Tomlinson stars as Giants beat Rockies, 3-2

SAN FRANCISCO _ While the rest of the Giants relax in October, Kelby Tomlinson will be hard at work in instructional ball receiving a crash course as a center fielder.tmpplchld He’s already convincing the Giants that the experiment will work.tmpplchld Tomlinson put all his considerable skills on display in a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park. He showed off his speed while hitting the Giants’ first inside-the-park home run in two years. And he exhibited his athleticism while adjusting to a windblown pop-up and making a juggling, over-the-shoulder catch.tmpplchld It is asking a lot of a career infielder. But if Tomlinson can make the transition to center field, while also maintaining that flat, consistent swing of his, then he could platoon with Gregor Blanco and become the answer to a major organizational concern.tmpplchld Angel Pagan grades out as the worst defensive center fielder in baseball. And that simply won’t work for a team that plays in a pitcher’s park.tmpplchld When Pagan allowed a catchable fly ball to drop at his feet Saturday, it was anecdotal evidence that matched the advanced metrics. Pagan’s ultimate zone rating is dead last among 23 major league center fielders who have played enough innings to qualify. The Giants’ proprietary stats show that their center fielders have cost the team 24 runs; the only position that has been more detrimental among N.L. clubs is Mets shortstops, who have cost their team 27 runs.tmpplchld According to Fangraphs.com, Pagan’s rating of minus-12.8 runs saved is last among everyday major league center fielders.tmpplchld Pagan is owed $10 million for next season, but his name has come up in trade discussions; the Giants could seek to swap him for someone else’s dead money, or perhaps make him more palatable by lashing a prospect onto him in a potential deal.tmpplchld Asking Pagan to move to a corner would be a challenge, and not just because of any resistance the team might encounter. The Giants already have internal solutions, in addition to a $5.5 million option on Nori Aoki.tmpplchld Tomlinson appears destined to be useful in one capacity or another. He electrified the ballpark in the first inning when his drive split the defenders in right-center and the Rockies held a caucus before deciding who would throw the ball back to the infield. Tomlinson never stopped running, appeared to hit a second and third gear, and did not even appear winded after sliding under the tag at the plate.tmpplchld “I felt slow to first base, but around second, that’s when I feel I kick it up the most,” said Tomlinson, whose glasses flew off his face for the first time he could remember.tmpplchld Tomlinson, who doubled in his next at-bat, became the first Giant to make his first two career home runs a grand slam and an inside-the-parker since Art Devlin in 1905, according to Bill Arnold.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)tmpplchld Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld