5 Takeaways from the San Francisco Giants Roster Announcement

5. There aren’t future stars, but the roster quietly has a lot of potential long-term contributors

The Giants roster is unproven. The Giants roster lacks a lot of high-ceiling players. Normally those are two reasons for fans to tune out. I don’t doubt that it will. However, for the fans who stick around, the uncertainty opens the door for excitement. The fact is most of the Giants are playing for their baseball futures and this year’s Mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano are waiting among them.

Beyond the journeyman or more senior unproven options, Logan Webb and Mauricio Dubon both ranked among the system’s top eight prospects in Around the Foghorns final 2019 prospect rankings. Both have floors to contribute in at least small roles going forward (Dubon as a utility man and Webb as a middle-reliever), but they should have plenty of opportunities to prove they are true foundational pieces.

Davis and McCarthy are more on the margins. With the slew of incoming outfield talent, it’s unlikely either will have too long a leash after this season. That puts a lot of pressure on these next 60 games. They were a pair of prospects acquired in the Zaidi regime’s first trade deadline, so they know this front office sees something in them, but will they be able to put everything together?

Next, the rotation is full of intriguing arms like Rico Garcia, Dany Jimenez, Conner Menez, Sam Coonrod, Caleb Baragar, Wandy Peralta, and Shaun Anderson. Some have been top prospects in the Giants system (Menez, Coonrod, and Anderson), others picked off the scrap heap from other teams (Garcia, Peralta, and Jimenez), and Baragar has quietly earned his way through the Giants system as an under-the-radar name.

Sports are fun because we don’t know what’s going to happen. In a year where unexpected events continue building atop one another, the Giants should provide a much more exciting and joyful avenue to surprise.

If the season finds the necessary combination of luck and responsibility to evade a crisis, there are plenty of reasons to stay tuned. Luckily, Around the Foghorn will stay tuned in to everything around San Francisco Giants baseball.