Could a power-hitting, multi-positional catcher be the odd man out in 2025?

When the SF Giants traded for Blake Sabol in December of 2022, both Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler were fascinated with the possibility that he could stick at catcher. Both Zaidi and Kapler are now gone, so what does that mean for Sabol in 2025?

Could a power-hitting, multi-positional catcher be the odd man out in 2025?

It was an interesting experiment with Sabol in 2023, who was still under Rule 5 restrictions. He had minimal experience as a catcher in the pros, but the Giants were comfortable with him learning on the fly because they felt he was athletic enough to pick up the position while flashing modest power.

In his first season, he slashed .235/.301/.394 (94 wRC+) with 13 home runs, 44 RBI, and 36 runs in 344 plate appearances. There was enough in his bat to project 20-homer potential if he could find consistent playing time.

Becoming a catcher is one avenue for him to see playing time. Though, there were certainly growing pains along the way as he struggled with pitch framing and being able to throw runners out. These are two key components of being a catcher.

The Giants decided to add veteran backstop Tom Murphy on a two-year deal last offseason, pushing Sabol one peg down on the depth chart. However, he still had experience in left field, so there was still some path to playing time.

Of course, Murphy missed most of the season with a knee injury. This should have created plenty of playing time for Sabol on the major league roster but the team did not seem interested at all in him seeing time behind the dish.

In fact, it felt like they went out of their way to exhaust all other options before considering Sabol at catcher. This led to brief stints from veteran minor leaguers like Jakson Reetz and Andrew Knapp to go along with Curt Casali finishing the year on the roster.

During that time, Sabol started seeing time at first base to expand his versatility. However, both first base and left field are bat-first roles. The lefty bat flashed some power as a rookie, but his bat profiled better at catcher.

Sabol did briefly see time with the Giants in 2024 where he collected 10 hits in 38 at-bats. However, he struggled to the tune of a .728 OPS with 11 home runs and 54 RBI in 403 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats. That is not the type of performance that would force a team's hand for a call up.

The 26-year-old enters the 2025 offseason in kind of a weird spot. Two of the key people in bringing him over to San Francisco are now gone.

Plus, there is coverage at every position he plays. Murphy is under contract through next season, so there is a good chance that they will let him get healthy and serve as Patrick Bailey's back up. Even if Murphy lands on the injured list again, the team did not show much confidence in Sabol's ability to handle catcher even on a temporary basis.

The opportunities for playing time at first base and left field are much cloudier. The Giants could look to upgrade at first base, but even if they do not, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores are still ahead of Sabol on the depth chart.

On the other hand, Heliot Ramos is entrenched as the team's left fielder. If Sabol is going to carve out any type of role next year, he will need to show improved production at the plate and the ability to handle catcher. Of course, there is a possibility that the current regime has already made up its mind to move on from Sabol this offseason.