There R Giants: Recent Episodes
Roger Munter
A trio of brand new Squirrels, who transferred the top of the Eugene Emeralds’ lineup 3,000 miles to the east last week. We talk transitions, development, competing, and being good teammates on this week’s edition of the pod.
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Giants Senior Director of Amateur Scouting, Michael Holmes joins me to talk about the Giants’ 2026 exciting draft class, and the many months of hard work that went into it. Great job by his entire scouting department injecting a lot of new talent into the system! I really appreciate Michael taking some time to talk with me about the new kids coming into the org.
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Kerry and Roger present A Guide to Watching the Dog Days of a Dying Season
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It’s here! The annual favorite as MLB’s great Jim Callis joins me to talk over the Giants’ 2026 draft. We have arms to discuss! Lots of them. Come for the Jackson Flora gushing, stay for Jim’s hot take regarding Carson Bolemon. This is a fun one!
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Go hence, and have more talk of these sad things. For never was a story of more woe than the 2026 San Francisco Giants. Kerry and I go to Shakespearean lengths to try to figure out what is ailing this organization.
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On this week’s podcast, I chat with Emeralds’ play by play man, Jacob Archer, to talk over Eugene’s amazing first half.
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It’s a whole lot of Bryce Eldridge talk on the latest KROG podcast, as Kerry Crowley and I kick around what the emergence of their top prospect means for the franchise going forward.
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It’s another week of gathered player interviews from CarMax Park in Richmond, VA. As the Squirrels close in on a first half title, I talk with a couple of new Richmond players and one who is newly returned to get their views on how their year of development has been going so far.
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On this week’s podcast, we’re talking Richmond Flying Squirrels and their magical first half. First I speak with Richmond manager Dennis Pelfrey regarding the success his group has had, not only with the W-L record, but also with helping prepare their players to move onwards and upwards. Then I talk with Richmond Director Communications, Trey Wilson, about the team’s spectacular new stadium and the fun ride this first half has been.
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It’s a Richmond Flying Squirrel bonanza, as I roll out a bunch of player interviews from the past two homestands. I talk with Parks Harber about his health, his experience in big league camp, and his work in the outfield. Virginian Ty Hanchey relives a magical moment in front of friends and family. Joe Whitman talks about the growth he’s made since last year. And Mitch White recounts the long road to his dream of being a professional. It’s a great group of really likable young men who have traveled really disparate baseball journeys — but who are all aiming for the same destination.
Parks Harber (3:15)Ty Hanchey (13:40)Joe Whitman (25:20)Mitch White (35:20)
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Joe Doyle, draft expert from Overslot Baseball dot com and the MLB Draft Podcast, joins me to talk a little 2026 draft. Joe and I get into why floating Roch Cholowsky “isn’t a thing,” the chance of things getting squirrelly in the top three, and how the new #29 pick (and its associated bonus pool money) could affect the Giants’ draft strategy. It’s always a good one when Joe joins me on the pod!
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Of course, I needed to post this immediately after we recorded yesterday, otherwise I was just tempting the Gods with that “Lou Brown winning streak” stuff. But otherwise, Kerry and I had a lot to dig into with the Giants’ content-generating ways of late!
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Perfect timing for this week’s pod, as the two heroes from last night’s walk-off victory at CarMax Park both sat down with me this week to discuss comebacks and walk offs (naturally) as well as what makes this Richmond team such a special group and what sort of work is going on in the background to help drive success. Two extremely impressive young men who are a joy to talk to — and I hope to listen to as well!
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I’ve already share these interviews in video format, but I know folks come to my content from different places and with different preferences for consuming information, so I’m going to include them as a standalone podcast as well. These interviews with Richmond Flying Squirrels pitchers Greg Farone and Tyler Vogel were conducted in the first week at home at the brand new CarMax Park as the pair has both just gotten into one game each. Since then Farone has started two more games and Vogel has established himself as the team closer, picking up four Saves already on the year.
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I’m joined this week by my friend, Wrenzie Regodon, who you probably know as Giant Prospective on Twitter or at his Patreon site. As usual, we spend a long time looking over all four of the affiliate rosters and picking out the most interesting parts of the rosters, as well as tabbing sleepers, stars, and other players who catch our eyes! It’s a long one so settle in!
Sacramento (2:00)Richmond (20:00)Eugene (38:00)San Jose (51:00)
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Kerry Crowley and I break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Giants’ cold start. We try to make sense of the bullpen usage. And we talk a few prospects who are hitting along the way. It’s a new KROG, back by popular demand!
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Yesterday was media day at the gorgeous, brand-spanking new CarMax Park in Richmond. And, while taking in the beautiful new digs, I got to speak with players Maui Ahuna and Scott Bandura, and the long-time manager of the Flying Squirrels, Dennis Pelfrey, about the upcoming season. Enjoy!
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Maui Ahuna (3:45)
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Scott Bandura (11:40)
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Dennis Pelfrey (21:30)
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Kerry Crowley and I talk about my annual trip to Papago Park and minor league spring training, where the Giants’ are in terms of competitive windows, and how the bullpen is likely to shake out in the next couple of months.
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On this week’s pod, I have a sort of hybrid for you from my spring training trip to Scottsdale. First, I’m flying solo, talking about the players that have jumped out at me during my time at Papago Park the past week or so. It’s been a fun trip, with a lot of bats really standing out in my looks.
And then in the second half of the program (20:45 mark), I have a short interview with Gavin Kilen, whom I was able to talk to for a few minutes before last week’s Spring Breakout game. Kilen, last year’s 1st round pick, was a little dinged up from the end of his Tennessee season when he joined the Giants last summer, but he is looking strong this spring and raring to go — and should be one of the top bats in the system when the minor league season starts next weekend.
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Opening Night is less than two weeks away…. and there are decisions to be made for the Giants! One jumbo-sized one, and a whole lot of smaller ones. KROG is here to help. Kerry Crowley and I dive into the Bryce Eldridge question and try to straighten out the bullpen and final bench assignments. Kerry even comes up with a late spring trade idea! Were sooooo close to the real thing!
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NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic joins me to talk a lot about the Bryce Eldridge decision, and a little about the Luis Hernandez decision — with a lot of bullpen conversation along the way! It’s a spring spectacular with opening day less than 10 days away.
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SF Chronicle’s Giants’ beat writer, Shayna Rubin, joins me this week to talk about camp battles and young players making impressions early on in camp.
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Kerry Crowley and I finally have some baseball to talk about…sort of! As the Giants get ready for their first games of 2026, KROG discusses what we’re looking forward to most in this year’s camp.
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As signs of baseball spring to life once again, MLB’s Jim Callis returns to talk Spring Breakout series, an improving Giants’ farm system, and we even sneak in a little early draft talk! Jim will be dropping his MLB Top 30 for the Giants on March 4 — and he even gives us a sneak peak at where a couple of players are landing on the list this year.
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Giants’ young OF prospect, Carlos Gutierrez, is my guest on this week’s podcast. We talk about his surprise at making the San Jose squad last year — and the amazing season he had there. We also talk about his efforts to over come the continuing back issues that have sidelined him, and his hopes for the coming year.
As the organization looks to develop more well-rounded players with supreme contact skills, Gutierrez figures to be a big part of the coming wave of outfielders, with his long history of outstanding bat-to-ball ability and that sweet left-handed swing. You also get a sense here for how smart a player he is, and what he’s looking to improve in his game. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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My guest this week is Giants’ left-hander, Luis de la Torre, who is coming off one of the biggest and most unexpected break out campaigns of 2025. De la Torre talks about when he knew big things were coming for him, how it felt to be given the starting assignment for the Cal League clincher, and the many big goals he has set for himself in 2026. He’s going to be one of the really fun talents to watch in the upcoming year, and as you will hear, he’s got some big plans for what he wants to accomplish!
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Kerry Crowley and I talk about the Giants’ signing of Harrison Bader. We also talk CJ Abrams, Brendan Donovan, and the moves still potentially to be made as they start packing the trucks for Arizona.
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Giants’ Senior Director of Amateur Scouting, Michael Holmes is my guest this week. With the college season just about to get underway, this seemed like a great time to talk with Michael about the impending search for a star at the #4 position in the draft. Given how much changes in the course of the spring, this seemed like a good time to talk process with Holmes: how does the team marshal it’s resources? How big of a net do you cast when drafting high up in the first round? When does the winnowing down begin? And how does the calendar differ between college and high school players? We also talk about the strength of the upcoming class and how it fits with what the Giants are trying to accomplish.
It’s a great conversation that I am thrilled to be able to bring to all my listeners!
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Once again this year, Giants’ Senior International Scouting Director, Joe Salermo, joins me to talk about the January 15 international signing class. This year’s group was only three players, thanks to the Giants handing out MLB’s largest signing bonus this year to Venezuelan shortstop, Luis Hernandez. Joe talks about Hernandez and the Giants’ decision to build their entire year around him. We also talk about how Hernandez and last year’s top signing, Josuar Gonzalez, will be able to compete for shortstop reps in coming years, and discuss a lot of the big development steps that previous international signees have taken in the past year.
It’s always my favorite pod of the year when Joe stops by, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of his generosity with his time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter ring in the new year…..without much new to discuss (other than the unwanted Kyle Tucker news that dropped last night). We talk austerity, strategies for improvement, why 2b has moved to the front of the wish lists, and think about the long-term strategy with an improving farm system bolstering the front office’s options.
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Giants relief prospect Trent Harris joins me from Scottsdale, AZ, where he’s working hard to get ready for the 2026 season. Trent talks about the jarring transition pitchers face when heading to the PCL, what he learned from his first experience in Triple-A, and how he’s working to incorporate those lessons for the upcoming year. Hopefully, we see Harris get an invite to camp (something I ask him about) in about a month!
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With Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook now out in digital form, and the system top 30s up on BA’s site, it’s a perfect time to check in with Josh Norris, who has handled the Giants’ chapter of the Handbook for many years now. Josh talks about a system that has taken a large step forward over the last year, and the many exciting talents who are driving it up BA’s organizational rankings.
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Eli Walsh joins me to talk about Baseball Prospectus’ Giants’ prospect rankings which just dropped last Friday. We get into a few mano á mano debates in the system — including Bryce Eldridge vs Josuar Gonzalez at the very top — and talk outfielders, shortstops, and a lot about left-handed pitching. Enjoy our final podcast of the year!
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It’s Silent Night at the Hot Stove, and Kerry Crowley and I are here to dissect the difficult path ahead for the Giants this off-season.
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To celebrate the winter meetings, I’m having a double podcast week! Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joins me direct from Orlando to talk Rule 5 picks, Marco Luciano’s development, the Giants’ contingent at Arizona Fall League, and much more. If you’re interested hearing about Josuar Gonzalez, Parks Harber, and Spencer Miles, then this is the podcast for you!
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I’m not sure exactly why, but it appears that the post for today’s podcast went out with no media attached to it, so there’s nothing to listen to when you try to play it. It sounded great on my side of the curtain before it went out over the interwebs, so I’m not entirely sure how to fix things other than to re-create a new one, send it out once more, and hope for better!
As the Winter Meetings get started in Orlando, FL, I’m joined by Giants’ beat reporter, Maria Guardado of MLB.com, to talk about the situation the Giants find themselves in this winter as they try to improve upon a long run of mediocre seasons. We talk pitching, money, potential avenues for upgrades, and we get into a little prospect talk with the upcoming Rule 5 draft looming on Wednesday.
This conversation was recorded Friday afternoon just hours before the news broke of Marco Luciano being claimed by the Pirates — so while his name does come up briefly in this show, we didn’t quite have the foreknowledge of how little time he had left in the Giants’ organization.
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As the Winter Meetings get started in Orlando, FL, I’m joined by Giants’ beat reporter, Maria Guardado of MLB.com, to talk about the situation the Giants find themselves in this winter as they try to improve upon a long run of mediocre seasons. We talk pitching, money, potential avenues for upgrades, and we get into a little prospect talk with the upcoming Rule 5 draft looming on Wednesday.
This conversation was recorded Friday afternoon just hours before the news broke of Marco Luciano being claimed by the Pirates — so while his name does come up briefly in this show, we didn’t quite have the foreknowledge of how little time he had left in the Giants’ organization.
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Kerry Crowley and I light the pilot on the hot stove season, and look at where the Giants have got to focus their offseason efforts in this edition of the KROG podcast.
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David Flemming is once again my guest this week. We talk the World Series, how the Blue Jays can be a blueprint for the Giants going forward, what the Tony Vitello hire says about Buster Posey’s leadership, and the crucial process of putting together the new coaching staff.
[Dave also very generously gives a happy testimonial as a paying subscriber to There R Giants. So be like Dave and sign up today, just in time to get my previews of 2026 rosters, complete depth charts for the organization, and, of course, the new year’s Top 50 ranking for the Giants’ organization.]
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Kerry and I talk about Tony Vitello’s introductory press conference, the dramatic (albeit tragic for Giants’ fans) World Series, and start thinking about the offseason to come.
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This week, I’m joined by Jacob Rudner, who covers college baseball for Baseball America. Together we talk about the Giants’ historic decision to hire University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello to become the franchise’s 40th manager — and all the fascinating implications of this move.
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The Giants have rather shockingly named University of Tennessee head coach, Tony Vitello, as the franchise’s 40th manager — a historic and fascinating hiring. Kerry Crowley and I naturally had to crank up the ol’ podcast machine immediately to talk about it, in the Emergency Pod version of KROG!
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Baseball America’s Jesús Cano joins me this week to talk Instructional League, Bridge League, and Arizona Fall League action. We talk a bunch of Josuar Gonzalez, as well as the set up for Instructional League and the importance of game action in the fall.
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Kerry and I dive into the manager search, and talk approaches to interviewing, potential favorites, and more wide-ranging organizational changes that could be on the horizon in the latest KROG podcast.
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Though the dugouts are all empty at this time of year, let’s drop another “In the Dugout” episode, this one featuring Drew Cavanaugh, who made it up to Double-A Richmond for the final month of the season. I caught up with Drew during the final weeks of his whirlwind season, in which he played for all four full-season affiliates in the Giants’ system — and hit a home run for all four of them, too! Drew talks through his baseball journey from freezing-cold Michigan to sunny Florida to making a name for himself in the Giants organization.
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My guest this week is Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes, who digs into the data to look at some of the best pitching breakouts of the season on the Giants’ farm. We also play a little game of “Prospect Showdowns,” stacking up Keyner Martinez vs Argenis Cayama, and Luis de la Torre vs Jacob Bresnahan in a ranking game. Geoff does incredible work at Baseball America, especially digging into the metrics, and he’s always a fun guy to talk ball with.
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Kerry Crowley and I talk Giants’ 2025 season in the end game.
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It’s something of a theme pod today: Rehab Stories. I talk with three different pitchers who spent most of the last couple of years going through rehab together in the Giants’ Papago Park facility in Scottsdale. Ryan Murphy, R.J. Dabovich, and Chris Wright all give their own variations on the theme of life in rehab, and talk about the support and comfort that these players give each other while trying to work their way back to normal.
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The Northwest League Championship series begins tonight in Eugene, OR. And to help you get prepared for it — and recapture the feel of the amazing second half run that the Eugene Emeralds have been on — Eugene’s road announcer (and man of many behind-the-scenes talents) Jacob Archer rejoins the pod. We talk about the turnaround in pitching, the guys who really took forward strides along the way this year, the leadership that Charlie Szykowny and Jonah Cox have give the team all year long, and some of the recent additions to the team that have really supplemented the core. We also look at the Everett squad that they’ll be facing and give you a rundown of the important players in the other dugout as this Best of Five gets started.
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This week I have a matched pair to last week’s group of player interviews from my west coast swing. Where we had hitters in last week’s group, this week it’s the arms. I speak with one of the true break out stars of this season, left-hander Luis de la Torre, one of the hardest throwers in the Giants’ organization, right-hander Liam Simon, and the team’s 7th round pick in 2024, lefty Greg Farone, who is putting the finishing touches on a very strong first season of pro ball.
All of my travel and player interviews are possible because of the support of There R Giants’ subscribers. If you want to support my work — and get a lot more of it — just click right here to start your subscription.
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Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Giants’ recent power surge, whether this current incarnation of the team is what we should have expected all along or just a September chimera, and what to hope for in this final month. We also indulge in a little bit of looking forward to the off-season to come, because we just can’t help ourselves!
Enjoy!
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I put quite a number of player interviews in the can on my trip to the west coast affiliates last week, and I’ll roll them out over the next couple of weeks. First up, I have a trio of hitters — two trade acquisitions who have just gotten their first taste of action in the Giants’ organization this month, and a high school draftee in his second season. Nate Furman and Parks Harber talk about the unique situation of being traded while rehabbing injuries, as well as their approach to hitting. Furman is one of best contact hitters in the minors, and Harber owns some of the most intriguing hit data in the minors, including a howling 90th percentile Exit Velocity above 108 mph. Lastly, I spoke to Walker Martin about how he used his difficult first season as a learning opportunity, leading to a much improved second year in the system.
All three of these guys were thoughtful and articulate, and gave some great insights into their personal growth process.
If you want to get more of this kind of content, why not consider becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber so you, too, can support my work covering the Giants’ farm system.
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For this week’s podcast, I’m joined by a couple of members of the Richmond Flying Squirrels who have traveled some long roads to get to where they are now. First we have Aruban native, Dayson Croes, who has hit ball everywhere he’s every played, but had to go through tiny colleges, Indy ball north or the border, and international competition to get the chance to play pro ball. And once again, he’s hitting the ball all over the field. Marques Johnson hasn’t had that long or circuitous a road, but from a SoCal JuCO to college to draft to trade to injury, he’s kept working at his craft and is making a name for himself in the upper minors.
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Kerry Crowley and I sift through the aftermath of the trade deadline, talk about our hopes for the rest of the year, and maybe starter to side-eye the coming winter.
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Finishing up my tour of the affiliate broadcasters, I get to talk ball with Trey Wilson with the tape recorder going for once! Trey and I talk about trade deadlines in the minor leagues, the challenge and quality of the Eastern League, and the Squirrels’ hopes for making a spirited run in the second half to try to grab a playoff spot. And along the way, we talk a few players as well! It’s always great to chat Eastern League baseball with Trey!
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After many scheduling conflicts that precluded us talking at happier times, Kerry Crowley and I come together to pick over the sorry spectacle that this Giants’ team has become, hazard a few guesses at trade deadline behavior, and respond live on air to a deal being made! What more could you ask for?
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We had a little reunion of former Eugene outfielders last week in Richmond, when the Portland Sea Dogs came to town. I was able to talk to Scott Bandura, who was just settling in from his recent promotion to Double-A, and Portland outfielder, James Tibbs III about the crazy month he’s had adjusting to a new organization, a new league, new teammates, and a new time zone! Bandura talks about the impact that COVID had on his baseball journey, and why he thinks the best is still to come for him, while Tibbs gives some real insight into the human side of the game, and how difficult these transitions can be for players.
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The great Jim Callis joins me to talk about the Giants most recent draft class, and how it fits in with a farm system that has really turned over a surprising amount the past two years. Come for the draft talk….stay for a whole lot of conversation about what a dude Jhonny Level is!
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Alex Pavlovic, the long-time Giants’ beat reporter for CSN Sports Bay Area, and now the author of The Franchise: San Francisco Giants: A Curated History of the Orange and Black, which you can find at your local (or non-local) bookstore as of today. Go get it!
Alex and I talk about the Giants’ checkered history of player development before delving into the current state of affairs with the Giants’ farm system that Buster Posey inherited. Alex talks about how he thinks Posey and Randy Winn are assessing the state of the farm and what changes they are likely to institute going forward, before we get into the current Giants roster and the trials that young players like Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp are encountering as they navigate their first full MLB seasons.
As I head out to the Dominican Republic for a week of DSL action, I’m celebrating by offering 25% off There R Giants’ subscriptions for one year (annual or monthly). It’s a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber, and check out my first-hand observations of the DSL squads and hopefully plenty of video footage of young Josuar Gonzalez.
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Time to head back to the field with a trio of player interviews — and a themed trio, as all three of my guys for this episode are East Bay kids. In this episode we cover all sorts of player development hardships from injury to game just plain ol’ being hard. Villers, the former Cal closer, had hardly joined pro ball when he went down for multiple years with injury. Gavello struggled with his performance over some difficult seasons in Eugene. And Hecht gave up on his dreams of playing pro ball forever — he thought — before a twist of fate gave him one last opportunity.
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Continuing my tour of the provinces, my guest in today’s edition of the pod is the well-traveled Joe Ritzo, who digs into a San Jose Giants team that just completed a historically good first half. As Joe notes, one of the keys to this club’s success has been tremendous depth throughout the roster — which makes it tough to cover everybody in one session. We do our best, though, to race through all the major players on the First Half Champs.
There R Giants podcast is brought to you thanks to the support of my subscribers, and if you’d like to get more of my Giants’ prospect-related work, you can subscribe to get daily posts delivered, ad-free straight to your Inbox. Now’s a great time to become a subscriber, because in two weeks from today I’ll be fulfilling a life-long dream and taking in some DSL action live — and I’ll be bringing you plenty of video and first-hand info.
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My guest this week is Sacramento play-by-play announcer, Zack Bayrouty, who regales me with tales from the club’s 18-game road trip. Zack and I talk about the River Cats’ unique situation, sharing facilities with the A’s, the grind of coming back down to Triple-A from the majors, and the rapid progress of Bryce Eldridge.
Pardon the periodic drop outs and freeze ups in Zack’s part of the conversation — the internet wasn’t always our friend today! But it’s still a great conversation.
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It’s been too long since Kerry Crowley and I diced up the Giants’ surprisingly strong 2025 season. But we’re back to talk big trades, a bold new front office, and where the club might look to upgrade next.
It’s a great new KROG episode to start your week out right!
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Jacob Archer, the play-by-play announcer for the Eugene Emeralds joins me to talk a little Emeralds baseball. What went right in the first half, where to hope for improvement in the second half, and the crazy night that James Tibbs III was taken off the field.
You can follow Jacob on twitter at Jacob_Archer12, not to mention his sly alter ego at EugeneEmeralds for updates on the Eugene squad. And, of course, you can become a There R Giants’ subscriber for daily coverage of the entire SF Giants’ farm system delivered ad-free, straight to your Inbox, Mondays through Fridays.
For those of you who love the podcast material, but dislike actually listening to podcasts, you can read the complete transcript to this show by clicking on the “Transcripts” tab above.
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Baseball America’s Jesús Cano joins me to talk about the Giants exciting young crop of talent in the Arizona Complex League this year. We dig into several of the pitching breakouts with this club, including Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez, and Luis de la Torre, along with talk about Jhonny Level, Rayner Arias, and more.
You can follow Cano’s dispatches from the ACL on Twitter, at Jesus_Cano88, where he drops plenty of video and links to his BA stories.
Follow me on the socials at Rog61, or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered, ad free, straight to your Inbox.
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This week’s pod takes us back to The Diamond, where I conducted interviews this week with relievers Braxton Roxby and Raymond Burgos. Roxby is one of the newer members of the Giants’ organization, coming over from Cincinnati this winter in the Taylor Rogers trade. We talk about his unique journey in baseball and what it’s like to shift organizations. Burgos, who has now signed with the Giants as a minor league free agent on three separate occasions, knows all about changing environments. We talk about life as a minor league free agent, that sweet day last year when he finally made the major leagues, and the bittersweet day that followed it.
All of my work is supported by my subscribers, and if you’d like to become a There R Giants’ subscriber, too, you’ll have access to all of my posts which chronicle the entire Giants’ farm system daily, Monday through Friday.
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Over-Slot Baseball’s draft expert, Joe Doyle joins me once again to preview the talent at the top of the 2025 draft. We talk about the mix of talent in the class (if you, like me, like a good group of high school shortstops, then this is the draft for you), which players can really change their stock as we get into College World Season season, and toss around some names that the Giants might be considering at the 13th spot. As usual, Joe is great (and I am also there).
