Conventional Wisdom is the Giants biggest non-pitching need of the offseason is a RH bat who would mainly play OF but as we all know, FZ values versatility. But is the Giants need limited to RH bats? Let's start with what they currently have on their 40-man roster and see what could be upgraded. Apologies if this seems like a rewarmed OF depth chart breakdown but we're looking at it from a slightly higher altitude than each individual OF position. We'll start with RH bats.
RH OF Bats:
Darin Ruf: DOB: 7/28/1986. B-R, T-R. 6'2", 232 lbs.
2021: .271/.385/.904, 16 HR, 312 PA.
What if the RH OF masher the Giants seem to be looking for is already on their 40 man roster? We tend to think of him strictly as a platoon bat who kills LHP's but he OPS'd .824 against RHP's. We also think of him as being defensively challenged but per Fangraphs UZR, he was a neutral defensive LF in 2021. So, I challenge someone to explain why Ruf can't take the lion's share of LF innings in 2022 and do it better than most, if not all of the RH bats on the market? Maybe the only back up you need for him is a late-inning defensive replacement.
Austin Slater: DOB: 12/13/1992. B-R, T-R. 6'1", 204 lbs.
2021: .241/.320/.423, 12 HR, 15 SB, 306 PA.
Unlike Darin Ruf, Slater is a true platoon player with a pretty good OPS of .894 against LHP's but a brutal .497 against RHP's. What saves Slater is he is a plus defensive OF, even in CF, which means he can be not only a platoon CF but a late-inning defensive replacement. Not saying he's not expendable with the right upgrade but he's got a bit of a unique skillset which is not that easy to replace.
Heliot Ramos: DOB: 9/7/1999. B-R, T-R. 6'1", 188 lbs.
2021(AA/AAA): .254/.323/.432, 14 HR, 15 SB, 495 PA.
The Giants and their fans have high hopes for Heliot. At some point he deserves a full half season of MLB AB's to prove himself, but he just turned 22 yo and clearly can use some more salt in the minors before he gets that shot. The Giants may not want to block him longterm, though.
Austin Dean: DOB: 10/14/1993. B-R, T-R. 6'0", 215 lbs.
2021(MLB): .233/.342/.400, 38 PA.
2021(Minor- 2 teams): .246/.368/.456, 68 PA.
Dean is in The Churn but he looks like he could be a FZ special and might be the top candidate to be this year's Max Muncy. His milb OPS was 1.035 with 18 HR's in 2019 and .922 with 12 HR's in 2018.
Jaylin Davis: DOB: 7/1/1994. B-R, T-R. 5'11", 205 lbs.
2021(MLB): .111/.111/.222, 9 PA.
2021(AAA): .230/.317/.503, 11 HR, 3 SB, 186 PA.
Davis missed most of 2021 with injuries but still managed to flash some power and a solid walk rate in a SSS for Sacramento. He'll need to show something in spring training and then stay healthy to avoid getting washed down FZ's sluice box. Could he be a candidate for the 2022 Randy Elliott Award?
LH OF Bats:
Mike Yastrzemski: DOB: 8/23/1990. B-L, T-L. 5'10", 178 lbs.
2021: .224/.311/.457, 25 HR, 532 PA.
Prior to last season, the CW on YtY was he could play against play against LHP's. Then he OPS'd .848 against RHP's in 2021 but only .513 against LHP's. FZ may need to either find a RH platoon partner for him in RF or find a fulltime RF and pair him up with Slater in CF where he is only a slight downgrade on D from Steven Duggar or to partner him with Ruf in LF except Ruf hit RHP's as well or better than YtY last year. It appeared to me that YtY got pull happy last year and it was most pronounced against LHP's. Can he correct that and will it correct the split gap?
Steven Duggar: DOB: 11/4/1993. B-L, T-R. 6'1", 187 lbs.
2021: .257/.330/.437, 8 HR, 7 SB, 297 PA.
Duggar's ticket is his D in CF, although per Fangraphs UZR, he is only slightly better out there than YtY. While Duggar's platoon splits are not as pronounced as YtY's or Wade Jr, he's not that great against either hand and his numbers fell off dramatically after the All-Star break. Is his D in CF enough to keep him around?
LaMonte Wade Jr: DOB: 1/1/1994. B-L, T-L. 6'1", 205 lbs.
2021: .253/.326/.482, 18 HR, 6 SB, 494 PA.
