At long last, Giants baseball games are back. The Cactus league schedule got underway this past weekend, and although these contests are simple exhibitions, few things in life are as therapeutic as seeing the orange and black in action after a lengthy winter hibernation.
As the games are off to the races, so too are the more important spring training storylines. The Giants player garnering the most attention in the early part of Spring hasn’t even played a Major League game yet. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge has received glowing reviews from every scout, coach and reporter who has laid eyes on him. He wasted no time showing Giants fans what they can expect from the 20-year-old highly touted prospect.
He blasted a mammoth 450 foot shot to dead center field in just his second at bat. Here’s how it sounded from Jon Miller on the KNBR airwaves.
Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper were both in awe of Eldridge’s big debut. Krukow joined Murph & Markus on Tuesday morning. He relayed an eye opening parallel that Kuiper made after calling Saturday’s game.
Spring Training is about development and auditions for players, but it’s also about enjoying ball without the pressure of the 162 game season. As Giants fans get re-acquainted with Jung Hoo Lee after he missed most of 2024 with a shoulder injury, our very own Austin Scott sat down with the Korean star.
Via interpreter, he went over his old “cheer song” from the KBO, which wss thunderously sung by the entire stadium each time he came up to bat. It’s an understatement to say this needs to happen at Oracle Park for this season and throughout his Giants tenure.
Murph & Markus were able to sit down with Giants General Manager Zack Minasian during the trip to Scottsdale last week. The conversation was generally positive, but Minasian was asked about the Giants reduced payroll as it compares to the juggernaut spending of the Dodgers and on a lesser scale the Padres and Diamondbacks.
Other notes:
Marco Luciano hit a monster home run on Monday, a blast that profiled similarly to Eldridge’s on Friday. Justin Verlander made his faux Giants debut on the other side of the split squad in Scottsdale against the Rockies. Jung Hoo Lee also homered on Monday, belting a shot to right.