SF Giants: Three Key Takeaways from the Rockies Series

SF Giants: Three Takeaways From the Padres Series

3. Camilo Doval has quickly climbed up the bullpen totem pole

It did not take long, nor should it be surprising, but Camilo Doval has quickly emerged as one of the more reliable right-handed options in the bullpen. The Giants signed the hard-throwing reliever as an international free agent in October of 2015, but he remains very light on pro experience.

The canceled minor league season in 2020 was a product of this, but Doval had not pitched above Single-A before this season. It is beginning to look like the 23-year-old will be skipping Double-A and Triple-A entirely as he has quickly gained the confidence of Giants manager Gabe Kapler.

Unfortunately, the SF Giants are light on reliable righties out of the bullpen with Reyes Moronta on the injured list and Matt Wisler off to a rough start. Tyler Rogers has been fantastic, and Doval is becoming the next best option behind the submarine-style pitcher.

In the Rockies series, Doval was called in on a couple of high-leverage moments and he did not disappoint. Doval was called upon in the top of the seventh on Tuesday’s game that was even at 3-3. The righty recorded one strikeout in what was an uneventful inning to preserve the tie.

However, his appearance on Wednesday was even more impressive. Alex Wood battled through the seventh inning, but he struggled to regain the sharpness he had demonstrated earlier in the game. The left-handed pitcher yielded his first run while loading the bases without recording an out before Doval was brought in.

This is a tough situation for any reliever, especially a rookie. With that being said, Doval embraced the challenge. He induced a double play that scored a run followed by a walk and a groundout that ended the inning. This inning could have gone in a bunch of different directions, but the rookie reliever limited the damage while maintaining a 4-2 lead. It was the key moment of the game.

This series was a confidence booster for Doval and it is clear that he has quickly earned a leverage role in the bullpen. The Giants remain thin on right-handed relievers, but Doval gives them a hard-throwing option to go along with Tyler Rogers’ funkiness.