Wade Jr essentially didn't play against LHP's and was terrible against them when he did. His OPS of .860 against RHP's and versatility makes him a nice platoon player but also limiting in terms of roster construction. He struggled dramatically in the final week of the regular season and postseason and appeared to develop two huge holes in his swing, up and in and down and in. Was that a temporary slump or did pitchers finally get a book on him?
So what can we take away from all this? I'll give it a shot but am interested in comments from readers:
1. Darin Ruf was a better hitter AND fielder in LF last year than any OF bat on the free agent market. There's no guarantee he repeats that but there is also no guarantee any free agent delivers as expected either.
2. Steven Duggar and Austin Slater were more productive in a platoon in CF last year than any reasonable CF option on the market, although Duggar faded in the second half.
3. YtY probably needs a RH hitting platoon partner in RF, but FZ is unlikely to pay top dollar for the short end of a platoon. He could slide over to CF and pair up with Slater if the Giants have lost confidence in Duggar's bat.
4. Heliot Ramos could be ready by midseason.....or not.
5. Austin Dean is a "Max Muncy" style breakout candidate. Will he get that opportunity?
6. It's not clear how LaMonte Wade Jr fits into the scenario. Both he and YtY could be trade candidates if the Giants sign a top dollar FA to man RF.
7. It's not as easy to upgrade the Giants current OF mix as it might appear on the surface.
Next post we'll take a look at some market options that might upgrade the Giants OF. An NL DH would create opportunities for PA's, but roster spots are a limited resource and a dedicated DH takes up a roster spot.
Hey Doc - with the current roster I like Ruf everyday in LF, platoon Slater/Duggar in CF, and platoon Yaz/Dean or Yaz/Ramos in RF. Don't know much about Dean's defense or his splits but hopefully he can at least placehold A RF platoon spot until Ramos is ready for his chance...
ReplyDeleteWith Posey retired, they need to re-sign Bryant. Ramos also needs to get a shot to start this season.
ReplyDeleteLF - I agree Ruf should be penciled in as the everyday LF, he's earned it. It seemed like he was a threat every time he came up to bat and the lineup didn't look the same without him.
ReplyDeleteCF - A YtY/Slater platoon makes the most sense
RF - A leadoff or 2 hole RH hitter would be great. I'm fully on the Seiyu Suzuki bandwagon. I'm still mystified that Giants haven't landed a significant Japanese born player yet. No, Shinjo doesn't count.
Maybe sign Kyle Schwarber (5/75 mil) as alternating rest day option for LF and RF, mostly DH against RHP, mostly Ruf against LHP.
CF - Mike Yastrzemski/Austin Slater
RF - Seiyu Suzuki
1B - Brandon Belt (L)
LF - Darin Ruf
DH - Kyle Schwarber (L)
SS - Brandon Crawford (L)
3B - Evan Longoria
2B - Tommy La Stella (L)
C - Joey Bart
The next post will be looking at option. After doing some research on Suzuki, I'm definitely warming up to the idea. Looks like a perfect fit for RF.
DeleteOne of my pet theories about this offseason is FZ is waiting to see if he has a DH before making his big move because it definitely opens up some interesting possiblities.
DeleteThe trend of recent years with the way the Giants have built their roster, I would say go out and spend on a FA bat. When, not if, injuries occur, then shuffle the pieces around. Ruf and LaMonte Wade to first when Belt goes on IL. Hope you are right about Austin Dean.
ReplyDeleteSlater (2014), Duggar (2015), Ramos (2017), Belt (2009), and Crawford (2008) are the position players left of the pre-2018 draftees. (A couple other position players from 2017 are still in the system as well as Bart and a couple more from the pre Zaidi drafts.)
ReplyDeleteOverall, there's not much to say for SF's position player drafts which suggests Zaidi's churn is all there is to work with.
There was one other guy (whose name cannot be said) in the drafts that the pre-Zaidi system traded away which would change the outlook dramatically.
On the other hand, Luciano, Matos and Pomares were signed pre-FZ. I think Doval too.
DeleteI meant just position players from the prodigious June drafts.
DeleteInitially, I only wanted to indicate how, if Slater and Duggar lose their precarious positions and when the Brandons are gone in a year or two, how little the Giants have to show for their major source of talent. Bart and Ramos? Slater and Duggar aren't much to show.
The Championships were Posey Plus, but not not sustaining success in the draft seems to have lost the edge the Giants had.
The Giants have drafted poorly for a decade, for sure. The early returns on the FZ drafts are they are not an improvement, maybe even worse. They may need to rethink their entire approach to scouting and the draft.
Delete