You can (and should) follow all of Joe’s work on the socials (Twitter and Bluesky) by looking for him at JoeDoyleMiLB. You can follow me on socials at Rog61, or simply get all of my work delivered, ad free, direct to your Inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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Intro/Outro: “Anthem #2” by Blink-182
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This week on the podcast, a trio of conversations from last week with some top prospects on the Double-A squad. Bryce Eldridge talks about the joys of being around home, the frustrations of waiting out an injury, and the work he’s put in on his defense. Joe Whitman discusses his fast-track journey through the minors, how young he still feels he is, and how he dreamed up a specialty pitch. And lastly, Jack Choate talks about wanting to be as intimidating as Chris Sale — and doing a pretty good job of it so far!
To get all of my work on Giants’ prospects, become a There R Giants’ subscriber now, and get Minor Line posts sent direct to your Inbox, every weekday.
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This week on the There R Giants podcast, I have to empty out the file drawers with some player interviews I conducted back in April before a few travels disrupted my podcast schedule a bit. I’ve been stacking these player interviews up a bit the last few weeks, so I wanted to get these out before they became too musty!
Just before the season began I spoke with Sabin Ceballos about his strong winter and spring. I also talked with Vaun Brown, who looked back on a difficult 2024 and how he navigated his way through that season, as well as his hopes for the new one. And finally, I talked with reliever Trent Harris, who talked about the joys of being a minor leaguer called up to big league camp in the spring, and what he’s been doing to prepare for the tough Eastern League competition.
You can get all of my Giants’ prospect-related work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber. My thanks to all of you who support my work and allow me to do what I do, covering the Giants’ minor league system.
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Kerry tries to explain to Roger what’s been going on with the Giants in his absence, and we both try to come to grips with the strengths and potential weaknesses of this resilient edition of the team. One thing’s for sure, a strong start has put them in position to think about where the team can and should be supported and upgraded as the summer goes along.
You can listen to Kerry frequently on KNBR, and follow all of his work on social media at ko-crowley. You can follow me at rog61, or simply sign up to be a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect work delivered ad-free, straight to your inbox.
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Intro/Outro: “Back in the USSR” by The Beatles
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My friend and former collaborator, Kevin Cunningham, joins me this week to discuss early season impressions and our trips to various Giants’ affiliates — especially Kevin’s recent trip up to Eugene. We talk early season weather and a few injuries, as well as philosophical changes we’ve picked up in the organization.
Kevin puts out great content all over the interwebs, including Instagram, Twitter, Blue Sky and Tik Tok, so look for him under Giant Futures at any of those sites, as well as at his Patreon site of the same name. And, of course, you can get all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber, to get daily Minor Lines emailed straight to your Inbox.
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Intro/Outro: “Inspiration Information” by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
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Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Giants’ crazy first homestand, the good vibes and question marks surrounding the team, and look forward to a tremendously challenging road trip coming up.
As always, you can hear Kerry talking Giants regularly on KNBR and follow him on either Twitter or Bluesky at KO_Crowley. You can follow me at rog61 or get all of my Giants’ prospect related work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber to get daily Minor Lines delivered straight to your Inbox.
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Intro/Outro: “It’s About Time” by The Pandoras
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My friend Wrenzie Regodon joins me once again from his home base in the Philippines (where he watches copious amounts of Giants’ minor league ball) to talk over the Giants’ break camp rosters at all four full-season affiliates. We talk about the guys we’re missing on the Opening Day rosters, our favorite parts of each roster, and some players we think might surprise up and down the Giants’ system.
You can follow Wrenzie at GiantProspectiv on twitter, or support him at his Patreon sight, Giant Prospective.
And, of course, to get all of my work, you can subscribe to There R Giants to get daily minor lines sent right to your Inbox.
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Intro/Outro: “Our Corner of the World” by Young Fresh Fellows
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Ok, I’m going to try something new today and you can tell me if you like it! A quick little video recorded from The Diamond giving my initial take on the Opening Day rosters. If you like this I’ll try to make it a regular gig throughout the year. Plus I’ll have some player interviews coming soon in the same format.
Happy Opening Day everybody!
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We have actual, meaningful games to discuss! Real performances, real stats, and real action! Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter dig in with relish to the start of a new baseball season, and all the fun it’s brought Giants’ fans so far. Are the new vibes real and sustainable? We discuss!
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Intro/Outro: “Song No. 2” by Blur
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The dean of prospect writing, MLB’s Jim Callis stops by to talk about the Giants’ new direction and a fresh new top 30. We talk about Bryce Eldridge, Carson Whisenhunt, James Tibbs III, Josuar Gonzalez, Jhonny Level, Landen Roupp and many, many others!
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Intro/Outro: “Future Starts Slow” by The Kills
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SF Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin drops by the podcast this week to discuss the Giants relatively uneventful but upbeat spring training. We talk about the magnetic personality of Willy Adames, the 5th starter race, Jerar Encarnacion’s clear path to playing time, and the interesting mix of youth and veteran talent on this year’s club.
The pod will take a break for the next few weeks, but content keeps flowing out at There R Giants. Later this month I’ll be in Papago Park for in person looks at the entire farm and bringing you plenty of video and observations, which makes this a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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Intro/Outro: “Photograph” by Weezer
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Kerry Crowley and I return to talk actual baseball games! That’s fun! We get into some of the interesting camp battles around the edges of the roster, including backup catcher, fifth starter, and the interesting outfield situation.
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Intro/Outro: “Panda and the Freak” by The Baseball Project
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Baseball America’s Ben Badler joins me this week to talk about the Giants’ increasingly product efforts scouting and signing international free agents. Ben is the preeminent expert on international baseball prospects, and we talk a good bit about the unique process for going after players in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other Latin countries, as well as the upturn in recent fortunes for the Giants.
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Intro/Outro: “So Nice (Summer Samba)” by Bebel Gilberto
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Jeremiah Knackstedt, who will be returning to Manage the Eugene Emeralds once again in 2025, is my guest on this week’s show. We talk about the challenges of moving from the Cal League to the NWL (for both players and staff), and get into the performances on the 2024 Eugene club. Of course, that includes a whole lot of Bryce Eldridge conversation!
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Intro/Outro: “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” by Lykke Li
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It’s another KROG pod! Kerry Crowley and I discuss the oddly incomplete Giants’ roster as pitchers and catchers are set to report. We dig in on the players we hope to see step forward on the pitching and hitting side, and what we think needs to happen for this club to stay competitive.
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Intro/Outro: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles
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Dennis Pelfrey will be returning to Richmond in 2025 to helm the Flying Squirrels for the fourth consecutive season — making him the longest tenured manager in team history. He joins me this week to talk about the challenges of developing a major league winning ballplayer. We discuss the continuity and stability in minor league coaching staffs, the change at the top of the organization, and the challenges that young players face in trying to become big leaguers.
All There R Giants’ content is supported by the generosity of my subscribers. With this year’s Top 50 currently underway and spring camp coming up next month, now is a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber and get all of my posts delivered, ad-free, straight to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Blue Skies” by Willie Nelson
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Long time SFChronicle beat writer (and former President of the BBWAA), the great Susan Slusser joins me this week to set the stage for pitchers and catchers reporting soon. Susan and I talk a bit about the financial situation of the Giants, the weird impact of sharing a home Triple-A field with the Athletics, and she gets us set for the many, many camp battles that should be coming your way in just a couple of weeks! (There are a lot of them!)
You absolutely want to follow Susan’s reporting from Scottsdale, which you can do by following here on Bluesky at susanslusser.bsky.social — or simply do the old fashioned thing and subscribe to the Chronicle!
You can follow all of my work at Bluesky at rog61.bsky.social, or become a full subscriber to There R Giants to get it all delivered, ad free, straight to your Inbox. With my Top 50 prospect rankings rolling out now, and footage from minor league camp coming in late March, now is a great time to join the There R Giants’ community.
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Intro/Outro: “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” by Oasis
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KROG returns for another year! Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Dodgers’ kicking things up to Boss Mode on MLB in 2025. And, on a happier note, we talk about what we’re excited to see in this edition of the Giants as spring training approaches.
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Intro/Outro: “Things Have Changed” by Bob Dylan
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Eric Longenhagen just put out his essential Giants’ system rankings on Fangraphs last Friday. Which makes this a great time to catch up with Eric and talk a little Giants’ prospects. We get into the chaos that was created around the international signing deadline this year, as well as Eric’s appreciation for the talent the Giants are bringing in through that market in recent years. And of course, we talk plenty of Bryce Eldridge and pitching! Eric’s list are always interesting, insightful, idiosyncratic, and brilliantly written, so I look forward to them every year — and he’s just as much fun to chat with. Enjoy!
You can read There R Giants’ full Top 50 for the Giants’ system, which will start rolling out in depth tomorrow, by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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Intro/Outro: “Think for Yourself” by The Beatles
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Once again this year, I’m privileged to have Giants’ Senior Director of International Scouting, Joe Salermo, on the podcast to talk about the latest class of international signees into the Giants’ organization. That class is headed by a player that many evaluators consider the top 16-year-old talent this year, shortstop Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez, and we talk a lot about that young man (including what we should call him). Joe also discusses the other recently signed players, the impact that Rōki Sasaki had on this year’s process, and we look back to the performance of previous year’s players as they make their way up the Giants’ system.
A lot of those players are going to be showing up in this year’s There R Giants’ Top 50 which will be rolling out starting next week — which makes this a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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Intro/Outro: “This is the Day” by The The
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My guest this week is Joe Doyle, host of the fantastic “Over-Slot” podcast and prospect analyst for Future Stars Series_Plus. Joe and I talk about the the Giants’ draft and development identity, what types of players they have historically looked for in the draft, and how that might change under Buster Posey’s leadership.
You can become a Patreon subscriber to hear all of Joe’s conversations with Scouting Directors around MLB and other front office personnel, or follow him on Twitter at JoeDoyleMiLB or at BlueSky at joedoylemilb.bsky.social to follow all his work. You can find me at BlueSky at rog61.bsky.social to see all my work or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get it all delivered right to your Inbox.
For those of you who would rather read than listen, you can check the “Transcripts” tab to see AI’s version of our conversation.
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Intro/Outro: “See Me, Feel Me” by The Who
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This week, The Athletic’s Katie Woo joins me to talk about St. Louis Cardinals’ player development issues. Katie and I identify a few places where the Cardinals and Giants find themselves in similar circumstances, and she discusses the Cardinals’ plans to fix their development processes.
Follow Katie on Twitter at katiejwoo or on Bluesky at katiejwoo.bsky.social. You can follow me on Bluesky at rog61.bsky.social or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered straight to your inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Christmas Blues” by Ralph Willis
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Kerry Crowley and I talk about the Giants’ vibe-based approach to roster building, the importance of having “top steppers,” and the pursuit of Corbin Burnes. We also make a Christmas wish for the return of good old fashioned baseball trades to the Giants’ off-season.
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Intro/Outro: Selections from “Nutcracker Suite for Guitar” by Stevan Pasero
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My guest this week is Eli Walsh, who once again this year penned the Giants’ prospect rankings for Baseball Prospectus. We spend a good lot of time talking about Prospectus’ always interesting 25 and Under talent list for the Giants, which has seen some surprising developments, before turning to talk of Bryce Eldridge, James Tibbs III, Carson Whisenhunt and others.
Be sure to follow Eli’s work on Baseball Prospectus, or at Twitter (at walsh_eli), Blue Sky (at eliwalsh.bsky.social) or the social media of your choice.
You can follow me as well, at rog61 on Twitter or rog61.bsky.social at Blue Sky to see all my work, or, more conveniently, just get a There R Giants’ subscription for you or the Giants lover in your family this holiday season.
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Intro/Outro: “Waiting for Superman” by The Flaming Lips
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On this week’s podcast, I’m joined once again by our great Giants’ broadcaster, David B. Flemming. We talk tough times for radio and the Giants’ relationship with KNBR, Buster Posey’s vision for the Giants, and whether the young talent that we saw in 2024 has the makings of a competitive core.
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Intro/Outro: “Moving On Up” by Primal Scream
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Kerry Crowley and I dig into the mood surrounding this new world of Giants’ baseball. Is there a newfound sense of optimism with Buster Posey taking charge? Or are reports of lowering payrolls causing the Faithful to plunge into despair? One thing’s for sure, it’s a whole new ballgame! We discuss on this episode of the KROG podcast!
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Intro/Outro: “My Ever Changing Moods” by The Style Council
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On this week’s episode, The Athletic’s Eno Sarris joins me to talk about Buster Posey’s ascension to President of Baseball Operations, the concept of over-steering, the worrisome brain drain that seems to be happening over time, the importance of critical listening skills, and the most effective ways to provide players with the resources to help them succeed.
Eno’s work at The Athletic is some of the best national baseball coverage on the data and technology revolution in player development, and his Rates and Barrels podcast is one of my very favorite listens every week. You can even watch it on You Tube.
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Intro/Outro: “Watch the Tapes” by LCD Soundsystem
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With the news that Buster Posey had taking the reins of the Giants’ organization as the new President of Baseball Operations, I wanted to get somebody on the podcast who understands the ins and outs of a baseball front office, and also knows a bit about Posey. So my dream guest was Eric Flemming, who spent nearly two decades in the Giants’ front office. Eric talks about Posey’s unique talents, the nitty gritty of working in baseball operations, and the value of optimism in player development.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
Kerry Crowley and I return to discuss the stunning turn of events at the top of the Giants’ Organization. There’s a whole lot of Buster Posey talk on this edition of the KROG podcast — what to expect going forward, who the major players in the organization might be going forward, and, the big one, will this all work?
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Intro/Outro: “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave
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It’s a Fresno State-themed podcast as former Bulldogs teammates Zach Morgan and Andrew Kachel discuss baseball in the valley, playing for the team you grew up rooting for, and the baseball friendships made along the way.
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Intro/Outro: “Be True to Your School” by The Beach Boys
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Kerry and I talk about the Giants’ spate of hot play near the end, what it all means, and where the club goes from here in the final KROG of the 2024 season.
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Intro/Outro: “Where Do We Go From Here?” by The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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With the minor league season fully concluded now, I’m going to finish off my backload of player interviews from the season with two more “2024 minor league season” podcasts. First up, I have interviews conducted with Jonah Cox in Eugene back in mid-August, and a couple of final homestand interviews I did in Richmond with Diego Velasquez (hat tip to Lispo Nava for helping out with that one for translation) and Turner Hill. All three of these guys were in my Organizational All-Stars post after really strong years, and all are fun and engaging guys who are very thoughtful about what it takes to succeed.
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Intro/Outro: “Don’t Cha Stop” by The Cars
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Ranking season has come again, and to get us started thinking about Giants’ lists, Baseball America’s Josh Norris stops by to talk the year that was — who’s impressed (Bryce Eldridge), who’s moving up in industry evaluation (Bo Davidson) and much more.
Follow Josh on twitter at jnorris427 to find great video looks at players all over the baseball landscape and follow his invaluable work (along with his colleagues) at Baseball America dot com. And, of course, you can get all of my work on the Giants’ farm system by simply becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber. We’ll have rankings, depth charts, reviews, previews and much more coming this winter as we prepare for another year of ball in 2025.
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Intro/Outro: “Your Hands (Together)” by New Pornographers
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The San Jose Giants are facing a “win or go home” situation tonight at Modesto in Game 2 of their Cal League playoff series, and to get you all excited to root, root, root for the road team, I have Joe Ritzo, the long time voice of the San Jose Giants on to talk about the Giants’ changing team, and the rivalry they’ve had with this Modesto club the last couple of years. We talk a lot of Bo Davidson, which leads perfectly into a short interview that I recorded with Davidson a few weeks ago in San Jose.
Between the two, you’ll have all the information you need to watch tonight’s big game!
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
Kerry Crowley and I sweep up the ashes of a disappointing season, talk about the player development system, and look for signs of hope.
You can watch to all episodes of The Kerry Crowley Show on his You Tube channel, and to follow my work, simply click below to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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Intro/Outro: “Float On” by Modest Mouse
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More player interviews from Eugene on this week’s edition of the podcast. I caught up with Trent Harris, one of the biggest pop up relievers of the year in the Giants’ system, Joe Whitman, the 2nd rounder from Kent State who his having a really strong first year, and Charlie Szykowny, who’s been having a sneaky good under the radar first season.
Of course, all of these conversations are thanks to the support of my subscribers, who allow There R Giants to exist. And if you’d like to become one of those who support my work, I have just the link for you!
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “A Beginning Song” by The Decemberists
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This week’s podcast includes conversations with the top two picks of the Giants’ 2023 draft: Bryce Eldridge and Walker Martin. The two have traveled different paths in their first season, never playing on the same team after spring training. But they each reflect on their journeys in thoughtful, confident ways. Both young players get strong reviews from scouts, and hopefully are on their way to becoming big parts of the Giants’ future.
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Intro/Outro: “10th Avenue Freeze Out” by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
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This week’s There R Giants podcast features two more player interviews from Richmond, with two outfielders who have dealt with some physical issues this year. We talk about staying healthy and physical with both Wade Meckler and Jairo Pomares, as well as touching on Meckler’s big league experience last year, Pomares’ experience growing up in baseball-mad Cuba, and more.
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Intro/Outro: “World Without Tears” by Lucinda Williams
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This week’s episode of the There R Giants podcast features two player interviews conducted in the not too distant past at The Diamond in Richmond. I caught up with shortstop Christian Koss just before his promotion up to Sacramento, and we talked defense, unexpected trades, and controlling the zone. Then I chatted with Carter Howell to talk about his baseball journey, including the impact of COVID, what happens when you go undrafted, and the things he’s learned about his game as a pro.
They’re both great conversations, and if you want to get much more of my coverage of the Giants’ minor league system, you can receive daily, ad-free posts by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Getting Better” by The Beatles
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It’s once again the time of year when I have my friend Brian Recca, from Prospects Live, on to dive into the Giants’ draft. Brian is a relentless field rat who works as hard as anybody I know covering the draft class in depth, and he’s always kind enough to come on the pod and share his opinions on a lot of players that he’s seen in person. We talk about a draft built on power, the progress of James Tibbs III, the incredible high upside of Dakota Jordan, and Brian finds me some sleepers in the lower rounds.
You absolutely should be following Brian on twitter at brian_recca, where he posts tons of first person looks and video from his travels, as well as his and his colleages work at Prospects Live.
And you can follow all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber to get my daily posts, ad-free, delivered straight to your inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Danger! High Voltage” by Electric Six
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This week’s podcast features interviews with two pitchers who have been through their battles with health issues: Richmond left-hander, Seth Corry, and right-hander Will Bednar. Both have had their share of ups and downs, and gained new perspective on this game the play for a living. After long rehabs, both are finally healthy again and getting to compete and play. I love having these two interviews together, because I feel like the interplay between the two of them makes each a little richer.
To get much more of my Giants prospect work, become a There R Giants’ subscriber. You’ll get daily coverage of the farm system, insight from players and coaches, tons of video from games, and much more, all ad-free and delivered straight to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “The Century Plant” by Victoria Williams
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Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter talk about the Giants’ better play of late, and look towards the future, trade deadline, All Star Game and all!
Catch every edition of The Kerry Crowley show by subscribing to Kerry’s You Tube page, or follow him on twitter at KO_Crowley. You can follow me on twitter at Rog61, or, to get all of my work on Giants’ prospects simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Let the Good Times Roll” by The Cars
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This week I’m joined by my friend Kevin Cunningham to talk about his trip down to Birmingham, AL for the Field of Dreams game at Rickwood Field. We talk Willie Mays, history, stadium design, and sneak in a little prospect talk along the way as well.
You can follow all of Kevin’s Giant Futures work on his many different platforms by following him on twitter at sfgiantfutures, which should lead you to his Instagram and Tik Tok work as well.
And you can follow me on twitter at rog61 or get all of my work sent directly to your Inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)” by Aretha Franklin
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Carlos Collazo, lead correspondent for Baseball America’s draft coverage, joins me this week to provide an overview of this year’s draft class — a class Carlos calls one of the weaker ones in recent memory. We discuss the power at the top, the strengths and weaknesses (where are you high school hitters?), and why #13 isn’t the best position to be drafting from this year.
You can follow Carlos on twitter at CarlosACollazo, and, of course, find all of his draft work, mocks, and more at Baseball America dot com. And you can follow me on twitter at rog61, or better yet, become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ work delivered straight to your Inbox with no ads, no sponsors, and no intereference.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Alison’s Starting to Happen” by the Lemonheads
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Eli Walsh, part of the fine prospect-coverage crew at Baseball Prospectus stops by to join me and talk about a few of the players on the San Jose and Sacramento rosters. Eli writes the Giants’ organizational rankings for B-Pro, and helps fill in some of my West Coast blindspots with his first-hand reports from the Cal League and PCL.
We talk big players like Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt, and a few more obscure discoveries, like Trent Harris and Cesar Perdomo. Check out all of Eli’s work at the Monday Morning Ten Pack (including this week’s report on Whisenhunt), and follow him on twitter at walsh_eli to find all of his prospect coverage.
You can follow me on twitter at Rog61to find all of my work, or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber and get it all delivered straight to your inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Twisting by the Pool” by Dire Straits
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Kerry Crowley and I have finally gotten our schedules synced up — but things haven’t changed a whole lot in the NL or with the Giants since last we spoke. Kerry and I discuss whether this .500 club is just another variety of the one we’ve watched the past two years, or whether there’s something more interesting brewing under the surface. Along the way, we talk about the delightful surprise that has been Heliot Ramos, the pitching staff’s shortages, and the NL’s “race” for mediocrity.
Follow Kerry on twitter at KO_Crowley and make sure to look for all the episodes of The Kerry Crowley Show on his You Tube page. You can follow me on twitter at Rog61, and get all of my Giants’ prospect work delivered straight to your inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “They Didn’t Believe Me” by Dinah Washington
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This week’s There R Giants podcast features Richmond Hitting and Pitching Coaches Cory Elasik and Paul Oseguera (respectively). Together they walk me through the Richmond roster talking about development growth they’ve seen from their players this year — many of whom they’ve coached in previous years as well. We talk about the recently promoted Grant McCray and Hayden Birdsong, and a wide variety of other Flying Squirrels including Victor Bericoto, Adrian Sugastey, Vaun Brown, Carson Ragsdale, Evan Gates and many more.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “But I’m Different Now” by The Jam
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This week’s pod features a couple of pitchers who have been carving up hitters this year without the normal huge velocity we tend to associate with great pitching performances. John Michael Bertrand has now won the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors twice, while Dylan Cumming was the Pitcher of the Month for the Northwest League in April — and has a decent shot at repeating the honor in May. Both of them were generous enough to share their baseball journeys with me and detail their preparation and thought processes when on the mound.
This one’s a little noisy — as happens with in-stadium interviews, but it’s well worth it. Both of these guys are thoughtful, articulate, and engaging!
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Intro/Outro: “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” by Gladys Knight and the Pips
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It’s time for another installation of There R Giants’ ever popular video interview series, In the Dugout! In this installment, we talk with Giants’ right-handed pitcher, Eric Silva. The Giants’ 2021 4th round pick out of JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA, Silva is going through multiple transitions this year: into the upper minors and to the bullpen. Through it all, Silva remains a thoughtful, introspective, and articulate young man, who is as interested in his growth as a person as he is his growth as an athlete. I hope you enjoy this super engaging talk with Silva, definitely one of my favorites to converse with.
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MLB.com’s Maria Guardado joins me to talk about the young wave of talent joining the Giants, and the struggles, adjustments, and improvements that are helping these young talents stick on the roster going forward.
You can follow Maria on twitter at mi_guardado to see all of her coverage of the Giants (including a special report on the upcoming Field of Dreams game from Rickwood Field).
