The Giants came out on top of a high-scoring affair in Scottsdale. Key Lines:
LaMonte Wade Jr. 1B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .250. Jung Hoo Lee got the day off so LMWJ batted leadoff.
Thairo Estrada 2B- 1 for 3, BB. BA= .278. Is there another level for Estrada?
Michael Conforto LF- 1 for 1, 2B, 3 BB. BA= .250. OBP .474 in 19 PA.
Jorge Soler DH- 1 for 2, BB. BA= .500. Soler has not hit for much power so far but as long as he hits he'll produce in the middle of the Giants lineup.
Wilmer Flores 3B- 2 for 2, 2 2B, BB. BA= .333. The man can hit.
Tom Murphy C- 2 for 2, 2B. BA= .400. Bold prediction: Tom Murphy gets more PA's and innings behind the plate this year than Patrick Bailey.
Wade Meckler CF- 3 for 4. BA= .368. Meck also made a throwing error. Similar player demographic as Jung Hoo Lee. Probably only room for one of those on a roster.
Logan Webb RHP- 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 8.64. Webb is just building his pitch count. No worries about outcomes. He does tend to start seasons slower than he finishes.
Taylor Rogers LHP and Tommy Romero RHP pitched a scoreless inning each.
The Giants get a day off tomorrow before facing the Dodgers in a night game in Scottsdale Thursday. Kyle Harrison LHP gets the start for the Giants.
In more bad news for Giants starting pitching, Sean Hjelle RHP is shut down due to an elbow sprain. MRI reportedly did not show any tears of the UCL.
Blake Sabol OF/C tweaked a groin while running out an infield single in the 6'th. He is due to undergo an MRI tomorrow.
If you want a nice story line to root for, Spencer Bivens RHP got a formal invitation to Spring Training. The Giants gave him a shot in 2022 after he kicked around Indy ball for a couple of seasons. Now he gets a chance to live his dream.
I was listening to Joe Ritzo doing the audio stream of todays game (yeah, I'm that hard up for some baseball, LOL), and he mentioned Bivens as well.
ReplyDeleteJUCO, 2 years out of baseball, 2 years Division II, Indy ball, Mexican Winter League...29 years old with 2 only seasons of affiliated minors experience. ZERO pedigree.
Put Rudy in the game coach! REALLY hope he earns a shot and gets to the show.
Matt Chapman's deal with the Giants also includes a previously-unreported $20M fourth-year mutual option with a $1M buyout.
ReplyDeleteIf he stays around and
1. has a good 2026, why wouldn't he look for more? Or
2. has a bad 2026, why would the Giants want to pay him 20M?
Mutual options are almost never picked up by both parties.
DeleteFWIW (nothing), comments on the Spring:
ReplyDeleteSoler leads the Giants in BA but has only singles
Matos leads in HRs but hasn't a position (yet)
Davis leads in RBIs but is likely to be traded
Conforto will be SF's 18th starting LFer in 18 years
Luciano SF's 2024 SS may start in Sacramento
Bart slashing .364/.500/.364/.864 auditions for a trade
Meckler shines but his best position is filled
Sacramento outfield of Matos, Meckler, and Munguia?
And McCray knocking on the door?
We haven't heard much news on those rookies Bryce Eldridge or Martin Walker? Do you have any insight on it?
ReplyDeleteEldridge, Martin and Arias are too young and inexperienced for major league spring training. We never get much news out of minor league spring training. We'll be watching for their names to include in our Down on the Farm coverage once the minor league season starts. They are on the Rising Stars roster.
DeleteOops! It's the Spring Breakout Roster.
DeleteWhen is "too late" for the best four SP's left in Free Agency to sign and be ready begin the season on Opening Day?
ReplyDeleteProbably this weekend.
DeleteFangraphs (paywall) addresses this also:
DeleteHow Long Can the Remaining Free Agents Wait Before Things Get Weird?
"Are they at risk of becoming overripe?"
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/how-long-can-the-remaining-free-agents-wait-before-things-get-weird
Fangraphs names 3 of 4, leaving out Mike Clevinger 33-yo who had a 3.3 bWAR last year in 24 starts, a guy who seemingly must wait until the Top 2 sign.
They cite 2018's Lance "Lynn made his first start 21 days after putting pen to paper and had a horrible first half, and his worst full season for four years in either direction."
