The Giants’ on-field situation heading into the offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Two long circuits attracted all the attentionbut a throw that Giants center fielder Grant McCray made in the ninth inning Saturday night in San Diego was equally impressive from an athletic standpoint.
McCray returned to the edge of the track on Donovan Solanoand noticed that Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., the speedy, daring runner on second base, was scoring even though the Giants held a three-run lead. His 96-mph rocket from deep center bounced once on the dirt before settling into Matt ChapmanTatis’ glove. It turned out Tatis wasn’t going anywhere, but when he saw the trajectory of the pitch, he looked toward center field curiously.
The throw brought a smile to the face of a manager who earlier in the day had spoken glowingly about the athleticism the Giants now have in their outfield. After McCray’s two-homer game, Bob Melvin said: The recruit is potentially changing the way The organization is considering the outfield’s entry into the offseason.
“You can’t help but look at it differently,” Melvin said. “There’s still time and we want to see as much of it as possible, but you can’t help but think with Jung Hoo (Lee) coming back, what it might look like in the outfield for us next year.”
Melvin knows an important piece of the puzzle. While McCray has looked good defensively, there’s no doubt Lee will be in center field on Opening Day. That’s what he signed for, and he looked good there before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
“We looked at a lot of numbers and it’s really good,” Melvin said of Lee. “The jumps, the ground he covers, the routes — it’s been really good. We were really excited about what he could do in center field.”
Lee has passed all the checkpoints in his rehabilitation and will have a normal spring. The real questions will arise in the corners.
The Giants have eight outfielders on their 40-man roster and just one — Michael Conforto – will be a free agentThe veteran hit the heart of Melvin’s lineups in September and has 16 home runs this season, but he should find a better fit elsewhere, especially with Heliot Ramos likely to settle as a left fielder.
Ramos’ second half of the season hasn’t been as good as his first, but the 25-year-old has 20 home runs overall and is considered a cornerstone. In the other corner, the Giants could again opt for Mike Yastrzemski, who is entering his final year or arbitration and will be entitled to a modest increase in his salary of $7.9 million this season.
Yastrzemski is slightly above league average as a hitter (106 wRC+) and is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, currently ranking fifth at his position with eight defensive runs saved. Add in some solid baserunning and he’s at 1.5 fWAR, giving the Giants some extra value on their investment last offseason, when there was speculation Yastrzemski wouldn’t be retained.
With so many inexperienced options elsewhere, the Giants would likely prefer a final reunion with Yastrzemski. He hasn’t hit his 2019-20 highs in recent years, but he remains an above-average consistent player.
“He understands a little bit about how it works here,” Melvin said. “He’s a great right fielder and we have a very tough right field in our stadium … Yaz fits in really well with this team.”
There is, of course, another experimental option looming, and it could influence decisions – although this is unlikely. Juan Soto will be the best player on the free agent market and the Giants have been making offers for the guy every winter recently. But it is widely believed that Soto will stay in New York, either with the Yankees or the Put. Winning this race would be a Huge upheaval for the Giants and would obviously move Ramos to the right, among other things.
The other two top outfield hitters set for free agency are Teoscar Hernandez And Anthony Santanderand either would be a good fit for a lineup that needs more power. But the Giants might have bigger holes in the middle infield and at first base, and they might also need high-end starting pitchers if Blake Snell part.
The group of outfielders is currently completed by Jerar Encarnacion (who has no more options, which could make him a winter relegation), Wade Meckler (who spent most of the year rehabbing and is now in Triple-A) and Luis Matoswho had a McCray-like streak in May. Matos was named National League Player of the Week at one point, but he’s only hitting .180 since then. He’s only 22, though.
McCray will be 24 next season and Ramos will be 25. Lee, for all his KBO experience, is only 26.
It’s a young group, which means growing pains, as the Giants were reminded when McCray followed his two-homer performance with four strikeouts the next afternoon. But Melvin can’t help but think about what could happen if the guys reach their full potential. It’s been years since the Giants have had a consistently athletic outfield, but that could soon change.
“It’s exciting and athletic, and I think in our stadium that’s what’s really going to play out and I think that’s something we need to look at more closely is how games are played in our stadium,” Melvin said. “Maybe we need a little more athleticism and different ways to score and good defense.
“I think it’s exciting to see their athleticism and the ground they can cover. They steal bases and put more pressure (on other teams) and that’s something we were deficient in, especially early in the season.”