Follow me on twitter at rog61, or you can subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my daily coverage of the Giants’ farm system.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
This week on There R Giants podcast, I’m joined by the Sacramento River Cats’ play by play man, Zack Bayrouty. The long time Stockton Ports announcer, who took over behind the microphone for the River Cats last year, talks about the success they’ve been having on the field both individually and as a team. Zack and I discuss the plethora of pitchers vying for big league opportunities and the growth of hitters like Marco Luciano, Casey Schmitt, Brett Wisely, and Luis Matos.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “If and When” by the dBs
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Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter get together once again to talk over the Giants first month of the 2024 season. We talk about the wonder of Matt Chapman’s throwing arm, the likelihood that the offense will pick up, and the looming question of how far the Giants will stretch out their young pitchers.
Watch all of episodes of The Kerry Crowley show on his You Tube channel, and follow him on twitter at KO_Crowley. You can follow me on twitter at Rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect work.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Pieces of April” by Three Dog Night
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For this week’s podcast, I have a trio of interviews from the Diamond in Richmond (excuse the standard stadium noisiness!), all involving pitchers whose baseball paths have involved twists and turns.
First, I spoke with Reggie Crawford, the Giants’ top pick in the 2022 draft, who has just recently joined the Richmond pitching staff as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Crawford is, for the first time in his career, developing as a pitcher only, after being a two-way player at UConn and previously in his pro career. We talk about his time as a hitter in the AFL and the decision to focus on pitching, his health history, the path forward and much more.
Next I spoke with 2021 4th round pick, Eric Silva, who is negotiating a change from starter to reliever in his third full season. Eric talks about the relationship he’s built with fellow pitcher Jose Cruz, the value of being bilingual, and the improvements he’s made to the mental side of his craft.
Finally, Tanner Kiest discusses his long career in Independent leagues as he worked on his craft and worked his way back to affiliate ball. A decade after he was originally drafted by the Phillies in 2014, Kiest has made it to Double-A, where he’s doing quite well in the Squirrels’ bullpen, sporting an 0.82 ERA over his first seven games.
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Intro/Outro: “You Learn,” by Alanis Morissette
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Everything about Reggie Crawford is immense. He’s a huge guy, with huge stuff and enormous talent. But he’s also a person with real star-wattage in his personality. He’s thoughtful, articulate, and incisive in the way he views his pursuit of greatness. And there’s no better way to bring that aspect of Crawford across than with another “In the Dugout” vi…
On this week’s pod, I have one of the hardest working folks in the baseball business, Mike Ferrin, who has lent his voice to broadcasts, podcasts, radio shows, and much more over his more than two decades. Mike and I talk about how player development has and hasn’t changed over his time in the game, revisit some Giants’ prospects and coaches of old, and assess where the organization currently sits among its peers.
Mike absolutely loves the game of baseball in all of its myriad forms, and you should follow him on twitter @Mike_Ferrin to keep up with his many, many activities and thoughts on the game.
And, of course, you can follow my work on twitter @rog61, or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered direct to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash
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[NOTE: Apologies for the false start on this post. An alert reader pointed out that I didn’t quite get the start of the video in the right place!]
Ok, I’m going to try something different this time! Since Kerry always posts his Kerry Crowley Show (including all of our KROG collaborations) to his You Tube channel, and since Substack supports both video and audio programming, I’m going to join the modern world and provide the latest KROG in both video and podcast format so you can enjoy our conversation however you’d like!
Kerry and I talk about the Giants’ slow start, our expectations going forward for many of the players, and we get into some of what’s happening on the farm as well.
Watch all of Kerry’s shows on his You Tube channel, at Kerry Crowley Show, or follow him on twitter to get all of his thoughts and output at KO_Crowley. You can follow me on twitter as well at rog61, or subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my coverage of the Giants’ farm system.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
MLB’s great prospect writer Jim Callis joins me once again to talk about the state of the Giants’ farm system, including prospects, post-prospects, and the recent draft — where we discover that we have something unknown in common! Jim also gets into some fascinating potential future plans for the Spring Breakout showcase!
You can (and should!) follow Jim on twitter at jimcallisMLB to keep up with all of his great work on prospects and the upcoming draft. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter at rog61 to find all of my Giants-related prospect work, or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber. With the new minor league season just underway, it’s a great time to subscribe for daily coverage of the entire system:
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Are We the Waiting” by Green Day
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It’s a Flying Squirrels Opening Day edition of the podcast as I sit down with new Squirrels Carson Ragsdale and Hunter Bishop to talk about their development journeys that have been beset with health obstacles. They talk about keeping their spirits up and working through often painful rehabs and looking forward to a full, healthy season. I also get a team preview of the 2024 edition of the Squirrels from returning manager Dennis Pelfrey. The season is upon us!
Which means it’s a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber and get full coverage of the Giants’ minor league system.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Feeling Good” by My Brightest Diamond
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To welcome in the start of the 2024 minor league season, I’m joined by fellow Giants’ prospect maven Wrenzie Regodon to preview all four Giants’ minor league affiliate teams, making our best guesses at what the rosters will look like. It’s a super-stuffed edition of the pod as we go level by level, talking about the most compelling parts of every roster and picking out a few sleeper candidates on top of the big names.
(Quick Note to avoid confusion: you’ll note in the podcast that some of our thoughts on the Eugene roster don’t quite jive with the written preview I published yesterday. This podcast was actually recorded a bit earlier than that written piece, which we now know to be more accurate).
You can follow Wrenzie’s work at his patreon, Around the Foghorn, or Bayside Baseball, but just follow him on twitter @giantprospectiv to get all of his work and thoughts on Giants prospects. And you can follow me at twitter as well @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my daily Minor Lines posts throughout the season.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Begin the Begin” by R.E.M.
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With the 2024 minor league season beginning tomorrow, I wanted to talk a little minor league life with the voice of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Trey Wilson. We talk “good guys,” clubhouse culture, long days, and the joys of watching homegrown waves of talent ascend to the top.
You can follow Trey on Twitter (where you’ll see a lot of great photos from press boxes as well as tons of Squirrels highlights and facts) at treywilson757. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter at rog61, or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered, ad-free, direct to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “This Time Tomorrow” by The Kinks
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Kerry Crowley and I talk about the late roster changes that brought a fantastic off-season all together and get excited for the coming season! We also talk a little about my time at Papago Park and the youth wave on the rise throughout the system and a lot about Marco Luciano and Nick Ahmed.
You can follow Kerry on Twitter at KO_Crowley and watch all episodes of The Kerry Crowley Show on You Tube. And, of course, you can follow me on Twitter at rog61 or to get all of my work, simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber. The season is almost here, so it’s a great time to join.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements
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J.P. Ricciardi, former GM of the Toronto Blue Jays and long time front office executive who has worked with the Yankees, A’s, Mets, and Giants has retired after more than four decades in the game. He graciously joins the pod to talk about his life int he game, people he’s known and worked with, and the changes he’s seen in the game he loves.
We also talk about his new podcast, The Brushback with JP, which you should definitely check out. You can always keep up with new episodes by following him on Twitter @RicciardiJP.
And, of course, you can follow by work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber, just in time for my trip to Giants’ minor league camp.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “One Last Time” by the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
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SF Chronicle’s great beat writer Susan Slusser joins me from Arizona to talk about a fascinating Giants camp. Susan discusses the importance of Bob Melvin’s presence, the clear need for more starting pitching, the shortstop situation and much, much more.
You can, and SHOULD, follow Susan on Twitter @susanslusser to keep up with her daily coverage of the team. (Also, follow her new colleage on the Giants beat @ShaynaRubin). And you can follow me @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to keep up with and support my daily work covering the Giants’ farm system.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Turn It On” by Sleater-Kinney
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NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic drops by the pod to talk early buzz from the Giants’ spring camp. We talk about people sleeping on Kyle Harrison, all the young arms in camp, the chances that the Giants capture a generation of Korean baseball fans, and we get into a surprising amount of Tyler Fitzgerald love!
You can keep up with all of Alex’ reports from camp (after a short “Dad-cation”) by following on Twitter @PavlovicNBCS. You can also follow me @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect work delivered ad-free to your Inbox. We’ve reached the top of the Top 50 and my spring reports from minor league camp will be coming in a couple of weeks, so now’s a great time to become a subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “First Date” by Blink-182
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Kerry and I talk Brandon Crawford’s departure to St. Louis and Nick Ahmed’s arrival and how the two are joined. We also catch up to the Jorge Soler signing. And we continue to be fascinated by the burden the Giants seem to content to place on their young pitching. We also get into communications strategies and public messaging in today’s KROG podcast.
Watch all of the episodes of the Kerry Crowley show on Kerry’s You Tube channel. And you can follow all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Panda and the Freak” by The Baseball Project
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The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee joins me to talk about the Giants’ incredible pitching experiment, the “two timelines” theory of Giants’ roster construction, and exactly how much is on the line in the coming year.
You can (and should!) read all of Grant’s great work at The Athletic, and follow him on Twitter for the jokes and record collection talk @GrantBrisbee. You can follow me on Twitter @Rog61, or on Notes here on Substack, or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered straight to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “What’s He Building?” by Tom Waits
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While mired in the desolation of another heart-breaking 49ers loss, Kerry and I try to figure out what exactly the Giants approach to the coming season really is. We talked about why signing Jorge Soler (done!) and more still makes sense while overall pitching-focused rebuild provides long-range strategy.
Follow Kerry and Roger on Twitter at KO_Crowley and at Rog61. And don’t forget to watch Kerry’s solo pods as well, on You Tube at Kerry Crowley Show. To get all of Roger’s work, just become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “With Arms Outstretched” by Rilo Kiley
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This week I’m joined by Lance Brozdowski, Player Development Analyst for the Marquee Sports Network — which is pretty much the coolest job title in all of baseball as far as I’m concerned. Lance also has a fantastic You Tube channel on which he does deep dives into the prospect world, using the type of data-driven development lens that all modern front offices are using.
I particularly want to highlight two videos that Lance posted earlier this winter that we’ll be referring to a lot in this pod:
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An Overview of MiLB Organizational Hitting Philosophies
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An Overview of MiLB Organizational Pitching Philosophies
Those videos don’t highlight the Giants’ philosophies — that’s what today’s podcast is here for — but they do give a context for how philosophies differ across baseball.
You can keep up with all of Lance’s work by following him on Twitter at LanceBroz or right here on Substack
To read all of my thoughts on Giants’ player development, of course, follow me on Twitter at Rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber just in time for spring training.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire
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Kerry and Roger get back together to talk about the risky nature of the Giants’ current roster which includes plenty of upside but little certainty. How will it come together?
Follow Kerry and Roger on Twitter at KO_Crowley and at Rog61. And don’t forget to watch Kerry’s solo pods as well, on You Tube at Kerry Crowley Show. To get all of Roger’s work, just become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA
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This week I’m joined by one of the best sources for Giants’ international baseball news, and a long-time essential Giants’ twitter follow known as GPT, or Giants Prospects.
We talk about the history of Giants’ scouting and development in the international realm, the importance of Marco Luciano’s success, the most recent international class, and a tease for next year. It’s always great to get to talk with Avi and dig into the international scene.
You can (and should!) follow GPT on twitter @GPT and follow his Substack as well
And, of course, you can follow all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Internacional” by The Brazilian Girls
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Baseball Prospectus’ prospect writer Eli Walsh drops by the pod to discuss this year’s BPro Giants rankings, and take a look back at the progress of last year’s group as well. We talk a lot of Marco Luciano and Kyle Harrison (and Casey Schmitt!) and get into the young bats, the pitching depth, and a few sleepers Eli likes.
Follow Eli on twitter @walsh_eli to find all of his prospect work. And follow me on Twitter @rog61 or just become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Girl of 100 Lists” by The Go-Gos
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Kerry Crowley and I team up for yet another KROG podcast, diving into this long, slow winter of cold stove action. We talk about where the line falls between “bold action” and “silly money,” and wonder if the Giants’ new strategy is actually a return to the “soft rebuild?” And we try to find the perfect players additions that will allow the team to both develop and compete in 2024.
Watch all episodes of the Kerry Crowley Podcast on his You Tube channel, youtube.com/@KerryCrowleyShow or follow him on twitter at KO_Crowley. And you can follow all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber, the good folks who generously bring you this show.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Which Will” by Lucinda Williams
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Once again this year, it’s my privilege to get to chat with Giants’ Senior International Scouting Director, Joe Salermo, to discuss the team’s latest class of incoming international free agents. January 15th opens the year’s signing period (it closes on December 15th), and the Giants introduced 20 new talents to the system. Joe talks about the team’s history with top signings Yoendry Sanchez and Jhonny Level, and points out a few of the real sleepers he thinks the Giants got this year. Salermo also talks a little about the team’s history scouting Jung-Hoo Lee and players from last year’s class who really stood out in their first season of pro ball.
I can’t thank Joe enough for taking the time at the end of a long, busy day to share his insights with There R Giants’ listeners.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “All Over the World,” by ELO
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One of the top pitching prospects from a suddenly pitching-rich system, Mason Black joins me this week to talk about his approach to the offseason, his search for the perfect slider shape, and how he’s working towards what he hopes will be his major league debut in the not too distant future (and so do I!).
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Back in Black” by AC/DC
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Kerry Crowley is back for another KROG podcast as we take a look at the Giants’ options for the offseason, talk about the current shape of the pitching staff and middle infield, and discuss the concept of prospects being “blocked” by major league moves.
As always, you should check out all of Kerry’s You Tube podcasts at KerryCrowleyShow. And check out all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “On the Rebound” by Floyd Cramer
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I’m totally geeked up about today’s podcast. Robert Orr wrote what, in my opinion, was the best piece of baseball analysis last year quantifying what he called the SEAGER approach to hitting (after Corey Seager, who is the preeminent examplar of this approach). We talked about what led him to discover the SEAGER approach and possible implications that this nuance on swing decision metrics could have for individual players and organizational Player Development philosophies going forward. We talk about Patrick Bailey, Marco Luciano, and dig into some numbers for the Giants’ farm system overall, and talk about how the SEAGER approach gives us a lens for understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
Check out Robert’s articles on the topic at Baseball Prospectus: “Quantifying the Corey Seager Approach,” and “SEAGER at the Team Level,” to get the full scope of his work. And follow Robert on Twitter NotTheBobbyOrr to see where he takes his work next.
If you enjoy the There R Giants podcast, you might want to become a There R Giants’ subscriber to see all of my work on the system. My Top 50 rankings will be rolling out soon! And after that it’s time for my annual trip to Papago Park for Spring Training, so now’s a great time to become a subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Personality Crisis” by the New York Dolls
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For the final There R Giants podcast of 2023, David B. Flemming drops by to chat about the Giants’ off-season hopes and plans, including their intense pursuit of Jung-Hoo Lee and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We revisit the team’s turn to aggressive prospect promotions in 2023 and how successful that philosophical change turned out. And we talk about Patrick Bailey’s year and what will be necessary to take his game to the next level. (We recorded this pod at the end of last week, skant hours before the Giants officially announced the Lee signing.)
Thanks so much to everyone who has joined me this year on podcasts and posts. Your support is the best Christmas gift I could get (although having Dave stop by on the pod is pretty great, too!).
Don’t forget, for the rest of the week, I’m offering 20% off of annual subscriptions as a Christmas Special, so now’s a great time to become a full subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues
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Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter team up for another KROG pod, talking over the highs and lows of a crazy week on the free agency front.
You can follow Kerry’s work on twitter @KO_Crowley and watch The Kerry Crowley Show on his You Tube channel.
And you can read all of Roger’s work by subscribing to There R Giants. From now until Dec. 24, Roger is offering a Christmas savings of 20% off of annual subscriptions, for you or the other Giants’ fans in your life!
Intro/Outro: “Somebody to Love” by Queen
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Kerry Crowley returns for another KROG discussion where we go over the dearth of news made at the MLB Winter Meetings, return to exciting moments from off-seasons past, and wonder how big a move to hope for.
You can follow all of Kerry’s work on Twitter @KO_Crowley and watch his non-KROG podcasts on his You Tube channel. And, of course, you read all of my work by becoming a subscriber to There R Giants, or perhaps giving the gift of There R Giants to the Giants’ fan in your life!
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “So Tired of Waiting for You” by The Kinks
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Alex Hinz is a Player Agent who works for BPA Agency and represents quite a few players in the San Francisco Giants’ organization, including Ryan Walker, R.J. Dabovich, Ben Madison and more! Alex is good enough to take some time before the winter meetings to talk to me about what player development is like from the player’s perspective. We talk off-season plans and work, in-season logistics, and the mental strength and stamina that it takes to play in this game.
For those of you who prefer reading interviews to listening to them, don’t forget that Substack now provides AI-generated transcriptions of the program which you can find my clicking on the “Transcription” tab above.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet” by Blues Magoos
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Sneaking in one more podcast before the holiday, as my friend Kerry Crowley, editor for The Athletic and KNBR show host, joins me once again for what is now officially dubbed the KROG podcast.
Kerry and I talk winter needs for the Giants, look at Marco Luciano’s winter in the Dominican, and think about perfect free agent or trade fits for the team going forward.
You can follow Kerry’s work on twitter @KO_Crowley or listen to his non-KROG podcasts on his You Tube channel. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 or, to read all of my Giants’ prospect work, become a subscriber at There R Giants.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “The Price You Pay” by Bruce Springsteen
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My guest on this week’s podcast is Carlos Collazo, who heads up the draft coverage for Baseball America. Carlos drops by to take a look back at the Giants’ 2023 draft class which, spoiler alert, he’s a big fan of!
If you prefer reading to listening, Substack now offers an AI-generated transcript of the program which you can find by clicking on the “Transcript” tab above.
Carlos’ work is absolutely essential for anybody interested in the draft — as is everything that comes from the Baseball Bible of BA! Follow Carlos on twitter at @CarlosACollazo.
And you can follow me at @rog61 or, to get all of my Giants’ prospect writings, simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Song 2” by Blur
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My guest this week is The Athletic’s Senior Editor and Writer Melissa Lockard who does such a great job covering the Giants’ and A’s farm systems. Melissa is also a life-long A’s fan, and we talk a bit about what it’s been like to cover the A’s in 2023 before turning to discuss the Giants’ farm. As always, it’s a thrill to get to spend time talking ball with her and hearing her insights into the system.
If you prefer reading to listening, Substack now has an AI-generated transcription of the podcast available. Just hit the transcriptions tab above to read our full discussion.
You can follow Melissa on Twitter @melissalockard to see all of her work with The Athletic. And, of course, you can follow me as well @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered straight to your Inbox.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James
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It’s another conversation with Kerry Crowley on this week’s There R Giants’ podcast as Kerry and I discuss the Bob Melvin hiring and what it means for the Giants going forward. There’s also a little Rule 5 talk before we wrap things up this week. But mostly, it’s a lot of BoMel!
Follow Kerry on Twitter @KO_Crowley to see all of his great work on the Giants and other Bay Area sports topics. And, of course, you can read all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “I’m Waiting For the Day” by the Beach Boys
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My guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast is 2023 San Jose Giants Manager Jeremiah Knackstedt. We talk about a little about Jeremiah’s Indy Ball background and his history with Farm Director Kyle Haines, and then we plunge into talking San Jose Giants’ players — Carson Whisenhunt, Hayden Birdsong, Reggie Crawford, Diego Velasquez, Bryce Eldridge and much more!
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Dreamer in My Dreams” by Wilco
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This week’s guest is NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic. The Giants’ Insider explains why he thinks the Giants managerial search will end on an external candidate (and takes a guess at who that candidate might be). Then we talk about how much change could be coming to Giants’ roster management, who the team might be adding in free agency, and who the crucial pieces seem to be going forward.
Don’t forget, if you prefer to read rather than listen, Substack now has an AI-generated Transcription function. Just click on the tab above.
You can find all of Alex’s work by following him on Twitter — or check out his excellent Instagram feed — @PavlovicNBCS
And, of course, you can find all of my work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber:
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Waiting for the Man” (or Woman!) by The Velvet Underground
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It’s time once again for the cross-over/spinoff podcast that is sweeping the nation! Or, at least, sweeping Kerry Crowley’s Soundcloud and my Substack corners of the nation. I’m half thinking, in honor of Kerry’s work in radio, of referring to our conversations as “KROG,” but that idea probably needs a little vetting before it’s ready for its coming out party.
Anyway, this week, Kerry and I talk playoff baseball. We talk free-agency — and particularly the Giants’ interests in a couple of free agents from Asia — and we talk about how the team can restructure a roster badly in need of restructuring.
You can find all of Kerry’s non-Roger podcasts (which are also great!) by following him on Twitter (@KO_Crowley) or You Tube (https://www.youtube.com/@KO_Crowley). And me, well you know where to find all of my work!
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Nowhere Train” by Carlene Carter
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My guest this week is Richmond Manager Dennis Pelfrey, who is coming off three consecutive trips to the post-season for his teams (Eugene and Richmond). Pelf talks about how he sees his role as a minor league manager and how he works to help develop both the players and coaches under his charge. He’s one of the most thoughtful coaches I’ve been around, and I loved getting the opportunity to let him talk, not about players, but about the player development process in general.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “I Was Meant for the Stage (Live)” by The Decemberists
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This week’s There R Giants podcast is another conversation with the wonderful Kerry Crowley. We’re talking about the shocking dismissal of Gabe Kapler and the path forward. Kerry talks about what exactly clubhouse culture is and how it works. We try to sum up Kapler’s four years with the Giants. And we talk about the other changes that we think will be necessary to get the organization where they want to go.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “It’s Too Bad” by The Jam
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It’s a two pod week, as I finish uploading my player interviews from Richmond with two more highly entertaining and informative players, 1b Logan Wyatt and RHP Wil Jensen. Both have gone through injuries and pandemic in their long journeys to this point, and both were just finishing up the best seasons of their pro careers when I caught up with them. Hopefully past the health issues that have tripped them up in the past, Wyatt was able to show off his power potential this year while Jensen had one of the lowest ERAs in the competitive Eastern League.
In case you haven’t noticed it yet, Substack now has a transcription feature available for podcasts, so if you prefer your interviews in AI-generated written form, click on the “Transcription” tab above.
Logan Wyatt (2:56)Wil Jensen (14:30)
Intro/Outro: “Sad Sad About Us” by The Jam
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Once again, I’m teaming up with my friend Kerry Crowley to talk all things Giants. This week, we discuss whether it’s important whether or not the Giants finish .500, tell our origin stories as Giants’ fans, and delve into the all important topic of baseball entertainment. We also talk a little Brandon Crawford as the all time great Giant possibly prepares to say goodbye.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “That’s Entertainment” by The Jam
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This week’s episode features my conversation with the MVP of the Richmond team, Shane Matheny, talking about the team’s run to the playoffs. I also talk with reliever Sam Delaplane who discusses his baseball journey which has seen plenty of ups and downs as he battles his way back from injury and rehab. Two great conversations with two great guys!
Substack now has AI-generated transcriptions of all episodes, so if you’d prefer to read the conversations rather than listen, just click on the “Transcription” tab above.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “First Date” by Blink-182
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Today’s pod is something a little new and different. Former Giants’ beat writer and current KNBR personality, Kerry Crowley and I are going to team up for a series of conversations about Giants’ baseball, both major and minor league versions. We’re planning to do these regularly going forward. I’ll still be mixing in my minor league conversations in the podcast as well, and possibly at some point I’ll spin these conversations with Kerry into a whole new brand (you’ll also be able to find them on Kerry’s feed in full You Tube “glory.”).
Let me know what you think in the comments and reviews. Personally, I’m excited! Thanks so much to Kerry for taking the time to talk Giants’ ball with me.
