SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — One morning recently in the San Francisco Giants’ spring clubhouse, a series of clips flashed repeatedly on the television screens above the players’ lockers. The same play, over and over. With a runner on second base, the pitcher begins his motion and the runner soon shuffle-steps, then bounds out of frame.
“First thing to do is watch it,” manager Bob Melvin explained, “then go out and experience it.”
What Melvin — and bench coach Ryan Christenson, who’s in charge of baserunning — is hoping his players absorb is a strategic type of secondary lead, an aggressive maneuver that could help offset their lack of true burners on the basepaths.
Last season, the Giants were the slowest team in the National League, with an average sprint speed faster than only the Yankees and White Sox. They stole 57 bases, the fewest in the major leagues and a smaller number than two individual players, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Esteury Ruiz.
“We don’t have a ton of base stealers here, but we can be better on the bases,” Melvin said. “Whether it’s first to thirds or maybe taking advantage of some opportunities with pitchers being a little bit slower to the plate. It hasn’t shown up yet this spring, but we’ll probably try to push it a little more.”
Thairo Estrada led the team with 23 steals and didn’t have much company. The Giants with the next-most steals were Blake Sabol and Michael Conforto, with four apiece.
“This is incredible work because this is my style of play,” Estrada said through Spanish-language interpreter Erwin Higueros. “I’ve always been aggressive. But at the same time, as a team, I feel that it’s going to put pressure on other teams. … It keeps you engaged in the game more.”
What Christenson is teaching has less to do with stolen bases than it does with what happens after the pitch is put into play.
One of the players who appears in the series of clips is Mookie Betts. There are many things to admire about the Dodgers’ do-it-all superstar, but one quality has long enamored Christenson, who has been in the opposite dugout many times as the A’s and later Padres bench coach under Melvin.
“Most of the time when you see a guy take a secondary lead it’s like a shuffle-shuffle, side-to-side,” Christenson said. “This technique that Mookie does is a crossover. It’s almost like it looks like he’s going to run every pitch. He pops the left foot across the right and then he shuffles from there. The distance is gained right away.”
That extra distance can make the difference between scoring from second base or being thrown out at home plate, and according to Christenson, it is already paying dividends this spring. “You’re talking about an extra probably 3 to 4 feet on average is what I’ve been seeing so far,” he said.
Despite their lack of speed, the Giants rated out as about league average in most areas on the bases besides steals. They took the extra base 43% of the time (MLB average: 41%), scored from second on a hit 103 times (exactly the MLB average) and went first to third 86 times (MLB average: 89).
In one other aspect, however, they were also an outlier.
It wasn’t until after Memorial Day that third base coach Mark Hallberg waved a runner around third and into an out. The Giants were thrown out at home plate only nine times, the third-fewest in the majors. That may be a positive at first glance but could also signal missed opportunities, which is backed up by some advanced metrics.
Related Articles
SF Giants-Reds: Bullpen competition takes center stage; Patrick Bailey gets prognosis
Why SF Giants kept Wilmer Flores over J.D. Davis: ‘One of our most important players’
SF Giants-Dodgers: First look at Ohtani-mania a ‘fun’ challenge for non-roster invitee
Patrick Bailey forced from SF Giants’ game vs. Dodgers, but averts worst-case scenario
Sense of optimism among SF Giants as Alex Cobb, Robbie Ray reach milestones
Estrada, true to his word, was one of the Giants’ most aggressive runners when it came to taking the extra base, too. Believe it or not, Joc Pederson was his only teammate to rate out better, according to Statcast. They were the Giants’ only two runners to attempt, let alone succeed, to advance more often than league average when given the opportunity. Altogether, the Giants were the fifth-least aggressive team in those situations, according to Statcast.
Like Christenson, third base coach Matt Williams is a new member of the coaching staff under Melvin. Hallberg remained on but moved to the first base coach’s box.
“Just the rhythm that it puts them into their secondary leads, I think we’re going to be on point as far as dirt-ball reads, reading the ball when it’s on the ground, maybe making the bang-bang safe call,” Christenson said. “It gets them in the right space so they get distance off the bag, which is going to help Matt Williams sending runners. … I’ve been very appreciative of the willingness to take something that’s a little foreign and put it right into play.
“Guys,” Christenson continued, surely no pun intended, “have been running with it.”
+ There are no comments
Add yours