The Giants seem set at 3B again with a returning starter in J. D. Davis and some depth. Stop me if you have heard this before: Davis falls smack in the middle of the pack for WAR value but it's tough to see any significant upgrades on the market.
MLB:
J. D. Davis: .248/.325/.413, 18 HR, 546 PA, fWAR= 2.2. Arbitration Eligible. Ranked right at median fWAR for MLB 3B. One more position where Giants have a league average player tough to upgrade from. Should be offered arbitration. Should bring back a lot more in trade than the Giants gave up, which would be churning at its finest.
Wilmer Flores: See 1B post, can fill in at 3B but probably not a long term backup option.
Casey Schmitt: .206/.255/.324, 5 HR, 2 SB, 4.7 BB%, 23.5 K%, fWAR= -0.6. Age- 24. 2 Options. Two of those HR's came on final game of season. If he can learn to be more selective at the plate, particularly recognizing sliders in the dirt, he could turn into the 3B of future.
David Villar: MLB: .145/.236/.315, 5 HR, 7.9 BB%, 32.1 K%, 140 PA, fWAR= -0.2. Age- 26. 1 Option. AAA: .272/.371/.498, 17 HR, 13.2 BB%, 26.6 K%, 334 PA. Looked overmatched at MLB level early in season. Fell off organizational radar after that. Minor league numbers look like they should translate. Will the Giants give him another shot or will he become the next Adam Duvall?
Tyler Fitzgerald and Marco Luciano could play the position but are probably in line for bigger roles at other positions.
AAA:
None
AA:
Carter Aldrete: .223/.282/.384, 13 HR, 7.6 BB%, 26.4 K%, 409 PA. 26 yo. Rule 5 Eligible. Round 15 draft pick in 2019. Has never really found traction. Would add to 40-man roster.
Sean Roby: See 1B. Agee- 25. Rule 5 Eligible. Toonder in bat but K rated of 35% won't let you access it enough. More of a candidate to be released than added to 40-man roster.
Shane Matheny: AA- .236/.359/.434, 11 HR, 8 SB, 324 PA. AAA- .221/.362/.302, 3 HR, 9 SB, 213 PA. Age- 27. Rule 5 Eligible. 3 true-outcomes with not enough power. SB's add some intrigue but just doesn't make enough contact. More of a candidate to be released than added to 40-man roster.
Brady Whalen: .259/.303/.434, 5 HR, 3 SB, 156 PA. Age- 25. Rule 5 Eligible. Injury reclamation project. Listed as a 1B but played multiple positions with a plurality at 3B. Kind of a beanpole at 6' 6", 180 lbs. Interestingly enough keeps his K% down in mid-teens. Would not add to 40-man roster but let's see if he can stay healthy and find some traction.
A+:
Luis Toribio: See 1B. Age 23. Rule 5 Eligible. Extreme 3 true-outcomes corner IF. That profile is OK at MLB level but don't translate when you seem them in the minors.
A:
Anthony Rodriguez: .221/.273/.338, 4 HR, 5 SB, 5.5 BB%, 35.3 K%, 238 PA. 21 yo. Rule 5 Eligible per Fangraphs but I don't think he is, but what do I know? Switch-hitter with some pop signed as SS. High K rates and iron glove are big challenges.
Justin Wishkoski: ACL: .375/.500/.563, HR, 15.0 BB%, 1.7 K%, 60 PA. A: .209/.346/.302, HR, 13.5 BB%, 9.6 K%, 52 PA. Age 22. Rule 5 Eligible Dec 2026. Drafted in 16'th round 2023. Love the size and K/BB. Now do it at higher levels!
Charlie Szykowny: ACL- .250/.391/.462, 2 HR, 14.1 BB%, 21.9 K%, 64 PA. A: .239/.340/.304, 53 PA. Age 23. Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2026. Lefty hitter. Nice size. Needs to show what he can do at higher levels.
At least superficially, positions 2-5 look OK, perhaps slow afoot other than Estrada, somewhat iffy glove-wise (Davis, Flores), 3 of 5 age 30 and over (Flores, Davis, and Wade), and not deep apart from 1B with Bart and Schmitt being young with potential (maybe more hope than fact for Bart).
ReplyDeleteRe the Duvall for Leake trade July 30, 2015, on that date the Giants were but a ½-game out of 1st before losing 8 of 12, and hung around through most of August, but Leake didn't do enough to fix the pitching woes.
Duvall immediately had a career year in 2016 (3.3 bWAR) and a very nice 2021. He has hung around for 10 years (11.8 bWAR), often tormenting Giant fans.
I was kind of half joking about the Duvall trade. I am not one of those fans still begrudging that trade. Trading for Leake was a reasonable move to try to bolster a stretch run. Duvall has had an OK career but not one that would have won the Giants any more championships.
DeleteI do see David Villar to be in a similar situation with similar minor league/MLB numbers.
DeleteCan Villar hold his 40-man roster spot and the Giants fit all the Rule 5 players that they want to protect?
DeleteFZ has a conundrum!
Exciting game today for Giants nostalgia: Bochy v Baker @ 5:15 on F-O-X.
What if ....
Great stuff, Doc!
DeleteThank you
3 trades that didn't work while trying to eek out a playoff (Duvall, Wheeler, & Reynolds) are often pointed to as mistakes.
DeleteZaidi may have tried to avoid this, not giving up treasures for lost causes
Does anyone think the Giants would have won in 2012 had they not traded for Hunter Pence?
Deletewonder if Eldridge is a 3b prospect -- experience defending up close as 1b & p, has arm, size (like a soccer goalie), given credit for quick hands with his swing, defensively skilled & athletic enough for possible switch 1b-->rf. Good lefty bat at 3b is a big lineup construction advantage
ReplyDeleteAt 6'7" (B-R) Eldridge would be the tallest 3Bman in MLB.
Delete"From 5’8″ to 6’5″ and 140 pounds to 250 pounds, it appears that there is definitely not a one-size-fits-all for playing third base."
https://hortonbarbell.com/average-height-and-weight-of-mlb-3rd-basemen/
Doc, Keith Law over at the Athletic wrote his observations on key prospects he watched at Fall League. One he reviewed was Reggie Crawford. His scouting report was that Crawford already had 16 strikeouts in 33 PA, and he didn’t seem to be picking up off-speed pitches and show much in the way of bat speed. Law added that Crawford was a “superior” prospect as a pitcher, and it might be time for the Giants to persuade him to focus on working from the mound over the longer-term.
ReplyDelete