The Giants went into the season with a somewhat fluid rotation. San Francisco added Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea to a staff that already included Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Cobb and Alex Wood. That left some question about how skipper Gabe Kapler would divvy up the starts, though there’s more clarity a few weeks into the season.
In an appearance on KNBR radio yesterday, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the Giants would primarily use Stripling out of the bullpen for now (link via Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News). The front office leader indicated Stripling could take an occasional start as needed to keep others rested, essentially functioning in a swing capacity.
The veteran righty is plenty familiar with that kind of role. Stripling has 105 starts and 102 relief appearances at the big league level. He’s worked at least partially in relief during each season of his career. Stripling logged a career-high workload with the Blue Jays last season, tossing 134 1/3 innings over 32 outings. He’d worked in a swing role through the end of May before assuming a full-time rotation job with Toronto. Stripling posted an excellent 3.01 ERA while keeping his walks to a meager 3.7% clip during that season.
San Francisco added Stripling and Manaea on matching contracts — two years and $25MM with an opt-out after the first season. Manaea came out of the bullpen for his first appearance on April 3 but has started his last two outings, including tonight’s extra-inning loss to the Tigers. Stripling, conversely, started on April 2 and was called upon in relief for his next two appearances. It seems that arrangement will continue, at least assuming everyone’s healthy.
Stripling is off to a tough start to his Giants tenure. He’s been tagged for ten runs in as many innings, serving up a staggering six longballs. His velocity and swing-and-miss rates remain in line with last season’s respective marks but the volume of hard contact in the early going has been untenable.
It’s obviously far too early to make any definitive judgments on the acquisition. There’s plenty of time left in the season. Stripling figures to get consistent rotation run at some point again since virtually no club makes it through a full season without encountering starting pitching injuries. Still, it’s not the start the Giants or Stripling had envisioned — particularly since the inclusion of the opt-out clause in his deal gave Stripling a path to retesting free agency after replicating last year’s success as a starting pitcher.
Manaea’s early results have also been a little rocky. The southpaw has surrendered six runs in 11 1/3 frames, albeit with a solid 13:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Manaea has come out with an early-season velocity spike, though, offering optimism he’ll improve his performance over the coming weeks. He entered play Friday averaging 94.5 MPH on his sinker. That’s more than three ticks above last year’s 91.2 MPH average heater. Manaea topped the 97 MPH mark for the first time in his career during his relief outing, per Brooks Baseball. His velocity predictably wasn’t quite that high during his first start but the 94.2 MPH average fastball he demonstrated was higher than in any of his outings last season.
Pretty hefty contract for a long reliever!
Let’s face it Stripling was never going to be your ace. #4 or #5 at best.
I would start Junis before Stirpling. Stripling effective once through the lineup at most.
Injuries happen though. He’ll most likely get at least 15 or so starts this year.
Well that doesn’t mean he’s going to be successful though.
Rogers and Manaea were both terrible last season and somehow Farhan gave them 58 million combined. Stripling as a 12 million dollar RP is certainly a decision as well. I see why Aaron Jude wanted no part of this team.
Facts
Yup that’s what some people would call poor management. Zhadi should be fired asap. Hes the joke of the team
There is a reason Farhan’s option for next season hasn’t been exercised yet and at the rate the team is going it may not be either
The problem is that the team doesn’t have to win and fill the stands to make money. They have the mission rock real estate development right across from the stadium. The Giants were bad last year and were still very profitable despite the crowd resembling an A’s game. So it’s tough for fans to have any effect on the owners pocket book by not going to games when they have other revenue streams that dwarf the baseball side. Farhan was seeming put in place to cut costs, not to win baseball games. And I’m sure in his bosses eyes he is doing a great job. It’s the fans that suffer.
Awwwwww. The poor fans.
There’s the lapdog.
Hey Coward ! Where have you been hiding ?
But Arson Judge signed there apparently.
They should of offered Arson Judge the $400 million the Padres offered, I doubt the Yankees would of matched.
@CJ99
The Pads offer was reportedly over a 13 or 14 year term, in order to lower its AAV. So roughly $10M per year less over each of the first of the 9 years that the SFG and NYY offered. These people are all big-time investors, so Judge and his advisors well understand “the time-value of money”. Basically, it boils down to this: The real value of that additional $40M would have been very greatly diminished by the very real loss of the cumulative $90M worth of investing opportunity over the course of those 1st nine years.
The Pads owners know all this too, of course, and they’d also get lower cost exposure on the CBT as an added benefit to just having that extra $90M to invest themselves during the next 9 years.
It’s entirely conceivable to me that both the Giants and the Yankees would have matched that offer if that’s what Judge’s camp wanted. It’s also entirely conceivable to me that “Aaron Judge Incorporated” saw little to no real-money advantage in taking the ostensibly “bigger” offer.
Either way, he’s almost certainly going to be a billionaire before he’s 50 or 60 years old. It staggers the imagination.
@goob- what your saying could be correct regarding the Padres offer. The Yankees were never going to $400 million though. I think the Giants would would have matched that contract though. As the Mad Dog said the Giants should of went higher for Judge and matched the Padres offer. It was always just between the Yankees and the Giants. Aaron was never going to San Diego anyway.
Aaron Jude?
This is basically admitting a mistake already
Lol didn’t Stripling say he signed here because he was told he was going to start? FZ / Kapler lying more.
I wouldn’t start Ross on a adult baseball team. Hes complete garbage
Ah the pure emotional rush of not understanding the volatility inherent in small sample sizes.
Stripling was great last season. Really helped us in the back of the rotation. But he was never worth that contract.
