San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Aoki, Olivera, Bullpen

Oct 5, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Nori Aoki (23) prior to game three of the 2014 ALDS baseball playoff game against the Los Angels Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

These two questions are related, so I wanted to answer them together. I’ll answer the first question first.

I believe that Joe Panik has solidified himself as the number two hitter in the Giants lineup. I think Bruce Bochy likes him hitting in that spot because of his ability to hit to all parts of the field, his ability to hit for average, and his consistency. He also provides a smooth transition from Angel Pagan to the heart of the lineup in Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, and another new face to the Giants, Casey McGehee.

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There might be some games where Bochy decides to put Nori Aoki in the second spot, when Panik gets a day off or his career history against a pitcher isn’t great. This won’t be a regular occurrence though. It’s more likely that Aoki’s normal spot in the lineup will be seventh, behind McGehee, and ahead of Brandon Crawford. Bochy could decide to switch Aoki and Crawford on certain nights too.

Bochy said at Aoki’s introductory press conference that he expects Aoki to be the everyday left fielder, but  I agree with Baily that Gregor Blanco is worthy of that title as well. As Baily said, Aoki and Blanco put up somewhat similar stats, but Aoki has the edge in batting average and on-base percentage. Blanco has the edge defensively and in reliability too, as he played in more games than Aoki did.

Also as Baily said, Blanco’s stats could be somewhat deflated since he played in a tougher ballpark for hitters last season than Aoki did.

In theory, it makes sense to have Aoki be the everyday left fielder and have Blanco be the pinch hitter and late-inning defensive replacement, given the fact that Aoki appears to have somewhat of an offensive edge and Blanco has the defensive edge. Depending on Pagan’s health, Blanco and Aoki could both see starts at center field too.

I wrote a while ago about if the Giants should consider using a version of a “platoon” in the sense that Blanco and Aoki could split starts somewhat, depending on matchups, etc. Instead of starting Aoki in left field 80-90 percent of the time, Bochy could decide to start him in left field just 60 percent of the time and Blanco the other 40 percent of the time.

In simpler terms, even though Aoki is expected to be the “everyday left fielder,” Blanco could still end up seeing somewhat significant playing time as the “fourth outfielder.” The term fourth outfielder doesn’t exactly give Blanco enough credit for the skills that he brings to the Giants, and it might not perfectly describe the role that he will have in 2015, as he might accumulate more starts than a typical fourth outfielder would.

Blanco could end up playing a similar amount of time (in left or center field) as Aoki does. It all comes down to matchups, and since we know that Bochy is the lineup master, he’ll find the best way to utilize Aoki’s and Blanco’s skills.

Next: Should the Giants Sign Hector Olivera?