Spring Training Game Wrap 2/21/2026: Giants 10 Mariners 5

 Hayden Birdsong was rocked in the first inning while recording just one out but the other nine Giants pitchers went 8.2 scoreless frames and the batters provided more than enough runs with a lot of help from the sun and the Mariners defense.  Key Lines:

Harrison Bader CF- 1 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI.  Bader drove one off the RF wall for a 2-run double in the second inning.  

Bryce Eldridge 1B- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, R, RBI.  Eldridge quick swing inside-outed a drive over the LF head for an oppo-field double in the third inning.  I saw somewhere it left the bat at 104.3 MPH, or something like that.  

Jake Holton 1B- 2 for 2, 2 RBI.  Jake who?  I must have missed a signing during the Hot Stove League season.

Heliot Ramos LF- 1 for 2, 2B, HBP, R.  The double came of Mariners Closer Andres Munoz RHP.

Jared Oliva CF- 1 for 2, SB, R.  Oliva had a nice 7'th inning with a hard infield single off the third baseman, SB, took third on a groundout and scored on Holton's single.

Hayden Birdsong RHP- 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 0 K.  Birdsong came out firing 98 MPH 4-seamers and got a quick 0-2 count on the leadoff batter who then reached on an infield grounder. The next batter walked on 8 pitches and the wheels came off.  Someone named Miles Mastrobuoni finished him off with a grand slam HR.  In short, Birdsong looked a lot like he did last season.

Blade Tidwell RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.  Tidwell looked nasty with a mid-90's FB and a sweeping slider.  Some to keep an eye on as the spring progresses.  

Michael Fulmer RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  Fastball topped out at 91.6 but was able to keep hitters off balance with a mix of 5 pitches:  4-seam, sinker, cutter, sweeper and curve.  Someone else to keep an eye on.  

Caleb Kilian RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K.  The Kris Bryant trade comes full circle.  Kilian got 3 flyball outs but it will warm some hearts to know that he topped out at 99.1 MPH.  Wowza!  

Other scoreless frames came from Jose Butto RHP, Nick Margevicius LHP, Juan Sanchez LHP, Braxton Roxby RHP and Nick Zwack LHP.

Robbie Ray LHP makes his first game appearance of the spring tomorrow in Scottsdale.

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I just want to thank everybody who contributed to a great discussion of several interesting topics on the Open Forum/AQA post.  We had 50 comments including my responses.  It was a vigorous discussion with a range of opinions.  Everybody was constructive and respectful.  I only had to hit the button on 2 comments.  

Spring Training Semi-Open Forum and AQA

 Hey team!  We've wrapped up our Hot Stove League Coverage and DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects.  We await the first exhibition games of spring training.  We find ourselves in the silly time when we're trying to figure out roster spots and predict Rafael Devers is going to hit 50 home runs(I think it was Glen Kuiper who predicted that) from live batting practices.  So we've got a couple of days with nothing to write about except parsing some comments the manager made to the press.  So, let's open it up.  You are all welcome to post your thoughts and burning questions in the comment section.  I will do my best to answer or respond.  As always it's my blog and I reserve the right to hit the button on comments I deem less than constructive.  

Otherwise, let's hear it.

Spring Training Update: Did Tony Vitello Leave His Heart In Tennessee?

 Whoo boy!  This is not great!  Reports from Scottsdale say new Giants Manager, Tony Vitello, walked into the daily press gaggle and before even one question was asked, he posed a question of his own to the assembled media(one report seemed to say he directed the question at Susan Slusser):  "When did you first  think I was taking this job, can you remember that far back?"  Susan replied that it was 4-5 days before the news that it happened.  That did not seem to set well with Tony who launched into a timeline of how it came together, once again airing grievances over how it interrupted his plan to break it to his team.  Really?  I distinctly remember him reviewing that timeline and those grievances at his introductory press conference.  So why the heck is he still talking about it and without prompting from any of the press? This comes on the heels of a very odd comment he made yesterday which didn't seem like such a big deal at the time but now raises even more questions where he suggested he is so popular around the Knoxville area the Giants are now going to have a whole new fanbase from there.  Really?

Today was the second day of full squad workouts at spring training.  How does Tony Vitello get to spring training after fielding questions at his introductory press conference, the Winter Meetings, multiple press conferences for free agent signings where questions about his readiness to manage professional players let alone at the MLB level seemed endless and still have his mind on what went down when he was hired for the job.  I have to say I have become increasingly cringed over the way he continues talking about former Tennessee players like Gavin Kilen and Drew Gilbert, almost like he is still their old college coach looking on proudly as their pro careers develop and wondering if he can let go of that connection to make objective decisions.  This incident does not help assuage those cringey feelings.

Tony, my man!  Coaching at Tennessee was your old job.  This is your new job.  You've had 4 months to process and come to terms with why and how you left the old job.  Let it go!  Your focus needs to be on your current job which is managing the San Francisco Giants.  

If I'm Buster Posey, I am not too pleased right now and if I haven't touched bases with my new manager to make sure everything is OK, it is definitely on my to-do list first thing in the morning.  Yikes!

Spring Training Update: The Churn Goes On

So, you thought The Churn went away with Farhan Zaidi?  Well, think again.  The Churn is alive and well in Buster Posey's front office.  The Giants opened Spring Training with a full 40-man roster.  But the 60-day IL opens up on the first day of Spring training and the Giants have two players, Randy Rodriguez RHP and Jason Foley RHP, expected to be out with injuries for more than 60 days.  So they waited until camp opened to formally sign Luis Arraez 2B and move RR to the 60-day IL.  OK, that's not really a churn move but two days later they moved Foley to the 60-day IL and signed Rowan Wick RHP to a 2-year contract.  Now, the thing about Rowan Wick is he is expected to miss the whole season due to Tommy John surgery so two days later they sent him to the 60-day IL and signed Will Brennan OF.  Let's meet our new Giants:

Rowan Wick RHP.  DOB:  11/9/1992.  6' 3", 234 lbs.  1 Option, Free Agent 2028.  

