Spring Trainging Game Wrap 2/22/2025: Giants 6 Rangers 1

A tape measure home run off the bat of Bryce Eldridge punctuated a Giants win in their first spring training exhibition game of 2025.  Key Lines:

Jake Lamb 1B- 2 for 3.  Lamb has a history of putting up big spring numbers.  His contingent major league deal tells me a lefty DH/bench bat job is his to lose.

Sam Huff C- 1 for 2, HR(1), BB.  Huff got his quest for the backup catcher role off to a great start when he followed Lamb's single with a 2-run blast to CF in his first AB of the spring.  No word on how he looked defensively but the pitchers seemed to thrive on what he was doing behind the plate.

Brett Wisely 2B- 2 for 3.  The hits did not factor into the scoring but I am sure did not hurt his quest to be the reserve middle infielder.

Marco Luciano LF- 0 for 3, K.  The line does not impress but I followed his second AB on Gameday.  He faced Jack Leiter RHP who was throwing 98 MPH cheese.  He swung at 3 pitches in the zone and laid off 3 pitches out.  I saw a note on BlueSky that the ball left his bat at 110 MPH in his final AB.

Bryce Eldridge PH/DH- 1 for 2, HR(1). Wow!  Nothing like a highly ranked prospect to impress the first chance they get.  We haven't seen anything like that for awhile, have we?  By all accounts it was a tape-measure blast that travelled 450 ft.  I hope Kuip gets a chance to call one in a regular season game down the road, "He hits it high!  He hits it deep!  It is.....outa here!"  

Grant McCray CF- 1 for 2, HR(1).  McCray followed up Eldridge's blast with one of his own to the oppo field.  While I believe McCray would benefit from some more seasoning in the minors, I won't be shocked if he's on the Opening Day roster.  Melvin has had a lot of positive things to say about McCray's work last season and he might be the best defensive CF in the organization.

Landen Roupp RHP- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's.  Roupp got the first start of the spring.  Does that give him the inside track for the #5 SP job?  If so, he certainly didn't give it up to today.  2 strong no-hit innings.  On Gameday it looked like he had great command of 3 pitches including a 94 MPH sinker and his signature curveball plus a better than decent changeup.  When his second inning was extended by a 2-out walk on his 31'st pitch, he got the next batter on a one-pitch groundout.  That's how it's done!  He was helped by a running catch by Jung Hoo Lee in the gap in left-CF.

Enny Romero LHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  Romero had a 94-95 MPH FB and a sharp slider.  He's my spring sleeper guy.  

Joel Peguero RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's.  Peguero hit 101 MPH in a bullpen session.  No word on velocity here. Another guy to monitor closely.

Kai-Wei Teng RHP, Cole Waites RHP, Miguel Diaz RHP and Justin Garza RHP all pitched a scoreless frame.  Raymond Burgos LHP gave up the only run of the game in the 7'th inning.

I am quite sure how to put this into words but there is a distinctly different mood to spring training compared to the FZ years.  No confusing last minute roster churning.  Few, if any, major questions about the roster.  No distracting talk about analytics, although I am sure there is still analytics going on behind the scenes.  The focus feels like it's solely on setting the roster and getting ready to start the season with few questions about what roles players will fill.  Perhaps misplaced, but I sense a quiet confidence which was always personified by the top guy, Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey, as Vin Scully loved to call him.