Once-promising SF Giants infielder has been designated for assignment

The SF Giants have designated infielder David Villar for assignment. This comes just a few years after the team was ready to commit to him as their starting third baseman following a promising start to his career in the 2022 season.

This news comes via Giants beat reporter Alex Pavlovic who shared it on social media. The move is not a shock as the writing had been on the wall for a while. Villar was DFA'd to make room on the 40-man for reliever Lou Trivino who had a very impressive spring.

Villar was out of minor league options and he was behind infielders Brett Wisely, Casey Schmitt, and Christian Koss on the depth chart so there was really not a place for him on the team. Even though he had three home runs in spring training, he only had nine hits total in 45 at-bats which was not enough to make a strong case for a roster spot.

Plus, his two main positions are third base and first base which were already covered going into camp with Matt Chapman at third and a platoon of LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores at first.

SF Giants move on from once-promising infielder David Villar

Villar opened some eyes with a solid showing in 2022 when he was called up towards the end of the year. He slashed .231/.331/.445 with nine home runs and 24 RBI which was enough to convince the front office at the time that he was their guy at third base.

Unfortunately, Villar was not able to build upon his 2022 numbers, regressing to a measly slash line of .145/.236/.315 with five homers and 12 RBI in 46 games during the 2023 season.

The Giants signed third baseman Matt Chapman following the 2023 season which effectively closed that position off and made Villar's future on the team uncertain. He only appeared in 11 games during the 2024 season so it seemed like his days with the team were numbered.

He is 28 years old which still gives him time to find a home on a different team and become a solid big league player. He has always impressed with his opposite field power so chances are a team will be willing to take a chance on him.

It is unfortunate that things did not work out for Villar in San Francisco, but we saw last year with catcher Joey Bart how a change of scenery can sometimes be the thing a player needs to reach their potential. We will have to see if Villar's career trajectory follows a similar path to that of Bart's.