So I was reading an article today which asked the question, "What should the San Francisco Giants do with Left Field?". Here's the link to the article: http://goldengatesports.com/2015/10/19/what-should-the-san-francisco-giants-do-in-left-field/. But it got me to thinking, up to this point I have been considering the Giants looking for a Left Fielder, from resigning Nori Aoki, to bringing in Alex Gordon. But what if the Giants moved Angel Pagan to Left Field and instead targeted a Center Fielder in free agency?
Here's a list of the available Center Field Free Agents:
Rajai Davis
Dexter Fowler
Austin Jackson
Justin Maxwell
Colby Rasmus
Denard Span
Drew Stubbs
Rajai Davis is the oldest at 35, and actually played for the Giants in 2007 and 2008. Justin Maxwell played for the Giants last season and for a player who will be 32 at the beginning of the 2016 season and has 7 seasons of Major League experience, I think it's safe to say you know what you're going to get with him. Not a starter. So let's look at the other 5 guys, all of which will be between 29 and 32 in 2016.
Dexter Fowler (30): Fowler does not hit for a high average (.250 in 2015, has only hit .300 once in 2012) and strikes out quite a bit (career high 154 in 2015) for a guy who should be your leadoff hitter, but his speed and defense make him worth a look. Fowler stole 20 bases in 2015. To compare, Nori Aoki led the Giants in 2015 with 14 Stolen Bases (in 93 games played). Fowler committed only 4 errors in Center Field last year. Angel Pagan committed 4 errors in Center Field for the Giants last year (in 125 games). Fowler made $9.5 million in 2015, which was less than the Giants paid Aoki. So Fowler's price here might be a tad higher, but statistically he doesn't really seem much of an improvement over Pagan and Aoki.
Austin Jackson (29): I liked Jackson when he played for Detroit. 2012 was statiscally his best season hitting .300 with 16 Home Runs and 66 RBI and the Tigers made it to the World Series. He's been pretty steady throughout his career, but did not play particularly well after he was traded to Seattle in 2014. He was having a decent season for the Mariners in 2015 but was traded to the Cubs where his stats have been down. He is another high strikeout player in the leadoff position (lowest season total is 126) with 20+ stolen base speed. Jackson made $7.7 million in 2015 and is coming off 2 sub-par seasons so he could be had for a bargain.
Colby Rasmus (29): Similar story to Fowler and Jackson, only substitue 20+ Home Run power for 20+ Stolen Base speed. Another high strikeout player who hits for a low average (.238 with 154 strikeouts in 2015) but he hit 25 Home Runs this season for the Astros. Rasmus made $8 million in 2015 and based on his power potential I would expect that number to increase at least slightly.
Denard Span (32): Span is coming off an injury plagued 2015, but was a solid player for the Nationals in the 2 previous seasons for Washington. Span is a career .287 hitter and a good base stealer. He has a career success rate of 79% and a season high of 31. Span is also a solid defender. He had 0 errors in 2013 in 384 total chances. Span made $9 million in 2015, but is coming off a down year so there is the possibility of the Giants signing him to a 1-year "prove it" deal.
Drew Stubbs (31): There was a time when Stubbs was an intruguing speed and power prospect. Arguably his best statistical season was 2010 with the Reds where he hit 22 Home Runs and stole 30 bases. His season high for Stolen Bases is 40 in 2011. However Stubbs has never hit for a high average (career .244) and hit a career low .195 in 2015 between Colorado and Texas. Stubbs made just south of $6 million in 2015, but I would only consider signing him to a Minor League deal or as a Spring Training invitee.
So there you go. Honestly I don't think any of these players represent much of a statistical improvement over Pagan and Aoki, but if the price is right, I would be OK seeing either Austin Jackson or Denard Span in a Giants uniform next year. I still like the prospect of keeping Pagan in Center Field and possibly signing Alex Gordon, but considering Gordon made $12.5 million in 2015, that could be the more expensive option. What do you think? Who do you think the Giants should target?
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