Finally, that good old problem to have comes around for the San Francisco Giants. With Thairo Estrada, Mitch Haniger, Mike Yastrzemski, and John Brebbia likely to come off the IL this month (Estrada as soon as Saturday), the SF Giants must decide who comes off the 26-man roster. Additionally, players like top prospect Kyle Harrison may be added in the coming weeks as well, and he's not even on the 40-man. Isan Díaz, Casey Schmitt, Luis Matos, and AJ Pollock are the position players whose spots are in jeopardy, and the pitching side is even more difficult to sort through with Tristan Beck and Ryan Walker, two pitchers performing well, the only ones who might reasonably be sent down. Jakob Junis and Alex Wood might be DFA candidates, or an IL stint could be used. Worth keeping in mind: rosters expand from 26 to 28 in September.
What should Giants fans make of the team's offensive approach? Is it time to question whether Justin Viele is up to the task as SF Giants hitting coach? To answer the question we must go all the way back to 2020, when Donnie Ecker, Viele, and Dustin Lind were hired as hitting coaches to Gabe Kapler's staff. In 2020 and 2021, the San Francisco Giants hit very well, with Ecker the team's primary hitting instructor. The Texas Rangers took Ecker away in 2022, however, and the Giants haven't been the same since. So it's starting to become more clear that Ecker's influence is being missed and the Giants need to evaluate whether they have the personnel in place to get the most out of their hitters.
What to make of the Giants' new jersey patches? For the first time ever, the SF Giants are wearing an advertisement on their classic jerseys. It is, unfortunately, here to stay as teams are raking in tens of millions a year from these deals. Finally, what are the odds outfielder Wade Meckler gets called up to the Giants at some point? They seem to be pretty high, as Farhan Zaidi said as much in a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick
#SFGiants #FirstListen
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