Spring training 2018

[tzill]

I'm not embarrassed to say I have no idea who half of these nicknames refer to.

I shall translate:

SP - Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardjzia, Blach, Stratton
BP - Melancon, Watson, Dyson, Strickland, Gearrin, Osich, Holland
IF - Posey, Belt, Panik, Crawford, Longoria
OF - Pence, Jackson, McCutchen
Bench - Hundley, Sandoval, Tomlinson, Blanco, Duggar

 

[tzill]

Here's my guessing, going from most well known/most obvious to, by process of elimination who I think he is referring to:

Bum - Bumgarner
Panda - Sandoval
JC - Cueto
MVP - Posey
Shark - Samardzija
Cutch - McCutchen
Strick - Strickland
BB9 - Belt
Dozens - Panik
Strat - Stratton
Stamos - Crawford
Herk - Pence
White Shark - Blanco
Hundo - Hundley
Duggs - Duggar
O-shit - Osich
Eva - Longoria (duh!)
Ajax - Jackson
Specs - Tomlinson (what happened to Clark Kent?)
The bullpen is where I'm really struggling with deciphering the nicknames:
Elementary - (my dear) Watson
Vacuum - Dyson
Dancin - Melancon
Dutch - Holland
Hippy - Gearrin????
There are times I have to just smile and nod when @tzill throws out one of his nicknames, not knowing who in the world he is talking about. My question for tzill is, what happens if both Blancos somehow make the roster? White Shark1 and White Shark2?

We'd need to come up with a new nick for the new Blanco. He wouldn't be White Shark b/c Gregor got his nick b/c "Greg White" sounds like "Great White" which is a type of shark.

Well, Sammy is just Shark, whilie Gregor Blanco is literally "White Shark", which in a way is even more confusing.

Gregor Blanco is literally "Greg White" which sounds like Great White, which is a type of shark. That's how he got his nick. If the other Blanco makes the team, I'll come up with something.

 

[SFGRTB]

We'd need to come up with a new nick for the new Blanco. He wouldn't be White Shark b/c Gregor got his nick b/c "Greg White" sounds like "Great White" which is a type of shark.

Gregor Blanco is literally "Greg White" which sounds like Great White, which is a type of shark. That's how he got his nick. If the other Blanco makes the team, I'll come up with something.

Back in 2012 or something, I must have mis-heard or was given wrong information. I could have sworn that Gregor had some sort of meaning with shark.

Just looked it up and the "shark" portion of his nickname comes from his old winter ball team. Blanco is obviously a direct translation.

 

[LHG]

 

[SFGRTB]

So minor league spring games are just officially kicking off, therefore the later than normal cuts.

 

[SFGRTB]

The Giants have been derailed by some odd occurrences with their international players.

Good luck with the rest of your life, Gustavo.

 

[calsnowskier]

The Giants have been derailed by some odd occurrences with their international players.

Good luck with the rest of your life, Gustavo.

But he is the poster-child of the “what could have been” club.

 

[SFGRTB]

But he is the poster-child of the “what could have been” club.

Dude managed a .294/.345/.511 line last year while dealing with consistent wrist pain and living in the training room (extreme SSS, but still). Kid was a stud... still is for coming back at all from that.

The worst part is it wasn't anything talent related.... He'll always be the ultimate unknown

(I don't mean any malice towards Cabrera, BTW)

 

[LHG]

Dude managed a .294/.345/.511 line last year while dealing with consistent wrist pain and living in the training room (extreme SSS, but still). Kid was a stud... still is for coming back at all from that.

The worst part is it wasn't anything talent related.... He'll always be the ultimate unknown

(I don't mean any malice towards Cabrera, BTW)

I feel bad that his career was derailed from that injury but I am glad that he still has his hand (and was at least able to try baseball again). Kudos to him for both trying to play and for realizing it just wasn't worth it. It would have been fun to have seen him in the Giants' outfield for years to come but it wasn't mean to be.

