Is Matt Duffy making it harder on Bruce Bochy to start Casey McGehee at third base? San Francisco Giants analyst Duane Kuiper thinks so.
"We don't know how long Bochy's going to do that," Kuiper told KNBR 680 on Thursday. "If Duffy keeps having terrific at-bats, he's going to play. And he's not going to play short, and he's not going to play second ... you cannot keep that bat, and the ability that he has to hit with runners in scoring position … it's hard to keep that bat on the bench."
Kuiper spoke about Bochy trying to reward Duffy by utilizing his versatility to plug him in the lineup. But Duffy could be vying for a more permanent spot.
"We talked about the length of rope that Casey McGehee has, and it's probably getting a little shorter every day. I think Bruce Bochy, his history, we're going to give this veteran an ample shot to see if he's the guy that had over 170 hits last year or if he's not. So I think we have to be patient with that, but sometimes patience gets a little weary after a while."
Duffy, 24, is hitting .297 through 25 games to start the 2015 season, which is the second highest on the Giants behind Angel Pagan. His 15 RBI are tied for second on the team with Justin Maxwell, who has played in six more games. Brandon Crawford leads the team with two more RBI (17), and has played in nine more games than Duffy.
McGehee, 32, is hitting .184 through 26 games, which is dead last on the team among position players. He has also grounded into 11 double plays, tied with Andrelton Simmons for most in the majors.
