Spring Training Game Wrap: Angels 5 Giants 2

Not promising I'm going to post a Game Wrap every game but I watched this one on FSW, the network the Angels are on.  

Spring Training openers sure ain't what they used to be!  I recall the days when you could expect the team Ace or at least their #2 to take the mound on the first spring training game and work 3 full innings.  Pitch counts?  Pitch counts?  Nope.  Workload was counted in innings.  Had to get ready to go a full 9 innings every fourth game, you know.  Today's game was scheduled for 7 innings.  The Giants used 7 pitchers for one inning each, none of whom are likely to make the Opening Day roster.  They even had a one-inning "mercy rule" in which a manager had the option of ending an inning when the scheduled pitchers reached 20 pitches rather than having to warm up and bring in another pitcher.  Kap actually used that rule in the 7'th inning!  Somewhere there is a poor Angels fan who is thinking he/she was robbed of a chance to see their favorite prospect hit a grand slam.  I know that's how I would feel!  Key Lines:

Buster Posey C- 1 for 1, BB.   Buster caught 3 innings and looked great.  He drew a BB and hit an oppo field single.  He also made a nice looking throw to nail a baserunner only to have it not count due to the batter drawing ball four.  Still, great to see Buster back on the field and playing well.

Jimmie Sherfy RHP, Sam Wolff RHP, Sam Long LHP- These 3 pitchers had "plus" appearances with sharp looking stuff.  Sherfy and Wolff had 2 K's each and Long had one on a FB that was reportedly 97 MPH.  Conner Menez also pitched a scoreless first inning but had trouble finding the strike zone early which resulted in 2 BB's.  

Zack Littell, Jay Jackson and Tyler Cyr all struggled to find the strike zone and Littell badly hung a couple of breaking pitches that got whacked, at least to my eye. Cyr was the guy Kap called the "mercy rule" on.

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For all of FZ's Hot Stove moves, the Giants are still woefully thin at SS and CF which was highlighted by Mauricio Dubon starting the game at SS.  The reported plan is for Dubon to work SS and CF on alternate days.  Marco Luciano replaced him after 1 AB today.  It will be interesting to see how many innings Luciano gets this spring and whether Will Wilson also gets some reps and SS.  Note to FZ and Kap:  A 26-man roster does not allow for a platoon at every position.

Spring Training Update: Me and Fungo Golf

It was a throwaway fluff story for a slow day at Spring Training.  Gabe Kapler and the Giants coaches thought of a new wrinkle in pitcher hitting drills.  They called it "fungo golf."  The pitchers tossed the ball in the air fungo style and hit it as close to a cup placed in the outfield as possible.  Then they jogged out to their ball and "putted" it to the targeted cup.  After that, they fungoed it back to the infield.  I didn't catch how many times that cycle was repeated.  

Reading that reminded my of my childhood.  There was a huge open field behind our house.  We lived way out in the hills and there weren't a lot of kids to play with.  To entertain myself, I would take a bat and ball(I had just one baseball) and headed out to the field where I would hit it fungo style, chase it down, bring it back and hit it again.  My game was to pretend I was the Giants lineup.  I would hit righty for righthanded batters in the lineup and lefty for lefthanded batters.  If I was really ambitious I would also pretend to the an opposing team lineup like the Dodgers or Cardinals and have innings.  I counted line drives as hits, grounders and pop-ups were outs.  If I hit it high and deep, it was a home run.  

There was no opportunity to play organized baseball out there and I wasn't really athletic enough anyway.  I was quite proud that I was able to hit just as well lefthanded as my natural righthanded stance in playground pickup games, a skill which came from my imaginary games in that old oat field behind our house. 

Spring Training Update: Farhan Can't Quit Kazmir

 The Giants signed Scott Kazmir LHP to a minor league contract which will pay $600 K if he makes the MLB team.  There are not opt-outs.  While Scott Kazmir is almost a household name among serious baseball fans, he last pitched in the major leagues or anywhere that records baseball stats in 2016.  Now, FZ. has always been partial to his guys, but it still raises some eyebrows that the Giants are the third team Kazmir has signed a contract with that included FZ in a front office role.  

