Nonroster pitchers get long look from Kapler

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — With 20 nonroster pitchers in the Giants’ camp, sifting through them — especially those returning from various injuries — is a little tricky, but already a few are gaining some notice.

Manager Gabe Kapler has mentioned Jay Jackson and Sam Long as early standouts; Jackson wound up on the main field throwing live batting practice Thursday, and Long, who is from Sacramento, was on a video call with reporters, as was former Diamondbacks reliever Silvino Bracho, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery. And Bracho’s former Arizona teammate James Sherfy also threw live BP on the main field.

These are all ones to watch, clearly. Kapler said that recent performance will be a factor in evaluations and noted Bracho’s strong work in the Venezuelan winter league, where he was the top closer, and he said that catcher Ricardo Genovés had raved about Bracho’s session throwing live BP.

The Giants are big on effective changeups and that’s Bracho’s breadandbutter, along with a fastball in the low to mid90s. “We’ve heard all about the changeup,” said Kapler. “And he has a history of strikethrowing with the Diamondbacks.”

Bracho said he feels healthy after his 2019 elbow ligament transplant surgery, and he got numerous calls from teams as a free agent. But he believes he can help the Giants because of his familiarity with the division and his good friend Albert Suárez, a fellow Venezuelan who pitched for the Giants, had recommended them, as did Giants minorleague coach Lipso Nava, who has managed Bracho in winter ball.

He’s got some former teammates in camp, including Sherfy, who also is competing for a roster spot. It couldn’t be a friendlier competition. “I love Sherfy,” Bracho said. “I just love him, as a teammate, as a person, as a teacher.”

Kapler liked the looks of Sherfy’s slider and said he just needs to command it better for strikes. “Nice work for the first time out,” he said.

⏩ Kapler said that Austin Slater, who’d been something of a utility player, will be an outfielder this season, citing the team’s large number of infielders along with the need to keep Slater healthy after elbow issues that required plateletrich plasma treatment. “He won’t be on the dirt,” he said. Kapler doesn’t necessarily see Slater as a platoon player, saying he liked his atbats against righthanders last year.

⏩ Johnny Cueto, who’s a potential option to start Opening Night for the Giants, threw live batting practice Thursday and Kapler said he was particularly impressed with a sequence against Darin Ruf in which Cueto threw a changeup down and in and then a sinker off the same location. “He was spotting his cutter inside, his changeup was really really good and for the most part he was commanding the zone, which this early in camp, you don’t see a lot,” said Slater, who faced Cueto.

⏩ Thursday’s crosssport drill was fungo golf for the pitching staff, with many of the team’s starters whacking drives toward buckets on the main field, putting on the dirt along the leftfield line, hitting drives back toward the plate and then putting again. “Just to get them swinging the bats a little bit,” Kapler said. “Slowly ramping up the intensity and having the feeling of having a bat in their hands and helping them find the sweet spot. That was a lot of fun.” The best fungo golfer in the group Kapler watched: the other top candidate for Opening Night, Kevin Gausman .“I thought Gaus was outstanding,” Kapler said.