Newcomer Casey McGehee Off to Fast Start

By Sean Bialaszek | Mar 16, 2015

One of the biggest questions for the San Francisco Giants coming out of the offseason was how the team would replace the production lost with Pablo Sandoval headed to the east coast. In an effort to fill that void, the team traded for third baseman Casey McGehee from the Miami Marlins, and the newcomer has been fantastic so far throughout Spring Training, and is letting his bat do the talking.

After a strange journey that took him through four big league organizations and a season in Nippon Professional Baseball in 2013, McGehee found stability in 2014. McGehee played in 160 games for Miami, while posting a .287/.355/.357 slash-line to go along with four home runs, 29 doubles, and 76 RBI. For his efforts, he was awarded the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

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McGehee also played great defense, with a .979 fielding percentage and just seven errors. During his time, he earned one of the best nicknames in baseball from the Marlins’ fans, as he was dubbed “Hits” McGehee.

The Giants acquired McGehee from Miami in December for two low-level minor league pitchers. The team added him with the hopes of stabilizing the middle of the lineup once again, much like he did with the Marlins. He provided great protection for superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton in a lineup that didn’t pack a lot of punch.

So far this Spring, McGehee has done exactly what the team has hoped he would do. Although these games don’t necessarily mean much for the regular season, a hot start can definitely add to the hitter’s confidence, and right now, McGehee’s confidence should be through the roof.

In 10 games, “Hits” is batting .500, with 11 hits in 22 at-bats, with four doubles and four RBI. He has shown a propensity for driving balls to the opposite field with authority, using all sides of the field to get the job done. McGehee’s glove has also shown up as well, as he has played perfect defense in the early games.

McGehee has also endeared himself to teammates so far, as Blanco had kind words for the burly third baseman in an interview with John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle:

"I think every player can be replaced. Now we’ve got Casey (McGehee), who’s a great and underrated player. He hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves. He’s happy here."

If McGehee were able to match the production he enjoyed in 2014 with Miami, he would come at a huge bargain for the Giants. Sandoval signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, and is slated to earn $17.6 million in his first season with Beantown. Chase Headley, who was seen as a “big fish” at third base on the free agent market this offseason, returned to the New York Yankees on a four-year, $52 million deal, earning $13 million annually.

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McGehee went through the arbitration process this past offseason, and is scheduled to earn just $4.8 million in 2015. McGehee will make just 27 percent of what Sandoval will, and just 37 percent of what Headley will.

The Giants’ offense hasn’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard this Spring, but McGehee continues to hit the ball with authority. If he can keep that up through the regular season, the team’s offensive losses will hurt much less.

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