For the San Francisco Giants, a Homegrown Infield Remains a Real Possibility
At various points in the 2014 regular season, the San Francisco Giants‘ infield was made up of entirely homegrown players, players drafted and groomed within the organization. Throughout the postseason last year, the four players who manned the infield were Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, and Pablo Sandoval – each of whom were either drafted by the team, or signed as amateur free agents.
Now, with Sandoval’s departure, the expected opening day lineup for the Giants will have an infield that is 75 percent homegrown. Casey McGehee will take Sandoval’s former post, and although he’s a Soquel, California-native, and a former Fresno State Bulldog, he’s not a homegrown player.
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But the outlook is good for the Giants to have a completely homegrown infield for a long time to come. Belt, the first baseman, is entering his fourth season, and is just 26 years old. Panik, the second base phenom who saved a position in flux, was a rookie in 2014, and is a ripe 24 years old. Crawford, the slick-fielding, and much-improved hitting shortstop, is also going into his fourth season, and is the elder statesman of the bunch at 28 years old.
Then what about third base? McGehee will have the position locked up in 2015, but beyond that, there’s a big old question mark at the hot corner. McGehee will be a free agent after the upcoming season, and will again leave a void at third base. The Giants do have options in the organization, however.
One player who’s making a great name for himself is Matt Duffy. Duffy has mostly been a second baseman throughout his career, but he is slowly getting acclimated to playing shortstop and third base.
Mar 9, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Matt Duffy (50) throws the ball to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training baseball game at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
“Duffman”, as he’s become known among the fanbase, named after the character on “The Simpsons”, was called up to the Giants in 2014 from Double-A Richmond, and despite the big jump to the big leagues, performed quite admirably in pretty limited time. Duffy hit .267 in 60 at-bats, and drove in eight runs. This Spring has been a huge revelation for Duffy, as he’s done nothing but hit so far.
In 16 Spring Training games, Duffy is hitting .389 (14-36) with a pair of home runs, seven RBI, and three doubles. In an otherwise miserable Spring for the Giants, Duffy has been one of the few bright spots, as he battles for one of the bench spots that is expected to be available on the opening day roster.
Adam Duvall is a natural third baseman, but his defensive deficiencies project him to be more of a first baseman. Either way, Duvall has huge power, as evidenced by his 30-home run campaign in 2012 for High-A San Jose, and 27 home runs in just 91 games at Triple-A Fresno last year. If he can hit consistently, he could become a real force in the middle of a lineup.
Duvall probably won’t become an everyday third baseman, but there’s always the possibility. His power is something that every team looks for, and something the Giants don’t exactly have a ton of. He could slide his way into the lineup on a more permanent basis in the future.
Some younger guys who could potentially fill the third base void in the future are Christian Arroyo and Mitch Delfino. Both players were in big league camp earlier this Spring for the first time. Delfino is a natural third baseman, and Arroyo is a natural shortstop, although the team has experimented with him at second base and third base.
Delfino has the look of a potential third baseman of the future. He’s a good hitter, and he’s got a great glove, as he earned Advanced-A San Jose’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was an Organizational All-Star last year. 2015 will be Delfino’s fourth year in the organization, and he appears to be getting very close to a big league call-up.
Arroyo was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2013, and is still only 19 years old. The young man has proven to be a natural hitter, as he hit .326 at Rookie League-Arizona in 2013, and .333 at Low-A Salem-Keizer in 2014. He hit just .203 at Single-A Augusta to start 2014, but he attributed that to trying to do too much, and getting away from his game. After he was sent back to Salem-Keizer, he returned to form. Arroyo could possibly become a future third baseman for the big league club, but at just 19 years old and entering his third pro season, that’s a ways away.
Those aren’t the only ones within the organzation either. Ryder Jones and Kelby Tomlinson, among others, are also on their way up.
Sandoval’s bad breakup with the Giants has left a bad taste in the mouth of Giants’ fans, but with all these promising young kids on their way to the top, that taste should be gone very soon.