With the Giants struggling to find a way to somehow salvage their season, manager Bruce Bochy has decided to call up more and more young players from the team’s farm system. Prospects like Ryder Jones, Christian Arroyo and Austin Slater have all seen time in the big leagues this year with more young guys possibly on the way as the Giants veteran players continue to struggle.
KNBR.com’s Giants’ beat writer Kerry Crowley told the Audible Tuesday that how the team plays in the near future could alter the direction of the franchise.
“I think we are really going to see what the identity of this team’s going to be over the next few seasons with the way that this team plays over the next month,” Crowley said. “Do certain players want to be here for the future? Does Eduardo Nunez want to be here for the future? Does Johnny Cueto want to be here for the future? I think that Bruce Bochy is confident that this can still be the core and San Francisco can still build around players like Posey, Belt, Panik and even Pence. But if these guys don’t perform over the next month then we are going to see more prospects in the lineup. We are going to see Ryder Jones [and] Christian Arroyo. Perhaps Chris Shaw will get the early call up. You’re going to see some of these veterans pushed out and see guys having opportunities, who at the beginning of the season, weren’t even on the radar for San Francisco.”
With the Giants seemingly trying to give their young guys a chance to prove they should be a part of the team’s future, Crowley said that the only way for San Francisco to give their prospects opportunities to do so is by making some changes to the roster.
“There’s going to be no room for the young guys on the 40 man roster if they don’t start selling,” Crowley said. “I think if they really feel out of it and they think they can get the type of prospects they want for Johnny Cueto [and] Eduardo Nunez…then they might as well do it. So if they do feel the need to bring up these young guys and give them a shot, the only way to do so is to clear room on the 40 man roster and trade for prospects.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Crowley’s comments on the Giants prospects skip to the 7:21 mark.