The Battle of Right Field
The position of right field is one that is currently occupied by Kevin Pillar. With a sub-.220 batting average and free agency looming after the 2020 season, it seems unlikely that he be on the team come 2022.
However, the San Francisco Giants have a lot of quality players in the farm system that can fill this void. Heliot Ramos seemed like he was going to be the easy choice for this slot, but the Giants move in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft may prove otherwise. There now is a dark horse contender to fill out the final spot of this homegrown outfield in 2022. Let’s take a look at the two contenders to fill this role:
Heliot Ramos: The Front Runner
Heliot Ramos has the biggest probability to be in this position when the season opens in 2022. In fact, with the way he is currently playing for the San Jose Giants, he may find himself on the roster sooner than that. Currently, Ramos is batting .297/.411/.574 in High-A ball. His power is off the charts as well, and he’s hitting a home run roughly once every 14 at-bats. With his continued development and outstanding play, I would put money on the fact that Ramos is manning the Levi’s Landing foreground come 2022. However, the newly acquired ASU product may have something to say about that.
Hunter Bishop: The Dark Horse Prospect
A left-handed power hitting outfielder that is a Serra High School alum and played his college ball at ASU… sound familiar? The Giants surely had flashbacks of #25 when they made Hunter Bishop the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. While at Arizona State, the center fielder had a batting line of .347/.473/.765 this spring. He was also sixth in the nation with 22 home runs. Bishop hasn’t played a lick of pro baseball yet, but it is realistic for him to be ready for major league ball come 2022. He may not be on the Opening Day roster, but I would not be surprised if the Giants are still starved enough for home run hitters to call up Bishop and put him in one of the league’s best ballparks for left-handed power.