Nearly two months ago, we laid out the three biggest unanswered questions for the Giants as they prepared to head to Scottsdale, AZ. Spring training has now come and gone, with one final exhibition series against the A’s on the slate before Sunday’s season opener.
Let’s take some time to go back and re-examine those questions and see which the Giants have answered, and which are still lacking clarity.
Who will be the everyday starter in left field?
Heading into spring, Giants general manager Bobby Evans stated that the competition for the starting left field job was between two players with limited big league experience in Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson. What’s more, Evans said he was hoping that one would win the job outright, and that it was not his desire to enter the 2017 season with a platoon at the position.
Luckily for Evans and manager Bruce Bochy, both Parker and Williamson impressed this spring, with each playing well enough to be named opening day starter in left field. That honer will go to Parker, however, who got off to an extremely hot start, and finished the spring with four home runs and 14 RBI, tied for second best on the team. Williamson was actually a better overall hitter at the plate, finishing with a line of .324/.378/.559, but a quad injury on March 21 knocked him out of the competition at an inopportune time.
With Parker also playing well, it was unlikely that Williamson was going to win the spot anyway, as the Giants have the option to send Williamson down to Sacramento, something they cannot do with Parker. For Williamson to win the job, Parker would’ve had to have a disappointing spring, but the fact that both left fielders showed promise is a great sign for the Giants moving forward.
Who is the fifth starter?
Here’s where things get a bit hairy. The Giants’ brass made it clear in the winter that the final spot in the rotation was Matt Cain’s to lose, and that it was their desire to give the longtime Giant one last crack at being a productive starter in his final year of guaranteed money.
As he has for much of the past four years, Cain was shelled consistently during spring training, racking up a 7.82 ERA in six starts, with Tuesday’s four ER outing against the Cubs looked at as an improvement. Initially, both Bochy and Evans stood firm behind Cain as the favorite to win the job, but in recent weeks have wavered a bit, and even expressed some doubt.
My guess is despite his struggles, Cain will still begin the season in the rotation, due in large part to the fact that top competitor Ty Blach has himself been inconsistent with a 4.43 ERA, even though at times he has looked un-hittable. It’s clear at this point that the Giants want to give Cain one last shot, and his performances weren’t bad enough, while Blach’s weren’t good enough, to lose him the job.
The leash will be short. If Cain continues to struggle, don’t be surprised if he’s pulled after just a few starts. The Giants have a number of impressive young arms waiting in the wings, and their sentiment toward Cain will run out quickly if he starts losing them games.
Which non-roster veterans will separate themselves?
This was supposed to be the space where I wrote about the best story of the spring. The one where after being invited to camp due to a chance encounter with Bobby Evans at Hunter Pence’s wedding, fan favorite Michael Morse defied all odds and made the Giants opening day roster after rediscovering his swing in Arizona.
Morse was on his way to doing just that, before a hamstring injury ended a resurgent spring where he hit two home runs and posted a .859 OPS in 31 at-bats. The good news is that Morse is expected to join the Sacramento River Cats for a brief spell while he recovers, and can hopefully expect a call up later in the season.
When it comes to those who are certain to make the opening day roster, it would appear that utility infielder Aaron Hill is the only lock. Hill was retained past Tuesday’s deadline that would see him owed $100,000 if he does not make the team. Hill will join Conor Gillaspie as the Giants’ reserve infielders to start the season. Jimmy Rollins, who was not on the Giants’ travel list for their final spring training game, appears unlikely to be retained.
In the outfield, former first-round pick Chris Marerro has been not only the biggest surprise in Giants’ camp, but one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball, raking seven home runs, tied with Bryce Harper for the most of any major leaguer this spring. Bochy said before camp that he was leaning toward to keeping five outfielders to start the season, and with both Williamson and Morse sidelined, Marerro seems primed to join Gorkys Hernandez as one of the two Giants reserves.
Though Marerro is not a capable fielder, his power from the right side of the plate fits one of the Giants’ biggest needs, and he can also play first base if need be. It seems that Marerro, who has only played in 39 major league games since 2011, may end up being the most unlikely success story for the Giants when all is said and done.
