SAN FRANCISCO–Neither Tyler Austin nor Brandon Belt played any outfield with their respective teams during spring training.
So when the Giants acquired Austin in a trade with the Minnesota Twins Monday, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Bruce Bochy faced a dilemma. The Giants want both hitters in a lineup that’s in desperate need of more power, so the team’s brain trust chose to send Austin to first base and move Belt to left field.
Belt has appeared in just 70 career games in left field, but Austin has played left just once in his 122-game career.