Spring Training 2021

[LHG]

Giants’ injury updates: Dedniel Núñez to have Tommy John surgery; Buster Posey’s timeline

Giants Rule 5 pitcher Dedniel Núñez will miss the season after opting to have Tommy...

www.sfchronicle.com

 

[calsnowskier]

I gotta enter a program to be in that kinda shape. LOL

 

[pachyderm]

Giants’ injury updates: Dedniel Núñez to have Tommy John surgery; Buster Posey’s timeline

Giants Rule 5 pitcher Dedniel Núñez will miss the season after opting to have Tommy...

www.sfchronicle.com

Buster's hip is going to nag him again this season... that does not bode well...

 

[MarcoPolo]

What would a Stokes' post be without some RISPy humor?

I coin a new phrase : "baseshattery" .

 

[LHG]

We are less than 2 weeks, and 9 spring training games, from Opening Day! It is so nice to have a full spring training again and look forward to a regular season starting before July.
Its been a week since I looked at how things are shaping up. The Giants just sent down 5 more players (more on that later), putting the total number of players in camp at 42 (and, yes, I know that the other 30 are still around). Here are some more thoughts I have about how the roster seems to be shaping up.

Catchers
Curt Casali has had a phenomenal spring so far at the plate. This past week, he went 2 for 8 with a home run and 3 walks. Considering that Buster Posey is currently injured, he may be the OP starter. If so, the Giants have asked him to work on his consistency at the plate and be more aggressive with incorporating bunts and using his speed on the bases this spring. I assume Chadwick Tromp will get the call as the backup but Joey Bart hasn't slowed down either, going 4 for 9 in the past week.

Infielders
Most of this group look pretty healthy, but Brandon Belt still hasn't gotten into a game yet this spring. There is still time, but I wouldn't be surprised if he starts the year on the IL and is activated about 2 weeks into the season. The bigger question, in my mind, is what will the Giants do with Evan Longoria? He got two more starts at the DH slot, going 4 for 8 with 2 home runs, but the DH isn't in the NL this year and Longoria still hasn't gotten any time in the infield. Will he get on the field within the next week? If so, I assume he's starting the regular season at 3rd base. However, if he is not ready to play defense, he may be joining Belt at the Alternate Site and Jason Vosler gets his major league debut. I would guess that he handles 3rd base with LaStella, 2nd base gets manned by Solano, Flores and LaStella, and 1st base is covered by Ruf, LaStella and Flores.

Outfielders
Weird moves are going on in the outfield group. Mauricio Dubon is still talked about as the starting center fielder, and got in 2 more games in center field this past week, but he continues to see more time in the infield. He's seen more time at shortstop (5 games) then center (4 games) and has also played at 2nd base (2 games) and 3rd base (1 game) this spring. Seems unusual considering the glut of infielders on the roster, even with Belt and Longoria down, but the Giants do seem short on a shortstop to back up Crawford.
Weirder still is the decision to send down Steven Duggar despite his hot spring training. I know, I know, spring training numbers aren't that important . . . except when they are. In the battle for the last roster spot, they are important and nobody in that group has been better than Duggar. Yet, the organization set some very subjective standards for him to work on and sent him on his way. Yet, LaMonte Wade and his .286 on base percentage remains officially in camp. In his last 12 at-bats, Wade has struck out in 8 of them. Not sure how that is outperforming Duggar, especially when Duggar has the superior defensive skill set as well. Like I said, weird.
Of course, with Austin Slater looking healthy, it may be a moot point. Slater is getting a long look at center field, and his bat is hot (.364/.364/.727 in the past week). It looks like he'll line up as the 4th man behind Alex Dickerson, Dubon and Mike Yastrzemski. Darin Ruf will presumably be a platoon option at both left field and 1st base, which means there won't be any room for Joe McCarthy or Wade, unless both Belt and Longoria start on the IL. If everyone is healthy, then Wade and Vosler get optioned and McCarthy is reassigned. If only Longoria doesn't make the roster, Vosler will be the guy kept. However, if Belt is the only guy to start on the IL, any of the three could get the nod. Personally, based on numbers, I feel that Vosler should be the first guy to get the nod, McCarthy the second and Wade the last. Actually, Duggar deserves a shot over both of the latter two. Duggar seems to be suffering from FZ's loathing of previous regime players.

