Comparing Springs: Where the San Francisco Giants core finished

Brandon Belt

2019 Spring Training: .370/.453/.674, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SO, 6 BB
Average Spring Training: .340/.410/.609, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 14 SO, 7 BB

Belt was on fire this Spring, however, he did cool off towards the end. These are by far his best Spring numbers since 2013 when he posted a slash line of .410/.432/.833 with 8 HR and 19 RBI. What followed was arguably one of his best regular seasons, compared to 2016. Still, the name of the game for the 30-year-old first baseman is to stay healthy. Belt’s focus is to keep hitting, keep getting on base and keep the lineup moving. If he stays healthy, he can very well be a part of the 20 HR club, which would be a very welcome thing this season.

Joe Panik

2019 Spring Training: .426/.449/.511, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 8 SO, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: .277/.335/.418, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 SO, 3 BB

Much like Belt, Panik is having a Spring Training to remember. He’s posted up his best lines since 2012, which is way above his average Spring Training slash line. With that being said, a good Spring Training doesn’t always translate into a good season. However, most of Joe Panik’s Spring Trainings have not been good, even in the regular seasons where he was stellar. The hope is that a great Spring Training turns into a great season. He will have quite a bit to prove this season as the Giants beefed up their middle infield in the off-season.

Brandon Crawford

2019 Spring Training: .234/.308/.277, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 8 SO, 4 BB
Average Spring Training: .278/.346/.424, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 8 SO, 4 BB

Opposite his peers on the right side of the infield, Crawford had his worst statistical Spring Training on record. This was more in part due to the slow start he had where he went through his first 14 at-bats without a single hit. For his particular pattern, this is troubling, because Crawford’s best seasons have come after some of his best Spring Trainings. Relying primarily on his stellar defense seems to be status quo, so that is likely what we’ll be expecting more of this season. You could easily forgive a guy hitting below .250 if he is a shoo-in for a Gold Glove, right?

Evan Longoria

2019 Spring Training: .295/.333/.455, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 15 SO, 3 BB
Average Spring Training: .286/.350/.513, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SO, 4 BB

Evan Longoria had another good Spring for the Giants. The problem was injury slowed him down when he started heating up in the last season, and then the season was basically over when he started heating up again after returning. Longoria’s Spring Training numbers don’t always line up consistently with the Regular Season. In 2016, he finished with some of his worst numbers in Spring Training (.243/.282/.432) but still hit 36 home runs and gathered 98 RBI in that regular season. Since his numbers this Spring are near his average, we can likely expect another average season for the veteran.