With Cobb, DeSclafani, and Wood’s history of injuries (especially Cobb and Wood) there will be plenty of opportunities for Stripling to start as the season goes on
LOLGiants
Does the giants have any solid starters? Lol nah bunch ah overpaid trash can bums no other team had interest in. Don’t worry they’ll get a premium pick in next year’s draft and waist it on poop stain undies
Yes. Webb.
I’m Giants Fan. But why is this an Article ?
Feel bad for ya. Giants might be the worst team of 23
I think the NO shift is hurting noted groundball pitchers tremendously – especially with teams that do not have rangy 2B’s
Oh lord, more Giants content. Why bother ? I’m pressed to find a more irrelevant team in MLB
The franchise is a mess and they play in the NL West which STACKED
And the fan base is a pain in the rear. A bunch of whiny, overly sentimental, low information types that come here and post fan boy gibberish
Some of us are realistic, informed, and agree with you. Others are blindly loyal like a dog.
No better friend than a loyal dog sticking by your side. Much respect. Never understood the cats that let out a weak hiss before giving up and running for cover.
Yeah like the lapdog who replied to you. It is really sad! I don’t understand how some people step out of bed in the morning
Look who has returned from hiding. Nice to hear from you, coward.
6 hrs in 10 innings? Yikes
Just STOP with all the Frisco updates. Nobody cares. The team is old, boring and BAD
JUST LIKE MY WIFE
Giants might do better if Kapler wouldn’t juggle the line up so much. He made some questionable decisions in Philly while trying to be the smartest guy in the room, and that got him and his nerdy GM (Matt “Rockin’ like the Angels” Klentak) fired.
The rotation is a collection of #4 starters, and aside from Dotel, the bullpen is one ? after another.
Probably gonna lose 90+ games this year unless this new balanced schedule gets them five or six extra wins playing some cupcakes instead of LA.
One of these days, and I might not be around to see it happen, baseball is gonna return to the good old days and preach: See the ball, hit the ball for hitters. And, Throw strike one for pitchers.
Launch angle, exit velocity, spin rates, gotta have a third pitch et al are all products of a bunch of Ivy League nerds who don’t know the infield from the outfield. Unplug their laptops and send them packing. Bad for the game.
LOL. What a read this thread is. You go girls !
Seriously considering just uninstalling this app.
12 year old Yankee trolls just keep repeating the same crap. Then the so called fans with the same old whining with little or nothing to add about the article itself.
I guess I prefer the offseason banter here better. Time to go watch some games.
I get it. You just go to step back and laugh at the immaturity of it all. Grown men exuding their toughness by behaving like a bitchy schoolgirl on the internet. It’s so ridiculous it’s hilarious.
Maybe they are school girls ?
Ya never know who’s behind the posts. My problem is I just can’t stop feeding the trolls.
I’ll leave you with a bright spot for the Giants.
His name is Thairo Estrada.
Most consistent guy on the team right now.
Let’s go skin some Tigers !
Estrada could be heading for a monster season. Love it. And we got him from the Yankees for cash considerations.
Yep. Farhan certainly is the idiot.
Estrada and Rodon could be the root of all the Yankee trolling. That and the long term contracts that will kill their future.
@foppert
I take offense to that, my wife’s says it’s above average
They all say that.
Estrada might have a monster season, but getting one right in 5 years doesn’t make Farhan a genius. Far from it
I’m sorry that you’re so emotionally invested in a multimillionaire executive, but I’m not. I think with logic. That gives you no right to try to insult me, like a kindergartner throwing a fit in a sandbox. I didn’t even say anything about Farhan. Maybe try to pay attention and stay on topic.
Sure. You are so logical that you claim the owners had to force him into extending Webb. Plus there’s this secret opt out no one but you knows about. Todays effort is that he is a Trojan horse from the Dodgers.
You keep coming up with ridiculous , OCD anti Farhan crap like that, then I’m insulting you. Least I can do for the team I support. It’s also called being fair and reasonable to a fellow human.
Should use him as trade/dfa bait
Does Zaidi have a direction for this team? Because I’m not seeing it.
Zaidi & Kapler gotta go! Besides this off seasons fiasco, Zaidi’s free agent signings have been: Tommy LaStella, Anthony Descalphani, Ross Stripling, Sean Mannea, Mitch Haniger, etc. Meanwhile, they didn’t even try to retain Gausman or Rodon (or Bryant). There handling of Joey Bart has been disgusting. He was called up too early, asked to fill Posey’s shoes, then last year he struggled (newsflash, almost all young hitters struggle) & they sent him back down, then back up. So this year one would think it was Joey’s job, but they say the position is wide open & they sign a new catcher every week. Bart’s done everything they ask, give him a real chance without him having to look over his shoulder all the time. Look at other young players that struggled their first year & are now killing it because their team let them work through it. Jarred Kelenic was atrocious last year, but Seattle stayed the course & dude is killing it now. Gorman & Burleson struggled in St. Louis last year, now they’re killing it. Gunnar Henderson is struggling now, if Farhan was their GM he would claim a new 3B off the wire every week. Like give Joey the position without signing hundred catchers & he’ll be fine. Farhan & Kapler gotta go!
“Stripling, conversely, started on April 2 and was called upon in relief for his next two appearances. It seems that arrangement will continue, at least assuming everyone’s healthy.”
No. “Conversely” should start the sentence. Don’t throw it after the subject and chop up the flow. It doesn’t make the sentence look more sophisticated. In fact, it makes the writer look less skilled.
“Conversely, Stripling started on April 2 and was called upon in relief for his next two appearances. It seems that arrangement will continue, at least assuming everyone’s healthy.”