Starting Rotation
All 5 of the projected starting rotation has pitched in at least one spring training game now. None of them have looked particularly good (Johnny Cueto has been extremely awful in his last start, hopefully him just working stuff out before season). Alex Wood just had an ablation procedure done on his back and so there is a question whether he will be ready to start the season. Logan Webb continues to impress (last game was 3 innings of shutout ball and only 2 baserunners) and should be the first in line to start should someone not be ready. And then there is the issue of Aaron Sanchez. He made his spring debut Friday and looked awful - giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and striking out 2 in 2 and a 1/3 innings pitched. He'll presumably get one more game in before the season starts. Should the team feel that he is not ready to start the season, Connor Menez may get the nod. His latest outing was similar to Webb's - going 2 and 2/3 shutout innings and giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out 3. There are a couple of dark horses here as well. Nick Tropeano has started a couple of games, but also pitched in relief in his last 2 appearances. Scott Kazmir will get a start on Sunday against the Dodgers. More on both below.

Bullpen
As I previously mentioned, there are a few locks already. Jack McGee has had a great spring and will possibly be the closer. Matt Wisler hasn't been great in spring but is signed to a major league deal. Jarlin Garcia has been slightly better than Wisler and will probably make the team. Jose Alvarez finally got in a couple of games (not sure if the delay was due to some injury and his late signing). Reyes Moronta finally looks healthy and got into some games as well (although the last one was rough). That fills up 5 of the 8 bullpen spots, leaving 3 up for grabs. I assume Tyler Rogers will fill one of those three spots. He's done nothing to hurt himself this spring. Some of the other guys have, though. Lefties Sam Selman and Wandy Peralta continue to get blown up and will probably both get dfa'd in about 12 days. Righty James Sherfy looked good, up until this week, with two poor appearances probably killing his chances to make the roster. Caleb Baragar has pitched well but the talk has been of him opening the season in Sacramento as a starter, and he's only pitched in relief this spring. Yunior Marte has, on one hand, looked good, with 6 Ks in 5 1/3 innings pitched but has also given up 6 hits, 2 walks and hit 3 batters. Trevor Gott continues to strike out batters but also give up a lot of runs. Luis Gonzalez has stuck around this long but he looked poor in his last appearance and was low on the list to make the squad from the outset. Scott Kazmir has been awful in his two appearances and may be looked at as a starter now, anyway. Zack Littell was a favorite among the non-roster invitees, going into camp, but he's been hit hard (10 hits, 2 walks in 6 innings pitched with 6 Ks). Ashton Goudeau has yet to pitch for the Giants and, I assume, will get optioned soon (or dfa'd, FZ has to be feeling stir crazy not doing that more often).
So that leaves 5 pitchers, based on spring numbers, battling it out for the last two 2 spots in the bullpen. Shun Yamaguchi is similar to Marte, yet fewer Ks and hit batsmen. He may have a decent shot at the last bullpen slot. However, Tropeano may to have a leg up on him for the long man position. Tropeano has allowed only 1 run in 6 innings of work, giving up 4 hits (but 3 walks and 3 hit batsmen) with 6 Ks. Rico Garcia has finally gotten into games, pitching in 3 of them this week, going 2 1/3 innings with 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks and 3 Ks. Dominic Leone has quietly gotten better as spring training as progressed, striking out 9 batters in 6 innings of work, giving up 6 hits, 1 hits batsmen and 2 walks. Sllvino Bracho has been the best NRI among the 21 pitchers invited, by far. He has been looking good to secure a spot with 11 Ks, 2 hits and 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Opponents have batted only .095 against him.

 

[LHG]

Just learned about this . . .

 

[pachyderm]

We are less than 2 weeks, and 9 spring training games, from Opening Day! It is so nice to have a full spring training again and look forward to a regular season starting before July.
Its been a week since I looked at how things are shaping up. The Giants just sent down 5 more players (more on that later), putting the total number of players in camp at 42 (and, yes, I know that the other 30 are still around). Here are some more thoughts I have about how the roster seems to be shaping up.

Catchers
Curt Casali has had a phenomenal spring so far at the plate. This past week, he went 2 for 8 with a home run and 3 walks. Considering that Buster Posey is currently injured, he may be the OP starter. If so, the Giants have asked him to work on his consistency at the plate and be more aggressive with incorporating bunts and using his speed on the bases this spring. I assume Chadwick Tromp will get the call as the backup but Joey Bart hasn't slowed down either, going 4 for 9 in the past week.

