After a long, but exciting offseason, the San Francisco Giants are ready to kick off their Cactus League season. Here’s what to look out for.
The doldrums of another long offseason are finally in the past, and the San Francisco Giants are re-tooled, refreshed, and re-focused as they look to continue their string of even year success in 2016. The Giants took advantage of the extended offseason by adding three big new pieces to an already stout roster, including two big-name pitchers to back up their ace Madison Bumgarner. Giants’ fans will get their first look at one of those new pitchers in the Cactus League opener on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Jeff Samardzija will be on the mound at Scottsdale Stadium to open the exhibition season, and he’ll be working with his new battery mate, Buster Posey in live game action for the first time. The Giants’ lineup won’t look anything like it should on opening day, as Posey, Brandon Belt, and Joe Panik are the only regulars slated to start against the Angels. That’s good news for Belt, whose 2015 was ended prematurely by a concussion, and Panik, whose 2015 ended early because of what was revealed earlier this year to be a stress fracture in the L5 vertebra. For other healthy starters, they should play in Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Samardzija’s debut, whether good or bad, won’t last very long on Wednesday, and right-handed prospect Clayton Blackburn will play the role of piggy-back starter, taking over for Samardzija when he reaches his limit. Blackburn is competing for an opening day job at this point, especially if starter Matt Cain isn’t ready to start the season following the removal of a cyst in his pitching arm. Should Cain need time on the disabled list, Chris Heston most likely moves into the starting five, giving Blackburn a chance to crack the 25-man squad on opening day as a long reliever and swingman.
Barring injuries, the Giants’ 25-man roster is just about set for the most part. There is Cain’s spot that could be open, but that’s not a guarantee for the start the year. Besides that, the only real competitions are for the final bench spot and to be the seventh man in the bullpen. Both of those jobs will be earned this spring.
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Utility infielder Ehire Adrianza is the favorite to earn the final bench spot to open the year, but that certainly isn’t guaranteed. His defensive value, as well as the ability to play multiple positions give him an edge, but he will have some stiff competition. Jarrett Parker‘s power and versatility in the outfield could give him a push, and Mac Williamson is a great pure hitter with a new approach. Parker could be more usable as a bench player, but the team seems to be in favor of having Williamson play everyday in Sacramento as opposed to play sparingly in the big leagues.
Non-roster invitees Kyle Blanks, Gorkys Hernandez, Hak-Ju Lee, Grant Green, Ramiro Pena, and Conor Gillaspie all present their own unique cases to be considered for opening day jobs. Blanks is a big power-hitting corner outfielder and first baseman, but has a long injury history. Hernandez is a speed demon with valuable center field experience. Lee is a former top prospect that is still working his way back from a knee injury. Green is also a former top prospect that just hasn’t panned out yet. Pena has a lot of big league experience at a lot of different positions. Gillaspie has played at third base in the big leagues more than everyone else in Giants’ camp combined. Could this year’s Duffy, or even Justin Maxwell be in this group?
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The competition for the final bullpen spot shouldn’t be as heated as the bench job, but Chris Heston should not feel comfortable with his roster spot heading into the Cactus League season. He figures to be the long reliever and emergency starter, but Blackburn could make his own push. If Heston stumbles in spring and Blackburn shines, the Giants could keep the latter on opening day and send the former to Triple-A, as Heston does have options left.
Bruce Bochy and Dave Righetti could take a different route with the bullpen and decide they don’t need a long reliever for their rebuilt rotation. If that ends up being the case, Derek Law, who nearly cracked the opening day roster in 2014, or Cory Gearrin, who impressed during a cup-of-coffee stint in September, could earn the job.
Next: Giants Spring Preview: Tyler Beede
Things can, and probably will change between now and the start of the season, and an injury or two could change the complexion of the Giants’ roster. Another baseball season is upon us, and all is right with the world again.