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George Kontos Retires

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Longtime major league reliever George Kontos has hung up his cleats, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The 35-year-old Kontos hasn’t pitched since the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate released him last August, but he will stay in baseball as an analyst with NBC Sports Bay Area.

“I did have some inclinations from early on when I was a player in San Francisco that one day this might be the route that I would take,” Kontos told Pavlovic on the Giants Insider Podcast. “It’s definitely nice to be coming back to the black and orange and being around San Francisco again.”

The right-handed Kontos was a fifth-round pick of the Yankees in 2006, but the majority of his work as a big leaguer came as a member of the Giants. He notched quality results with the club from 2012-17 – a 309 2/3-inning span in which he logged a 3.05 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.06 BB/9. Kontos was also part of a pair of World Series-winning Giants teams.

Along with the Yankees (with whom he debuted in 2011 and spent time with again in 2018) and Giants, Kontos saw major league action with the Pirates and Indians. All told, he amassed 357 innings of 3.10 ERA ball in the bigs over parts of eight seasons. MLBTR congratulates Kontos on a successful career and wishes him the best in his new role.

Giants News & Notes: Longo, Belt, Hamilton, Madero, Bishop

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The Giants may have to open the season without their starting corner infielders, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group explains. First baseman Brandon Belt is dealing with a right heel problem, and third baseman Evan Longoria has a moderate oblique strain.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Belt took groundballs and ran Thursday, but he gave no timeline for when Belt or Longoria could make their season debuts. Pablo Sandoval and Wilmer Flores, who each have first and third base experience, seem like logical fill-in candidates if the Giants are shorthanded at one or both positions. Right now, it does seem as though the Giants will be without a good portion of their most established veterans on Opening Day. Before Belt and Longoria were in jeopardy, they lost Buster Posey for the entire season when he decided to opt out a week ago.

In better news for the club, outfielder Billy Hamilton and righty Luis Madero were cleared Thursday to participate, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic relayed (Twitter links). Hamilton landed on the injured list for an undisclosed medical reason July 9, while Madero tested positive for COVID-19 on July 3. Between the two, only Hamilton had a chance at a season-opening roster spot, but because of the time he missed, Kapler no longer sees that as a realistic possibility.

Outfield prospect Hunter Bishop was another of the Giants’ recent positive COVID tests, but he’s also coming along. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Bishop “feels great” and hasn’t dealt with any symptoms of late. But Bishop hasn’t rejoined the team because, as Schulman writes, he has had “trouble navigating the testing process in Arizona to get the negative tests he needs to be activated.”

Giants Sign Third-Rounder Kyle Harrison

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The Giants have locked up third-round draft choice Kyle Harrison, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). It was known already that a deal was close, but it’s now in the books.

Harrison is said to be lined up for a $2.5MM bonus, well over the $710,700 slot allocation that came with the 85th overall choice. It was long believed the UCLA commit would require a sizable bonus to forgo college.

Draft observers weren’t universally sold on Harrison’s future. He didn’t rank higher than #54 on any draft boards, earning that placement from Keith Law of The Athletic.

That said, Harrison’s fastball velocity and draft profile were on the rise and might well have gained further ground had the season not been suspended. Fangraphs cited his “weird angle of attack,” “deception and great feel to pitch.” MLB.com, which ranked Harrison 63rd overall, credits the young southpaw with “a feel to use all three offerings.”

Health Notes: W. Calhoun, Nats, Tanaka, Giants, Royals

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The Rangers are awaiting MRI results on outfielder Willie Calhoun, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Calhoun left the team’s practice Tuesday with tightness in his right hip flexor, leading the Rangers to fear he has a strain that could shelve him for Opening Day, Wilson writes. That would be a blow to the Rangers’ offense, which benefited from Calhoun’s .269/.323/.524 line and 21 home runs last season, as well as the second notable injury he has dealt with in recent months. The first one was much scarier, though, as Calhoun suffered a fractured jaw on a hit by pitch during spring training.

