SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — At various points last season both Austin Slater and Steven Duggar appeared to have secured permanent roles with the Giants. But by the end of the year, both were back in familiar territory, facing an offseason of uncertainty.
Slater said he brought some of this uncertainty on himself, as a late-season slump undid months of significant progress offensively. After an offseason working on swing changes to hit more balls in the air, Slater forced his way onto the Giants’ roster midseason with a .308/.436/.529 line and 12 home runs in 70 games for Triple-A Sacramento. He continued to impress after his call-up, posting an OPS of .894 in July and .957 in August.
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Things fell apart for Slater over the final month of the season, when he collected only six hits and one walk in 48 plate appearances, with 19 strikeouts. Slater’s playing time wasn’t as regular that final month once rosters expanded and the Giants decided to take a look at Jaylin Davis and others in the outfield. He said it was difficult to maintain the approach he employed the first part of the season without the regular at-bats but is quick to add that it doesn’t excuse the results.
“I think I was on the right path,” he said before the Giants 7-1 loss to the Indians on Thursday. “When I first came up last year, I was able to do a lot of the things I worked on in the offseason lifting the ball more but I think, reflecting on last season, I kind of reverted back in September.
“That’s something that you should keep yourself being consistent with every day, whether you’re getting reps in the game or in the cage or in the field in batting practice. I think I let that slip away a little bit in September. For me, it’s important to keep hammering those points and trying to maintain my consistency so that even if I went a week without playing, I could still step in and get the swing that I wanted to.”
Duggar’s season ended not with disappointment on the field but disappointment because he wasn’t on it. After winning the Giants’ starting center field job out of camp, Duggar got off to an ice-cold start and landed on the injured list with a lower back strain on June 21. The Giants left him in Triple A hoping he could regain the swing that had won him a big-league job originally.
Focused on re-establishing his approach and controlling the strike zone better, Duggar hit .337/.461/.542 in 23 games with the River Cats, earning a promotion back to the Giants on Aug. 2. But before he could prove the changes he made would work in the big leagues, he was on the injured list again a week later, this time with a left AC joint sprain that cost him the rest of the season.
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“I really felt healthy right at the end of the year last year,” he said on Thursday. “It was unfortunate that I had to miss some time but I feel really good. I had a full offseason to hammer out the rest of the rehab and put a little more weight on throughout the rest of the body.”
Slater and Duggar are part of a crowded group of players competing for at-bats in the Giants’ outfield this spring. Slater is also taking reps in the infield, and he said for the first time in years he spent much of his offseason taking groundballs.
“Usually, the ‘Hey, we want you to play some first base’ doesn’t get voiced to me until sometime in spring training,” he said. “So this offseason, they were very vocal to make sure that you are doing everything to come in ready to compete for reps in the infield. Obviously, we have a lot of really talented infielders, but with the National League — double-switches and guys are going to go down — it’s bound to happen. Just being able to step in with no hitches or no problems was a big stressing point this offseason.”
This spring, Slater has logged time at all three outfield positions (he was in right on Thursday) and at first base. He hasn’t played at second yet, but he has experience there as well. His ultimate goal is to win an everyday job, but he knows his versatility could come in handy if he ended up in a bench/utility role.
Duggar is one of the Giants’ best options defensively in the outfield, but he’s looking to regain the organization’s confidence in his bat. He’s made a few adjustments to his setup at the plate this spring to be more narrow and cut down on the moving parts.
“I think the simplicity part was something I was searching for, something I could repeat. I feel good about it,” he said.
He also offers a speed element the Giants could use at the top of their lineup. Early in his minor-league career, he struggled with his jumps and leads off first base. Duggar is pleased with the progress he’s made this spring with his baserunning working with first-base coach Antoan Richardson and believes stolen bases will be a bigger part of his game this season.
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“I think this year we’re a lot closer to where I’m less concerned about getting back to first and more able to get to second,” he said.
With 72 players in camp and multiple starting spots still up for grabs, Giants’ camp has an open-tryout feel to it. As a player who has never come into camp with a roster spot secured, Slater said camp doesn’t necessarily feel more competitive for him than normal but notes that having more players involved in competitions will ultimately make the Giants better.