You can find Kerry on Twitter @KO_Crowley or see all of the episodes of the Kerry Crowley show on his You Tube channel, youtube.com/@KOCrowley. And of course, you can follow me @rog61 or become a subscriber to There R Giants to read all of my work on the Giants’ minor league system.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “You Can Have It All” by Yo La Tengo
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This week’s episode of There R Giants’ podcast features a couple of my player interviews at The Diamond in Richmond (and thanks again to Trey Wilson and Blaine McCormick, the terrific communications staff that helps me arrange these conversations). First I spoke with Giants’ reliever Tyler Myrick, a 14th round pick in the 2021 draft out of Florida International who is turning into one of the really good stories from that draft.
After that, with the assistance of Richmond Fundamentals Coach Lipso Nava, I talked with breakout hitting star Victor Bericoto about his baseball journey from Venezuela to Double A.
Also, something new this week. Substack has added an AI transcription feature. This is something some of my readers have requested in the past and I’m thrilled to finally be offering it. Just hit the Tab that says “Transcription” at the top of this post and you’ll see all of the English from today’s show transcribed (there are also Spanish portions in this week’s show). I hope this helps those of you who prefer the written experience to listening!
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This week I’m joined by Danny Emerman, the terrific Giants’ beat reporter for KNBR. We talk about Kyle Harrison’s debut — among many debuts — and the complications of trying to compete and develop at the big league level at the same time.
You can follow Danny on Twitter @DannyEmerman or read all of his work at KNBR.com. And, of course, you can read all of my Giants’ prospect related work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Radio Radio” by Elvis Costello
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This week we have a few recent interviews from The Diamond in Richmond. For the second time this year, I talk with Hayden Birdsong, who reflects on the amazing success he’s had in his first full season. Then I speak with reliever Ben Madison who’s had a slower path to Richmond, with injury and the pandemic halting his progress early in his career. Finally, I talk with Richmond Manager Dennis Pelfrey about a variety of players who have come through this talented roster over the course of the year.
Pardon the noise — BP time in a stadium is a noisy environment! But the quality of the conversations more than make up for it, I hope!
Hayden Birdsong (2:50)Ben Madison (16:00)Dennis Pelfrey (30:30)
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Intro/Outro: “Come on, Feel the Illinoise” by Sufjan Stevens
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It’s my very favorite annual tradition on the There R Giants’ podcast when MLB’s Jim Callis stops by to deliver his vast knowledge on the Giants’ newest draft class. Jim and I talk about the latest haul from the sluggers at the top to the sleepers down below and parse out some of the Giants’ strategies for finding talent.
You can follow all of Jim on twitter @jimcallisMLB or just read his work, including his upcoming re-ranking of the Giants Top 30, at MLBPipeline.com.
And, of course, you can get all of my work by subscribing to There R Giants for daily updates on all the happenings around the Giants’ farm system.
Intro/Outro: “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” by Etta James
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My guest on this week’s pod is Marc Delucchi who covers the SF Giants and their farm system for Giants Baseball Insider, a Fan Nation site. Marc and I talk about the Giants’ recent draft haul and then dive into the stories of the first half of the season on the farm. We get into how wrong we were about Patrick Bailey, the joy of watching Luis Matos, and many of the pleasant surprises of the first half of the season.
Draft Talk (2:30)First Half Storylines (8:30)Major Surprise Players of First Half (16:30)Players We’re Concerned About (28:30)Ranking the Top 3-4 Players in the Giants System (36:30)Top Trade Chips (49:40)Top Things We’d Like to See in 2nd Half (1:00:45)
Intro/Outro: “Surprise, Surprise” by the Rolling Stones
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It’s time to start thinking about the upcoming draft (July 9 for rounds 1 and 2) and I can’t think about anyone better to help me get ready than my old friend Brian Recca, who does such a great job helping out with the draft coverage for Prospects Live.
Brian and I talk about the Giants’ recent draft classes, Brian’s shadow Giants draft, and, of course, who they might take with the 16th pick of this year’s draft.
Check out Brian’s latest “College Fringe Five” and definitely give the PL Mock Draft Simulator a twirl.
And, of course, subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my Giants’ prospect writings.
Intro/Outro: “The Only One” by the Black Keys
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On this week’s podcast, Giants’ infield prospect Jimmy Glowenke talks about how cool it is to hit a championship winning home run and also the importance of failure as a tool of development. And left-handed pitcher Juan Sanchez talks about growing up on the game in Venezuela, and what it was like being stuck in a motel for months on end in 2020.
Jimmy Glowenke: (1:50)Juan Sanchez (17:20)
Intro/Outro: “My Shot” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
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This is going to be a fun one! My guests this week are Giants’ LHP prospect Carson Whisenhunt and Richmond Hitting Coach Cory Elasik.
I caught up with Whisenhunt the morning after his Double A debut with Richmond to talk about rapid promotions and the history and evolution of his plus plus changeup. Cory Elasik was the hitting coach for Eugene in 2022, before moving to Richmond for 2023, which gives him a great perspective to talk about the developments that have led players like Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, and Casey Schmitt from A ball to the majors in such head-spinning fashion. Elasik also gives me a little lesson in how exactly to watch a batting practice session.
There R Giants is completely supported by readers and listeners like you. If you want to get daily reports on the Giants’ farm system delivered to your Inbox every day, just subscribe to the website.
Carson Whisenhunt (1:45)Cory Elasik (15:35)
Intro/Outro: “Move On Up” by The Jam
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It’s been a flurry of podcasts lately, I know! But when you have interviews this good in the can, you just can’t wait to space them out! So enjoy my conversations today with OF prospect Vaun Brown and RHP Carson Seymour. Why did Vaun return to “The Ninja?” What is Carson Seymour’s connection to Ted Lasso? All will be revealed!
Vaun Brown (1:50)Carson Seymour (15:40)
Intro/Outro: “We Looked Like Giants” by Death Cab for Cutie
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My guest in the latest There R Giants podcast is the voice of the San Jose Giants — as well as one of the voices of the San Francisco Giants — Joe Ritzo.
Joe and I talk about what’s been an extraordinarily fun team in San Jose this year, including his thoughts on Carson Whisenhunt, Reggie Crawford, Carter Howell, Gerelmi Maldonado and many many more!
You can follow Joe and his observations of the San Jose club on twitter at JoeRitzo, and of course you can follow me on twitter at rog61, or on Substack Notes and you can read all of my Giants’ prospects-related writings by subscribing to There R Giants, where you get daily updates throughout the week of all the action around the Giants’ farm.
Intro/Outro: “I Was Meant for the Stage” by The Decemberists
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My guest this week is Richmond Flying Squirrels’ staff Nutritionist, Rachel Rodriguez. I’m SO excited to have finally gotten to sit down and talk with Rachel — this is one I’ve wanted to do for awhile now. Rachel talks about her professional journey, the unique challenges of trying to keep professional athletes fueled up, the role that food can play in bringing a clubhouse together, and the growing gender equity that is starting to take place in hiring in the baseball industry. It’s a great conversation that I’m sure you’re going to enjoy!
If you want to read more of my work on Giants’ prospects, you can always subscribe to There R Giants to get daily reports from around the Giants’ farm system!
Intro/Outro: “Beans and Cornbread” by Jouis Jordan and the Tympany Five
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On this week’s edition of the podcast, it’s more interviews from The Diamond in Richmond (which means a little more noise in the dugout, BP music on the loud speakers, Will Clark hooting and hollering, etc), but the end result is well worth it. First up, Richmond Pitching Coach Paul Oseguera talks about the performance of his staff, as well as the development elements that the Giants are looking for from their pitching prospects. We also talk a little about how technology has changed the way coaches can help their players.
Next up, Richmond 3b and outfielder Carter Aldrete talks about trying to improve his game everyday, the search for consistency, and why he no longer likes to think of himself as having a defensive position. Aldrete is off to an excellent start and could be the next guy moving up in what has been a real tidal wave of player movement this year.
If you like There R Giants podcast, you might also enjoy becoming a subscriber to the website, for daily content from around the Giants’ farm system all through the minor league season.
Intro/Outro: “Every Day I Write the Book” by Elvis Costello
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My guest this week is Josh Norris of Baseball America. Josh has covered the Giants’ system for BA for several years, doing the rankings and writeups for the system in the Prospect Handbook. He also made a recent visit to see Eugene take on Spokane, so we spend plenty of time talking about progress made (or not) this spring in Eugene, some of the complications involved with sharing a facility with a college, and early season risers and fallers on the Giants’ farm. The use of the word “vanilla” is mentioned a disconcerting amount of times in today’s pod, but it’s still going to be a fun listen for you!
There R Giants podcast is entirely supported by subscribers to the site, so if you’d like to support my work — good news, you can!
Intro/Outro: “Hey Eugene” by Pink Martini
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Richmond reliever Evan Gates is my guest this week — and like most of the players in this system, he’s a terrific interview: thoughtful, funny, and engaging. Evan talks about learning the game in a cold weather area, his long journey to becoming a professional and some of the reasons behind the tremendous success he’s enjoyed in his career. We also talk about his memorable appearance with Team WBC this spring in their warm up to taking part in the World Baseball Classic. This is fun one!
Intro/Outro: “Shake Some Action” by the Flaming Groovies
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My guest this week is fellow Substack writer (and my former colleague back in the McCovey Chronicles days), Doug Bruzzone, who writes the wonderful “It Would Be Nice If the Giants Weren’t Bad” substack newsletter (which, as I note in the show, is a factually correct statement!).
Doug and I talk mostly Sacramento River Cats action this week, focusing on the improved group of home-grown prospects that are finally making it up to the top level of the farm system. We talk Heliot Ramos’ improvements, the pitching usage strategies we’ve seen in Sacramento, Will Wilson’s spring, and much more!
Intro/Outro: “I’m Not Angry” by Elvis Costello
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I’m joined this week by a couple members of the Richmond Flying Squirrels: RHP Mason Black, the Giants 3rd round pick in 2021 out of Lehigh University, and infielder Hayden Cantrelle, whom the Giants acquired from Miami last year.
Mason and I talk modern training methods, arm care regime, the mental side of the game, searching for the perfect breaking pitch and much more. Hayden tells me what it felt like going through three different organizations in little more than a month’s time and how he maintained his course through that experience. He also gives some insight into a question that many fans had in the days of 40 round drafts — why do teams draft some high school players they don’t intend to sign? There are reasons!
If you like the podcasts, you might enjoy being a full-time subscriber to There R Giants as well!
Mason Black (2:00)Hayden Cantrelle (16:00)
Intro/Outro: “Alright” by Supergrass
As an experiment, I’ve had some readers write in to say that they don’t enjoy listening to podcasts, but would like to have access to the content, so this week I’m trying out a transcribing app to see if that helps bridge the gap. These voice interpreting software apps are far from perfect, but maybe it helps? Let me know what you think!
MASON BLACK TRANSCRIPT:
RM: All right, Mason, how you doing? How's the how's how you feel about the start of the season?
MB: Everything's been great. A lot of fun being back on the East Coast obviously had some family you got to come see last week so really enjoyed it here. Especially Richmond weather's beautiful, so can't say enough good things.
RM: This is actually one of the best Aprils I've seen on here. So far. This is pretty sweet weather. Sweet. Yeah. Awesome. So I think a lot of people know that, in an alternate universe you might have gone to med school. I wonder if I could rely on some of your your Med School knowledge to ask you some things that we're seeing in pitcher training regimens that I think people hear about a lot, but they maybe don't understand.
MB: Okay, I'll try my best but I did not go to med school. That's just a disclaimer.
RM: Right. Not a real doctor, right? Yeah. Well, let's start with pylo balls. Okay, they're everywhere in the game. They seem to have really revolutionized training. What exactly are they and what did they do for you?
MB? There's overspeed and under speed one so either heavier than the traditional weight of a baseball or lighter and what they've helped for me at least I know the guys might use it for different mechanisms, but I like to use them as kind of like training how my body should feel so like put a heavier weight in your arm and just move how your body should feel. It gives you almost like a hypersensitivity to like how you're supposed to be moving that way you get a feel for and you can apply it in your actual catch by what's the lighter one did the lighter one is more of like an arm speed thing that allows you it's a little bit like gives you a little bit more fluid motion. So you can kind of train the the heavy stuff first and then move into the lighter ball and just feel like that looseness in your arm. Like just really relax it.
RM: Do some of them help you with with spin. Are there other pylo balls that help you get shape on pitches better?
MB: Not necessarily. Or at least that's not what I use it for. I'm sure if you talk to probably 10 other guys they would have different answers. But I like it. There is just like the aspect of like supinating when I throw the ball or when I throw a plyo ball I tried to supinate and just like try to mimic my natural arm slot so I guess you can say it does have some aspects of turning that that spin but it might not be directly spin grade correlated more of like a spin. Like altering like getting that good supination around the ball.
RM: There's a thing I see so I'll come in the the word visitors guys are warming up. There's a thing I see all the time. And it's like, pitchers get down on their knee with their back to a wall and then they take what he's saying and throw it backwards against the wall as hard as they can. And you look at it like looks like my shoulder would come out of it’s socket. what what are you doing? What are they trying to do when they do that?
MB: That is called a reverse throw. It's almost like step A when you learn how to use bio balls. That's like the first thing you always do. And I think I speak for almost 90% of our pitches where we just all do that one. It's just something that we're taught. And I mean for me at least I like the counter rotation aspect of it like you feel like you're reverse like pulling a seatbelt. Like you're almost unclipping a seatbelt so it takes you from like that lower left side to that upper right side for right hander, and it's kind of like I use it as like a priming the system kind of thing. Like just get the scab engage. Get like the mid back to, you know, that lower left side really firing.
RM: So you're I think we're two days out from your next start. So where in the whole kind of arm care regimen between starts, would you be doing something like that?
MB: I do those every day, actually. Every day and that's something that our our front office and pitching coordinators all the way from the top down really emphasize is just having that consistent routine that like gets you going for every single day. So I do the reverse throws as well as a couple other quiet ball drills every day just to feel good, whether it's 11am 9am like yesterday or or nice five feet here
RM: just kind of wakes wakes up the system
MB: Oh yeah.
RM: There was the other night Sean Manaea was pitching in the Giants game and I forget who it was. It was Javy Lopez with somebody was saying that he said this year is the first time he'd ever had an arm care routine, which is kind of hard to imagine. Is that something new that you guys get when you come to pro ball? Is it just like does this anything you guys know about when you're college or is this is this pro and how do you like figure it out?
MB: It really is trial and error. I do have to say I mean coming into pro ball I really didn't have like an arm care like are a day after I got to do this day two days after I got to do this. It was just kind of like in college. I mean, you always feel you're like a rubber band and you're at 19 years old feels great. You're like I could do a couple arm circles that I'm good to throw whereas like now it's like now you're throwing every day. It's like you do have to kind of structure your weeks around when you're going to pitch and I actually enjoy it just because like we've had incredible like strength staff and everything that'll work with you a ton and just finding what works for you. I've really enjoyed doing that so far.
RM: So there's what you're doing now like basically the same or very different from what you're doing a year ago and you're in San Jose.
MB: It's a lot of parts of it are the same. I do that another lift in like the day before but for the most part it's been like pretty consistent just like hopped on the Giants, rotator cuff and SCAP strengthening programs and then kind of pick and choose what I like add that in there but the structure is almost the same. So it's been enjoyable. People smarter than me foot made that so I'll take their word for it. It's been helping. I was able to throw a lot of things last year so it ain't broke don't fix it.
RM: Is a lot of it just listening to your body like I'm four days out from the starter How do I feel kind of thing? Is that just basically feeling your body?
MB: Yeah, a lot of it is just like feeling it out with like, Oh, I'm like I'm kind of hanging today might be a good day to take it easier on the throwing side of things and really focus on the weight room side.
RM: When you were at Lehigh I think the story was that that you kind of changed your mechanics going into your final year and then changed more or back or something once you got into pro ball. How did that sort of progression go? Like what were you changing and what were you trying to accomplish when you're going through those various changes?
MB: Well, if you went ahead and did some advanced scouting on me, my freshman and sophomore years at Lehigh, I had this real long arm action like at footstrike My arm was never in the same spot twice. And while it was like I was good, I was able to throw strikes for the most part and really just like command my off speed. It wasn't I didn't think what was gonna get me into pro ball or make me make that like next step in my development like it was almost like a cap. So I went ahead and took a risk and change my arm action a little bit alongside of one of our coaches. At Lehigh. And while it did backfire in the short term, I think like long term I was able to get to where I am now and had not done that it probably would have. I probably wouldn't be here. I could tell you that much. But yeah, just as like, it was almost like an overemphasis of like a shorter arm action and trying to get that arm consistent at footstrike and then once like as the year progressed, it kind of went back to more of like a neutral position between my old arm path and that recent like for short one so kind of like averaged out and got me into a good spot.
RM: So where are you now? Are you kind of at the shortest end of where you've been, are you in between?
MB: I'm in between. So I mean, I still had some control issues when I shorten things up a lot. So I think going back to like that neutral in between my really long one and that shorter one is out
RM: Basically the last year last year and so far this year your control had been pretty impeccable. I don't think you've walked a guy yet this year. Certainly in San Jose, you know, the walks have been very, very limited as a pro. Have you gotten into a place where you feel like I'm a reliable strike thrower. I feel confident that I'm going to be able to get ahead of counts at this point.
MB: I think so. Yeah. And a lot of that is not only like physical but it is on the mental side of things like just from the top down like pitching coordinators and pitching coaches like oh, he preaches it as well as like, we do have to own the zone and if your stuff is is good enough, then you should be able to throw the ball in the zone and kind of limit damage so that's the mentality I've kind of taken into pro ball is just like, at the end of the day, I'm not going to get beat by myself by walking guys. I want to force contact and force the other team to beat me. And just like from the mental skill side of things, I've had a lot of help to with that. So I've really appreciated it
RM: I was gonna ask you a breaking ball, but now that you bring up mental skills, that's that's kind of like a fascinating part of player development to me. How do you use kind of the mental skills resources that the the organization has to help kind of refine your craft or help develop yourself whether it's as a player or as a person?
MB: Definitely, it's something I definitely didn't take enough advantage of in college because we had a school psychologist, a baseball psychologist, and I just like I almost saw it as as something you needed if you were struggling and instead of someone who's there for you, whether you're doing well or not well, so it's it was something that getting into pro ball and we had Kellen Lee with us last year and he spent a lot of time in San Jose that so just picking his brain up and talking about visualization and just like the mental steps that you can take going into an outing yourself tremendously. Yeah.
RM: It's a big thing, obviously for this organization that it's not a weakness, right. It's helping make your strength. Okay, I do want to talk about your breaking up. I was watching a game years in spring and I was just talking to a scout who had seen you really early last year in San Jose says oh, the shape of his sliders are different this year. And I'm like, Oh, do you mean it's less weepy? And he said, No, it's more sweeping. I'm like, well, that's weird. When I saw him in Eugene, the end of the year. I thought it was pretty sweeping. It's like, Oh, I saw him the early in the year in San Jose and it was it was more vertical. How have you been experimenting? What experimentation you've been dealing with the shape of your breaking ball the last two seasons?
MB: like everything is trial and error. I do have to say coming into pro ball really didn't have that any shape in mind as to what I was looking for. So finally getting on track man. This was early on, like last spring training. Just like them telling me oh, we want you to throw a sweeper and I was like, okay, cool. So it just I would try it and it just naturally swept across the zone. So I was like, Alright, I think I could do this stick on board. And then we'd like it would come and go lose it here and there and I think this year I've taken the approach of like recognizing why it's going south, and why it's turning into more of a traditional slider. And then there's also like the crossfire aspect that they you've mentioned in one of the tweets in the past that's helped to get more east west on things and just try to create separation between that and the sink or
RM: is it something where you you'd actually like to be able to manipulate a couple shapes on it, you know, based on right hand or left hand or or guy swings or something like that. Is that a place you want to get to? Or do you want to have one really consistent shape?
MB: I think manipulation is the ultimate goal just being able to to throw it you know if a left hander is up you want to get more depth on it or right hander you want to get off the barrow some more sweep, but I mean right now I think it's folks it's just get it in the zone at a consistent rate and then we'll worry about that stuff later. I've been lucky to to get away with like throwing like four seems didn't sinkers and everything else change up in the zone a little bit more. So definitely have to get that change or slider working more this year.
RM: you mentioned the change up. You've been drilling something that has like a pretty good downward movement or is that the changeup Are you throwing a splitter this year? What's going on with your your your other pitch for pitch,
MB: I like to call it a “splange” for lack of a better term, it's got a splitter spin but splitter spin rate I guess you could say but you kind of oriented more so of a way that it it has like a changeup action where it grabs the seams in such a way that it has that more downer shade.
RM: What was it? What was the word used for that
MB: A “splangeup.”
RM: Yeah. I like that term. I will now we seem like you're in a pretty good place this year. Yeah, I mean, just like mentally physically performance on the field and things are going pretty well for you this year.
MB: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. We have a great group of guys here and obviously having fat Bailey catch me a lot but also Martorano and Andy Thomas and [Auerbach] to like having that group behind the dish. Let's see worry a lot less about catching and just more about pitching and because you know they're gonna pick you up as well as our whole defense. Like, guys have been killing it this year. So I can't say enough good things about this team in this group.
RM: When I talked to Bailey last week, he said basically, he doesn't want you guys to think on the mound. Like just do it. Just get out there and do it. Is that that kind of what you want to do too.
MB: Yeah. Well, I know he knows me. He knows I like to think so, sometimes he’ll yell at me like give me a little kick every once in a while but it's all in good nature. Good fun.
RM: Well, things have been going pretty pretty good so far this year. Great last year, obviously. wish you continued success and I can't wait to watch.
MB: Appreciate it! Thanks.
HAYDEN CANTRELLE TRANSCRIPT:
RM: All right. Good to meet you. How are you feeling? How are things going this year for you,
HC: you as well. Happy to be here with a new group of guys. You know, things have been going great so far. You know, it's a good chemistry group of guys, you know, you know, motivating everybody to get better in their craft and so you know, coming out and playing on a nightly basis and entertaining here in Richmond. It's been fun so far.
RM: So you talk about a new group of guys, obviously, you know, a lot of people at this level are going to be this is the only organization they've ever known. That's not the case for you. You went through, like to in a month, basically last year, what was that like for you?
HC: It was, it was very chaotic. I, I think I had a lot of a lot of questions about you know, where I was gonna go or, you know why or you could ask all that but, you know, for myself, you know, I just grew to my routines day to day, you know, that's what got me through that transition. And then you know, getting placed with the Giants eventually has been a good fit. And, you know, it's been great to work with my craft with a bunch of really good developers in this organization. You know, as I as I've had the other organizations but you know, it's more people, you know, invested in my career and grateful for that. You.
RM: One thing you'll often hear from from guys is when you get into pro ball, there's obviously a lot of really smart people bringing you information. Sometimes it can be overwhelming confusing. I assume when you go through a lot of several different organizations, they all have their own kind of way of doing things. It can be even more confusing. How'd you like stay true to kind of your path through that stuff?
HC: Yeah, I think one thing's for sure is you know, I had my own you know, adjustments I was looking to make and that in that sense and so for for every ballplayer I guess you know, I can speak for myself, you know the day to day grind is about bettering yourself and bettering your craft. So in more ways than one, you know, you have indicators of success and measures of things you need to work on. And that's that's what you really try to focus on, you know, going from team to team and then you know, when you step in between the lines with whoever it is, you know, it's that the theme is about winning. So that makes it simple. So, you know, day to day you work on your craft, you know, so at nighttime, you know, you can go play for your boys.
RM: Obviously, one reason why that's probably a good fit for you is you do a lot of things at this organization values. You have a really good eye at the play, you're disciplined you tend to walk you know more than you strike out. What's your kind of approach? At the plate? Who do you think of yourself when you're getting in the box?
