Activity on the field in Scottsdale at Giants spring training remains relatively mum; chatter off of it is starting to ramp up.
How long of a leash should Matt Cain be given if he does indeed win the fifth starting job? Both the 2015 and 2016 seasons yielded very little results from the once legendary Giant, who is now entering his 11th season with the club.
MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes joined Tolbert and Lund to discuss the former All-Star on KNBR.
“Let’s hope we can get something out of Matt Cain. What is he, (32) years old?” Byrnes said. “But seriously, 32 years old? He was always a crafty guy. Matt Cain, for me, never got by on just pure power fastballs. There was a really brief time when he first came up where he would blow 96 (MPH). And he’d throw the four-seamer up in the zone. But you watch him pitch now, and it’s interesting because he doesn’t have the same confidence that he used to. But I don’t know why not? Like, I don’t understand.”
Byrnes went on to tell a story about an at-bat in his career when he faced Cain in spring training. The sequence lasted 12 pitches before Cain dropped the filthiest changeup out of nowhere to strike out the now current broadcaster.
“(The changeup) is really the neutralizer with him. Because the slider’s never been great,” Byrnes said. “His fastball has never been overpowering. When he’s been good, he’s been able to locate it. But made him so lethal, and what made him one of the best pitchers in the game at one point, was his ability to drop any pitch on you at any time.
“At least lately, from my analytical role in watching him, I just feel like he doesn’t do that. I also feel like, for whatever reason, you know he’s still throwing 90 MPH. But the velocity has definitely dropped. But for the most part, every time I faced Matt Cain, he was throwing 92 MPH. So you’re telling me taking 2 MPH away from what was one of the better pitchers in the game of baseball and now you tell me that he can’t be the Giants’ fifth starter? At 32 years old? I have a hard time wrapping my hands around that.”
If Cain is not able to prove himself in February or March, at least Giants fans know they have a reliable option waiting in the wings. Lefty Ty Blach assumed the fifth starter role late last season and was terrific, notching 10 strikeouts and a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings pitched in September.
“He proved time and time again that he’s ready for the moment,” Byrnes said. “And he’s ready right now. Does that mean you have to force him into action? No. I almost feel like Giants fans — you’re going to be better off if he comes into a situation where he doesn’t have a whole lot of expectations.”