Youth Movement?

The Giants opened their Spring Exhibition season with a uninspiring loss to the Cubs. Speaking of the Cubs, Cody Bellinger returns to Chicago on a three-year, $80M deal. Lest you think only the Giants have a thing for opt-outs, Belli’s deal includes opt-outs after the first two years. The Giants were linked to J.D. Martinez but opted for Jorge Soler instead. Martinez is still unsigned but will catch on somewhere. Boras Boys Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery are still “in the wings.”

Farhan Zaidi has hinted that the Giants are going with the gang they have. We shouldn’t expect any more additions to the roster. So, rather than think the club has a glaring hole at shortstop, I’ve decided FZ & Co. are all-in on the youth movement! Marco Luciano is not yet 23 and has a mere 14 games on his ML-résumé. He signed with the Giants as an international free agent (from the Dominican Republic) in 2018. Young catcher Patrick Bailey has a veteran backup—Tom Murphy—but there isn’t a veteran shortstop behind Luciano. The main backup at this point seems to be 25-year old utilityman Otto López who was picked up for cash from the Blue Jays. Or 25-year old 2020 2nd-rounder Casey Schmitt. Not a grizzled mug in the bunch.

Speaking of grizzled, two veteran hurlers are on the shelf until after the All-Star Break. Both FNG Robbie Ray and returning stalwart Alex Cobb are recovering from off-season surgeries. Rather than view this as a glaring hole in the starting rotation, I’m joining the Front Office in their enthusiastic embrace of the youth movement. I like the signing of flamethrowing Jordan Hicks and think his transition from the ‘pen could really work. I suspect they’ll run him out there until the Break as a stopgap. Hicks will pitch like hell then blow out his arm but the return of the aforementioned Big Two will pick up the slack. He’s the rabbit in the race.

After that it is lefty phenom Kyle Harrison, who is also not yet 23, and has 34-2/3 IP in the bigs under his belt. From there it is take-your-pick of Keaton Winn (26, already injured), Tristan Beck (27), Erik Miller (26), Sean Hjelle (26), Kai-Wei Teng (25) and a plethora of up-and-comers like Carson Wisenhunt (23), Landen Roupp (25), Mason Black (24), and Hayden Birdsong (22). Logan Webb is certainly an ace but right now it is a one-man rotation. I really thought they’d sign another veteran arm but it seems clear they will go with the kids. (And the Hicks Experiment.)

This is either folly or supreme self-confidence, I can’t tell. I actually love youth movements in general. It is fun to watch young players develop their game. The Giants have been an old, slow bunch lately and that needs to change. But it seems unnecessarily risky to have key spots (SS, SP) manned by inexperienced players. It could all go south in a hurry. I’m okay with that, actually, but on one very important condition. I think the Giants should tell us so. That FZ should say “yes we are entrusting these big responsibilities to rookies.” Use the words “youth movement” and “rebuild” in public. He can add “we really like our rookies and expect them to get the job done.” That would help!

But teams can’t do that. They have to pretend they have a playoff-caliber squad even if they don’t. Right now I am excited by Jung-Hoo Lee and Patrick Bailey. I’m intensely interested in Marco Luciano. And of course there is Logan Webb, one of the best in the business. Camilo Doval is among the game’s top closers. Thairo Estrada has established himself as the everyday second baseman. There’s a lot to like and to be interested in. The rest of the roster is familiar: Slater, Yaz, Wade, Davis, Flores, and Conforto. If healthy, it’s a solid mix, and Soler’s right-handed pop is a good addition. But after last season’s stumbling finish I have to wonder if they did enough despite having an active off-season.

The 1986 team had an advertising slogan: “You Gotta Like These Kids.” They ought to think about bringing it back for 2024.

What say you?

–M.C.