Down on the Farm: 4/6/2022

 Just the AAA game on tap again tonight.

Sacramento River Cats came from behind to edge out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys(say what?) 4-3:

Ricardo Genoves C 2 for 4, HR(1)- Genoves hit a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 8'th inning to give the River Cats a 4-3 lead.  Yunior Marte RHP recorded the first Save of the season for the Cats in the top of the 9'th.

Heliot Ramos OF 1 for 4, BB.  BA= .250.  Reached base twice for the second time in the first two games.  BA is .250 but OPS is 1.025.

Michael Plassmeyer LHP- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 K.  Plassmeyer is probably an organizational pitcher at this point.

Down on the Farm: 4/5/2022

 Just one game to report on as the AAA season starts 3 days before the rest of the full season levels.

AAA Sacramento River Cats outscored the Sugar Land Space Cowboys(the what?) 7-6:

Heliot Ramos RF- 1 for 4, HR(1), BB.  Ramos drilled an oppo field HR that reportedly left his bat at 106 MPH to drive in two runs in his first PA of the season.  I'm thinking the Heliot Ramos Era will begin in San Francisco by midseason and I can't wait!

David Villar 3B- 2 for 4, HR)1), BB.  Villar quietly had a fantastic AA season last year in a challenging hitting environment.  He could hasten the end of the Evan Longoria Era in San Francisco.

Jakob Junis RHP- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 2 K.  Junis stuff looked fantastic in spring training and now a faceplant.  That's the PCL for you.

Luis Ortiz RHP- 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.  Ortiz is an interesting potential reclamation project for the Giants coaching staff.  Really liked him coming out of HS his draft year.  Career never took off but I think it was all with the Rangers organization.  Nuff said.

Mauricio Llovera RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's.  Potential multi-inning relief option later in the season.

Spring Training Game Wrap: Giants 7 A's 7

Alex Wood LHP got roughed up in his final spring start but the Giants scored 4 times in the final two frames to pull even for the tie.   

Two of the 7 runs Wood gave up in 3.1 IP were unearned but he still had a rough afternoon allowing 9 hits and 1 BB with just 2 K's.  I gonna say it's not anything to be concerned about.  His main goal was probably to get his pitches in and not get injured.  Plus it was 84 degrees with airflow going out in AZ.  I doubt they had a humidor.

YtY his a solo HR in the third inning.  He also drew a walk.  .267 BA on the spring but with a .450 OBP and .800 SLG%.  Last year was not terrible as he hit 25 HR's but I'm looking for a nice bounceback year.

Brandon Belt 1B finished his spring training, such as it was, with a cumulative 0 for 9.  He's going to hit 2 HR's on Opening Day, right?

Joey Bart C subbed in for Curt Casali C and hit a double to CF in the 9'th inning.  Bart finishes up a tremendous spring with a slash line of .364/.440/.818.  He did have 8 K's out of 25 PA but 3 BB's.  His spring has my hopes for him so high.  Don't let me down now, Joey!  

Tommy La Stella 2B was a late scratch with more pain in the Achilles tendon area.  He is listed as DTD but starting the season on the IL is looking more likely.  I'm not too worried about that as Thairo Estrada looks like more than capable replacement.

Lastly, perhaps the biggest development in the game as a scoreless IP from Tyler Beede RHP with 1 K's.  He reportedly threw his FB in the upper 90's.  

The Giants finish their 2022 Cactus League schedule with a record of 8-7.

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Now we have to sit around twiddling our thumbs until Friday when Logan Webb RHP takes the mound as the Opening Day SP against the Marlins.

Spring Training Game Wrap: Giants 5 A's 3

 I was wrong about the Cactus League ending Saturday and the Bay Bridge Series thing.  The Giants are still down in Arizona but they did play the A's today and will again tomorrow.  Anthony DeSclafani RHP was on fire for 4.2 IP.  Brandon Crawford SS and Thairo Estrada 2B led the offense with solo HR's.  

DeSclafani struck out 8 and walked just 1 in 4.2 IP.  GO/AO= 3/0.  His spring ERA is 0.73.  Giants SP's have all been dominant all spring. I have a bold prediction about the Giants rotation but that is for another post.

Dom Leone RHP got roughed up for the A's 3 runs in 0.2 IP.  Honestly, beyond Jake McGee LHP and Camilo Doval RHP, I'm not sure how much confidence I have in the rest of the bullpen.  They all tend to run hot and cold.

Speaking of hot and cold, Sammy Long LHP pitched a scoreless, hitless frame with no BB's and no K's. He's fighting for one of the last roster spots.

John Brebbia RHP threw 2 perfect innings with a K.  He's had a strong spring with a 0.00 ERA in 4 appearances. Showed he could go more than 1 IP today.

Thairo Estrada 2B added a single and a Run to his HR.  Am I a terrible person for low-key hoping Tommy La Stella 2B starts the season on the IL so Estrada can Wally Pipp him at 2B?  I know a healthy La Stella is a solid hitter, but Estrada looks ready for a huge breakout.

Luke Williams LF drove in 2 runs with a double.  He's looking like the odds on favorite to win the last spot on the 28 man roster.

