Prospects will get opportunity to ‘play amongst the big boys’

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> With a month of Cactus League games to prepare for the regular season, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler doesn’t want to ask too much of his veteran players too soon.

The Giants will be cautious while easing players such as Evan Longoria, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey into action, so many of the youngest prospects in camp should have early opportunities to hit the field and make an impression on the major league coaching staff.

“I’m excited for them to be able to play amongst the big boys and show people where they belong,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said. “They’re going to come in and I don’t think they’re fazed by anything anymore.”

Giants fans have heard the names of top prospects such as shortstop Marco Luciano, outfielder Heliot Ramos and starting pitcher Sean Hjelle for the last several years, but with the cancelation of the 2020 minor league season due to the coronavirus pandemic, there haven’t been many chances to see them in action.

That should change this spring as the Giants plan to have a large group of the organization’s top prospects who received invitations to major league camp appear in Cactus League games. The Giants haven’t outlined their plans for how frequently players such as middle infield prospect Will Wilson or 2020 firstround draft choice Patrick Bailey will take at-bats, but the coaching staff is motivated to see how they fare against tough competition.

“A lot of these guys were at the summer camp or alternate site and I think the new of being around the major league staff for some of the position players especially is over and now they just get to focus on competing or getting better at Scottsdale Stadium,” Haines said.

Early in the spring, it’s unlikely veteran players such as Alex Dickerson or Mike Yastrzemski will play on back-to-back days. The Giants have plenty of other outfielders on the depth chart including LaMonte Wade Jr. and Steven Duggar who they need to evaluate, but in the later innings of spring training games, fans should have a chance to watch Ramos or Bishop patrol the outfield and step into the batter’s box.

Ramos, the franchise’s first-round draft choice in 2017, is considered a leader of the next wave of Giants’ prospects and after he missed out on a full Double-A season, the organization is especially eager to watch him alongside big leaguers during camp.