Thoughts from team’s intrasquad scrimmages
SAN FRANCISCO >> With fewer than two weeks until the Giants travel to Los Angeles for Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, the team has transitioned from holding live batting practice sessions to intrasquad scrimmages at Oracle Park.
The Giants are planning on playing a pair of exhibition games against the Oakland A’s (July 20, 21) but the coronavirus pandemic will force clubs across baseball to prepare for a season in an unusual manner.
In lieu of spending five weeks playing against opposing clubs in spring training, teams are left to hold intrasquad games and hope players are ready to jump headfirst into a condensed 60game season.
If you’re wondering what’s happening out at Oracle Park, here’s a look at how the Giants are readying themselves for the regular season.
GIANTS SEND THREE STARTERS TO THE MOUND >> In the days leading up to the start of a season, it’s unusual for teams to have members of their starting rotation pitch on the same day.
That’s exactly what the Giants did Sunday as right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Kevin Gausman and lefty Drew Smyly all threw multiple innings in an intrasquad game. As Kapler has mentioned in recent days, it’s unlikely the Giants will open the season with a traditional five-man rotation and it’s possible pitchers initially projected to start games could appear out of the bullpen early in the year.
Smyly and Gausman looked excellent Sunday as the pair combined to throw 4 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, with Alex Dickerson record a hard-hit single up the middle against Gausman.
“Drew Smyly came out firing, filling up the zone with all of his pitches, a curveball, a fastball with a lot of life and a cutter that has come a long way,” Kapler said.
Samardzija had a much tougher day as it appeared the veteran starter only had command of his splitter. Samardzija was unable to finish a second inning of work after allowing a home run to catcher Chadwick Tromp, a single to Marco Luciano, a walk to Alexander Canario and a RBI double to Will Wilson, a quartet of players who have never appeared in a major league game.
TROMP HOMERS TWICE >> After Tromp’s first home run of the afternoon barely cleared the left field wall, the catcher left no doubt with his at-bat in the bottom of the sixth in Sunday’s intrasquad game.
The former Reds prospect demolished a pitch from lefthanded reliever Sam Selman halfway up the left field bleachers at Oracle Park and in the process, may have significantly increased his chances of securing an Opening Day roster spot.
Following Buster Posey’s announcement Friday that he’ll sit out the 2020 season, Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi indicated minor league free-agents Tyler Heineman and Rob Brantly are the front-runners to open the season as the team’s catchers. Top prospect Joey Bart’s name has inevitably come up in conversations about the Opening Day roster, but the Giants have been reluctant to consider Bart because he’s only played 22 games above HighA in his minor league career.
Tromp was somewhat of an afterthought, but after doubling and tripling earlier in the week and bashing two home runs on Sunday, he’s clearly helping his cause and has at least become a more prominent figure in the Giants’ catching competition.
“I think it’s clear right now we have three catchers who are putting their best foot forward and giving themselves the best opportunity to be evaluated. I think all three of those guys, Tromp, Heineman and Brantly have different skillsets that they bring to the table,” Kapler said. HERE’S JOHNNY >> Johnny Cueto pitched in a live batting practice Friday and was initially scheduled to throw two innings and face eight or nine hitters.
The right-hander and likely Opening Day starter was so efficient the Giants scrambled to send extra hitters to the plate each “inning” because Cueto recorded several one and twopitch outs. Cueto allowed two hits including a hard-hit double down the right field line to Joey Bart, but also recorded eight groundball including an easy 6-4-3 double play after giving up a single to Donovan Solano.
The Giants don’t have the radar gun turned on in the ballpark, but Cueto’s velocity appeared normal and he’s not the type of pitcher who’s ever too concerned about how hard he’s throwing.
LONGORIA, CRAWFORD, SOLANO AHEAD OF THE REST >> Through the first week of workouts, no Giants player is hitting the ball harder than third baseman Evan Longoria, who launched a tworun home run off left-hander Conner Menez in a live batting practice session Friday.
Longoria is driving the ball all over the field and has drawn consistent praise from Kapler for continuing to find the barrel.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford isn’t far behind and has shown off impressive plate discipline so far. The Giants aren’t keeping stats right now, but it’s unlikely any player has worked deeper counts or drawn more walks than Crawford, who is attempting to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season in which he hit .228.
A third infielder has been among the Giants top hitters this week and that’s utility man Donovan Solano, who could wind up starting at second base on Opening Day if the Giants send a right-handed heavy lineup out to face Clayton Kershaw.
When asked about Solano’s play thus far, Kapler joked about his nickname “Donnie Barrels” and noted the Giants believe he can build off an impressive 2019 season because he has some of the best hand-eye coordination of any player on the Giants. Solano’s bat-to-ball skills are reminiscent of Joe Panik during the best years of his career and make him a difficult player to strike out.
A POSSIBLE STARTING 10 >> Kapler has given every indication the Giants plan to vary their lineups regularly and have platoons at most positions, so expect a lineup that features at least six or seven righties on Opening Day when the club faces Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
A way-too-early prediction based on what we’ve seen in camp and what we know about the Giants’ preferences:
1. Mauricio Dubón, CF
2. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
3. Wilmer Flores, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, LF
6. Darin Ruf, DH
7. Donovan Solano, 2B
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Tyler Heineman, C Pitcher: Johnny Cueto