Kazmir was once a #15 overall draft pick way back in 2002 by the Mets.  He made his MBL debut with the Rays after one of the Mets disastrous trades.  He's always been close to an obsession for sabermetric enthusiasts, probably because he's undersized and never been a super hard thrower but yet put up strong K rates.  

When he last pitched, Kazmir brought 6 pitches to the table, 4-seam FB(91 MPH), 2-seam FB, cutter, slider, curve and changeup.  While he showed flashes of brilliance in the past, his career has been largely defined missed time from injuries and pretty average performances when he does pitch.  He reportedly hit 92-93 MPH on radar guns in a showcase earlier in the offseason and Farhan wants to give him another chance at age 37.

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This year's version of Randy Elliott seems to be a pitcher, Sam Long LHP,  who is impressing the coaches with a 93 MPH FB.  He will almost certainly start the season in the minors.  Oh, and he's a lifelong Giants fan who played college ball at Sacramento State.

Spring Training Update: Giants Add Starting Pitcher Depth

The Blue Jays may have made an impetuous decision when they released Shun Yamaguchi RHP after he disappointed in a SSS in an extremely unusual situation.  The Jays signed veteran last year to a 2 yr/$6.35 M deal after a 14 year career in Japan in which he compiled a 73-65 W-L record with a 3.19 ERA in 1262 IP.  He has both starting and bullpen experience on his resume.  His ERA with the Jays was over 8 in 25 IP.  

The Giants deal was announced as a split minor/majors agreement but details are murky.  The Jays are on the hook for all but the league minimum portion of his $3.175 salary for 2021 and there seems to be a player opt out clause if he does not make the Opening Day roster but he also has MILB options.

Yamaguchi has a 3-pitch mix of a 91 MPH FB(41%), CB(17%) and Split(40%).  The Giants have announced that he will work as a SP in Spring Training.  He seems to be a longshot to make the Opening Day roster but given the injury histories of several Giants pitchers, there is a good chance at least one of the will start the season on the IL making room for the new guy.

Hot Stove Wrap: Giants Find Balance and Depth

 Although many significant MLB free agents remain unsigned, we will officially declare the 2020-2021 Hot Stove League season finished.  While Giants fans were cautiously hopeful for a splashy signing or two, in the end the biggest splash was offering Kevin Gausman RHP a Qualifying Offer that he accepted.  After FZ and staff spread the money around going for depth and taking some chances on upside with lower cost contracts.  

When FZ unveiled his offseason wish list, it should have alerted fans that no, neither Trevor Bauer RHP nor George Springer OF were coming here.  Instead it was pitching depth and a lefthanded infield bat.  He accomplished those modest goals.  In the end, the contracts added up to a significant investment for this season and minimal commitment to future seasons, which is just about every GM's dream situation.

So let's break it down and review the Giants Hot Stove moves for 2020-2021:

PLAYERS LEAVING:

Retired:  Hunter Pence OF.  It was definitely time, but what a nice career!  He's not a Hall of Famer, but definitely on the Forever Good Giants list.

Free Agents:  Jeff Samardzija RHP, Drew Smyly LHP, Tony Watson LHP, Chris Herrmann C, Tyler Heineman C, Joey Rickard OF, Zach Green IF, Kean Wong IF, Sam Moll LHP, Trevor Cahill RHP.  Overall I would say The Shark's tenure with the Giants was more frustrating and disappointing.  In the end, there were probably better ways to invest that $90 M.  Tough to see Smyly go as he was brilliant last year with reasonable hope for even better in the future, but he got an offer from the Braves that was too rich for FZ's taste.  The rest of this list are players I think the fans are happy to move on from.

