3 Reasons David Villar is SF Giants Third Baseman of the Future

One of the main bright spots in an otherwise mediocre season for the 2022 SF Giants was the emergence of infielder David Villar. Could his impressive rookie season foreshadow him being the third baseman of the future for the San Francisco Giants? This article will examine three reasons why Villar could be a constant going forward.

3 Reasons David Villar is SF Giants Third Baseman of the Future

Going into the 2022 season, probably few SF Giants fans would have thought that David Villar would be a big time contributor by the end of the season. He put up solid numbers in 2021 in double-A Richmond, slashing .275/.374/.507 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. 

Yet, not until he started tearing it up in Sacramento did it seem like a real possibility that he would find his way onto the big league roster. He was putting up impressive power numbers in Triple A, hitting 27 homers and sporting a .617 slugging percentage. His MLB debut gave Giants fans even more reason to be excited as his first hit was an impressive opposite field double against Madison Bumgarner.

It seemed Villar was off to the races, but he had a lengthy slump following his debut that resulted in him getting sent down. But when he came back up to the MLB team, we got to see the power he had displayed in triple A. 

He hit several home runs in a Septembers series against the Dodgers, one of which came against Clayton Kershaw. Whenever a young Giant goes deep against Kershaw, you know fans are going to take notice.

What specifically should make fans believe that Villar could be a presence in the lineup going forward? The following slides examine why we should believe the hype.

3 Reasons David Villar is SF Giants Third Baseman of the Future

Reason #1: The Power Numbers

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic wrote a piece last month about David Villar hitting 30 home runs in the 2022 season (combining his Triple A and MLB stats). Baggarly notes just how rare 30 homer years have been for the Giants organization at any level since the days of Barry Bonds.

The only names most Giants fans would recognize who are on that list are Adam Duvall and Mike Yastrzemski. Of course, Duvall was traded away and Yastrzemski has had his struggles. With Yastrzemski especially there were high hopes that he would become the premier power hitter in the lineup going forward.

While there is still time for Yastrzemski to rebound, Villar is an exciting new prospect to be a premier power hitter in the middle of the lineup for the Giants. In total, Villar hit 36 home runs across Triple A and the majors in 2022.

His 9 home runs in the big leagues came in 181 plate appearances in 52 games. Let's get greedy and multiply those numbers by three, and we get awfully close to Villar having a 30-homer season in the big leagues.

Now, I should note, I am not a big fan of "on pace for" statistics. We all remember when Joc Pederson was "on pace for" 30-plus homers before falling into a two month slump where he had zero home runs. Or when the Yankees were "on pace for" 120 wins.

Players have slumps and dry spells and they get really hot. We saw both ends of that spectrum from Villar in 2022. But let's take those peaks and valleys into consideration over the course of a relatively healthy 2023, and it is easy to envision Villar hitting 20-something home runs for the Giants.

In an offseason where it is quite possible that the Giants will lose Joc Pederson and Brandon Belt in free agency, Villar is one of the few players we know will be on the team next year who we can realistically hope will have a 20-plus homer season. That prospect is exciting, and it is a big reason why Villar can establish himself in the lineup going forward.