HC: Well, I guess without telling you everything, you know, secrets quite quite simply, you know, you know if I'm in a funk or whatnot, you know, a little simple thing I'll tell my friends and myself is you know, just swing it swing at strikes and take balls. So, you know, in essence, you know, that's all that approach entails, you know, granted what day to day scouting reports and feels and you know, all of the other stuff that plays into the point four seconds of decision making is all is always that so you know, but to keep it simple, you know, just swing at the strikes and take the ball
RM: It’s the old like Ted Williams approach, but it sounds easy, but it's it's not that easy.
HC: Yeah, no, it's definitely been a lot of development. You know, there's a lot of work that goes you know, goes into scenes, you know, to make sure that you're in a position to do that, you know, at game time but you know, in the best way possible. If I can do that I'll have a good day at the park.
RM: You're also the switch hitter, which is your like natural side. When did you pick up switch hitting and where do you feel which side do you feel best that
HC: I've, I've been switching since I was six. I probably did it in T ball. I did it religiously. You know like left when there's a righty pitch and hit lefty by age 10 I was doing it full fledge. I grew up a righty originally though. So I would say you know when I'm really locked in, you know on lefties, right he's really fun, I would say but, you know, general day to day you know, it's could be flip of a coin for success on each one. So try not to put either one in a corner, you know, and limit the success there. But, you know, I do feel my switching and gives me a great opportunity to win each play to parents.
RM: It's funny because Bailey was saying he picked it up like pretty early 210 or so did you actually have opportunities to to hit right hand now? Did you see left handers when you're a kid much
HC: very, very interesting. You know, because once I started switching by age 10 You know the amount of times I hit right handed was very limited and it was it would beat me up mentally as a kid you know, grew up being really good right handed and I'd never get ready at bats. And then I remember at one point in high school, my coach suggested Hey, why don't we just hit left handed and I was like no, there no, there's a reason I just I feel like I haven't seen a lefty you know ever or at least a competitive lefty because you know, the left that you would see would be thrown 75 miles an hour or something like that. So right after college, you know, I'd say you know, in my first year of independent ball, I really started getting consistent as righty and that's when I really started seeing the you know, the switch hitting really start to flourish the way I'd wanted to, you know, my college career I was relatively successful righty compared to lefty but you know, in general the whole switching things just about how many times you see the guy you know, face more lefties you're gonna feel good and they're variety. You know, I'd say the hardest days are when they probably flip flop you for at bats, you probably go right left, right left but who knows sometimes that's what gets you you know on time and you know, maybe those are the fours that you hit on the button. So there's a switch here you try not to put any trends into that, you know, and the benefit to that is when you get to go in the batter's box it's it's always a brand new one slates always clean. You're always you know, just trying to compete.
RM: So you’re talking about growing up. I want to ask you about that. You know, you have all these like they're famous baseball hotbeds in the country, like we always have the Florida guy as well as other California guys. You grew up in Louisiana. What was the like, amateur youth baseball scene like where you grew up?
HC: Yeah, I mean, for me, I played a play a little bit of travel baseball, and so about 12 competitively, and in the state of Louisiana, the 12 year old circuit we all play like do triple is a major and there's probably a good six teams in Louisiana and we would all find each other on the weekends on the you know, on the tournaments and we would all go play the best baseball and there was among those kids, there's probably 50 division one college baseball players from that 12 year old circuit. So I dropped out doing that in high school. You know, I kind of was out of summer baseball and showcase baseball because I played football. So I was always training for the fall and you know, doing seven on sevens, you know, thrown all of those and then on the weekends, you know, never really got to play much travel baseball, but as far as the talent you know, in high school, you know, very, very competitive and Lafayette Louisiana and then there's tons of Louisiana talent you know spread throughout of all of those Division One universities and a lot of kids leave you know, because they have the opportunity to so very, you know, very warm weather climate. So, you know, for the kids who want to throw down year round, you know, they had the opportunity I wasn't one of those kids and I think that really saved my fire for it. You know, I got to go baseball hat this year. And that football you know, just go you know, let it rip. So, you know, and every year baseball comes around it was time to go again. So would you play football, I played I played quarterback my senior year, junior year I played receiver and return the punts and kickoffs. So I was probably probably the best receiver we got my got my my my opportunities for college football as a receiver. So yeah, running kicks back sometimes pawns, whatever. So sometimes that's scarier than getting in the bystanders 95 when that ball goes up, and you just you don't look down again, so
RM: Yeah. I still remember that myself to play. Well, you two sport guy in college?
HC: No, I didn't know I didn't think physically I was in a position to play division one football so maybe in another life perhaps? Yeah.
RM: I was looking at your baseball card. Before I talked and you actually played in some interesting kind of places. In your college career. One was like when you were maybe a rising freshman. You're up here. in Gaithersburg, Maryland, actually lived in gaithersburg for a while and never knew they had a competitive summer league. How did that happen? How do you find your way up here?
HC: That was so after my senior year, right after the draft, I got courtesy picked by the Yankees in the 48th round. And that opened up an opportunity for me to play in a college collegiate summer league. So you know, I was able to reach out as a prospect type player. And you know, I was able to go out there and gaithersburg Maryland was one of the few places that were allowing high school players as freshmen. So I got to play out there actually, Daniel Cabrera was my teammate in that league that summer on the other team. And, you know, it was a good opportunity, my first taste of college arms prior to going into my first fall as a freshman and so then that definitely prepared me but you know, definitely, definitely some empty environments you could say but you know, it's all about digging. It's all about digging deep and seeing what you got. Anyway, so it was about ball and getting innings in regardless of we enjoyed gaithersburg we had a good time. So
RM: That’s actually I think something fans never really understand is why the courtesy picks exist, but it's kind of like that way it opens doors and opportunities
HC: yeah, you know as much as you know, and I had no idea I actually tell the story of when I got drafted in high school. It's not as people don't really ask about that when they want to ask about the one that happened recently but when I was with that when that happened that summer, you know my family was going out for some trip or some run some errands and I was at home by myself for a good five hours last day of the draft you know, it all had fizzled any opportunity I was gonna go it was an automatic no at this point. So everybody was gone and I went and took a nap and I woke up to open my phone and it was frozen. But yeah, just a little something like that. You know where maybe the Yankees at the time were respected me as a player, whatever and but just little things like that, you know, opened a big opportunity. And, you know, turns out that's why I ended up getting invited to the Cape because I played that summer, the summer before so I'd got to play in the Cape Cod and that had changed my life as well. So big, big series of events, you know, that happened that way but you know, definitely help helps. And I'm grateful for that.
RM: Yeah, unfortunately, those those those rounds where the teams used to do that don't exist anymore, right. really psyched for kids. Exactly. Yeah, you played 22 years in the cape, which is unusual. The other thing you did that I thought was really interesting, what's 2020 When obviously everybody was scrambling to try and figure out how to how to help develop themselves. Yeah, you were in a little tournament. Joliet, Illinois, Chicago area or limited 14th thing to get an action. How did you how'd you find that?
HC: Yeah, very interesting. You know, 2020 hit very, very odd time and I'm like, you know, I love I'm a park rat. I love to go to the field and play I love to throw the ball take fungos wherever so 2020 hit and all of the local college players in Louisiana we're all looking to get some reps. So I have my YouTube channel that you know we like dude making content with and stuff and so we had actually rented out a couple of venues back home and prior to that to get some reps and we had actually hosted some nine inning games, you know, with just a bunch of we call them sandlot games where we had we had fans come in we had some pa music all that stuff so but you know that went on and then you know I got opportunities i Hey, they're you know, they're putting together League and Juliet and so the super thrilled to just go play or whatever. So we're getting reps from doing wherever we could in that time to get reps and then now is getting opportunity to go facing arm so that was really that was really good for me. I got to go live with some guys up in in Joliet, Illinois and make that drive over there and you know definitely draw from that experience. A lot of a lot of a lot of things I needed to work on at the time, but you know, just to like, get my feet settled professionally, if you will. But it was a good environment to do that.
RM: That was also the summer you got drafted. Was that before the draft or after the draft? Correct,
HC: right. It was after. Yeah. So a couple months after
RM: I don't know if you know this, but Pelfrey was like involved in putting something like that together in Kentucky that like Fitzgerald played in and Logan Wyatt there was like, four team Kentucky league.
HC: I didn't know that. Yeah. I thought we were the only one. But we were just happy to be out there. It was weird, but that people telling us you know, it'll like we're all sitting in the dugout and they're like telling us to move away from each other. It was weird, but whatever we were doing where everybody couldn't play ball. Everybody was being weird about everything but you know, we got we got we needed and then that was that was a weird time.
RM: So it feels like your career has been really weird because like Milwaukee pushed you really hard so you like moved up levels quick. Then you like go through Miami back San Francisco. San Francisco takes you back down to like, complex was that just to like, get your feet under you kind of integrate you in the system. Get to know people what was that whole process like for you? Yeah,
HC: that was kind of it was kind of weird. I made a YouTube video about that too very without with my actual on scene like reaction to it. But I remember just being real like, like it had already happened to me. And it was like weird what before the guy my coach was gonna tell me like I already had the sensation they knew it was happening again or whatever but you know getting like getting getting traded to the Giants and then not coming straight here I guess was maybe like a shock to me. But at the same time, you know, like, I was reminded myself that I still had like adjustments I had to make anyways wherever and so to be honest, at that point, I was very like, very like whatever I was very motivated to to fix my craft and make my adjustments so bummed out to probably go to Arizona at first and but that's not my job to understand that so I wasn't trying to like push back on it or I didn't even I didn't feel like I made a fuss about it either. I was just I was happy to go play on a team and I got to play with a bunch of younger kids who kind of rejuvenated my love for the game regardless so I was able to you know, I whenever I got promoted to San Jose on that bus ride, you know, there's there's kids were so happy for me and they had never met me before but they were so happy to see me get promoted from rookie ball to Loei. So it was like, if nothing else, it was a great perspective. Enhancement alongside with the adjustments I may made for that. You know, a good a good full circle a year later to be back in the same spot. You know, it's a good opportunity. So that's, you know, if nothing else, I've tried to see it for that and, you know, try to work in that that lens. That's pretty cool.
RM: I now know that I have to go and watch your YouTube channel. So it's okay, so I'll end here. So now let's do your second year your backup to double a kind of full circle. Do you feel like comfortable? Do you feel like you're in a place that fit that? You know? How do you feel at this point going forward now?
HC: Yeah, I think last year I came in just with the thought thinking it was the same mindset of you know, I'm comfortable with I've prepared very well. You know, and just like last year I've there's a lot of offseason adjustments I've made based on last season that I feel like in the exact same way I'm equally as prepared with as much information as I had, you know, going into this year so I feel like I feel like lately just been going to come to the field and playing with my hair on fire. And that's what I love to do. So kind of been offered results, you know, because my career has kind of taught me that and I like playing that way. So that's the approach and you know, I feel adequately prepared as it did last year, but I definitely feel better because I've definitely made some improvements. So excited to see what's gonna happen ready to let it rip.
RM: You've got good hair to set on fire when you're playing it. Good luck. Yeah. Well, you know, I'm really glad to kind of get to know you and I can't wait to sort of watch your development through the season and good luck to hopefully you have great successes.
HC:Appreciate it. Thanks very much. Yes, sir. Thank you
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On this week’s episode of There R Giants podcast, I have two short interviews I did with Giants’ prospects Patrick Bailey and Ismael Munguia. I spoke to both at media day just before the new season began (with a little BP noise going on in the background). Bailey begins what is sure to be an important season for him as he climbs to the upper minors for the first time, and hopes to show a better all around offensive game to go with his Gold Glove-winning defense. Munguia, with the help of coach Lipso Nava’s translating, talks about staying strong through a season lost to injury and where his high energy game comes from.
If you’re not a There R Giants’ subscriber, now is a great time to join as the new season gets underway. You can try a free 7-day trial to get going and after that, pay just $6.99 per month.
Patrick Bailey Interview (1:46)Ismael Munguia Interviw (12:42)
Intro/Outro: “Hoola” by Archie Bronson Outfit
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I’m joined this week by my friend Wrenzie Regodon, Giants prospect writer for Giant Baseball Insider, a FanNation site. Wrenzie and I go through the opening day rosters for all four affiliate, talking surprises, guys we’re excited to see, under the radar dudes we have our eyes on and much more for each level. It’s a super stuffed edition of the pod to get you ready for the season.
Surprises (who was pushed higher than expected, who was kept back) (2:30)Who were you most bummed to see start in XST? (10:15)Sacramento Roster (16:15)Richmond Roster (25:45)Eugene Roster (37:45)San Jose Roster (46::30)
Intro/Outro: “Disconnect the Dots” by Of Montreal
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This week’s guest is Chris Langin, the Director of Pitching for Driveline Baseball, a driving force in many of the revolutionary changes that have taken place in baseball player development over the last decade. Chris joins me to talk about the kinds of improvements that pitchers can make with Driveline’s biomechanics technology and data-driven approach that would have seemed miraculous to generations of pitchers over the last two centuries.
It’s a fascinating conversation that gives a glimpse into how pitching development is changing for the better in today’s baseball.
Intro/Outro: “Pressure Point” by The Zutons
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I’m joined this week by the great Jim Callis, lead prospect writer for MLB, to talk about MLB’s brand new prospect rankings list for the Giants’ system. Jim has been handling the Giants’ system for years, and his knowledge of their player development system is as extensive as anybody in the industry! Plus, he’s a great guest and always fun to talk to.
You can find MLB’s Giants’ rankings on the MLB Pipeline website as well as Jim’s overview of the system, leapers and fallers, best tools, and more. You can follow Jim’s work on twitter @jimcallisMLB. And you can follow my work @rog61.
And, of course, if you want more There R Giants’ content, become a subscriber and you’ll get daily reports from the farm system starting in just over a week! I’ll be out at Papago Park for the final two weeks of spring camp bringing you player interviews, video, and plenty of scouting observations. So now’s a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.
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System Overview (1:10)
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Harrison and Luciano at top (10:00)
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The Second Tier: McCray, Schmitt, Brown, Arteaga (14:10)
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Luis Matos (22:10)
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Mason Black (25:10)
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Patrick Bailey (28:30)
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Rayner Arias hit tool (33:50)
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Favorite Sleepers (35:15)
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Trevor McDonald (37:20)
Intro/Outro: “Temperature” by Kaiser Chiefs
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The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly joins me from Scottsdale on this week’s edition of the There R Giants podcast. We talk about the Giants’ tumultuous off-season, their hopes for the upcoming season, their continual reliance on Brandon Crawford’s good health (knock on wood!), and, of course, we talk about a lot of young players bringing excitement to the Giants’ camp (and hopefully their future).
If you’re not already a There R Giants’ subscriber, now’s a perfect time to become one. I’m just finishing up the Top 50 and will soon be reporting from Papago Park minor league camp myself.
Intro/Outro: “TKO” by Le Tigre
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I’m so excited to have camps open and baseball back that I can’t wait until Thursday for this week’s podcast. Alex Pavlovic, the Giants’ beat reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area, joins me from Scottsdale to talk about some of the young guys who are generating excitement in the early days. There’s a lot of Kyle Harrison talk, of course, but also some David Villar, R.J. Dabovich, Casey Schmitt, and even Joey Bart talk in the course of the show.
Make sure you follow all of Alex’ content coming out of camp, on both Twitter and Instagram @PavlovicNBCS (and I can’t recommend Alex’ Instagram feed enough!). And of course, follow me on Twitter @rog61 — and once I get out to minor league camp in March, I promise to get a little Instagram action going myself @rmunter. Or just become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect content.
Intro/Outro: “Here It Comes” by The Doves
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The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard returns to the There R Giants’ pod to discuss her ranking of the Giants’ farm system and the Giants’ player development progress. We take some time to enjoy the progress of David Villar, discuss how Kyle Harrison might be transitioned into a big league role, how quickly Casey Schmitt might move, and who the best bounce back candidates in the system are.
Intro/Outro: “Emerge” by Fischerspooner
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My guest in this week’s podcast is There R Giants’ #16 prospect in the Giants’ system: Landen Roupp. He explains what he calls his outstanding breaking ball and how he’s developed the pitch over time, how he separated himself from the pack in 2022, and what he’s working on for the year to come.
Roupp has been in Scottsdale getting ready for the 2023 season, and There R Giants will be out there to see him soon! Which makes now a great time to become a subscriber to get all There R Giants posts direct to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “I Wanna Destroy You” by The Soft Boys
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Giants’ RHP Keaton Winn is one of the Giants’ most recent 40-man members and he’s got a good chance to help the big league club in 2023. Winn joins the podcast this week to talk about the long-journey back from Tommy John surgery and one amazing month of November!
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Intro/Outro: “I Want You Back” by Hoodoo Gurus
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This week’s guest is the MVP of the 2022 Richmond Flying Squirrels and one of my favorite players to talk to, infielder Tyler Fitzgerald. Tyler talks about moving to Scottsdale full-time, off-season life at Papago Park, and how he’s working to improve his game heading into the season.
Intro/Outro: “Nowhere Train” by Carlene Carter
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Giants’ Senior Director of International Scouting graciously spent some time talking with me about the latest class of international free agent signings, a class headlined by power hitting Rayner Arias. Salermo discusses Arias, as well as the organization’s first amateur signing out of Taiwan in pitcher Chen-Hsun Lee. We also talk about the progress from last year’s class and look forward to the coming year.
If you’re not already a There R Giants subscriber, now’s a great time to become one as I’m just starting to roll out this year’s Top 50 rankings for the organization.
Intro/Outro: “Você Fica Melhor Assim” by Lô Borges
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Trevor Hooth of Prospects Live and Bless You Boys is my guest on this week’s There R Giants pod. We dig into the pitching part of the Giants’ farm system, looking at some of the arms the Prospects Live gang is high on in their rankings and which pitches are really making them pop. You can follow Trevor on Twitter (where he’s always breaking down pitcher deliveries) at @HoothTrevor. And you can always find my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or by becoming a subscriber at There R Giants. The Top 50 starts rolling out next week so now’s a great time to subscribe or get a subscription for the Giants fan in your life.
IntroEvaluating Pitchers (1:00)Kyle Harrison (6:50)Mason Black (10:40)Carson Seymour and Landen Roupp (16:05)R.J. Dabovich (20:20)Sleepers (26:40)Eric Silva (29:00)Grading guys coming off disappointing years (32:10)Who might pop this year (34:10)
Intro/Outro: “Detroit Breakdown” by J. Geils Band
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It’s an extra TRG pod this week! Prospects Live is publishing its ranking of the Giants’ Top 30 today, and to accompany the roll-out, Jake Kerns spends some time talking with me about the hitters in the system. We talk about the importance of contact, hard contact, and good swing decisions, and which players in the system exceed at all three. We also look for a few sleepers further down the list who may be heading for better days soon.
This episode was recorded on Monday, so a few of the rankings may end up moving around before publication — but you should definitely check out the full list and scouting reports at Prospect Live.
This will be the final show of 2022 for There R Giants. We’ll be back in January to talk more Giants’ prospects and get ready for spring. Thanks for following along everybody!
Intro/Outro: “2000 Miles” by The Pretenders
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The great beat writer, Susan Slusser, joins me to talk Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Carlos Rodón and much much more! Naturally, the A’s managed to trade Sean Murphy while we were recording, but it was still a good idea! How the Giants achieve their “big winter” as options fall off the board on today’s edition of There R Giants!
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I’ll have one more bonus podcast up this week and then shut it down until January. So look for the last pod of the year on Thursday!
Intro/Outro: “Going Underground” by The Jam
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It’s December. And you know what season that ushers in. That’s right! Prospect Rankings season! And I’ve happy to be joined this week by Eli Walsh who led Baseball Prospectus’ coverage of for BPro’s 2023 Giants’ rankings.
Eli and I talk about whether Marco Luciano or Kyle Harrison is the more “untouchable” prospect. How Luis Matos and Grant McCray compare to each other? Who’s breaking out of the 2021 draft of pitchers? And what the heck we can make of 2022 1st rounder Reggie Crawford? Plus there’s a curious amount of Austin Slater talk. Weird!
SCHEDULING NOTE — I’ve decided to flip the order of things this week. Instead of a Wednesday post, I’m putting out the podcast a day early to wait for the Rule 5 draft tonight. I’ll put out a post on the draft — and any other Giants’ news — in a post tomorrow, before launching into an in-depth assessment of the org position by position starting Friday.
State of the system (0:50)Luciano vs Harrison (2:45)Where does Luciano play? (5:40)Casey Schmitt’s offensive potential (6:55)Luis Matos and swing decisions (9:35)Matos, Grant McCray, and Vaun Brown (13:50)Heliot Ramos’ swing (22:10)All Those San Jose Pitchers! (25:30)Bednar and Mikulski (29:45)What do Giants have in Carson Seymour? (32:10)Do We Know Anything About Reggie Crawford’s potential? (33:40)Favorite Sleepers (36:35)
Intro/Outro: “I Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Little Eva and Big Dee Irwin
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Trey Wilson, the Voice of the Richmond Flying Squirrels — as well as Director of Communications for the fabulously successful front office — joins me this week to talk over Richmond’s first playoff season in eight years. Together, we revisit a group of great guys, good players, and memorable nights. We talk Kyle Harrison’s growth, Casey Schmitt’s defense, and rapid development of Cole Waites, among many other topics.
You can follow Trey’s many travels (and concerts reviews!) on twitter @treywilson757. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 to see all of my thoughts and work, or just become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all my work, advertisement-free, delivered straight to your Inbox!
Intro/Outro: “Trudy (Live at Healing Appalachia 2022)” by Tyler Childers
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Steven Risotto is, among other things, way more enterprising than I was as a college student! He covers the Giants for SFBay and is also the creator and host of the wonderful RizzoCast. Together we talk Giants’ needs in this big off-season, how the Giants view their player development processes, how they make room for Kyle Harrison, whether Joey Bart is the catcher of the future, and we talk some obscure old Giants’ prospects. Please excuse my scratchy voice — picked up a bug on some recent travels!
You can follow Steven’s work on twitter (including finding the latest edition of the RizzoCast) @StevenRissotto or check out his own Substack newsletter:
And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 or just become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect work delivered straight to your Inbox or via Substack app.
Intro/Outro: “Something Big” by Tom Petter
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Jeff Young, editor of SF Giants content at Around the Foghorn, joins me to make sense of a big day of transactions on Rule 5 protection day. We sift through what it all means and talk about a big winter ahead.
You can follow Jeff on twitter @BaseballJeff1 to get all of his Giants-related thoughts and content at ATF. And of course you can follow me on twitter @Rog61 or simply become a subscriber at There R Giants to have all of my Giants-prospect writings delivered straight to your Inbox, via email or the Substack app.
Intro/Outro: “Here is the News” by ELO
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The Athletic’s Eno Sarris is my guest this week. We talk Stuff+ numbers for various members of the Sacramento pitching staff, why changes in pitch mixes have become so dynamic lately, and how exit velocity correlates to raw power. Along the way we talk Sean Hjelle, Tristan Beck, R.J. Dabovich, Michael Stryffeler, David Villar, Heliot Ramos and more.
You can follow Eno on twitter @enosarris (he’s about to head down to the AFL so it’s a good time to follow him if you don’t already!). And of course you can follow all of my work by following me on twitter @rog61, or just become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered direct to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “Tomorrow is Already Here” by Stereolab
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My guest this week is Giants’ broadcaster Dave Flemming. We talk about the unique position the broadcast team occupies in the world of Giants’ baseball, the state of Giants’ player development processes, and the path forward for the organization. And yes, “the guy who hits in the Bronx” does come up!