 

[LHG]

Two weeks into spring training, here's a brief statistical look at guys competing for roster spots.
4th & 5th starters
Ty Blach - He started one game last week and looked good, going 3.1 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned) and no walks.
Chris Stratton - Stratton made no starts but had one relief appearance, giving up 2 runs in 3 innings (3 H, 2 W, 6 K!)
Tyler Beede - He looked better in his 2nd start, going 3 innings and giving up 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts but he's still lagging behind for the 5th spot in the rotation.
Andrew Suarez - Barring a sudden collapse from Blach or Stratton, Suarez has to be out of the running. He's only pitched in relief and to the tune of a 2.000 WHIP and 7.70 ERA.
2nd lefty in bullpen
Josh Osich - He continues to look good, sporting a pristine 0.00 ERA and a beautiful 0.55 WHIP, making him, in my opinion, the favorite to be Will Smith's replacement while he continues his rehab.
Steven Okert - He is pitching well but lagging behind Osich, with a 2.25 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.
Derek Holland - After a disastrous first appearance, he has looked better of late, pitching 5.2 innings in 2 appearances, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 2 walks and striking out 5. I wonder if he's being thrown back in to the starter role. However, given Stratton and Blach's hot starts, it may be more to see if he's ready in case one falters.
DJ Snelten - He's also done better this week, going 2.2 innings with 1 hit, no walks and 1 strikeout. However, he is a longshot at this point.
Final bullpen spot
Derek Law - His week was meh, going 1 inning and giving up a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one.
Julian Fernandez - He looked good in his lone appearance this week (as SFGRTB pointed out) after two awful appearances last week. His stuff is going to keep him in camp until the last week at least.
Casey Kelly, Chris Heston, Pierce Johnson, Jose Valdez, Tyler Rogers are all still in camp and posting good numbers but all remain longshots to make the team. However, I could see one of them weasel in if Law and Fernandez don't start looking better, the Giants decide not to carry three lefthanders (and let go of Holland) and one of these guys continues to pitch lights out.
Backup infielders
Chase d'Arnaud - Slashing .364/.440/.500, he is pushing Tomlinson for that backup role.
Miguel Gomez - Has gone 2 for 9 last week, cooling off quite a bit, but still slashing .292/.308/.500 in spring.
Pablo Sandoval - He still has to be a favorite for corner backup but he's not hitting well in spring, slashing .222/.250/.500. He went 1 for 8 with no extra base hits this last week.
Kelby Tomlinson - He is hitting poorly, slashing just .238/.273/.333. There could be a chance he doesn't make the team.
Kyle Jensen - Only got 3 appearances this week. He'll be gone soon but his numbers are fun to look at.
Alen Hanson, Orlando Calixte, and Josh Rutledge are still playing but aren't hitting that well and could be more of longshots at this point, unless one gets really hot.
Backup outfielders - I have to say, this group is battling hard to make the team.
Gregor Blanco - He is trying hard to make this team, now slashing .538/.611/1.077. If Duggar goes to AAA, I wouldn't be surprised Blanco sticks around to platoon with Jackson.
Mac Williamson - He is my favorite to make it as the backup to Pence (maybe even a platoon) and McCutchen. His slash of .370/.370/.852 looks good but it would be nice if he worked on some patience at the plate.
Steven Duggar - He may be the starting or platoon center fielder but maybe he goes to AAA for some more seasoning. Either way, he's making it tough with a .292/.346/.708 slash with some good defense.
Chris Shaw - Another offensive slash that is good, he is putting up .318/.375/.591 but will probably be starting at AAA this season.
Jarrett Parker - His time with the Giants may be ending (or AAA looks like a likely destination). In a crowded outfield picture, with so many hitting well, he is making room negatively, shown by his .192/.300/.462 line thus far.
Gorkys Hernandez - He may have the inside track with his 2017 2nd half but his spring numbers - .176/.333/.412 - combined with the guys listed above - may indicate his days on the roster are numbered.
Austin Slater - He is making a trip to AAA look easy right now with a .222/.300/.389 spring slash.

