GOODYEAR, Ariz. — David Villar’s time with the Giants could be nearing its end.
Villar, 28, is out of minor-league options. He’s not a frontrunner to make the Opening Day roster, sitting behind Brett Wisely and Casey Schmitt on the depth chart. The Giants must designate him for assignment if he doesn’t make the cut, and he’s unlikely to pass through waivers.
“Obviously, it’s part of the business,” Villar said. “You get optioned up and down for three years. I’ve done my time. I don’t view this spring any differently. I don’t want to place any external pressure on myself. At the end of the day, whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. The only thing I can control is my performance, my attitude and my effort.”
Villar enjoyed one of his better days of the spring in the Giants’ 11-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Goodyear Park, recording a single, a double and scoring twice. His double, one that slammed off the left-center field wall, clocked in at 109.5 mph, an exit velocity he’s never generated in the majors.
By the end of the month, he could be using that pop for another organization.
“It might not be the worst thing in the world for him to be out of options,” said manager Bob Melvin earlier this spring. “He’s been blocked here by multiple people in the past. He does have some talent. He’s got some power. He can really hit. He’s able to play the corner positions.”
Following Evan Longoria’s departure, Villar appeared positioned to take the reins as the Giants’ starting third baseman. In 2022, Villar hit nine home runs with a .787 OPS over 52 games as a rookie. With Sacramento, he totaled 27 homers and 82 RBIs. He earned a spot on the 2023 Opening Day roster and took over at the hot corner but lost his starting job by early May due to underperformance. He hasn’t consistently started for the Giants since then, relegated to cameo status with the big league team.
Villar finds himself in a similar spot this year to Joey Bart a year ago. Like Villar, Bart entered spring training out of options and without a path to playing, stuck behind Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy on the organizational depth chart. Bart joined the Pittsburgh Pirates upon being designated for assignment and finally found the big-league success that previously alluded him, hitting .265 with 13 homers and a .799 OPS for his new team.
“I don’t want to put extra pressure on myself and say, ‘I’ve got to get five, six hits a game in two at-bats.’ Some of these things are not feasible,” Villar said. “The best thing to do is to play the game the right way because there’s always people watching.
“There’s always people in the stands — not only fans but other teams. The Giants are watching, as well as your teammates and other guys on other teams. That’s part of the business. … Whatever the future holds is out of my hands. The only thing I can control is my effort.”
To that end, Villar simplified his offensive approach during the offseason after spending nearly all of last season with Triple-A Sacramento.
Villar, who had an .802 OPS over 106 games with the River Cats in ‘24, scrapped his leg kick, incorporated a shorter stride and moved his hands closer to his head. He also prioritized mobility and flexibility over lifting heavy.
“It’s pretty freeing,” Villar said. “I’ve gotten good results in camp, in live at-bats, good feedback in the cages. For myself, it’s a checkpoint that I like to hit where I’m comfortable and I’m confident in the changes that I’ve made.”
In several weeks time, Villar could be employing those changes for a different organization.
“We’re obviously going to have to make a decision on him,” Melvin said. “I think he knows if the opportunity doesn’t happen here then he might have a better opportunity somewhere else. When you look at guys that are out of options — I’ve been in that position before — it’s almost like, ‘This might be good for me. I either force the hand and I’m here or maybe I’m in the big leagues somewhere else.’ ”
Thursday’s start time moved up
The Giants’ game on Thursday against the Texas Rangers has been moved up from 1:05 p.m. PST to 12:05 p.m. PST due to inclement weather.
Worth noting
- Tristan Beck allowed one earned run over 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts, the lone run coming on a solo home run to the Guardians’ Bo Naylor.
- Left-handed reliever Joey Lucchesi tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts while right-handed reliever Lou Trivino tossed a scoreless frame of his own. Lucchesi and Trivino are both up to five scoreless innings this spring.
- Tyler Fitzgerald, the Giants’ starting second baseman, had his best game of spring, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
- Luis Matos’ fifth-inning single clocked in at 110.1 mph. Matos has not hit a ball that hard during a major league game in his career.