San Francisco Giants Spring Training Preview: Infielders
These players are here for the experience. Some are not quite major league ready while the others are not in any plans of the Giants any time soon.
Christian Arroyo:
The third baseman of the future. Can it come sooner than later? Arroyo is projected to begin the season at triple-A in Sacramento. Posting mediocre numbers in double-A Richmond hitting .274 with 3 HR and 49 RBI in 119 games. The Eastern League that double-A Richmond is a part of is known to be a pitchers league. It is not surprising to see that Arroyo seemed to struggle a bit last year. It isn’t something to worry about however, he is still only 21 with plenty of time to grow. Many veterans are in camp so Arroyo can take this time to learn from them. Arroyo definitely has the potential to roam the hot corner at ATT&T Park sometime later this season.
Jae-Gyun Hwang:
This past offseason the Giants went out and signed Korean player Jae-Gyun Hwang. Even though they were rumored to sign Hwang, it is surprising that they actually did it. The Giants are not known to go out and sign international prospects. Not much is known about Hwang but he is listed as a third baseman. His career has been up and down as far as offensive production goes. But, in the last two seasons he has averaged 20 home runs. However the Korean Baseball Organization is a whole different level than MLB. He will be getting many at-bats to help him adjust. This also means he starts the year in the minor leagues. The Giants hope Hwang will be able to make an impact sometime in 2017.
Orlando Calixte:
Just days prior to the rule 5 draft the Giants signed Calixte to a minor league deal and added him to the 40-man roster. He has spent most of his career in the minor leagues with only a minimal time in the majors. Being only 25, he is still young and has a lot to learn. He is at camp to learn and gain experience but, being added to the 40-man roster shows that the Giants see something in him.
Ryder Jones:
Ryder Jones is a young 22 year old 3B/SS who spent the 2016 season with double-A Richmond. There he hit .247 with 15 HR and 67 RBI over 126 games. His 15 home runs were 9th in the league which is a very nice improvement to his 6 home runs he hit with San Jose in 2015. He is only 22 and still has room to grow. This spring he will take in everything he can from the veterans to improve his game. If there is room he will start the year with Sacramento. If not then he will go back to Richmond to start the year.
C.J. Hinojosa:
He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2015 amateur draft. He started the year in Single-A San Jose and ended the year in double-A Richmond. Whenever a player jumps a level during the season he becomes a player to watch. Hinojosa is a shortstop but just the others on this list he is young only 22 and has time to grow and mature into a ball player. He most likely will start the year in double-A Richmond.
Miguel Gomez:
Gomez is a young 24 year old third baseman who ended the year in San Jose. Gomez is currently on the 40-man roster but will not be in the big leagues anytime soon. He made noise last year when he got promoted to Single-A San Jose from Low- A Augusta mid-season because he had a .371 batting average in 66 games with Augusta. Of course moving up to a higher level he came back to Earth hitting .267 with San Jose in 43 games. The Giants see something in Gomez but he isn’t in their plans in the near future. You will see Gomez start the year in San Jose.
Juniel Querecuto:
A non-roster invitee signed this past offseason. He was previously a part of the Tampa Bay Rays organization and got a taste of the big leagues last season going 1-11 with 2 RBI. He has been placed on the Sacramento River Cats Roster according to milb.com. He is most likely a player to fill in the minor leagues.
Chris Marrero:
Former 1st round pick of the Nations in the 2006 First-year player draft. He never did become a first-round caliber player. Spending most of his time in the minors, now 28, signed a minor-league deal with the Giants in November. Again he was signed most likely to add depth in the minor leagues. A first baseman who can also roam left field, He will start the year in Sacramento.
Next: San Francisco Giants Spring Training Preview: Catchers
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