I like Zaidi and the moves he’s making. I am hoping for a rebuild because this team is horrendous. But I can totally see why someone would think that. I’m playing devils advocate here, that’s all
Yes the Dodgers have a better home grown core and put more emphasis on it than SF. They are ahead of the curve and actually trade away when necessary like Kemp and Gordon. SF was so loyal to a fault they extended everyone.
The measuring stick of how big a disaster that trade will ultimately be has not much to do with Matt Duffy
It’s Lucious Fox
They have a better core now yes. But in their prime Giants core>>>dodgers core. And the Giants did put emphasis on the core, which is why they won 3 championships.
Not even close. The Giants never a hitter on Seager or Bellingers level. These guys are just starting their prime so we have no clue what they end up being.
Yep, Ninth.
It still blows me away that the Giants traded away Fox after violating Int’l cap restrictions and incurring substantial penalties in order to get him.
And then traded him away a year later. Blows my mind. One of the most strategically baffling things I’ve seen this organization do.
You have to draft the core to have the core. The last potentially impactful player the Giants drafted was Wheeler. Ten. Years. Ago.
Not even close? Last I checked the dodgers core has 0 World Series to show for their talent. Corey seager is 25. When Brandon Crawford was 25 he had a ring already. Brandon belt was 24 when he got a ring. Bumgarner won 2 rings by age 23. 3 by age 25. Pablo had 2 rings by 25. Giants never had a hitter on bellinger or Seagers level? Buster posey had won 2 WS and an MVP by the age of 25. Pretty sure he was on their level then. You can’t hype up this dodgers core and say not even close when the core you’re comparing them to won 3 championships and the dodgers have won nothing. They could end up being better in the future. Right now they aren’t even close.
This isn’t all on Zaidi. Call it Bobby Evans era in reality. I only brought up Zaidi because what I described could be the future, especially with Bochy leaving. I just hope we don’t get a nerd in the dugout and an endless stream of this weeks fad players.
You know, as a Dodger fan of over 40 years I would be the first to say it’s been far too long since the team won a World Series. In fact saying so around here is what gets me in trouble with some of my fellow Dodger fans. At the same time, this ring count thing is a pretty silly way of judging team quality. The Dodgers have won six divisions in six years, several NLDS and two NL championships, during a time period when the Giants have won 90 games only once.
Ur an idiot if you believe that.
Sure homegrown is the key to the success but the giants haven’t drafted and developed a star in a long time.
I didn’t know winning a ring iss how you compare playerd. Angel Pagan must be better than Mike Trout. Sergio Romp must be better than Clayton Kershaw.. Point to a Giants player that hit 39 HRs their first taste of big leauge ball. Scratch that 39 bombs in a season period. Posey was valuable to the position he plays. Alex Verdugo alone is better than any Giants OF they have drafted in decades. And it took him forever to crack the Dodgers roster full time
Good thing we’re not comping players then. Winning a ring is how you compare cores. Show me the ring the dodgers core has won. While the giants were winning by the time they were 23,24,25.
But all those division titles dont matter if you can’t win the last game of the year.
Don’t let facts get in the way of Baytown’s irrational rant.
Appreciate the concern, but your post is just wrong in a lot of ways. First, Wheeler was traded in 2011 (Yes, it was a dumb trade. The Giants weren’t going anywhere that year with Eli Whiteside playing Catcher).
Second, none of those players have done anything outside of SF. Duffy has been hurt/ineffective and Crick is a middle reliever (the one strength the Giants have).
I”m a huge SF fan and like what Farhan has done so far. He turned the bullpen around in one offseason, grabbing Gott, Bergen, and Vincent. He improved the backup C spot. The OF is better, if for no other reason than the 2018 OF was one of the worst ever for a MLB team.
As far of the OF, he was kind of pinned into a corner with the pursuit of Harper. He was in until the last moment, bucking his trend from LA of being uber frugal. It didn’t work out. I think/hope, ultimately, an OF piece to go with Duggar will come from a trade for pitching. Hopefully, something like Frazier (NY) or O’Neill (STL) for MadBum or Smith. Vincent, Dyson, and Watson are also pieces they can trade from the pen. In the meantime, there’s no problem with cycling through young guys to see if they can help win a few games. The offense has gotten better in May, but the pitching is turning south. The answer is an opener, but Bochy is about as innovative as my foot. Ugh.
Farhan will be great. He knows value from his days in Oakland, can develop talent from his days in LA, and now will have almost unlimited resources in SF. It’ll be a win-win. If veterans like Parra Solarte, and Holland get their feelings hurt along the way because they are washed up, then good riddance. This season has already been more exciting than anything the Gigantes have put out on the field since MadBum rented the dirtbike in Colorado.
Well said jpm.
