San Francisco Giants: Giving the players their final letter grades

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 01: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants runs to first base after hitting a ground ball against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning at Oracle Park on September 1, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants 8-4. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

Stephen Vogt: B+

Vogt gave the Giants everything they could have asked for in a backup catcher. He recorded 36 extra-base hits in only 255 at-bats. He also handled the young pitchers well but struggled at limiting the running game. Regardless, he quickly became a clubhouse leader and part of a very strong bench. There is no doubt that Vogt earned a major league contract in 2020 after signing a minor league deal last winter.

Pablo Sandoval: B+

Similar to Vogt. Sandoval supplied plenty of power. In 272 at-bats, the Kung Fu Panda sent 14 baseballs over the fence to go along with a 111 OPS+. The switch-hitter proved once again to be adept from either side of the plate as he posted a .796 OPS as a left-handed hitter and a .936 OPS as a right-handed hitter. In addition, Sandoval pitched another scoreless inning to maintain an egg-shaped ERA for his career. Sandoval is not as versatile as Farhan Zaidi would like, but he should find interest as he tests free agency once again.

Donovan Solano: A-

Solano was one of the bigger surprises this season. Across 228 plate appearances, the journeyman infielder batted a cool .330 while splitting his time between second base and shortstop. Solano pushed Brandon Crawford for playing time as the season wore on, and he should continue to push for more next season.

Austin Slater: B-

Slater probably wished the baseball season ended about six weeks earlier than it did. The right-handed bat posted a .894 OPS in July and a .957 OPS in August. At that time, it seemed like he was playing himself into a much larger role in 2020. However, baseball continued into September. In the final month of the season, the Stanford product recorded an ugly .273 OPS across 48 plate appearances. He finished the season with a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. Despite his strong start to the 2019 season, questions will persist as to what type of player he can become.