Giants: Is Mauricio Dubon the answer in center field?

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Giants rookie Mauricio Dubon. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco Giants do not have a clear answer for center field in 2020. Could Mauricio Dubon switch positions and be the guy?

With spring training now just a few weeks away, the San Francisco Giants do not have their starting center fielder set in stone.

Could the young and athletic Mauricio Dubon make the switch from infield to outfield and answer the center field question for the Giants?

Ever since Kevin Pillar was non-tendered after leading the Giants in most offensive categories in 2019 and winning the Willie Mac Award, the question as to who will replace him in center field has been an open one.

The immediate thought as far as in-house replacements is Steven Duggar, a speedy left-handed batter who thrives on defense but does not bring much to the table offensively. He was the Opening Day center fielder last year before the Giants traded for Pillar, so it would stand to reason that he is in the running to take back the job.

However, there are signs that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and new manager Gabe Kapler will be casting a wider net in their search for a center fielder.

Here’s a recent tweet from Dubon just to fan the flames of speculation even further:

https://twitter.com/Mauriciodubon10/status/1223422467739389955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1223422467739389955&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mccoveychronicles.com%2F2020%2F2%2F3%2F21119792%2F2020-mlb-san-francisco-giants-mauricio-dubon-center-field-super-bowl-49ers-chiefs

Interesting, eh?

There’s no telling exactly what this could mean going forward. Perhaps it is simply a spring training experiment to see if there is any potential for Dubon in center, not a sign that Zaidi and company view him as the starter there.

It certainly is intriguing, though, especially with the dearth of exciting options to fill the center field void. There is also the fact that the Giants have signed Yolmer Sanchez and Wilmer Flores, two players who could definitely start at second base, which will only fuel more speculation that Dubon could have a different role than the one he did down the stretch last year.

In the following slides, we’ll take a look at what Dubon brings to the table and if he really could be the answer in center field.