Here’s more health news from around the league…

  • Nationals outfielders Juan Soto and Victor Robles have been isolated since last week because of coronavirus protocols, but fortunately, it appears the two are nearing a return to the field. Soto and Robles may be in line to rejoin the team Wednesday or Thursday, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic.
  • In a frightening scene back on July 5, Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka suffered a mild concussion when he took a line drive off the bat of teammate Giancarlo Stanton. Tanaka offered a positive update Tuesday, however, saying through an interpreter (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com): “Right now, I have no symptoms at all. I’m able to get back in all the training, so I think I feel very fortunate in a very unfortunate event.” Tanaka does still seem likely to start the season on the 10-day injured list, Hoch reports, but he shouldn’t miss much time if he continues progressing.
  • Giants left-hander Jarlin Garcia is expected to be a participant in camp Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets. Garcia has been on the IL for undisclosed medical reasons since last Thursday.
  • The Royals won’t have infielder Kelvin Gutierrez when the season opens. He’s dealing with a Grade 2 UCL sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star reports. A fairly well-regarded prospect, the 25-year-old Gutierrez made his major league debut last season with a .260/.304/.356 line in 79 plate appearances.
  • Nationals batting practice pitcher Ali Modami has opted out of the season, manager Dave Martinez announced Tuesday (via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). While Modami isn’t in a high-profile position, he has been a popular figure in the Nationals’ clubhouse since he got the job in 2011, as Dougherty and Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown detailed last season. “He is great,” former Nat Jayson Werth said to Brown. “Just a gem.” First baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who has also opted out of the season, told Brown, “That guy probably throws more baseballs than anybody I’ve ever known.”

Giants Add Jose Siri To Player Pool

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The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve added outfielder Jose Siri to their 60-man player pool. They claimed him off waivers out of the Mariners organization back in March, just days before the league shutdown began.

Siri, 24, spent the 2013-19 seasons in the Reds organization after signing as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic. At one point he was considered one of the Reds’ best prospects and landed on the back of FanGraphs’ Top 100 prospects list, but the shine has worn off him in recent years. Siri raked at a .293/.340/.531 clip with 24 homers and 46 stolen bases as a 21-year-old in Class-A back in 2017, but in the two seasons since that time he’s posted a disappointing .238/.297/.397 slash between Double-A and Triple-A.

Following that pair of unimpressive seasons, Siri was designated for assignment when Cincinnati signed Nick Castellanos to a four-year contract this past offseason. Now with the Giants, Siri is a ways down the outfield depth chart; Hunter Pence, Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Jaylin Davis, Austin Slater and Steven Duggar are all likely ahead of him. Veteran Billy Hamilton is also in the Giants organization, but he was recently placed on the injured list. The Giants have top prospects Heliot Ramos and Alexander Canario in Summer Camp as well, but Canario hasn’t played above Low-A while Ramos has just 25 Double-A games under his belt. Neither is an immediate option, though Ramos is regarded as one of the game’s more promising outfield prospects.

The Giants initially announced 51 players in their 60-man pool, though they’ve since seen Buster Posey opt out of the 2020 season and shuffled the deck a bit, adding a few groups of players while also placing some on the injured list (which, if done for coronavirus-related reasons, opens additional vacancies in the player pool).

Giants Notes: Ruf, Pence, Dubon

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Darin Ruf’s loud bat is making a play for a roster spot in San Francisco, per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ruff, 33, made major-league appearances for five consecutive seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2012 to 2016, totaling 833 plate appearances. He was mostly used as a pinch-hitting option off the bench while seeing time at first base and in both outfield corners. The Giants are pretty settled at first base with veteran Brandon Belt, but there’s room for Ruf to make a play for an outfield spot where Michael Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Austin Slater, Joey Rickard, Joe McCarthy, and Hunter Pence are his top competition.

  • Pence, of course, will line up as the regular designated hitter, assuming he can stay healthy. After missing some workouts due to pain in his right foot, Pence underwent an MRI but results returned nothing more serious than inflammation, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s not expected to miss a significant amount of time. The fan favorite returned to the Giants this year just in time to resume his role as a designated hitter, a role in which he thrived last season for the Texas Rangers. Pence enjoyed a real resurgence in 2019, making the All-Star team and hitting .297/.358/.552. the 36-year-old outfielder was limited to 83 games, however, and it’s safe to assume he’ll be a part-time player moving forward. That should leave plenty of at-bats for a crowded veteran infield or any of the names above to snag some extra ABs from the DH slot.
  • In preparation for a hectic season, Giants manager Gabe Kapler is encouraging players to cultivate as much flexibility as possible, per Kerry Crowley of the Mercury News. Joe McCarthy is spending more time at first, Yastrzemski, Austin Slater and others are seeing time in centerfield, and former Brewer Mauricio Dubon has moved all over the diamond, from second to center to right to first. When Dubon was acquired from the Brewers, there was some question as to exactly where he’d fit in, given the veterans stocked in the Giants’ infield. Well, the answer is anywhere and everywhere.