MLB is not exactly in "free-fall" in popularity, but it certainly isn't the National Pastime it was when I grew up.
A regular Giant trade-partner, Mariners need a 3B at least for the short term.
ReplyDeleteThe Giants need another quality SP.
If Luis Castillo is not untouchable, what stud pitcher(s) from SF's young stable would FZ offer up to acquire him, or is that not even plausible?
Assuming Harrison is untouchable, is Whisenhunt also?
Or, would the Giants not be "especially" interested in Castillo given he's 31 yo and has a big contract through 2028?
Castillo's contract is far from prohibitive but that also means the Mariners are unlikely to trade him.
DeleteSurely you're right, but if the Giants would give up one (+ ?) of the young highly rated prospects, how high, how much?
DeleteEvery team in the MLB and sports agent is watching the Giants with morbid curiosity to see how they survive going into a season with only one proven starter. None of them is going out of their way to help FZ out of this impossible situation he’s gotten himself into. It isn’t difficult to see a scenario where FZ doesn’t acquire anyone else and ends up out of a job by the all start break after leading his farms pitching staff to the slaughter! I would like to be wrong but also would prefer the outcome if I’m right. It could end up being must see TV just for the brutality of what is in store for these poor young arms!
DeleteThe Hate Zaidi march goes on...
DeleteIt's nice, Doc, that your readers know so much more than DZ!
But the system is loaded with young stud pitchers and only has to hold together until Cobb and Ray are back.
DeleteYou doom-and-gloom fans are probably not smarter than Zaidi.
Predictions:
ReplyDeleteAngels sign Snell
Red Sox sign Montgomery
Giants sign Lorenzen & stay below CBT by trading Davis, Bart (paid $735K in 2023), and Slater (may have to pay some of his $4M) for prospects.
Turns out that, because Davis went to arbitration, his award is not guaranteed. Had he accepted the Giants' offer, he would be owed the full amount, but now he'll only get a prorated payout back to when he last played which was about when Chapman was signed.
DeleteI guess his Agent didn't tell him that!
JD Davis on waivers!! Wasn’t expecting that
ReplyDeleteWow! I am shocked. Will have more comment later after I have a chance to meditate on this.
DeleteGiants couldn't get a trade. Apparently, Davis won't even get his arbitration settlement because "salaries decided via arbitration such as Davis’s $6.9MM salary are not fully guaranteed under the current collective bargaining agreement. Had the Giants and Davis had avoided arbitration, his salary would have been fully guaranteed in the event of a release."
DeleteThe Giants may still get something for Davis, but. if not, they owe him little.
Giants apparently offered him around but no interest at their price. If no bites on waivers, they keep him for a pittance because arbitration awards are not guaranteed. Had he accepted SF's offer, it was guaranteed.
DeleteTeams knew that the Giants had no leverage in trade discussions because they have no room for him on the roster. Pavs reported if Davis goes unclaimed the Giants can release him and not pay him since his salary is not guaranteed since he went thru arbitration. I. Hope things work out for JD. Since the business of baseball can really suck!
DeleteYeah, FZ played that one well..Not! His incompetence has no bounds. Like Tony Soprano, he seems to have the reverse MIDAS touch! Waives the better hitting 3B because other teams knew they didn't have to pay and this was inevitable. All to bring in a crony and old time pet of FZ and Melvin who was once good (4-5 years ago). Chapman and Ahmed on the LHS side of the infiedl will scare the beejezzus out of MLB!
ReplyDeleteBTW, it wasn't mentioned because it was cut short by rain ,but HARRISON had another stellar outing the other night with no runs and 6 Ks in 2 2/3 innings
SteveVA
hopefully they get nothing for him and even eat his contract, that's kinda what I would expect
ReplyDeleteZaidi backed himself into a corner and really only had choices of poor outcomes. While the churn drops players off the bottom of the roster, this is more like letting them fall off the top. This was not played well. And Zaidi is backed into another corner with Joey Bart. Much as I've liked Zaidi's overall plan, these two incidents of losing value are blotches on his resume IMO.
ReplyDeleteI'm optimistic - I expect Chapman, Luciano/Ahmed/Schmitt and Conforto/Matos to lock down the left side defense and all bat .280+ with a collective 60 HRs by the All-Star break. Don't know what JD did to get such a raw deal, though.
ReplyDelete