The Giants will host the Chicago Cubs on February 24th at Scottsdale Stadium to start Spring Training. This will be the debut of new Manager Bob Melvin and his staA. Many question marks remain for the last five roster spots, as it will be very interesting to see who makes the Opening Day Roster.
Jung Hoo Lee:
Does Lee look like he belongs in the MLB? Lee has never played a single game in the U.S. and has been on the record of saying he will see pitching like he’s never faced before. This is very true and a little alarming when you spend $113 million on a player. Despite the language barrier, he is well- liked in the locker room and adapts to life in America. By the end of Spring Training, we should have a good idea of whether Lee is ready to be an everyday contributor in Center Field. His baseball instincts jumped oA the charts in Korea, and Giants fans hope they will travel over.
Kyle Harrison:
Can Harrison make the jump to be #2 in the rotation for Opening Day? After a short and explosive Rookie Season, Giants fans should be excited about Harrison featuring this season. At 22 years old, his potential is oA the charts with a mid-upper 90s MPH fastball and improving breaking pitches from the left side. In his first home start, Harrison struck out 11 batters in 6.1 innings, surrendering only 3 hits and 2 walks with zero runs allowed. He will have to be able to eat innings until Cobb and Ray can come back from their injuries. Watch to see if he has improved command and has more sink to produce more ground balls.
Marco Luciano:
Will Luciano be the everyday starter at shortstop? With Crawford’s departure, the Giants are now searching for their first starting shortstop since 2011. Defensively, Crawford showed last season he still plays at a high level, but his bat was non-existent. Luciano was up for a bit last season and really didn’t live up to the hype. He has been ranked as one of the top prospects each year he was in the minors. His broad shoulders and frame do not look like your average 22-year-old. All of his numbers were down compared to years prior, but this might be from the quick jump from A+ to AA to AAA to the MLB. Maybe COVID-19 had a role to play, as he may have just been rusty from the long layoA. This Spring Training will show if he looks to be the guy who can replace Crawford for many years to come.
J.D. Davis:
Do the Giants sign Matt Chapman, or can they trust Davis? After winning his arbitration case, do the Giants look to move on from him or keep him on the squad? Last season was a very average season, both oAensively and defensively. Farhan made the trade to acquire Davis in 2022 and will likely give him one more shot to see if he is a viable option long-term. Watch in Spring Training if he has improved his WiA and K percentages. Davis was the worst hitter on the team with runners in
scoring position with 60 runners left in scoring position. His lack of clutch hitting will be a large part of if he gets moved by opening day.
Jordan Hicks:
Is Hicks really a starting pitcher or just a reliever. I applaud the creativity, but it seems like a tall task for a guy who only has 8 career starts and is very injury prone. Having a 5-pitch mix of a sinker, sweeper, four-seam, slider, and changeup will help his chances of having success as a starter. Typical relievers only have 2 or 3 pitches, which would not usually work as a starter. His average fastball velocity last season was 100.3 MPH, which was second-best in the entire league to Jhoan Duran. Hicks’s sinker sits at 100.1 MPH, which is also second-best in the league to Aroldis Chapman. Look to see if the Giants try and extend him early in Spring Training to make sure he can give them 5 plus innings in the regular season.