The Giants’ Options For Replacing Buster Posey

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The Giants are in true limbo behind the plate. Organizationally, they have one of the better catching situations in all of baseball. On the one hand, they have a tried-and-true franchise legend still under contract in Buster Posey. Not only was he the backbone of three, count ’em, three World Series titles, but he’s a class act and a fan favorite. In his prime, he was the platonic ideal of a franchise catcher. Admittedly, he is on the decline. Last season was the first since 2011 that the then-32-year-old didn’t make the All-Star team. He’s gone from a 130-start powerhouse behind the plate to more of a true timeshare 100-start guy. He also fell below 100 wRC+ for the first time in his career (save for his 7-game stint as a 22-year-old in 2009). And more to the point, he opted out of the 2020 season to care for his newly adopted twin baby girls. Again: class act.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Giants are blessed with two of the top catching prospects in all of baseball. Joey Bart, the #2 overall pick from the 2018 draft is ranked by Baseball America as the second best catching prospect in all of baseball. Then, with the 13th pick in this year’s draft, they snagged the top NCAA catcher available in Patrick Bailey.

So, yes, big picture, the Giants have an enviable catching corps. But they need to field the position for 2020, and that’s where things get a little sticky. Bailey, 21, has zero chance of jumping straight to the majors from college. He needs time in pro ball to develop. Bart is closer, but all indications are that the Giants want to give him more time, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’s close, appearing in 22 games at Double-A last year and raking to the tune of .316/.368/.544. But a talent like Bart is worth the wait, and though he might be ready at some point this season, the Giants aren’t likely to contend. They don’t want to punt the first part of his career in sub-optimal conditions.

Enter Russell Martin? Schulman put forth Martin’s name as a possibility, noting that Justin Turner lobbied for the veteran to return to the Dodgers recently. Even in a part-time capacity, the well-respected Martin would certainly make some sense. The 37-year-old backstop proved he still had a role on a ML club last season with the league-leading Dodgers. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that the Giants will have to evaluate their internal and external options, and if nothing else, they’re likely going to need someone else in camp just to catch the pitchers on hand.

Without him, the Giants are looking at Chadwick Tromp, Tyler Heineman, and Rob Brantly as the top options from their player pool. Combined, they have 464 big-league plate appearances (429 from Brantly, 11 from Heineman). Brantly, 30, is by far the most experienced of the three, but he hasn’t seen substantive time in the majors since 2017. For the rebuilding Giants, they’re probably most concerned with their ability to handle pitchers and less concerned with contributions at the plate – which is the best argument in favor of pursuing a vet like Martin.

There are catchers out there they could acquire via trade, but with 60-man player pools, catchers fill a very particular need, and player movement has never been more complicated than it is now. Still, they could engage the Rockies’ for Elias Diaz or the Rangers for Blake Swihart, Tim Federowicz, or Nick Ciuffo. Those are just options from teams in their regional pool because, again: player movement is not simple anymore. For those reasons, Martin probable represents the best outside option.

The Giants support Posey in his decision, and they’re going to continue to work with Bart and Bailey to get them ready for their big-league debuts. Maybe Bart will find a way in intrasquad play to prove himself ready. Or maybe one of Tromp, Heineman, or Brantly will seize the opportunity. What we know for sure, the Giants have 60 games ahead in the 2020 season, and they’re going to need a catcher for every one of them.

Buster Posey Opts Out Of 2020 Season

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Giants catcher Buster Posey has decided to opt out of the 2020 season, he announced in a Zoom call with reporters today. Posey explained that he and his wife have adopted twin girls who were born prematurely at 32 weeks. They’re in stable condition but will be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the time being. Both manager Gabe Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi have voiced full support of Posey in his decision.

“With these babies being as fragile as they are, for the next four months at minimum,” Posey said, the decision was easy from a family perspective. The former NL Rookie of the Year and MVP acknowledged that from a pure baseball standpoint, the decision to sit the season out did weigh on him, but he feels strongly that he’s making the best decision for his family. Posey had been absent from Giants Summer Camp for the past two days.

Though Posey himself is not a high-risk individual, his decision serves as yet another reminder that there’s far more to consider than individual well-being when it comes to the current pandemic. We’ve seen many players with family decisions grapple with the same issues that Posey articulately described in his announcement. Ryan Zimmerman was the first such player to opt out with those concerns in mind, but Posey now becomes the tenth veteran to do so. Others, including Sean Doolittle and Mike Trout, have voiced some reservation about playing due to concerns within their own families.

Because Posey himself isn’t high-risk, he won’t receive service time in 2020 and won’t be paid the prorated version of his $21.4MM salary (roughly $7.9MM). His absence will leave a sizable hole in the team’s clubhouse — a fact that both Zaidi and Kapler have emphasized — and will also leave the Giants severely thin behind the plate. Presumptive backup Aramis Garcia had hip surgery that could sideline him all season, and the only other catchers in the organization who have called a big league game are Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman.

