Mauricio Dubon had a Giants spring training debut to remember. The 25-year-old went deep on his first swing in San Francisco's Cactus League opener and followed that with an RBI single to center field.
On defense, however, Dubon bobbled a ball at shortstop and was marked with an error. It just so happened he was set to have his player meeting with manager Gabe Kapler, general manager Scott Harris and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi after the game. Zaidi joked they were going to have to move him off shortstop after the bobble, but it was all in good fun.
The reality is, Dubon won't be sticking at shortstop. Or second base for that matter. He'll be moved all around the field to keep his bat and athleticism in the lineup.
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"He's a confident kid and we saw him do some nice things at shortstop last year," Zaidi said Monday on KNBR's "Murph & Mac Show." "He knows the more spots that he can play, the more options he's gonna give Gabe and the staff and the more at-bats he's gonna get, so he's fully embraced that."
Dubon played 22 games at second base for the Giants and nine at shortstop after being acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers before the July 31 deadline. There were whispers in the offseason that the Giants could experiment with him in center field, too.
Late last month, Dubon gave us a glimpse of what that could look like.
"What you love about Mauricio, even as he saw us bringing in a couple guys that may get playing time at second base for us -- Wilmer Flores and Yolmer Sanchez -- he's really embraced that possibility of moving around," Zaidi said.
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Even in the minor leagues, Dubon has yet to move from the infield to the outfield. He strictly has played second and short in the majors, and also has 11 games under his belt at third base in the minor leagues. On Wednesday, the Giants will get their first look at Dubon the outfielder.
Dubon is scheduled to take Billy Hamilton's place in center field at some point against the Brewers. It might not look perfect at first, but Dubon has the athleticism and work ethic to make this the best situation for both parties.
Versatility is becoming the new norm in baseball, and Dubon's willingness to wear many hats should be of great benefit to the Giants.