The San Francisco Giants lost one of their middle-of-the-lineup hitters earlier this offseason when third baseman Pablo Sandoval bolted for the Boston Red Sox. They also lost another power hitter in outfielder Michael Morse when he signed with the Miami Marlins. Who will replace such losses in 2015?
San Francisco lost significant power over the offseason and now desperately need someone to step up and man the third spot in the lineup in front of catcher Buster Posey. First baseman Brandon Belt thinks he can take over the reins and succeed Sandoval as a productive power bat.
"Honestly, it's only a matter of time for me," Belt said of batting third, via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I feel more confident than I have in my entire career. Confidence is not an issue anymore. I know what I can do. It's a matter of showing people I can do it. I think it wouldn't hurt to go out and have a real good season."
The opportunity is certainly there for the 26-year-old, who recently avoided arbitration with the Giants on a one-year, $3.6 million deal. He was injured for most of last season and played in only 61 games, during which he slashed .243/.306/.449/.755 with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs. He also had a .760 OPS and eight RBIs in 17 postseason games during the team's World Series run.
But the decision is up to manager Bruce Bochy, who plans to experiment during spring training when the team travels to Arizona to play in the Cactus League.
"It's going to be a fun lineup to noodle with the next couple of weeks, including in spring training," Bochy said, via Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. "We have a lot of options."
Schulman notes Bochy's proposed lineup has Belt in the three hole, but that could change if a lefty is pitching, during which Belt could drop to fifth or sixth. Recently acquired third baseman Casey McGehee could be another option for the No. 3 spot if his power were to return during spring training. In his first three full MLB seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, the 32-year-old cranked 52 home runs, but has only 13 combined in 2012 and 2014 (he played in Japan during the 2013 season). He slashed .287/.355/.357 with four home runs and 76 RBIs in 160 games last season primarily as the Marlins' cleanup hitter. Barring a power revival, it's unlikely he hits in the third spot at all.
Buster Posey logged 117 games batting third in 2014 and slashed .326/.372/.503 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs, but it appears Bochy wants him in the cleanup role. The other obvious option would be Hunter Pence, since he has hit .301/.355/.486 with 38 home runs and 159 RBIs in 254 career games as a No. 3 hitter, but the five hole will give him more of an opportunity to drive in runs (and he's also spent the most games in that spot during his career).
Spring training is just a few weeks away, so we'll see how Bochy begins his experimentation.