There is no chance you get a player like Frazier or O’Neil back for Bumgarner
I’m not so sure the Giants problem is losing their ‘chemistry’ so much as it is the only major leagur worth much that their system has produced since 2011 is Joe Panik…. But your narrative is a better story, I suppose
Imagine your a young player like Duffy and you envision yourself as part of a baseball family. When Duffy was tossed, every other player in the organization suddenly realized the loyalty they envisioned no longer exists. Forgot to throw in Reynolds.
Ur an idiot if you think the giants suck because of the Duffy trade. Anyways Duffy is not even a star so drop the tears for him
i’m an adult, so unfortunately i can’t convince myself that other professional adults would see the trade of some guy they played all of 1 season with as such an earth shattering event that they’d just lose the will to keep going.
Talent matters far more than chemistry and loyalty, and talent is what the giants farm has been lacking for a long time.
The purpose of a farm system is to support the MLB roster by either promotion or assets for trade. To that end and given they were in a win now mode, they got the assets in trade they needed I’d say it did it’s job.
Not to bag on the LAD but when have they “gone for it?” Not when they had Grienke and Kershaw, not last year when they got outbid by the likes o MIL and PIT at the trade deadline because they refuse to deal from their farm. In 2018 they never brought in someone to be the 2017 “Morrow” not in free agency or at the trade deadline. Last time I checked there’s no trophy or parade for a top ranked farm.
In a league where everyone wishes to tank, not compete, the SFG won 3 rings and spent the $ to keep forced open the window. You could see how after 2016 they felt a fixture at the end of the bullpen (Melacon) would push them over the top as if not for their bullpen they beat the Cubs in 2016 NLDS, and after that who knows what. The year they will regret in hindsight is 2018 and in particular the Longoria trade, but hey it’s not my $.
Locking up players like Bum, Belt, Craw, Buster where completely in line with the “market” at the time, go back and read the write-ups of the deals. That the market has a secular change in player eval/comp at a time the teams has multiple players on long term deal, that’s out of their control. Free agency once again has shown it to be the crap shoot it always is and even the front loaded deals with opt-outs play didn’t work with Cueto or Melacon.
My real fault with the organization is they got too LH in a home ballpark that CRUSHES LHH and it took 20 seasons to actually develop a home grown CF capable of playing defense in that ballpark. Lastly they mistepped in their rush to get Beebe to the majors and should have left him old pitch mix whihc fortunately for them he’s returned to.
So SFG have a catcher, a SS and a CF, some back of the rotation young arms (Anderson, Suarez, Rodriquez) and some other interesting arms Moronta and Beebe who might be something more. So an up the middle some in the near term and some arm depth even if it’s not at the front. You can start from worst spots to rebuild.
Belt needs to be moved sooner rather than later now that there’s in-house guys to take those AB’s and in general they need to get Austin, Williamson, Duggar and Altherr as many AB’s as possible. Pillar probably no longer fits this roster certainly not as someone taking a significant # of ABs, he’d look good as a platoon guy with Dyson in AZ, or as a RH OF in NYM.
This year was going to be tough, new front office with legacy field staff, a likely HOF manager. The new trade deadline will create an urgency that wasn’t there in the past, SFG have $ to send with players, this late June and July will be telling.
You seem to be forgetting some guys not named Bellinger, Kershaw, or Seager. Such as: Verdugo, Barnes, Pederson, Bueller, Urias, and Jansen (just to name a few). Not all of them Dodgers draft picks (though most were) but all are players who came up through the minors with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers reputation for active signing and trading is undeserved. They’ve been more notable for the lack of it, at least when it comes to big name players. In fact the biggest change in the Dodgers organization over the 4-5 years has been the rebuilding of the farm system, which was decimated by the previous two ownerships.
But whenever a season doesn’t work out the way it might have, it seems some fans run right to their chemistry sets to whip up some voodoo answers. But those answers are probably going to be wrong. The right answers aren’t about magic, they are about getting the players needed to fill the roles, from inside if possible, and outside when necessary. Winning teams generally need to do both well. That’s what Giants fans should be expecting Zaidi to do, not chase around trying to catch lightening in a bottle.
You’re right. I’m just a big believer in the farm and right now, your team has that. I don’t see any team built on mercenaries going anywhere. Astros were farm. The great Yankees of the 99+ era were farm, etc. As someone pointed out, none of our losses on the farm were great players, but where are the players we got for them? That’s on Evans. In other words, we should’ve become a seller 2 years ago when the writing was on the wall. We’d have a farm if the team would’ve gone that route.
All fans like to see young players come up through the hometown system and contribute, but I even more they like to see their team succeed. Successful teams combine both recruits and hires, especially teams that expect to compete longterm. Even the Astros with all of their great controllable talent traded for a “mercenary” in Verlander, and I don’t hear any Houston fans complaining about how that worked out. But I agree the Giants are in a tough spot. They probably should have pushed the reset button last year but I suspect they were worried about trading away the likes of Posey, Belt, or Bumgarner and seeing attendance fall off even more than it has already.
