Latest SF Giants promotion a major indictment of breakout player's defense

The SF Giants just promoted the young center field prospect Grant McCray. He figures to play a decent amount of center field which is evidence that the Giants know Heliot Ramos has not been cutting it defensively in center field.

Heliot Ramos has not been great in center field for the SF Giants

The Giants have had a few different center fielders this year. Of course, the plan was for major offseason free agent signing Jung Hoo Lee to be the everyday center fielder. That was the case until mid-May when Lee crashed into the center field wall at Oracle Park and injured his shoulder which ended his season.

Lee was pretty solid defensively in center. He seemingly always took great routes on fly balls and was certainly learning more and more about how the spacious outfield of Oracle Park plays on a daily basis. He was not one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, but he was certainly serviceable for the Giants.

After his injury, the Giants had to get creative. They had Luis Matos in center for a little while when he was on his tear at the plate. Matos has the athleticism to play the position but he has just struggled at times with being consistent defensively out in center. Yet, his struggles at the plate led to him being sent down so the Giants had to find another center fielder.

That is where Heliot Ramos comes in. Ramos was called up on May 8th and started to hit the ball really well. It was clear that the Giants simply could not take him and his hot bat out of the lineup. While he had experience playing center field in the minors, he definitely seems better suited to a corner outfield spot. However, he was the best option on the roster to play center especially compared to Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto.

Unfortunately, Ramos has just not been that good defensively in center field. According to Baseball Savant, Ramos has been the worst center fielder in MLB this year when it comes to Outs Above Average (OAA). If OAA is not your cup of tea, Ramos also has the worst fielding percentage among all center fielders in MLB this year at .992 with the 5th worst defensive WAR in the big leagues at -0.6.

While the McCray promotion was mostly seen as an indictment of Marco Luciano, it was just as much an indictment of Ramos's defense this season. Ramos has been a huge boon for the Giants this year with his efforts at the plate and was a well-deserved All-Star. He was just forced into being a center fielder due to injuries which put him in a tough spot. For now, Ramos will most likely see a lot more time in left field with the defensively superior McCray taking over duties in center.