San Francisco Giants: 3 best DH options for shortened season

After a disappointing 2019 season, the San Francisco Giants will look to rebound this year and could use the DH role to their full advantage.

For the upcoming 2020 MLB season, the designated hitter will be implemented for the National League. It is a move that many teams await to take advantage of, but not all approve of it. San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler is one of them. He offered his disapproval of the idea back in May.

“What I will say is I’m a baseball traditionalist in the sense that I like the strategy that comes along from having to pinch-hit for the pitcher,” Kapler said. “When that high-leverage moment is in the game when everything is at stake early on, but your pitcher is running a low pitch count and you need him to eat up innings — I think there is something really raw and traditional about that.”

Whether or not Kapler approves of it now, the DH is here to stay for 2020. And after last season’s grand offensive disappointments, the Giants could use any kind of spark to uplift an aging lineup. They ranked 14th amongst the NL in runs scored (678), OPS + (84) and slugging percentage (.392). Injuries deteriorated the team’s production on offense en route to a third-place finish in the NL West.

In his first season as manager of the team, Kapler could look to get creative with how he uses the DH. Veteran talents such as Buster Posey and Evan Longoria are candidates to receive days off from their defensive duties and instead take on stints as the DH. The Giants’ farm system may also become a source where Kapler scours to find a talent able enough to occupy the position, such as top prospect Joey Bart.

However, Kapler’s final decision on who will rack up the most at-bats as the designated hitter likely should come down to these three players.