San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: The Pros & Cons of Each Backup Infielder

In this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we look at the pros and cons of each backup infielder as a roster crunch approaches.

Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fans, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Monday, the Giants enjoyed an off-day in Boston before their quick two-game series with the Red Sox. The Triple-A Sacramento River Cats were rained out on Monday, so Hunter Pence got another day to rest his hamstring, and the start of Joe Panik‘s rehab stint was pushed back another day.

But those two players, plus a couple of others, will soon create a crunch on the Giants’ roster. With the impending moves, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each of the team’s four expendable infielders.

1 – Conor Gillaspie

Pros: Out of this group, Gillaspie is the hitter with the best track record. He’s done very well since Matt Duffy‘s injury as the left-handed half of a platoon, and has come up with some big hits for the Giants. He got off to a slow start with the bat, hitting .140 in his first 32 games (only five of which were starts), but has picked it up. In 20 games (11 starts) since June 19th, he’s hitting .358 with a pair of home runs and 13 runs batted in.

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Cons: While Gillaspie has swung a hot stick lately, his glove has been ice cold. He’s committed a pair of errors, but has looked a lot worse than that. He doesn’t move very well, so his range is already limited as is, and his rainbow throws to first base leave a lot to be desired. While his bat is good enough to stick around as a bench guy, he doesn’t play the field well enough to find himself in the lineup on a nearly everyday basis.

2 – Ramiro Peña

Pros: Since making his Giants’ debut on June 11th, all Peña has done is hit, hit, and hit some more. In 20 games, he’s slashing .362/.393/.534 with five doubles, a triple, a home run, and eight RBI. His versatility is also enticing, as the natural shortstop has plenty of experience at third base and second base, the two positions where he’s played most of his games with San Francisco

Cons: While he can play multiple positions, he hasn’t played great defense with the Giants. His unfamiliarity with his teammates has caused him to seemingly be in the way on multiple occasions. One of those occasions led to an ankle injury, as he collided with right fielder Mac Williamson on a shallow pop-up to the outfield (the 6’4″, 240-pound outfielder will win the battle against the 5’11”, 200-pound infielder every time). The All-Star break should have allotted him plenty of time to heal, but ankle injuries can recur at any time.

3 – Ruben Tejada

Pros: The biggest check mark for Tejada is that he’s a much better defender at third base than Gillaspie. He looked lost in his first few games with the team, committing two terrible errors in his first two games, but has settled in since.

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Cons: Besides the defense, Tejada has contributed next to nothing with the Giants. He’s hitting .156 in 13 games, and his bat has played a part in derailing a few rallies. He’s never exactly been a masher with the bat, entering the season with a .255/.330/.323 slash-line, but this season has been rough all around. Between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals, he’s slashing .167/.247/.242 in 36 games.

4 – Grant Green

Pros: Since returning from an injury in the minor leagues and joining the big league club, Green has hit well. He owns a .273/.314/.394 slash-line in 11 games, and hit his first home run for the team he grew up rooting for. But the most appealing factor with Green is his versatility. Though he’s only played second base with the Giants, he’s played every position on the diamond, save for pitcher and catcher, in his career. His outfield experience (115 games in left field, 93 in center, 12 in right between the majors and minors) could be something that keeps him on the roster when the crunch comes, especially if the Giants use Mac Williamson’s and Jarrett Parker‘s options.

Cons: Green doesn’t come to the Giants with a great track record. San Francisco is his third big league team in four seasons, and the former 13th overall pick and top-100 prospect entered the year as a .249 hitter with a 26 percent strikeout rate in 109 games. The potential is there, but will he continue to contribute as a 28-year-old bench player with minimal big league experience?

Next: Giants Morning Minute: Osich's Improvement, Adrianza's rehab

And that will do it for another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. Up next, the Giants and Red Sox start their final series of the season in Fenway Park. Rick Porcello and Jake Peavy will take the mound for their respective clubs.

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