The start of something new
Welcome back—and isn’t it great to be back?
The season begins Thursday afternoon—or morning, for most of you—at Yankee Stadium. Let’s deviate from our usual postcard format to catch you up on what’s what with the 2023 San Francisco Giants.
Who’s in
Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger, veteran outfielders with ~50 home runs combined in their bats this season. Haniger will start the year on the IL with an oblique strain, while Conforto enters this season after not playing at all last year because of shoulder surgery.
Blake Sabol, a catcher the Giants plucked from the Pirates. He hit .348 in spring training and suddenly is a lock for the Opening Day roster. He’ll have to stay in the majors all year, though, to avoid being sent back to Pittsburgh.
Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling, a pair of veteran starting pitchers who give the Giants’ rotation some real depth. Does depth equate to talent or success? Er, we’ll find out.
Taylor Rogers, twin brother of Giants reliever, Tyler. Unlike Tyler, Taylor throws the ball overhand—and with his left hand. He’ll be a late-inning option.
Who’s out
Carlos Rodon, a strikeout machine who brought back memories of Tim Lincecum. He signed a monster deal with the Yankees, leaving a void in the rotation that Manaea and Stripling don’t quite fill.
Brandon Belt, who I’ll be watching closely in Toronto, wondering how much of a mistake it was to hand the first base job to Lamonte Wade Jr.
Evan Longoria, who quietly spent five years with the Giants before joining the D-Backs over the winter. He’ll always have that homer off Max Scherzer in a 1-0 NLDS win in L.A.
Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. Welp.
Predictions
Record: 84-78, good enough to tease a playoff run, but not good enough to get there.
Baseball’s new rules will change the game immensely, and for the better. Years from now we’ll wonder how we watched the sport before them.
Joc Pederson will lead the Giants with 32 home runs, most of which he’ll hit as the team’s DH.
Alex Cobb, who really felt the brunt of the Giants’ poor defense last year, will be redeemed and put up a season every bit as good as Logan Webb.
Joey Bart will be steadier behind the plate, but at the plate he’ll continue to be boom or bust, home run or strikeout. Questions will continue to swirl about whether or not he’s the long-term successor to Buster Posey.
Camilo Doval will be an All-Star, racking up 40-plus saves and an ERA around 2.00.
Spring training star Casey Schmidt and 21-year-old lefty Kyle Harrison will both debut in September, giving Giants fans hope that there’s a jersey worth investing in sometime soon.
Brandon Crawford will get the proper and official #ForeverGiant sendoff in the last home game of the year, October 1 against the Dodgers. Greatest shortstop in franchise history.
One more thing
The 100-word postcards will return this year, only slightly less often. You can reach me anytime by replying to these emails.
I’m also co-hosting a podcast with my friend and Angels beat writer, Sam Blum. Give us a listen, if you’d like.
See you at Yankee Stadium tomorrow. Let’s roll.