Reliever Gott shows off ‘sweeping slider’
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> Every spring, pitchers across baseball experiment with new grips, different mechanics and various cues that may lead to slight improvements or huge breakthroughs.
With a 13-person coaching staff, the Giants have no shortage of voices in the ears of their players. One who’s already commanding their attention is Brian Bannister, the Giants’ pitching director who came to the organization after spending five seasons with the Red Sox.
Bannister spent the offseason examining arm slots, evaluating pitch shapes and studying the Giants’ personnel so he could jump right in this spring. The former big leaguer suggested new pitches for prospect Logan Webb, quickly earned the trust of free-agent signee Kevin Gausman and is now assisting reliever Trevor Gott with implementing a “sweeping slider.”
Manager Gabe Kapler said Fri
day that Gott unveiled his new slider in his first bullpen of the spring and impressed the Giants’ coaching staff with the shape of the pitch. Gott was a valuable asset in the Giants’ bullpen last year and Kapler believes the righthander has the ability to succeed in any situation.
Gott could be in the mix for a late-inning role such as the closer job, but the Giants are less focused on determining which pitchers will appear in specific situations and emphasizing the value of versatility in the bullpen.
“You could be an early in the game guy, you could lock down a spot at the back end of the bullpen and pitch the eighth or the ninth, but what we want him going in thinking is that he could be used in any situation,” Kapler said.
Gott finished last season on the injured list after a groin issue hampered him during his last five games of the year. Before the injury zapped his effectiveness, Gott had posted a 3.44 ERA and allowed only three home runs in his first 45 games.
The Giants love Gott’s command of the strike zone and his ability to throw more than one inning at a time — he recorded at least five outs in eight games last year — and believe an improved breaking ball will keep hitters off balance. JOEY BART’S DEFENSE A PRIORITY >> The Giants have catching coach Craig Albernaz and bullpen catchers Brant Whiting and Taira Uematsu working closely with top prospect Joey Bart during bullpen sessions on improving his glove positioning when he catches a pitch.
Kapler said the Giants want Bart to get his mitt “underneath the ball” so he can make his the glove appear smaller to the home plate umpire and in turn, steal more strikes. This kind of catching nuance may ultimately go out of style if and when Major League Baseball adopts an electronic strike zone (which Bart is not a fan of), but for now, the Giants believe Bart can aid his pitchers with some small tweaks.
“When the glove is tilted down, it tends to look larger, it’s got that side angle,” Kapler said. “When you get up underneath the ball, it’s flatter and looks more like a strike.”
It’s easy to know when Bart takes batting practice because the ball makes such a loud sound off his bat, but the Giants want him to be as quiet as possible from a movement standpoint when he’s behind the plate. AUSTIN SLATER TAKES GROUNDERS AT SHORTSTOP >> Kapler said outfielder-turned-utility man Austin Slater will take groundballs at all four infield positions this spring to maximize Slater’s versatility and allow the Giants to find more ways to get Slater’s bat in the lineup.
Slater has played first base 27 times in his major league career and spent time in the low minors playing third base and second, but the Giants appear intent on moving Slater around the diamond more often this season.
It’s unlikely Slater will play shortstop in a regular season game, but it doesn’t hurt for a player to become acquainted with a new position during spring training. Slater posted an .838 OPS against left-handed pitchers last season so the Giants are motivated to create opportunities for him to hit against lefties.
“He definitely has raw power dating back to his time at Stanford,” Kapler said. “We know about the pedigree, we just want to see that come out in games.”