Brandon Belt Makes Spring Debut Wednesday

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (heel) made his spring debut as a pinch-hitter on Wednesday as planned against the Padres. He struck out in the at-bat. Belt has missed all of spring training to this point as he recovered from off-season heel surgery, bouts with COVID-19, and mononucleosis. Per Giants reporter Kerry Crowley, […]

Kevin Gausman To Pitch Opening Day For Giants

The San Francisco Giants announced Wednesday that starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will have the honors of getting the Opening Day start for the team. Manager Gabe Kapler said, "I think it's a huge honor for Kevin and very well deserved based on performances last year and some of his lights-out outings already this spring.". Gausman […]

Jake McGee Has Allowed One Baserunner All Spring

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jake McGee has had a fantastic spring to this point. As of Wednesday, the 34-year-old has faced 19 batters; he has allowed one hit (a single), has not allowed any walks, and has struck out six. McGee had a successful 2020 season with the Dodgers and showed that he can […]

Maikel Franco Says He'll Be Ready For Opening Day

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco said Tuesday that he will be ready to play with his new team on Opening Day, per MASN's Steve Melewski. Said Franco, "No question, I'm going to be ready. I'm going to be 100 percent for Opening Day.". Franco sat as a free agent until mid-March, so he has […]

Mauricio Dubon's Hitting Improvements Standing Out This Spring

San Francisco Giants second baseman/outfielder Mauricio Dubon's changes in hitting approach have not gone unnoticed this spring. Manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday, "Dubon really stands out as a player that's made significant adjustments to his approach.". The 26-year-old currently has a .286 batting average and .462 on-base percentage this spring with six strikeouts, 10 walks, […]

Evan Longoria Has Yet To Play Field This Spring

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (plantar fasciitis) has hit very well this spring, compiling a .474/.500/1.211 slash line with four home runs and 10 RBI. However, he has yet to play the field for the Giants. It makes sense that Giants have tried to keep Longoria off his feet as much as possible […]

Freddy Galvis Plates Two Monday

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Freddy Galvis had a nice day at the plate in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates, going 2-for-3 with a single, a double, and two RBI. The 31-year-old has had a decent first spring with the O's, posting a .296/.321/.444 slash line with one home run and four RBI over 27 at-bats. […]

Anthony Santander Continues To Draw Walks This Spring

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander continued to show off his improved plate discipline in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates, going 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. The 26-year-old, who owns a career 4.9% walk rate, now has nine walks this season, batting .296 with an impressive .472 on-base percentage. Santander has been a […]

John Means Feels Ready To Go For 2021 Regular Season

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means put forth a lackluster start in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates. Means allowed three runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings pitched. He threw 85 pitches in the outing. The good thing is that Means feels good for the start of […]

Matt Harvey Drawing Praise For Velocity This Spring

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey has been throwing between 92 and 95 mph with his fastball this spring and is earning praise from the team, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The 31-year-old is fighting for a spot on the O's roster after struggling for the past several seasons of his career. While the velocity may […]

Connelly Doan's Bold Predictions for 2021

Welcome to the 2021 fantasy baseball season everybody! Spring Training is in full swing and fantasy drafts are well under way. One of the most satisfying things throughout the season (and in life in general) is to be right, especially when others don’t agree with you. Of course, putting your contrarian opinions out in the […]

Anthony DeSclafani, Giants Hoping For Bounce-Back 2021

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani could be the latest bounce-back pitcher for the team in recent seasons. DeSclafani pitched 3 2/3 innings in Thursday's game against the Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The 30-year-old has had several successful seasons throughout his career, but he posted […]

Austin Hays Continues Strong Performance Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays had another great day at the plate in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Braves. Hays went 3-for-3 with a single, two doubles, and two RBI. The 25-year-old is now hitting .370 this spring with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and a 1.100 OPS. While the O's have a […]

John Means Has Strong Start Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means had a solid outing in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Braves. Means pitched four innings, allowing one run on two hits (including a solo home run) and no walks with four strikeouts. It was encouraging to see a strong performance from the 27-year-old, who struggled last season and now […]

Alex Dickerson Has Three-Hit Game Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson continued his strong spring performance in Wednesday's 11-8 win over the Rockies, going 3-for-5 with two singles, a solo home run, and two RBI. Dickerson's first HR of the spring was a blast to straightaway center off of Chad Smith. The 30-year-old is now hitting .300 this spring with […]

