Fans’ guide to Giants’ FanFest
The Giants’ expected “offseason of change” has been anything but. A lot of players who were thought to be trade fodder, and figured they might not be Giants in 2019, are still here, which means you can see them Saturday at the annual KNBR FanFest at newly rebranded Oracle Park.
Almost all the regulars will attend, sign autographs and take part in the popular question-answer sessions during the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
So many players are attending, it’s easier to list those who, according to the Giants, will not. As usual, Madison Bumgarner is not on the list. Although he attended last year’s event, he typically skips it as he makes the drive from North Carolina to Scottsdale, Ariz., for spring training, which begins Tuesday.
Also missing will be Pablo Sandoval and Johnny Cueto.
Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Evan Longoria, Jeff Samardzija, Dereck Rodriguez, Andrew Suarez, Will Smith and Tony Watson are among the 51 players, coaches, broadcasters and executives who have committed to FanFest.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi will make his FanFest debut, as will newly signed pitchers Pat Venditte and Drew Pomeranz.
This year’s biggest issue will be getting to the park.
Caltrain will run its normal weekend service and add a special train that leaves San Jose’s Diridon Station at 8 a.m., but riders need to leave extra time because Caltrain is running its normal weekend bus bridge between the Bayshore and King Street stations as it works to electrify the system.
Parking, which costs $10, will be limited at Lot A south of the ballpark. Fans are encouraged to park at Piers 30/32 north of the park. Also, construction on Third Street between the ongoing work at Chase Center and the Lefty O’Doul Bridge will make for a longer drive.
FanFest has free admission, but the Giants will accept donations for their Community Fund and Junior Giants programs.
The Giants say that at 8 a.m. Saturday, they will begin selling single-game tickets for Opening Day and the April 26-28 series against the Yankees. The Giants have a full list of activities on their website.
The usual caveats apply. Though fans can get autographs and take selfies with players, those lines will be long and chances are the players you hope to get will be rotated away from their stations by the time you reach the front of the line.
The Giants will have a kidsonly autograph station.
The best events are the question-answer sessions, which this year will be held beyond the center-field bleachers. Giants broadcaster Erwin Higueros will conduct one Q&A in Spanish.
Fans also can take a selfguided tour of the press box. The Giants hope to feature their regular tour of the press box, although that is subject to crowd issues because of some field-level construction.
The Peter Magowan Wall of Fame ceremony originally planned for 10 a.m. has been rescheduled.