San Francisco Giants 2017 Position Preview: Shortstop

The San Francisco Giants have the luxury of having one of the best all-around shortstops in the game, but would the depth be enough to cover his injury?

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Brandon Crawford has made shortstop the most stable position for the San Francisco Giants since his debut in 2011. He has started 740 games at shortstop in his career, by far the most at one position for a Giant in that span. Buster Posey is closest to Crawford with 605 starts at catcher.

Crawford’s durability has made him a constant presence in the Giants’ lineup, and both he and the Giants are better off for it. His defensive ability is what initially made his everyday presence necessary, and he has since turned himself into an excellent all-around shortstop. Without getting a chance to play day in and day out, who knows how his bat would have turned out.

Crawford had another fine season at the plate in 2016, and it was his best in some respects. His .275 average and .342 on-base percentage were both career-highs, and his 11 triples were tied for the league lead. His slugging percentage dipped slightly from his 2015 career-best, but he matched his 84 RBI total from the year before and dropped his strikeout rate for the third straight year. Combine that with his second consecutive Gold Glove, and Crawford remains a pivotal piece of the Giants’ lineup on an everyday basis.

When Crawford isn’t in the lineup, the team will seriously suffer no matter who the replacement is. The best defensive shortstop behind Crawford is Ehire Adrianza, but the best offensive option is Kelby Tomlinson. Neither player, however, is up to snuff with man who finished 12th in MVP voting in 2016.

Both Adrianza and Tomlinson are natural shortstops, but while Adrianza has continued to play the position on a somewhat regular basis, Tomlinson has shifted more to second base. He is still capable of playing short, and did so quite a bit in Triple-A in 2016, but it’s no longer his primary position.

To add depth and create a little competition (maybe inspire the younger guys a little bit), the Giants signed shortstop Jimmy Rollins to a minor league deal. Rollins is a former National League MVP, but comes into the camp with the Giants as, at best, the fourth-string option. He played 144 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, but struggled badly. He was with the Chicago White Sox for 41 games last season, and it was more of the same struggles.

The Oakland-native is now 38 years old, and coming off two bad seasons, this could be his last chance. If he doesn’t perform highly in Spring Training, it’s hard to see Rollins going to the minor leagues. He hasn’t played anything but big league ball since a five-game rehab stint in 2010. He also has played nothing but shortstop in his major league career, save for one-third of an inning at second base way back in 2002. That lack of versatility is a disadvantage compared to the younger kids, who have both played all over the infield and even a little bit of outfield.