Examining the San Francisco Giants’ Depth Chart: Shortstop
The San Francisco Giants have dealt with a lot of turnover over the past few years. Injuries have ravaged certain positions, like center field, first base and second base, while left field has been a revolving door of player after player. One position that hasn’t had those question marks is shortstop.
Starter – Brandon Crawford
Since the start of the 2012 season, no Giants’ player has played in more games than their shortstop Crawford. His 445 games are two more than the superstar catcher Buster Posey. He hasn’t just played, he’s made an impact.
When Crawford was first called up in May of 2011, he was known as a light-hitting defensive specialist. In the more than three years since, he has continued to develop as a hitter while still playing solid defense.
In 2014, the Mountain View, California-native set a laundry list of offensive career highs. Among those set were games played (153), home runs (10), triples (10), RBI’s (67), runs scored (54), walks (59), sacrifice flies (10), on-base percentage (.324), and slugging percentage (.389). He finished second in the Major Leagues in triples and sacrifice flies. Another big area of improvement came against left-handed pitching, where he hit .320, a drastic improvement from the .199 average he posted against southpaws in 2013.
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He also played in all 17 postseason games, where he matched his regular season average at .246 and drove in nine runs. He made his biggest impact in the win-or-go-home Wildcard game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he opened the scoring with a fourth-inning grand slam.
Among all the offensive marks he set, he also set a defensive career-high that isn’t quite so promising. He committed 21 errors, a total that was fourth-highest in the league, and second-most among shortstops. He did improve late in the season, however, as he had just three miscues over the final 40 games in September and October. He does seem to lose focus on simple groundballs, as they too often find their way into the outfield.
Crawford has improved offensively every season he’s played so far, and there’s no reason to think that he’s hit his ceiling yet. There’s still room to improve, and I believe we’ll see an even better version of the shortstop next season.
Backup – Joaquin Arias
Apr 16, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Joaquin Arias, (13) scores the go ahead run off a single by third baseman
Pablo Sandoval(48) (not pictured) in the seventh inning of their MLB baseball game with the Los Angeles Dodgers at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
Arias again finds himself as the backup to an infield position. He played in 11 games at shortstop last season, and hit just .229 while committing two errors. He’s played 95 career games at baseball’s quarterback postion, totaling a career .971 fielding percentage, which is quite good. When Crawford needs a regular rest-day, Arias will most likely take over for the day.
Added Depth – Matt Duffy, Ehire Adrianza, Carlos Triunfel
Duffy took on the role of utility man in his short time in the big leagues last year, but basically his entire minor league career has been spent as a shortstop. 233 of his 241 games in the farm have come at shortstop, with a .959 fielding percentage, which is very solid. If Crawford ever goes down for a while with injury, Duffy’s career .304 minor league average could catapult into the starting lineup.
Adrianza has also put on the cape as super utility man in his limited big league action, as he has played second base and third base, in addition to his natural position of shortstop. 700 of his 705 career minor league games have come at the old number six. Adrianza is extremely inconsistent offensively, but his glove makes him a valuable weapon. With regular at-bats, he could become a steady overall player.
Sep 18, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Carlos Triunfel (1) makes a throw against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Triunfel signed with the Giants in November without much fanfare, but the 24-year old is a former top prospect who’s already been a pro for eight seasons. He was a Baseball America top-100 prospect prior to 2008 and 2009. He made his big league debut in 2012 with the Seattle Mariners, and played parts of two seasons in the Jet City. In 27 total games, he hit .167 (11-66) with 5 RBI’s. He moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, where he batted .133 (2-15), and hit his first career home run.
Triunfel isn’t a defensive wizard, and he’s not going to light up the stats sheet with huge numbers. He does make solid contact, and can rack up some extra-base hits, as he has 206 multi-baggers in 796 minor league games. He’s mostly an emergency backup, and will likely spend most, if not all, of his time at Triple-A Sacramento.
Crawford has become a fan favorite in San Francisco. His offensive production is catching up to his glove, and at almost 28 years old, he should just be entering his peak. Shortstop seems to be in good hands for now, and in the future.