The Giants have proven willing to experiment with the first base position in recent years, and catcher Hector Sanchez was just the latest unfamiliar player to get a shot at the position. Sanchez started at first base Tuesday against the Braves.
"He has pretty good hands and I think he can handle it," manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com "We'll have to see how it goes. With [Brandon] Belt out, we're going to get a little creative here."
Of course, Sanchez's defensive acumen at a position he has played just once before, in a spring training game, isn't the reason he is in the lineup. Sanchez is hitting .353 over the last 10 games, and ranks fifth on the team with 16 RBI in just 64 trips to the plate.
"That's why he's out there today," Bochy said. "He's been driving in some key runs. You try to find a way to get that bat in the lineup."