Spring Training Preview: A Look At The San Francisco Giants And The Rest Of The NL West
A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:
San Francisco Giants
Manager: Bruce Bochy (ninth season).
2014: 88-74, second place, wild card, World Series champions.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Scottsdale Stadium.
First Workout: Feb. 19/24.
He's Here: 3B Casey McGehee, OF Nori Aoki.
He's Outta Here: 3B Pablo Sandoval, OF Michael Morse, 2B Marco Scutaro.
Going campin': The Giants are coming off their third World Series title in five seasons and hope to end their recent pattern of following a championship by missing the playoffs. The biggest offseason change was the loss of Sandoval, a postseason star who signed a $95 million, five-year deal with Boston. McGehee takes Kung Fu Panda's spot at third base, but the Giants will need to find another way to fill the power void. Matt Cain missed the playoff run to undergo elbow surgery but should be healthy to start camp, adding depth to a rotation led by World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner. The Giants will watch Bumgarner closely in spring training after he became the eighth pitcher this century to throw at least 270 innings in the regular season and postseason combined. Bumgarner had two World Series wins and a five-inning save in Game 7 to give the Giants the title over Kansas City.
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Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager: Don Mattingly (fifth season).
2014: 94-68, first place, lost to Cardinals in NLDS.
Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.
Park: Camelback Ranch.
First Workout: Feb. 20/26.
He's Here: SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Howie Kendrick, C Yasmani Grandal, RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Joel Peralta, LHP Brett Anderson, RHP Juan Nicasio.
He's Outta Here: OF Matt Kemp, SS Hanley Ramirez, 2B Dee Gordon, RHP Dan Haren, RHP Brian Wilson, RHP Chris Perez, C Tim Federowicz.
Going campin': The Dodgers' 94 wins were the fourth-most in the majors last season, but their playoff failure against St. Louis is what sticks in their minds. That prompted an offseason of dramatic change, starting with a new front office and several roster moves. The team traded Kemp and Gordon, while Ramirez departed as a free agent. Among the big acquisitions are Kendrick and Rollins, along with Grandal, to help management achieve its goal of improved defense. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw led the majors in victories with 21 and ERA at 1.77 last season, when he became the first NL pitcher to sweep the MVP and Cy Young Awards since Bob Gibson in 1968. But his playoff struggles continued; he went 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA in the Division Series loss to St. Louis, something that will add to Kershaw's motivation.
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San Diego Padres
Manager: Bud Black (ninth season).
2014: 77-85, third place.
Training Town: Peoria, Arizona.
Park: Peoria Stadium.
First Workout: Feb. 20/25.
He's Here: OF Justin Upton, OF Matt Kemp, OF Wil Myers, RHP James Shields, C Derek Norris, 3B Will Middlebrooks, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Shawn Kelley, C Tim Federowicz, SS Clint Barmes, RHP Brandon Maurer, C Wil Nieves.
He's Outta Here: OF Seth Smith, C Yasmani Grandal, SS Everth Cabrera, C Rene Rivera, RHP Joe Wieland.
Going campin': First-year general manager A.J. Preller gave the Padres a badly needed new identity with a dizzying series of trades in December that brought in a powerful new outfield - Kemp, Myers and Upton - as well as Norris and Middlebrooks. Preller topped it off by signing Shields to a $75 million, four-year contract, the biggest free-agent deal in club history. The overhauled Padres go into spring training knowing they at least have a chance to compete with the $250 million Dodgers and World Series champion Giants at the top of the NL West. Preller still has work to do, though. He must decide what to do with two injury-prone outfielders: Carlos Quentin, who has a no-trade clause and is owed $8 million, and Cameron Maybin, who is due $7 million. Shields will lead a rotation that also includes Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner and Ian Kennedy. Several pitchers will compete for the No. 5 spot. Middlebrooks will have to fend off Yangervis Solarte for the job at third base.
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Colorado Rockies
Manager: Walt Weiss (third season).
2014: 66-96, fourth place.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
First Workout: Feb. 21/27.
He's Here: C Nick Hundley, RHP David Hale, RHP Kyle Kendrick, RHP Gus Schlosser, RHP John Axford, 2B Daniel Descalso, RHP Jorge Rondon, RHP Jairo Diaz.
He's Outta Here: RF Michael Cuddyer, 2B Josh Rutledge, RHP Juan Nicasio, RHP Rob Scahill, LHP Franklin Morales, RHP Matt Belisle, RHP Chris Martin.
Going campin': The Rockies finally parted ways with longtime GM Dan O'Dowd, who presided over just four winning seasons in his 15 years in Denver, and senior vice president Bill Geivett, who had an office in the clubhouse in one of the more unusual setups in baseball. But instead of going with an outsider, owner Dick Monfort promoted Jeff Bridich from player development director to GM. Bridich, a Harvard grad who looks at baseball from more of an analytical angle, didn't make splashy offseason moves. Instead, he concentrated on adding experience and power to his rotation (Kendrick) and bullpen (Axford, Rondon, Diaz, Hale, Schlosser). Bridich was willing to listen to offers for oft-injured stars Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Justin Morneau, but wouldn't take less than full value. So, the Rockies are happy to have all three back for a fresh start in 2015. Colorado's biggest move over the winter was signing Hundley, the veteran catcher who's expected not only to provide better defense behind the plate than Wilin Rosario did but also accelerate the progress of a relatively young pitching staff.
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Arizona Diamondbacks
Manager: Chip Hale (first season).
2014: 64-98, fifth place.
Training Town: Scottsdale, Arizona.
Park: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
First Workout: Feb. 20/25.
He's Here: 3B-OF Yasmani Tomas, RHP Jeremy Hellickson, RHP Allen Webster, LHP Vidal Nuno, RHP Rubby De La Rosa, LHP Robbie Ray.
He's Outta Here: Manager Kirk Gibson, C Miguel Montero, SS Didi Gregorius, LHP Wade Miley.
Going campin': There are changes galore for the Diamondbacks at the start of Tony La Russa's first full season as head of the franchise's baseball operations. Hale, most recently Bob Melvin's bench coach in Oakland, takes over for the fired Gibson, with Dave Stewart the new GM. Many questions loom. Only two pitchers, Hellickson and Josh Collmenter, seem to be locks to make the rotation, with a large group of contenders for the other three spots. Patrick Corbin, coming off Tommy John surgery, won't be ready until at least June. Then there's the void at catcher, where longtime minor leaguer and last year's backup, Tuffy Gosewisch, is the heir apparent to Montero. The other catcher on the major league roster is Oscar Hernandez, who was in Class A last season. The team signed 12-year major league veteran Gerald Laird to a minor league contract. The Diamondbacks will be looking to see if Tomas, their top offseason acquisition, can play third base. Otherwise he goes to left field, with another suspect defender in right: Mark Trumbo.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
