San Francisco Giants: Filling The Void in Left Field

2 of 4

Oct 5, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) cannot field a double by San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (not pictured) during the ninth inning in the National League wild card playoff baseball game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Cespedes checks all the boxes for the San Francisco Giants for a number of reasons. First, he is an outstanding defender, and his 2015 AL Gold Glove in left field serves as evidence. He’s strongly regarded as having one of the top arms in baseball, and would be a significant upgrade over Pagan.

Aside from his defensive prowess, he didn’t hit bad either. Cespedes hit .280 mashing 31 homeruns, while driving in 86 RBIs. He carried an OBP of .354, slugged .530, and had an OPS of .884.

This would be just the impact bat the San Francisco Giants are looking for and would be an excellent option in the middle of the order. Rival Dodgers are very left-handed pitcher friendly, and that plays right into Cespedes’ strengths. He clubbed left-handed pitching for a .341 average, posting a 1.081 OPS.

He is also great in situational moments, which the Giants struggled in last season. He managed to hit .279 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Furthermore, Cespedes finds gaps, and scored 15 runs while batting with someone on first base only.

His doubles are down this season only hitting 25, while last year mashing 42. Expect those numbers to be closer to 40 this season with a healthy shoulder in 2017.

Looking at some options below the price of Cespedes still provides valuable options. One of them lingered around unsigned until spring training, and now will face a number of suitors in free agency. Earlier we took a big look at Cespedes and whether or not he would be the best option for left.