IntroDifference between announcing in up years and down (1:44) How do Giants feel about their Player Development? (9:05)Joey Bart’s Season (12:55)Big Off Season ahead (15:40)How Heliot Ramos fits in plans (19:10)Aaron Judge talk! (21:05)Transitioning Kyle Harrison into rotation (26:50)
Intro/Outro: “Crash Years” by New Pornographers
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Franklin Labour, who was in the Giants’ system for eight seasons and spent most of 2022 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, joins me on this week’s There R Giants podcast to talk about efforts to unionize the minors. Labour talks about the importance of taking care of athletes to help them become the best version of themselves and the excitement that has surrounded the talks for forming a union.
You can get much more There R Giants’ content by becoming a subscriber to the site.
Intro/Outro: “Jique” by the Brazilian Girls
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The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard stops by to discuss the year that was on the Giants’ farm. We talk surprises, the long tail of the COVID year in disrupting player development, and the amazing season turned in by Kyle Harrison, among many other topics.
Melissa does a great job covering the Giants’ (and A’s!) farm for The Athletic, so make sure to follow her on twitter @melissalockard to catch all of her work.
And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 to find all my work or just subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my Giants prospect work delivered straight to your Inbox. We’re into season wrap up season, and after that I’ll take a look at all of the major Rule 5 candidates that the Giants face a roster choice on this winter before moving on to the new Top 50. So now’s a great time to join!
Intro/Outro: “All Summer Long” by the Beach Boys
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My guest on this week’s edition of the There R Giants podcast is Eugene Manager Carlos Valderrama, who helped pilot the team to a second consecutive league title. Valderrama has spent more than 20 seasons as a part of the Giants’ organization — either as a player or coach — and the 2022 season was his 14th year as part of the Player Development staff. He won the DSL Coach of the Year in 2015 for leading the DSL Giants to a league title. Eugene’s triumph gives Valderrama his second ring as a championship manager. Carlos and I discuss many of the top prospects who passed through his and his staff’s tutelage this year and reflect on the important of winning in helping develop players. Enjoy!
If you like my Giants’ related content, now’s a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber as I’m just starting to roll out a host of season wrap ups and roll into Prospect Ranking season, culminating with a brand new Top 50. And, until October 1, you can take advantage of my Welcome to the Offseason Sale — you can get 30% off an annual subscription.
Intro/Outro: “Dreamer in My Dreams” by Wilco
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San Jose (and sometimes San Francisco) Giants’ broadcaster Joe Ritzo joins me for this week’s There R Giants podcast, reflecting on the 2022. A lot of talent moved through the Giants’ Low A affiliate this season, including some of the biggest breakout stories of the organization. Joe and I reflect on all the prospects who played a big part in this season, which ended with another post-season appearance.
Follow Joe on twitter @JoeRitzo. And, of course, follow me on Twitter @rog61, or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my posts sent, ad free, straight to your Inbox.
Favorite Memories from this Season (1:45)
Best Pitchers from the early Piggy-Back rotation (6:30)
Vaun Brown (10:40)
Grant McCray (16:00)
Aeverson Arteaga (20:00)
Guys who quietly got better (22:35)
Preview of Next Year’s Roster (29:00)
Low A Rivalry with talented Rockies’ affiliates (32:00)
Intro/Outro: “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift
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This week’s pod is a little media re-utilization. For those of you subscribers who watched the video posts I’ve put up the last two weeks, you’ve already heard from Richmond infielder Tyler Fitzgerald and reliever Nick Avila. But for those of you who don’t subscribe to the site — or prefer to ingest your player interviews through audio only — this is new for you! So enjoy listening to two guys who have really developed their games throughout this season! And, of course, if you’d like to become a subscriber so that you, too, can gain access to my video interviews and other pieces, I’m always happy to have you!
Tyler Fitzgerald (1:48)
Nick Avila (11:35)
Intro/Outro: “Something Good (is Going to Happen to You)” by Carla Thomas
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My guest this week is Eric Flemming, formerly Assistant Farm Director for the SF Giants. Eric digs into the bombshell news that the MLBPA is working to help form a union for minor league players. We talk benefits, costs, complications, and degree of hopefulness on a true Labor Day edition of the There R Giants podcast.
To read Eric’s blog posts, follow him on twitter @EricFlemming or just go straight to mlbinsidepitch.com. And you can keep up all of my work by following me on twitter @rog61 or simply becoming a subscriber to There R Giants to get daily, ad-free content on Giants’ prospects delivered straight to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “There is Power in a Union” by Billy Bragg
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The Athletic’s Andy Baggarly joins me to talk about his recent trips to Eugene and Sacramento to check in on Giants’ prospects. We talk some of the success stories and struggles on the farm, and, by popular demand, a whole lot of Vaun Brown content!
You can (and should!) follow Andy on twitter @extrabaggs to catch all of his great work on the Giants’ organization. And, of course, follow me @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect related work direct to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “Wall of Death” by R.E.M.
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My guest this week is the great Jim Callis from MLB Pipeline who stops by to talk about the Giants’ draft class and the latest MLB.com Top 30 ranking of the Giants’ system. As Jim says, it’s been a pretty volatile year on the Giants’ farm with a lot of big risers and big fallers, making for a pretty fascinating snapshot in time.
You can (and should) follow all of Jim’s work on Twitter @jimcallisMLB and of course you can keep up with all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or by becoming a subscriber to There R Giants.
Intro
Draft Class Overview: Crawford and Whisenhunt (1:30)
Favorite “Other” Arm from Draft (10:18)
Newest Top 30: Big Risers (12:00)
Luciano and Harrison at Top (17:20)
Luis Matos’ Season (19:25)
Great Defenders at Top of List: McCray, Matos, Arteaga, Schmitt (22:00)
Bottom Half: Wilson and Beck (26:30)
Jim’s Favorite Guy from Back Half (32:30)
Intro/Outro: “Who’ll Be the Next In Line” by The Kinks
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This week’s podcast contains a couple player interviews I was able to do on my recent west coast trip. I sat down with Vaun Brown in Eugene and then while I was in San Jose was able to speak with Grant McCray by telephone. Both of them discuss their terrific breakout years and the work that lay behind that success.
Look for more player profile stories coming over the next week or so at There R Giants.com.
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Grant Brisbee of The Athletic stops by to talk about the Giants trade deadline, a disappointing 2022 and the path forward on the latest edition of There R Giants podcast.
You can (and should!) follow the wit and wisdom of Grant on twitter @GrantBrisbee and read his work at The Athletic. And, of course, you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 and read all of my Giants’ prospect-related writing by becoming a subscriber to There R Giants for daily updates of all the action around the farm.
Intro/Outro: “Stay Out Of It” by Michigander
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Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes joins me this week to talk about pitchers in the Giants’ draft class, the uniqueness of Kyle Harrison, and the best single pitches in the Giants’ organization.
You can keep up with all of Geoff’s great work at BA by following him on twitter @GeoffPontesBA. He’s putting a ton of video from the Cape Cod League up there right now, which makes this a great time to follow him — like this footage he took of Giants’ 12th round pick Tyler Vogel:
You can follow my work on twitter @rog61 or simply become a subscriber at There R Giants to get it all delivered straight to your inbox:
Intro/Outro: “Walking on a Wire” by Richard and Linda Thompson
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I’m joined this week by my friend Brian Recca who provides draft coverage for Prospects Live. Brian and I talk over the Giants’ 2022 draft literally from the top to the bottom. We talk surprises, risks, trends, pitch data, and much more.
Follow Brian on Twitter @brian_recca to keep up with all of his draft work (he’s already following the 2023 draft class!), and, of course, you can follow me @rog61 to find all of my Giants’ prospect work — or just become a There R Giants subscriber to get it all delivered to your Inbox ad-free!
You can also download the Substack App to follow all of your Substack subscriptions in one place.
Intro/Outro: “Howling for You” by The Black Keys
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I don’t like to play favorites — but this week’s There R Giants pod may be the best ever! My guest, Eric Flemming, spent 15 seasons as a member of the SF Giants organization, most of that time as a part of the Player Development staff. After spending several seasons as a Minor League Operations Assistant, he was made Coordinator of Minor League Operations in 2012 and later was named the Assistant Director of Player Development.
Eric has a lot of stories to tell and much insight to share about the way player development works. You can follow Eric on twitter @EricFlemming, or read his occasional blog posts at MLB Inside Pitch — if you make it to the end of the show, Eric gives a sneak peak at his next post which sounds like a must read for any Giants’ fan!
You can keep up with all of my Giants’ prospect-related work by following me on twitter @rog61, or simply by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.
Intro/Outro: “Inside” by Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers
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Richmond Flying Squirrels multi-position veteran Shane Matheny is my guest on this week’s podcast. In his second year with Richmond, Shane has been among the league leaders in several offensive categories, while hitting .297/.429/.530 with a 162 wRC+. According to manager Dennis Pelfrey, Matheny has been a leader for the Squirrels team, both on the field and in the clubhouse. Shane and I talk about the dramatic conclusion to the first half, celebrating their entry to the playoffs, and his progress through the Giants’ system and developing his game, offensively and defensively.
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Intro/Outro: “Working Man’s Blues” by Merle Haggard
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The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard is my guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast. We discuss some health-related issues with various players in the system and then dig in to observations on the first half of the season. Melissa does a great job covering the Giants’ and A’s farm system for The Athletic and is a must follow on Twitter @melissalockard.
And, of course, you can follow all of my work on Twitter @rog61 and get all of my work on the Giants’ farm system by subscribing to There R Giants for daily recaps and much more!
Injury Updates (1:20)
Marco Luciano timeline (4:00)
Weather effect on Eugene (5:30)
Luis Matos’ season (7:45)
Hunter Bishop (11:00)
Patrick Bailey (13:40)
Casey Schmitt (15:45)
Carter Aldrete (17:50)
Will Wilson (20:20)
Looming 40-man crunch (22:00)
Kyle Harrison (26:45)
Randy Rodriguez (29:15)
Intro/Outro: “Summer Mood” by Best Coast
EDITOR’S NOTE: I mistakenly put “Restricted” links in today’s Stats Reviews post for the Google sheet tables — those have now been replaced with links you can see freely as usual.
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It’s a double pod week! I had the chance to talk with Richmond catcher Brandon Martorano and LHP Chris Wright last week and thought I’d share the whole conversations with you. Both of these guys are low round draft picks who have jumped pretty quickly into the upper minors and they were gracious enough to share their baseball journeys with me and with you the listener! Enjoy!
Brandon Martorano (1:56)
Chris Wright (21:10)
Intro/Outro: “Periodically Double or Triple” by Yo La Tengo
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This week I’m joined by my favorite fellow Giants’ prospect blogger affectionately known as GPT. Avi and I talk over our major impressions of the Giants’ farm through the first third of the 2022 season. It’s a power summit of observations and one I think you’ll really enjoy!
Of course, you need to be following Avi on Twitter @giantsprospects. And for all of my work, you can follow me on Twitter @rog61 or simply subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my writing delivered, ad free, straight to your Inbox every morning.
Major Trends on Giants’ Farm (0:00)
Heliot Ramos’ Season (8:50)
Marco Luciano (13:30)
Pleasant Surprises: Will Wilson, Trevor McDonald (16:40)
Will Bednar (21:50)
Mason Black (25:00)
Casey Schmitt (27:35)
Vaun Brown (30:30)
1st Round Woes (33:10)
Intro/Outro: “Good Morning (The Future)” by Rogue Wave
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Richmond 1b Frankie Tostado joins me to talk about his baseball journey, the stop and start nature of his early career, and the strides he’s making that are powering this year’s outstanding performance. Tostado has been first or second in the league in batting average or hits for most of the year, and is now in the league’s Top 10 in OPS, Slugging, and wRC+.
Intro/Outro: “Santeria” by Sublime
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Baseball America’s draft expert Carlos Collazo joins me to talk some 2022 draft! Carlos digs into the stars of the draft, the potential bargain spots, some high risk/high reward types, and picks me out four potential targets for the Giants’ top pick at #30. It’s not too early to get a strong case of Draft Fever!
Follow Carlos on twitter @CarlosACollazo to make sure you’re up to date on the latest draft news, mock drafts, and high risers! And, of course, you can follow me on twitter to get all of my work, video, and observations from the field @rog61.
With draft coverage coming and rookie league season underway, there’s no better time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber!
Intro/New Draft Calendar (0:20)
Competitive Advantages of Shortened Draft (5:20)
Looking back: Hunter Bishop and Patrick Bailey (7:00)
Overview of this year’s draft (9:50)
Extreme Pitcher-heavy drafts of 2021 (12:00)
Kumar Rocker Update (14:30) — Note: Rocker did pitch this weekend for first time (and looked great!)
Who are Stars of 2022 draft (16:15)
Tamarr Johnson (20:15)
Theme of the Draft: Bloodline players (22:00)
Late Round Depth of Draft — what’s available at 30? (24:30)
Big Risk/Reward types who might be available (26:20)
Finding the Giants a Player — one player from each quadrant (30:00)
Intro/Outro: “Gonna Get that Man” by Connie Francis
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Laura Nuñez, the Giants’ Manager of Education and Cultural Development stops by to discuss the important work being done by her office to help the players coming into the organization from the international side transition to playing professional ball in the United States. It’s a critical aspect of player development that we don’t often hear about, so I’m really excited to be able to get some time to speak with Laura about the work that she and her team are doing.
Intro/Outro: “The World is Full of Strangers” by Camera Obscura
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I’ve got something different for you this week: Richmond Manager Dennis Pelfrey joins be, but he’s not here to talk Giants’ prospects, instead Dennis and I dive in to some alternative ideas for extra-innings baseball, and in particular a rule he originated while working in Indy ball that’s starting to get some play around the baseball world. We’re calling it: The Pelfrey Rule!
Intro/Outro: “Only A Fool Plays By the Rules” by Chris Rea
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Johnny Doskow, the voice of the Sacramento River Cats joins me on this week’s There R Giants podcast to talk about this year’s team, life in Triple A, and Jason Krizan’s long-awaited call up.
Follow Johnny on twitter @JDoskow. And you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work covering the SF Giants’ farm system.
Jason Krizan (2:00)
Life in Triple A (4:20)
LaMonte Wade Jr (8:00)
Sean Hjelle and Heliot Ramos (10:00)
Yunior Marte (16:20)
Gregory Santos (18:15)
Raynel Espinal and other arms (19:40)
David Villar (24:45)
So many new guys! (30:30)
Ka’ai Tom and Austin Dean (32:00)
Bryce Johnson (35:30)
Pitch Clock (40:30)
Intro/Outro: “This is the Day” by The The
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Joe Ritzo, the voice of the San Jose Giants stops by this week’s edition of the pod to talk about the 2022 version of the San Jose Giants and all of those amazing arms. We talk piggy back starters, strikeout records, and the chances this club could “run it back.”
You can (and should!) follow Joe on twitter to keep up with the San Jose team @@JoeRitzo. And, of course, you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 or subscribe to There R Giants to receive my posts five (or six!) days a week to keep you updated on everything happening on the Giants’ farm.
Putting a bow on the 2021 San Jose team (1:00)
2022 team: so many arms! (6:00)
20 strikeout game (9:30)
Top Group of Draft picks (Bednar, Mikulski, Black): (16:00)
Eric Silva, the high school guy (20:15)
Mercedes, Vinicio, and other interesting arms (23:00)
The young position player group (27:20)
Returning players (McCray, Frechette) (34:00)
Vaun Brown (36:20)
Will they run it back? (37:20)
Intro/Outro: “Stronger Better Faster Stronger” by Daff Punk
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This week’s There R Giants podcast features this year’s Barney Nugent Award winner Brett Auerbach and Richmond Flying Squirrels’ Hitting Coach Danny Santin. Auerbach has quickly become a fan favorite and he talks to me about his journey from undrafted college free agent to a prospect that Giants’ fans now have their eyes on (#32 in TRG Top 50 this year and looking to move up next year!). Santin talks about his approach to helping the hitters achieve their potential and how the organization is trying to put their hitters in a position for success! Danny’s a little soft in the recording, but hopefully he’s so engaging you won’t mind!
Intro (0:00)Brett Auerbach (1:48)Danny Santin (18:25)
Intro/Outro: “The Laws Have Changed” by the New Pornographers
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On this week’s There R Giants podcast, I answer a few listener questions regarding opening day rosters and some expectations for key players and then talk with tonight’s starting pitcher for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Tristan Beck, as well as Squirrels’ 3b Sean Roby.
Don’t forget you can get all my posts delivered straight to your Inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber, and for the next two days you can get a full year’s subscription at 30% off, so now’s a great time to join the 2022 journey on the Giants' farm system.
Intro/Listener Mailbag (0:00)Tristan Beck interview (13:00)Sean Roby interview (22:20)
Intro/Outro: “Begin the Begin” by REM
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Maria Guardado, MLB’s beat writer for the Giants, joins me this week to talk about some of the impressions that various minor league players have made on the major league coaching staff this spring. We talk about how top prospects and some of the lesser known guys have made big impressions on Gabe Kapler and his staff over the last month. We also spend some time talking about Maria’s fantastic story on the Giants Spanish-language classes for English-speaking minor leaguers, which you can read here:
Follow all of Maria’s coverage of the Giants on Twitter @MI_Guardado. And follow my work on Twitter @Rog61, or subscribe to There R Giants to get full coverage of the Giants minor league system sent right to your Inbox every day of the week!
Triple A Sacramento begins its season tonight, so now’s a great time to jump in!
Intro/Outro: “Beatnik Beach” by The Go Gos
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MLB’s Jim Callis is back from visiting the Giants minor league camp in Scottsdale, AZ. He joins me talk about MLB’s new Top 30 ranking of the Giants organization, one of the deepest top 30s for the Giants in recent memory.
You can follow Jim on Twitter @jimcallisMLB to follow all of his work at MLB Pipeline and, of course, you can follow me on Twitter @Rog61 or just subscribe to There R Giants.com to get daily in-season updates of all the happenings on the Giants’ farm delivered straight to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “Endless Summer” by Superchunk
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This week’s There R Giants podcast features three conversations I had with players conducted while I was visiting the Giants’ minor league spring training facility in Scottsdale. Matt Mikulski, Trevor McDonald, and Rohan Handa all took time to share their journeys with me as they each prepare for their first full season in pro ball.
Audio is a little uneven this week, as the interviews were recorded out in the back fields at the Giants’ new Papago Park facility and I didn’t quite have my normal technical elements on the road with me. Hopefully, you’ll overlook some low tech recording for great insight from the players.
If you’d like more great There R Giants content, why not subscribe to get daily in-season updates, ad free, delivered right to your Inbox?
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Richmond Flying Squirrels Manager Dennis Pelfrey (coming off of last season’s championship in Eugene) joins me to talk about spring training camp, the advantages of coming from an Indy ball background, the resources available for player development today — and, of course, we talk about some of the players as well! You’ll be into the spring mood by the time you finish this one!
I’ll be heading to Scottsdale next week so I’ll have much more minor league camp content to share in the coming days. So now is a great time to become a There R Giants subscriber if you’re not already. Once the season starts, I’ll bring coverage of the entire Giants’ minor league system five days a week.
Intro (1:00)Do Manager’s Think in Terms of “Promotions” (4:00)Advantages of coming from Indy Ball (7:50)Technology and Data Resources for Player Development (12:30)Marco Luciano (18:50)Jairo Pomares (23:30)Ismael Munguia (26:30)Diego Rincones (30:20)Will Wilson (32:15)Ryan Murphy (35:00)
Intro/Outro: “Go!” by Apples in Stereo
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A little something different in the podcast this week. I needed to do some venting and emotional processing over the current state of MLB so I called in my friend Marc Delucchi to help talk me through it. Marc and I talk negotiations and economics and how sad and unnecessary the current situation is.
Don’t worry, I’ll be back to Giants prospect talk next week!
You can follow Marc’s work on Twitter @maddelucchi and read his Warriors and 49ers writings at Golden State of Mind and Niners Nation.
And, of course, you can follow my work on Twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com for all of my Giants prospect-related work — I’ll be at minor league camp in a couple of weeks with video and observations coming at you!
Intro/Outro: “I’m Not Angry” by Elvis Costello
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My friend Phil Goyette joins me this week to talk statistics and predictions for big performances in the upcoming season. Phil and I play “Big Three/Next Three” with Giants’ hitting and pitching prospects to see if we can tease out who the big stories will be on the farm in the upcoming year. We also see if we can identify the next Ryan Murphy type breakout player.
Phil’s been kind enough to share his spreadsheets, estimating major league equivalencies from last year’s statistics which you can find at the following links:
Hitters
Pitchers
You can follow Phil on Twitter @PhilOfSports to see all of his excellent work. And, of course, you can follow my work on Twitter @rog61 or get all of my Giants’ prospect work by subscribing to There R Giants dot com!
One more thing, I fumblingly mentioned seeing something recently that highlighted the great college seasons that Giants draft picks Matt Mikulski and Nick Sinacola had in 2021. I was right that it came from my friend Kyle Goings DIGS:
Intro/Outro: “Hell of a Season” by The Black Keys
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Giants breakout RHP prospect Ryan Murphy is my guest on this week’s edition of There R Giants podcast. At least on the minor league side pitchers and catchers have reported to Scottsdale for spring training, and Ryan and I talk about his off-season regimen, what he’s been working on improving this winter, and how he likes to use data in his training. Ryan should be headed to Double A sometime in the upcoming season and hopes to keep himself on the fast track to a big league future.
If you like my coverage of Giants prospects, you might want to subscribe for daily coverage in season.
Intro/Outro: “The Boys Are Back” by The Dropkick Murphys
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Fangraphs’ Tess Taruskin joins me to talk about Fangraphs recently published Giants prospect rankings and the state of the system. We talk about Casey Schmitt’s defense, Joey Bart’s weird development path, Patrick Bailey’s eventful first year and much more!
You can follow Tess on Twitter @tesstass. And of course you can follow me @rog61 and get all of my Giants prospect related posts by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com
Intro (0:00)How Fangraphs balances various data (3:00)Not overrating difficult seasons (7:30)Hunter Bishop (9:50)Casey Schmitt (11:30)Marco Luciano (15:30)How close is Luis Matos to top? (17:45)Patrick Bailey’s ranking (19:15)Bailey vs. Bart (23:00)Heliot Ramos (28:00)Pitching strategies and armslots (31:50)Kyle Harrison (34:25)Gregory Santos (37:20)Sleepers (39:45)
In/Out: “I’m Down” by The Beatles
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The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly is my guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast. Andy and I talk about the important work area scouts do, what’s going on in the Giants’ front office during the lockout, and how they’ll handle the plethora of players who are running out of options this year.
You should absolutely be following Andy’s on twitter @extrabaggs. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61, or subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my work, ad free, delivered straight to your inbox. I’ll be headed out to minor league spring camp soon and hope to have plenty of observations and video to bring you from Papago Park.
Life during the lockout (2:00)Dick Tidrow Scout of the Year (6:10)Seiya Suzuki (11:00)How is the Giants depth at this point? (17:00)Guys running out of options (20:20)Tyler Beede (23:50)Steven Duggar (28:20)Joey Bart’s transition (33:35)How high will payroll go? (40:00)
Intro/Outro: “If and When” by The dBs
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Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes stops by to talk about modern pitch data and how smart clubs like the Giants are leveraging different looks. We also dive into the five Giants who placed on the BA Top 100, with some deep dives into the hit data on Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Joey Bart. It’s a super-packed episode full of vertical approach angles, inverted vertical breaks, pitch shapes and more!
Follow Geoff on twitter @GeoffPontesBA to see all of his great work at Baseball America. And to get all of my There R Giants content, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 and subscriber to ThereRGiants to get daily Giants’ prospect news during the season and three posts a week through the winter.