2025(NPB):  4-1, 0.84, 42.2 IP, 10.34 K/9, 2.32 BB/9, 5 Saves.

I remember Wick pitching for the Cubs but he's played in Japan the last two seasons with great numbers last season.  The Giants will stash him on the 60-day IL all season and hope for a full healthy season in 2027....if there is no work stoppage.

Will Brennan OF.  DOB:  2/2/1998.  B-L, T-L.  5' 11", 200 lbs.  2 Options, Arbitration Eligible 2027, Free Agent 2030.  

2025(AAA):  .304/.340/.419, 3 HR, 2 SB, 5.1 BB%, 12.8 K%, 156 PA.

2025(MLB):  .091/.231/.091, 7.7 BB%, 7.7 K%, 13 PA.

High contact/low power hitter that seems to fit Buster's type.  I guess he'll compete with Drew Gilbert OF for a 4'th or 5'th OF role.  The loser of that competition will get optioned to AAA Sacramento.

Other News and Notes:

Heliot Ramos OF is definitely in the best shape of his life.  Per Alex Pavlovic, Heliot took his defensive struggles to heart and as soon as the season was over went to work in Arizona eating healthy and working out.  There's a photo of him up near the batting cage in Scottsdale and dude looks slimmer and absolutely ripped.  Unfortunately, Rafael Devers 1B is seen in the same photo and he.....well, let's just say I don't think we'll be getting any Best Shape of his Life stories about him this spring.  

Carson Whisenhunt LHP came to camp admitting he had a pitch-tipping problem with his changeup last season and says it's fixed.  He also reworked his breaking ball into more of a slurve.  Hayden Birdsong RHP says he was trying to get to high over-the-top in his delivery which caused him to lean left too far which led to command issues.  He hopes a slightly lower arm slot will fix that.  

That's it for now.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects: Unranked 2025 Draftees

Hey team!  Before we wrap up our 2026 Top 50 Prospect list, we should acknowledge the 2025 draftees who went unranked because they did not appear in any pro games last season.  They should all make their pro debuts this season with an excellent chance of making next year's list either in the top 50 or as a Honorable Mention.

Jordan Gottesman LHP

Ben Bybee RHP

Reid Worley RHP

Isaiah Barkett 2B

Rod Barajas Jr C

Cody Delvecchio RHP

Broedy Poppell C

Trey Seeley RHP

Garrett Langrell RHP

Luke Mensik RHP

Cooper McGrath RHP

Braydon Risley LHP 

All those pitchers must compete for innings with a large contingent of rising international prospects.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top Prospects: #1 Bryce Eldridge

 

1.  Bryce Eldridge 1B.   DOB:  10/20/2004.  B-L, T- R.  6' 7", 240 lbs.  40-man roster, 3 Options.

2025(AA):  .280/.350/.512, 7 HR, 9.3 BB%, 27.9 K%, 140 PA.  

2025(AAA):  .249/.322/.514, 18 HR, 9.8 BB%, 30.8 K%, 286 PA.

2025(MLB):  .107/.297/.179, 18.9 BB%, 35.1 K%, 37 PA.  

Just for perspective, last year was Bryce Eldridge's age 20 season and was his third professional season.  Had he not been added to the 40-man roster, he would still have two development years before being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.  He rocketed through the minor league system and hit with monster power at every level.  A late season cup of coffee at the MLB level didn't have the same results but he impressed with his plate discipline and pitch selection.  

All signs point to once he gets his feet on the ground and a larger sample size, he will be an impact power hitter.  The big question is whether he needs to work on closing some holes in his swing back in AAA before a promotion later in the season or if it's better for him to see MLB pitching on the theory that he won't improve if he's facing competition he's already beaten.  I favor the latter.  Yes, his K rate is high, but it's going to be for any 6' 7" power hitter.  Have you looked up Aaron Judge's K rate in his first MLB experience?  He's going to be a 3-true outcomes guy, especially early in his career.  

The tea leaves are telling me the Giants also favor the latter approach and are planning for him to be in the lineup on Opening Day.  That could change if he looks overmatched in spring training but if he does start the season in AAA, it should be a short stay there before he gets called back up to stay.  Whenever he takes his place in the lineup he should bat 7'th or 8'th and the Giants should accept he will have his share of strikeouts and will probably bat somewhere around the Mendoza Line but even that should come with 20-25 HR's which would be a very good outcome for his rookie season.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #2 Josuar Gonzalez

2.  Josuar Gonzalez SS.  DOB:  10/16/2007.  B-S, T-R.  6' 0", 167 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec.  2029.

2025(DSL):  .288/.404/.455, 10 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 33 SB, 16.2 BB%, 15.8 K%, 1.56 GB/FB.  

Josuar Gonzalez was widely considered one of the top 2 or 3 prospects in the 2025 international signing period and he didn't disappoint.  He showed off excellent combination of contact and plate discipline with projectable power and game-changing speed.  The 33 SB's project to almost 90 over 600 PA's.  Comps to Jose Reyes put him in rarified air.  Has the tools to stick at shortstop.  He should start out 2026 in the ACL but if he does well there I would expect to see him in A San Jose by the end of the season a la Jhonny Level.  Seems more likely to be the Giants SS of the future while Luis Hernandez bat looks like it will play anywhere so I don't see harm in keeping both in the organization.  I am extremely excited by what the Giants are doing in the international market which is a big reason I think they are as well positioned for the future as any organization in baseball.