“I think creating competition can only help the team,” he said. “You push the guy next to you but at the end of the day, you’re still teammates so I think that’s the environment and atmosphere we’re trying to create here. You’re pushing the guy next to you to be the best possible person you can be.”
Duggar is enjoying the competitive nature of the camp.
“We move as one. Competition brings out the best in everybody,” he said. “We have a lot of that in camp, not just in the outfield. As a whole, as an organization, we’re definitely moving the right way.
“We have a bunch of really good dudes. The vibe is good. We just need to keep moving in that direction.”
Andrew Suárez drops the two-seamer
The 2019 season was a forgettable one for left-hander Andrew Suárez, who posted unsightly ERAs at both Triple A and the big leagues. When it was over, he was asked to make a significant change: drop his two-seam fastball in favor of only throwing the four-seamer.
“I was focusing on my mechanics this offseason,” he said after his outing Thursday. “We went over my numbers with the two-seam and they weren’t that good, so we started throwing only four-seam and mixing more off-speed as well.”
Suárez said the new approach has taken some getting used to, but he’s finding good results. After allowing two runs in 2 2/3 innings on Thursday, Suárez has a 2.70 ERA in 6 2/3 innings this spring. He said he’s preparing to be ready to start or relieve.
“Last year was not a good year for me. I’m just trying to bounce back, have a strong year and be healthy,” he said.
At home with the Giants, Carlos Navas makes his case
Carlos Navas is a patient man. It took him five seasons to get out of Rookie ball and seven seasons to reach Triple A. The native of Venezuela has ridden buses all over the U.S. in hopes of that elusive shot at the big leagues.
Not a hard thrower, Navas relies on command and a willingness to challenge hitters. He’s had good results with that approach, with a career ERA of 3.02 and 566 strikeouts in 586 2/3 innings. Signed to a minor-league contract before the 2019 season, Navas split the season between Double-A Richmond and Sacramento. He had a mix of starts and relief appearances and posted a 3.40 ERA with an 83:22 K:BB in 84 2/3 innings.
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Navas was happy to re-sign with the Giants this offseason, which included a trip to Taiwan as part of Team Venezuela in the WBSC Premier12 tournament.
With the middle portion of the Giants’ bullpen in flux, Navas has his first real opportunity to compete for a big-league job after 10 minor-league seasons. He’s thrown three scoreless innings this spring with no walks and five strikeouts. He said he’s soaking up his time with the veteran pitchers in the Giants’ clubhouse.
“Taking the advice they’ve given me into the game has really helped me a lot,” Navas said Wednesday.
Navas may not make the club out of spring training, but he’s willing to be patient and make the most of his minor-league opportunities. He’s had plenty of practice.
“I just have fun, and I’m looking forward to doing it again this year,” he said.
Extra innings
• Starter Drew Smyly didn’t make it out of the first inning Thursday. He was pulled with the bases loaded and one out in the first after throwing 32 pitches. Smyly threw another 17 in the bullpen after coming out. Reliever Brandon Lawson induced an inning-ending double-play to save Smyly’s ERA.
“Thirty-two pitches, I got one out. The next guy comes in, throws one pitch and gets two outs. Crazy game,” Smyly joked.
Smyly said he felt strong and that the ball was coming out of his hand well, but he had trouble finishing off at-bats when he was ahead. The final at-bat was a long battle against Carlos Santana, who eventually struck out on a curveball.
“It’s frustrating. Just one of those days where I felt like I just couldn’t put them away,” he said. “That part was frustrating but I felt like the ball was coming out really good.”
• Brandon Belt hit his second home run of the spring, a solo shot off Zach Plesac in the fourth.
• Relievers Jarlín García and Andrew Triggs both turned in scoreless appearances. Neither has allowed a run this spring. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Triggs is a strong candidate for a bullpen spot and that García brings value for his ability to throw strikes and keep teams in games.
• Right-hander Shaun Anderson threw a bullpen session on Thursday to work on fastball grips, Kapler said, which pushed his spring outing to Saturday.
(Photo: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)