Non-tendered Contracts for Arbitration:  Tyler Anderson LHP, Daniel Robertson IF.   I still tend to think Robertson is going to break out.  Can't argue with replacing him with Tommy La Stella but that leaves the Giants thin at SS.

DFA/Released:  Chris Shaw 1B/OF, Aramis Garcia C, Enderson Franco RHP(Korea), Andrew Suarez LHP(Korea), Justin Smoak 1B(Japan).   Suarez was probably the biggest surprise here although he landed his overseas deal before being released which was also a bit odd.  Some emotional ties with prospect watchers for Shaw and Garcia.  

Traded:  Shaun Anderson RHP.  Traded to the Twins for LaMonte Wade Jr OF.  Anderson came to the Giants as half of the return package from the Red Sox for Eduardo Nunez.  Anderson showed flashes of brilliance but was never able to establish consistency and was rapidly running out of chances with the Giants.  

PLAYERS ACQUIRED:

MLB Free Agents:  Jason Vosler IF, Anthony DeSclafani RHP(1 yr/$6 M), Matt Wisler RHP(1 yr/$1.15 M), John Brebbia RHP(1 yr/$800 K), Curt Casali C(1 yr/$1.5 M), Alex Wood LHP(1 yr/$3 M), Tommy La Stella IF(3 yr/$18.75 M), Jake McGee LHP(2 yr/$7 M), Aaron Sanchez RHP(1 yr/$4 M).  (Kevin Gausman RHP accepted a 1 year Qualifying Offer of $18.9 M instead of declaring free agency).  Interesting mix here.  The Giants obviously hope Gausman can build on his impressive but short 2020 campaign and avoid a longterm commitment.  Based on FZ's stated goals, La Stella is the perfect fit.  Casali adds some pop to the backup C role which was sorely missing in 2020.  The common thread among the pitchers is injury history but lots of upside if healthy.  This is the same strategy FZ employed with the Dodgers.  Sign enough of those and you end up being able to cobble together a pitching staff, even if you have to shuttle guys in and out of the IL.

Trade:  LaMonte Wade Jr. OF.  Wade has the peripheral stats FZ likes and adds a lefthanded bat to the OF depth.

Rule 5 Draft:  Dedniel Nunez RHP.  Seems a bit closer to being MLB ready than some prior Rule 5 picks.

Minor League Free Agents:  Dominic Leone RHP, Silvino Bracho RHP, Jay Jackson RHP, Arismendy Alcantara RHP, James Sherfy RHP, Zack Littell RHP, Nick Tropeano RHP.  Tropeano seems like the best bet to make the Opening Day Roster.  The rest provide depth.

SUMMARY:

Overall, the Giants signed 9 players via MLB free agency including Gausman's QO deal.  The total 1 year payroll cost for 2021 is $39.35 M with $21.75 M left in future commitments.  By my count there they have 22 players under MLB contract and without options, so barring trades, it would seem like there are 4 Active Roster spots open for competition.

 I think FZ did what he had to do this offseason and he accomplished what he set out to do.  Whether he set his goals high enough is open to debate.  Barring very much unforseen circumstances, the Giants will not compete with the Dodgers or Padres in the NL West.  They might be longshot contenders for a Wild Card playoff spot.

With most of the roster set for free agency after the season and an up and coming farm system, it seems the "rebuild" should kick into gear in earnest 2021.  Is the Giants ownership and their fans patient enough to see that process through?

Hot Stove Update: Giants Go Deep

 The Giants added some serious depth to the pitching side of their roster signing Aaron Sanchez RHP to a 1 yr/$4 M contract with incentives up to $6.5 M and Nick Tropeano RHP to a minor league deal for $1.1 M if he makes the Opening Day roster also with added incentives.

