Mauricio

I saw this bit and it made me think of this guy:

"I can really, legitimately see him playing center field quite a bit," Kapler said Friday. "I think earlier in camp I was saying we're going to take more of a wait-and-see approach. I think at this point he has demonstrated he can play center field, he can play shortstop for us."

I'm sure all us old-timers remember Derrel Thomas (aka "The Bug"). He was the number one pick in the draft in 1969. The only other 1st-rounder from that group that made an impact in the majors was Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky. Thomas made a career out of being versatile. In 15 seasons (almost 1600 games) he logged over 4800 innings at second base, over 2400 in center field, and over 2300 at shortstop. He played for the Giants from 1975 (arguably his best season) through 1977. He came up with the Padres but was best known as a member of the Dodgers (getting a ring with them in 1981).

Speaking of the Dodgers, the super-utility player is something they've been featuring lately with both Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez. Even their big sluggers (Muncy and Bellinger) move around and have two or three positions they can handle. Both Gabe Kapler and Farhan Zaidi worked in LA and it should not be a surprise that they'd like to have that kind of versatility on the roster.

Mauricio Dubon was not a #1 pick and was not in the majors at age 20 like Thomas. He was a nobody, really, a 26th round pick, and he has had to climb the ladder (with three organizations) for the last seven seasons. But the team seems high on his abilities and wants him to think about a different role, something more than a traditional infielder. There is a lot more pressure on an NL roster to have positional flexibility as the DH option is limited to inter-league play. Here's more from the article:

The concept is a simple one: Dubon has a chance to impact the Giants every single day, and they would like him to do it at different spots, allowing Kapler to mix and match with his veterans. Dubon has just over 100 big league at-bats and some organizations might prefer for a player like that to settle in at one position. But the Giants feel Dubon can mentally handle it, and there's little doubt that their best chance -- perhaps their only chance -- at having a competitive lineup is to get creative. They'll look a lot better against left-handed starters, for instance, if Dubon can play center, with Donovan Solano at short and Wilmer Flores at second. It'll be much easier, too, for Kapler to make mid-game double-switches if he's confident Dubon can slide from position to position and fill the gaps.

I like it. I think ballplayers can do lots of things and I like to see them get the chance to display not only their athleticism but their growth and learning. If that makes me sound like a teacher--well, guilty! It could be really fun watching Dubon this year. Plus he has a cool name. I mean, "Mauricio" lends itself well to chants (Mahhhhh-REEEEEEEE-see-ohhhhh) and I suspect he's the only one in the bigs with that moniker. Of course, he still has to hit. That's the thing. You want to stick, then make some noise with your stick!

Trevor Oaks is "opening" against the Indians this afternoon. Also, pay attention to righty masher Darin Ruf who is making a case to be the 26th man.

--M.C.