Prospects to join veterans in today's spring opener
The lineup the Giants roll out this afternoon for their Cactus League opener will resemble the one that opens the season at Yankee Stadium on March 30, though most veterans won't play more than a few innings.
Manager Gabe Kapler said Friday that LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B), Thairo Estrada (2B), Brandon Crawford (SS), Austin Slater (CF) and Joc Pederson (DH) were all tentatively scheduled to be penciled in today against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa (12:05 p.m. PT), while two prospects — Casey Schmitt (3B) and Heliot Ramos (RF) — will also join them.
Rule 5 catcher Blake Sabol will be the batterymate for previously announced starting pitcher Tristan Beck.
Fittingly, for a club that has used a different left fielder on Opening Day for the past 16 seasons, the position remains to be determined heading into their spring opener, Kapler said. By Opening Day, Michael Conforto is expected to occupy left, but he remains limited from shoulder surgery last year. Mike Yastrzemski, Mitch Haniger, David Villar, Wilmer Flores and J.D. Davis are the other veterans not expected to play today.
It's no coincidence that, along with the starting battery, every other pitcher scheduled to throw had some experience with the pitch clock in the minor leagues last season. Today will be mark the debut of MLB's new rules in live action.
“If we're going to be inquisitive, these are good resources,” Kapler said. DELAPLANE `HAS HAD A TOUGH GO' IN REHAB >> When the Giants acquired San Jose native Sam Delaplane in mid-2021, they thought he could be another reclamation project who could one day contribute to their bullpen. He had undergone elbow reconstruction that April, and the Giants scooped him up for cash considerations after he was designated for assignment by the Mariners in May.
In camp as a non-roster invitee, Delaplane, 27, faced live hitters Friday afternoon. But his way back from Tommy John surgery, Kapler said, has been more arduous than expected. He returned to the mound last season, at Single-A San Jose, for the first time since 2019, but quickly suffered a setback that shut him down for the remainder of the season. And he is still struggling to find the velocity that enticed the Giants to acquire him.
“Sam has had a tough go,” Kapler said Friday. “This has been a challenging rehab. He's very, very physically strong. The velocity has not come all the way back. So we're trying to help him regain the form that made us all so interested in him, but it's been a slower process than I think Sam would like, and same for us.”
In 2019, his last healthy season, Delaplane appeared in 46 games between High-A and Double-A with a 2.23 ERA, 120 strikeouts and 23 walks in 68⅔ innings.
Notable
• Reliever Cole Waites (lat strain), who injured himself during a bullpen before camp, said he expects to begin throwing again Monday after he is re-evaluated Sunday.
• Conforto (shoulder) is expected to begin Cactus League play exclusively at designated hitter, but Kapler said he could see time in the outfield by the first week of March.
• On KNBR, Giants CEO Larry Baer announced new, lower beer prices at Oracle Park. You'll be able to buy a 14-ounce domestic draft for $9 at certain spots at the ballpark.