Giants believe Steven Duggar could end long-running center field saga

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The four-year contract given to Angel Pagan was a disaster. The Denard Span partnership lasted just two seasons before his salary was dumped in a trade for Evan Longoria. Austin Jackson didn't even make it to his first All-Star break as a Giant. 

The Giants have had no success when seeking veterans to play center field.

Luckily for them, they don't have to dip into that market this offseason. Steven Duggar's rookie season was promising, and although it ended with shoulder surgery, manager Bruce Bochy said the rookie showed enough that he's comfortable penciling him in as his Opening Day center fielder for 2019. 

"Obviously it's going to be competitive as always, but I think you look at what he does defensively, and the kid, you know what, he's got something there that you love," Bochy said. "He can adapt. He can adjust, and he showed that up here."

That "something" often is hard to quantify, but the Giants love Duggar's makeup, the toughness he showed while staying on the field to score the winning run after his shoulder popped out, the competitiveness they saw on a daily basis as he worked to get better, the chip that was on his shoulder despite plenty of hype from the start of spring training. 

Then there's what they saw on the field.

Duggar, 24, batted just .255 with a .693 OPS, but he was starting to heat up when he got hurt diving back into second base. On his final homestand, Duggar was 6 for 18 with a homer and a triple, and he played the kind of center field defense that the Giants have sought for years.

After Duggar's final game, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner said he didn't care if the young outfielder never gets a hit -- he just wants Duggar's glove behind him. Executive Brian Sabean said Duggar might have finished the season as the lineup's best player had he not been hurt. 

"There were a lot of flashes of excitement," Sabean said. "That's what you're looking for."

There was sadness, too. Bochy said his biggest disappointment late in the year was watching Duggar go down. 

"He was really coming around," Bochy said. "It's a shame we lost him, but in the short evaluation, I think we saw the difference he made out in the outfield in center field and what his potential is with the bat."

The Giants believe they have a keeper, and even though Duggar has played just 41 games, he already has accomplished something very important for the organization. He'll keep the Giants from trying out another expensive veteran in center field. 

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