SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — In an ideal world, Tony Vitello’s first season as manager wouldn’t coincide with the World Baseball Classic. Even with Reiver Sanmartin exiting the tournament due to injury, the Giants have seven players on their 40-man roster competing in the WBC. For the Giants, there is a silver lining: more opportunities for those still in camp.
Of the seven Giants competing in the World Baseball Classic, five — ace Logan Webb (United States), outfielders Jung Hoo Lee (Korea), Heliot Ramos (Puerto Rico) and Harrison Bader (Israel), and second baseman Luis Arraez (Venezuela) — have spots on the Opening Day roster. Reliever José Buttó (Venezuela) figures to make the team out of camp, and Tristan Beck (Great Britain) will be in the mix for a bullpen spot.
With Arraez, Bader, Lee and Ramos all participating in the WBC, the Giants are getting an extended look at the position players currently fighting for spots on the bench.
“You’ve got a bunched-up group of guys, and we’re blessed to have that if you look at it a little bit by the numbers. … A little bit of a different skill set for each one of them, but it’s kind of a huddled up group,” Vitello said. “It’s up to us to put them in similar circumstances as often as possible. The WBC allows for the ‘often as possible’ part to come up.”
The list of outfielders on the 40-man roster fighting for a spot on the bench is Luis Matos, Jerar Encarnacion, Will Brennan, Drew Gilbert and Grant McCray. Then there are non-roster invitees Jared Oliva and Victor Bericoto, the latter of whom has been making waves despite being a longshot to make the team.
Matos, Oliva and Bericoto made the most of their starting nods in Friday’s 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Matos hit his second homer of Cactus League play and launched a 444-foot double off the top of the center-field batter’s eye.
“He’s strong,” Vitello said of Matos. “For a guy that’s not as big as some of the guys they have or we have, he’s strong.”
Oliva reached base twice and stole two bases, and Bericoto singled, scored a run and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
The Giants will weigh several factors as they determine which outfielders to carry, one being that Encarnacion and Matos are out of options. There’s also the Bryce Eldridge variable; if Eldridge begins the season with Triple-A Sacramento, that leaves the Giants with another roster opening and creates an easier path for Encarnacion and Matos to both be on the Opening Day roster.
Two other players to consider are Christian Koss and Tyler Fitzgerald. Casey Schmitt will be the primary backup infielder, but Fitzgerald and Koss both provide speed, defensive versatility and familiarity in the outfield.
It’s also worth noting that the Giants’ bench projects to be extremely right-handed at the moment. The three main candidates for backup catcher (Daniel Susac, Jesus Rodriguez, Eric Haase) are right-handed hitters, as are Schmitt, Koss and Fitzgerald. San Francisco doesn’t necessarily need a left-handed bat off the bench, but the lack of one would limit Vitello’s late-game options.
Cactus League performance alone won’t be the deciding variable as San Francisco’s brass assembles the bench. Performing well, though, can’t hurt. Matos is enjoying a great spring, batting .450 with a 1.350 OPS over 10 games. Bericoto has been the talk of camp with his .500 batting average and 1.418 OPS, and Brennan is quietly posting a 1.101 OPS. McCray, known for being an aggressive hitter, has drawn seven walks.The allure of Matos, in particular, isn’t hard to see. Despite having three seasons in the majors under his belt, he’s still just 24 and has a reputation for having great bat-to-ball skills. For comparison, undrafted top prospects Bo Davidson and Parks Harber are the same age but will likely start the season with Double-A Richmond.
Despite receiving his share of opportunities, Matos just hasn’t stuck in the majors. Matos owns a .231 batting average and .691 OPS with 15 homers over 178 career games while being a net-negative defensive outfielder. The potential upside is there, but the Giants may move on from Matos as they did with former top prospect Marco Luciano.
“He’s athletic and has a great foundation in his swing. He’s got a little bit of a track record to fall back on,” Vitello said. “I’m speaking for him — I don’t think he’d ever use this as an excuse — but he hasn’t had a huge runway in the big leagues where you could fairly say this is exactly what he can or cannot do.”
Encarnacion, 28, hasn’t had a great spring. He had just four hits in his first 23 at-bats (with no extra-base hits and no walks. But few players in baseball can hit the ball harder than Encarnacion. He’s also capable of playing first base along with corner outfield, giving him an edge over Matos in the defensive versatility department.
Related Articles
SF Giants’ Lee rolls ankle in World Baseball Classic but shouldn’t miss games Kurtenbach: There’s so much going right for the Giants. Then there’s the bullpen. SF Giants’ Sanmartin to miss WBC due to injury, Peguero reinjures left hamstring Webb, Lee, Ramos headline SF Giants participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic ‘Brotherly bond’: Will, David Bednar share memorable moment in SF Giants’ exhibition vs. Team USAIf Eldridge doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, Encarnacion could very well be the team’s designated hitter to start the year. Even if Eldridge makes the cut, Encarnacion could still could be at DH to start the season on March 25 since the New York Yankees will be starting the left-handed Max Fried.
“He’s not lit the world on fire at the plate, but we also haven’t had a real big sample size,” Vitello said. “I think you’ll see him drive the ball, and the numbers speak a little bit more to what he can do at the plate or what he needs to work on at the plate as he starts to rack up some reps.”
As the WBC tournament progresses and the likes of Bader, Lee and Ramos return, the opportunities for playing time will slowly diminish. The first round of cuts is looming, too. For now, the group of position players in Scottsdale is getting their share of opportunities to fight for a spot on the Opening Day roster. So far, they’re making the most of them.
Hence then, the article about with wbc departures more opportunities emerging in sf giants camp was published today ( ) and is available on mercury news ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( With WBC departures, more opportunities emerging in SF Giants camp )
Also on site :
- Warning Issued as Thousands Told to Stay Inside for 37 Hours
- Watch the N.H. Liquor & Wine Outlet video that’s lowkey going viral
- Coalition Of Public Interest Groups Call For State Attorneys General To Challenge Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger