Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE — Gabe Kapler has alluded to mechanical adjustments Conner Menez has been making.
The lefty will be able to put those on display immediately.
The manager announced Friday that Menez would be his Cactus League-opener starter on Sunday, when the Giants host the Angels at Scottsdale Stadium.
Expected to follow Menez are lefty Sam Long and righties Jay Jackson, Zack Littell, Sam Wolff, Tyler Cyr and Jimmie Sherfy. Among the group, Menez is the only one on the 40-man roster, the rest comprised of pitchers on minor league deals in on camp invites.
Menez, a minor league starter who debuted in 2019, pitched well in limited relief last season, when he allowed three earned runs in 11 1/3 innings. He was sent to the alternate site after his Aug. 10 appearance, though, and never reappeared in the majors.
In a season in which so many games and series will need to be navigated through one inning at a time — pitchers’ usages will be a deep curiosity after such a shortened season — the Giants will need every pitcher available. The 25-year-old Menez, who has relied upon a fastball and slider predominantly but threw a curve more last year, sailed through the minors in 2019 and is positioned to start games for Triple-A Sacramento when camp breaks.
Behind him is Long, who has made significant waves through camp. The 25-year-old from Fair Oaks had nearly quit baseball and was taking EMT classes before he gave it a last go, impressed in 2019 with the White Sox’s Single-A affiliate and has caught on with the Giants, getting praise from Kapler, Buster Posey and Joey Bart.
Jackson and Sherfy also have been on the receiving end of Kapler’s praise. Littell, a former minor league starter, was a solid reliever for Minnesota as recently as 2019. Wolff (29 years old) and Cyr (27) are returning Giants prospects seeking their breakthroughs.
Kapler said he has projected lineups for the first five days of the Giants’ spring exhibition season, all of which will be seven-inning contests.
LaMonte Wade Jr., a lefty outfielder trying to make the Opening Day roster, launched a homer to right-center off Logan Webb. The Giants believe there’s more pop in his bat than he showed as a Twins prospect.
Kapler’s review of two “outstanding” live batting practices he saw:
Tyler Rogers‘ stuff was “great” against Mike Yastrzemski and Tommy La Stella, two tough lefty hitters. The righty Rogers actually was tougher on lefties than righties last season.
“The deception continues to play and continues to play against left-handed batters,” Kapler said of Rogers, who “had a pretty good sinker working as well.”
Caleb Baragar had his “best appearance” since he reported to camp, Kapler said, against Wilmer Flores and Austin Slater, who hammer lefties.
“He didn’t have the best fastball location today — he was looking to try to execute a little bit more at the top of the zone. He was in the middle of the plate,” Kapler said of the lefty, who’s being stretched out as a starter. “… He was able to miss bats. He’s working on the shape and execution of his [slider]. That’s coming along nicely.”