Versatile Tropeano strong candidate to make Giants’ staff
Andrew Bailey knows new Giants pitcher Nick Tropeano well. The two were teammates with the Angels, they rehabbed together and even were roommates at one point.
So Bailey, the Giants’ pitching coach, is eager to work with the righthander again after Tropeano joined the team on a minorleague deal this month.
“Trop has definitely evolved,” Bailey said by phone. “That’s one of the reasons we signed him. We believe in what he can do. There are some different things in his arsenal he’s learned on his own with his usage and mindset, things he took advantage of last year. I’m really excited to have him competing for a spot.”
For the first time in his bigleague career, Tropeano solely worked out of the bullpen in Pittsburgh last season, and it suited him well. He gave up two runs in 152⁄3 innings and — you’ll notice a trend with many of the Giants’ pickups — he struck out 19 and walked just four.
“It was a little change in my arsenal and pitch usage,” Tropeano said by phone. “As a starter, I was a fastballheavy guy and in the pen, it was more like, ‘Here comes the kitchen sink.’ ”
One change: Tropeano used his splitfinger fastball a lot more, nearly 25% of the time, compared with less than 10% the year before.
“He’s understanding what his strengths are and where his ball plays best in and out of the zone, the split usage and offspeed usage,” Bailey said. “We always want to acquire players who are openminded and thirsty for information, and that’s what Trop has been.”
Manager Gabe Kapler pointed to Tropeano’s control as a big plus, especially the fact that he can miss out of the zone with purpose, “which is not easy to do,” Kapler said. “But if he needs to fill up the zone, he can do that, too.”
Tropeano’s sojourn into the Pirates’ pen makes him a valuable commodity: a reliable swingman, much like Trevor Cahill was last year with the Giants. Tropeano could spot start, he could serve as an opener, he could be a “bulk” guy, and he could appear in a more traditional relief role, too. He’s considered a strong candidate to make the team out of spring training, given his experience and versatility.
For Tropeano, the main goal this spring is just staying healthy. He had Tommy John surgery while in Anaheim, and he has yet to make more than 14 appearances in a season. “Everything feels good,” he said.
Working with Bailey is a big plus — Tropeano said he has long looked up to him — and so is playing under Kapler, who helped recruit Tropeano this month. “That really put me over the edge,” Tropeano said. “I think we have the capability to shock a lot of people. Even last year, they did in the short season and with the additions we’ve made in the offseason. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people, and we’re going to do a lot of damage.”
Should Tropeano, who is from West Islip, N.Y., make the team and work in relief for the Giants, he’d be taking the same path as another former Stony Brook University pitcher, former Giants closer Joe Nathan.
“I got the opportunity to meet Joe when he donated the money for the field at Stony Brook,” Tropeano said. “I’ll be happy to follow his footsteps, for sure.”