I'll cover the catchers in a separate post. There are three infielders and two outfielders:
Christhian Adames (S, 2B/SS/3B), 29 in July, in pro ball since 2008, 176 G ML exp
Zach Green (R, 3B), 26 in March, 2012 3rd-round pick (PHI), 16 PA in debut with 2019 Giants
Drew Robinson (L, 2B/3B, OF), 28 in April, 2010 4th-round pick (TEX), 100 G ML exp
Joey Rickard (R, OF), 29 in May, 2012 9th-round pick (TBR), 343 G ML exp
Jamie Westbrook (R, OF/2B), 25 in June, 2013 5th-round pick (ARI), no ML time
Switch-hitter Adames could be a useful utility player. He was signed as a 16-year old by the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic. He's played almost a thousand games in the minors. Green is a local boy (Sacto, Jesuit HS) and really clobbered the ball last year in the PCL. He plays first base as well. Robinson has played all three OF positions in both the minors and with the Rangers in addition to his infield work. Rickard was non-tendered by the Giants but then re-signed. Rickard is fast, has a decent glove, and can get on base, but has not shown much power. Westbrook has played almost 800 games in the minors including stints in Australia and Mexico. He spent a lot of that time at second base in addition to the corner outfield spots. He's flashed a little power and has decent on-base numbers.
Adames and Robinson are arb-eligible in 2022. Green is still a rookie. Westbrook would be the same if he makes an ML roster. Rickard had his first taste of the arbitration process this fall--he's a free agent in 2023.
--M.C.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
NRIs: pitchers
The Giants posted their list--18 players--of non-roster invitees to Spring Training.
Ten are pitchers:
Matt Carasiti (R), 29 in July, 2012 6th-round pick (COL), pre-arb (25-1/3 IP ML exp)
Tyler Cyr (R), 27 in May, Giants 10th-round pick in 2015, no ML time
Rico Garcia (R), 26, 2016 30th-round pick (COL), rookie/pre-arb (6 IP ML exp)
Sean Hjelle (R), 23 in May, Giants 2nd-round pick in 2018, no ML time
Trey McNutt (R), 31 in August, 2009 32nd-round pick (CHC), no ML time
Sam Moll (L), 28, 2013 3rd-round pick (COL), rookie/pre-arb (6-2/3 ML exp)
Carlos Navas (R), 28 in August, A's amateur free agent (Ven, 2010), no ML time
Andrew Triggs (R), 31 in March, 2012 19th round pick (KCR), arb-eligible (163 IP ML exp)
Raffi Vizcaino (R), 24, Giants amateur free agent (DR, 2013), no ML time
Sam Wolff (R), 29 in April, 2013 6th round pick (TEX), no ML time
Carasiti has almost 600 IP in the minors including a stint in Japan, mostly as a reliever. He was used as an opener in Seattle last season. He signed a minor-league deal with the Giants after being outrighted by the Mariners. Cyr is a whiff artist who has missed time due to TJS but was back to his whiffing ways last season (57 K in 48-1/3 IP) at AA-Richmond. Garcia has been a starter at every level including college and opened some eyes with a nice 13-game stretch for AA-Hartford (68 IP, 41 H, 16 R, 87 K) last year. He was picked up off waivers, non-tendered, then re-signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal. Hjelle is almost seven feet tall and if he makes the majors would be the tallest player in MLB history. The team is intrigued by his uniqueness and he seems to be on the fast track. Except for his freshman year at Kentucky he's been exclusively a starter. McNutt has to be the most determined player on the list, he's been in pro ball since he was 19 including stints in independent leagues as well as in Mexico. Moll was a Rule V pick and signed a minors deal with the Giants last year. Navas was a Giants NRI last spring, he's another highly determined fellow, logging ten seasons in the minors including four in Venezuela. Triggs has 27 starts in the bigs from 2016-2018, all with the A's. He missed last season due to surgery. Vizcaino looks like a swingman, having been a starter and closer in the Giants system. He'll likely wind up at AA-Richmond. Wolff was acquired in the Matt Moore trade. He's a reliever and will probably be assigned to AAA-Sacramento. He was a Giants NRI last spring.
In other news, the Giants apparently completed their coaching staff by hiring former ballplayer Nick Ortiz as their "Quality Control" man. I don't know what QC guys do in baseball but these are modern times and we need modern job titles so I am OK with it. Ortiz is from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish speaker. He was an infielder (mostly SS) and logged 17 seasons (1423 G) in the minors including time in independent leagues and in Puerto Rico. He's 46 and spent the last two seasons managing rookie-ball teams for the Yankees in the Gulf Coast League and the Appalachian League. Wow, talk about determination! You really have to love the game to play that long and never crack a big-league roster.
I'll cover the position players later.
--M.C.
Ten are pitchers:
Matt Carasiti (R), 29 in July, 2012 6th-round pick (COL), pre-arb (25-1/3 IP ML exp)
Tyler Cyr (R), 27 in May, Giants 10th-round pick in 2015, no ML time
Rico Garcia (R), 26, 2016 30th-round pick (COL), rookie/pre-arb (6 IP ML exp)
Sean Hjelle (R), 23 in May, Giants 2nd-round pick in 2018, no ML time
Trey McNutt (R), 31 in August, 2009 32nd-round pick (CHC), no ML time
Sam Moll (L), 28, 2013 3rd-round pick (COL), rookie/pre-arb (6-2/3 ML exp)
Carlos Navas (R), 28 in August, A's amateur free agent (Ven, 2010), no ML time
Andrew Triggs (R), 31 in March, 2012 19th round pick (KCR), arb-eligible (163 IP ML exp)
Raffi Vizcaino (R), 24, Giants amateur free agent (DR, 2013), no ML time
Sam Wolff (R), 29 in April, 2013 6th round pick (TEX), no ML time
Carasiti has almost 600 IP in the minors including a stint in Japan, mostly as a reliever. He was used as an opener in Seattle last season. He signed a minor-league deal with the Giants after being outrighted by the Mariners. Cyr is a whiff artist who has missed time due to TJS but was back to his whiffing ways last season (57 K in 48-1/3 IP) at AA-Richmond. Garcia has been a starter at every level including college and opened some eyes with a nice 13-game stretch for AA-Hartford (68 IP, 41 H, 16 R, 87 K) last year. He was picked up off waivers, non-tendered, then re-signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal. Hjelle is almost seven feet tall and if he makes the majors would be the tallest player in MLB history. The team is intrigued by his uniqueness and he seems to be on the fast track. Except for his freshman year at Kentucky he's been exclusively a starter. McNutt has to be the most determined player on the list, he's been in pro ball since he was 19 including stints in independent leagues as well as in Mexico. Moll was a Rule V pick and signed a minors deal with the Giants last year. Navas was a Giants NRI last spring, he's another highly determined fellow, logging ten seasons in the minors including four in Venezuela. Triggs has 27 starts in the bigs from 2016-2018, all with the A's. He missed last season due to surgery. Vizcaino looks like a swingman, having been a starter and closer in the Giants system. He'll likely wind up at AA-Richmond. Wolff was acquired in the Matt Moore trade. He's a reliever and will probably be assigned to AAA-Sacramento. He was a Giants NRI last spring.
In other news, the Giants apparently completed their coaching staff by hiring former ballplayer Nick Ortiz as their "Quality Control" man. I don't know what QC guys do in baseball but these are modern times and we need modern job titles so I am OK with it. Ortiz is from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish speaker. He was an infielder (mostly SS) and logged 17 seasons (1423 G) in the minors including time in independent leagues and in Puerto Rico. He's 46 and spent the last two seasons managing rookie-ball teams for the Yankees in the Gulf Coast League and the Appalachian League. Wow, talk about determination! You really have to love the game to play that long and never crack a big-league roster.
I'll cover the position players later.
--M.C.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
The 40-man roster: pitchers R-W
Dereck Rodriguez (R), free agent signing Nov 2017, 28 in June, arb-eligible in 2022
Tyler Rogers (R), Giants 2013 10th-round pick, 29, 17-2/3 IP in 2019 debut with SF
Sam Selman (L), 2012 2nd-round pick (KC), 29, 10-1/3 IP in 2019 debut with SF
Burch Smith (R), waiver claim, 30 in April, 65 G (135-2/3 IP) ML service
Andrew Suarez (L), Giants 2015 2nd-round pick, 27, arb-eligible in 2022
Logan Webb (R), Giants 2014 4th-round pick, 23, 39-2/3 IP over 8 starts in 2019 debut with SF
I left veterans Tony Watson and Jeff Samardzija off the list. I figure you know about these guys. Righty Smardj had a nice bounceback season, making 32 starts (181-1/3 IP), good for 2.9 bWAR. Watson's 2019 was closer to league average than his superb 2018 season, but the lefty-tosser remains a valuable late-inning reliever. Both men are 35 this season and will be free agents in 2021.
I mentioned in the comments on one of the earlier posts that the Giants signed former Padres starter Tyson Ross to a minor-league deal. He is not on the 40-man roster but brings a lot of experience with ten years in the bigs (142 starts). Ross was drafted by the A's, a 2nd-round pick in 2008. He was born in Berkeley, went to high school in Oakland at Bishop O'Dowd, and played NCAA ball at Cal. He'll be 33 in April. Sounds like a great story in the making--local boy returns home and kicks ass!
That's the 40-man roster. Subject to change, of course. I expect it will be busy this year at the Giants complex in Arizona--I envision lots of bodies coming and going. The first Spring Training games are scheduled for February 21st.
--M.C.
Tyler Rogers (R), Giants 2013 10th-round pick, 29, 17-2/3 IP in 2019 debut with SF
Sam Selman (L), 2012 2nd-round pick (KC), 29, 10-1/3 IP in 2019 debut with SF
Burch Smith (R), waiver claim, 30 in April, 65 G (135-2/3 IP) ML service
Andrew Suarez (L), Giants 2015 2nd-round pick, 27, arb-eligible in 2022
Logan Webb (R), Giants 2014 4th-round pick, 23, 39-2/3 IP over 8 starts in 2019 debut with SF
I left veterans Tony Watson and Jeff Samardzija off the list. I figure you know about these guys. Righty Smardj had a nice bounceback season, making 32 starts (181-1/3 IP), good for 2.9 bWAR. Watson's 2019 was closer to league average than his superb 2018 season, but the lefty-tosser remains a valuable late-inning reliever. Both men are 35 this season and will be free agents in 2021.
I mentioned in the comments on one of the earlier posts that the Giants signed former Padres starter Tyson Ross to a minor-league deal. He is not on the 40-man roster but brings a lot of experience with ten years in the bigs (142 starts). Ross was drafted by the A's, a 2nd-round pick in 2008. He was born in Berkeley, went to high school in Oakland at Bishop O'Dowd, and played NCAA ball at Cal. He'll be 33 in April. Sounds like a great story in the making--local boy returns home and kicks ass!
That's the 40-man roster. Subject to change, of course. I expect it will be busy this year at the Giants complex in Arizona--I envision lots of bodies coming and going. The first Spring Training games are scheduled for February 21st.
--M.C.
The 40-man roster: pitchers G-P
Kevin Gausman (R), free agent, 29, 1st round pick (#4) in 2012 by BAL, 7 years ML time (925 IP)
Trevor Gott (R), purchased from WAS, 27, 52-2/3 IP in relief for Giants in 2019 (3.12 FIP)
Jandel Gustave (R), free agent, 27, 24-1/3 IP in relief for Giants in 2019 (143 ERA+)
Dany Jimenez (R), Rule V draft, 26, no ML time but 5 seasons and 200 IP pro experience
Conor Menez (L), Giants 14th-round pick in 2016, 25 in May, 17 IP for Giants in 2019 (22 K)
Reyes Moronta (R), amateur free agent (DR), 27, 132 G in relief over 3 seasons for SF (3.38 FIP)
Trevor Oaks (R), waiver claim, 27 in March, 13-2/3 IP ML service in 2018
Wandy Peralta (L), waiver claim, 28, 157 IP all in relief over 4 ML seasons
Gausman projects to be a starter. His best season (4.1 bWAR) was 2016 for the Orioles. His most recent good stretch was 10 starts for the Braves at the end of 2018 (59-2/3 IP, 143 ERA+, 1.0 WAR). Projection systems like Gausman as a mid-rotation starter. If he can do something close to those numbers (150 IP, 108 ERA+, 2.5 WAR) that would be great.
Gott brought his walks down last season and upped his strikeouts, showing a huge improvement over his career numbers. He could be a valuable reliever. Gustave was originally in the Astros system and has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. Jimenez is a whiff artist, posting 11.7 SO/9 in the minors. Southpaw Menez is also a whiff artist, posting 10.1 SO/9 in the minors and showing a bit of that in the majors last season.
Moronta has established himself as a solid reliever in the bigs. Unfortunately his career has been derailed by injury and he will likely miss most of 2020. Let's hope he gets back to full health and resumes his assault on ML hitters.
Oaks was originally in the Dodgers system and was eventually traded to the Royals. He missed 2019 due to injury and subsequent surgery on his right hip labrum. One thing about guys like this is they are attractive because they are not arbitration-eligible. His earliest free agency date is 2025, so the team has control for the next two seasons--his first arb-year is 2022. I suspect a lot of decisions about who to keep or cut have to do with service time considerations, especially in a rebuilding mode. (Another reason to do away with these vestiges of the reserve clause and give players a true free agency.)
Peralta brings some experience and of course a lefty arm. There are only six of those out of the 23 listed. He's on a 1-year deal for $850K and has two arb-years remaining before free agency in 2023.
One more post (R-W) and we are done!
--M.C.
Trevor Gott (R), purchased from WAS, 27, 52-2/3 IP in relief for Giants in 2019 (3.12 FIP)
Jandel Gustave (R), free agent, 27, 24-1/3 IP in relief for Giants in 2019 (143 ERA+)
Dany Jimenez (R), Rule V draft, 26, no ML time but 5 seasons and 200 IP pro experience
Conor Menez (L), Giants 14th-round pick in 2016, 25 in May, 17 IP for Giants in 2019 (22 K)
Reyes Moronta (R), amateur free agent (DR), 27, 132 G in relief over 3 seasons for SF (3.38 FIP)
Trevor Oaks (R), waiver claim, 27 in March, 13-2/3 IP ML service in 2018
Wandy Peralta (L), waiver claim, 28, 157 IP all in relief over 4 ML seasons
Gausman projects to be a starter. His best season (4.1 bWAR) was 2016 for the Orioles. His most recent good stretch was 10 starts for the Braves at the end of 2018 (59-2/3 IP, 143 ERA+, 1.0 WAR). Projection systems like Gausman as a mid-rotation starter. If he can do something close to those numbers (150 IP, 108 ERA+, 2.5 WAR) that would be great.
Gott brought his walks down last season and upped his strikeouts, showing a huge improvement over his career numbers. He could be a valuable reliever. Gustave was originally in the Astros system and has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. Jimenez is a whiff artist, posting 11.7 SO/9 in the minors. Southpaw Menez is also a whiff artist, posting 10.1 SO/9 in the minors and showing a bit of that in the majors last season.
Moronta has established himself as a solid reliever in the bigs. Unfortunately his career has been derailed by injury and he will likely miss most of 2020. Let's hope he gets back to full health and resumes his assault on ML hitters.
Oaks was originally in the Dodgers system and was eventually traded to the Royals. He missed 2019 due to injury and subsequent surgery on his right hip labrum. One thing about guys like this is they are attractive because they are not arbitration-eligible. His earliest free agency date is 2025, so the team has control for the next two seasons--his first arb-year is 2022. I suspect a lot of decisions about who to keep or cut have to do with service time considerations, especially in a rebuilding mode. (Another reason to do away with these vestiges of the reserve clause and give players a true free agency.)
Peralta brings some experience and of course a lefty arm. There are only six of those out of the 23 listed. He's on a 1-year deal for $850K and has two arb-years remaining before free agency in 2023.
One more post (R-W) and we are done!
--M.C.
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