Three up, three down from Week 2 of Giants spring training

The second week of Spring Training brought a new month, some bad news, and an interesting competition for the final roster spots for the San Francisco Giants.

The San Francisco Giants received some encouraging signs from many of their starting pitchers in the first week of spring training.

However, the second turn through the rotation is proving to be a tougher challenge.

In the case of Tyler Beede, the Giants may not see their promising young pitching prospect take the mound again anytime soon:

With the right-hander shelved for the foreseeable future, the attention now turns to the other starting pitchers on the 40-man roster, including Andrew Suarez, Dereck Rodriguez, and Conner Menez.

In addition to this, Tyler Anderson, Trevor Cahill, and Tyson Ross were brought in on minor league pacts. The competition for the fifth spot in the rotation appears to be wide open.

For the established rotation arms, this turn through the rotation was not as smooth as the first. Drew Smyly failed to make it out of the first inning in his most recent start and Johnny Cueto is sporting a 7.71 ERA.

However, this is hardly a cause for concern as pitchers are just trying to get live game experience while building up arm strength.

In terms of the position-player battles, the backup catcher role is still wide open. Both Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman are competing for this role, but neither one is separating himself from the other.

The Giants outfielder contingent will include Hunter Pence, Alex Dickerson, and Mike Yastrzemski. Outside of that trio, the race is open, and only Joey Rickard and Joe McCarthy are performing well enough to make the Opening Day roster.

The path to make the team is more difficult for Rickard, as he was brought in on a minor league deal and would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

Lastly, the Giants announced their first round of cuts including some notable names:

In the second week of spring training, Andrew Suarez, Joey Rickard, and Zach Green have emerged as rising performers.

LHP Andrew Suarez

Andrew Suarez had a promising rookie campaign in 2018 when he posted a 4.49 ERA across 160.1 innings and looked to be a future rotation arm. However, the 2019 season was a completely different story.

The left-handed hurler posted an unsightly 5.79 ERA across 32.2 frames while shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Sacramento and San Francisco. Suarez only made two starts with the Giants, but appeared out of the bullpen 19 times.

It seemed as if the Giants tried to find a role for him, but neither starting nor relieving seemed to be a fit. As a result, his future role with the Giants heading into this season was undefined, and he really needed to open some eyes.

To his credit, Suarez has done just that.

Across 6.2 innings, he has yielded just two runs on four hits while tallying nine strikeouts.

The ability to avoid contact altogether is an intriguing development for the University of Miami product. He still has an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster due to the fact that he has two minor league options remaining, but he is making this a difficult decision for the Giants.

OF Joey Rickard

Joey Rickard appeared with the Giants at the end of last season, and he was solid in a very limited sample. Across 54 plate appearances, he posted a .713 OPS while proving he can handle both corner outfield spots.

Throughout his career, the right-handed hitter has produced a .278/.337/.425 line in 402 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, so any potential role with the team would be as part of a platoon.

While other younger outfielders like Steven Duggar and Jaylin Davis have struggled at the plate, Rickard has performed as well as anyone this spring. In 17 Cactus League at-bats, he has seven hits, including three doubles and one triple.

The 28-year-old was brought back on a minor league contract, so he would need to be added back to the 40-man roster. This creates a bit of an obstacle for Rickard, but he is performing well enough to make the club.

3B Zach Green

Similar to Rickard, Zach Green made a brief appearance with the Giants last season, and the similarities do not stop there. Like Rickard, Green was also removed from the 40-man roster, only to be brought back on a minor league contract with a camp invite.

Green has battled injuries over the years, reaching the 100-game threshold just once in his eight-year professional career. When he has been healthy, the right-handed hitter has shown plenty of power, especially in 2019 where he blasted 25 home runs for Triple-A Sacramento.

That earned him a promotion, but he only collected two hits in 14 at-bats before he was sent back down, eventually ending the season on the injured list.

Despite not having a spot on the 40-man roster, the 26-year-old has been impressive in his tryout this spring. In 13 at-bats, Green is batting .462 with three home runs and nine RBI. His bat has been one of the loudest in Scottsdale, Arizona:

On the opposite side of the coin, Jaylin Davis, Austin Slater, and Jerry Blevins are ready to turn the page and start a new week after struggling.