San Francisco Giants 2019 Spring Training Preview: Outfield

The San Francisco Giants 2019 outfield situation is in many ways a complicated one.   The lack of established incumbents, new multi-positional philosophy of the Farhan Zaidi, and even the outfield dimensions of Oracle Park itself must be taken into account.  And this is not even to mention the recent almost frenzied signings of veteran outfielders to minor league contracts.

So rather than focus on players at the start, it might be best to focus on the job descriptions for the San Francisco Giants 2019 outfield.

First, one must consider the Oracle Park outfield itself.  In many ballparks the field is almost symmetrical so, other than the obvious factor that a right fielder should have a stronger arm than a left fielder, one can pretty much make a simply distinction between corner outfielders. and center fielders.  However, in Oracle Park this is really not the case.

Left field in Oracle Park is rather benign but right field in Oracle Park, with its 421′ alley and 24′ irregular wall, is perhaps the hardest to play of any outfield position in the major leagues.  Therefore, the job descriptions of San Francisco Giants outfielders are not the common corner outfielder and center fielder but, in reality, quite specific to left field, center field, and right field.

As left field does not require either a great arm or great speed it can be played by most anyone.  However, center field requires speed and right field requires both speed and a strong-arm so these positions are harder to fill.

Also, with the club’s recent habit of carrying 13 pitchers and possible wish to carry 3 catchers we may be looking at very few roster spots for pure outfielders in 2019.  Thus, unless the Giants finally realize that Pablo Sandoval is in fact also a catcher,  there may be only four outfield spots on the roster to start the 2019 season thus making versatility a huge factor in who ultimately makes the roster.

The San Francisco Giants 2019 outfield depth chart currently list Chris Shaw in left field, Steven Duggar in center field, and Austin Slater in right field.  All are young players out of the Giants own farm system.

Chris Shaw is a left-handed power hitter who got a little playing time in late 2018 and pretty much showed that he is not ready for the big leagues (as he stuck out 23 times in 54 at bats).  Another young right-handed power hitter Mac Williamson spent some time in left in 2018 as did Austin Slater, utility man Alen Hansen, and regular first baseman Brandon Belt.

Center field seems to be the only place where there is somewhat of an incumbent in place in Steven Duggar.  Although his 2018 was cut short by an injury, he performed well for a rookie and seems to have the confidence of manager Bruce Bochy not only to start in center field but to bat lead off as well.

Right field currently has Austin Slater listed as the incumbent and he has the combination of speed and arm strength to play there defensively.  However, his promising 2017 hitting regressed somewhat in 2018 thus leaving a question mark over right field.  Mac Williamson is on the right field depth chart and, although he is not ideal for the position defensively, if he starts to hit home runs this spring like he did last spring the club will most certainly find a place for him.

Among the many players acquired for The San Francisco Giants 2019 outfield a few stand out either because of their special roster status or major league track record.

Drew Ferguson was acquired via the Rule 5 Draft and thus must stay on the 25 man roster all season and be active for at least 90 days for the club to keep him.  This, along with his defensive versatility and good minor league on base percentage, give him a special edge in making the final roster.  Plus, the fact that he can play center and is a right-handed hitter makes him an ideal backup to Steven Duggar.

Veteran left-handed hitter Gerardo Parra is another versatile outfielder with a good major league track record who has played well against the Giants over the years.  And, although his power numbers have declined the past few years, he has still shown a good ability to get on base and seems quite capable of playing defense in the difficult Oracle Park right field.

Veterans Cameron Maybin and Craig Gentry are both right-handed hitting outfielders who, even in their thirties, still have the speed to play center field.  So, like Drew Ferguson, both are a perfect backup/compliment for Steven Duggar in center field with Maybin having the edge over Gentry because of his better overall versatility.

I think new switch hitting infield acquisition Yangervis Solarte should also be mentioned here as the club loves his bat and may try to work him into the left field mix.

With so many outfield candidates in camp long shots like John Andreoli, Mike Gerber, Henry Ramos, and Anthony Garcia hardly seem worth mentioning.  However, things are so wide open that a great spring by any one of them could lead to a roster spot.