You had me until you blame the losing on trading Duffy. You must be a cat lover.
Looks like Tim Dierkes could have trolled as all and summed it all up in one word by typing NOTHING in 24pt font of course.
I’ve never seen anyone say ‘sucking’ so eloquently…
Maybe Mike will channel his inner Yaz and build off his grandfather’s genes.
Can’t force star, free agent outfielders to sign here. Bad hitters park. Zaidi has afforded multiple players the opportunity to seize an everyday job and the PLAYERS failed. Sometimes you only get a small number of at-bats to prove yourself. That’s the way it goes. Seize the opportunity. They will keep signing and releasing until they get the guys who can contribute. Personally, I’d like Williamson, Austin and Duggar to get the bulk of the starts for a couple of months. See what they can do. See if you can get a young arm or bat for Pillar and go from there. It’s easy to criticize Zaidi but he’s doing what he said he would do, he’s turning over the roster. there’s only a handful who can be moved due to bad contracts, no trade clauses and lack of minor league options. He’s doing the best he can with the hand he’s been dealt. They do have some talent within the organization and he’s trying to restock on the run. They’ll be fine.
That Hunter Pence guy is lighting it up. The Giants could use him.
What Farhan’s up against is a decade of crappy drafts, poor player development, unmovable contracts that were extended way too early, and the previous front office’s arrogant (somewhat–barely, though–legitimate) belief that they could build a serviceable outfield through scrap-heap signings (Huff, Burrell, Torres, and Blanco come to mind) and underwhelming trades (Pagan, Cabrera, Pence…), which meant they never put much effort into developing their own outfield pipeline. Right now, he’s trying to build a house with balsa wood and Elmer’s glue while at the same time trying to find real redwood and 16-penny nails with an empty (personnel-wise) pocketbook.
First thing they need to do in SF is bring the RF fence in! FA hitters want nothing to do with that park. I already heard that they’re looking into moving the bullpens into the cavernous “triples alley” space and rebuilding a new RF wall. Makes sense.
They can’t bring in the right field fence, it’s part of the park. They can bring in the center and left field fences though
What was discussed was using the deepest area, triples alley, and creating space for the bullpens there. New walls or fences would need to be installed in right-center.
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Heliot Ramos is a few years away. You can bet at #10 next month we get the best collegiate hitter available. This isn’t going to be like past Sabean run drafts where its pitching pitching pitching, ignore the outfield we’ll trade for Dustin Mohr types or sign Aaron Rowands of the league to ludicrous contracts.
Zaidi waited for an OF market that never developed in the spring. SFG had been in on Altherr and even after PHI got Harper due to their own OF injuries they weren’t selling.
Zaidi’s only real mistake was the Joe fascination that fortunately wasn’t compounded by Williamson getting claimed when he was DFA’d. Everything Zaidi has done since is try and remedy the error of Joe, first by trading for Pillar which stabilized the OF in that they could run out an excellent defensive OF with Duggar & Parra however this didn’t remedy the rosters need for RH power, Austin, return of Mac and now Altherr all fit that mold. Better late than never, right?
It’s weird, I thought due to their rotation & bullpen, SFG could easily played well for April/May to be interesting but the Reed/Joe opening roster moves clearly wasn’t the “best 25”, Pillar/Austin came after the first week but they were already 4 games under where they’ve been mostly treading since.
They play in a challenging home park, but when they’ve been good its strong SP and bullpen, solid defense AND showed power on the road. This roster now is more capable of that than the one on opening day. Moving Belt (and I think whomever gets him will be really happy) unlocks ABs for Austin and Altherr and some must come from Pillar who is in substance a platoon guy.
The Cardinals need Bumgarner worse than they need Carlos Martinez. Looks like the start of a good trade for both sides to me!!
Give Zaldi some TIME…….this revamping of the roster is not going to come overnight or in a few months……the 2020 and 2021 SF Giant rosters will look very much different with some better results.
By b
This organization was in the worst shape in the game when they hired Zaidi. High payroll, limited flexibility and MadBums value wasnt where it needed to be after 2 mediocre seasons. There was almost nobody who was as marketable as they couldve been on that roster, so Zaidi didnt have much of a choice.
He brought in Gott and Vincent who can both be traded, and he allowed MadBum, Will Smith and Dyson to increase their value. They’re going to have chips at the deadline that they can flip for something. Zaidi is a great GM, but when you have limited roster and financial flexibility, you need to operate within the confines of what you have to work with.
Well said….
Exactly Phillies2017. This is a mess. Years of poor player development. Only Panik in the last 8 years, and he is definitely not solid. No pitching. No position players. 8 years is a long time to come up dry.
Giants spent to try and fill this considerable hole to try and build around the aging core. But they’re up against the Luxury Tax. There is nothing impactful to be done right now.
Zaidi is placing incremental bets, trying to improve the team bit by bit when he can. This is going to take some time.
Can a 9th round pick really be considered high risk?