FRIENDS, NOT FOES
New Giants starter Wood prefers Posey behind plate to standing in the box
SaOTTSbALc, ARiZ. » When new Giants starter Alex Wood signed with the club in January, he said throwing to catcher Buster Posey was one of the primary reasons he was looking forward to the 2021 season.
After his first spring training outing in the Giants’ 3-1 win over the White Sox on Thursday, Wood revealed another example of why he’s excited about his first year in San Francisco: He doesn’t have to try to get Posey out.
“He’s one of the most frustrating people ever to face because he can beat you in so many different ways,” Wood said.
Posey owns a career .269 average
against Wood and he’s never homered in 26 career at-bats against the southpaw, but their head-to-head matchups stand out for good reason.
“I almost would rather have (Posey) have a homer off of me
because he’s gotten so many hits on my changeup that’s he’s just dumped into the outfield,” Wood said. “I’ve beat him, and he just gets hits.”
In his second start at catcher this spring, Posey struck out twice in two atbats, but helped Wood and new Giants reliever Jake McGee to quick and stressfree innings in their spring debuts.
“A good first outing is good mentally as well as physically,” Wood said. “I was happy with my stuff and I still get nerves going out there, especially for the first start of the spring, especially on a new team, but I felt great and it was awesome to get in a game with Buster.”
Wood was the first member of the Giants’ projected starting rotation to take the mound in a Cactus League game as manager Gabe Kapler plans to be cautious with his starters throughout the spring. Others including Johnny Cueto, Anthony DeSclafani and Aaron Sanchez threw pregame bullpens or live batting practice prior to Thursday’s matchup with the White Sox at Scottsdale Stadium, but as other teams are having starters throw multiple innings, the Giants are working at their own pace.
BRANDON CRAWFORD DEBUTS >> With fewer than 1,000 fans permitted to attend games at Scottsdale Stadium this spring, it’s easy for players to hear commentary from individual fans. It’s even easier when they’re accustomed to hearing the same voices at home.
“I think everybody probably heard my kids here at the game today,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said with a laugh.
Crawford’s wife Jalynne and their four children were in attendance at Scottsdale Stadium for his Cactus League debut Thursday after having to spend the past year catching games on TV due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Crawford prepares for his 11th season with San Francisco, he’ll ease into spring training and hopes to get between 40 to 60 atbats before Opening Day. Keeping Crawford healthy has always been critical for the Giants, but it’s even more important in 2021 as the team is still determining what the depth chart behind him looks like.
“There are few that know their body better than Brandon Crawford,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “We’ll just keep checking in with him and do everything in our power to keep him fresh and healthy because he’s a really important piece of our lineup and our defense.”
Utility man Mauricio Dubón projects as Crawford’s primary backup, but the Giants will want Dubón to play center field on a regular basis this season. Minor league free agent Arismendy Alcantara could also provide depth behind Crawford at Triple-A, but like Dubón, the Giants also think Alcantara can provide some positional versatility.
At 34 years old, Crawford will be one of the oldest fulltime shortstops in the majors, but he’s also coming off a strong offensive season as he posted a career-high .792 OPS in 2020. It’s too early to tell if he’ll be able to pick up where he left off, but Crawford elicited a roar from his small cheering section Thursday when he drilled a single off of hard-throwing White Sox reliever Codi Heuer.
“It was one of the first ones I got on the barrel in a live at-bat in practice or the game,” Crawford said. “It definitely felt good, I feel like my swing has been pretty good in the cage so far. I know he throws hard and is pretty quick to home, so I was trying to keep it simple and make a quick
move toward the ball.” BELT APPEARS, RUF HOMERS >> The Giants haven’t shared much news on Brandon Belt’s absence this spring as Kapler has said he’s dealing with an illness that’s “not COVID-related,” but the manager was finally able to provide an update on the first baseman’s status Thursday.
Belt began participating in baseball activities on the Giants’ off day Wednesday before playing catch and taking some swings in the batting cage on Thursday. Belt is still recovering from a heel injury, and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to play in a game, but Kapler said the Giants have set Opening Day as a target for him to be healthy and available.
One of the players who could provide depth behind Belt at first base this season, Darin Ruf, launched his first home run of the spring in the fifth inning of Thursday’s win. After designated hitter Joe McCarthy homered to right center off of White Sox reliever Connor Sadzeck, Ruf hit a two-run homer onto the left field berm at Scottsdale Stadium.
With roster sizes decreasing from 28 to 26 players this year, Ruf may need to prove he’s more capable of hitting right-handed pitchers to exit spring training with a job. His home run off Sadzeck was a strong start, but Kapler said it’s too soon to think about roster construction and how Ruf fits in with the rest of the Giants’ position players.
Last season, Ruf appeared at both corner outfield spots and at first base and gave the Giants a lift against left-handed pitchers as he posted an .890 OPS in 65 plate appearances against southpaws.
• Outfielder Jaylin Davis has been dealing with knee soreness, but he ran the bases during a workout Thursday morning and could make his spring training debut within the next few days.
• Third baseman Evan Longoria is healthy, but the Giants don’t plan to rush him into Cactus League games. Kapler said Longoria will likely debut as a designated hitter when he plays his first game, which may come as soon as Saturday.
• Outfielder Austin Slater is continuing to deal with a mildly sore hamstring and there’s no timetable for when he’ll be back in action. Kapler has indicated the injury is not serious and the Giants are being cautious with Slater, who left Sunday’s game against the Angels after one at-bat.
• Right-hander Yunior Marte, a minor league free agent who received an invitation to major league camp, flashed a 96-mile per hour fastball with a slider he located for strikes in a scoreless inning against the White Sox. Kapler said Posey was impressed by Marte’s deception on the mound and made note of it in the Giants dugout.
• Center fielder Steven Duggar received praise from Kapler for making a tumbling catch in center field late in Thursday’s game. “Duggar obviously got a great jump on that ball in front of him, a nice job completing the play all the way through the finish line and it was a huge play for us,” Kapler said.