What, no Pablo Sandoval? :D He's 0 for 10 with 7 strikeouts, so most likely not.
I like your read on the infield. Chapman is a Brooks Robinson level third baseman -- two Platinum Gloves, two gold gloves. He shouldn't be at SS, period. I think Ahmed will make it...he's a gold glove caliber infielder, and the pitching staff is a ground ball team. They finished dead last in fielding (Rtot) last season. Incidentally Ahmed, Bart, Bailey, Wade, Flores, Wisely, Murphy, Sabol, Schmitt, Davis all have zero errors. No pitcher or catcher has had an error yet, that was a weak spot last year.
I'd been thinking that JD Davis and Joey Bart, plus a prospect or two will get you a starting pitcher. The Mariners seem to have a surplus, and they trade with the Giants a lot. Their catcher hit 30 HRs last year, but after giving up Tom Murphy to the Giants, they need a backup, and JB is good behind the plate. They had a good third baseman last year, Eugenio Suarez, 22 HRs, 96 RBIs, but he's playing for Arizona now. They don't have a real 3B, they're looking at a collection of players. JD could slot right in. And they should feel good about their SFG trades, Mitch Haniger is currently leading Seattle's team in avg (.500).
Let's talk experiments. The Jung Hoo Lee experiment is working out great. He is as advertised, great contact, great in the field, great on the base paths. Just as an aside, his HR (109.7 mph off the bat) would have been an HR in every major league ballpark...except Oracle. Jordan Hicks experiment...he's pitched 4 1/3rd, given up 7 hits, two HRs, walked three, two earned runs. Nick Ahmed experiment...Ahmed is about to turn 34, but he's hitting .625 this spring, and leading the team in slugging (1.375) and OPS (2.042). Five hits in eight ABs, two of them home runs, no strikeouts. Reading between the lines, he decided to come to SF because SF gave him the best chance to be a starter...and he really wants to beat the Diamondbacks. No love lost. Apparently his and Crawford's "no communications" stories mirror each other. Ahmed is fully recovered from a 2022 shoulder injury and is highly respected in the clubhouse. And Baggs is saying that Luciano needs time in the minors to fully season. He's only 22. I think Ahmed makes it and starts at shortstop.
Fielding. Giants have 8 errors in ten games, which mirrors their league-worst defense last year. The good news is that no one has more than one error. Bad news is that each of them expect to play a lot. Estrada, Villar, Lopez, Conforto, Matos, Meckler, Luciano and Fitzgerald.
Two interesting players heading for the minors. Ismael Munguia is 8 for 12 this spring, two HRs, 1 strikeout, three SBs, 1.859 OPS. Plays in OF, maybe headed to AA or AAA for the first time. Makes good contact, lots of doubles, few HRs. Some speed on the basepaths. Trent Brooks is an interesting spring story. First baseman, 29 years old, five hits in 11 ABs, 0 strikeouts, 4 RBIs. He won't make it, but he's been interesting to watch. Scuffling in AAA, maybe the definition of a AAAA player. Makes good contact, doesn't strike out much, has some power.
I like your read on the infield. Chapman is a Brooks Robinson level third baseman -- two Platinum Gloves, two gold gloves. He shouldn't be at SS, period. I think Ahmed will make it...he's a gold glove caliber infielder, and the pitching staff is a ground ball team. They finished dead last in fielding (Rtot) last season. Incidentally Ahmed, Bart, Bailey, Wade, Flores, Wisely, Murphy, Sabol, Schmitt, Davis all have zero errors. No pitcher or catcher has had an error yet, that was a weak spot last year.
I'd been thinking that JD Davis and Joey Bart, plus a prospect or two will get you a starting pitcher. The Mariners seem to have a surplus, and they trade with the Giants a lot. Their catcher hit 30 HRs last year, but after giving up Tom Murphy to the Giants, they need a backup, and JB is good behind the plate. They had a good third baseman last year, Eugenio Suarez, 22 HRs, 96 RBIs, but he's playing for Arizona now. They don't have a real 3B, they're looking at a collection of players. JD could slot right in. And they should feel good about their SFG trades, Mitch Haniger is currently leading Seattle's team in avg (.500).
Let's talk experiments. The Jung Hoo Lee experiment is working out great. He is as advertised, great contact, great in the field, great on the base paths. Just as an aside, his HR (109.7 mph off the bat) would have been an HR in every major league ballpark...except Oracle. Jordan Hicks experiment...he's pitched 4 1/3rd, given up 7 hits, two HRs, walked three, two earned runs. Nick Ahmed experiment...Ahmed is about to turn 34, but he's hitting .625 this spring, and leading the team in slugging (1.375) and OPS (2.042). Five hits in eight ABs, two of them home runs, no strikeouts. Reading between the lines, he decided to come to SF because SF gave him the best chance to be a starter...and he really wants to beat the Diamondbacks. No love lost. Apparently his and Crawford's "no communications" stories mirror each other. Ahmed is fully recovered from a 2022 shoulder injury and is highly respected in the clubhouse. And Baggs is saying that Luciano needs time in the minors to fully season. He's only 22. I think Ahmed makes it and starts at shortstop.
Fielding. Giants have 8 errors in ten games, which mirrors their league-worst defense last year. The good news is that no one has more than one error. Bad news is that each of them expect to play a lot. Estrada, Villar, Lopez, Conforto, Matos, Meckler, Luciano and Fitzgerald.
Two interesting players heading for the minors. Ismael Munguia is 8 for 12 this spring, two HRs, 1 strikeout, three SBs, 1.859 OPS. Plays in OF, maybe headed to AA or AAA for the first time. Makes good contact, lots of doubles, few HRs. Some speed on the basepaths. Trent Brooks is an interesting spring story. First baseman, 29 years old, five hits in 11 ABs, 0 strikeouts, 4 RBIs. He won't make it, but he's been interesting to watch. Scuffling in AAA, maybe the definition of a AAAA player. Makes good contact, doesn't strike out much, has some power.
Audaces fortuna iuvat