SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the San Francisco Giants open their spring training slate Saturday, they’ll have many of their expected regulars in the starting lineup.
But once the first looks at Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler and Jordan Hicks wear off, the most interesting part of every spring training game isn’t what happens in the first few innings.
It’s who showcases themselves after the established starters exit, hopefully having accomplished their only goal of avoiding injury.
So, with Cactus League play set to begin, we used one guideline — nobody from the projected 26-man roster we put together entering camp — to create a list of 10 players who may not start many spring games but should play a lot and are worth keeping tabs on.
Mason Black, RHP, age 24
It wasn’t long ago that Black was a bioengineering major at Lehigh scouting out options for medical school.
Now, three years after the Giants selected him 85th overall in the 2021 draft, he appears to be better-positioned than any other young arm to seize an opening in the starting rotation, should anything happen to the five they’re expected to carry on the Opening Day roster.
Named the organization’s minor-league player of the year by Baseball America, Black reached Triple-A last season, using his cerebral nature and sinker-slider-changeup mix to post a solid 3.86 ERA over 14 starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
The only hurdle, should he perform this spring, would be clearing a spot on the 40-man roster.
Tyler Fitzgerald, IF/OF, age 26
There are, realistically, two spots to be won on the Giants’ bench.
A player who can plug multiple holes but only takes up one roster spot is an attractive proposition, which — along with his blazing speed, among the fastest in the organization — is what makes Fitzgerald so intriguing.
A natural middle infielder, the 2019 fourth-round pick was only introduced to center field last season but took to it immediately, even drawing the attention of Melvin from the Padres’ dugout.
“I saw him play center field and I remember the next day I went and looked to see, (like), ‘This guy is really comfortable out there. I didn’t know he was an outfielder.’ And he wasn’t an outfielder,” Melvin said. “But his athleticism would suggest he can play anywhere.”
Heliot Ramos, OF, age 24
Ramos? Under the radar?
It’s a fair question for the former first-round pick, who is easy to forget is only 24 years old.
But receiving opportunities only in fits and starts under former manager Gabe Kapler — never more than 11 games at a time — few players in the organization should benefit more than Ramos from a new set of eyes. Taking the first pitch new starter Jordan Hicks threw to a batter all spring well beyond the outfield wall, Ramos has already begun to make a strong first impression.
“He’s been the star of hitting live pitching,” Melvin said. “It’s been impressive to see. Look, I haven’t been around him. I obviously looked a lot at the body of work and where he is in his career here, but if someone’s come in and tried to make an impact, he’s off to a really good start.”
Carson Seymour, RHP, age 25
Perhaps the defining quality of the crop of young pitchers the Giants have in camp — besides its depth and breadth — is their physicality.
Nobody embodies that more than Seymour, one of the four players acquired from the Mets for Darin Ruf, who stands every bit of 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds.
“You feel like you don’t belong watching these guys in the weight room,” said veteran starter Alex Cobb, providing the quote of camp on its first day. “They’re lifting the house and you’re just over there rehabbing your left hip with 10-pound dumbbells.”
More seriously, Cobb, continued: “It’s always just very impressive to watch what the next crop of guys are doing and accomplishing at their age. Because we were just trying to throw strikes back then at that age. These guys are creating shapes and spotting up big leaguers.”
Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, age 22
His changeup has been dubbed major-league quality since the Giants selected him 66th overall in the 2022 draft. But for the first time this spring, he will get to showcase it against major-league hitters. And it may not be long before he is utilizing the pitch in more than exhibitions.
“It’s one of those pitches,” Melvin said, “that you can sit on and still have a tough time putting it in play if he locates it.”
Plus five more …
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Yusniel Diaz, OF, age 27: No lack of pedigree, as a $15.5 million bonus baby out of Cuba who was ranked as highly as the No. 37 prospect in the sport by Baseball America in 2019, but has yet to put it together, with just one major-league at-bat to his name.
Spencer Howard, RHP, age 27: A rotation option with more experience, who was singled out by Pete Putila for “throwing the ball really well.”
Daulton Jeffries, RHP, age 28: A first-round pick by the A’s out of UC Berkeley and fully recovered from his second Tommy John surgery, but has appeared in only 14 major-league games.
Jakson Reetz, C, age 28: Could be the first line of defense at Triple-A behind the plate should anything happen to Patrick Bailey or Tom Murphy, and he’s a new dad.
Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B, age 32: Japanese journeyman on his sixth major-league organization, with some pop from the left side — 205 career home runs in Japan — something the Giants don’t have a lot of.
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