This first appears over at TortureCast.com.
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| Photo via USA Today Sports |
Well here we are. The 2015 San Francisco Giants season is
upon us. I thought I’d take this time to preview the season and throw out some
predictions. I’m sure you’ve read the “big boy” publications and what they
forecast for the season so I’m not going to even mention the fact that none of
them are giving the Giants a chance to do big things this season.
Nope. Won’t mention it at all. That whole odd year thing? I
won’t mention that either.
I’ve already previewed the starting rotation and the
regulars. Here are some links.
For the part 3 I’m going to take a pass at the other guys.
It’s time to take a look at the Giants bullpen and bench players.
The bullpen
It’s been reported over many Giants outlets that the team will
carry 13 pitchers to start the season. If that is the case, here’s the guys
that will be in the pen.
Ryan Vogelsong RHP
Yusmeiro Petit RHP
Sergio Romo RHP
Santiago Casilla RHP
Jeremy Affeldt LHP
Javier Lopez LHP
Jean Machi RHP
George Kontos RHP
First things first. New Giants GM Bobby Evans has shared the
news that Vogelsong may actually get the start in game 2 this season. Jake
Peavy has been fighting a dead arm (whatever that means) lately and it looks
like Vogey will get the start in game 2. So the Giants will open the season
with a 6-man rotation and then clean it back up to 5 guys after the first turn.
How does that affect the other guys? Well it just means that
Kontos and Machi both make the club for now. The Giants will have to make a
decision on this by mid-April. For now though, both get a shot to stay and show
what they have. Last season Machi really made a name for himself early on by
being “the vulture”. He had 5 wins early and was a dominant relief man. So much
so that this guy tabbed him as a future closer. I’ve backed off that for now.
Let’s see how Machi rebounds from appearing in a career high 71 games last
year.
Yusmeiro Petit’s role is defined. He’s the swing man in this
bullpen and Giants fans are happy to have him. He can start in a pinch as well
as gobble up innings if a starter falters. Petit is deceptive to hitters
because he hides the ball well during his delivery. He seems comfortable in the
role. I mean, who else is going to give you 6 innings in extras during a
playoff game? No one, that’s who. Yusmeiro Petit is a stud.
The “core 4” of the pen is also back. These are the guys
that have been a key to 3 championships in 5 years. From the left side there’s
Lopez and Affeldt. It’s extremely hard to homer off Lopez and he strands base runners
like it’s nothing. Affeldt is a guy that can not only get leftys out, he’s
tough on the rightys too. He can give you more than an inning if needed. You
may remember him doing that during a certain Game 7 last year.
On the other side is Casilla and Romo. Both have been
closers for championship clubs. It was expected that Casilla will close and
Romo set up but Bruce Bochy has said that both guys will get a chance to finish
games this season. Last season was one of Casilla’s best as he held opponents to
a paltry .177 batting average against and had a 1.70 ERA. That was his career
best and fifth lowest by a reliever in the NL last season. Romo lost his closer
role last season but his slider has looked sharp this spring and he seems to
have developed a sinker as well. Can he return to 2012 form? I don’t know, but
I do know it’s a good problem to have.
The bench
The roster has been set and with the news that the Giants
will carry 13 pitchers that means the bench will be short. Here’s the short
list.
Joaquin Arias IF
Matt Duffy IF
Hector Sanchez C
Justin Maxwell OF
That’s it. That’s the whole list. The big news out of this
is that Matt Duffy has made the roster as a super duper utility guy. He batted .361
this spring and showed he has a little pop with 3 home runs. Duffy can play
anywhere on the infield and was seen shagging balls in the outfield as well.
His versatility is one of the reasons the Giants can go with a shorter bench to
open 2015.
Justin Maxwell is another surprise. He was a non-roster
invitee to spring training this year and with the injury to Hunter Pence was
given an opportunity. He’s a 6-year veteran who has spent time with the Nats,
Astros, and Royals. By virtue of his .347 batting average and ability to play
all 3 OF spots he seemed a natural choice to make the club. He’s never had any
sustained success at the big league level but maybe this is the year. After
all, the man grew up a Giants fan and loved Barry Bonds as a kid. Didn’t we
all?
It’s good to see Hector Sanchez back. His 2014 ended in ugly
fashion after he sustained a concussion and then had more symptoms as he tried
to make it back to the big club. He’s turned in to Tim Lincecum’s personal
caddy and that’s not a bad thing. It gives Buster Posey time off to play 1st
base. That’s especially good because when catching Lincecum the body gets beat
up. There will be many occasions when we all say “Poor Hector” this season as
we watch him take a beating. The switch-hitter is no slouch at the plate either
and can drive a ball out of any park.
The odd man out in all this is Ehire Adrianza. He has been
designated for assignment and has to clear waivers before being sent down to
the minors. Personally I think he’ll be snatched up by some other team much
like Gary Brown was grabbed by the Cardinals. Adrianza has had many
opportunities to establish himself in the bigs but never quite got it all
together. If no one picks him up he’ll be valuable during the season if Duffy
struggles or someone gets hurt. For now though he plays the waiting game.
Well that’s it. That’s my preview of the 2015 San Francisco
Giants. I had originally planned to make some predictions but I’m going to save
those for our season opening podcast. Make sure to tune in when it goes up this
week.
Baseball is back and the Giants are defending champs. Time
to sit back, relax, and enjoy our favorite pastime for another year.
-Eric
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