Predicting the San Francisco Giants’ 2014 Opening Day 25-Man Roster

Bullpen (7)

May 18, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher George Kontos (70) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 10-2. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The four relievers that will definitely have spots on the 25-man roster are RHP Sergio Romo, LHP Jeremy Affeldt, RHP Santiago Casilla, and LHP Javier Lopez.

There are three other spots open, and RHP Yusmeiro Petit will almost certainly receive one of those spots as a long reliever. Petit earned his spot because he had a 3.59 ERA in seven starts at the end of last season, and he came within one strike of a perfect game in one of those starts.

The remaining two spots are a little more unclear. The candidates to fill these two spots are RHP George Kontos, RHP Jake Dunning, RHP Heath Hembree, RHP Jean Machi, and LHP David Huff.

To narrow it down even more, it seems like Hembree, Huff, and Kontos will be fighting for those last two spots. Bochy normally likes to have three left-handed relievers, so it would make sense if Huff earned one of those spots too.

When Hembree was called up from the Fresno Grizzlies to the Giants in September, he appeared in nine games and finished with a 0.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts. Hembree is a hard-thrower with a lot of upside, so it’d make sense if he made the 25-man roster.

However, if Kontos has an impressive Spring Training and proves that he can consistently throw his slider again, there’s a strong possibility that Bochy will pick Kontos over Hembree for that last spot.

If a final roster spot comes down to two players, Bochy normally gives the edge to the player with more major-league experience or more experience with the club, and, in that case, it’d be Kontos. The Giants would always be able to bring up Hembree later on in the season after gaining more experience in Fresno.

Prediction:
RHP Sergio Romo
LHP Jeremy Affeldt
RHP Santiago Casilla
LHP Javier Lopez
RHP Yusmeiro Petit
LHP David Huff
RHP George Kontos