How Marco Scutaro Will Help the Giants Offense

Question Brian Sabean’s acquisition of Marco Scutaro all you want, but he’s a solid addition. But by no means is he the piece that will take the Giants to the next level, nor will he bring them down a level. However, he brings something to the table that the Giants don’t do consistently. The ability to put the ball in play.

Scutaro’s contribution is that simple. He’s not a free swinger, neither does he wait around like Brandon Belt to. Sure, he’s everything but a power hitter, but he does the the little things like moving the runner over or hitting a sacrifice fly to get a run in. There have been numerous events where the Giants have failed to do the things that Scutaro will provide. And it’s starting to become clearer and clearer with each loss.

O-Swing% is technical for the percentage a hitter swings at pitches outside of the strike zone. So you would instantly assume that Pablo Sandoval must have a high O-Swing% right? You would be spot on, as Sandoval swings at pitches outside of the strike zone nearly 50% of the time and Hector Sanchez, Joaquin Arias and Brandon Crawford are the next few victims of the wild swing reputation. Meanwhile, Scutaro’s 24.5 O-Swing% ranks first on the Giants. While It might not seem like a big deal, it is, especially in situations where the Giants need to get a runner over.

The reason why he constantly puts the ball in play is because he doesn’t try to do too much at the plate. His approach is simple and you would hope that Pablo Sandoval and Hector Sanchez would take a page out of his book, as they are practically swinging for the cove in each of their at-bats.

Looking at Scutaro’s home run totals, don’t expect him to provide the much needed pop that the Giants are in search of, as he’s never hit more than 12 home runs in a season. He did, however, crush a home run off Santiago Casilla that broke a tie game earlier in the season.

 Ryan Theriot and Scutaro are essentially identical twins when it comes to hitting. While Scutaro may possess a bit more power, they both are contact hitters (Theriot 89% contact percentage, Scutaro 93%), and both have been career table setters.

So how should Bruce Bochy rearrange his lineup?

 The smart move would be to have both of them hitting before Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey to create more RBI opportunities for the heart of the lineup. Bochy could also spilt them up, having one at the top and one at the bottom to create a more balanced lineup. The latter appears to be the path Bochy will stick with, although, as I write this it appears that Scutaro is leading off tonight with Theriot sticking in the two hole.

Posted in: Brandon Crawford,hector sanchez,Marco Scutaro,pablo sandoval,Ryan theriot,San Francisco Giants