San Francisco Giants 2017 Position Preview: Center Field
The San Francisco Giants are moving on to another new left fielder, but they will have their center fielder back for a second season.
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After signing a three-year deal last offseason, Denard Span was named everyday center fielder, moving Angel Pagan to left field. Though there will be a new left fielder, Span will be back in center fielder for a second season. He was limited to 61 games because of three surgeries in 2015, but bounced back and remained mostly healthy in 2016, playing in 143 games.
It was a highly up-and-down season in 2016 for Span. He started slowly, and struggled through a lot of the first half. He entered the All-Star break with a .248/.328/.343 slash-line. He came out of the break ready to roll, and slashed .327/.356/.485 through the end of August. September was another low month, featuring a .213/.300/.326 slash-line and a center field platoon. He did show another uptick in the postseason, coming through with three extra-base hits, an RBI, and three runs scored in four games.
On a bright note, Span did set a career-high with 11 home runs, his first season in double-digits, and hit two into McCovey Cove. That was very unexpected for a player that’s never shown a ton of power moving to the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball.
Span spent a lot of 2016 as the Giants’ leadoff hitter, but with Eduardo Nunez now in the fold, that may not be the case in 2017. If Nunez does hit leadoff, that could open up the opportunity to use a “double leadoff hitter” like the Giants did early in 2016 with Span and Pagan.
Overall, Span probably isn’t going to make an All-Star Game, but the Giants could do a lot worse in center field. If he can stay healthy and harness something close to his July-to-August performance, he is a nice asset to have in the lineup.
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If all goes according to plan, it looks like Gorkys Hernandez will be the primary backup in center field. He didn’t come up to the big leagues until very late last season, but proved himself to be an extremely capable center fielder. He has the speed to cover the spacious outfield at AT&T Park, and his arm is a big upgrade over Span’s.
His bat is a bigger question. He played quite admirably in Triple-A and was solid upon his call-up, but his track record isn’t great. In his first 78 big league games, he slashed .186/.260/.292, but ticked that up to .259/.298/.463 in 26 games with the Giants last season. His defense makes him valuable enough, but if he can replicate his 2016 performance with the bat, he could get some solid playing time.
If Jarrett Parker doesn’t snatch up the starting job in left field, he can also provide some depth in center field. His big league experience there is limited (three games started), but he has spent a good share of time there in the minor leagues (112 games started). If San Francisco wants to get his power in the lineup once in a while, they could think about sneaking him into center field to keep Mac Williamson and Hunter Pence in the lineup as well. On a longer term basis, Parker in center field may not be the best idea.
Justin Ruggiano, who was signed to a minor league deal last week, can also play center field. The majority of his big league games have been played in center. If he finds himself on the big league roster, his track record of success against left-handed pitchers could mean he starts in center field once in a while.
In the minor leagues, Austin Slater also has a track record in the middle of the outfield. He has played the corners a bit more often, but has spent a good amount of time in center field as well. If he can continue his offensive performance from 2016 in 2017, his bat could force the Giants to see what they have in Slater.
Next: Giants 2017 Position Preview: LF
Other names to keep an eye on are Bryan Reynolds and Heath Quinn, the team’s first and second-round picks last year. Both had promising first years in the system in 2016, but the 21-year-olds are still likely at least one season away, at least. Reynolds made his way to Single-A last year, while Quinn got to Advanced-A.