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Alex Wood LHP gets his final spring tuneup start against the A's tomorrow afternoon in Scottsdale to wrap up the 2022 Cactus League.

PS:  Just saw a video of Crawford's HR.  He looks big!

Giants 2022 Season Preview: Three Keys to a Successful Season

 As we know, lots of things can go wrong to ruin a season and lot of things have to go right for a fantastic season like 2021.  Here is my take on three key difference makers which will go a long way to determining whether the Giants have another season like last year or if they drop back to the pack and merely fight for a playoff spot.  

1.  Joey Bart C.  No pressure here or anything but the Giants do not have much of a back up plan if Joey Bart faceplants or suffers a major injury.  FZ said Bart was ready to take over the primary catching duties right after the Buster Posey retirement news dropped and he's never waivered from that.  Bart's spring performance is encouraging, but spring performances don't always carry over.  Bart does not have to dominate or win ROY to be a difference maker.  If he hits 20-25 HR's while handling at least half of the catching duties, that's probably enough, but what if he really is ready and lives up to his #2 overall draft pedigree?  That would erase all the fretting about righthanded bats and take pressure off several other bats.  Pressure nor not, ready or not, Joey Bart's season will go a long way to determining the Giants season.

2.  Jake McGee' LHP' s slider.  This one is a little less obvious.  Kap named Jake McGee the primary closer to start the season.  McGee has an overpowering fastball which he had success throwing 93% of the time last year, but in certain tight situations, hitters were able to sit on it.  This spring, he appeared to throw the slider more often and with more confidence.  He only needs to throw it a little more often but a realistic threat of a slider away to lefty batters and at the back foot of RH batters would make and already killer FB that much better.  It would turn McGee into to dominant closer he's always had the potential to become.  The ripple effect would take pressure off Camilo Doval RHP allowing him to be the primary 8'th inning guy and move Tyler Rogers RHP back to a 7'th or 6'th inning role.  

3.  Brandon Belt 1B's knee.  We saw what a difference maker Brandon Belt's bat in the lineup was last year.  I still believe the Giants would have won the World Series had Belt not been injured for the postseason.  Keeping his bat in the lineup, even if he has to DH most of the time will go a long way toward the Giants offense replicating last year's success.  

Spring Training Game Wrap: Giants 10 Dodgers 2

 Joey Bart C punctuated his 2022 Cactus League season with an exclamation point and the Giants jumped all over the Dodgers newly acquired reliever Craig Kimbrel RHP to break open a close game and turn it into a runaway.  

Great Spring trainings often don't mean much anymore than bad ones do but for a young player looking to gain confidence like Joey Bart it's better to have a good spring and did Joey ever have a great one!  Today's game cemented it as he stroked two singles off no less than Clayton Kershaw, drew a walk then blasted a 3-run HR to R-CF to put the game away, such as it was, for the Giants.  

My man, Austin Dean RF, added a two-run shot that might still be in orbit.  Dean is a hitter with a lot of power who needs an opportunity.  Hopefully he's get it at some point.  Everybody's favorite future utility man, Brett Auerbach PH/DH followed Dean's blast with one of his own, his first of the spring.

This was basically a bullpen game.  Camilo Doval RHP looks like he has more confidence in his FB which is the key to him taking his game to the next level, IMO.  

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The Giants get tomorrow off to break camp in AZ and head to the Bay Area for a two-game Bay Bridge Series vs the A's, then two more days off before the opener at home against the Marlins on Friday.

Spring Training Game Wrap: Giants 7 Ranger 7

 The Giants and Rangers battled to a tie as Alex Cobb RHP served notice that he wants to be much more than a #5 SP this season.

Alex Cobb RHP- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K, GO/AO= 4/1.  10 out of 12 outs by K or GB with 0 BB.  Doesn't get much better than that.  Cobb may be the #5 SP in the Giants rotation but he ain't acting like no #5 SP.  Most important line of the day.

Austin Slater CF cleared the bases in the second inning to drive in the Giants first 3 runs of the game.

Wilmer Flores 3B went 2 for 3 with his second HR of the spring.  Giants will be fine at 3B in Longo's absence.  

Thairo Estrada 2B went 1 for 3 a stole his 4'th base of the spring.   He is hitting .438 so far.  

Luis Gonzalez CF subbed in for Slater and has played practically every day.  The odds are against him as he is a LH batter and is not on the 40 man roster, but the Giants are giving him a long look.  He is not without pedigree as he was once a third round draft pick for the White Sox.  Giants picked him up after he was waived due to season-ending shoulder surgery.  Giants just stashed him on the 60-day DL then got him through waivers in November.  He gives the Giants some options in case they want to make a trade before Opening Day.

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Giants travel to Glendale AZ to face the rival Dodgers tomorrow afternoon.  Kervin Castro RHP gets the start which is interesting.  Ordinarily it would be Logan Webb RHP's turn in the rotation but I am sure the Giants don't want him facing frontline Dodger hitters this close to the start of the season so it's not surprising that he is not starting.  What's interesting is that Castro is getting the start and not Tyler Beede RHP.  We'll see if that means anything.