Infielders
Most of this group look pretty healthy, but Brandon Belt still hasn't gotten into a game yet this spring. There is still time, but I wouldn't be surprised if he starts the year on the IL and is activated about 2 weeks into the season. The bigger question, in my mind, is what will the Giants do with Evan Longoria? He got two more starts at the DH slot, going 4 for 8 with 2 home runs, but the DH isn't in the NL this year and Longoria still hasn't gotten any time in the infield. Will he get on the field within the next week? If so, I assume he's starting the regular season at 3rd base. However, if he is not ready to play defense, he may be joining Belt at the Alternate Site and Jason Vosler gets his major league debut. I would guess that he handles 3rd base with LaStella, 2nd base gets manned by Solano, Flores and LaStella, and 1st base is covered by Ruf, LaStella and Flores.

Outfielders
Weird moves are going on in the outfield group. Mauricio Dubon is still talked about as the starting center fielder, and got in 2 more games in center field this past week, but he continues to see more time in the infield. He's seen more time at shortstop (5 games) then center (4 games) and has also played at 2nd base (2 games) and 3rd base (1 game) this spring. Seems unusual considering the glut of infielders on the roster, even with Belt and Longoria down, but the Giants do seem short on a shortstop to back up Crawford.
Weirder still is the decision to send down Steven Duggar despite his hot spring training. I know, I know, spring training numbers aren't that important . . . except when they are. In the battle for the last roster spot, they are important and nobody in that group has been better than Duggar. Yet, the organization set some very subjective standards for him to work on and sent him on his way. Yet, LaMonte Wade and his .286 on base percentage remains officially in camp. In his last 12 at-bats, Wade has struck out in 8 of them. Not sure how that is outperforming Duggar, especially when Duggar has the superior defensive skill set as well. Like I said, weird.
Of course, with Austin Slater looking healthy, it may be a moot point. Slater is getting a long look at center field, and his bat is hot (.364/.364/.727 in the past week). It looks like he'll line up as the 4th man behind Alex Dickerson, Dubon and Mike Yastrzemski. Darin Ruf will presumably be a platoon option at both left field and 1st base, which means there won't be any room for Joe McCarthy or Wade, unless both Belt and Longoria start on the IL. If everyone is healthy, then Wade and Vosler get optioned and McCarthy is reassigned. If only Longoria doesn't make the roster, Vosler will be the guy kept. However, if Belt is the only guy to start on the IL, any of the three could get the nod. Personally, based on numbers, I feel that Vosler should be the first guy to get the nod, McCarthy the second and Wade the last. Actually, Duggar deserves a shot over both of the latter two. Duggar seems to be suffering from FZ's loathing of previous regime players.

Starting Rotation
All 5 of the projected starting rotation has pitched in at least one spring training game now. None of them have looked particularly good (Johnny Cueto has been extremely awful in his last start, hopefully him just working stuff out before season). Alex Wood just had an ablation procedure done on his back and so there is a question whether he will be ready to start the season. Logan Webb continues to impress (last game was 3 innings of shutout ball and only 2 baserunners) and should be the first in line to start should someone not be ready. And then there is the issue of Aaron Sanchez. He made his spring debut Friday and looked awful - giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and striking out 2 in 2 and a 1/3 innings pitched. He'll presumably get one more game in before the season starts. Should the team feel that he is not ready to start the season, Connor Menez may get the nod. His latest outing was similar to Webb's - going 2 and 2/3 shutout innings and giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out 3. There are a couple of dark horses here as well. Nick Tropeano has started a couple of games, but also pitched in relief in his last 2 appearances. Scott Kazmir will get a start on Sunday against the Dodgers. More on both below.