Three weeks in and just two weeks until Opening Day! With the first round of cuts thinning out the competitors, here's my summary of the competitions.
4th & 5th starters:
Ty Blach threw the first dud of the spring, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings. However, his overall numbers are still good enough to be leading this group. Chris Stratton, however, may leap frog him to the 4th spot as he's looked better as spring has moved along. He only allowed 1 run in 4 innings, striking out 3.
Derek Holland is right behind these two and could make it as the 5th starter if he continues to look better and one falters. He made his first start of spring and was decent. He only allowed 1 run in 3.1 innings but gave up 4 hits and 2 walks. The runners have plagued him throughout spring (except one outing) but he's been lucky (or really good) when they get on. Andrew Suarez' first start was bad, giving up 5 runs (with 2 home runs) in 4 innings. The Giants probably keep him and Tyler Beede up for two reasons - give them a feel for the big leagues and continue to work with the catchers they'll throw to in AAA as all potential guys are still in big league camp. Beede, meanwhile, looked even worse in his last start, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs in only 2 innings (with just 1 strikeout). Hope he starts to look better.
2nd lefty in bullpen:
With both Okert and Snelten sent down, it looks to be down to a two man race here. Josh Osich has to be in the lead. He threw two more quality appearances, striking out the side in the first (around 1 hit and 1 walk) and went 2.1 innings in the 2nd (giving up only 1 hit). Considering the other two races Holland is in, I would say that Osich has got this spot nailed down. I'm surprised that Okert and Snelten weren't around longer, as both had a rough start to spring, only to look good by the time they got sent down.
Final spot in bullpen:
Derek Law has not looked up this spring, getting worse with each appearance. I thought he was the early favorite but the door is looking wide open for Holland if he doesn't crack the rotation. Everybody's favorite, Roberto Gomez, may be the guy who makes this spot if Holland gets in the rotation or dethrones Osich, as he has looked better than most of the rest of this group the past week. Jose Valdez is getting a serious look but he sputtered in his last appearance, walking 3 batters and giving up 1 hit while getting only two outs. Julian Fernandez, meanwhile, has alternated one good appearance with an absolutely awful game in 4 appearances in March. I just hope they can keep him in the minors somehow. Joan Gregorio is still in camp, getting three appearances this week, and while his last two were good, the first one was mediocre. He has to be lagging behind the rest in this group, but may have at least jumped past Fernandez. Is Manny Parra still considered to be in big league camp? He threw on the 12th for the first time in 9 days and didn't look good.
Interesting side note, Casey Kelly was never officially invited to big league camp but he still managed 3 appearances by March 3rd. And talk about effective - he only threw 22 pitches, getting 9 outs (two by Ks) and walking 2 batters, with no hits allowed. Chris Heston also got in 3 early appearances and was decent. Both last pitched on March 3rd. My personal favorite, Tyler Rogers, didn't even make it to March with the big club. Oh well.
Corner backup infielder:
Pablo Sandoval has to be the favorite, despite his March madness. After a great February (3 for 10 with 2 doubles and 1 home run), he has been very pedestrian in March, getting only 6 singles and 1 walk in 22 plate appearances. Kyle Jensen killed it enough in early spring to make it past the first round of cuts and to be considered, at least lightly, as a possible surprise roster addition as a backup. However, his playing time has been sparse and he has not produced lately, going 2 for 8 (both singles) with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts in the last week. I expect him to be in the next round of cuts. Josh Rutledge, meanwhile, has caught fire in the last week, going 5 for 8, with 3 doubles! He is pushing both Sandoval and Tomlinson.
Up the middle backup infielder:
If Rutledge does take the final infield roster spot from Kelby Tomlinson, then Andres Blanco might. Blanco didn't even get into a game until March 8th but has gone 4 for 7 after going hitless in his first 3 at-bats. Orlando Calixte has hit a home run among his 6 singles, but his numbers, compared to the competition, still puts him in a possible upset over Tomlinson. Chase d'Arnaud has limped along with a 1 for 9 showing this past week, but his slash is still better than Tomlinsons', who is now at .258/.303/.323, but did go 3 for 10 (and a walk but also struck out 5 times) this week.
Backup outfielders:
Gregor Blanco slowed down this week, going 1 for 7, pushing his slash to a mere .400/.480/.850 this spring. Yeah, he's got the inside track. Hey, Mac Williamson finally drew a walk this spring! Now his slash is .359/.375/.821. Yet, he still may not make the team. That is because Steven Duggar is also hitting well, .273/.385/.667 this spring. It would be a weird combination to round out the outfield with Jackson, Blanco and Duggar, but very possible. Jarrett Parker, however, has hit better of late, possibly making it easier for the Giants to send both Williamson and Duggar down to round out the outfield with . . . Chris Shaw, who has gone hitless in his last 9 at-bats. The combination of Blanco's offensive fireworks and Gorkys Hernandez' anemic .188/.278/.313 line means Hernandez doesn't make this team. Austin Slater is just below Hernandez and has to be the first outfielder cut at this point. It will be interesting to see how Sacramento's outfield playing time gets down, probably the odd man out gets put in the DH slot most days.

