Many Giants fans urged the team to sign a big-name infielder this offseason.
Well, the team has, but his name isn’t big in America; it’s big in South Korea.
Bay Area News Group’s Andrew Baggarly is reporting the Giants are nearing completion on a minor league contract with third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang.
Hwang, 29, hit .335/.394/.570 with 27 home runs and 24 stolen bases last season for the Lotte Giants in South Korea.
Third base will be a competitive spot for the Giants in spring training and Bruce Bochy might use a platoon throughout the season. The incumbent candidates each have something going for them. Conor Gillaspie was San Francisco’s short-lived 2016 postseason hero and will look to transfer that momentum into the spring. Eduardo Nunez had some fielding issues and saw his batting average dip from .296 the first half of the season with the Twins, to .269 in the second half with the Giants.
Hwang, a 10-year veteran and fan favorite in Korea, was becoming known for his dramatic bat flips after home runs. Giants fans will hope he provides strong competition, or even emerges as an every day player in San Francisco.