Jason Vosler Vying For Opening Day Roster Spot

San Francisco Giants utility player Jason Vosler continued to impress in Wednesday's 11-8 win over the Rockies, batting 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and an RBI. The 27-year-old, who has never played in the big leagues, currently has a batting average of .333 and an OPS above .900 for the spring . Further, he […]

Kevin Gausman Saving Splitter For Regular Season

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kevin Gausman said that he is hardly going to throw his splitter, one of his best pitches, during spring training because it puts a lot of stress on his fingers, per Mercury News' Kerry Crowley. As such, the Giants aren't necessarily worried about Gausman's numbers during his spring training outings. […]

Orioles Officially Sign Maikel Franco Tuesday

The Baltimore Orioles completed their signing of free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco on Tuesday. General manager Mike Elias said, "I think [Franco] is someone that is going to help us a lot and fit in very well with the personnel that we have on this roster.". In addition to third base, Elias said that Franco […]

Hunter Harvey Placed On 60-Day Injured List Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Hunter Harvey (oblique) was placed on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday due to a strained left oblique. Per general manager Mike Elias, Hunter experienced "a pretty large strain in the oblique." The move corresponded with clearing a roster spot for newly signed third baseman Maikel Franco. The 26-year-old has experienced multiple injuries […]

Heliot Ramos Avoids First Spring Cuts Monday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, one of the team's top prospects, was notably not optioned to Triple-A Sacramento Monday, per NBC Sport's Alex Pavlovic. The team unsurprisingly cut most of their top prospects in this first round, including Joey Bart, Marco Luciano, Hunter Bishop, and Patrick Bailey. However, the 21-year-old, who has nine hits […]

Matt Harvey Turns In Decent Start Monday

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Matt Harvey showed some positive signs in Monday's 12-3 win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts over four innings pitched. Harvey allowed a home run to Ke'Bryan Hayes in the first inning, but was able to get things relatively under control for the […]

Rio Ruiz Plays Well In Return To Lineup

Baltimore Orioles third baseman/first baseman Rio Ruiz (illness) had a solid overall performance in Monday's 12-3 win over the Pirates. Ruiz had missed more than a week with an undisclosed illness, but he went 2-for-3 with two doubles in his return to the lineup. He also made a nice diving stop in the second inning. Things aren't […]

Orioles Finalizing Deal With Maikel Franco

The Baltimore Orioles were reportedly finalizing a deal with free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco on Sunday, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. The O's have yet to confirm the agreement. Franco posted solid numbers at the plate with the Royals in 2020, slashing .278/.321/.457 with eight HR and 38 RBI. If signed, Franco could potentially play […]

Orioles Linked To Maikel Franco

The Baltimore Orioles are one of several teams linked to free-agent third baseman Maikel Franco, per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. The O's current third baseman, Rio Ruiz has slashed a disappointing .229/.299/.393 with 21 home runs over the past two seasons. Ruiz is not a great defender and neither is Franco, but Franco posted […]

Logan Webb Working On Off-speed Pitches

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb was told that he needed to focus on throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes more frequently this spring, per Mercury News' Kerry Crowley. Webb did a good job of that in Monday's 2-2- tie against the Diamondbacks, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Webb said all three […]

Evan Longoria Plates Three In Spring Training Debut

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria got his first spring training action at designated hitter in Saturday's game against the Royals. The 35-year-old went 1-for-2 with a three-run double in the third inning of the game. Longoria is being slow-played on defense because of plantar fasciitis, which he has dealt with in the past, […]

Johnny Cueto Has Strong Spring Training Debut Saturday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto looked great in his Cactus League debut Saturday, pitching two shutout innings with four strikeouts against the Royals. Cueto touched 94 MPH with his fastball and showcased his signature changeup. The 35-year-old has not had a solid, healthy season since 2016, but the Giants will need him to […]

DJ Stewart Hits Second Home Run Of Spring Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart had another nice day at the plate in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Braves, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run. Stewarts' fourth-inning shot off of Carl Edwards Jr. was his second of the spring. The 27-year-old hit a poor .193 in 2020, but did have seven HR. With Anthony […]

Austin Hays Fighting For Starting Role

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays had a special day at the plate in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Braves, going 2-for-3 with a single, a two-run home run, and a stolen base. The HR was Hays' first of the spring and came in his first game playing in front of his infant son, Levi, who […]

Jason Vosler Impressing Giants At Spring Training

San Francisco Giants third baseman Jason Vosler may have a path to a role in the big leagues this season, per NBC Sports' Alex Pavlovic. Vosler, who has spent his career in the minors, signed a big league deal with the Giants in November. The 27-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles, one off of Walker […]