San Francisco Giants Positional Preview: Third Base
As Spring Training approaches, we’ll talk a look at the San Francisco Giants depth at every position. The fifth position dissected is third base.
Last year at this time, it was quite difficult to predict what would happen with the third base position for the San Francisco Giants. Former fan favorite and postseason hero Pablo Sandoval left for the Boston Red Sox through free agency, and burned every bridge on his way out of town. To fill the void left at the hot corner, the Giants picked up Casey McGehee in a trade with the Miami Marlins, which turned out to be a short-lived experiment that was an utter failure. Luckily, the Giants had a superhero waiting in the wings, as the Duffman came to save the day.
Rookie Matt Duffy stepped in to an unfamiliar position and ended up being one of the Giants’ biggest surprises last season. He played 149 games, the most by a Giants’ rookie since Robby Thompson also played 149 games in 1986. While playing a lot of the season as the team’s third hitter in the lineup, Duffy batted .295 with 28 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs, and 77 runs batted in, and also stole 12 bases without being caught.
As has became customary for players coming up through the Giants’ farm system, Duffy showed a wonderful opposite field approach, collecting 57 hits (20 worth extra bases) to the opposite field, the eighth-most in baseball. He also showed a knack for coming through in the clutch, as his 17 go-ahead hits were second-most on the Giants, behind only Buster Posey.
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In addition to his major offensive contributions, Duffy transformed himself into a stout defender at a position he had played just five times in the past. At the beginning of his tenure as the everyday third baseman, Duffy looked like a guy trying to learn a position on the fly. As time went on, Duffy adapted, thanks in part to some teaching by McGehee, and ended the season as a finalist for the Gold Glove. Overall, Duffy finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Chicago Cubs’ wunderkind Kris Bryant.
On the current 40-man roster, there is no true backup at third base to Duffy, who will enter the 2016 season riding a 117-game iron man streak. The late addition of Conor Gillaspie could force a change to the roster come opening day. The former San Francisco first-round pick has 320 major league games worth of experience at third base, making him by far the most experienced player at the position in camp with the Giants. To keep Gillaspie for opening day, should he earn a roster spot, the Giants would have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for him. Could Ehire Adrianza be designated for assignment for the second straight spring to make room for someone else?
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Speaking of Adrianza, he is the only player on the 40-man roster not named Duffy with any major league experience as a third baseman. It’s only four games, but that’s more than can be said for other people on the roster. He’s shown himself to be a very good defensive shortstop and second baseman, but he hasn’t had enough time to prove the same at third base.
Kelby Tomlinson also has prior experience at third base in the minor leagues, and he’ll likely be the primary backup to all three infield spots. Ramiro Pena, a non-roster invitee this Spring, has a lot of big league experience at third base (137 games), but will have to be extremely impressive in exhibition to crack the roster. Grant Green, a utility player and non-roster invitee, has five games worth of experience at third base through his big league time. George Kottaras, another non-roster invitee who is a catcher, has played once at third base in the major leagues. Experience is experience.
Ryder Jones is a natural third baseman, but is 21 years old and has yet to advance past High-A ball. Jones was a second-round pick in 2013 by San Francisco, and still has a long way to go to prove himself ready to be a major leaguer.
Next: San Francisco Giants Positional Preview: Shortstop
What a difference a year can make. Third base was a big question mark for the Giants entering last Spring, but with Duffy now holding down the fort, things look very good at the position this year.