SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Tyler Fitzgerald used three types of gloves last season. An infielder’s glove for shortstop and second base. An outfielder’s glove for left and center field. And, for one day, a first baseman’s mitt that he borrowed from Wilmer Flores.
This year, he’ll only be responsible for just one.
“We saw last year, when he got an opportunity to play in one spot, he did his best work,” said manager Bob Melvin. “So, my guess is that’s going to be the same at second base. I know he’s excited about it.”
A year ago, Fitzgerald had 10 lone major-league games to his name, having yet to prove anything of substance at the big league level. Over the summer, he made history that landed his name next to Barry Bonds. His super-utility days, for the time being, are over; he has been afforded the luxury of simplicity.
Days before the winter meetings, the Giants agreed with Willy Adames on a franchise-record deal. Shortly after closing that deal, president of baseball operations Buster Posey called Fitzgerald. The 27-year-old would no longer be the team’s starting shortstop role, but after hitting .280 with 15 homers and 17 steals in 96 games, Fitzgerald earned the opportunity to maintain starter status. Second base would become his new domain.
“I knew there was probably going to be a move made,” said Fitzgerald, who made his spring debut on Friday after dealing with a lower back injury. “Once we signed Willy, I was super excited. You’re not going to get anything negative from me. I’m not mad, I’m not upset. I’m actually happy. I think it’s going to be a good move for the team, and I think personally, it’ll be a good move for me to go over to second base. I respect Buster a lot for the transparency and for giving me a call.”
Fitzgerald isn’t completely unfamiliar with second base, having played 90 games at the position in the minors along with six in the majors. With his role defined early in the offseason, Fitzgerald used the winter to lock in on one position instead of bouncing from spot to spot. And while Fitzgerald has primarily been a shortstop throughout his career, second base is likely the position where he’ll have more defensive value.
Over 72 major-league games last season, Fitzgerald was worth -6 defensive runs saved. Fitzgerald didn’t exhibit great range (-4 outs above average) despite his elite speed, and his arm strength was below average as well (31st percentile). It’s currently unclear how Fitzgerald will perform at second base, but a certain five-time Gold Glove Award winner believes Fitzgerald will be just fine.
Fitzgerald and third baseman Matt Chapman worked out extensively together during the offseason at the Giants’ minor-league facility starting in January, and Chapman believes playing second base will be easier on Fitzgerald. Chapman, a third baseman for his entire major-league career, also extolled the virtues of playing the same spot every single day.
“He doesn’t have to rotate between second, short and outfield,” Chapman said. “You can get more comfortable, (get) more reps and then you just kind of get into a groove. So, I think it’ll be really good for him.”
Added Adames: “It’s a little different during the games. Obviously, we’ve got to get used to one another. But I think it’s going to be fine.”
For as well as Fitzgerald played, there’s valid reason for some skepticism on the offensive end because of how starkly he outperformed his expected stats. Fitzgerald finished his rookie season with a .280 batting average and .497 slugging percentage, but posted an expected batting average of .227 and expected slugging percentage of .378. Fitzgerald also ranked well below average in average exit velocity (22nd percentile) and walk rate (26th percentile) while striking out nearly a third of the time.
The latter half of Fitzgerald’s rookie season wasn’t especially kind. In his first 48 games, he hit .313 with 10 homers, a 1.004 OPS and 30% strikeout rate. In his latter 48 games, he hit .258 with five homers, a .712 OPS and a 32.8% strikeout rate.
“When these pitchers are pitching me differently and they’re pitching to my weaknesses, it’s about how I can minimize that. How can I take my knock instead of putting myself in a hole in an 0-2 count or something,” Fitzgerald said. “It comes with experience. I’ve struggled with strikeouts my whole career. I’ve been around the 30% mark, 25% at times. Nothing crazy is going to change. I’m not going to strike out 10%, but maybe keep it around 20-25% and I’m happy with that.”
The Giants would certainly be happy, too, if Fitzgerald can maintain the combination of power and speed that he flashed last season.
San Francisco hasn’t had a player record a 20-20 season since Hunter Pence did so in 2013 (27 homers, 20 steals). The franchise also hasn’t had a position player steal at least 30 bases in a single season since Dave Roberts. With 100th percentile speed and an ability to elevate the baseball, Fitzgerald has as good a chance as anyone on the Giants’ roster to break both streaks.