Biggest spring surprise so far
SF began Cactus League Sunday and have begun hosting fans
Giants baseball is back, Opening Day is less than a month away and there’s already been plenty of exciting developments since the start of spring training.
The beginning of Cactus League play is one of my favorite times of year to cover baseball because it feels like a new 10,000-piece puzzle just arrived on my doorstep and I get to dig in and see how everything will come together.
It’s also one of my favorite times of year to answer fan questions because there are more than 70 players in camp, several top prospects are hitting the field for the first time and there are so many moving pieces to keep tabs on. As Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler prepare the Giants for the regular season, I’ll try to do as many mailbags as possible and answer questions you may have leading up to the club’s first game in Seattle on April 1.
Question from @ giantsMVP28: Who do you think has more upside to possibly make the 26-man roster? Wade, Jr. or Davis? Both were teammates in MIN system. Giants raved about Davis’ power last year, and Wade can play all three outfield positions. Who wins out?
This would be an easier question for me to answer if you didn’t use the word “upside,” but that’s also why I really like the question.
I think the Giants believe Davis is the outfielder with the higher ceiling and more upside —he hit 35 home runs at Triple-A in 2019— but Wade is the more polished player at this point in their careers and is in a better position to help the team right away.
If Davis suddenly starts making more contact, it won’t take him long to climb the Giants depth chart because he has light tower power and could easily become a force in the middle of the order by cutting down his strikeouts. Unless that happens, however, Davis feels like a Mac Williamson type of player who can’t quite make the most of his immense potential.
A lot of people within the front office and a lot of Davis’ teammates are rooting for him, but for now, Wade appears to have a stronger chance of making an impact.
Question from @ johnnyfromnj: Brandon Crawford is one of my favorite Giants, but if Zaidi has no plans to resign him, why not trade him this spring to a team that could use a solid veteran shortstop?
First off, don’t rule out the possibility of Crawford returning to the Giants on a one-year deal in 2022.
Farhan Zaidi loves platoons and unless the Giants sign Corey Seager to be their shortstop of the future, it seems unlikely they’d have a left-handed hitter capable of playing shortstop on the roster next season.
It’s also possible the Giants won’t sign a shortstop next offseason because top prospect Marco Luciano will have forced his way into the picture and emerged as a franchise player at the position beginning in 2022. If that’s the case, it probably wouldn’t hurt to bring Crawford back and have him mentor Luciano, who could be a DH on days he’s not playing shortstop.
With all of that out of the way, there are two reasons the Giants won’t trade Crawford. One, he loves playing for his hometown team and has a no-trade clause. Two, there are no other shortstops capable of playing the position on an everyday basis right now.
Mauricio Dubón might end up being a serviceable shortstop, but the Giants can’t take that type of a gamble entering the season.
Question from @ calinonsurfer1: What are your first impressions of LaMonte Wade Jr. in center field?
I’ve only had a very brief look at Wade in center field, but my first impressions of him are that he could probably be an average defender at the position.
I think he’s better suited to playing in one of the corners, but I anticipate the Giants will continue to evaluate Wade in center field in Cactus League games. Wade represents a significant defensive upgrade over Alex Dickerson and Darin Ruf in left field and might be equivalent to Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater in right field, but from what I’ve seen so far, Wade might take better routes than each of those players in center field.
One of the biggest challenges the Giants face is determining how often they want to put an average defender in center field and how often they need an above-average defender such as Dubón at the position. I don’t think you can get away with “average” in the late innings at Oracle Park, Petco Park and Coors Field, and I’d argue you shouldn’t even try.
Maybe Wade plays center field for six innings and left field for the final three at times this season. That seems like a plan that would make sense if Dubón ends up coming off the bench, but there will be a lot of moving pieces with this roster this year.
Question from @ lane_stapp: With the rosters at 26, the addition of Tommy La Stella and the performance of Austin Slater and Wilmer Flores last year, what is the likelihood of Darin Ruf and/or Donovan Solano being traded? Especially with the likelihood of needing to add relievers to the 40 man?
Great question.
I’ve been pondering this since the Giants signed La Stella because I don’t think it’s feasible for the team to enter the 2021 season with three second basemen (La Stella, Flores and Solano) on a 26-man roster and I’m not sure it’s feasible to carry a part-time left fielder in Ruf who only starts against lefties.
If Brandon Belt isn’t ready for Opening Day, it makes sense to have Solano, Flores and La Stella around because Flores and La Stella can take Belt’s reps, but the Giants seem destined to run into a roster crunch at some point.
If everyone is healthy at the end of spring, trading Ruf or Solano for a non40-man prospect makes a lot of sense to me. Can’t say it’s “likely” until we get closer to the end of spring and see who’s healthy, but I’m certain this has been on the mind of Zaidi and Scott Harris.
Question from @ tacoman81: Who will be the biggest surprise out of camp to make the team?
Wouldn’t shock me to see Wade make the team, but I think the biggest surprise will probably be a pitcher. If the Giants wanted to convert Sam Long into a reliever, I’d say he could help them right away, but there’s an obvious incentive to send him to the minors and build him up as a starter.
For now, I’ll say righthanded pitching prospect Kervin Castro, but this answer will undoubtedly change as we get closer to Opening Day.