San Francisco Giants: Three free-agent outfielders to avoid this offseason

While the San Francisco Giants could look to add to an improved outfield contingent, there are a few free agents they should steer clear of this winter.

Relative to expectations, San Francisco Giants fans had to be happy with the way the team’s outfielders were performing by the end of the season.

Veteran Kevin Pillar proved to be a worthwhile addition to the team, and he is still under team control for the 2020 season if the team decides to tender him a contract in arbitration.

Midseason pickup Alex Dickerson sparked the offense during the team’s surprising July run and he became a mainstay against right-handed pitching.

The biggest surprise of the group was 28-year-old rookie Mike Yastrzemski, who made his MLB debut on May 25 and hit .272/.334/.518 with 22 doubles and 21 home runs in 107 games.

And then there was a supporting cast who will have a chance to earn more playing time next year that includes Austin Slater, Joey Rickard, Jaylin Davis, and others.

So while the Giants might not necessarily need an outfielder, they could look to bring one aboard who makes an immediate, sizable impact offensively.

Whether the front office is looking to add speed, power or defense, there is a wide variety of options hitting the market this offseason.

However, there are three names that come to mind as outfielders that the San Francisco Giants should avoid heading this offseason. Ahead we’ve highlighted those players and the reasons why they should not be targets.

Billy Hamilton

There was a time when baseball enthusiasts of all fandoms were anxiously awaiting the call-up of Billy Hamilton.

Everybody wanted to see just how fast he really was and if he could replicate his 2011 and 2012 seasons in the minors when he stole 103 and 155 bases, respectively.

The speed has been as advertised and according to MLB’s Statcast, Hamilton has run up to 30 feet per second, or roughly 20.45 miles per hour.

He’s street-legal on some roads.

Now 29 years old, he has amassed 299 stolen bases in seven years at the MLB level, which amounts to 43 steals per year. He enters the offseason with a $7.5 million mutual option for 2020 that carries a $1 million buyout after being picked up off the waiver wire by the Atlanta Braves, so there’s a good chance he will be entering free agency this winter.

So why is he on the list of outfielders the San Francisco Giants should avoid?

To answer that, let’s first take a trip down memory lane. There was once someone on the Giants roster with a very similar skill set by the name of Brett Butler.

During a 17-year MLB career, Butler spent three seasons with the Giants from 1988 to 1990. His approach was simple; slap the ball in play, then run.

That approach led him to a .290/.377/.376 line and 558 steals over the course of his career.

Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t play as well in today’s home run-centric game, and Hamilton has just 21 career home runs. So in order to make full use of his speed, he needs to get on base where he can be a disruptive force.

The problem is, he doesn’t get on base enough. Hamilton’s career line currently sits at .242/.297/.326.  Put another way, Hamilton’s career on-base percentage is lower than Butler’s career batting average.

Even in his best season, Hamilton was a .260/.321/.343 hitter. That’s simply not enough offensive production to be an everyday player in today’s game.

Can Hamilton fly down the baseline? Yup.

Could he effectively patrol a shrinking Oracle Park outfield? For sure!

But knowing that he does not effectively use his best tool to produce runs, is he worth pursuing in free agency? Ultimately, no.

Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez was on the San Francisco Giants radar last offseason.

Team president Farhan Zaidi and agent Scott Boras reportedly discussed a potential fit during spring training, though CarGo eventually wound up signing with the Cleveland Indians on a minor league deal.

Before you go licking your chops at the chance of getting a career .285/.343/.500 hitter who averages 20 home runs per season, there are some necessary reality checks.

First off, don’t expect the legs he once had — on the bases or in the outfield. The decline in speed here was nearly instantaneous. After four consecutive seasons of 20-plus steals from 2010 to 2013, he has totaled just 15 in the past six seasons.

But most people look to CarGo for his power anyway, so forget the speed.

Gonzalez has a whole decade’s worth of stats in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field with the Colorado Rockies. There’s going to be some obvious inflation within the extra-base statistical categories because of that, but we can still analyze the numbers.

Some pundits may point to career highlights of Gonzalez as proof of his worth, which include a 40-homer season, three seasons with a .300 average, four seasons of at least 90 RBI, three Gold Gloves, and a third-place finish in 2010 NL MVP voting.

The reality of the situation is that he’s simply no longer the hitter he once was during his prime.

At 34 years old, he’s coming off a season where he played just 45 games at the MLB level, hitting .200/.289/.283 with three doubles and three home runs in 166 plate appearances with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs.

He was released by the Cubs at the beginning of July and remained a free agent for the remainder of the season.

While his track record is impressive, it would be wise to steer clear of Carlos Gonzalez at this point in his career.