The San Francisco Giants were exceedingly active this offseason, pursuing top hot stove targets Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani in an attempt to bolster the offensive and defensive prospects of a team that lost 98 games in 2017.
However, though they did not catch either of the biggest fish in the offseason pond, they still managed to acquire esteemed veterans Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.
This lengthening of the Giants’ lineup gives them a chance to compete in every single game, something they did not have last year, San Francisco Chronicle Giants beat writer Henry Schulman said Monday morning on KNBR.
“I think from Boch’s perspective, he’s looking at a team now that can be competitive every single day,” Schulman said. “I mean, a lot of times that wasn’t true last year; you knew, by the second or third inning, they were done. I mean, even (Sunday)’s lineup, Hundley had two walk-off hits himself last year, including a home run. And I think the two biggest takeaways are the length of the lineup could be a big factor this year if all these guys stay healthy, and really, more important, start to approach their bubblegum-card numbers.”
Schulman also praised the early work from the Giants bullpen, especially from rookies Pierce Johnson, Reyes Moronta, and Roberto Gomez.
“And also, they have the makings of a very good bullpen,” Schulman said. “I mean, when you have three rookies who can come out and pitch the way those guys did the other night (Johnson, Moronta, and Gomez), I mean, three guys who might not have been here without the three pitching injuries, and Strickland throwing the way he has, and some of the other guys who still really haven’t even (hit) their stride yet, it could help them overcome what right now is a deficiency in the rotation.”
Schulman also opined on prospect Tyler Beede, who will make his major league debut for the Giants this week, noting that he struggled in spring training and needs to cut down on his walks to have success in the big leagues.
“He didn’t stand out in spring training,” Schulman said. “It was pretty clear he needed to go down there and get some seasoning, and I guess it turns out seasoning is going to be one game. But he and Suarez both had good starts in their initial games. Now, Beede was facing Single-A competition. The key thing that he’s going to have to improve on, when he faces major league lineups, especially like the Diamondbacks, is he can’t have three walks, or four walks, or whatever it is. He’s going to have to throw strikes.”
He added that though he thought Beede pitched better in 2017’s spring training, Beede has a strong body of experience throwing against big-league hitters, and should not be too fazed during his start this week.
“I thought he actually threw better the spring before, last year. But he’s a guy with a lot of experience now, facing big-league hitters in spring training, so he shouldn’t be cowed by that at all. And just like anybody else in this rotation, maybe with the exception of Cueto, really all you’re hoping for is to get five innings and keep you in the game. That’s what they’re going to be looking for when he comes up.”
Listen to the interview below. To hear Schulman on the Giants’ lineup, skip to the 2:00 mark.