SAN FRANCISCO–The walls in the Giants’ house might be caving in, but that doesn’t mean San Francisco’s front office should let it crumble.
Make no mistake, if San Francisco starts the 2018 season with the same foundation it took into 2017, the Giants will be poised to fail. It’s a club that needs another pillar, and more than a few stabilizers, but it’s not a team that’s devoid of talented pieces.
General manager Bobby Evans would be wise to consider a remodel, but he’s already stated that the Giants will not be rebuilt from the ground up. When Evans talks about the assets he won’t part with, he knows Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford are coming back next season. Beyond that, there are few certainties. The Giants know they must scour the market to improve, because much of the status quo won’t cut it.
But if the Giants are determined to improve, to stabilize and to rebound, they would be wise to add another player to the short list of those who must return in 2018: Backup catcher NIck Hundley.
“He’s a pleasure to have on the club,” Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy said after Saturday’s win over the Cardinals. “His energy, his enthusiasm, the talent, I mean he brings a lot of experience. He’s into every game. He’s just done a terrific job in the games he’s played, it’s allowed me to rest Buster more. And he’s got some huge hits for us. He calls a great game. He’s a threat at the plate as you saw so it’s been fun to have him here.”
On Saturday, it was Hundley who carried the Giants past the Cardinals, catching all 10 innings in a game that for the most part, was played in 100-plus degree weather at AT&T Park. The only thing more brutal than Saturday’s heat is the Giants’ 2017 record, which still stands at 54-84 after 138 games. If not for Hundley, that record would almost certainly be worse.
You can throw out stats like WAR, on-base percentage and slugging percentage when evaluating Hundley. They’re important, but he’s a backup catcher, and his job description is to make the Giants’ starting catcher, and the Giants’ manager’s lives easier.
“I plan on playing everyday,” Hundley said. “I don’t want to be surprised, I don’t want to be caught off guard, I don’t want to be ambushed. I don’t want to be exposed. Buster deserves that.”
As the Giants have spun out of control, Hundley’s become a steadying force. Starting first baseman Brandon Belt is out with a concussion, and it doesn’t make sense for Posey to catch on a daily basis with San Francisco out of the playoff hunt. As the second half of the year wears on, Hundley’s presence allows Bochy to keep Posey in the lineup at first, and gives the club another right-handed bat with pop. Though he’s not going to play everyday, he prepares as if that’s his job, and when he does have his number called upon, he fits in like a regular.
“You’ll see Buster at first some of these games, I’m going to try to get Ryder (Jones) in there as much as I can, Timmy FedEx (Federowicz), he was going to be the third hitter today if we used a catcher to pinch hit,” Bochy said. “I’d like to find a way to give him some time, but with the job that Nick (Hundley) has done, it’s hard to take away time too from him.”
If Evans wanted to, he could hit the free agent market this offseason and pair Posey with a better defensive option, or a left-handed hitting catcher who might be able to hit righties more effectively than Hundley. Chances are, though, that Evans isn’t going to find a superior backup catcher than the one he already has on the Giants’ roster. The odds he’ll find a better fit for the Giants’ clubhouse? Good luck.
“I don’t know, there’s intangibles that go with this game that other guys feed off of,” Giants’ right-hander Jeff Samardzija said, when describing Hundley. “Some guys are energy, emotional guys, some guys are pretty flat-line and show up every day to do their job so you need those guys that have energy just naturally every day and like I said, love to be here. That’s definitely contagious throughout the team and if one guy acts that way, it gives everybody else a reason to act the same.”
In a clubhouse that features a core of Posey, Bumgarner, Crawford, Belt and Joe Panik –all measured, even-keeled personalities– the Giants have a growing need for characters like Hundley that keep the atmosphere loose. Hundley’s easy-going, approachable, and has earned high praise from starting staff for his ability to call a game, making it easy for teammates to appreciate what he brings to the club.
“I appreciate the opportunity to play,” Hundley said. “I enjoy being around the guys. I enjoy competing at this level. So if that rubs off in a positive way, I’ll take that for sure.”
Prior to the 2017 season, Hundley signed a one-year, $2 million to provide depth behind Posey. At the end of the season, Hundley will be able to walk in free agency to a team that wants him to start, or more legitimate contender who wants him to fulfill a similar role to the one he’s held this year. With the way he’s performed this season, Hundley will have options. The onus is on the Giants to keep him.
This offseason, San Francisco will likely add 2014 second round draft choice, Aramis Garcia, to the 40-man roster at the catcher position. Eventually, Garcia could slot in behind Posey, and give the Giants a homegrown talent to groom for the future. But that won’t happen by Opening Day of 2018, and even if San Francisco did have supreme confidence in Garcia, or Trevor Brown, or Tim Federowicz, Hundley gives the Giants the type of veteran presence they’ll need if they want to return to their previous form.
A team that’s 54-84 has more important needs than re-signing a backup catcher. That’s understood. But to allow Hundley to get away would represent a major oversight, and create a hole the Giants couldn’t necessarily seal up. Hundley is already here, he’s proven he can perform, and he gives the clubhouse the energy few bench players –and even few starters– can provide. It’s up to the Giants to get a deal done, because Hundley is one of the few pieces from a 2017 roster that is definitely worth salvaging.