San Francisco Giants Positional Preview: Second Base

As Spring Training approaches, we’ll talk a look at the San Francisco Giants depth at every position. The third position examined is second base.

After watching two fantastic starting second basemen, Freddy Sanchez and Marco Scutaro, both have their careers end because of respective back injuries, seeing current second baseman Joe Panik‘s 2015 season ended by a back injury of his own was extremely scary for San Francisco Giants‘ fans. Panik assuaged those fears at Fanfest by assuring everyone he was 100 percent and ready to go. The sound heard immediately after that declaration was the collective sigh of relief from Giants’ fans.

It didn’t take long for the young second baseman to establish himself as a great hitter and a great defender. In 173 big league games, the 25-year-old Panik has 201 hits and a .309 average, as well as an outstanding 10.4 percent strikeout rate. His contact-oriented approach to all fields has made him an ideal number-two hitter for the Giants. Panik’s glove has also made him one of the better defensive second basemen in baseball. In 99 games last season, Panik committed only two errors and formed one of the best middle infield duos in the game with shortstop Brandon Crawford (the duo has been given the portmanteau “CrawNik”). He seemed like an early favorite to take the NL Gold Glove, but playing just four games in August and September obviously hurt those chances.

If Panik is healthy, as he says he is, the Giants will welcome his bat and his glove back as the number-two hitter in what should be a potent lineup. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him competing for a batting title and Gold Glove, as well.

When Panik went down last season, Kelby Tomlinson was given his first big league opportunity, and he took it and ran with it. In 54 games, 50 as a second baseman, Tomlinson batted .303 and showed the great opposite field approach that has become a staple of players coming up through the Giants’ farm system. He also impressed with his blazing speed, stealing five bases, hitting three triples, and racing for an inside-the-park home run in last season’s penultimate game. His defense also improved quickly, as he went from breaking the wrong way on a routine groundball to making diving spears around the infield.

Tomlinson will likely be the number one option off the bench for the Giants all around the infield, as a pinch hitter, pinch runner, double switch defensive replacement, or even just to give a starter a day off. After an impressive first taste last year, Tomlinson makes the bench a lot better.

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After a busy offseason in which he put on 14 pounds of muscle (he ate seven times a day!), Ehire Adrianza will hope to, finally, firmly establish himself as a major league hitter to go along with his major league glove. He’s primarily played shortstop throughout his career, but he does have a combined 88 games in the major and minor leagues at second base under his belt. Adrianza was designated for assignment last Spring, and is a candidate for designation again unless he can impress this exhibition season.

Also in camp with the Giants this year are Grant Green and Ramiro Pena, two utility players with a good share of experience at second base. Green’s primary position has been second base (66 of 97 defensive appearances), while Pena came up as a third baseman, and can now help all around the field (71 of 294 appearances). Both are rather longshots to crack the roster, but a good Spring coupled with Adrianza faltering could change the odds for either.

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Trevor Brown, the Giants’ third-string catcher, has played 97 games at second base in the minor leagues. If San Francisco gets really desperate, things could get weird and Brown may find himself at second base. Aubrey Huff did play there, so stranger things have happened. Christian Arroyo, the team’s top prospect, is a shortstop by trade, but played 26 games at second base in 2014. He hasn’t played above Advanced-A ball yet, and is likely still at least another year away, but he could get a September call-up this year if a roster spot opens up.

Other potential options the Giants will have in camp this year are Hak-Ju Lee and Rando Moreno. Lee is a former top prospect as a shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays’ system, and has just one game of second base experience. A serious injury has derailed what was once a fast track to the big leagues, but he could open some eyes with a strong Spring. He’ll likely work all around the infield in big league camp this season. Moreno is also primarily a shortstop (345 games), but has played a good amount of second base as well (55 games) in the minor leagues. He’s never played above Double-A, though.

Next: Giants Positional Preview: First Base

With Panik healthy again, the Giants have one of the game’s premier second baseman back on the field. With Tomlinson’s emergence, positional depth look a lot better than it did last Spring.