Some more notes, musings and observations from Giants' Spring Training.
I caught up with Matt Gage this morning and learned all about the new splitter he is working on this spring. Last year, he was not getting the success he wanted with his changeup and sweeper and became very reliant on his slider, throwing it 50% of the time, so much so that hitters could just sit on it and do damage.
“This offseason, I was like, ‘You know what, like, I got to find something to like actually throw for a strike,’” said Gage. “Because if it's just on the scouting report, and they just check off of it, and then it doesn't do me any favors when I throw it for a ball.”
While Gage admitted he has not thrown it enough, he has had some degree of success with it this spring, bringing up when he struck out Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing last month. Moments like that have given him confidence that he can gain some comfort with the pitch in time for the regular season.
“That's really what it comes down to,” said Gage. “You have it in there, and even the coaching staff is like, you have the ability to throw it, you've shown it, so just trust it and just keep going at it and stuff like that. So, they're trying to build my confidence with it as well.”
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The Giants are pretty set when it comes to the starting lineup. Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee will start in the outfield. Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Luis Arraez and Rafael Devers can be written into the lineup in ink, not pencil. And of course, Patrick Bailey is behind the plate.
The real competitions have been for the reserve spots, and I had a chance to talk to manager Tony Vitello today about how that race is going. Casey Schmitt seems like a lock to be the Giants 5th infielder and play all four spots, something that Schmitt has already been doing and is more than ready to keep doing going into this season.
The final infielder spot is where things get interesting, though Christian Koss could be taking the excitement out of that.
Vitello mentioned that Koss’ versatility and ability to play in the field could be a big boost to his final roster chances. But the decision could come down to whoever is swinging a better stick, and if that is the case, Tyler Fitzgerald could be starting the season in Sacramento.
“I don't think he's performed as well as he's wanted to with the plate,” said Vitello. “I just know he's had moments of frustration at the plate, and he really wants to do well, and that's great. Like [outfielder] Will Brennan, Fitzy, I mean, he hasn't beat up the helmet rack or anything like that, but he's one of several guys you got to fight that balance of frustration needs to become determination, as opposed to trying harder and harder.”
So far this spring, Fitzgerald is hitting .130 at the plate compared to Koss’ .353 batting average. There is still a lot of spring baseball left and Fitzgerald will have plenty of chances to right the ship on a tough time in Scottsdale. Both Koss and Fitzgerald offer similar skillsets on the field. Both provide excellent speed and solid defense all over the field. If Fitzgerald can find some consistency at the plate, he and Koss could be major assets for the Giants all season long.
In the game later that day against the Guardians, a 5-4 Giants win, Fitzgerald went 1-3 with a two-run home run, his first home run of the spring.
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Casey Schmitt could be in store for a very interesting season at the plate and in the field. He had a great batting practice session yesterday and seems to be as confident in his swing as ever. Mainly because he is no longer battling any pain in his hand. Schmitt was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in a game against the Marlins last year and was not the same at the plate the rest of the season.
“I can swing without being in pain,” said Schmitt. “I think it was like, June or July. I mean, I was taking some swings, and some of them, it was like, it was, it was, it was pretty painful.”
At the time of the hit by pitch last June 25th, Schmitt was hitting .276/.360/.439 with 4 home runs and 15 RBI in 34 games played. After the hit by pitch, he hit .220/.280/.383 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI in 61 games.
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Hayden Birdsong has been on a lot of Giants fans’ minds this month, and things have not been going well for the young right-handed pitcher. In two prior appearances coming into today, he had given up eight runs, all earned, seven hits, two home runs and three walks, all the while recording four total outs, one via the strikeout.
“There's room for him to do a lot of things between now and the first portion of the season,” said Vitello. “I think opening day is going to be interesting with him and a lot of other guys.”
Vitello declined to close the door on Birdsong making the final roster or even being an asset for the team this season. While he came up as a starter, there is also the possibility he starts the season coming out of the bullpen again like last year.
Birdsong did take the mound against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday and had his best outing of the spring, though there was not much competition in that department. In his lone inning of work Birdsong battled through some wildness but got through the inning unscathed, allowing only a Brayan Rocchio double to right field. Birdsong did manage to strike out the all-star third baseman Jose Ramierez with a high fastball, no doubt a confidence boost for a kid who needs it.
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Carson Seymour got the start for the Giants and worked four innings and allowed one run while striking out three. It was the longest outing of the spring for Seymour and also one of his best. Vitello was quick to praise Seymour after the game, but did add the caveat that it is still spring training.
“It's spring training, so you got to take everything with a grain of salt as it relates to statistics,” said Vitello after the Giants 5-4 win over the Guardians. “The bottom line is, he's been one of our best strike throwers. He's definitely one of our best competitors.
“I think he's a guy, just everybody on the coaching staff, I think the players have the same feel,” Vitello continued. “When he's out there, if you got a guy on the mound that's got the ball in his hand, kind of like at the end of the game, sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't. But if you got a guy that you're kind of willing to stand by no matter how it goes, you're off to a pretty good start. He kind of meets that criteria.”
When asked if Seymour is being stretched out for a starting role, Vitello declined to confirm or deny that notion, instead pointing out that he can do a variety of things.
“I don't think you got to make final decisions between now and the season on exactly what a guy will do,” said Vitello. “You'd like each of these guys to maximize their potential, whatever their role is. So, you'd like them to show you everything they can do. And I think what he's showing you is he can go through the order a time or two, at the very least, and think we're all confident too, with his stuff and strike-throwing ability. He can help us out the bullpen too”
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Back to Birdsong, it was also asked after the game if he would be an option out of the bullpen too and Vitello said he did not think so before putting him in the same group as Seymour and pitcher Blade Tidwell. Vitello did not mention any more names, Seymour and Birdsong can be joined by Trevor McDonald, Keaton Winn, Mason Black and JT Brubaker in that same category of starters who could also be relivers (that is my characterizing of that group not Vitellos).
It remains to be seen if any of those pitchers will be kept on the finals roster for bullpen depth or if they will go to Sacramento to start the season.
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File this in the category of things you don’t see very often at the ballpark. While Jesus Rodriguez was hitting in the 3rd inning, Jared Oliva, who was on second base after hitting a double down the left field line, stole third base. Guardians’ catcher David Fry threw down to third, but the throw instead hit off Rodriguez’s bat, which was still raised in his batting stance, and ricocheted into the Giants’ dugout.
Rodriguez was deemed to have NOT interfered with the play, and since the ball went out of play, Oliva was granted home base after successfully stealing third.
One of the weirder plays you will see and one of the reasons you love the sport, because you never know when you will see something weird like that that you have never seen before.