Spring Training Update: Put Me In, Coach, I'm Ready To Play.....Centerfield!

Quick trivia question:  Who was the Giants Opening Day starting CF in 2019?  If you answered Steven Duggar, you are correct.  He was flanked by the unforgettable Conner Joe in LF and Michael Reed in RF.  That, of course, didn't last long.  FZ hit the button on a trade he had contemplated for awhile bringing in Kevin Pillar who proceeded to have one of the strongest seasons of his career capped with wining the Willie Mac Award.  Pillar was arbitration eligible which is kind of a pain in the neck, but it's not free agency and we all kind of assumed he would be back in CF on Opening Day 2020 even if he was midseason trade bait.

Then we started hearing stories about Mauricio Dubon taking reps in CF and other stories about how the Giants wanted to look at younger players and see what they could do.  That all turned out to be a lot more than just posturing and Pillar was not offered arbitration.  So who is going to be the Opening Day starting CF in 2020?  Let's break it down:

Mike Yastrzemski:  Penciling YtY in CF made a lot of sense, if you believed the Giants were going to bring in a slugging corner OF.  YtY didn't play out there much last year but played about 1/3 of his minor league games in CF.  The bat is marginal for a corner OF, but could be excellent as a CF.  FZ seemed to promote this idea early in the Hot Stove season, but those rumors have faded of late.

Mauricio Dubon:  Last year's heir apparent to Joe Panik at 2B, possibly for the next 5-6 seasons, has been pushed so far down the depth chart there, he's gone from taking an occasional inning in CF to being more of an OF than a multi-positional utility player.  Could Dubon actually be the starting CF on Opening Day?  Will he even be on the active 26-man roster?  BTW, anyone know the depth chart for the 26'th man on the roster?  I've counted no less than 4 players who it's been said might have a chance for a roster spot because of that 26'th spot.

Steven Duggar:  Duggar endured a difficult, injury plagued season last year but like most hitters in AAA, tore the cover off the ball in Sacramento.  Does FZ take a chance with him as the starting CF again in 2020?  He is an elite defender in CF if/when healthy.

Billy Hamilton:  Just to shake things up a bit, FZ brings the very unique Billy Hamilton in on a minor league deal with a spring training invitation.  All of a sudden there are stories about the Giants development gurus seeing something they can fix in his bat. Gotta admit, if Hamilton could figure out a way to get on base at just a .320 clip, he could be a major offensive force because of his game-changing speed on the basepaths.  He's also a gold-glove quality defender in CF.  Speaking of that 26'th man, there is also talk of Hamilton taking on some sort of super-pinch-runner role, which of course that extra roster spot would leave room for.

Jaylin Davis:  There has been talk of Jaylin Davis maybe having the tools to play CF, but he's put most time in RF which seems to be his natural position.


Putting It Together:  I think Billy Hamilton is the guy the Giants want to win the job, but they won't just hand it to him.  He'll have to show something at the plate during spring training to validate the work of the development team.  Just a thought:  Between the Hamilton and Yolmer Sanchez signings, you don't suppose FZ is thinking of making defense a major weapon for the Giants in 2020?  Duggar has 2 options and I really don't think FZ takes a chance on putting him out there on Opening Day. He's going to have to prove he's healthy in AAA and someone will have to stumble higher on the depth chart, which could very well happen!  I love the idea of Dubon taking on a super-utility role but don't the Giants have about 6 other guys who fit that description?  I also don't see them handing him the starting CF job.  He has an option.  Mike Yastrzemski still makes a lot of sense to me, but he seems to be more in the corner OF plans right now.  Oh!  And don't forget about Joey Rickard!  BTW, it's too late to bring back Kevin Pillar who finally signed with the Red Sox.