SF Giants: Three Potential Switch-Hitting Outfield Targets

Three Switch-Hitting Outfield Targets for the SF Giants
3. Rosell Herrera

Since the Giants front office thinks outside of the box, I had to throw one outside-of-the-box name out there. Rosell Herrera was considered a top 100 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB.Com  before the 2014 season, but he failed to live up to the hype.

Herrera was signed by the Colorado Rockies as an international prospect during the 2009-2010 J2 signing period for $550,000. Since then, he has bounced around the waiver wire, but he did make his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018.

However, he had a short stay with the Reds as he only collected 13 plate appearances before being claimed off of waivers by the Kansas City Royals and then the Miami Marlins. In total, he has slashed .225/.286/.316 (64 OPS+) with three home runs and 31 RBI in 421 major league plate appearances.

These are rough numbers, but the Giants may like his minor league performance, speed, and versatility. Across ten minor league seasons, he has posted a .278/.347/.393 line with 50 home runs and 384 RBI. This comes with a solid 9.2 percent walk rate against a 17.5 percent strikeout rate.

The 28-year-old came up as a shortstop, but he spent more time in the outfield as his career has progressed. In his limited major league sample, Herrera has graded out well at every position he has played.

The Giants would not sign Herrara with the intent of handing him substantial playing time. Rather, he could serve as a depth option, but he brings the versatility of being a switch-hitter who is capable of playing multiple positions to the table.