Though the Giants have made two big-name acquisitions this offseason, they are still without an established, everyday centerfielder on their roster. Bobby Evans has said publicly that the club is considering bringing in another player to compete for the position, though the team is also high on Steven Duggar, an outfielder who they drafted in the sixth round in 2015.
Duggar, 24, is unproven (he’s never played in a major league game), but is considered an excellent defensive player, that will at some point be able to hit at the major league level. Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow is confident in Duggar, and potential platoon option Gorkys Hernandez, and told Murph & Mac that even if the Giants don’t sign another outfielder, the position is not a weakness.
“I just have a sense they’re not done yet,” Krukow said of the Giants’ free agent plans. “I’ve never seen Duggar, but all I’ve heard are rave reviews towards coming out of the minor leagues that this kid can go get them…Brandon Crawford came up after we watched him swing the bat a little bit and we thought if he hits .240 it would be a plus with the glove that he has. If he came into that lineup, you could hide him in that eighth spot and just let him catch everything, and platoon him with Gorkys Hernandez and you know what, you’ve got great defense.
“The other consideration is if you do have an opportunity to get a guy like Jon Jay, who may not be quite the centerfielder but a very good centerfielder and he’s also hitting the first spot in the lineup. I don’t know who’s going to hit leadoff for this team yet. It all remains to be seen. I think that top of the lineup and the centerfield position is going to be a work in progress all the way through spring, and now you expect it to come together late, but I don’t think of it as a weakness because of the option with Duggar.
“If push comes to shove and they feel they need to get defense more then offense, give him the opportunity and let him go. There’s not that much pressure in the eighth spot for a rookie. I think that’s a great place to start a guy especially with speed.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Kruk’s comments on Duggar, start at 8:00.
