Pitchers and Catchers Report Today

By Joe Ritzo

San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers report to Scottsdale today signifying the official start of spring training. A few days later, all 62 players invited to camp will have arrived with the first full squad workout scheduled for next Tuesday. Of the 62 players in camp, 38 are former San Jose Giants. Several of those former San Jose players will be attempting to earn spots on the opening day roster while others are appearing in their first big league camp looking to make a good impression.

With the San Francisco Giants once again expected to contend for a World Series, there are very few questions when it comes to the opening day roster as the spring gets underway. The homegrown infield of former SJ Giants Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford and Matt Duffy remains intact. Of course, former MVP Buster Posey is locked in behind the plate while former SJ Giants Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain will make up two out of the five spots in the starting rotation. Meanwhile, Josh Osich, Hunter Strickland and Chris Heston could join veteran Sergio Romo as the former SJ Giants in San Francisco’s bullpen.

For Osich and Strickland, the duo will look to take more central roles in the San Francisco ‘pen this season. A strong spring from Osich would be an encouraging sign that he’s ready to fill the void left by the retired Jeremy Affeldt. Osich and veteran Javier Lopez are expected to be the only two left-handers in the Giants bullpen when the season begins in April. Osich debuted in the big leagues last July and fashioned an impressive 2.20 ERA over 35 relief appearances. He was just as tough against right-handed hitters (.213 AVG) as he was against left-handers (.222 AVG) – a trait Affeldt possessed during his run with the Giants. This spring is a critical one for Osich and could set the stage for a breakout first full season in the major leagues.

Strickland, like Osich, began last season in the minor leagues. The hard-throwing right-hander earned a call-up in late-May and remained in the San Francisco bullpen for the remainder of the season. Overall, Strickland boasted an impressive 2.45 ERA over 55 appearances with a 50-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. After struggling with the longball during the 2014 postseason, Strickland allowed only four home runs in his 51 major league innings last season. With his electric pure stuff and ability to throw strikes, Strickland could emerge as San Francisco’s closer in the future. If he can pick up where he left off last summer, it’s likely a role as a key setup man for Strickland this year.

If Osich and Strickland make the team coming out of camp, as expected, it would be the first time for both to find themselves on San Francisco’s opening day roster. They each were members of San Jose’s 2013 bullpen with both earning California League All-Star honors.

As for Heston, the right-hander was thrust into the San Francisco starting rotation during the first week of last season due to injuries elsewhere and was a reliable arm throughout most of the campaign. In 31 starts, Heston logged a 12-11 record with a 3.95 ERA while his 177 innings pitched was second only to Bumgarner. Heston made national headlines last June when he threw a no-hitter against the New York Mets and while he tailed off a bit throughout August and September, the future remains bright for this former San Jose Giant.

With the blockbuster free agent additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija, the San Francisco five-man starting rotation is set and does not include Heston. Still, Heston’s presence is a nice insurance policy should injuries strike this spring. If all goes according to plan, Heston would figure to be the long reliever in San Francisco’s bullpen when the regular season begins.

On the position player side, several former San Jose infielders and outfielders will be battling for spots on the opening day roster this spring. San Francisco’s starting infield is set (barring something unforeseen), but former San Jose Giants Ehire Adrianza, Kelby Tomlinson and Conor Gillaspie will each be in contention for a reserve role on the opening day roster. Adrianza owns a career major league batting average of just .211 in 228 at-bats over the last three seasons, but remains an outstanding defensive player. He’s also the only one of the three with substantial big league experience at shortstop (Tomlinson has played short in the minors while Gillaspie has never played the position). That ability to capably handle the shortstop position could be a major determining factor for Adrianza’s inclusion on the roster.

Tomlinson was a great story last season after making his major league debut in August. He garnered substantial playing time at second base over the final two months filling in for the injured Panik and hit an impressive .303 in 178 at-bats. Meanwhile, Gillaspie returns to the organization that drafted him after stints with the White Sox and Angels. Gillaspie has the most major league experience of the trio having served as Chicago’s primary third baseman during the 2013 and 2014 seasons when he batted a combined .265 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI’s over the two years. He struggled though last season hitting only .228 in 75 games with Chicago and LA and is hoping to bounce back this year in his return to the Giants. Gillaspie played in San Jose during the record-breaking 2009 championship season where he was teammates with Posey, Bumgarner and Crawford.

While Adrianza and Tomlinson are already on the 40-man roster, Gillaspie is a non-roster invitee to camp and thus a spot would have to be cleared, which may factor into the organization’s decision-making process. Both Adrianza and Tomlinson are middle infielders while Gillaspie has been almost exclusively a third baseman throughout his career (with sparse playing time at first). The battle for these back-up infield spots throughout the spring will be interesting to follow as it’s hardly a guarantee that all three of these players will make the opening day roster.

There’s also opportunity this spring for a couple of former San Jose Giants outfielders to make the opening day roster. While the top four outfield spots on the club are set with veterans Hunter Pence, Angel Pagan, Denard Span and Gregor Blanco, it seems likely that the Giants will carry a fifth outfielder on the roster. Former SJ Giants sluggers Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson figure to both be in contention for that spot.

