LOS ANGELES — The Giants’ pinch-hitting strategy reached a new level on Friday night in Dodger Stadium, when Gabe Kapler replaced veteran Brandon Belt with rookie David Villar in the eighth inning.
The main reason for pinch-hitting for Belt was because Los Angeles’ pitcher, Alex Vesia, is incredibly tough on left-handed hitters. Vesia has allowed six hits and a .415 OPS to lefties in 2022. Belt, specifically, has hit .135 against southpaws this season.
Kapler and the Giants thought Villar had a better chance at getting on base. That doesn’t change the optics of subbing out Belt, whose 12-year career includes several clutch moments and two World Series runs, for a player in his 14th career game.
Belt told The Athletic on Friday night that while he understands the thinking behind Kapler’s decision, he still thinks he was the best option to get the job done.
“I mean, I get it. I understand it,” Belt said. “I think at times it definitely makes sense to do that, especially when I’m not hitting lefties well. It’s not like I’ve been lighting the world on fire. But I don’t believe I’d be much of a big-league ballplayer if I didn’t have confidence to believe I’d get it done right there. There are times it makes sense and there are times it doesn’t make sense.”
Kapler said on Saturday afternoon that he saw Belt’s comments and texted them to the first baseman. It was exactly what he could have hoped to see out of his leader.
“What a total pro,” Kapler said. “Takes responsibility, he says ‘I want that opportunity, I think I can get the job done, I think I’m the guy.’ Understands the other side. Acknowledges everything that went on. Who doesn’t want a player that wants the biggest moment and wants the biggest opportunity?”
Kapler’s move backfired, as Villar check-swung into an inning-ending ground out.
Belt is back in the starting lineup Saturday against left-handed starter Julio Urías. When Belt’s at his best, Kapler said, the Giants won’t want to take the bat out of his hands ever. Same goes for Brandon Crawford, Wilmer Flores and others on the roster. But Belt, despite a recent hot streak, has struggled against lefties this season, dealt with nagging knee issues and struck out against Vesia the night before. There are so many factors in consideration.
Another is Villar, Belt’s replacement. Kapler recently tried to reframe the pinch-hitting verbiage as “pinch hitting with” as opposed to “pinch hitting for.” That puts the focus on the hitter entering the game, not the one leaving it.
Villar has a chance to be an everyday player and a major part of the Giants’ future, Kapler said.
The Giants’ hit an MLB record 18 pinch-hit home runs in 2021. It seemed like every button Kapler pushed magically worked en route to 107 wins.
This year, the pinch-hitting results haven’t been as impressive. But they have picked up recently, with Darin Ruf’s pinch-hit grand slam in LA and Ruf’s pinch-hit homer off Josh Hader before the All-Star break. SF pinch hitters have the 10th-best OPS in baseball.
Without the incredible results, there could be more of a balancing act with how certain players respond to getting subbed out of big spots. It’s easy to buy into the process when it yields results. That’s why Kapler respected Belt’s quotes.
“It’s always going to be fluid,” Kapler said of his team’s buy-in to the strategy. “The trust levels are always going to be higher when we have Darin Ruf hit a grand slam the second at-bat after pinch hitting. It’s always going to be lower when you have a young player pinch hit for a veteran player and he check swings and hits a ground ball to second base. That’s how the game works.
I had a great conversation with Longoria earlier in the day, just organically. And we discussed that pinch-hitting strategies, you have to hang in there with them over the long haul to see their benefits. It’s how you make a mix-and-match roster make sense over a long period of time. We don’t have guys that you can just plug in to play 155 games right now. That’s not how our roster’s constructed. We have a lot of fun with this roster.”