Giants’ Development Philosophies (0:40)How Advanced Understanding of Pitch Metrics is Helping Smart Teams (8:40)Swiney, Santos, Bednar, Murphy and their Pitch Data (15:20)BA Top 100: Kyle Harrison (26:20)Marco Luciano (38:00)Luis Matos (42:00)Joey Bart (47:55)
Intro/Outro: “Watch the Tapes” by LCD Soundsystem
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Joe Salermo, the Giants’ Director of International Scouting, graciously stops by to talk about the newest class of international free agents who signed with the Giants this weekend. Joe takes us through the Giants journey to sign shortstop Ryan Reckley, catcher Juan Perez, and infielder Dennys Riera, as well as the rest of the incoming class (who does he say can hit a ball as far as anyone?). He also talks about the progress of some of the previous years’ classes. And he leaves us with this message: it’s an exciting time to be a Giants’ fan!
If you like the There R Giants podcast, consider subscribing to get all of my Giants-related content delivered ad-free, straight to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “You Can Have It All” by Yo La Tengo
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SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser is my guest this week. The longtime A’s beat writer and former President of the BBWAA talks about becoming a newbie on the beat in the middle of a pandemic, the Giants’ risk tolerance, how they’ll handle the catcher position in the upcoming year and much much more.
You can follow Susan’s work on twitter @susanslusser and read all of her work by subscribing to the SF Chronicle.
And, of course, you can catch all of my work by following me on twitter @rog61 and read all of my Giants’ prospects work by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com. You’ll get five posts a week in season rounding up all the minor league action and three posts a week throughout the offseason.
Intro/Outro: “The Way We Get By” by Spoon
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The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me once again to talk about her Top 30 rankings for the Giants’ system and the many questions she fielded from her readers about that list. We dive into the questions of how to assess rough years, Rule 5 protection, and the difference between starting pitching prospects and relievers. As always, Melissa’s work on the Giants’ system is a must follow at The Athletic. You can keep up with all of her work by following her on Twitter @melissalockard.
And, of course, you can follow my work as well @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my work delivered straight to the Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes
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I’m trying something new for the final There R Giants podcast of the year: a listener mailbag. No guest this week, just me prattling along trying to answer a host of great questions from you! If you like this format, just drop a comment for me below and I’ll try to mix in more of these from time to time.
And, of course, all of my content is wholly supported by my subscribers, so if you’d like to support There R Giants and get lots and lots of my prospect writing, just hit this button here:
Have a very wonderful New Year everybody and we’ll talk again in 2022!
Intro/Outro: “Anywhere I Lay My Head” by Tom Waits
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Baseball America’s Josh Norris stops by with a little pre-Christmas gift of knowledge! Josh writes up the Giants’ system for BA and he talks with me about the Giants upcoming top 10 list, how the pitching is progressing in the system, and the amazing prospect bonanza that is coming soon to Eugene.
You can follow Josh on Twitter @jnorris427 and of course you can follow me @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my writing on Giants’ prospects.
As a reminder, next week I’ll run solo on the podcast answering listener questions (if I get some!), so drop any questions you might have for me in the comments below.
A very merry Christmas to all of my listeners. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and support my work!
Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas, Baby” by Booker T. and the MGs
x
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Baseball Prospectus’ Lead Prospect Writer Jeffrey Paternostro drops by to discuss the site’s new prospect rankings for the Giants’ organization. Together we chat about why catcher development is weird, how pitcher usage affects prospect evaluation, the Giants epochal 2018 J2 class and much more.
Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @jeffpaternostro and look for his prospect coverage on Baseball Prospectus.
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Are Giants a Top 3 system? (0:45)Top of the list (7:45)Impact of 2018 J2 class (15:40)Joey Bart’s Future? (17:30)Diego Rincones: Sleeper Candidate (22:25)Pitching coming on: (25:15)Stretching out Kervin Castro or Randy Rodriguez (38:25)Hunter Bishop’s and Will Wilson’s prospects for revival (42:30)
Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)” by The Ramones
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This week’s guest is the host of the RizzoCast and youngest journalist on the Giants’ beat, SF Bay’s Steven Rissotto. Steven has built up a substantial list of journalistic accomplishments already at the age of 19, including covering the Giants for the second half of their NL West title run in 2021. He stops by to talk about the young players who may make an impact on the 2022 version of the Giants, including Tyler Beede, Sammy Long, Joey Bart, and more!
You can follow Steven on Twitter @StevenRissotto or follow his podcast @RizzoCast. And, of course, you can find all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect-related work:
Intro: (0:20)John D’Acquisto: (3:30)Tyler Beede (7:30)Sammy Long (11:40)Joey Bart (16:00)Steven Duggar and Thairo Estrada (22:20)Mauricio Dubón (30:20)Jaylin Davis (33:55) Heliot Ramos and the OF situation (37:05)Bullpen Options (41:40)
Intro/Outro: “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles
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Kevin Goldstein, currently of Fangraphs, formerly of the Houston Astros front office, joins me on this week’s episode to talk about an industry in transition, how big data has changed the game, why developing pitchers is easier in some ways than hitters, and what the next frontiers are for development staffs.
You can follow Kevin on Twitter @Kevin_Goldstein and read his work or listen to his own podcast, Chin Music at Fangraphs.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @rog61 and keep up with all of my Giants’ prospect writing by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com
Intro/Outro: “The Room Where It Happens” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
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Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joins me to talk about Giants’ prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League as well as a little chatter on the kids who played in rookie ball in Scottsdale this summer. Eric is one of the very best prospect writers and analysts around and it’s always a huge pleasure when he stops by to talk Giants’ prospects with me. Follow Eric on Twitter @longenhagen and make sure you check out the great Prospects Board he’s created on Fangraphs’ site.
And, of course, you can follow all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or just subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my Giants’ prospects-related writing delivered straight to your Inbox.
If you enjoy the There R Giants pod, please share it with a Giants’ fan in your life. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Intro/Outro: “Who You Calling Kid?” by Hot Hot HEAT
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Kerry Crowley stops by this week to talk about Buster Posey’s legacy with the Giants and how they fill his mighty shoes going forward. Buster was a transformational figure in Giants history — there will most likely be a statue of him standing outside Oracle Park one day — and it’s hard to imagine how they’ll replace everything he gave this organization and its fans.
You can follow Kerry on twitter @KO_Crowley, reads his Giants-related coverage for the Bay Area News Group, and listen to him evenings on KNBR. He’s always got a great take on the Giants and baseball in general.
And, of course, you can follow my work on twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect work. Right now, I’m writing about each prospect on my Giants Top 50.
Intro/Outro: “One Last Kiss” by J. Geils Band
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Everyone’s favorite Giants twitter-related follow @GiantsProspects joins me for a listener requested conversation in which GPT and I talk about some players who we evaluate somewhat differently. It’s a fun conversation where we go back and forth on some guys and, hopefully, learn some things in the process!
Follow GPT on Twitter and, of course, follow me as well @rog61 to find all my work. You can also subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect writing including my upcoming Top 50 rankings project — I’ll be writing a new essay for each player in my Top 50 all through the winter!
Joey Bart (3:30)Heliot Ramos (11:00)Diego Rincones (16:10)David Villar, Casey Schmitt, and Ismael Munguia (20:20)Sammy Long (28:50)Hunter Bishop (33:40)Eric Silva and Manuel Mercedes (37:10)Nick Swiney (39:05)Patrick Bailey vs. Ricardo Genovés (40:30)Four Relievers: R.J. Dabovich, Cole Waites, Gregory Santos, Randy Rodriguez (45:00)
Intro/Outro: “I’ll Be You” by the Replacements
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MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra joins me fresh off a two-week visit to Arizona to talk Arizona Fall League. Sam and I talk robo-ump, Statcast data, the pleasures of prospect watching in the desert, and he gives us his impressions of the various Giants’ prospects participating in the AFL.
You can follow all of Sam’s work on Twitter @SamDykstraMiLB and, of course, follow the entire MLB prospect team @MLBPipeline. And you can follow my work @Rog61 and make sure you get all of my Giants prospect work delivered straight to your Inbox by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com.
The AFL Setting: (1:00)Statcast Data (7:15)Robo-Ump system (10:00)Talking Giants prospects: Marco Luciano (13:10)Hunter Bishop (17:45)Patrick Bailey (20:40)Will Wilson (24:00)Seth Corry (27:00)
Intro/Outro: “Autumn Sweater” by Yo La Tengo
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The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee joins me to parse through the pain of Giants’ seasons past. We share our mutual love of ‘70s era Giants baseball, and discuss why we’ll always remember 2021 with more fondness than sadness. With some side discussions into the current playoff format, the Dodgers’ playoff troubles, the Giants winter plans, and the importance of major league baseball supplying housing for minor league players.
What was the most painful Giants season: 2002, 1993, or 1962? (3:10)How does 2021 fit into the pantheon of pain? (12:20)Current Playoff format: love it? (18:15)Summing up this era of Dodgers baseball (21:55)Giants winter plans (27:00)Will the rookies make an impact in 2022? (31:50)Providing housing for minor league players (37:52)Will Grant ever write his book about the 70s Giants? (43:50)
Intro/Outro: “Cry Me a River” by Joe Cocker
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Marc Delucchi stops by to talk about the choices the Giants will face going forward and which prospects we might expect to see them protect from the Rule 5 draft. Follow Marc on twitter @maddelucchi to catch all of his Giants-related thoughts (you can also read his work on the 49ers and Warriors @NinersNation and Golden State of Mind (@unstoppablebaby).
And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 and join ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants’ prospects writing.
Intro/Outro: “The Shape of Things To Come” by Max Frost and the Troopers
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Tonight, the Low-A West Championship Series begins pitting the San Jose Giants against the Fresno Grizzlies. The Giants will be trying to win their first championship since the 2010 season, which ended their Cal League dynasty of the first decade of this century. To get you all set for the championship match, Joe Ritzo stops by today to discuss the changes on this San Jose roster, how they look heading into the playoffs, and whether this is the best San Jose team Joe’s ever seen.
Joe will be calling each game of the series, starting tonight. If you can’t listen in (or watch on MiLBTV), follow Joe on Twitter @JoeRitzo to get all the details. And, of course, you can follow me as well @rog61 to find all of my thoughts and work, or subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my writing delivered straight to your Inbox.
Is this the best San Jose team ever? (1:00)Change over on the SJ roster (4:30)Joe’s Ranking of the best prospects on 2021 SJ Giants (8:40)Luis Matos (15:30)Patrick Bailey’s turnaround (18:30)The weird final week (21:30)How the two teams match up/keys to series (24:30)Randy Rodriguez’ growth (31:30)
Intro/Outro: “Rev It Up” by Jerry Harrison
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Long time voice of the Sacramento River Cats Johnny Doskow joins me on the latest edition of There R Giants podcast. Johnny and I talk about the difficulties of being an “extended” part of the Giants roster, how long players need to stay at minor league levels, and the difficulties of developing into a big leaguer. And we talk lots and lots of players, too! It’s a great conversation that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
You can follow Johnny on twitter @JDoskow and, of course, follow all of my work @rog61. And, if you like this podcast, you may enjoy subscribing to all of my written work at ThereRGiants.com:
Intro/Outro: “The Waiting” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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Richmond Flying Squirrels’ leadoff hitter, middle infielder, and new center fielder Simon Whiteman is my guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast. Simon talks about his journey to Yale and when he began thinking about a career in pro baseball. He also discusses the value of analytics for him, and his approach to playing and thinking about the game he loves. Simon is just a tremendously thoughtful and articulate young man, who you can follow on twitter @thespeedkillz.
And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 and read all of my coverage of the SF Giants farm coverage at ThereRGiants.com, or subscribe to get all of my writings delivered straight to your Inbox.
Intro/Outro: “The Speed of Life” by David Bowie
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MLB’s Jim Callis stops by once again to talk Giants farm system on the pod. MLB Pipeline has rolled out its midseason updated rankings including a new Giants Top 30, organizational rankings, new Top 100 and more! It’s always a great episode when Jim stops by to talk Giants. You can (and should!) follow all of Jim’s work on Twitter @jimcallisMLB.
And you can follow my work on Twitter @rog61 or subscribe to There R Giants for my full coverage of the Giants system.
Intro/Overall play in minorsState of Giants System (4:30)Joey Bart’s Season (9:00)Marco Luciano (12:10)Matos vs. Ramos (15:50)Jairo Pomares’ rise (19:20)Some Struggles: Bishop, Bailey, Corry, and Wilson (22:00)Pitching Surprises: Long, Murphy, Berroa, Ragsdale, Hjelle (27:45)Rookie League standouts: Mercedes, Arteaga, Sugastey and others (32:05)Sleepers (34:15)Culture of Meritocracy (38:10)
Intro/Outro: “Questions 67 and 68” by Chicago Transit Authority
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My friend and fellow Giants prospects’ blogger Wrenzie Regodon stops by to discuss our respective Giants Top 30 mid-season rankings. Wrenzie’s work can be found in many places, he’s a prospect writer for Around the Foghorn and he also publishes his own work for Patreon subscribers. You can follow Wrenzie on Twitter to find all his work @giantprospectiv.
My Top 30 can be found in last week’s Week in Review post.
If you like the There R Giants podcast, you can get more great There R Giants content delivered straight to your Inbox by becoming a subscriber.
Intro: “The Concept” by Teenage FanclubOutro: “What You Do To Me” by Teenage Fanclub
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In this week’s edition of the There R Giants podcast, Richmond reliever R.J. Dabovich stops by to talk about the work he’s done at Push Performance Gym, his search for the perfect breaking ball, and his first full season in pro ball.
If you like There R Giants podcast, you might also enjoy subscribing to There R Giants newsletter, bringing all of the action in the SF Giants farm system straight to your Inbox, M-F.
Intro/Outro: “Origins” by Tennis
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For my 50th episode of the There R Giants podcast, I got to speak with Armani Smith and Ricardo Genovés of the Eugene Emeralds. Both of these were recorded outdoors at PK Park in Eugene, so excuse the occasional noises of a ballpark coming to life for the night’s game!
Armani Smith (2:45)Ricardo Genovés (22:20)
And as always, if you like this podcast, you may want to become a There R Giants subscriber to get daily roundups of all the action on the SF Giants’ farm.
Intro/Outro: “Hang on Little Tomato” by Pink Martini
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My guests on this week’s There R Giants podcast are two of San Jose’s top prospects, LHP Kyle Harrison and 3b Casey Schmitt. Both were members of the Giants’ 2020 draft and both are having excellent first pro seasons. I think you’ll enjoy both of these short interviews! I did have a few technical issues here while I was on the road with a different recording setup, so apologies for some of the sound issues in this episode — especially all my typing noises!
If you like There R Giants podcasts, you might want to sign up for daily newsletters rounding up all the action on the Giants farm system, delivered to your Inbox every Monday-Friday.
Intro/Outro: “California Stars” by Wilco
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Once again I’m joined by The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard to get a mid-season report card on the Giants’ farm system. Melissa talks about the Giants’ draft class, the pleasant prospect surprises of the year, and some of the less pleasant ones. She also gives her insight on what kinds of prospects we might see traded at the deadline this year. It’s always a great pod when Melissa comes by to say hello!
To keep up with all of the prospect related deadline news, make sure you follow Melissa on Twitter @melissalockard.
And, of course, you can follow me as well @rog61. And if you like my content at There R Giants, you might want to subscribe for daily coverage of the system!
Intro/Outro: “We’re Having Much More Fun” by X
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My friend and fellow podcaster Marc Delucchi takes over hosting duties for a special There R Giants/Sound the Foghorn cross-over podcast spectacular! A few of my fellow Giants prospectors and I dreamed up a special event in the wake of the MLB draft — Brian Recca (SF Draft Talk), Kevin Cunningham (Giant Futures), Marc and his site co-expert Wrenzie Regodon (Around the Foghorn) and myself teamed up to draft our own teams out of the Giants’ farm system. And we forced, ahem, ALLOWED you to listen to it all on this special edition podcast.
Hope you enjoy it, everybody! Please follow all of us on Twitter: Marc (@maddelucchi), Brian (@brian_recca), Kevin (@sfgiantfutures), Wrenzie (@giantprospectiv) and, of course, myself (@rog61) to keep up to date on everything going on around the Giants farm system. And, of course, to get all of my daily writings delivered straight to your Inbox without ads or interruptions, you just need to subscribe!
My team took a decidedly different course than I first anticipated, but I was happy with my ferocious lineup! There’s going to be some Bye, Bye, Baby going on when these Giants come to town.
Intro/Outro: “Deadbeat Club” by the B-52s.
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The great Jim Callis joins me to talk about the Giants’ 2021 draft, and on the way we take some side trips to remember Dick Tidrow, discuss Allan Simpson’s efforts to create the draft coverage we know today, and reminisce over the advertisements one used to find in the back of The Sporting News. It’s a pretty great conversation!
If you’re not already, you should definitely follow @jimcallisMLB on Twitter and please follow me as well to keep up with my work @rog61.
Speaking of which, if you’re enjoying this podcast perhaps you’d enjoy more There R Giants content delivered straight to your Inbox.
Remembering Dick Tidrow (00:45)The Khalil Watson Decision (8:15)Will Bednar (17:20)Day 2 run of Pitchers (19:30)Day 3 picks (27:20)Allan Simpson and the creation of MLB Draft Coverage (33:15)
Intro/Outro: “I’m Not Angry” by Elvis Costello
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My good friend Brian Recca, who you might know from Twitter as “SF Draft Talk” stops by again to talk about the MLB Draft, which begins with the 1st round this Sunday night! You should definitely be following @Brian_Recca for all your draft-related info, and check out his tremendous spreadsheet primer. It’s a resource I use all the time! Brian will be live chatting the draft on Twitch as well, if you want to check that out. Brian and I talk various scenarios for the 1st round and try to hone in on what we think the choices board might look like.
And, as ever, if you like There R Giants content, you might want to subscribe for more!
Intro/Outro: “Head On” by Jesus and Mary Chain
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On today’s edition of There R Giants podcast, Richmond 3b David Villar talks to me about getting through 2020, how he’s seeking to improve his game, and how all the many connections between players in the baseball world. David is currently one of just three players in the Giants’ system with 10 HR and is coming off a June in which he slugged .506.
After David, I talk with Richmond hitting coach Doug Clark about how he and the Giants development staff seek to support and help players through their baseball journey. I loved listening to Doug’s perspective and came away with a new appreciation of the work these athletes are putting in to try to succeed at this incredibly difficult game.
I also want to make sure you know that I have a 4th of July subscription sale going on right now until next Tuesday. Get 30% off the annual subscription to receive daily posts covering all the action around the Giants farm system.
David Villar (2:00)Doug Clark (23:20)
Intro/Outro: “The Way We Get By” by Spoon
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It’s a Eugene Emeralds two-fer on this week’s edition of the pod. First up, one of the Giants top prospects, Eugene starting shortstop Will Wilson stops by to talk about what it’s like to get traded so early in his career, getting to work with Brandon Crawford, life at the alternate site, and how his first full season is going so far. Following Will, his manager Dennis Pelfrey visits me to dig pretty deep into the Emeralds roster, breaking down what’s so special about this group of players.
As always, follow me on Twitter @rog61 to get all of my baseball content and consider subscribing to get There R Giants daily posts covering everything that’s going on in the Giants farm system
Will Wilson Interview (2:13)Dennis Pelfrey Interview (21:00)
Intro/Outro: “It’s a good day (to fight the system)” by Shungudzu
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My guest this week is the Giants Director of International Scouting Joe Salermo and this is one I’m really excited to share with you. Joe and his staff are responsible for bringing so much talent into the Giants organization over the last few years. You’re going to hear Joe talk about names you know very well and are already excited about, and you’ll hear him talk excitedly about names you might not know at all!
If you care about the future of the San Francisco Giants then this edition of There R Giants podcast is a must listen!
As always, follow me on Twitter @rog61 and subscribe to There R Giants for daily content about the San Francisco Giants minor league system.
Intro/Outro: “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones
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Richmond starting pitcher Caleb Kilian joins me to talk about adjusting to Double A, how he spend the 2020 pandemic (it’s pretty incredible!), and how he works to improve himself in the days between starts. It’s a great conversation with one of the rising pitching stars in the system.
For those of you wondering about the slightly odd timing — I was originally planning to include this interview in last week’s podcast, but weather and scheduling changed my plans. And I have another interview coming out in the regular Thursday slot that I’m really excited about. So I figured I’d just sneak in a supplementary show — because who doesn’t want more There R Giants content?
Speaking of which, if you do want more it’s easy to come by!
Intro/Outro: “That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas)” by Lyle Lovett
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This week I’m joined by Phil Goyette. Phil writes prospect-based fantasy content for Rotoballer, Baseball Farm and other outlets. And lately he has created a formula, working with Matt Eddy of Baseball America, to estimate “Barrel” percentages and xwOBA for minor league hitters — these are the kinds of “batted ball” stats we’ve come to rely on major league baseball, but the public data is sadly lacking at the minor league level. For Baseball America, Phil is just using the formula to look at the very best performances across the minor leagues, but just for There R Giants he’s kindly run the numbers for the entire system and we talk about them in depth on today’s episode.
Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilOfSports to see all of his great work.
You can follow our discussion much easier if you see the data as well — you can access it via Google Doc here.
(Or if you just want a sneak peak at the top of the lists, here’s a jpg teaser!)
Intro/Outro: “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday” by The Pogues
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Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joined me for a deep dive into the Giants system with a side discussion of project valuation in general. Eric also gave me insights from his trips to the Giants new Extended Spring Training site at Papago Park with first-hand observations of youngsters like Manuel Mercedes, Adrian Sugastey, Aeverson Arteaga, and much more!
Near the end of the pod, Eric talks a lot about the Giants young right-hander Manuel Mercedes, and refers to this video that he posted on Fangraphs last night:
Make sure to follow Eric on Twitter @longenhagen and be sure to check out the great work he’s posting at fangraphs.com/prospects.
And, if you like this material, why not subscribe for more great posts at There R Giants.
Introducing Sam Delaplane (1:15)Other Relief Arms: Camilo Doval, Gregory Santos, Kervin Castro (4:00)Why are pitchers ahead of hitters around minors (9:30)Hitters from 2019-20 drafts: Bailey, Bishop, Wyatt, Fitzgerald, Schmitt (13:50)Will Wilson (19:20)Fangraphs approach to prospect valuation (23:30)Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, and special development challenges for Hispanic players (29:00)Players of note at Extended Spring Training: Mercedes, Sugastey, Vinicio, more (35:30)
Intro/Outro: “Psycho” by The Sonics
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Today’s podcast is a little different as I have two different interviews to share with you in this podcast. First up is LHP Joey Marciano who is off to a fantastic 2021 in the Richmond Flying Squirrels bullpen. You may recall that I spoke with Joey a year ago when he talked about his work to come back from retirement. Now that he’s back I wanted to know how it felt to return the game and what is working well for him. And then secondly I talk with the Voice of the Flying Squirrels, Richmond Director of Communications and Broadcasting Trey Wilson. Trey and I dive into the Richmond roster from top to bottom.
You can follow Joey Marciano on Twitter @promadejoe773, and Trey Wilson @treywilson757. And, of course, follow me as well @rog61 and read all my work at ThereRGiants.com
Introduction: (0:00)Joey Marciano (2:30)Trey Wilson (17:30)
Intro/Outro: “Hail to the Flying Squirrels” by Black Iris Productions
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Alex Stimson who handles radio duties for the Giants new High-A affiliate the Eugene Emeralds is my guest this week. Alex and I talk about the Emeralds roster in depth and he shares observations on Will Wilson, Patrick Bailey, Kai-Wei Teng, Logan Wyatt and many more. Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexStimson — he wants to hear from Giants fans listening in so let him know you’re out there. You can also contact Alex @EugeneEmeralds.
And, of course, you can follow my work on twitter @Rog61 and read my daily recaps of the action around the Giants system for subscribers at ThereRGiants.com.