Bullpen
As I previously mentioned, there are a few locks already. Jack McGee has had a great spring and will possibly be the closer. Matt Wisler hasn't been great in spring but is signed to a major league deal. Jarlin Garcia has been slightly better than Wisler and will probably make the team. Jose Alvarez finally got in a couple of games (not sure if the delay was due to some injury and his late signing). Reyes Moronta finally looks healthy and got into some games as well (although the last one was rough). That fills up 5 of the 8 bullpen spots, leaving 3 up for grabs. I assume Tyler Rogers will fill one of those three spots. He's done nothing to hurt himself this spring. Some of the other guys have, though. Lefties Sam Selman and Wandy Peralta continue to get blown up and will probably both get dfa'd in about 12 days. Righty James Sherfy looked good, up until this week, with two poor appearances probably killing his chances to make the roster. Caleb Baragar has pitched well but the talk has been of him opening the season in Sacramento as a starter, and he's only pitched in relief this spring. Yunior Marte has, on one hand, looked good, with 6 Ks in 5 1/3 innings pitched but has also given up 6 hits, 2 walks and hit 3 batters. Trevor Gott continues to strike out batters but also give up a lot of runs. Luis Gonzalez has stuck around this long but he looked poor in his last appearance and was low on the list to make the squad from the outset. Scott Kazmir has been awful in his two appearances and may be looked at as a starter now, anyway. Zack Littell was a favorite among the non-roster invitees, going into camp, but he's been hit hard (10 hits, 2 walks in 6 innings pitched with 6 Ks). Ashton Goudeau has yet to pitch for the Giants and, I assume, will get optioned soon (or dfa'd, FZ has to be feeling stir crazy not doing that more often).
So that leaves 5 pitchers, based on spring numbers, battling it out for the last two 2 spots in the bullpen. Shun Yamaguchi is similar to Marte, yet fewer Ks and hit batsmen. He may have a decent shot at the last bullpen slot. However, Tropeano may to have a leg up on him for the long man position. Tropeano has allowed only 1 run in 6 innings of work, giving up 4 hits (but 3 walks and 3 hit batsmen) with 6 Ks. Rico Garcia has finally gotten into games, pitching in 3 of them this week, going 2 1/3 innings with 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks and 3 Ks. Dominic Leone has quietly gotten better as spring training as progressed, striking out 9 batters in 6 innings of work, giving up 6 hits, 1 hits batsmen and 2 walks. Sllvino Bracho has been the best NRI among the 21 pitchers invited, by far. He has been looking good to secure a spot with 11 Ks, 2 hits and 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings pitched. Opponents have batted only .095 against him.

Great work as usual, thanks.

I'm agreed? I really want Longo on the IL. I hate to wish that on anyone but he's still getting paid so... fingers crossed Vosler gets the nod.

 

[Stokes1931]

I coin a new phrase : "baseshattery" .

I LIKE it!

 

[calsnowskier]

I coin a new phrase : "baseshattery" .

Wouldn’t “batshattery” be more apt?

 

[MarcoPolo]

Well, I view BB as a *team* sport, and leaving guys on base without scoring is a team problem, .... so .... baseshattery.

 

[Stokes1931]

Wouldn’t “batshattery” be more apt?

Well, the original pitching term is moundshattery, not "armshattery". And "battersboxshattery" seems too long, don't you think?

What will tzill say to himself through all his alts (us)? We are dying to know.

 

[pachyderm]

Wouldn’t “batshattery” be more apt?

eh... could misinterpreted as in "Wow! We really are hitting the ball. We're shattering bats..."

 

[Thomas Anderson]

When Start Spring Training 2021 ??

 

[pachyderm]

When Start Spring Training 2021 ??

Going on right now.

About two weeks left, I think.

 

[Thomas Anderson]

Going on right now.

About two weeks left, I think.

OK Thank You

 

[LHG]

 

[pachyderm]

So Webb had a great outing yesterday. Well, great by our recent standards anyway...

 

[LHG]

So Webb had a great outing yesterday. Well, great by our recent standards anyway...

View attachment 267616

He's clearing been the best starting pitcher in camp, in terms of results. However, I think that the only way he makes the team is if either Sanchez or Wood are deemed not ready to start the season. Even then, he may not make it as the team will have quite a few off days early in the season and won't have need of a 5th starter for a couple of weeks. So, ultimately, he only makes the team if either Kapler and the FO feel that they need to take it easy on the arms and still start 5 guys with all the off days and one of Sanchez and Wood aren't ready or if both Sanchez and Wood aren't ready.

 

[LHG]

Rumor has it that both Longoria and Belt will make their defensive (and, in Belt's case, offensive) spring debuts by the end of this week. It will be interesting to see if they are ready to go.

 

[pachyderm]

Rumor has it that both Longoria and Belt will make their defensive (and, in Belt's case, offensive) spring debuts by the end of this week. It will be interesting to see if they are ready to go.

Money says they are.