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San Francisco Giants: X-Factors For The 2015 Season

By Dan Fappiano

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Gregor Blanco and Justin Maxwell, Outfield

Oct 25, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco (left) catches a fly ball as right fielder

Hunter Pence

(right) looks on in the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals during game four of the 2014 World Series at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Normally a fourth outfielder wouldn’t make too much of a difference for a championship caliber team. The San Francisco Giants aren’t going into the season normally.

On March fifth, the Giants announced that Hunter Pence had broken his left arm and would be out for 6-8 weeks. With the departure of Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence was expected to be the primary source of power for the 2015 Giants.

With Pence’s absence, the Giants are missing out on a player who provided 20 home runs, 74 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 2014. It is a shame because Pence had been able to muster back-to-back 162 game seasons.

Filling in for Pence is a platoon of Blanco and Maxwell. While Blanco nor Maxwell are in no way the player Pence is, they will need to flourish for the Giants to find production early out of the right field spot.

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    • Blanco has been with the Giants for four years, making him the leader to start in right field during Pence’s absence, drawing the Opening Day and game two start. In 2015, he is off to a 1-8 start with a double, but is a career .257 hitter. Blanco doesn’t provide much pop but he does have 82 career stolen bases, and has stolen double digit bags all four seasons with the Giants.

    Maxwell last played for the Kansas City Royals, the team the Giants faced in the 2014 World Series. Ironically, he is now on the other side playing for the Giants in 2015. Maxwell started game three for the Giants, mustering just one hit in five at-bats. He is a career .224 hitter and is more of a bench piece who won’t see much playing when Pence returns.

    Pence is not the only outfielder on injury alert though, as star center fielder Angel Pagan has also had some history with injuries. Blanco and Maxwell will fill in all year in the outfield when injuries to the regular starters come about.

    While Blanco is the lead man, whoever is playing right field for the Giants in the early part of the season must accomplish at least half the production Pence was able to muster in 2014.  Blanco and Maxwell are essentially fourth and fifth outfielders respectively, pressed into service for the injury-riddled Giants in 2015.

    Next: Relief Pitcher: Sergio Romo

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