Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants’ future will be on display in Scottsdale.
Behind the plate will be Joey Bart. Looming large on the mound will be Sean Hjelle. The future will shine bright in the Arizona sun.
The Giants announced 18 non-roster invitees for spring training on Monday, including eight position players — none more promising than Bart, the catcher who was the second-overall pick in 2018 — and 10 pitchers — highlighted by the towering, 6-foot-11 Hjelle, a 2018 second-round pick.
Bart probably cannot play his way onto the Opening Day roster, but he can begin his quest to debut in 2020 with a hot spring. The 23-year-old is coming off an encouraging if setback-filled season that finished at Double-A Richmond. His year then finished by fracturing his thumb in October in the Arizona Fall League.
Hjelle, the 22-year-old righty, is one of the Giants’ top pitching prospects and also finished his season by hitting Richmond. In 143 2/3 innings split between three levels, he finished with a 3.32 ERA, 139 strikeouts and 37 walks.
Among the others invited will be outfielder Joey Rickard, who was non-tendered after the season but will return a righty bat that hits lefties hard; Tyler Cyr, a 26-year-old righty reliever who has pitched well in the minors but not yet broken through; and infielders Cristhian Adames and Zach Green, both of whom had cups of coffee with the big-league Giants last season. Adames is a switch-hitter who can move around the infield and Green is a third baseman who swatted 25 home runs at Triple-A Sacramento last season.
Instead of bringing in an established, lefty-hitting catcher to replace Stephen Vogt, the Giants are taking a couple fliers on Tyler Heineman, a rare switch-hitting catcher, and Chad Tromp, who put up big numbers last year in abbreviated time in the Cincinnati organization, beginning his season late due to shoulder surgery. Both will compete with Aramis Garcia for the full-time backup job.
The full list:
Pitchers:
— RHP Matt Carasiti
— RHP Tyler Cyr
— RHP Rico Garcia
— RHP Sean Hjelle
— RHP Trey McNutt
— LHP Sam Moll
— RHP Carlos Navas
— RHP Andrew Triggs
— RHP Raffi Vizcaino
— RHP Sam Wolff
Catchers:
— Joey Bart
— Tyler Heineman
— Chad Tromp
Infielders:
— Cristhian Adames
— Zach Green
— Drew Robinson
Outfielders:
— Joey Rickard
— Jamie Westbrook