SF Giants: Three Up, Three Down from Week 2 of Spring Training
The second week of spring training is in the books for the SF Giants and some players are beginning to stand out while one is rebounding nicely from a tough first week.
For the SF Giants, there are not many active competitions taking place for spots on the Opening Day roster outside of a couple of bullpen roles. They brought in a handful of veteran arms to compete for bullpen spots, but few have created separation from the competition.
Interestingly, the Giants appear to be relying heavily on simulated games to build up arm strength and get at-bats. For example, Kevin Gausman, who is likely to be the Opening Day starter, has pitched a total of two Cactus League innings this spring. There has been no mention of an injury, so the assumption is that he is building up arm strength outside of Cactus League games. It is a different approach that the team is taking to prepare for the season, and this is likely a product of the COVID-19 protocols.
SF Giants: Three up from week 2 of spring training
After struggling badly in the first week of spring training, Steven Duggar has found another gear. The left-handed bat was seemingly battling to stay on the 40-man roster as he has struggled at the plate over the last two seasons and carried that over to the start of this spring.
In fairness, he may still be battling to stay on the 40-man roster, but he has bought himself some time. In the meantime, he has dazzled at the plate. In 18 at-bats, the 27-year-old has collected five hits, including two opposite-field home runs, and five RBI. This includes nine strikeouts against seven walks. The strikeout total is still high, but he is at least finding a way to get on base.
2. Logan Webb
When spring training began, it seemed as if Logan Webb was on the bubble of the starting rotation competition. After all, the Giants had brought in a number of veteran starters on major-league contracts including Gausman, Alex Wood, Anthony DesClafani, and Aaron Sanchez.
With Johnny Cueto also in the mix, it seemed as if Webb, who has two minor-league options remaining, would not break camp as a result of circumstance. However, no one has looked better on the mound than the young, right-handed hurler.
Webb dazzled in a start on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians where he pitched three scoreless innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Overall, he has not yielded a run in two appearances across six frames with ten strikeouts against only one walk. Webb has the stuff to compete, but the command has eluded him at times. Perhaps, he is beginning to turn a corner.
The SF Giants brought in a bunch of veteran relievers on minor-league deals and none are more intriguing than Nick Tropeano. Earlier in his career, the righty registered a 3.65 ERA in 21 appearances from 2015-2016 and looked poised to establish himself as a mid-rotation arm.
However, injuries have plagued him, including a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery. It took some time to regain his footing, but the 30-year-old put together a strong 2020 campaign in which he posted a 1.15 ERA in seven appearances as a bulk-innings reliever with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Surprisingly, he became a free agent after the Pirates placed him on waivers.
To his credit, the Giants do not really have a bulk-innings arm outside of Tropeano. So far, he has pitched well enough to put his name in the conversation for an Opening Day roster spot. He has yielded just one run with six strikeouts in six innings.
SF Giants: Three down from week 2 of spring training
After putting together two strong seasons with the Giants, Alex Dickerson is not fighting for a roster spot this spring. He will see the bulk of the playing time in left field, especially against right-handed pitching. Darin Ruf will give him plenty of days off as the right side of a platoon timeshare in left field.
The SF Giants got a strong .947 OPS with 13 home runs from the left-field position in 2020 and much of that production was due to Dickerson and Ruf.
Hopefully, Dickerson begins to hit a little more as the season approaches. He has just three hits in 15 at-bats with three walks, so he is still finding a way to reach base.
Similar to Dickerson, Wandy Peralta is not necessarily fighting for a roster spot in camp. However, it bears mentioning that the Giants have brought in a pair of veteran southpaws in Jake McGee and Jose Alvarez on guaranteed contracts, so the Giants are not short on left-handed relievers.
That said, Peralta has been hit hard this spring as he has yielded five earned runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings. His fastball sits comfortably in the mid-90’s and he flashed a strong slider last year (.133 opponent BA). These are the type of qualities that do not grow on trees.
3. Jaylin Davis
Jaylin Davis may be in a similar position to Steven Duggar in that he could be sitting on the bubble of the 40-man roster. After being acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Sam Dyson at the 2019 trade deadline, there was a lot of hope that Davis would become a regular contributor.
However, contact issues continue to plague the 26-year-old and that has carried over into the Cactus League. He has three hits in 15 at-bats, but with eight strikeouts. In fairness to the outfield prospect, he has made hard contact on several occasions that did not find a hole, but that happens in baseball all of the time.
When camp concludes, the SF Giants may need to create a 40-man spot for someone like Nick Tropeano or Shun Yamaguchi. They currently have eight outfielders on the 40-man roster, which seems like a surplus, so Davis or Duggar might hit waivers to make room for someone else.
Editor’s note: Stats are as of 3/15/21.