By Mark Simon

This offseason the Giants signed outfielder Harrison Bader, a move with the intention of improving a defense that turned the second-lowest rate of flies and liners to the outfield into outs last season.

They especially needed help in center field where Jung Hoo Lee totaled an MLB-positional worst -18 Runs Saved. Lee moved to right field for Bader, who had 6 Runs Saved playing part-time in center field last year and has had two seasons of at least 15 Runs Saved.

The Giants have totaled -182 Runs Saved in center field since Runs Saved was first tracked in 2003. That's the third-worst total in the majors in that time.

Fewest Defensive Runs Saved - Center Fielders - Since 2003

In the 23 seasons of Defensive Runs Saved, Giants center fielders have netted a positive Runs Saved in sum only 7 times. Their best season by a center fielder is 7 Runs Saved by Randy Winn in 2006 and Gregor Blanco in 2013.

That's not a particularly high total. Twenty eight of the 29 MLB teams have had a player with more than 7 Runs Saved in the history of the stat, with the Dodgers being the only other that hasn't. The Giants also have the distinction of having the lowest Runs Saved total for their best left fielder, 6 by Winn in 2009 and Mike Tauchman in 2021.

This makes sense. Oracle Park is a difficult place to play the outfield given the cold conditions and swirling winds. This isn't necessarily true statistically every year, but last year it was pronounced. Giants outfielders last season combined for -22 Runs Saved on batted balls at home and 0 Runs Saved on the road. Bader is pretty good, but he's going to be challenged to have a good defensive season out there.

I want to comment about the other teams in that table above. The Rockies being at the top of this list isn't surprising. But they've got a chance to move out of that spot given that they've got an excellent center fielder in Brenton Doyle, who had 18 Runs Saved in 2023 and 11 in 2024, the only double-digit seasons by a Rockies center fielder. The Pirates have a struggler in Oneil Cruz, who had a pretty rough Opening Day and is coming off a season of -14 Runs Saved.

The Athletics have actually never had a 10-Runs Saved season from a center fielder but it looks like they'll have a good chance this year if Denzel Clarke plays regularly. Clarke had 7 Runs Saved in 47 games last season and has already wowed fans with catches like this in 2026.

Lastly, it does seem a little surprising that the Dodgers are on this list given the many great athletes that they've had. About one-third of that -117 is attributable to two seasons of Matt Kemp (including a -33 Runs Saved that is another story for another time). Their current regular center fielder, Andy Pages, has -8 and -1 Runs Saved in his two seasons there.

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