 

[SFGRTB]

Three weeks in and just two weeks until Opening Day! With the first round of cuts thinning out the competitors, here's my summary of the competitions.
4th & 5th starters:
Ty Blach threw the first dud of the spring, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings. However, his overall numbers are still good enough to be leading this group. Chris Stratton, however, may leap frog him to the 4th spot as he's looked better as spring has moved along. He only allowed 1 run in 4 innings, striking out 3.
Derek Holland is right behind these two and could make it as the 5th starter if he continues to look better and one falters. He made his first start of spring and was decent. He only allowed 1 run in 3.1 innings but gave up 4 hits and 2 walks. The runners have plagued him throughout spring (except one outing) but he's been lucky (or really good) when they get on. Andrew Suarez' first start was bad, giving up 5 runs (with 2 home runs) in 4 innings. The Giants probably keep him and Tyler Beede up for two reasons - give them a feel for the big leagues and continue to work with the catchers they'll throw to in AAA as all potential guys are still in big league camp. Beede, meanwhile, looked even worse in his last start, giving up 8 hits and 6 runs in only 2 innings (with just 1 strikeout). Hope he starts to look better.
2nd lefty in bullpen:
With both Okert and Snelten sent down, it looks to be down to a two man race here. Josh Osich has to be in the lead. He threw two more quality appearances, striking out the side in the first (around 1 hit and 1 walk) and went 2.1 innings in the 2nd (giving up only 1 hit). Considering the other two races Holland is in, I would say that Osich has got this spot nailed down. I'm surprised that Okert and Snelten weren't around longer, as both had a rough start to spring, only to look good by the time they got sent down.
Final spot in bullpen:
Derek Law has not looked up this spring, getting worse with each appearance. I thought he was the early favorite but the door is looking wide open for Holland if he doesn't crack the rotation. Everybody's favorite, Roberto Gomez, may be the guy who makes this spot if Holland gets in the rotation or dethrones Osich, as he has looked better than most of the rest of this group the past week. Jose Valdez is getting a serious look but he sputtered in his last appearance, walking 3 batters and giving up 1 hit while getting only two outs. Julian Fernandez, meanwhile, has alternated one good appearance with an absolutely awful game in 4 appearances in March. I just hope they can keep him in the minors somehow. Joan Gregorio is still in camp, getting three appearances this week, and while his last two were good, the first one was mediocre. He has to be lagging behind the rest in this group, but may have at least jumped past Fernandez. Is Manny Parra still considered to be in big league camp? He threw on the 12th for the first time in 9 days and didn't look good.
Interesting side note, Casey Kelly was never officially invited to big league camp but he still managed 3 appearances by March 3rd. And talk about effective - he only threw 22 pitches, getting 9 outs (two by Ks) and walking 2 batters, with no hits allowed. Chris Heston also got in 3 early appearances and was decent. Both last pitched on March 3rd. My personal favorite, Tyler Rogers, didn't even make it to March with the big club. Oh well.
Corner backup infielder:
Pablo Sandoval has to be the favorite, despite his March madness. After a great February (3 for 10 with 2 doubles and 1 home run), he has been very pedestrian in March, getting only 6 singles and 1 walk in 22 plate appearances. Kyle Jensen killed it enough in early spring to make it past the first round of cuts and to be considered, at least lightly, as a possible surprise roster addition as a backup. However, his playing time has been sparse and he has not produced lately, going 2 for 8 (both singles) with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts in the last week. I expect him to be in the next round of cuts. Josh Rutledge, meanwhile, has caught fire in the last week, going 5 for 8, with 3 doubles! He is pushing both Sandoval and Tomlinson.
Up the middle backup infielder:
If Rutledge does take the final infield roster spot from Kelby Tomlinson, then Andres Blanco might. Blanco didn't even get into a game until March 8th but has gone 4 for 7 after going hitless in his first 3 at-bats. Orlando Calixte has hit a home run among his 6 singles, but his numbers, compared to the competition, still puts him in a possible upset over Tomlinson. Chase d'Arnaud has limped along with a 1 for 9 showing this past week, but his slash is still better than Tomlinsons', who is now at .258/.303/.323, but did go 3 for 10 (and a walk but also struck out 5 times) this week.
Backup outfielders:
Gregor Blanco slowed down this week, going 1 for 7, pushing his slash to a mere .400/.480/.850 this spring. Yeah, he's got the inside track. Hey, Mac Williamson finally drew a walk this spring! Now his slash is .359/.375/.821. Yet, he still may not make the team. That is because Steven Duggar is also hitting well, .273/.385/.667 this spring. It would be a weird combination to round out the outfield with Jackson, Blanco and Duggar, but very possible. Jarrett Parker, however, has hit better of late, possibly making it easier for the Giants to send both Williamson and Duggar down to round out the outfield with . . . Chris Shaw, who has gone hitless in his last 9 at-bats. The combination of Blanco's offensive fireworks and Gorkys Hernandez' anemic .188/.278/.313 line means Hernandez doesn't make this team. Austin Slater is just below Hernandez and has to be the first outfielder cut at this point. It will be interesting to see how Sacramento's outfield playing time gets down, probably the odd man out gets put in the DH slot most days.

