San Francisco Giants looking to get younger at shortstop and third base
By Doug Brown
The San Francisco Giants are an old team but they are looking for ways to get younger. Today we’ll discuss their situations at shortstop and third base.
Shortstop
Brandon Crawford has been the San Francisco Giants regular shortstop since 2012 and last year was his worst. He hit just .228 with 11 home runs. His slick glovework also was not as stellar.
And at age 32, his prospects of increasing his lifetime .248 average do not seem good. The Giants will be paying $15 million per year through the 2021 season.
The Giants added 34-year-old Zack Cozart in a trade earlier this month with the Los Angeles Angels and will be paying him $12.67 million in 2020. Crazy, but in the deal, they also picked up a young first-rounder they hope to be their future shortstop in Will Wilson.
Wilson became the 19th pick in the draft last year by excelling at North Carolina State. He had a decent rookie ball season and now at age 21 is ready to move up the minor league charts.
The Giants also have a homegrown international prospect of their own in 18-year-old Marco Luciano. Luciano did well in his first professional season and it is expected in three years he may be pushing for a major league roster spot.
According to MLB.com Luciano was, “the top-rated middle-infield prospect on the international market,” last year.
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Until Wilson or Luciano is ready, the Giants have Crawford, Donovan Solano, and Zack Cozart who can man shortstop. Rookie second baseman, Mauricio Dubon could also manage at shortstop but the Giants hope he pans out as their regular second baseman.
Third Base
Evan Longoria is signed through 2022 and the Giants will be paying him about $54 million over that time. For the next three years, the Giants do not have a lot of reasonable alternatives. He had a 2.4 WAR last year, so he’s still productive but he’s now age 34 and is clearly in decline.
Solano had a very nice season as a 31-year-old infield filler and could man third in a pinch, but he is not of regular player caliber.
The Giants have a 19-year-old prospect in Luis Toribio. He’s shown good power and average in rookie ball and is likely to arrive similar to the time of Longoria’s departure.
Finally, if Luciano and Wilson both show major league promise in the infield, Luciano could move to third. Essentially, the Giants now have three young prospects to fill two potential openings in the future. Those prospects are about three years away.
Next. San Francisco Giants: All-Decade Team of the 2010s. dark
For now, it appears the Giants will have to go with their aging veterans while their youth ripens into true major leaguers.