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3 SF Giants players who will benefit from Opening Day expended rosters

By Jeff Young |
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Spring training is just getting underway, but the regular season is quickly approaching. Given the shortened camp, baseball announced a change that may benefit a few SF Giants players.

3 SF Giants players who will benefit from Opening Day expended rosters

Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed that teams will be able to expand active rosters to 28 players for the first month of the season. Baseball enacted a similar rule during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Once the calendar turns to May, active rosters will be reduced to 26 yet again.

The extra roster spots will provide added time for evaluation for Giants players who are out of options, especially players on the roster bubble. Thairo Estrada, Mauricio Dubón, and Tyler Beede are three players who will benefit the most from expanded rosters.

1. Thairo Estrada

After a strong finish to the 2021 season, Estrada has the firmest grasp on a role for the upcoming season of the three players mentioned above. The Giants originally acquired the versatile infielder in exchange for cash from the New York Yankees last April.

This is a move that has quietly paid dividends for the Giants as Estrada slashed .273/.333/.479 (118 OPS+) with seven home runs, 19 runs, and 22 RBI in 132 plate appearances last season. The 26-year-old thrived by demonstrating a more selective approach at the plate, setting a career-best by swinging at only 30% (O-Zone%) of pitches outside of the strike zone.

In the field, Estrada flashed the type of versatility that the Giants' front office values. He appeared primarily at shortstop with San Francisco, but he saw time at second base, third base, right field, and left field as well.

After a performance like last season, it would be easy to envision a role for Estrada. However, the Giants only saw him briefly, so he is working off of a limited track record. That said, he has the inside track to remain on the roster beyond April.

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3 SF Giants players who will benefit from Opening Day expended rosters

2. Mauricio Dubón

Mauricio Dubón has quickly emerged as a popular Giants player among fans. He has the energy and personality that fans appreciate.

However, the 27-year-old infielder is out of options, but he should benefit from the expanded roster. Before spring training was reduced to three weeks, it seemed like Dubón would be competing against Thairo Estrada for a role in 2021. Estrada has the inside track, so many have wondered what the Giants will do with Dubón? For now, that decision may be delayed by a month.

The right-handed bat has struggled to find the consistency in the batter's box since coming over to the Giants in a midseason trade that sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019.

In a Giants uniform, Dubón has slashed .261/.308/.397 (90 OPS+) with just 13 home runs across three seasons. This includes a 6.1 percent walk rate against a 20.4 percent strikeout rate.

Giants coaches have asked Dubón to be more selective at the plate and he has shown flashes of it, especially after posting an 8.5 percent walk rate in 2020. However, that quality has not been consistently demonstrated.

To his credit, Dubón has accepted a different challenge in that the Giants asked him to learn how to play center field. He adjusted nicely in 2020 and became the Opening Day center field in 2021. He has also spent time at shortstop, second base, and third base.

Defensively, he fills a similar role as Estrada, but Estrada has the more recent track record of success. The coaching staff and front office have proven to be patient with certain players and Dubón seems like one of those players that they are motivated to see succeed.

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San Francisco Giants v Los Angeles Dodgers / Victor Decolongon/GettyImages

3 SF Giants players who will benefit from Opening Day expended rosters

3. Tyler Beede

Giants fans have been eagerly waiting for Tyler Beede to thrive against major league hitting and there have been flashes of it. The right-handed hurler was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Vanderbilt University, so he has been on the Giants' radar for some time.

Beede debuted with the Giants in 2018, but he had his most extended look in 2019. In that season, the 28-year-old pitcher registered a 5.08 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 1.48 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, and a 2.46 SO/W ratio in 117 innings.

On the surface, these were not the strongest results, but he did get better down the stretch. He posted a 3.34 ERA and a 3.28 ERA in July and September, respectively. However, this was sandwiched in between a rough August in which he struggled to the tune of a 7.25 ERA.

On the mound, Beede flashes a mid-90's fastball that generates good spin with a curveball that proved tough for opposing hitters to barrel up. It seemed like he had a shot at making the 2020 rotation, but he sustained a UCL tear in his pitching elbow that required Tommy John surgery.

The road back from major elbow surgery is often a long one. Beede made it back to the mound in 2021, but he made just one appearance in a Giants uniform. He spent the majority of the 2021 season in Triple-A, but he posted a 6.66 ERA in 16 appearances.

Pitchers can return from Tommy John surgery after 12 months, but it often takes much longer to regain their old form. Beede is approaching the two-year mark, but he might be running out of time. He has no options remaining, but the expanded roster in April should give him an extra long look.

Can he take advantage of it? That remains to be seen, but he has a good arm and needs to find a little more consistency on the mound.

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