Examining the San Francisco Giants’ Depth Chart: Left Field
Editor’s Note: Not three hours after this is published, the Giants announce that they have signed Nori Aoki. An in-depth scouting report for Aoki can be found here. Pencil in Aoki as the starter, and move Blanco to backup.
Left field has been a constant revolving door for the San Francisco Giants since the immortal Barry Bonds took the field for the final time in 2007. Only twice in the past seven seasons has a player started more than 100 games in left field in a single season, as Fred Lewis in 2008, and Melky Cabrera in 2012 each started 101 contests. The average team leader since Bonds’ last season makes 78 starts in left. After failing to acquire Ben Zobrist, the question marks continue heading into 2015.
Starter – Gregor Blanco
At this point, “White Shark” is almost the starter by default. He’s spent most of the past three seasons with San Francisco as the fourth outfielder, but has started 294 games between all three outfield spots. Blanco spent a lot of 2014 filling in for Angel Pagan as the lead-off hitting center fielder, while Pagan was dealing with back issues.
Blanco started 56 games in center, and didn’t commit an error in the regular season. He did, however, commit an error in the World Series that nearly cost the Giants game seven. Luckily, Madison Bumgarner was pitching. Despite the errorless regular season, Blanco does have a knack for making fans fidget by occasionally taking odd routes and misjudging fly balls.
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Overall, Blanco hit .260 in 2014, but he struggled in the leadoff spot. He hit .213 in 36 games as the leadoff hitter, compared to hitting .286 anywhere else in the lineup. In the postseason, he also hit .153 from the leadoff spot. An interesting prospect heading into 2015 is that Blanco hit .404 in the eighth spot.
In left field, Blanco enjoyed his most success, as he hit .284 with a .373 on-base percentage. He also didn’t lead off much while playing left, and that could be a contributing factor, as the lack of pressure from hitting leadoff makes it easier to relax in the batter’s box. Blanco could continue to thrive in the bottom-half of the lineup in the coming year.
Behind Blanco, there is no true backup, but there is plenty of depth
Added Depth – Juan Perez, Travis Ishikawa, Justin Maxwell, Brett Jackson, Gary Brown, Chris Dominguez, Daniel Carbonell, Mac Williamson
Perez appeared in 61 games for the Giants last season, and he struggled with the bat as he hit just .170. He was on the roster throughout the postsason, and got his chances. Despite the criticism from Giants’ fans (myself included,) Perez played well and had a couple of big hits. No hit was bigger than his two-run double in game 5 of the World Series that came about five feet short of leaving the yard. The blast came just hours after Perez learned his good friend Oscar Taveras had died in a car accident.
Sep 17, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Juan Perez against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
At 28 years old, Perez’s window to prove he’s a legitimate major leaguer, and not just a typical AAAA-player, may be closing.
Ishikawa has been a first baseman his entire career, but when the outfield situation got desperate in the 2014 postseason, he stepped into left field. His speed, or lack thereof, limits his range, but he did quite well for a 31-year old playing outfield for the first time. After being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit .274 with two home runs and 15 RBI’s in 47 games. He also earns some sentimental value because the Giants win the pennant.
Maxwell was signed in early December to add more depth to the outfield. While a member of the Nationals organization, he was considered one of their better prospects, and the best athlete in the system. He broke out somewhat while with the Houston Astros in 2012, when he led the team with 18 home runs. He struggled the next two seasons between Houston and the Kansas City Royals, and bounced back-and-forth between the bigs and AAA. He’s a great athlete and is solid defensively, and a good Spring Training this year could make him a dark horse in the left field race.
Brown is another former top prospect, and after years of waiting for the call, he finally got a chance with the Giants last September. His time was limited, but he did go 3-7 at the plate, proving that there may be something there. His speed is his best asset, as he stole over 30 bases three times in the minor leagues, including 53 in 2011. Brown is 26 years old now, and he may have to prove himself now while the opportunity is presenting itself.
Feb 28, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Gary Brown (56) hits a single that scored a run in the second inning against the Oakland Athletics at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY
Jackson, like Brown and Maxwell, was once a highly-regarded prospect, being ranked 38th-best in 2011, and 32nd-best in 2012 by Baseball America. He’s struggled to find a place, but did get a fairly long look in 2012 with the Chicago Cubs. He batted .175 in 120 at-bats, but did total 11 extra-base hits and 9 RBI’s. He didn’t get any big league time in 2013, but went 0-4 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014. He hit .208 in the minors last season, and at 25 years old, this could be his last chance. The Giants saw enough in Jackson to pick him in the Rule V Draft, so they might know something we don’t.
Dominguez had a short stint with the big league club in 2014, and despite going 1-17, he did hit his first career home run. He’s mostly been a third baseman, but he put in some time in left as well, with 107 games in the minors. He does have some pop, as he hit 21 minor league home runs in 2014. At 28 years old, he’s another player whose big league chances could be running low.
Carbonell and Williamson are both Giants’ prospects, and the common conception around both is that they are just not quite ready yet. Williamson may be closer than Carbonell, but Tommy John surgery is 2014 really slowed his progress. Spring Training will be pivotal for both, if Williamson is ready by that point. More in-depth scouting reports can be found here for Carbonell, and here for Williamson.
As of this very second, the job is Blanco’s to lose. However, this chart is subject to change, as the Giants have been linked to free agent outfielder Nori Aoki. If the Giants are able to land Aoki, he could possibly insert himself onto this depth chart as the starter.