“There are only two seasons. Winter and baseball.”
This saying resonates with fans of the game everywhere. It’s finally time to bring out your caps and banners, because Opening Day is almost here! I recently took a trip down to Scottsdale, Arizona for a season preview of the orange and black. 2017 features the emergence of young prospects like Christian Arroyo, Tyler Beede, and Austin Slater coming through the farm system, as well as position battles in left field, third base, and the pitching rotation. There are also some old, familiar faces who will have major career-turning moments in the coming weeks. Here are the top questions and thoughts for San Francisco Giants fans coming into the season:
1. Out of Left Field?
The Giants may have had an everyday left-fielder on their shopping list this winter, but after spending $62 million on closer Mark Melancon in the offseason, general manager Bobby Evans made it clear his winter allowance was mostly spent, saying “It’s more what I can do with what we have.” The Giants will start off spring camp with Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson fighting for the Opening Day job. Parker will most likely come out of camp with the starting role, with Williamson hoping to prove himself in Triple-A Sacramento for a call-up.
(Photo source: Flickr)
2. Will Jimmy Rollins make an impact this year?
Jimmy Rollins wants to end his career where it all started. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Rollins was the 2007 National League MVP, and although he’s not that same player anymore, he’s hoping to make an impression to earn one more chance in the spotlight. If he does, the Giants can certainly use his bat and veteran experience as another added weapon to their golden-glove infield made up of Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford.
(Photo source: Wikipedia)
3. Trouble at Third?
The Giants acquired Eduardo Nuñez in late July, who finished the season with a .288 average, 14 home runs, and 40 stolen bases. A September hamstring injury benched Nuñez, but paved the way for newcomer Conor Gillaspie. A first-round pick by the Giants in 2008, Gillaspie made a name for himself with one of the magical moments of October, a three-run homer off Jeurys Familia in the Wild Card Game. Although Nuñez has the advantage here, Gillaspie has that “spark” that the Giants are looking for, and I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more at-bats from him this season.
(Photo source: Wikipedia)
4. What will happen to the starting rotation?
The top four spots in the Giants rotation belong to Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija. However, prospect Ty Blach has his chance to audition for the fifth, and with good reason. He had one of the biggest starts of the year for the Giants on Oct. 1, tossing eight shutout innings against the Dodgers and propel a struggling Giants rotation into the Wild Card Game.
(Photo credit: Flickr)
5. What is the fate of Matt Cain?
Matt Cain was once the backbone of the Giants rotation, the “Horse” as they called him. Between 2007 and 2012, he made three All-Star teams, had two top-10 Cy Young Award finishes and threw a perfect game, a moment forever etched in Giants history. Since then, Cain’s career has been steadily declining. This could be his final round with the only MLB franchise he’s ever played for, and everyone understands the significance of these next few weeks in Scottsdale. Manager Bruce Bochy is sure he’ll perform at his best, saying “I’ve got to think he’s hungry to get back to who he was and be part of the rotation.”
(Photo source: Wikipedia)
Get ready for a great season this year!
*None of the images used belong to Her Campus or the author.
Cover photo source: MLB