Alex Cobb didn’t pitch on May 31 or June 1, when his Angels made their brief visit to Oracle Park. Perhaps that gave him more time to observe. To take in the atmosphere on the edge of the China Basin.
It was, despite his 10 years as a big leaguer, Cobb’s first time at Oracle Park. Not only has he never pitched in Oracle Park, he’s never pitched agains the Giants.
“There’s few stadiums that have that electric vibe to it,” Cobb said. “That you know a big show’s happening, the type of playoff atmosphere feeling. It had that at that stadium.”
Cobb, the splashiest free agent signing the Giants have made so far this winter, met with local media via Zoom for the first time as a Giant on Wednesday. The Giants’ 21-year-old ballpark was just one of the “endless” reasons he listed as to why he desired to sign with San Francisco.
“It was an easy call for us,” Cobb said after rattling off a few appealing factors.
SF’s surprising 107-win season was the first thing that jumped to Cobb’s mind, especially because “everybody kept telling you they weren’t going to be good and they just kept proving them wrong,” he said.
Cobb also pointed to the track record the Giants have had with working with pitchers. Earlier in the day, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi noted the training staff’s work in helping keep Alex Wood healthy, a feat that could also appeal to a historically injury-prone Cobb.
Another selling point is SF’s strong defense. Cobb is a ground ball pitcher who limited hitters to one of the lowest barrel rates in MLB last season (4.2%). Led by shortstop Brandon Crawford, the Giants ranked sixth in infield outs above average in 2021 at +19. The Angels, Cobb’s former club, placed 22nd with -11 OAA.
Cobb doesn’t remember the exact timeline, but the Giants expressed interest right when free agency began, he said. The Giants were early and persistent with their interest, and their aggressive courtship helped steer Cobb to the Bay.
“It’s nice to have somebody calling right away and showing their motivation and wanting to have you be a part of their organization,” Cobb said.
While Cobb is unfamiliar with Oracle Park, he’s no stranger to many of the Giants. It helps to have some old faces in a new place.
The 34-year-old worked out last spring with starter Alex Wood. Catching coach Craig Albernaz was his first pro-ball catcher in 2006 — in Princeton, West Virginia in the Appalachian League. He played with Evan Longoria for six seasons in Tampa Bay.
And though he hasn’t pitched in Oracle Park, he has pitched to Curt Casali, who’s expected to play a major role for SF in 2022. Of the 23 catchers Cobb has ever pitched to, his 2.86 ERA with Casali — in 50.1 innings across eight games — ranks fourth-best.
“I have a pretty big group of friends that have either played in the past or are on the team right now,” Cobb said. “And the one constant thing you always hear is how much everybody loves playing there.”