Projecting the 2022 SF Giants lineup

With the exception of reeling in Brandon Belt on a one-year, $18.4 million contract, the SF Giants have not made any notable moves to the lineup. Given this, how does the lineup currently look?

Projecting the 2022 SF Giants lineup

Of course, the Giants experienced one loss earlier in the offseason as longtime catcher Buster Posey announced his retirement. Kris Bryant remains available, but his status is in limbo due in part to the baseball lockout.

When next season begins, the Giants could enter the year without two key right-handed bats from the 2021 season. They still have the financial flexibility to make one or two more big moves, but as things currently stand, the lineup has some question marks. They have 13 spots open for position players, so I will be looking at the 13 most likely position players to make the team based on the current roster.

Catchers (2) - Joey Bart, Curt Casali

With the departure of Posey, the keys at catcher belong to Joey Bart. This will be an important year for the former second overall pick as he struggled to the tune of a .609 OPS in his rookie season in 2020.

Those circumstances were unique due to the shortened season and the fact that the young backstop was promoted prematurely. The Giants needed a jolt of offense to the lineup and Bart was one of the few sensible moves that they could make.

At the time of the promotion, he had a total of 87 plate appearances above Single-A under his belt, so he was not necessarily put in a position to succeed, With that being said, it is interesting to see how players respond when they experience failure.

The right-handed bat spent the bulk of his time in Triple-A in 2021, slashing .294/.358/.472 with 10 home runs, 46 RBI, and 37 runs scored in 279 plate appearances. This included a 7.5 percent walk rate against a 29.4 percent strikeout rate.

Strikeouts are going to be part of his game, and hopefully, he adds enough power to generate overall offensive value. On defense, he looked much more comfortable behind the dish in Triple-A while serving as the field general.

His struggles with communication, framing and throwing from 2020 seem like an outlier and not to be expected going forward. Curt Casali will likely continue to see plenty of playing time and serve as a mentor to Bart.

He performed well in 2021 with a .663 OPS in 231 plate appearances while providing solid defense behind the plate. There is no doubt that pitchers liked throwing to the eight-year veteran, and oddly enough, the Giants posted a 42-13 record in games he started.

Projecting the 2022 SF Giants lineup

Outfielders (5) - Darin Ruf, Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Steven Duggar, and Austin Slater

The outfield contingent might be the most fungible area on the roster as each player listed above serves a specific role in the lineup depending on the type of pitcher that the Giants are facing. Nevertheless, the front office is committed to adding another right-handed-hitting outfielder to the mix.

Kris Bryant, Seiya Suzuki, and Nicholas Catsellanos all fit that description. The Giants have been connected to Suzuki early and often this offseason.

As currently constructed, the Giants have two right-handed-hitting outfielders in Darin Ruf and Austin Slater with three lefties including Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Steven Duggar. Giants manager Gabe Kapler has been aggressive in playing the platoon matchups, and that will likely continue, especially in the outfield.

Wade Jr. and Yastrzmeksi have proven to do damage against right-handed pitching with the hopes that the latter regains the form that earned him some MVP votes in 2020. On the other hand, Duggar had a modest breakout season as he posted a .767 OPS in 297 plate appearances while providing the best outfield defense of anyone on the 40-man roster.

Duggar is better-suited as a platoon hitter, matching up against right-handed pitching but his defense will get him into the lineup against southpaws as well.

Ruf and Slater are the top righties in the outfield. After signing a minor league deal prior to the 2020 season, Ruf has quietly become one of the better hitters in baseball as he has posted a 143 OPS+ over the last two seasons.

The 35-year-old did not have extreme platoon splits (.824 OPS vs RHP, 1.007 OPS vs LHP) last season, so he should see plenty of playing time regardless of who is pitching. Plus, he can fill in at DH and first base if the need arises.

Lastly, there is Slater. If anything, the right-handed bat has proven that he should be used strictly as a platoon hitter. He posted a .497 OPS against righties in 2021 compared to an .894 OPS against lefties last year.

The Giants do not have a lot of outfielders capable of playing center field on the 40-man roster, but Slater is competent with the glove in center field. Given this, he should continue to play an important role, but that role could change if the Giants add another right-handed bat.