Giants view Villar as 'incumbent' at 3B

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There will be a changing of the guard at the Giants’ corner infield spots this year.

After moving on from veterans Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria, the Giants are expected to give two younger players a chance to step in and claim everyday jobs there this spring. LaMonte Wade Jr. is viewed as the primary successor to Belt at first base, while David Villar is the top choice to replace Longoria at third -- no small feat for a player who wasn’t even in big league camp a year ago.

“It means the world to me,” Villar said. “It’s truly an honor to have them believe in me and to have their confidence behind me, as well. But I’ve continued to tell myself that nothing is going to be handed to me. I’ve got to come out here and show that I’m capable of taking that everyday job. My mindset here is to help the Giants win as many ballgames as I can in whatever role.”

Villar, 26, burst onto the scene after slugging 36 home runs between Triple-A Sacramento and the Majors and earning Pacific Coast League MVP honors in 2022. Though he endured a slow start at the plate after making his MLB debut on July 4, Villar finished strong down the stretch, posting an .897 OPS with eight homers over his final 29 games of the season.

"I feel like what he's done has kind of gone under the radar a little bit,” president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. “Playing as well as he did in Double-A, winning player of the year in his Double-A and Triple-A leagues, and then almost OPS-ing .800 [in the Majors]. It felt a little quiet because he obviously played well at the end, but we were still facing good competition. His defensive metrics and our player development's evaluation of him defensively at third base -- I think they give us a lot of optimism that we're going to see better defense from him this year.

"We obviously have other guys, like Wilmer [Flores] and J.D. Davis, that can be over there, and other guys in camp that are competing around the infield, but I think we do see him as the incumbent and hope he takes it and runs with it and can be an everyday guy for us."

Villar feels there are still some minor adjustments he can make to turn into a more complete offensive player this year, including reducing his strikeout rate by at least five to six percent to try to capitalize on more pitches in the zone. The bigger challenge will likely come on the defensive end, but the Giants have expressed confidence that Villar will have the range and athleticism to play not only third, but also second when Thairo Estrada needs to shift over to shortstop to give Brandon Crawford a day off.

Villar spent most of his offseason training in Orlando, Fla., but he flew out to the Giants’ Player Development Center at Papago Park in Phoenix in January to work with infield coach Kai Correa for a few days. Infield prospect Casey Schmitt, who won the Minor League Gold Glove Award at third last year, has become a valuable resource for Villar, as well.

“One of the things we’ve been working on is just getting a little bit more over the top on certain throws and just being able to slow the game down and being confident over at third base,” Villar said. “I know I’m capable of becoming a really good defender over there. They have the belief in me, as well. It’s just carrying the same confidence that I have at the plate out to defense with me.”

Worth noting

• Several Giants regulars will start behind pitching prospect Tristan Beck in the club’s Cactus League opener against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the tentative lineup provided by manager Gabe Kapler, who noted that the plans for left field are still being finalized:

LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B
Thairo Estrada, 2B
Joc Pederson, DH
Austin Slater, CF
Brandon Crawford, SS
Heliot Ramos, RF
Casey Schmitt, 3B
Blake Sabol, C

• Giants CEO Larry Baer announced on KNBR on Friday that beer prices will decrease at select stands at Oracle Park in 2023, with 14-ounce domestic drafts dropping from $14 to $9 at the Doggie Diner locations and the 415 Club in the outfield.