SF Giants: 3 up and 3 down from the 1st week of spring training

SF Giants: 3 up from the 1st week of spring training

1. The rotation starters

So far, four of the five Giants rotation arms have made starts in the Cactus League. Alex Cobb is the lone exception, but he is slated to go on Sunday. Carlos Rodón, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, and Logan Webb have all thrived in the Cactus League:

Rodón: 2.2 innings, 0 earned runs, 4 strikeouts

Wood: 5.2 innings, 0 earned runs, 6 strikeouts

DeSclafani: 3 innings, 0 earned runs, 1 strikeout

Webb: 5 innings, 1 earned run, 10 strikeouts

I do not put too much stock into spring training stats, but based on appearances, all four look ready from a repertoire standpoint. The arm strength to go five or six innings likely still needs to be tested, but that will come over the next two weeks.

2. Alex Blandino

Alex Blandino came over to the Giants on a minor league contract earlier this offseason. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He debuted with the Reds in 2018 and appeared in parts of three seasons with them, slashing .226/.339/.291 (68 OPS+) with two home runs and 16 RBI.

This does come with a solid 11.1 percent walk rate against a concerning 29.8 percent strikeout rate. Despite the limited power output, he does bring plenty of versatility as he had appeared at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field with the Reds.

Since the start of the Cactus League, the right-handed bat has recorded six hits, including one home run, in 10 at-bats with three RBI and two runs scored. Only catching prospect Patrick Bailey (11) has accumulated more at-bats than Blandino this spring, so the Giants seem motivated in seeing what he can do. The chances of him making the opening day roster are not great, but a strong camp could help build a case for a promotion by midseason.

3. Thairo Estrada

I will admit that I really enjoy watching Thairo Estrada as a player, so there is definitely a bias with this ranking. The versatile infielder came over to the Giants from the New York Yankees last April in exchange for cash.

He was called up in July and strung together a nice performance including handling shortstop when Brandon Crawford hit the injured list. Estrada slashed .273/.333/.479 (118 OPS+) with seven home runs, 19 runs, and 22 RBI in 132 plate appearances. This is not necessarily quantifiable, but he looked very hitter-ish with the Giants.

The 26-year-old infielder appeared at five different positions down the stretch in 2021, so he has similar positional versatility as Mauricio Dubón, but with fewer mistakes.

Estrada has recorded three hits, including one home run, with two runs, three RBI, and even one stolen base(!). What can't this guy do on the baseball field? He does not have an option remaining, but he has a good chance of making the club given how he performed and his utility on the roster.

SF Giants: 3 down from the 1st week of spring training

1. Tyler Beede

It has been a rough couple of seasons for Tyler Beede. He got his most extended look in the majors in 2019 and anticipated making the rotation in 2020 before sustaining a UCL injury in his pitching elbow. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2020 and returned to the mound midway through the 2021 season.

He made one appearance for the Giants, yielding three runs in just one inning of work. But, the good news then was that he was back on the mound. He spent the bulk of the season with the Sacramento River Cats where he posted a 6.66 ERA in 16 starts.

Some struggles were expected as pitchers typically do not regain their old form immediately after returning to the mound. However, the 2022 Cactus League has not been kind to the 28-year-old hurler. In 3.2 frames, Beede has allowed six earned runs on seven hits, two walks, and one strikeout. Given that he is out of options, it does feel like he is on the roster bubble.

2. Steven Duggar

Steven Duggar is coming off of a nice 2021 campaign in which he slashed .257/.330/.437 (107 OPS+) with eight home runs, 45 runs scored, and 35 RBI while being worth 2.2 WAR in 297 plate appearances. He was coming into camp with a good shot at making the club, but he has not looked great at the plate so far.

It is possible that he has a fourth minor league option, so the Giants might use that roster flexibility if he does. The left-handed bat has recorded just one hit with one walk and three strikeouts in nine at-bats in the Cactus League. The good news is that one hit was a home run, but he will need to perform better at the plate to break camp with the club.

3. Jaylin Davis

Jaylin Davis has already been optioned, so he is not fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster. That said, he displayed some of the concerns that we have seen since he came over to the Giants in a trade with the Minnesota Twins in 2019.

Granted, it was a very small sample, but the 27-year-old outfielder recorded just one hit with five strikeouts in six at-bats. Against major league pitching, Davis has struggled to make consistent contact as he has posted a 26.5 percent strikeout rate in three seasons with the Giants and that trend continued this spring.

Davis has one minor league option remaining, so he still carries some roster flexibility. However, he has fallen pretty far down the outfield depth chart.