It's looking more and more likely that the Giants will open with 3 lefties, Waston Osich and Holland. However, the Giants don't really need a 5th starter the first month with all the off days.

The four favorites to fill out the pitching staff as of now are probably Stratton (I'm close to saying he's a lock)-Blach as the 4/5, and Holland and Osich in the Pen. But I could see Stratton rounding out the 4-man rotation, with Osich, Holland and Fernandez in the Pen. Holland is the mop-up guy, Blach goes to AAA.

It would basically be a free-for-all, extension of spring training at that point until May. Holland trying to prove he has a role as a swing man or even the 5th starter, Osich fighting for his ML career (gotta think this last month-ish before Smith comes back is his last shot) and the Giants get to hide Fernandez a bit with an 8-man bullpen while they figure out what to do with him.

To me, that's the most interesting battle ATM. I don't really care much about the BU IF because that is going to change hands so many times this year anyway, and I think the OF is really set with Blanco and Parker (but MacDugger will arrive soon).

 

[SFGRTB]

I feel bad that his career was derailed from that injury but I am glad that he still has his hand (and was at least able to try baseball again). Kudos to him for both trying to play and for realizing it just wasn't worth it. It would have been fun to have seen him in the Giants' outfield for years to come but it wasn't mean to be.

I can hardly read the story about his injury. Scary, gruesome stuff.

 

[LHG]

It's looking more and more likely that the Giants will open with 3 lefties, Waston Osich and Holland. However, the Giants don't really need a 5th starter the first month with all the off days.

The four favorites to fill out the pitching staff as of now are probably Stratton (I'm close to saying he's a lock)-Blach as the 4/5, and Holland and Osich in the Pen. But I could see Stratton rounding out the 4-man rotation, with Osich, Holland and Fernandez in the Pen. Holland is the mop-up guy, Blach goes to AAA.

It would basically be a free-for-all, extension of spring training at that point until May. Holland trying to prove he has a role as a swing man or even the 5th starter, Osich fighting for his ML career (gotta think this last month-ish before Smith comes back is his last shot) and the Giants get to hide Fernandez a bit with an 8-man bullpen while they figure out what to do with him.

To me, that's the most interesting battle ATM. I don't really care much about the BU IF because that is going to change hands so many times this year anyway, and I think the OF is really set with Blanco and Parker (but MacDugger will arrive soon).

I can see Holland starting out as the long reliever for the club, he's pretty much been used that way in spring. With Law's struggles, Holland looks like the best bet. Another way for Fernandez to stick could be that the Giants send Osich down and stick with Blach and Holland as the lefties until they need a 5th starter. I do think that Jose Valdez is a possibility for the bullpen but he hasn't helped himself today in continuing the meltdown Chris Stratton had in the 5th inning.
I think half of the guys competing for the backup infield spots may not even be in the org by May 1st. The Giants just have too many infielders in the upper minors to give all of them jobs.
I don't think the outfield is as set as you think, but your scenario is a very real possibility. I think it will depend on how Williamson, Blanco, Duggar and Parker do the rest of the way. I do think Gorkys is done and I would think the Giants cutting him now will give him a better chance of landing a job elsewhere if the Giants opt not to keep him. With Williamson, Duggar, Shaw and Slater are real possibilities to go to Sacramento, would the Giants send Gorkys to Richmond?

 

[SFGRTB]

Curt Young (new Giants' pitching coach) just said on the broadcast a minute ago that Julian Fernandez is going to try to go multiple innings today, and see how he responds.

 

[calsnowskier]

Curt Young (new Giants' pitching coach) just said on the broadcast a minute ago that Julian Fernandez is going to try to go multiple innings today, and see how he responds.

2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 1 WP.

Without the WP, it would have been a clean outing.

 

[SFGRTB]

2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 1 WP.

Without the WP, it would have been a clean outing.

2 Ks as well. He was spotting his fastball pretty good, didn't have a clue where his curveball was going.

He really only needs to be able to hit his spots with his fastball to make the team, IMO. In short stints that's all he really needs.

 

[calsnowskier]

Here’s my WAG...

Bumgarner
Cueto
Samardzija
Stratton
Blach

Melancon
Watson
Strickland
Gearin
Holland
Dyson
Fernandez

Posey
Hundley

Belt
Panik
Crawford
Longoria
Sandoval
D’Arnaud

Pence
McCutchen
Jackson
Parker
Blanco

DL - Smith

DFA - Hernandez, Gomez, Law

 

[LHG]

Here’s my WAG...

Bumgarner
Cueto
Samardzija
Stratton
Blach

Melancon
Watson
Strickland
Gearin
Holland
Dyson
Fernandez

Posey
Hundley

Belt
Panik
Crawford
Longoria
Parker
Blanco

DL - Smith

DFA - Hernandez, Gomez, Law

Gorkys sure has heated up. He's 5 for his last 8 with 1 walk and is 7 for 16 in the last week. Is his push too late? If not, who gets bumped? I cannot see Blanco going to AAA (although I cannot see anyone of Blanco, Hernandez or Parker at AAA, unless one agrees to play 1st base, which pushes other players but lesser names than Williamson, Slater, Shaw and Duggar).

 

[calsnowskier]

Gorkys sure has heated up. He's 5 for his last 8 with 1 walk and is 7 for 16 in the last week. Is his push too late? If not, who gets bumped? I cannot see Blanco going to AAA (although I cannot see anyone of Blanco, Hernandez or Parker at AAA, unless one agrees to play 1st base, which pushes other players but lesser names than Williamson, Slater, Shaw and Duggar).

Gorkys may take the job. I just don’t see more than one of Blanco, Gorkys and Duggar making the team. Duggar is almost certainly NOT making the team. And between Blanco and Gorkys, I would put it at about 60/40 Blanco. And while I think Parker will have a short leash, I think he gets the job out of spring. A last gasp.

 

[SFGRTB]