SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Of all the players who were active in the majors last year, infielder Conor Gillaspie might be the last man anyone would expect to see in the Giants’ clubhouse this spring. Yet, here he is, on a minor-league contract, hoping to win an infield bench job with the team that picked him in the sandwich round of the 2008 draft.

Gillaspie’s five years in the organization generally were a disaster. On the field, he did not live up to his stature as the No. 37 pick in the draft. In the clubhouse, by his admission, he was a “bad apple” from the time he got a September call-up, at 21, the year he was drafted.

“Obviously, I was young and probably not mentally or physically or socially where I needed to be,” Gillaspie said Sunday.

“To establish myself as a person, more than anything, goes a long way in a big-league clubhouse because there’s been a lot of clubs, they have their bad apples, they have their guys you can’t approach and can’t talk to. I was one of those guys at that point. I’m looking forward to turning that around and being a guy who’s here for everybody in this room.”

Gillaspie’s maturity on and off the field came after the Giants finally raised the white flag and traded the Wichita State alum to the White Sox before the 2013 season.

He became their primary third baseman. In 2014, he had a .282 average and .752 OPS in 464 at-bats. He regressed in ’15 with the Sox, then Angels, leaving him minor-league offers this winter.

Gillaspie left a big impression on the Giants when he went 4-for-8 with a double in a two-game interleague series in 2014.

“He had a hell of a year,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “When we played them, we couldn’t get him out.”

Gillaspie has little pop for a third baseman but owns a short, left-handed swing that generates line drives when he is on.

He has a legitimate shot to win a bench job on a team short on experienced third-base candidates to back up Matt Duffy and short on left-handed-hitting reserves.

With Duffy approaching iron-man status as a rookie last year, Gillaspie might have have been better off going to one of the other clubs that offered him a minor-league deal. He does not view it that way.

“I’m just glad a club where I didn’t leave the best impact when I was here was respectful enough and kind enough to say, ‘You know what? This guy can possibly help us.’

“If my role is to be in Triple-A and be ready to come up and help, at this point, I’ve got a family and I’m 28 years old. Sometimes that’s life. Life’s not always fair, and I’ve got no problem with being a bench player. I’ve got no problem with being at Triple-A. I don’t really have a problem with anything anymore.”

During his first stint with the Giants, Gillaspie said, he learned how “far off” he was socially and on the field. Teammates in Chicago, including Paul Konerko, Gordon Beckham and even Jake Peavy helped him find his way.

Now, he has found his way back to his original club, married with a son, and in his mind, is much wiser.

“I’m lucky to be here and I’m super excited to have a chance to leave a more positive impact on people here,” Gillaspie said. “I’m looking forward to that more than anything else.”

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman