The story so far….
It has been an interesting start to spring training for the Giants, currently sitting with a record of 6-7. We had many questions that needed answering going into spring (Hence the 71 players in camp); Who was going to start in the rotation? What’s the lineup going to look like on Opening Day? Not to mention the bullpen discussion!
Without doubt, one big win has been Mauricio Dubon, entering tonights game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Dubon in fifteen plate appearances has seven hits, two of which are home runs and leads the Giants in hits so far. Mauricio Dubon has to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day, be it in second base or third base, there has to be reason to watch the Giants this year. Dubon has that star presence and all round, all action style that people love to watch. I for one do not want to see Yolmer Sanchez’s .111 AVG anywhere near this Giants team.
Another positive has been the veteran arms that were added to the rotation; Drew Smyly, Kevin Gausman have yet to give up any runs during spring so far. They both need to take this form into the season if the Giants are to get anywhere near a .500 season.
One major concern is the current form of Evan Longoria. With that contact hanging over the Giants, Longoria signed thru 2022, he needs to start living up to his current salary. Spring has not been good for Longoria, with just three hits from 18 AB, he is currently leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup. With his contract unmovabale, the Giants and their new batting coaches need to find a spark or they will have a decision to make to possibly move on and swallow that contract.
And finally I want to talk about Gabe Kapler…
Embed from Getty ImagesI get he didn’t have the best track record whilst managing the Phillies. I also get that he is following a sure fire Hall of Fame manager in Bruce Bochy and then there’s the incident that happened whilst he was the Dodgers director of player development. However, at some point we have to give the man a chance to show what he can do. The vast majority of Giants Twitter seems to have made their mind up already, scrutinising every little move. This hit fever pitch during a mid-inning dugout interview with Jon Miller during Friday’s spring training game vs. the Rockies. Manager Gabe Kapler cut things short with Jon to make an adjustment.
“Guys I’m going to let you go,” Kapler said. “We’ve got an infield in here and I want to make sure I focus in and lock in on our club. It was great talking to you and look forward to talking to you again.”
A surprised but nonplussed Miller reacted perfectly: “Oh! So he’s actually going to manage!”
Well the reaction to this was amazing, heaven forbid a manager wants to manage the team. It’s time to get behind Gabe, give him a chance to shine, you never know, he may surprise you all.
Lets Go Giants!
Russell Keddie is covering the San Francisco Giants during 2020 as part of the growing team of writers at Bat Flips and Nerds. Follow him on Twitter @UK_Giants_Fans
Make sure you subscribe to the Bat Flips and Nerds podcasts and follow us on Twitter @BatFlips_Nerds. News, views and interviews, all with a British twist.