One reason to be optimistic about every pitcher
Every pitcher you're likely to see soon. No Tristan Beck or Kyle Harrison...yet
You know what? I’m tired of all my negativity. Tired of going “Blake Sabol’s probably not that good” or “Oh, the owners suck,” or “Oh, ChatGPT sucks,” or “Oh, the owners suck,” or “Oh, the new rules suck,” or “Oh, the owners suck.” This is Spring Training! It’s a time for optimism! Sure, the Giants probably aren’t going to win 107 games, but we don’t know that, so why not believe? It could be our year! Why not?
So in that spirit, in the run up to Opening Day, I’m going to go through every pitcher who is likely to make a significant contribution to the Giants roster this year (even if he doesn’t make the team in a week’s time) and give you a reason that that pitcher is going to have a really good year. It’s optimism season, people. Catch the fever!
Logan Webb — Logan Webb is really fucking good and has been really fucking good for several years now. We really don’t need to reach for this one.
Alex Cobb — Last year, from June through the end of the season, Alex Cobb had a 3.05 ERA, a 2.86 FIP, and gave up a line of .252/.305/.327. He basically turned every hitter he faced into Tommy La Stella. All he has to do is that, all year, and he’ll be fantastic.
Anthony DeSclafani — Health! Anthony DeSclafani is healthy after a year when his weird ankle anatomy knocked him out, and he’s gonna be back to his 2021 coulda-been-an-All-Star form.
Alex Wood — After yesterday’s 5-inning scoreless start against the Dodgers, Wood’s spring ERA is down to 2.45. You have to think that having Brian Bannister able to give pitching guidance in person is going to help out a lot of Giants pitchers, with Wood being high on the list.
Ross Stripling — Stripling’s unique straight-over-the-top delivery is a boon for a Giants team that prides itself on collecting diverse release points in order to give opposing batters tons of different looks. He’ll not only pitch well himself, but make every reliever who comes after him pitch better.
Sean Manaea — Manaea was a strong, effective pitcher for the A’s. Sure, he fell off a bit last year in San Diego, but pitchers with good stuff sometimes have down years and a good coaching staff can help them bounce back. The Giants have a good coaching staff, and all they have to do is work their magic.
Sean Hjelle — Hjelle spent hte offseason bulking up, and in camp this year, he’s been consistently hitting 95-96 with his fastball, maintaining the velocity, and his results (1.50 ERA, 14 strikeouts to two walks in 12 innings) have been impressive.
Camilo Doval — Camilo Doval was throwing 103 in the WBC. He’s doing well.
Taylor Rogers — The Giants gave Rogers a three year contract in the belief that he would be a good pitcher. And not to appeal to authority too much, but anyone could see that his biggest problem last year was a jump in his walk rate. If their pitching gurus have a plan to fix him, I’d listen.
Jacob Junis — Junis had a nice year as a swingman in 2022, and after an offseason that Gabe Kapler said might have been the best offseason of any Giant, he’s going to be ready to contribute again in 2023.
Tyler Rogers — The biggest change for Rogers last year was that the infield defense was abysmal. Putting some more youth and athleticism, and less Darin Ruf, Brandon Belt, and Donnie Walton (I very much like two thirds of them, but facts are facts) can only help out Rogers, an extreme groundball pitcher.
John Brebbia — Brebbia’s 2021 was up and down, because he still wasn’t all the way back from Tommy John. His 2022 was a big improvement on the prior year (unlike some other members of that bullpen), but he appeared in 76 games due to the rotation’s low innings totals. With six good starting pitchers, the Giants shouldn’t need to overwork him, so he’ll be able to maintain his strong performance.
Scott Alexander — Scott Alexander has been dominant since putting on a Giants uniform. Why stop now?
Cole Waites — The team can afford to bring Waites back slowly from the hamstring injury that cost him the first few weeks of spring. They can absolutely start him off on the IL or in the minors just to ensure that they’re not going to reinjure him. That kind of time is an absolute luxury, and the Giants are lucky to be able to take advantage of it.
All true!