SF Giants working to expand infield versatility, give Kapler more lineup options

Throughout his Major League Baseball career, Gabe Kapler was no stranger to positional flexibility. In 12 seasons, he made 1,075 appearances as an outfielder, 42.6 percent of which came in center field, 41.0 percent in right and 16.4 percent in left.

Now in his second year as the manager of the Giants, Kapler is hoping to utilize a handful of his infielders the same way he once was, at more than one position. It’s a point of emphasis for the club this spring.

“We’re just going to continue to try to expand the possibilities and make sure that we have as many options to get all of our players their reps and their at-bats as possible,” Kapler said Wednesday.

The Giants have no shortage of infielders on their active roster. Brandon Belt is entering the final year of his contract, as is Brandon Crawford. Evan Longoria is back for his fourth season with the team and behind them, the club returns four other players (Wilmer Flores, Donovan Solano, Mauricio Dubón and Darin Ruf) who are designated as infielders and players in at last 40 games in 2020.

The Giants’ roster composition poses a potential hurdle for the team when it comes to getting them playing time, especially someone like Flores, who made 22 of his 55 appearances last year as the team’s designated hitter.

With the National League DH no longer in play, Kapler said the organization will have to get creative to get Flores on the field. He said Wednesday that he expects the 29-year-old to play first base, second base and third base this year.

From an offensive standpoint, Flores is coming off the most productive year in his career. He accumulated 1.3 WAR, batted .268 and hit 12 home runs, just six shy of his career best (18), which he set in 110 games in 2017. Now the Giants are trying to find space in their lineup for him.

“Wilmer is a standout hitter for us,” Kapler said. “We’re very excited about getting him into the lineup in as many different ways as possible and giving him every opportunity we can.”

Similar to Flores, Solano could find himself in a platoon-type situation this season despite coming off a superb year. He won the National League Silver Slugger at second base in 2020, a result of his .326 average, .828 OPS and 128 OPS+, all three of which were career-bests.

With left-handed hitting infielder Tommy La Stella now in the fold in San Francisco, the right-handed Solano could spend little time at second base against right-handed pitching.

“It doesn’t put any pressure on me,” Solano said of La Stella joining the team. “I know he’s a great player, he’s one that I think is going to help the team and help us become champions.”

In seven seasons, Solano has played far more second base than any other position but he does have experience playing shortstop, third base and left field. He could see some time at one or more of those spots this season.

“With Donovan, probably primarily third base if there’s anything beyond second base,” Kapler said. “I certainly want to prepare him for that possibility.”

The Giants’ surplus of infielders doesn’t quite extend to every position. With Solano expected to play third base when he isn’t at second and Dubón expected to get reps in the outfield as he did a year ago, the Giants have just one shortstop, Crawford, on their active roster.

Kapler said the team plans to have “a number of players” take reps at the position throughout spring training. The only player he chose to mention on Wednesday, though? A non-roster invitee.

“I think (Arismendy) Alcantara is a good one to touch on here,” Kapler said.

It hasn’t been an easy path for Alcantara since he made his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs as a highly-touted 22-year-old in 2014. After making 11 appearances with the Cubs in 2015, Alcantara was traded to the Oakland Athletics where he saw action in just 16 MLB games and was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.

Alcantara hasn’t appeared in a big league game since he made 70 appearances with the Reds in 2017. Since then, he’s participated in four different foreign winter, spring and fall leagues and spent the 2019 season in the New York Mets organization.

A career .189 batter at the major league level, Alcantara has impressed Kapler and his staff this spring.

“He’s a good defender,” Kapler said. “He’s a guy that our infield coaches identified right away as a guy who could really throw the glove around out there and we know he can play anywhere on the infield.”

And that’s exactly what will be required this season for a handful of Giants infielders: contributions in a variety of defensive roles where appearances are based on matchups. The 2020 Silver Slugger winner is ready for that possibility.

“I’m used to splitting time with other players,” Solano said Wednesday through a translator. “If that’s my role this year, I’m going to welcome it.”