San Francisco Giants: 5 Players Most Under the Microscope Entering Spring
The pressure is on for the young outfielders. Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson come into the Spring competing for the starting job in left field, and the higher-ups have made it clear that they don’t want a platoon out there. They want one of these youngsters to win the job.
That puts more pressure on Parker than it does on Williamson. Williamson, the younger of the pair, still has minor league options left, so he can be sent to the minor leagues if he has a rough Spring. Parker, on the other hand, is out of options. If he has a tough Spring and Williamson clearly outperforms him, that could mean that Parker will be exposed to waivers.
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As mentioned earlier, the Giants have had a penchant for keeping an extra arm in the bullpen in recent years. With the questions surrounding Cain, that could become the case again. If that does happen and Parker doesn’t perform in Arizona, he likely becomes the one on the chopping block.
The Giants will have to keep a backup catcher and two infielders (Conor Gillaspie‘s spot seems assured, and they’d need someone who could play shortstop, like Kelby Tomlinson), leaving room for only one backup outfielder. Gorkys Hernandez is more than capable of playing all three outfielder spots, and in case Denard Span goes down, is a much better center fielder than Parker.
Parker really can’t afford a bad Spring, especially if Williamson does well. It might cost him his roster spot.