Breakout San Francisco Giants Star Preparing for Position Change Next Year
The San Francisco Giants seem to have a bright future on their hands if they can make a couple tweaks to their Major League roster that brings in impact players at positions of need.
Not only do they already have some cornerstones in place that they landed last free agency like Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee, but Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald became breakout stars for the Giants in 2024 and are now on a similar trajectory as the other two.
There are rumors about what positions San Francisco would like to pursue this winter, but it seems like they are eyeing an upgrade at shortstop with a specific player in mind.
Knowing he might have to shift his defensive position after playing 72 games at that spot in the field last year, Fitzgerald is preparing this offseason like he'll have to make a change.
"We'll see what kind of moves we make. I know that my job is not secure, especially with how I played [late in the season], but I think a role is in my future, for sure. I think I've earned some kind of role to start next year," he said per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. "I'll prepare for short and second and then go from there and see what the team needs and how I can help next year."
In all likelihood, he will have a starting role.
After a rookie year where he set a franchise record, there is very little chance the Giants won't start him across their infield whether it's at shortstop or second base.
What he's alluding to is his numbers plummeting from his red-hot stretch in June and July to being just above a .250 hitter who strikes out a ton during the months of August and September.
That's to be expected for a young player, though.
Once teams figured out how to pitch him, he wasn't able to make adjustments like more seasoned Major League players would have been able to do.
His talent is still sky-high based on what he was able to produce during his rookie season, so if San Francisco does land a shortstop, Fitzgerald likely takes over at second base where he will be a huge upgrade from what Thairo Estrada provided the past couple years.