Well one thing’s for certain: Aubrey Huff will not be serving as the designated hitter tonight for the Giants. Read: 0-for-12’s against starting pitchers aren’t conducive for active participation at the plate.

Now that the Word Series has moved to the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park for Game 3, San Francisco must decide who will play DH. Per American League regulations not used in the National League, manager Bruce Bochy needs to insert a player in the lineup for batting purposes only.

(This just in: Major League Baseball still finds itself with two leagues operating with two separate sets of rules.)

Bochy recently clarified that backup catcher Hector Sanchez will fulfill the DH job. Let’s examine the roster, however, and weigh the merits of both Sanchez and all relevant players for this AL-specific role.

Hector Sanchez

Starting with the reported designated hitter on Saturday night, Sanchez is an intriguing and somewhat problematic option. On the one hand, Sanchez was a proven commodity in the regular season with three home runs, 15 doubles and 34 RBI, all while batting .280 through 218 at-bats. From a pessimistic viewpoint, he is 1-for-7 in the postseason with four strikeouts, hasn’t yet registered an at-bat in the World Series and has never faced Anibal Sanchez.

It’s clear that Bochy wants some thump in the lineup in terms of power numbers. If the Giants were to find themselves in a bases loaded situation, Sanchez’s .571 batting average and nine RBI are hard to ignore. That said, hitting home runs at the absurdly spacious Comerica Park is no easy task. Bochy must know something that we do not—which is entirely likely—because the pertinent numbers, or lack thereof, do not support Sanchez’s insertion in the lineup.

Pablo Sandoval + Joaquin Arias

Before the World Series began, Marco Scutaro was the unquestionable MVP of the Giants’ postseason run. MLB officially honored him as such with the NLCS MVP trophy.

But through two games of the Fall Classic, Pablo Sandoval is now the man for that honor—and historically so. The Kung Fu Panda joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players in baseball history to hit three home runs in a single World Series game. And Sandoval became the first to accomplish the feat in three straight at bats. All told, he’s 5-for-7 with four RBI and a disgusting 1.148 OPS.

Now enter Joaquin Arias into the equation. The utility infielder for the Giants provides excellent defense at third base, and superior to that of Sandoval. Bochy could put him at third and Sandoval as the DH. Plus, Arias isn’t just a one-trick pony. He’s 3-for-8 (.375) with two doubles so far in the playoffs. Six of those plate appearances came in the NLDS, with two occurring in Game 1 of the NLCS on October 18.

Against the right-hander Anibal Sanchez—Detroit’s starter for Game 3—he is 1-for-5 without an extra-base hit. Sandoval is 1-for-6 with a strikeout. Those numbers, though, are inconsequential in light of his status as the Giants’ best hitter right now.

So the pro’s of this two-sided move are that Bochy would upgrade his infield defense at one of the most important positions, as well as inserting another quality batter in the lineup. Working against Sandoval as the DH is that changing his normal routine could possibly remove him from his comfort zone, thereby altering the rhythm he’s established in the postseason. DH’ing just isn’t something he does on a regular basis.

This is a great move when viewed on paper, but the odds are that Bochy won’t dare risk hurting the team’s most valuable asset.

Aubrey Huff

Again, Huff is batting 0-for-12 with three strikeouts against Sanchez. Potential left-handed power or not, Huff hasn’t been a viable threat at the plate since the 2010 World Series. We say this with all due respect to the former postseason hero.

Xavier Nady

The Giants picked up the well-traveled Nady late in the season for his home-run potential in the batter’s box. While fighting through injuries throughout his time in San Francisco, he hit .240 with one HR, three doubles and seven RBI. He also logged a triple and six walks in 50 at-bats.

Nady is not the most qualified of candidates for the position, however.  He hasn’t produced a hit in the postseason—albeit in limited action—and is just 1-for-7 against Anibal Sanchez.

Ryan Theriot

Theriot, otherwise affectionately known as The Riot, has some of the better power numbers against Sanchez. Of his two hits in nine at-bats, one was a triple and the other a home run. Those base knocks produced two RBI.

Helping the Giants’ backup infielder are his three RBI and .333 bating average in the 2012 postseason. If it wasn’t for Hector Sanchez, Theriot would be the best candidate for the DH role.