It’s tempting to pretend like a team’s bench doesn’t matter, at least in the offseason. They’ll figure it out in the spring. They’ll mix and match. They’ll eventually stumble upon an acceptable permutation. Maybe. Hopefully.
But it matters! One of these players will get 300 or 400 at-bats because of an injury or unexpectedly awful performance or other calamity. That player could be Gregor Blanco in 2012 (good!) or it could be Gregor Blanco in 2016 (not good!) So the GIants have to be careful with whom they pick.
With that, let’s take a look at the bench battles we’re expecting in the spring.