Not a lot, but not a little, either.
Spring Training is still in its infancy, but the San Francisco Giants have played a whole three games already. They lost two of them and tied the third.
It’s now where I remind you that Spring Training records mean nothing. The Giants being winless means nothing. I mean just look at the top of the standings where the only undefeated team is … umm … well … the Dodgers.
Okay perhaps not the best way to articulate my point.
The Giants had a losing record in the 2021 preseason is what I’m trying to say. These games don’t mean anythng.
Except they do. It’s just the results don’t mean anything. The games sometimes tell us something about individual performance, though it’s waaaaaaay too early to draw any conclusions, and the conclusions would probably be wrong anyway. What the games really tell us is how the organization is feeling. You can’t determine depth charts by how players perform in Spring Training; but you can determine depth charts by how much those players are on the field, and in what capacity.
So after three measly games — plus a bunch of workouts and many quotes — here are a few things we’ve learned.
Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos are the next men up in the outfield
Much talk over the offseason surrounded the obscene number of outfielders the team had. Shockingly, that discourse didn’t end when the Giants waived T.J. Hopkins! They also traded Mitch Haniger, so the final tally that made it to Scottsdale wasn’t that large, but still.
There were questions about how the outfield depth chart looked outside of proven vets Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, and Austin Slater, and newcomer Jung Hoo Lee.
We’re starting to get answers. It sure feels like Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos are the next line of defense (and offense).
Matos isn’t surprising, after the spectacular 2023 he had in the Minors, and the promise he showed in the Majors. Ramos is certainly a change of pace, after the previous coaching staff clearly had no belief in him, and preferred the swing decision tool of Wade Meckler over the power of Matos.
Bob Melvin opened camp by calling Ramos one of the stars of early batting practice, after the 24 year old took Jordan Hicks deep (though it’s worth noting that Melvin tempered enthusiasm by reminding everyone that Ramos was more up to speed than most players after playing in the Caribbean Series).
More importantly, the playing time has done the talking. With Lee, Slater, and Yastrzemski sidelined, Matos and Ramos started in the first two games, and will start the fourth game on Tuesday. Meckler isn’t too far behind, having started on Sunday and Monday, but one certainly gets the feeling from the allocation of playing time and the quotes from the staff that Matos and Ramos will be the first players up when one of the veteran outfielders invariably gets injured. Or perhaps their play will force a trade.
On a related note…
Infielders are just infielders
Last year, the Giants plan at backup middle infield seemed to be this: use whatever player could also play center field. Brett Wisely, who had played just three Minor League games in the outfield when he joined the Giants last year, spent significant time in center field in the Majors, and spent more time in the outfield than the infield in AAA. Tyler Fitzgerald, who hadn’t played in the outfield until he made it to AAA in 2023, spent 71 MLB innings in center field in his debut last year … and just 17 in the infield. And Blake Sabol, added to be a left-handed hitting catcher, spent plenty of time in the grass.
Neither of those three has played in the outfield yet this spring. Neither have offseason additions Otto López and Cooper Hummel, versatile players with outfield experience.
As long as Farhan Zaidi — or any modern-thinking executive — is in charge of the Giants, they’ll prioritize versatility. But right now it seems that versatility does not mean “being able to play six positions questionably.
Things are serious
In hindsight, it was a bit surprising how open Giants players were in September about their issues with the coaching staff. The complaints weren’t levied directly at the staff, but after seeing Gabe Kapler get fired and replaced by Melvin, it’s pretty clear where the various “we’re lacking accountability” were aimed.
Camp — even from a couch in a different state — has a different feel this year. While Melvin does not lack in joy or lightheartedness, there’s clearly much more seriousness this time around. Melvin has been quick to criticize sloppy mistakes, mental errors, and a lack of focus and discipline. The preseason-opener loss was not met with the standard “it’s just nice to be back out here” tropes, but rather disappointment at how unprepared the team was.
There’s no one right way to manage, but it feels as though the Giants need this right now.
The rotation is mostly set
Melvin has made it clear from day one that he has a clear idea of depth charts and rotations. He also made it clear that nothing will be said out loud or set in stone, because players should fight to change those depth charts and rotations.
But we do seem to know the rotation. It’s abundantly clear that Melvin is starting preseason structuring the team the way he would if the real season were starting. So when Logan Webb started the opener, and Kyle Harrison played the second game, and Mason Black took Keaton Winn’s slot for game three, with Jordan Hicks and Tristan Beck scheduled for games four and five, respectively, we learned the order of the rotation at present (Webb, Harrison, Winn, Hicks, Beck) and the next man up (Black).
Wilmer Flores will still play in the infield
So far, Wilmer Flores has only played first base this preseason. But the addition of Jorge Soler at designated hitter made it clear that Flores would have to play elsewhere this year, as the Giants are not simply going to stick their best hitter in 2023 in the weakside of a platoon.
Flores is starting at third base on Tuesday. I suspect he’ll start at second base eventually. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reports that recent signee Nick Ahmed is in camp only to play shortstop, not to bounce around the infield.
It seems the Giants are happy playing Flores at first, second, or third. He may not be the best defensive player at two of those positions but … hey, you watched last year’s offense just as much as I did, pal.
David Villar is being taken seriously
A lot of people forgot about David Villar this offseason. I’ll be the first to admit that I was one of them. When the offseason began, I ranked Villar as less likely to be on the 40-man roster in 2024 than Joey Bart, John Brebbia, and Ross Stripling.
The Giants have not forgotten about Villar. He’s still on the 40-man roster. He’s played in all three games. He’s hit 2-6 with a triple, a double, and a walk. People are saying things about him. Nice things, even.
Villar doesn’t play shortstop, so there’s no path to him making the Opening Day roster that doesn’t include an injury. But it sure seems that Villar has a chance to get meaningful playing time this year.
And finally…
Talent wins out
Melvin has said this over and over again all camp. The team has acted on it, trading Haniger and moving forward with Ramos and Matos; trading Anthony DeSclafani and Ross Stripling and moving forward with Winn, Beck, Black, Sean Hjelle, Carson Whisenhunt, Hayden Birdsong, and others. Choosing not to sign a proven middle infielder. Not caving and overpaying for a Scott Boras client.
Talent will win out this camp. Is the talent good enough? We’ll see. But after spending last year feeling like the playing time would be handed out mostly to the nine-sided objects that fit perfectly in the one-of-one hand-crafted nine-sided hole, it’s refreshing feeling like the best baseball players will play.
Period.