SAN FRANCISCO -- With some of the moves this new front office makes, you have to dig deep into the numbers.
Does an improved launch angle show that a breakout is coming? Was it the on-base percentage two years ago in Double-A that caught someone's eye? Is the spin rate on his curveball suddenly dramatically different?
But with first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin, who the Giants traded for Monday morning from the Twins, the appeal is easy to see.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Austin, a right-handed hitter who should see plenty of time in left, has a .952 OPS in 146 career plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. The 2019 Giants have a .604 OPS against lefties and will see three more -- Eric Lauer, Joey Lucchesi and Nick Margevicius -- in a series with the Padres that starts this week.
It's a small sample, but Austin -- who hit 17 homers a year ago, beating Giants team leader Evan Longoria by one -- has averaged about one homer every 10 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, while slugging .603.
The right-handed batters on the Giants' roster have one homer against a lefty this season, and that came from starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
So, you can see the fit, and while Austin is more of a first baseman/DH type, the Giants can certainly hide him in left field with Kevin Pillar and Steven Duggar playing the other two spots.
San Francisco Giants
[RELATED: Giants' woes on offense explained by this futile first-inning stat]
Pillar should be able to shade over towards left quite a bit, and Brandon Crawford has traditionally given his left fielders an extra layer of support on short pop-ups.