Intro/Outro: “Dark Corner of the World” by The Young, Fresh Fellows
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The Voice of the San Jose Giants Joe Ritzo joins me in this week’s There R Giants podcast to discuss the exciting talent on the 2021 San Jose club. Joe has been the full time play by play announcer on San Jose broadcasts since 2007 and has watched generations of talent come through the Giants system, so he’s the perfect guest to discuss this year’s crop of Low-A Giants prospects.
Comparing 2021 and 2009 rosters (1:30)San Jose OF: Canario, Matos, and Smtih (7:05)Lenn Sakata and Mix of Age and Youth on Roster: (12:00)Marco Luciano ’s start (14:30)The Starting Rotation (19:00)The Bullpen (26:00)Ricardo Genovés (29:30)How to see the Sj Giants (32:00)
Intro/Outro: “Get Up and Go” by 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees The Go Gos
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My friend and former fellow blogger Conner Penfold joins me to talk about the Alternate Site scrimmages that took place in Sacramento over the last month and look forward to the Sacramento River Cats season, which opens tonight in Las Vegas.
You might know Conner from his days writing Giant Potential, or follow him on Twitter @@giant_potential. But he’s now the Media and Baseball Operations Coordinator for the River Cats and got to watch all of the scrimmages that took place at Sutter Field this spring, so he brings a wealth of insights on players we may see in San Francisco soon, as well as lower level prospects like Heliot Ramos, Will Wilson, and Ricardo Genovés.
Intro/Outro: “This is the Day” by The The
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The 2021 Minor League Season is just days away and NBC Sports Bay Area’s own Dalton Johnson joined me to celebrate the coming year. We talked sleepers, pop ups, and of course, lots of Heliot Ramos, Joey Bart, Will Wilson, and Hunter Bishop content as well!
Follow Dalton all season on Twitter @DaltonJ_Johnson or at NBCSports.com/bayarea.
Standouts from Camp: Grant McCray and Garrett Frechette (1:30)San Jose Outfield (7:45)Luis Matos: (9:30)Will Wilson and Hunter Bishop (12:00)Are Alt Site reps the same as Minor League At Bats? (16:00)Heliot Ramos (18:00)Joey Bart (25:15)Which Affiliate Will Have Most Exciting Roster? (28:00)Marco Luciano (29:30)
Intro/Outro: “You! Me! Dancing!” by Los Campesinos
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Dennis Pelfrey was supposed to start his career as a Manager in the Giants system in 2020. Instead he’ll get his Giants debut next month as the Manager of the Eugene Emeralds. It’s been a long journey for Dennis who spent six years in Indy Ball as a player and many more years as a Coach and Manager in Indy Ball before coming aboard the Giants system. Here Dennis tell the story of his baseball journey and talk about what it’s like becoming part of the large, complex, and sophisticated development staff with the Giants.
Coaching during the Pandemic (1:00)A Life in Indy Ball (3:40)Coming to the Giants (12:15)Advancements in Development Technology (15:30)Managing a Minor League Staff and Complexities of Giants Organization (17:30)Getting Ready to Bring a New Team to Eugene (30:20)
Intro/Outro: “Man Like Me” by Beulah
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The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me to talk about players (finally!) reporting to minor league spring camp. We discuss storylines for the upcoming season and potential assignments for many of the system’s best prospects.
Follow Melissa on Twitter @melissalockard.
Intro/Outro: “Feed the Tree” by Belly
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NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed stops by to brainstorm ways to make baseball a more entertaining product just in time for Opening Day. Removable walls and borrowed soccer rules are just some of the ideas we have to up the fun quotient of the game.
Intro/Outro “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” by Gladys Knight and The Pips
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MLB’s Jim Callis stopped by to talk about MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Prospect ranking for the Giants’ system. Jim’s always a must listen!
Ranking in a pandemic (1:20)How Driveline and other labs are changing development (5:00)Where Giants system ranks among MLB (6:30)Top Tier of the system (8:00)Ramos/Bishop comparison (9:15)Seth Corry (12:45)Kyle Harrison (16:30)Other Pitching Prospects (19:15)Players beyond the Top 10 (22:30)Luis Matos chances to leap up rankings (26:00)How clubs will treat lost season (27:30)Who is just off the Top 30? (31:30)
Intro/Outro: “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave
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I’m joined today by Lukas McKnight, longtime member of the Chicago Cubs organization and front office who now helps run the baseball site PeloteroIntl.com. Along with his partner Tom Shafer, Lukas recently penned a series of guest posts at There R Giants on recent Giants international signees Marco Luciano, Diego Velasquez, and Mauricio Pierre. Lukas and I discuss the evolution of front offices, how scouting the amateur and international markets are different, and the effects that technology is having on scouting and evaluating baseball talent everywhere.
The life of a minor league catcher (6:40)Transition from player to scout and front office work (11:20)How modern front offices are organized (14:00)Growth and development of analytics and technology in scouting (18:45)Using statistical modeling in drafting (22:00)Scouting in the international market (25:30)Equitable access to showcase opportunities in US amateur scouting (33:30)Future of scouting (36:30)
Intro/Outro “Tiger Phone Card” by Dengue Fever
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My good friend Marc Delucchi stopped by to talk about all of the “Prospect Week” content he produced at Around the Foghorn. Marc and I talk at length about specific prospect comparisons: Matos vs. Ramos, Bart vs. Bailey, Santos and Castro vs. Blake Rivera. It’s a deep dive into the system.
Follow Marc on Twitter @@maddelucchi
Intro/Outro “Best of You” by the Foo Fighters.
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Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group joined me to talk about Giants prospects and the organization’s path into the future. We talked a lot about pitchers, and a little bit about how much we hate “bulk innings” and “openers!”
You should follow Kerry on Twitter @KO_Crowley.
Intro/Outro “Outside Chance” by The Turtles
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KNBR’s Mark Sanchez joins us from Scottsdale, AZ bringing us prospect tales from the early days of Giants Spring Training (and just a little bragging on a fellow Terrapin!). Follow Mark for all his reporting from camp @MarkWSanchez on Twitter.
Intro/Outro: “Looking at the Sun” by Matthew Sweet
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Giants LHP prospect Mac Marshall was nice enough to spend time with me discussing the mental side of the game, the incredible new technology available to help development, how he dealt with the loss of the 2020 minor league season, and what he’s looking forward to in the season to come. I hope you enjoy this conversation!
Mac was recently the subject of a There R Giants profile as well.
Intro/Outro: “You’re Still a Young Man” by Tower of Power
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The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly stops by to talk about the Giants’ hopes for balancing prospect development and major league relevance as they head to spring training. We also discuss the newly announced development staff and extraordinary technology available to them these days. Plus, we engage in a little Peter Magowan Appreciation.
Intro/Outro “Summer Teeth” by Wilco
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MLB.com’s Maria Guardado and I play a game of “Who Was the Best Giants’ Prospect?” while talking about Giants past, Giants present, and Giants future!
Follow along with all of Maria’s coverage of the Giants on Twitter @mi_guardado.
For some background on some of the greatest Giants’ minor league seasons, read some of my earlier posts:
Greatest Minor League Seasons 1b
Greatest Minor League Seasons C
Greatest Minor League Seasons 2b
Greatest Minor League Seasons 3b
Greatest Minor League Seasons SS
Greatest Minor League Seasons RP
And look forward to OF and Starting Pitcher versions coming soon!
Intro/Outro: “Moving On Up” by Primal Scream
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Warming up the Winter with a little Draft Fever talk with Carlos Collazo! Carlos, who heads up draft coverage at Baseball America, stops by to talk about a draft which is going to be unlike any before it in a number of different ways. We talk about the challenges for players and scouts, the unprecedented ways that COVID has impacted the class, the new opportunities being introduced this year, and, of course, the Players!
Check out all of Carlos coverage by following him on Twitter @CarlosACollazo.
Intro/Outro: “Super Baby” by Matthew Sweet
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Jeffrey Paternostro, lead prospect writer for Baseball Prospectus, dropped by to talk in depth about their Giants prospect rankings as well as the BP Top 101 that includes four different Giants prospects this year, including Marco Luciano as the #8 prospect on their list.
Intro/Outro: “Feeling Good” by My Brightest Diamond
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NBCSAuthentic’s Katie Woo stopped by to talk about the Giants’ system, changes to the minor league structure and more. Katie spent the last two year’s working for MiLB.com and has just recently come back home and joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s team and she’s enthusiastic about where the Giants are headed. There’s a lot of Hunter Bishop content here! Make sure you follow Katie’s work @katiejwoo.
Intro/Outro: “Return of the Grievous Angel” by Lucinda Williams
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One last present before the holiday break. I spoke with The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli about what the lost minor league season means for player development and some of the ways that players attempted to get their work in. Britt recently published a story in The Athletic with Eno Sarris and Melissa Lockard on the topic and the many many unknowns that players and coaches are left with.
Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas from the Family” by Jill Sobule
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Good morning! It’s a big day around the prospect world as we prepare for the Rule 5 draft tomorrow and also anticipate MLB announcing it’s “invitations” for teams to join their new minor league arrangement. We’re going to look at the new affiliate structure on Friday, but today it’s all about the Rule 5 draft.
I got together with the great Giants’ twitter follow, GPT (@giantsprospects) to provide you with a great Rule 5 preview podcast. And to accompany that, I’ve given a quick summary of most of the names we covered in our talk. The links all go to players Fangraphs’ page and the player ages are their “season ages” for the 2021 season.
We’ll also talked about Minor League Free Agents and Giants’ players who are performing in various Winter Leagues. Enjoy and we’ll be back to talk new affiliate structure on Friday.
Minor League Free Agent candidates
James Bourque, RHP, Age: 27
Touches 99 with fastball. Good strikeout rate history and hard to hit. Has made brief major league debut. Possible Arm injury.
Yunior Marte, RHP, Age: 26
Fastball, good slider. Ok control. Good strikeout rate. Hit hard in AAA.
And from the “Old Friends” category:
Cristian Adames, MIF, Age: 29
Solid defensive MIF who can play SS. Switch-hitter with strong walk rates, reasonable contract rates, a little power. Flexible middle infield depth option.
Jose Siri, CF, Age: 25
Toolsy CF with intriguing power/speed skills. Picked up and dropped by Giants during course of 2020, he’s having a strong winter league campaign in Dominican Republic.
And, now… the Main Course:
Rule 5 Candidates
Pitchers (GPT choices)
Trevor Stefan, RHP, New York Yankees, 2021 Age: 26
Funky low-side arm angle. Good fastball-slider combination. Tough on Right-handed hitters. Type of pitcher with two maybe above average pitches and “something weird about them.”
Kade McClure, RHP, Chicago White Sox, 2021 Age: 25
Swing man. Could start. Fastball up to 96, good slider. Has only pitched as high as A+. White Sox like his biomechanical profile.
Marshall Kasowski, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2021 Age: 25
Funky over the top arm angle (think Josh Collmenter). Up to 97 with fastball. Good curve ball. Control issues but Extremely hard to hit. Drafted while Zaidi was GM of Dodgers.
Pitchers (Roger)
Zach Pop, RHP, Baltimore Orioles, Age: 24
70 grade fastball. Extreme velocity reliever with turbo-sinker. Good strikeout rates. Solid slider. Coming back from Tommy John surgery. Drafted by Dodgers during Zaidi’s time as GM and traded to Baltimore as part of package for Manny Machado.
Garrett Whitlock, RHP, New York Yankees, Age: 24
Yankees #18 prospect coming into 2019, also ended season prematurely with Tommy John surgery. Back healthy now and preparing for season. As with Pop, could use rehab stints to get more minor league development in before adding to major league roster. Sinker/slider type, groundball machine.
Dany Jimenez, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays, Age: 27
Last year’s Rule 5 pick is once again eligible. His velocity was down for Giants from what they’d seen previously, but he’s pitching in Dominican Winter Leagues and if velo has returned he might be interesting two-time pick.
Hitters (GPT)
Jose Rojas, 2b/3b, Los Angeles Angels, Age: 28
Versatile LHH infielder had strong offensive season in 2019. Strong walk rates with big power. Not a gifted defensive player but has arm to play 3b and can fit in at 2b as well.
Daniel Pinero, 3b/SS, Detroit Tigers, Age: 27
Big (6’5”) infielder who has experience at SS though most observers think he’s simply to big for position. RHH with elite walk rates. Power ticked up in 2019 though not big HR numbers
Drew Ellis, 3b, Arizona Diamondbacks, Age: 25
2017 2nd round pick. RHH Corner infielder. Had a big spike in fly ball rate in 2019 which might indicate that there’s power coming. Reasonable strikeout rates and great walk rates.
Luke Williams, LF/3b, Philadelphia Phillies, Age: 24
Similar to Ellis but with a little less power and more athleticism.
Brewer Hicklen, OF, Kansas Royals, Age: 25
Two-sport player in college so could be late bloomer. Plus speed, good raw power. Good base stealing ability and ability to stick in CF with a little power. Hasn’t played above A+.
Hitters (Roger)
Chris Betts, C, Tampa Bay Rays, Age: 24
LHH Catcher with plus raw power and elite walk rates. Serious three true outcomes type who put up big strikeout rates in A ball. Doesn’t have upper minors experience.
Buddy Reed, OF, Oakland A’s, Age: 26
Toolsy switch-hitting CF. Plus defensive player, plus speed, sneaky power. Hasn’t performed well in upper minors.
Cody Thomas, COF, Los Angeles Dodgers, Age: 26
Another three true outcomes type. LHH with big power, good walk rates, big strikeout totals. Also another player drafted under Zaidi during time with Dodgers.
Akil Baddoo, OF, Minnesota Twins, Age: 22
Compensation round pick for Twins in 2016 out of High School. Extremely toolsy youngster with plus speed and the bat speed to produce plus power. Isn’t ready to contribute and would need to be hidden and then assigned to minors in 2022 for more development. Missed most of 2019 season after having arm injury. Has only brief A+ experience.
Players Giants Most Likely to Lose in Rule 5:
Tyler Cyr, RHP, Age: 28
Patrick Ruotolo, RHP, Age: 26
Jose Marte, RHP, Age: 25
Daniel Alvarez, RHP, Age: 25
Raffi Vizcaino, RHP, Age: 25
Luis Amaya, LHP, Age: 22
Ricardo Genoves, C, Age: 22
No need to go into too much depth here as all of these players have been discussed a great deal on previous posts, particularly the Instructional League Roster preview. The biggest group of potential draftees are relievers who might be able to fit into a major league bullpen right away like Cyr, Ruotolo, Raffi Vizcaino and the recently signed MiLB free agent Daniel Alvarez. (Technically Vizcaino is also a recently-signed FA, but one we’re long familiar with).
Alvarez has spent his career in the Yankees organization and was at the Yankees Alternate Site this summer, though he never made it to Yankee Stadium for his debut. He throws the Giants preferred combination of a high fastball and a down-breaking curve and picked up tons of strikeouts in AA Trenton in 2019. He’s currently starting in the Venezuelan Winter League though he got knocked around a bit in his last start.
GPT and I also discussed the case of LHP Luis Amaya who has been coming on since missing all of the 2017 season and most of 2018 following Tommy John surgery. Amaya is an arm that both of us have long liked, but it seems a stretch for any team to reach for him in the Rule 5 draft. He might, however, be a strong candidate for the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, depending on which minor league roster he’s currently being protected on (the minor league portion is extremely byzantine and hard to predict as teams don’t generally reveal their minor league rosters publicly during the offseason).
The one position player we could see being a potential selection in the Rule 5 draft is Catcher Ricardo Genoves who profiles very well as a backup Catcher (and perhaps more) though he is very far away and would have to be “hidden” on a big league roster in 2021 and then sent back to the minors for more seasoning.
Enjoy the podcast! It was great fun finally getting to talk with GPT and we hope it gets you ready for tomorrow’s draft!
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For those of you eagerly awaiting this year’s Prospect Handbook, today’s podcast should be a treat. Baseball America’s Josh Norris, who covers the Giants’ system for BA took some time to talk about his Giants Top 10 — which has surprises in it! We talked about guys who popped at Instrux, Joey Bart’s major league experience, Marco Luciano’s time at the Alternate Site, and lots and lots of Luis Matos chat!
You can follow Josh on Twitter @JNorris427 and of course, read his work at BaseballAmerica.com and in the forthcoming Prospect Handbook.
Intro/Outro: “Danger! High Voltage” by Electric Six
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It’s always great fun to chat with The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee, who helped start my journey writing about Giants’ prospects. Grant and I revisit the past, talk prospect crushes gone by, and look for some signs that the Giants are successfully replicating the Dodgers’ great development system. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Intro/Outro: “The Slow Descent Into Alcoholishm” by The New Pornographers
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In this edition of There R Giants podcast, The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me to talk about the Giants’ Instructional League camp and how lost development time of 2020 will impact future baseball decisions.
If you have a subscription to The Athletic you’ll want to keep Melissa’s Giants’ Instrux roster primer nearby while listening, as well as my own dissection of the roster.
Music Intro/Outro: “The Wanting Comes in Waves” by The Decemberists
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Shelly Verougstraete (@ShellyV_643) stopped by to play a game of Prospect “Would You Rather” and talked all things Giants’ prospects on this edition of There R Giants podcast. Shelly writes about prospects and dynasty baseball for a variety of online sites including @PitcherList, @DynastyGuru, @Prospects365 and @Rotographs, and covers her beloved Red Sox @OvertheMonster.
Intro/Outro music: “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” by The Brogues
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Kyle Goings, better known to Twitter followers as @CoveChatter stopped by to discuss his Defensive Independent Game Score (DIGS) system. We talked about how the Giants current pitching is performing through the lens of DIGS as well as what DIGS thinks about Giants pitching prospects on the way up.
This was a really fun conversation, but we just scratched the surface of all the work Kyle has done —which includes scoring performances throughout major league history as well as the contemporary game. You can find all of this at Kyle’s DIGS website and I highly recommend giving it a look. You can also follow Kyle’s DIGS-specific Twitter account @DigsPitcher.
For our conversation, I referred to several graphics that Kyle shared with me beforehand that I’ll drop below. First DIGS scores of the 2020 Giants rotation:
And then the DIGS scores for Giants pitching prospects in 2019:
Intro/Outro: “The Shape of Things to Come” by Max Frost and the Troopers
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Freelance writer Marc Delucchi joined me for a free wheeling chat about the trade deadline, next winter’s moves, and much, much prospect talk. Always great fun getting to talk with Marc about the Giants’ system. Follow him on twitter @maddelucchi.
Intro/Outro: “Where Do We Go From Here” by the Original Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the album “Once More, with Feeling.”
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Baseball America’s Executive Editor J.J. Cooper was gracious enough to join me on this edition of the There R Giants podcast to talk about the negotiations between Major and Minor League Baseball and what developmental baseball might look like in the future.
Hope you enjoy this one!
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Carmen Kiew drops by to talk Brandon Belt, Joey Bart, Hunter Pence, kayaking in McCovey Cove and the weird experience that is 2020 Giant’s baseball! It was great getting to catch up and talk ball with my old McCovey Chronicles colleague who I don’t get to talk ball with near enough. Hope you enjoy this episode! It was a fun one to record.
Also, since this episode taped on Tuesday afternoon, I’m happy to report that my saying “I think Brandon Belt will be alright” didn’t jinx him at all!
You can watch Carmen and her “Shelter on Base” colleagues on her You Tube channel, hear her work on Marty Lurie’s “Talkin’ Baseball” show on KNBR, or follow her on Twitter @carmenkiew.
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Listen now (36 min) | My good friend Kevin Cunningham of Giantfutures.com/ and I try to make some sense of negotiations for the future of minor league baseball.
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Listen now (32 min) | I had a great time talking with NBCS-Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson. Dalton does a fantastic job covering the Giants’ system and brought us a lot insight to the world of development in the time of COVID. We talked about the Sacramento camp, players who aren’t in the Sacramento camp, and the future of the Giants.
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KNBR’s Mark Sanchez stops by to talk about Summer Camp, Alternate Camp, Joey Bart and much more! This includes some great news about what we might expect to see coming out of Sacramento’s alternate camp site! You can (and should!) follow Mark’s work @MarkWSanchez. Happy Opening Day everyone!
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This week I’m joined by the Richmond Flying Squirrels play by play announcer Trey Wilson. Trey and I talk about the cancellation of minor league baseball, the working life a minor league employee, and several of the players Trey watched in Richmond last year. You can follow Trey on Twitter @TreyWilson757 and you should also keep a follow for @GoSquirrels.
Let me drop a couple of links here that are discussed in the podcast:
First the maps of national coverage of MLB and MiLB:
And second, Trey’s podcast interview with newest 60 man player Caleb Baragar:
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A J2 special episode! On the traditional signing day for international free agents (traditional, but not this year!) Baseball America’s Ben Badler stops by to talk about the IFA market, Giants international program, the international draft and much more. Ben gives us his view of the Giants most recent J2 classes and the upcoming ones, including discussions of Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Rayner Santana, Aeverson Arteaga, Esmerlin Vinicio, and others.
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The great Jim Callis was nice enough to spend some time talking with me for this week’s podcast and I couldn’t be more grateful! Jim’s just about as knowledgeable a source on the MLB draft as you’re going to find and he has lots of interesting insights on the Giants’ draft, the Giants’ system and even some speculative (and in my case, dumb) talk on what the 2021 draft could look like. This was recorded on Monday so the big news of the week was yet to break, btw so we were still talking through a lot of unknowns. Also, we talk a lot about Garrett Frechette. Enjoy!
You should already, but if you don’t, make sure you follow @jimcallisMLB to read all of his draft and prospect work for MLB.
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I’m very excited to share this week’s podcast where I’m joined by The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard to talk about the Giants’ draft. One of the great things that Melissa brings to her Giants work (besides, of course, her overall professionalism, experience, and knowledge) is a long history of covering Farhan Zaidi and draft runner Michael Holmes during their careers with the A’s. That familiarity underpins our conversation as we discuss who the Giants selected in 2020 and what it might mean for the the organization going forward. You can (and should!) follow Melissa on Twitter @MelissaLockard. Enjoy everybody!
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This week’s podcast comes in both audio and video formats — but I highly recommend you watch the video below to get the full value of this amazing session. Matthew Collier, creator of FaBIO (Fielding and Ballpark Independent Outcomes), takes a seriously deep dive into the Giants’ system and potential draft targets from the D1 college ranks. There is a ton of data here — much of which has never been seen before.
In the first half of the video Matt walks me through FaBIO’s view of four Giants’ pitching prospects: Seth Corry, Trevor McDonald, Kai-Wei Teng, and Blake Rivera. Then in the second half of the video-cast (starting at approximately 40.28 in the video). Matt takes a long look at Reid Detmers and springs a surprise FaBIO “stud” draft possibility for the 13th pick. We also look at Garrett Crochet and Cole Wilcox as first round possibilities. Matt rounds it out with some later round sleeper types as well. None of this info has been seen before! You’ll definitely want to check it out if you’re interested in the draft!
You can find Matt’s work on Twitter @reillocity. Check it out!
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We’re getting the band back together! My old “Minor Lines” collaborator Kevin Cunningham joins me for a discussion on 2020 development options, the future of the minor leagues, and more. Always great to get together with Kevin who has the best pipes in the business! You can find Kevin’s current baseball writing here, and follow him on Twitter — and No, Kevin we don’t have a bleeper on this show. We can’t afford the technology! But don’t worry everyone — it’s mostly SFW!
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Let the media empire begin! I’m branching out to a (hopefully weekly) podcast. And for my first episode I’ve invited in noted draft expert Brian Recca — who you might know as SF Draft Talk on Twitter (@Brian_Recca) to talk about the upcoming draft and some guys he has his eyes on for potential draft picks. Brian and I discuss our experience on the recent Prospects Live national mock draft and also some of the spillover effects of the 5 round draft and the effects of COVID-19 on amateur baseball. I’m still working out the technology and trying to improve sound quality for maximum entertainment. So please bear with me! Hope this works well enough for you for now. Enjoy everyone!
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