SF Giants: Three Potential Left-Handed Hitting Infield Targets

The SF Giants remain in the market for a left-handed hitting infielder, and there are plenty of attractive targets.

When the offseason began, SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi identified adding a left-handed bat as one of the priorities this winter. To an extent, they have filled that void when they signed Jason Vosler to a major league contract.

With that being said, Vosler is an unknown commodity as he has no experience at the major league level yet, so they will want to add some depth behind him. The Giants have some stability on their roster and will be targeting complementary players. With that in mind, players like Didi Gregorius and Tommy La Stella might not be an option. However, there are plenty of complementary players available.

Three Left-Handed Hitting Infield Targets for the SF Giants

1. Brad Miller

If you looked up the definition of a complementary player, there would be a picture of outfielder Matt Joyce holding up a picture of Brad Miller. That is not a knock on either player as both have carved out nice careers as the left side of a productive timeshare.

Miller, who was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the second round of the 2011 draft, has bounced around the league in recent years. Since the start of 2018, the 31-year-old has made stops with the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals.

Despite the frequent flyer miles, Miller has turned in a nice career. In eight seasons, he has slashed .240/.316/.421 (103 OPS+) with 95 home runs and 318 RBI. His best year came in 2016 where he registered a .786 OPS (113 OPS+) with 30 home runs and 81 RBI across 601 plate appearances.

Since then, teams have leveraged his value as a player who can contribute against right-handed pitchers. Against righties, the left-handed bat has slashed .245/.326/.447 with 84 home runs and 255 RBI. This comes with a strong 23.5 percent strikeout rate against a 10.5 percent walk rate as well.

Miller has experience all around the field. That said, he is best suited to play second base and third base as well as some left field. Given that the Giants have right-handed bats in Donovan Solano and Evan Longoria as the incumbents to second base and third base, respectively, they could use a left-handed bat to bring a little more balance to the lineup. That is a role Miller could assume.

Plus, given Miller’s status as a platoon player, he is very affordable. The former second-round pick made $2 million in 2020 and probably earned a bit of a raise, but one that the Giants could easily afford.