San Francisco Giants: Parker’s Big Night, Blach and Ramirez Impressive
The San Francisco Giants dropped Wednesday’s Cactus League game, but received impressive performances from Jarrett Parker and Ty Blach, among others.
The left field competition is the most prominent battle in San Francisco Giants’ camp this spring, and Jarrett Parker is already staking a solid claim to the position. Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers was a big day for Parker as he continues to try and earn the starting job.
Parker had the Giants’ biggest hit of the day, crushing a home run in the third inning to put San Francisco ahead 5-3. When pitcher Madison Younginer, who had just entered the game, threw a very lazy first-pitch fastball, Parker smoked it. It soared majestically over the right-field wall, and Dodgers’ right fielder Yasiel Puig barely moved from his position, opting to watch it fly instead.
The 28-year-old outfielder barely missed a home run in the first inning as well. Instead, he slashed a double off the right-field wall, just inside the fair/foul line, to score a run off Dodgers’ starter Scott Kazmir. Parker’s final at-bat came in the fifth inning against another lefty, Patrick Schuster. He put together a strong at-bat, fouling off some good two-strike pitches, and he ultimately hit the ball hard to center field for a flyout.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Parker has always struggled against left-handed pitchers, so having a pair of competitive at-bats against tough southpaws is a great sign. So far this spring, Parker is 4-9 with two home runs, a double, and six runs batted in. He also has more walks (three) than strikeouts (two).
Mac Williamson was already at a deep disadvantage in the left field battle, since he still has minor league options remaining, and Parker’s great start is putting him even deeper in the hole. In three games, the younger outfield options is 2-8 with a walk and a strikeout. There’s still four weeks to play, but things would have to change drastically for Williamson to overcome Parker and win the job.
On the mound, Ty Blach was impressive in two innings of work as he vies for a job on the opening day roster. The lefty didn’t allow a hit or walk while on the mound (the only baserunner came via an error), and struck out Joc Pederson swinging and Cody Bellinger looking. Like Williamson, Blach is at a big disadvantage with Matt Cain getting first crack at the fifth starter’s spot, but could work his way onto the team as a long reliever and spot starter.
Neil Ramirez also had a good night on Wednesday, showing a nice fastball-breaking ball combination while working the ninth inning. He retired the three batters he faced, picking up a pair of strikeouts on the way. The first came on a fastball he planted on the inside part of the plate, and the latter came on a swing-and-miss on a tight slider down and away.
Ramirez is one of the Giants’ more intriguing non-roster pitchers, being a 27-year-old reliever just two seasons removed from a dominant rookie season with the Chicago Cubs in 2014. That year, he pitched to a 1.44 ERA and 1.053 WHIP while striking out 10.9 batters per nine innings. If he can get that form back, or even get close, Ramirez can be a real weapon out of the bullpen for the Giants down the road.
One final note, Austin Slater had an impactful at-bat in the seventh inning. Dodgers’ hurler Shea Spitzbarth brought home a fastball high and tight, and Slater somehow got around on the pitch and stroked a double to right field, dropping it over the head of Puig and up against the wall. He ended up with a double on a pitch that, for a lot of hitters, would have been a broken-bat groundball.
Next: Giants Notes: Marrero, Melancon, Osich
Slater had a great minor league season in 2016, and one of the most impressive aspects of his game was his opposite field pop. In 109 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, Slater hit .305/.393/.500 with 18 home runs, a number of which went away from his pull field. He is one of the team’s best hitting prospects, and is very close to a big league call-up.