San Francisco Giants: 5 Best in-House Options If Miguel Tejada Doesn't Pan Out
After World Series MVP Edgar Renteria decided to leave San Francisco, the Giants had to look elsewhere to fill the hole that was left.
Miguel Tejada, who joined San Diego in 2010, accepted a one-year contract with the Giants worth $6.5 million. Tejada is a well-rounded veteran who has played in Oakland, Baltimore, Houston and San Diego.
The Giants are hoping his presence will recover some of what was lost with the departure of Renteria. Over his career, Tejada has had many up and down years, and he's certainly no guarantee to be successful as a Giant in 2011.
If he fails to make his mark in San Francisco, here are five other in-house options the Giants could use.
No. 5: Tough It out
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Odds are, even if Tejada doesn't have a great season, he probably won't have a horrible season, either.
The Giants only have two true shortstops on their entire roster, and forcing players to try and transition midseason to replace Tejada could turn into a nightmare.
If you recall, Buster Posey actually played shortstop in his amateur career, but there is no way I would ever recommend that management give him a shot at shortstop, no matter how horribly Tejada is playing.
No. 4: Call Up Brandon Crawford
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Brandon Crawford is a pretty talented minor league shortstop in the Giants farm system.
I'm not going to list him as one of the top options to replace Tejada, though, mostly because Crawford probably isn't even next in line to get called up.
Still, if he outperforms all other options, we could see Crawford in the majors by June. It would be considered a stretch to see him starting by the end of the year, but it's not impossible.
No. 3: Try out Mark Derosa
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On the San Francisco Giants depth chart, DeRosa is currently listed as the backup third baseman, backup left fielder and third-string first baseman.
If he can play all those positions, I don't see why he wouldn't be an average shortstop. Yes, his fielding may be worse than other candidates for the job, but the Giants could really use his bat.
Especially if he can stay healthy, DeRosa could be a legitimate possibility.
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No. 2: Call Up Ehire Adrianza
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Ehire Adrianza is considered by most to be the top shortstop prospect in the Giants farm system.
He still needs work offensively, but his defense is phenomenal and could help San Francisco at the major league level. Adrianza may not be the starting shortstop by the end of the year, but I see no reason why he wouldn't be called up by the end of the year if Tejada struggles.
After the success of Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and hopefully Brandon Belt, Giants management may be trigger-happy to call up more prospects if they see any opportunity.
No. 1: Start Mike Fontenot
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In all likelihood, Mike Fontenot will be the guy to replace Tejada if a change is necessary.
Fontenot was brought in from the Chicago Cubs last season to help the Giants make a push for the playoffs. He's only played in 31 games for the Giants so far and his numbers don't look too great, but he has the experience.
Fontenot is currently listed as the backup shortstop on the Giants depth chart, and should be given the opportunity to start every time Tejada has a day off. Unless he gets injured or one of the prospects starts to play at an elite level, Fontenot will be the only other Giant to start at shortstop this season.
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