No matter what they do between now and the date when pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants will feel pretty good about an area that traditionally has been a problem for the organization.
They have spent years searching for consistent outfield production, but in 2020 their outfielders ranked fifth in the majors in OPS and homers and sixth in fWAR. There was good reason for wanting to keep that band together, and as the Giants made difficult decisions earlier this month, they decided to tender a contract to Darin Ruf, who isn't as clean a roster fit as he was in his first year with the team.
Without a designated hitter, the Giants are in a bit of a crunch. They need a left-handed bat, and a platoon partner for Mauricio Dubon would be nice, but they already have Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater and Ruf in the outfield. It's a full house. But president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi felt it was necessary. This is a front office that usually favors flexibility, but the Giants wanted Ruf's production back on their roster in some respect.
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"One of the toughest things to find as you put your roster together is really consistent and productive bats," Zaidi said last week. "It really extends back to spring training when he was kind of a revelation for us even in that environment. It kind of continued through summer camp, and as we got into the season his opportunities weren't as frequent early in the season but he started coming through and got some big hits for us. We have some depth in the outfield. It's not an obvious positional fit right now, but just with the offensive production he provided us, we felt that it was an important thing to keep him around."
Ruf signed with the Giants after three years in South Korea and seemed to have won a job out of camp, but the uncertainty of the spring and summer led to him looking into a return to the KBO. When the games resumed, Ruf found himself in an unfamiliar spot. He probably best fits a roster at first base or as a DH, but the Giants put him in left field 22 times, eager to get another right-handed bat in the lineup. It worked, too.
Ruf had a .887 OPS and hit five homers in 87 at-bats. He did well against both lefties and righties, although he ironically struggled in the role that seemed most likely last spring. Ruf was just 1-for-11 as a pinch-hitter, but that's far too small a sample to think much about. His defense was good enough for Gabe Kapler to keep running him out there.
The Giants are hopeful Ruf can provide thump off the bench over 162 games, and Zaidi said they will find ways to squeeze him into the starting lineup.
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"We'll certainly have to look for ways to mix him in, whether it's in the outfield, at first base or even coming off the bench and pinch-hitting," Zaidi said. "It's just really hard to replace productive bats and that was a key factor in us re-signing him for 2021."
The Giants will figure out an exact role when they have to, and a lot can change between now and Opening Day. Slater is coming off an elbow injury and Brandon Belt had heel surgery, so it's possible there will be more available at-bats than anticipated. It's possible the DH will return after all, although the Giants aren't planning for that. Ruf's contract also is the kind that can be cut in spring training without much of a financial hit, although at the moment he's part of what looks to be a solid outfield.
The Giants have five right now, but they could use a better option in center field against right-handed pitchers. They're putting the puzzle together, and an addition to the infield may impact what they try in the outfield. Adding a right-handed-hitting shortstop, for instance, would keep Dubon in center more often. Adding a more established left-handed-hitting infielder to platoon with Evan Longoria could end the search for an outfield bat.
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Right now, Zaidi is keeping all his options open, knowing that the outfield looks pretty good on paper, but always could use an infusion of more talent. Yastrzemski will start every day and Dickerson-Slater is a good platoon in left, with Ruf also available, but Zaidi continues to search for one more bat from the left side.
"If the left-handed bat that we're seeking is an outfielder, then obviously that sort of has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster," he said. "It's certainly possible that we add other outfielders, because we're still seeking a little more lineup balance."