Jarrett Parker’s start to 2017 was less than ideal.
While the original blueprint was for Parker and Mac Williamson to battle for the starting LF job in spring training, Williamson went down with an injury and Parker won by default. Giants fans were skeptical: while Parker possessed potential power the outfield was desperately lacking, he batted just .236 over 61 games in 2016 and also had a knack for being injury prone himself.
In his first nine games of the season, Parker was just 3-21 — deeply below the Mendoza Line at .143. His on base percentage (.217) and slugging percentage (.238) weren’t much better, and just two weeks into the new season, the Giants were beginning to hear the complaints regarding their decision not to pursue a free agent left fielder in the offseason.
Then on April 15, Parker crashed hard into the left field wall while making a running catch. It was a spectacular catch. It also broke his collarbone, sidelining him for four months and turing the Giants left field concerns into a left field catastrophe.
Suddenly the “left field disparity experiment” began, which saw the Giants feature twelve different left fielders in the coming months, all of which were temporary patchwork for one large, gaping hole. Prospect Austin Slater provided the biggest reprieve, and looked a sure fit to take over left field not only in place of Parker, but for 2018 too. In his first 100 at bats, Slater went .290/.343/.340 with three home runs and 13 RBI. Of course, because this is the 2017 Giants, Slater tore an adductor muscle in his hip, dampening his hot bat and throwing his return by the end of the season in jeopardy.
But Parker finally made his return last Thursday, and the 28-year-old is starting to exemplify what Bobby Evans and Bruce Bochy envisioned from him all along. Parker is 10-24 over his first six games back with a home run, five doubles, eight RBI and a walk-off single. He’s gotten at least one hit in each game he’s played in. Parker’s also added two defensive assists in his first four days back, more than any other left fielder this season.
So do this mean the Giants tribulations in left field are finally over? Not yet. Despite Parker’s current hot bat, there are other important factors to keep in mind. Number one: his amount of strikeouts. Before the injury, Parker had struck out ten times over the course of nine games. While he’s accumulating much more offense this time around, he still struck out seven times in his first six games back. In his short Major League career, Parker has a strikeout percentage of 32.4, considered awful by most standards. He’s streaky, and the fact that his current offensive boost feels like an anomaly is a testament to that.
Another thing to consider is the plethora of minor-league left field prospects the Giants possess. With Bochy now optimistic about Slater returning before the end of the season, and Ryder Jones seeing a new and improved look at the plate, the outfield is starting to look like it has a bit more potential than originally thought. Of course, should Chris Shaw get called up for a look in September — a move that is almost surely to occur, the plot thickens even more. The Giants still have to factor in Denard Span and Hunter Pence (obviously) and Gorkys Hernandez, who’s batting .319 since June 1, and has proved himself to be the best defensive option in the outfield.
Long story short, Parker holds a slight upper hand in the left field mixing pot for now, should he keep showcasing his power and prove that it is sustainable. He provides a much needed left-handed bat in a lineup lacking in productivity. But with a possible youth movement on his heels, Parker can no longer afford his inconsistencies at the plate. He’ll have to cut down his strike outs, and perhaps, most importantly, stay healthy to be considered a true starting candidate.
But it isn’t out of his reach. For all that has gone wrong in 2017, at least it’s looking like the Giants finally have some options in left field.