SF Giants: One reliever could sneak onto Opening Day roster

Spring training is winding down, but there is one unexpected reliever that might be able to sneak onto the SF Giants Opening Day roster. In a crowded bullpen competition, Jimmie Sherfy has a made a strong case for an active roster spot. Entering spring training, Sherfy faced an uphill battle as a non-roster invitee. Not currently on the 40-man roster, the Giants would have to designate a player for assignment to place him on the big-league roster.

Sherfy was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2013 draft out of the University of Oregon. The right-handed pitcher reached the major leagues in 2017 and pitched over parts of three seasons in Arizona. After becoming a free-agent this offseason, the Giants inked him to a minor-league deal.

Jimmie Sherfy is one SF Giants reliever who could sneak onto the roster.

Sherfy registered a 1.00 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 0.93 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, and a 2.17 SO/W ratio across his first 27 MLB frames. It is a small sample, but the 29-year-old was showing that he could stick at the major-league level before sustaining an elbow injury. He struggled to regain his form in 2019 though, and spent all of 2020 at the Dbacks alternate site.

His numbers do not jump off of the page from spring training, but he has gotten better as the spring has progressed. In seven Cactus League appearances with the Giants, Sherfy has yielded five runs in 6.2 innings on five hits, including one home run, five walks, and 12 strikeouts. Furthermore, he has collected six strikeouts in his last two appearances.

To put it differently, he has struck out 41.4 percent of the batters he has faced. As a team, the Giants produced a 21.8 percent strikeout rate in 2020 and this was an area that they tried to address throughout the offseason. Sherfy has had a knack for racking up the strikeout totals while also battling some command issues. He flashes a fastball that sits in the low-90’s that he pairs with a slider and a changeup. He relies heavily on the slider as his out-pitch as he has used it 41 percent of the time in the majors.

Jimmie Sherfy is a veteran reliever that has had a couple of bad outings this spring, but overall, has pitched his way into the SF Giants bullpen conversation. Over the next few days, he could find his way onto the Opening Day roster.