Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports
Looking back at the 2019 Giants, with an eye toward the future. Previously: Fernando Abad, Stephen Vogt, Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith, Pablo Sandoval.
Once he arrived in the major leagues with a lively bat, on fire through eight games in which he had an on-base percentage of .500 with 12 RBIs and single-handedly resurrecting a dead team, the wonder became how Alex Dickerson was acquired for pennies.
Well, the Giants and their fans quickly learned.
Dickerson has a bat that, when healthy, should be found in the middle of the lineup. He also has a back and body that forces him to be found in the trainer’s room an awful lot.
The 29-year-old made a serious first impression with the Giants, one that virtually ensured he’ll be on the team next season, but left a lingering impression that he cannot be counted on. Not after getting just 67 at-bats in August and September, his oblique becoming a growing problem, the Giants reaching the same conclusion that the Padres did: an intriguing bat but one that is too brittle. Eventually, San Diego cut ties, dealing him for pitching prospect Franklin Van Gurp. The Giants, with a less talented outfield, will keep trying.
Dickerson’s final injury of the season was a tweaked oblique that made him grimace after one swing in St. Louis. He got a cortisone injection and played sparingly from then on, the Giants never shutting him down because they were so insistent in seeing what they have.
“I’m starting to finally feel healthy and don’t feel like I have the pain I was dealing with for however long it is now,” Dickerson said entering the final week of the season. “It’s just a matter of trying to fix my swing and all the problems that pain has caused over the last month and a half.
“… Hopefully just finish off strong. Go to the offseason, restart all the workout routines and everything you need to be ready for next year.”
On numerous occasions, Dickerson referenced his need to restructure his training program because he had been away from baseball for so long and his body had changed. After showing glimpses with San Diego in 2015 and ’16, he missed 2017 with a bulging disc in his back and ’18 after Tommy John surgery. His first time playing (almost) every day after more than two years came with all the starts and stops you would expect.
An offseason later, can he figure out his routine so he can see the field every day? It is not a smart bet to make, but also one that contains little risk. Dickerson is entering arbitration, and MLB Trade Rumors pegs him for about $1.2 million next season. He has the potential to be a bargain, though the Giants will need insurance plans.
In all, Dickerson slashed .290/.351/.529 with six homers in 171 at-bats, hitting both at home (a big deal) and on the road. But the numbers fell as the season dragged on and his oblique kept barking, and Dickerson’s last home run of the season came on July 23. And he did not hit against southpaws, the Giants realizing this and giving him just 21 at-bats against lefties.
Dickerson was built for a team like the Giants and a leader like Farhan Zaidi, who believes in maximizing players’ strengths by only using them at opportune times. Dickerson can be penciled in to the 2020 lineup, but don’t use a pen. The most likely scenario for his future may be a platoon with Austin Slater in left field — for as long as Dickerson can last.