Despite sitting atop the National League West division, the San Francisco Giants appear to have a serious problem on their hands.
They don't currently have a starting second baseman.
The play of early season surprise Brandon Hicks has faded dramatically – he's now hitting an ugly .176 and should be ticketed for a bench role or demotion soon.
Ehire Adrianza is just battling to stay on the roster himself, and Joaquin Arias is valuable in his utility role and is best served staying there.
It's possible that Marco Scutaro improves enough physically to make an impact in the second half of the season, but at this point the organization shouldn't be hanging their hopes on it.
With the exception of a healthy Scutaro, the only way to improve the second base position is to look outside of the current 25 man roster.
Here are five players the Giants can target to take over the second base position:
Joe Panik (San Francisco Giants) – The Rookie
.319 avg, 5 HR's, 42 RBI's (Triple-A Fresno)
The first player on the list has the most direct route to the Giants' second base position, prospect Joe Panik.
Hicks' play has probably kept Panik in the minor leagues to this point, but it's time to give him a shot.
With a .319 average at Triple-A, there isn't much left for Panik to gain in the minors, and he will have a chance to see regular at-bats in San Francisco if promoted.
Although he doesn't profile as the long-term solution at second, Panik should hold his own against major league pitching, and can post a much higher batting average and better defense than Hicks is currently providing.
At worst, Panik can be a stop-gap option until the Giants find a solution at second.
Check out his prospect profile to get an idea of what Panik offers.
Ben Zobrist (Tampa Bay Rays) – The Swiss Army Knife
.260 avg, 5 HR's, 15 RBI's
Contract: Signed thru 2014, $7.5 million 2015 club option
With the Rays 2014 season slipping away, they are looking like sellers at the deadline.
Tampa has a number of attractive pieces – including David Price – but the guy the Giants need to be looking at is Ben Zobrist.
Zobrist is essentially the Hunter Pence of the second base position, offering a little bit of everything in terms of average, power, speed and defense.
His defensive versatility is a bonus – he's played at every defensive position except catcher during his career, with second base (514 games), outfield (356 games), and shortstop (205 games) his primary positions.
That versatility will be even more valuable in the National League, giving Bruce Bochy plenty of options on double-switches and defensive replacements.
He has also played in at least 150 games five years in a row, meaning his health isn't much of a concern.
Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies) – The High Risk/High Reward
.303 avg, 5 HR's, 32 RBI's
Contract: Signed thru 2015 at $15 million per year, vesting options thru 2018
There have already been rumors of an Utley-Giants union, and it makes sense given the Phillies and Giants current outlook.
Utley has posted strong numbers through 63 games this year, after a mostly healthy 2013 season and looks like the best offensive second baseman currently available.
He would make a perfect number three hitter, helping to break up the right-handed heavy trio of Hunter Pence, Buster Posey, and Michael Morse.
There is risk though. Despite having nearly 200 injury-free games since the start of last year, Utley is dealing with some chronic knee problems – the same ones that caused him to miss 185 games between 2010-12.
There's no telling when those injuries will strike again – that's an eerily similar outlook to both Freddy Sanchez and Marco Scutaro, and something the organization may not want to deal with again.
There's no doubt Utley would instantly make the Giants offense better for the stretch run, but there may not be a whole lot of long-term value to be had.
Aaron Hill (Arizona Diamondbacks) – The Rival
.257 avg, 6 HR's, 33 RBI's
Contract: Signed thru 2016 at $12 million per year
Hill is a guy the Giants have seen on a regular basis, playing for Arizona since 2012.
He offers a skillset similar to Hicks, although with the ability to hit for a higher average and a bit more speed.
Hill has a proven track record, hitting 25+ home runs three times in his career, and although he's more of a 15-20 home run guy nowadays, that's still plenty of power for a second baseman.
He could easily slot into a number of different spots in the order, as he has hit anywhere from second to sixth in Arizona's lineup this year.
The holdup with a deal for Hill comes in the fact that Arizona may not be as willing to trade him within the division, especially with the likelihood that he stays with San Francisco past 2014.
Also, he is set to make $12 million each of the next two years, which may be more than the Giants want to pay for a good, but not great second baseman.
Daniel Murphy (New York Mets) – The Dark Horse
.299 avg, 5 HR's, 26 RBI's
Contract: Arbitration eligible in 2015
Murphy is the dark horse on this list, as he's still just 29 years old and arbitration eligible for another year, so there isn't a huge incentive to move him now.
Still, the Mets are in rebuilding mode and Murphy may be a little bit old for the organization's timeline, meaning the team could part with him if they get a prospect of interest.
Murphy doesn't have the track record of the other guys on this list, as he's only spent three full seasons as a starter, but he's been impressive when given the opportunity.
He offers a nice power/speed combo, with the ability to post 10-15 home runs and 15-20 steals, along with an average around the .280-300 range.
Those aren't eye-popping stats, but they're better than what the Giants will get out of any of their current second basemen.
He has the talent to stay at second long-term, and could be a guy the Giants acquire and stick with for a number of years.
For more content by Chris Kersevan, check out his writer’s page and on Twitter @cker7
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