San Francisco Giants Positional Preview: Center Field

As Spring Training approaches, we’ll take a look at the San Francisco Giants depth at every position. The seventh position examined is center field.

The San Francisco Giants will have a new man patrolling center field in 2016, as they signed veteran Denard Span to a three-year, $31-million deal over the offseason to make him their new man in the middle of the outfield and at the top of the lineup. In both spots Span supplants Angel Pagan, who likely would have played roles had Span not been signed. Span’s deal also includes a team option for a fourth season in 2019.

Signing Span comes with a set of risks, as he had a pretty rough season in 2015. Statistically it was a good season, as Span batted .301, slugged .431, stole 11 bases without being caught, and owned a very tide 9.5 percent strikeout rate. But three separate surgeries in a 10-month span (hernia surgery in the winter, core muscle surgery in March, and a left hip labrum procedure in August) limited him to just 61 games, the lowest total of his career. Rushing back from one surgery likely led to the need for the next, and he should be good to go after a full offseason to heal up.

If Span is healthy, he should be a perfect addition to the Giants’ lineup. He’s an excellent contact hitter with a career strikeout rate of 11.4 percent, and he uses a short, compact stroke to spray the ball to all fields. With his blazing wheels, he will be able to take advantage of the spacious ranges in AT&T Park to turn singles into doubles and double into triples. He also plays a good defensive center field, and as Washington Nationals’ color analyst, and former Giants’ outfielder F.P. Santangelo has said during broadcasts in the past, Span chases down flyballs like a wide receiver running for a deep pass, taking a quick, direct route to the ball.

Span’s health is a concern, as it would be for any player coming off a three surgery year. The Giants should feel confident that Gregor Blanco is on the roster, ready to play all three outfield positions at any moment. Since joining the Giants in 2012, Blanco has played 227 games in left field, 222 in center field, and 78 in right field. Aside from being a sharp defender, Blanco is quietly a very solid offensive player as well. He enjoyed his best season in 2015, as was spoken about in the Giants’ left field preview.

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Pagan, who has been the Giants’ opening day center fielder four years in a row, almost certainly is the everyday left fielder now. The move could be very beneficial to Pagan over the course of the year, but if Span were to have a recurrence of his injury issues, Pagan could shift over back to his former place. If Span were to need a replacement, there are benefits to having either Pagan or Blanco in center field. Blanco is the better defender of the two, but he’s also more familiar with the corner outfield. it could shake out either way.

Jarrett Parker, a rookie on the Giants’ 40-man roster, is an outfielder with experience at all three outfield positions. Though he has spent the majority of his time in the corner outfield slots, he did play four games in center field with the Giants in 2015, and has 123 minor leagues games in the middle. Though he may not be the best option for a long-term fix in center field, he could certainly fill in for short intervals.

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Hunter Pence is the Giants’ everyday right fielder, but does have 96 games worth of center field experience (only one since his rookie year, however). Pence has mastered the tricky right field in AT&T Park, and moving him away from there would be detrimental to the defense.

Of the non-roster invitees, Gorkys Hernandez is the only one with big league experience in center field, where 37 of his 62 defensive appearances have come. He has great speed, but is an extreme longshot to make the Giants’ roster. Ryan Lollis, another non-roster player, has played 237 games in center field in the minor leagues, and Junior Arias has played 217 minor league games, but never above Advanced-A. All three of the aforementioned are organizational depth.

Next: San Francisco Giants Positional Preview: Left Field

There’s a new player in center field, but the concerns remain the same. Health will be the biggest issue, but if Span can stay fit, the Giants have a great player on their hands. If not, they’ll have to find a solution again, like they did last year.

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