Joe finding success with Rockies
SAN FRANCISCO >> There's a former Giant who has been a pivotal part of the Rockies' hot start, and he made his return to Oracle Park this week.
It's not Kris Bryant, who is at the Rockies' facilities in Scottsdale, Arizona rehabbing a back injury.
Leading off for the Rockies in each of their first two games in San Francisco has been Connor Joe, who has followed up his breakout 2021 (179 at-bats, .285/.379/.469, 116 wRC+) with more of the same to start this season (105 at-bats, .267/.347/.467, 125 wRC+).
You can call him the one that got away.
Joe was one of the first players Farhan Zaidi acquired as San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations, all the way back before the 2019 season. The Giants parted with cash and a right-hander named Jordan Johnson to pry him away from the Cincinnati Reds, who had acquired Joe in the Rule V draft. A few days later, Zaidi traded for Michael Reed, and the pair both made surprising starts for Bruce Bochy's final Opening Day with Joe becoming the 12th starting left fielder since Barry Bonds last played (a streak that increased to 15 this year).
His entire tenure in San Francisco lasted less than three weeks, ending well before current manager Gabe Kapler even arrived. Joe had one hit in 16 plate appearances and was sent out to create roster space for other outfielders, Kevin Pillar and Tyler Austin, who had mixed results. It wasn't another month until another
under-the-radar Zaidi acquisition, Mike Yastrzemski, debuted in the majors and hit the most home runs by a Giants rookie since 1972.
Reed is out of professional baseball. Joe has blossomed into one of the big leagues' top young hitters, showing the plate discipline and contact skills that first drew Zaidi's attention when he was a prospect in the Dodgers system when Zaidi was general manager. So far this season, Joe's strikeout rate, whiff percentage and chase rate all rank better than 80% of MLB players.
Kapler wasn't surprised to see the player Joe has become, understanding the traits that made him attractive to the Giants.
“At least to our front office, I don't think it's been much of a surprise that he's gone over and had success in Denver,” Kapler said.
At the time, Zaidi said it was “disappointing that we weren't in a situation to give Connor Joe more of an opportunity and more rope.”
“When you have a Rule-5 guy or an out-of-options
guy, you need one of three things to keep the situation alive,” Zaidi said in 2019. “You need immediate performance and immediate returns, or you need your team playing well where you can buy that player a little bit more time, or you're in a full rebuild mode and you're willing to work through that. Unfortunately, none of those apply in this case.”
Fast forward two years later, and Joe is one big reason why the Rockies aren't the same pushovers as last season.
The Giants won 15 of their 19 meetings with the fourth-place Rockies
last season. They took 17 of 19 from last-place Arizona. But the landscape is different this season. Entering play Tuesday, all five teams in the National League West were at least two games over .500.
“It's going to be a dogfight, for sure,” third baseman Evan Longoria said recently, noting the impressive records of each NL West team.
Joe has been, second to C.J. Cron, the Rockies' best hitter, in a lineup that includes the $182 million dollar man, Bryant (or did, until he hurt his back in the last week of April).
Monday's series opener served as a strong example of the reasons why Joe fit the Giants' profile. When few others, including Cron, could muster anything off Giants starter Carlos Rodón, Joe reached base all three times he faced him, including an eight-pitch atbat that ended with a single to start the game and a walk in the fifth inning.
The Rockies were tied with the Giants in the NL West standings when this series began, but their early success has had more to do with Cron — and Joe — than Bryant, who was homer-less in his first 15 games before injuring his back.
MCGEE'S FASTBALL >> After left-hander Jake McGee gave up three runs in another rough outing on Monday night, Kapler offered a surprising analysis of the struggling veteran's performance.
“This is going to sound crazy and I understand why. Bear with me. It was the best fastball he's had in some time.”
McGee's start to the season had sparked some internal concern, not for the results it produced but data behind them. McGee's average fastball velocity had dropped by a full mile-perhour from last season, and he wasn't locating it as accurately has he had in the past.
The fastball, which averaged 94.9 mph last season, is an integral piece of McGee's arsenal. At times, it can feel like it is the entire arsenal. He's thrown it on 82.3% of his pitches this season, which is actually its second-lowest usage since he stopped throwing his sinker in 2017.
So, when the pitch isn't up to par, “it makes it a lot harder,” McGee said.
“The stuff just hasn't been as crisp,” Kapler said. “It hasn't had the same life and carry through the zone.”
On Monday night, he touched 97 mph and averaged 95.3 mph on his 18 fastball offerings.
“Very encouraging,” McGee said. “I felt like it was back to where it was last year.”
The results weren't great, but for the first time in awhile, the Giants and McGee were pleased with his performance.