Tropeano was the first signing.  He was a SP with the Angels in 2016 and 2018, missing 2017 with Tommy John surgery.  He also missed most of 2019 with elbow and shoulder issues.  He resurfaced with the Pirates in 2020 as a reliever who posted a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 IP while sporting a 10.91/2.30 K/BB.  He has a starter's repertoire of 4 pitches including a FB that averaged 91 MPH last year which he threw 30% of the time, a curveball(31%), Changeup(12%) and a Split(26%).  Tropeano brings the potential for versatility with possible roles ranging from bulk innings to Closer.  As with most of the Giants signings, health will be the big issue.

The bigger news is the Aaron Sanchez signing which comes as a bit of a surprise given he was last fully healthy and pitching effectively in 2016 with the Blue Jays.  He missed the end of the 2019 season and all of 2020 with shoulder surgery.  He reportedly held a showcase in October 2020 where he hit 98 MPH on the FB and showed high spin rates.  Apparently the Giants were impressed enough with that and his potential for a comeback season to give him a surprisingly lucrative MLB deal.

The interesting question is who will get dropped from the 40-man roster to make room for Sanchez.  I was perusing it the other day and there really isn't anyone left to drop who would not be a painful decision.  Jaylin Davis?  Steven Duggar?  Jason Vosler?  Chadwick Tromp? Conner Menez?  One of the offseason adds, Castro/Doval/Santos?  Now that Spring Training is starting, can that decision be postponed until Opening Day? Tyler Beede could start the season on the 60-day IL. 

Hot Stove Update: Giants Sign Potential Closer

 While the Giants have made several additions to the bullpen this Hot Stove season, Closer remains an obvious area of concern.  It's been a few years since Jake McGee was a Closer but he's done it and he's coming off a vintage, if abbreviated, performance with the Dodgers in the shortened 2020 season.  McGee was selected out of HS in the 5'th round of the 2004 draft by the Rays.  Much to the frustration of many a fantasy baseball manager, the Rays kept him in the minors seemingly as long as they possibly could.  He made his MLB debut in 2010 and did not fully "arrive" in the majors until 2012 when he put up a 1.95 ERA in 69 relief appearances.  His peak season was 2014 with a 1.89 ERA and 19 Saves.  

He was traded to the Rockies along with German Marquez for Corey Dickerson before the 2016 season then signed a 3 year free agent contract with the Rockies for 2017-2019.  Well, let's face it.  Nobody can pitch with sustained success in Coors Field.  The Rockies declined his option for 2020 and he took a 1 year deal with the Dodgers.  That deal paid off for both him and the Dodgers as he put up a 2.66 ERA in 24 appearances with a 14.61 K/9 and a 1.33 BB/9, 33 K's and just 3 BB's in 20.1 IP.  

McGee has always relied heavily on his fastball, but threw it a crazy 97% of the time in 2020 with a average velocity of 95 mph, his highest since 2014.  Let's see.....Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Baragar, Jake McGee.   FZ may like pitchers who throw almost all sliders, but he also seems to like pitchers who throw almost all FB's.  The philosophy is if you have a best pitch, use it!  

The deal with the Giants is for 2 yr/$7 M, the first multi-year contract FZ has given pitcher.  McGee immediately moves to the top of the Giants lefty reliever depth chart and a top contender for the Closer role.  Doing a little rosterbating, assuming a 26 man roster with 13 pitchers and 5 SP's, the lefty reliever ranking would go 1. Jake McGee. 2.  Jarlin Garcia.  3.  Caleb Baragar.  4.  Wandy Peralta.  5.  Sam Selman.  On the righty side we have 1.  John Brebbia.  2. Tyler Rogers.  3.  Matt Wisler.  4.  Trevor Gott.

Reyes Moronta coming off injury would seem to be in the top 4 and possibly a Closer candidate if fully healthy.  Rule 5 draftee Dedniel Nunez is in the mix with Camilo Doval, Kervin Castro and Gregory Santos getting more salt in the minors. I can see the Giants carrying 4 lefties and 4 righties in the bullpen with room for additional upgrades before the season starts.  There may also be some trade opportunities to add prospects before FZ is done.