If not Opening Day, when will new Giants contribute?
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the Giants made Jason Vosler their first free-agent addition of the offseason in early November, there was a legitimate question as to whether the former Padres prospect would hang onto his 40-man roster spot all winter.
Vosler, a left-handed hitting infielder, knew the Giants’ roster was filled with veterans who might block his path to a big league debut, but he didn’t necessarily care.
“I didn’t really know what to expect my first time going through free agency, but the Giants were really aggressive at the start,” Vosler said. “I was hearing a lot from the front office and from (Gabe Kapler), and regardless of the deal or not, it just seemed like the place to be.”
When the Giants signed John Brebbia a little more than a month later, they did so knowing there was no chance the righthanded reliever would be able to contribute until at least June of this year.
After Brebbia underwent Tommy John surgery last June, he was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals in December. The former 30th-round draft choice said an opportunity presented itself to return to his former club, but the Giants came calling with a major league deal and he was intrigued by the organization’s winning tradition and the chance to pitch for a coaching staff that understood how to maximize a player’s potential using analytics.
“It doesn’t hurt that the city of San Francisco is fantastic,” Brebbia added. “But I would say that finding a place to be the best pitcher I can be and finding a place that wants to win are the two key parts.”
Vosler and Brebbia each have feel-good stories, but that’s not why they’re suddenly members of the Giants organization. The infielder has never played in the big leagues, but the Giants took a chance on him anyway believing he could be a late-blooming talent who eventually helps the team against right-handed pitchers. Brebbia is recovering from major surgery, but the Giants saw his career 3.14 ERA across 161 big league games and determined he was too talented to pass up.
Signing Brebbia seemed to be a relatively easy decision for the Giants, especially considering he’s under team control for the next three seasons and was eligible to be transferred to the 60-day injured list on the first day of spring training. He’s free to focus on recovering from surgery, regaining his command and building up his arm strength while targeting a summer debut in the Giants’ bullpen.
One of the ways he’s spending his free time? Reading up on how to use the technology and interpret the data the Giants make available to pitchers.
“There’s tech if you want it, you can measure data, you can collect data and you can try to use that to the best of your ability,” Brebbia said. “From some of the preliminary conversations I’ve had with the staff before showing up, they indicated what they’re doing when they’re using it and I think it’s a boon to a career if you can utilize it the right way.”
Signing Vosler, even as early as the Giants did, appeared to be a more complicated decision because the 27-year-old infielder didn’t play an official game last year and is only a career .255 hitter in the minor leagues. Zaidi said at the time the club felt there would be a big market for his services and acquiring him required a major league commitment. With the Giants’ addition of Tommy La Stella late in the offseason, it became apparent that while Vosler would retain his 40man roster spot, the odds of him securing
an Opening Day job would be slim.
During the Giants’ exhibition against the Dodgers Tuesday, Vosler drilled high-90s fastballs from Walker Buehler and Dustin May for doubles, which is an encouraging sign he can handle the type of velocity that’s troubled the Giants over the past few years.
“I’ve always been comfortable against velocity,” Vosler said Tuesday. “You know obviously two great pitchers out there, I try not to really think about who’s out there, I’m just trying to execute my plan.”
Vosler took a step forward in executing his plan in 2019, slugging 20 home runs and posting an .890 OPS for the Padres’ TripleA affiliate. Barring any injuries to Giants regulars such as La Stella or Evan Longoria, he’s likely headed back to Triple-A to open the 2021 season as Zaidi has stockpiled infield depth.
The hope for both Vosler and Brebbia is that at some point this season, the Giants will need their services and they’ll be capable of contributing at a high level. They may not be in the Opening Day picture for different reasons, but a 162-game season is a marathon and both players will be eager to tag in for the second half of the race.