SCOTTSDALE — The Giants were disappointed last year with how little they were able to get from their stable of young starters. A year later, they are once again counting on members of that group to take a huge step forward, and not just because there are questions about the upside of their rotation.
It’s not hyperbole to suggest that Tony Vitello’s success in year one might depend on his ability to trust his bullpen, and given how little was added in that department over the winter, it will be crucial for at least a couple of young starters to become options as relievers.
In that respect, this was an encouraging week at Scottsdale Stadium. Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald both threw well in simulated action, and Carson Seymour began his own outing with strikeouts of Luis Arraez and Willy Adames.
“He came out of the gates throwing, to be honest with you, like he has thrown in the bullpen in January and February,” Vitello said. “He’s had a good head of steam behind him since I’ve seen him and I know he’s amped up. He fits the mold of dang near everybody that’s a holdover from last year — they want to push forward and make progress or potentially be better than they did last year.”
The Giants are in the process of figuring out which young starters would be best served by going every five days in Triple-A and staying stretched out, and which ones might be able to contribute in April if asked to air it out in short bursts. Seymour has the frame and stuff of a power reliever and made 13 appearances out of the pen last season, and Vitello hinted that he might be in the latter camp.
While the overall numbers didn’t stand out last year, the 27-year-old had a 3.38 ERA as a reliever and topped out at 99 mph. His main issue was the long ball — he gave up nine overall and six in 26 2/3 innings as a reliever — but on paper, at least, there’s a fix for that.
“I was starting to understand where my pitches work best and was just trying to throw it there versus the other spots,” he said this week. “I think it was just too broad (before). I got away with it in the minors just (being) in a general area versus being more specific.”
If the Giants can get him on the edges more often, they might have a useful bullpen piece, and the right-hander stands out as exactly the type the Giants can hand to director of major league pitching Frank Anderson, known for his development of young arms in college, and say, “Do your thing.”
An hour after Seymour’s live BP session, Anderson smiled when asked about the right-hander looking sharp. “Yeah, you think?” he said, his eyes twinkling. He noted how physical the 6-foot-6, 255-pound pitcher is, but it’s something else that stands out this spring.
Anderson dug deep over the offseason, even calling some high school and summer ball coaches to find out more about the young pitchers he inherited. With Seymour, there was a common theme.
“He’s more secure,” he said. “He’s more comfortable in this setting than he has been in the past because some of that stuff isn’t new.”
The Plan For Gilbert
Vitello has been coy when asked about roster composition, but when pushed about Jung Hoo Lee, he said his preference is always to have a lineup that can almost be “on auto pilot.”
That could benefit Drew Gilbert, who brings a different skill set — and hits from a different side — than some of others fighting for a backup outfield spot. Gilbert looked good in center field last season and could be a complement to starter Harrison Bader, allowing Lee to stay in right field when Bader isn’t in the lineup.
Grant McCray has a similar profile, but Jerar Encarnacion is purely a corner guy and Luis Matos is a better fit there, too. Thus far, Lee has been purely a right fielder during drills.
“The one thing you know Drew is going to do is be really adamant about being a quarterback. He’s overly outspoken,” Vitello said of Gilbert’s defense. “You’ve got two very different ways (Gilbert and Lee) to go about it, but they’re both capable of doing it.
“I think it probably depends on what matchups you’re looking at on that given day. And then also taking comfort in the fact that I think Drew is a little more comfortable bouncing around to all three (outfield spots).”
Same Old Ramos?
Most of the headlines about Heliot Ramos last year were about his step back on defense, but there also was a noticeable change at the plate. After looking like Aaron Judge against lefties in 2024, he had neutral splits last season. His OPS against left-handers dropped from 1.189 in 2024 to .743 in 2025.
It was a good sign, then, that Ramos took lefty Matt Gage halfway up the berm in right field during Friday’s scrimmage:
Ramos was one of four position players to homer during the scrimmages, which included fielders and use of the ABS system. He joined Rafael Devers, Harrison Bader and Christian Koss.
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