Parker hit 23 home runs in Triple-A last season before going deep six more times in San Francisco during his September call-up, including a three-homer barrage one afternoon in Oakland. Meanwhile, Williamson returned from Tommy John surgery last year and slugged 13 homers between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento before a September cup of coffee in “The Show”. Like Parker, Williamson is regarded as one of the top power hitters in the system. The competition this spring between the two should be fierce although there’s a real possibility that neither makes the team if non-roster invitee Kyle Blanks, formerly of the San Diego Padres, makes the team. Blanks would provide versatility as a fifth outfielder and back-up first baseman. The organization may also want Parker and/or Williamson playing regularly in Triple-A early in the season to further their development instead of receiving sparse playing time at the major league level. Spring training games will determine which direction the organization will go heading into the start of the season. Remember, Matt Duffy forced his way onto the major league roster last year with a torrid spring training at the plate – could something like that happen again for one of these players?

At the catching position, Andrew Susac remains the favorite to land the back-up role. Susac, who was once rated the #1 prospect in the organization, battled injuries last season and hit just .218 with three home runs in 133 big league at-bats. A member of the playoff roster two seasons ago when the Giants won the World Series, Susac will certainly be looking to show this spring that he’s ready to stay in the major leagues for good.

Susac will no longer face competition from Hector Sanchez (who is now in the White Sox organization) for the back-up catcher role, but Trevor Brown will be in camp this spring. Brown was primarily a back-up catcher in Sacramento last season, but held his own in San Francisco, both offensively and defensively, after a September call-up. Brown is probably headed back to the minor leagues for the start of the season, but could push Susac for a spot on the roster. Veteran catcher George Kottaras, who has 313 games of major league experience, will also be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

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This spring will be an important one for starting pitching prospect Clayton Blackburn as well. Blackburn, who was added to the 40-man roster last November, isn’t a strong candidate to make the team coming out of camp, but would like to put himself in contention for a call-up later in the year. Blackburn won the Pacific Coast League ERA title last season in Sacramento and could figure prominently in the organization’s starting pitching plans down the road.

Chris Stratton and Ty Blach, two other starting pitchers with substantial Triple-A experience, are also in camp and looking to make a strong impression. Like Blackburn, both Stratton and Blach were just added to the 40-man roster. Former #1 prospect Kyle Crick, another recent 40-man addition, is in camp and in search of a bounce back year after struggling with his control in Double-A last season. Adalberto Mejia remains one of the top starting pitching prospects in the system and will get a taste of big league spring training this year. Former SJ Giants Derek Law, Steven Okert and Joan Gregorio also all have experience in the upper levels of the system and will hope that strong efforts this spring will help position themselves for a major league debut in 2016.

Three standout relievers from last year’s San Jose team in Ray Black, Ian Gardeck and Jake Smith, will begin the spring in major league camp. Black, with his 100+ MPH fastball, could advance quickly through the system this year if he can remain healthy. Fans will hopefully get a chance to see Black light up the radar gun against some major league hitters this spring. Gardeck and Smith both enjoyed breakout years in the California League last season as the Giants’ top late-inning arms which resulted in each earning a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster. Their time in big league camp may be brief, but still important as they look to make a positive impression in front of the San Francisco coaching staff.

Top starting pitching prospects Tyler Beede, Chase Johnson and Sam Coonrod – all members of the 2015 San Jose Giants – were extended non-roster invitations to major league camp. None of the three are candidates to make the opening day roster, but have a chance to impress in their first taste of major league camp. Coonrod, who was promoted to San Jose for the playoffs last September, could return to the California League for the start of this season.

Shortstop Christian Arroyo, regarded as the #1 prospect in the Giants farm system entering this season, is a non-roster invitee. Arroyo is still only 20 years old and has yet to play above the Class-A Advanced level, but any playing time he receives in major league camp this spring will be watched closely. It’s expected that Arroyo will open the regular season in Double-A. Fellow infield prospects Ryder Jones and Rando Moreno were also extended non-roster invites.

Veteran outfielder Ryan Lollis is another former San Jose Giant in big league camp this year. Lollis enjoyed a banner 2015 season that saw him lead the Giants farm system in batting average (.340) across three levels, including San Jose. He also earned two brief stints in San Francisco garnering a total of just 12 at-bats. While Lollis probably opens the spring behind Parker and Williamnson on the outfield depth chart, he should receive ample playing time in exhibition games.

Finally, catchers Aramis Garcia and Ty Ross – two members of the 2015 San Jose team – will open the spring in big league camp as non-roster invitees as well. The experience of major league spring training should prove invaluable for both before they each open the season back in the minors, perhaps in San Jose.

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All position players are due to report by Monday. San Francisco’s first spring training game is Wednesday, March 2 versus the Los Angeles Angels. The 35-game Cactus League schedule runs through Saturday, April 2. The SF Giants open the regular season on Monday, April 4 in Milwaukee.

Giants Minor League Camp Storylines

And of course, we continue to look forward to the start of the San Jose Giants season on Thursday, April 7 which is now just 50 days away!