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He will play third base in San Francisco.
December 28, 2009
By: Fred Zinkie
Many teams wanted Mark DeRosa, attracted to his versatility in the field. In the end, the Giants won out. They will use him at third base in 2010, but don’t be surprised to see him spend some days elsewhere on the diamond when they need his flexibility. Let’s take a look at the Giants’ players who are affected by the signing.
Mark DeRosa – During his days as a utility player the biggest concern with owning DeRosa was how many starts he would make each week. That won’t be a problem now. Barring injury, he will exceed 500 at-bats for the fifth year in a row. He should be able to post similar numbers in San Francisco in comparison to recent seasons. His batting average has dropped significantly in recent years, as he seems to be swinging for the fences more often.
Pablo Sandoval – He will play first base full-time in 2010. It doesn’t matter for fantasy owners – he will have eligibility at 1B and 3B for the year. In keeper leagues he is no longer a long-term 3B option but that was to be expected. He will play as often as possible since he is the team’s most dangerous hitter.
Juan Uribe – There have been rumors that he is returning to the Giants on a one-year deal and the DeRosa signing leads us to think that the rumors are true. Uribe will play a little bit at 2B, SS and 3B and will probably find a way to exceed 300 at-bats. He was on a downward spiral until 2009 but he turned his career around and is worth a pick in NL-Only leagues if he returns to the Giants. Between DeRosa and Uribe, this is a team with a lot of flexibility in the infield.
Ryan Garko – He had already been released but the DeRosa signing cements that he won’t be back. There just wouldn’t be enough at-bats for him behind Sandoval so he will need to look for work elsewhere.
Eugenio Velez – He will need to earn his playing time in the outfield next year, because with DeRosa and Uribe on the roster the infield will have plenty of options when starters Renteria and Sanchez need a day off. Velez played 30 games at 2B in 2009 but that won’t happen in 2010. There is opportunity to be had in the Giants’ outfield so Velez still has a chance to get his name in the lineup often.