It’s true that the Giants have one of MLB’s best catching prospects, 2018 No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart, but he’s yet to play a game above Double-A (where he played in just 22 games last season). Posey’s absence could certainly open the door for Bart, but Zaidi also cautioned against expecting Bart to be thrust into a starring role (Twitter link via Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic): “This is a tough environment to evaluate young position players when you went in thinking they needed more competitive reps at Double-A or Triple-A.”

The Giants will add another catcher to their player pool, Zaidi continued (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea), be it an external acquisition or a promotion from within the Giants’ ranks. There aren’t many free agents of note who have gone unsigned. Russell Martin is a notable exception and was said to be seeking a team back in February, though it’s possible that what has transpired since has altered his plans. Veteran Jesus Sucre also went unsigned this winter, and the Dodgers recently cut Jose Lobaton loose. Given the thin supply in free agency, the Giants could simply stay in-house or look into acquiring a non-roster veteran who is in camp with another club.

Giants Place Billy Hamilton, Jarlin Garcia On Injured List

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The Giants have placed outfielder Billy Hamilton and left-hander Jarlin Garcia on the injured list, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters Thursday (Twitter link via Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News). Kapler could not specify beyond acknowledging that the moves were for “medical purposes.”

The immediate speculation will gravitate toward COVID-19, though it’s certainly possible that one or even both are dealing with other issues. Teams generally disclose injury details, but broader medical concerns that force players away from the field are often kept vague. It should also be pointed out that even when a player is placed on the COVID-19 IL, that does not necessarily indicate he has tested positive. Players can be placed on the IL after exhibiting symptoms or coming into contact with someone who has tested positive. The exact circumstances surrounding the IL placements of Hamilton and Garcia are unknown, but the hope, as always, is that both can return to the field swiftly and in good health.

Both Hamilton and Garcia are newcomers to the Giants organization. Hamilton, the longtime Reds center fielder, is among baseball’s fastest players and brings a superlative glove to a team that plays in one of the game’s most cavernous stadiums (Oracle Park). He signed a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training back in the offseason but was widely expected to win a roster spot from the early days of camp.

The 29-year-old Hamilton batted just .218/.289/.275 in 353 plate appearances between the Royals and Braves last year, but he was flat-out excellent in the field, as usual. Despite playing a career-low 826 innings in the field, Hamilton logged eight Defensive Runs Saved, a 7.9 Ultimate Zone Rating and seven Outs Above Average (per Statcast).

Garcia, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers in February. The 27-year-old was somewhat of a surprise DFA by the Marlins, as he’d pitched to a 3.02 ERA in 50 2/3 frames the prior season. Garcia’s peripheral numbers weren’t quite as pretty; he posted a 3.77 FIP and 4.74 xFIP while averaging 6.9 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. Garcia also benefited from a .248 average on balls in play, although that’s right in line with his career mark to date. Even if there’s some regression in store down the line, he’s controllable for another four seasons, so it’s easy to see why the Giants were happy to take a risk-free flier on the southpaw.

Giants GM Scott Harris On 2020 Outlook, Mid-Season Trades

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Giants GM Scott Harris put to rest any doubts as to whether the Giants are looking at the 2020 season as an opportunity to compete, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. He rejected any idea that the club is looking to the mid-season trade period as merely a chance to move some veteran players.

It remains to be seen, of course, just what kind of transactional action we’ll see in the midst of an unusual and truncated campaign. Harris’s boss, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, has already predicted less player movement.

Whatever the landscape looks like, Harris says, the Giants hope — and even expect — not to be on the sell side. The 2020 sprint is in effect an unprecedented chance for “fast-forwarding to July 23 with a guarantee that the team would be tied for first place,” Harris says.

Under the circumstances, the Giants are looking for ways to take advantage of their competitive position. Per Harris:

“It’s paramount that we get off to a fast start, because if we get off to a fast start the trade deadline is only a few weeks away and we have the opportunity through transactions to turn some of our weaknesses into strengths. Farhan and I are certainly going to be eager to do that if the opportunity presents itself.”

Harris certainly sounds committed to the possibility of a surprise run, citing “a shot to win the division” and a shared determination within the organization “to prove a lot of people wrong out there.” Even in a short-season format, quite a few things will have to go right for the San Francisco organization to topple the powerhouse Dodgers or even to snag a Wild Card. But the potential for surprise will certainly add to the intrigue of the 2020 season.

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