The biggest question facing the San Francisco Giants’ front office entering this offseason was easy to pin down: Who would close? A 4yr/$62M deal later and Mark Melancon is your lock down 9th inning guy heading into 2016.
Now it’s on to addressing the next big need: Left field. If Bobby Evans and the Giants are serious about making left field a platoon between Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker, are they giving in?
Absolutely not.
With all of the big name players they already have on the team why wouldn’t they give their own homegrown talent a chance to play every day? Bobby said it correctly: If you don’t give your own a chance to win a job or play every day, what’s the incentive for others down the line in the organization? Every minor leaguer in the Giants organization knows there is going to be opportunity. You are constantly grinding and fighting because you know you can’t get back yesterday. Taking care of today may set up your future with the big club.
What if minor leaguers in Augusta and San Jose see guys playing great in Sacramento and Richmond who continuously get passed up through trades and free agent signings? The incentive to be a San Francisco Giant almost becomes obsolete and some players forget about living in the moment. They begin looking at the possibility that they won’t make it to San Francisco. Their play is affected as a result.
The beautiful thing about the Giants is they constantly give players the opportunity to contribute, succeed, win and even fail at the big league level. This creates a trickle down effect where the team consistently produces gritty and hungry young minor leaguers.
If Williamson & Parker are given this big league-level opportunity in left field, it’s a win for the entire organization. It’s a win for everyone from Larry Baer to Brian Sabean, Dick Tidrow, Bobby Evans, Shane Turner and each and every one of the minor league coaches and staff.
I have played with both Parker and Williamson and love everything they can bring to the table. Neither of these guys will hit for an average of .300, but the power of their bats is almost second to none in the organization. I hope they get the opportunity to bring that muscle to the big show.
The game of baseball is always about opportunity and it’s those who embrace that opportunity and continue to grind their way through the bumps in the road that become really good major leaguers. Opportunity in baseball is rarely given, but rather earned. I believe these two have earned the opportunity to be the every day left fielders for the San Francisco Giants. If they go and fail, then so be it. This team is too damn good and has incredible leadership, failure won’t be accepted.
So back to the initial question of whether platooning Williamson & Parker is giving in, the answer is no! The Giants would not only help to fuel the big league team with this move, but would also give hope and belief to their young minor leaguers. The message throughout the organization is simple: If players produce they will be given the opportunity.