Utilityman Dubón making strong bid for opening roster
PHOENIX >> Minor league options are often a curse for a player on the roster bubble, but Mauricio Dubón may not be on the bubble much longer.
The do-it-all utility man has been one of the best allaround players in Giants camp this spring and while
there’s room for growth in Dubón’s game, it looks like the team and the player would stand to benefit if the development takes place in the majors this season.
Dubón, 25, can play all around the diamond, and though he committed a throwing error in his spring debut at third base on Friday in a 5-5 tie against the Brewers, his errant toss was plenty strong and wound up being too high for first baseman Wilmer Flores to catch. Earlier in the game, a smooth over-the-head catch down the left-field line in foul territory provided an indication of what a smooth athlete Dubón is and why the Giants are confident he can ultimately be a plus defender in both the infield and outfield.
The Giants can live with the mistakes Dubón is bound to make because of the flashes of brilliance that show up so often. In a tworun second inning, Dubón raced out of the batter’s box on a hard grounder to the left side of the infield and slid into second base safely
with a hustle double after the ball trickled off the third baseman’s glove and into left field.
Dubón scored from second on an infield single by Yolmer Sánchez and a throwing error by Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura. After catcher Omar Narváez left home plate to retrieve Hiura’s throw, Dubón sprinted home for an easy run.
With eight hits in 19 atbats, impressive skills on the basepaths and the flexibility to handle a bunch of positions, Dubón provides the Giants with as much or more value than almost everyone in the clubhouse.
There’s work left to do, but that work should be done in the big leagues. GAUSMAN STRETCHING OUT >> Giants starter Kevin Gaus- man doesn’t use a windup, but the right-hander doesn’t necessarily need one to deliver mid-90s fastballs and a devastating splitter that dives out of the strike zone.
“I feel like you make your most important pitches out of the stretch,” said Gausman, who ditched a windup after being traded to Atlanta in 2018. “If I can have my mechanics be the best out of the stretch, that’s what I want.”
With three innings of scoreless work on Friday against Milwaukee, Gausman has thrown seven innings in Cactus League play while allowing only three baserunners. Despite giving up two softly hit singles and his first earned run of the spring against the Brewers, Gausman has been the Giants’ most dominant starter and is giving Kapler confidence in his ability to build off a successful second half in the Cincinnati bullpen.
Gausman signed a oneyear, $9 million deal with the Giants this offseason because San Francisco committed to giving him an opportunity to start. The former fourth overall draft pick knows performance could ultimately dictate a move to the bullpen, but he’s confident the tweaks the Giants have made will trigger sustained success.
He’s also hopeful that
he’ll become more accustomed to fielding his position, as the Giants plan to incorporate a variety of shifts that will require pitchers to become a bit more active in the field.
AND SO THERE WERE 55 >> The Giants ended Thursday’s game against the Indians with 72 players in camp, but on Friday, the team announced its first round of cuts as 17 players were either optioned or reassigned to minor league camp.
Three of the position players battling for roster spots all reminded Kapler why they’re still around. Outfielder Joe McCarthy, infielder Zach Green and first baseman Darin Ruf all produced loud contact that resulted in extra-base hits against Milwaukee.
After drawing a walk in his first plate appearance, McCarthy hit his first home run of camp before Green and Ruf added doubles that hit off the outfield wall in the late innings of Friday’s game.
All three will have a tough time making the opening day roster, but the trio could be part of a highpowered Sacramento River Cats offense that ends up supplying much-needed reinforcements to the Giants throughout the season.
GIANTS ANNOUNCE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT STAFF >> Former Giants replay coordinator Shawon Dunston has a new role in the organization as the club announced he will join former pitching coach Dave Righetti in the role of special assistant to player development.
Former Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will continue as a roving pitching instructor while former catcher Eli Whiteside has rejoined the organization as a roving catching instructor after taking a year off from baseball. Travis Ishikawa, the Giants’ 2014 NLCS hero, is the hitting coach for the Arizona Rookie League (black) team.