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Victor Bericoto's heater in Venezuelan Winter League could have offseason consequences for SF Giants

Maybe they don't need to sign anyone.
ByNick San Miguel
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Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Victor Bericoto (78) stands in the dug out in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
Los Angeles, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Victor Bericoto (78) stands in the dug out in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pitching is likely going to be the main focus for the SF Giants this offseason, but the outfield situation could call for an upgrade potentially or at least a little more depth. However, with the way Victor Bericoto is swinging the bat in the Venezuelan Winter League the Giants may reassess whether they want to invest in the outfield all that much.

We covered Bericoto’s heater in Venezuela a few days ago but didn’t really dive into the ramifications too deeply. In 17 games he is hitting .391/.513/.672 with four home runs  and 21 runs batted in. He has drawn 14 walks compared to striking out just six times.

It should be stipulated right away that Bericoto probably isn’t going up against big league pitching in Venezuela. Still, with spring training up in the air given the looming lockout, the Giants may not have much to go off heading into next season so in a way Bericoto’s performance could serve as a mini-spring training as far as he’s concerned.

Plus, Bericoto tore it up in the Cactus League earlier this year and earned the Barney Nugent Award even though most of his damage was probably done against pitchers who would spend much on the season in the minors.

It’s also worth mentioning that Bericoto proved in the 2026 regular season that he can hang with some of the best pitchers in baseball. In six plate appearances against Tarik Skubal when the Giants faced the Los Angeles Dodgers late in the season, Bericoto had three hits including a double and a home run.

That may honestly be more impressive than anything he’s doing right now in Venezuela, but the fact that he’s backed up a solid, if somewhat uneven, 2026 campaign may make the Giants rethink the outfield situation a bit.

Giants have some decisions to make in the outfield

Barring an unlikely trade, Jung Hoo Lee should remain the team’s right fielder next season. We will see what ends up happening with Harrison Bader, but from a pure baseball perspective the Giants should probably go with a platoon of Drew Gilbert and Jonah Cox in center.

Left field is a little dicier. If they want to go with their young options then a platoon of Bericoto and Bo Davidson would make a good amount of sense. They might also decide to put Casey Schmitt out there the majority of the time since he showed he’s capable of playing left in 2026 and his bat is too valuable to leave out of the lineup, assuming he’s not used as a trade chip.

Bericoto should factor into the equation in some capacity what with injuries and other inevitabilities, but maybe the Giants will feel like they have enough options in the outfield that they don’t need to address it. I could still see them signing a veteran platoon bat like Randal Grichuk to a cheap deal just to have a little extra depth, but that might force them to DFA a promising young player like Turner Hill or Scott Bandura to make room on the 40-man roster.

They may decide to just roll with the options they have and let things sort themselves out which may not be a bad idea at all based on the way Bericoto is swinging the bat in the VWL right now. 

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