Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The manager has changed, but Bruce Bochy’s team loyalty has not.
He will not be leading another team in 2020 — apart from Team France in World Baseball Qualifying, of course — and will still be employed by the Giants as a special adviser.
Farhan Zaidi said Bochy would be around spring training in Scottsdale — not far from where qualifying will take place — and Bochy’s voice will continue to be heard despite his retirement tour and the hiring of Gabe Kapler.
Bochy sat in on interviews with Kapler, who was the candidate Bochy endorsed, and Bochy and the Giants appear on good terms. While it was termed as a retirement, Bochy has said he’s taking the year off and then will let his heart decide what he’ll do, with a 2021 return somewhere very much a possibility.
Bochy’s pal Pablo Sandoval appears to be ahead of schedule.
After Tommy John surgery in September, the recent Giants signing is already throwing. Zaidi said the Panda may be able to take some spring training at-bats, though not much field work.
“Right now we’re targeting him being really 100 percent hitting and defensively maybe about a month or so into the season,” Zaidi said.
Other injury tidbits: Tyler Anderson, the former Rockies starter, is progressing well. The Giants once viewed him as a 60-day injured list shoo-in to begin the season, Zaidi said, but “he may be ready to start ramping up in games at the end of March, at some point. That’s probably the best-case scenario, but he’s doing well enough now where there’s at least a chance that he’s able to pitch the first couple months of the season.”
Steven Duggar (AC joint sprain), Trevor Gott (groin surgery) and Tony Watson (wrist) are expected to be 100 percent at the start of camp. Reyes Moronta (labrum surgery) is still looking at an August return.
The Giants are preaching competition up and down the roster in camp. It doesn’t sound as if Joey Bart has a chance at leaving spring training with a big-league job, though.
The top catching prospect, who had just 87 plate appearances at Double-A last year, when he twice hurt his hand, still needs some reps.
“No matter what I say now,” Zaidi said, “I know he’s going to really impress people now like he did last year, so we’ll see.”
