San Francisco Giants Stock Watch: Battle for a Bench Spot

With a roster pretty much set, the San Francisco Giants are still trying to figure out what the backend of their bench will look like come opening day.

The San Francisco Giants have had a battle on their hands to find out who will be on their bench on opening day. There’s a lot of young talent competing with each other, and some have jumped ahead in the early going while others have fallen somewhat behind. After the second week of Spring Training action, here’s a stock report for the players competing to find a spot on the Giants’ bench.

Stock Up: Mac Williamson

Williamson had a strong first week of Spring, capping it off with a two home run game last Saturday, and continued to swing a hot stick into the second week of exhibition games. With the projected starting outfielders still being slow-played defensively, Williamson has received a large share of playing time, and has responded extremely well. In 19 at-bats over the past week, Williamson collected six hits, including three doubles and his team-leading third home run of the spring on Saturday. Williamson is very highly thought of within the organization, potentially as a future starting outfielder, so he still has to do something huge to make it impossible for the Giants to send him down come opening day.

Stock Steady: Kyle Blanks

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Blanks has been pretty impressive in the first two weeks of Spring, but because of his lengthy injury history, he hasn’t had as many opportunities as others to display his big power. In six at-bats during week two, Blanks collected a pair of hits, including his second home run of the spring, and drove in a pair. In the first week, he had two hits in four at-bats, plus a pair of walks, so the similar performance, including showing off his biggest asset (right-handed power) keep his stock just about the same this week.

Stock Down: Trevor Brown

Brown played well in the first week of exhibition, but he wasn’t as successful the second week. After batting .500 with a double and two walks over the first four games, his average dropped to .222 (two hits in nine at-bats), although Brown did collect his first RBI. Also, and maybe more importantly for Brown, his defense his slacked compared to how he finished last season. His chances at making the opening day roster were already pretty slim to start with, but if he can’t make an overly strong impression, he won’t be on the first 25-man roster.

Stock Up: Ehire Adrianza

Adrianza started off the exhibition season slowly, collecting just two hits in 10 at-bats, although those two hits were a double and a two-run single. He picked it up a bit more in the second go-around, racking up four hits in 12 at-bats, but this time they were all singles, and worth just one RBI. Adrianza has also been playing more first base, and hasn’t been bad, which could help him come opening day. His glove and versatility are, and will continue to be his biggest plus.

Stock Steady: Gorkys Hernandez

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Maybe the biggest surprise of the spring so far has been non-roster invited outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Always known for his defense and speed, Hernandez has shown off both in his short time in Giants’ camp. His center field range and throwing arm have caught a lot of attention, and his three stolen bases lead the squad. His bat has been a big surprise. After hitting .444 with a double and an RBI in week one, his average slipped a bit but still came in at a very strong .353, with three RBI. He is still a longshot to make the roster, but the team should be happy to have him as minor league depth.

Stock Down: Conor Gillaspie

Gillaspie started strong in week one, hitting the team’s first home run of the spring as well as a double in four at-bats. His second week wasn’t as strong, and he found himself getting less and less playing time as the week wore on. In eight at-bats, Gillaspie had two hits, along with an RBI and a pair of walks. He has played first and third base, so that ability could work in his favor, but he doesn’t seem to be the favorite after week two.

Stock Up: Ramiro Pena

Another surprising non-roster invitee that has played well in the early going is Ramiro Pena, a utility infielder that has a lot of big league experience. While playing pretty much everywhere on the infield, he’s batted .350 with a pair of double and a pair of RBI. If an injury were to occur, or someone on the 40-man roster (Adrianza, possibly) struggles miserably, Pena could be the one to benefit.

Stock Steady: Jarrett Parker

Parker, last year’s September sensation, started well in Arizona, batting .444 in week one with a run batted in and a pair of walks. The second week wasn’t as kind to Parker, as he batted just .190 in a team-leading 21 at-bats. On the plus side, he did get to show off his “stupid power“, as Kruk & Kuip so eloquently put it, with a double, two home runs, and five RBI. Parker’s power could put him in the driver’s seat to make the opening day roster, even if he isn’t exactly piling up the hits.

Stock Down: Hak-Ju Lee

Lee was an author’s personal favorite entering Spring Training, but he hasn’t gotten much run through the first two weeks. Since the start of the exhibition period, Lee has received just 12 plate appearances in 13 games, but has come up with three hit, two walks, three runs batted in, and a stolen base. The former top prospect looks to be moving just fine with the Giants, but unless he starts getting a lot more playing time, this longshot stands no shot at the opening day roster.

Next: Giants' Infield Set for Big 2016 Season

Stock Up: Grant Green

Green, a former top prospect in the Oakland Athletics’ organization, has come into camp with the Giants and played fairly well in relatively regular time. Playing all over the diamond, Green has batted .280 in 25 at-bats, but dipped a bit to .235 in the second week of action. He still managed to knock a triple, and drive in four runs, second only to Parker’s five. Green is another longshot, but he looks like he’ll add some quality, experienced depth to the Giants’ organization.

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