Giants: Which outfielders will make Opening Day roster?

Billy Hamilton

He may not hit very well or have any power, but boy can Billy Hamilton run and play some defense.

Essentially, he is a better version of Steven Duggar, who I think will start the season in the minor leagues to see if he can prove something offensively.

It stands to reason that either Duggar or Hamilton will have to make the team because the Giants need a strong defensive center fielder. Both guys can handle the position, whereas there are question marks surrounding Mike Yastrzemski. The Mauricio Dubon center field experiment is also still too green to expect him to be a regular option.

While Hamilton’s speed makes him a weapon on the base paths, he does not get on base at a high enough rate to regularly take advantage of his wheels. He makes up for that to a point with the runs he saves on defense, and that could be enough to earn him a spot to start the year.

If Hamilton tanks offensively, the Giants can simply cut him and call up Duggar to see if he’s found his swing in the minors.

For now, Hamilton is too great a weapon to not at least experiment with to start the year. He may be another lefty in a lefty-heavy outfield, but it is a worthwhile trade-off for his other skills.