San Francisco Giants: 3 Burning Questions Entering Spring Training

3. Who Will Be The Backups?

One of the most overlooked parts of a team is the bench. You need a solid rotation, but you also need a solid core of backups to keep the momentum going when the starters need a break.

When considering who to add to the bench of your roster, it’s key to remember that their ability to add to the team chemistry means just as much if not more than their career average against left-handed relief pitchers in the month of August.

There’s no better example of this philosophy than the 2014 San Francisco Giants. Manager Bruce Bochy is known for getting teams to bond quickly, and proved it with the magical World Series run of 2014.

Players like Michael Morse and Joaquin Arias were popular with both players and fans for their clutch hits, defense and overall attitude. It will be important for the Giants to select their bench wisely to find more success stories like them.

The list of non-roster invitees is massive, and full of exciting names. Players like Kyle Blanks, Jimmy Rollins, Justin Ruggiano, and the old favorite Michael Morse all make appearances. There are also a handful of minor-league prospects looking to crack a big-league roster for the first time in their careers.

Next: Giants Non-Roster Invitees You Might Not Know

No matter who the Giants go with, they will have some tough choices. They need to find that elusive and oft-argued balance between lefty and righty batters, backups at each position, young players to develop, and veterans to lead. If they get things just right, they may have a shot to make some odd year magic in 2017.