SAN FRANCISCO — The last press conference of the year tends to reveal fresh information about the health of players, but general manager Bobby Evans said Thursday that there are no surgical procedures scheduled for current Giants.
That includes Buster Posey, who played through several issues, including nerve irritation in his right thumb. Posey was out for five days in June and required a cortisone shot. He had just three homers after the All-Star break, and just two in his final 63 games. Evans wouldn’t go into the extent of any injuries that might have sapped power.
“He keeps a lot of things close to the vest. That’s who he is,” Evans said. “But nobody works harder or prepares more.”
Posey started a career-high 122 games behind the plate. His time at first base dipped from 37 starts in 2015 to 11 in 2016, in part because Brandon Belt put together an All-Star campaign. Posey posted a .292/.366/.478 slash line in the first half but was at .282/.357.383 in the second half. Evans said the drop in slugging does not make it more likely that Posey sees more time away from the squat next season.
“It doesn’t make me think more about first base,” he said. “We’re always monitoring his health. We’re still confident that (catcher) is the best spot for him. Whether he has better power numbers next year, I couldn’t predict, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does because he's very competitive.”
The Giants would love more power in the heart of their lineup, obviously, but as those numbers have dropped, Posey has turned himself into the best defensive catcher in the league. That's a tradeoff they're willing to make.
Sports
The majority of Thursday's press conference revolved around the bullpen, and there's much more coming on that here, on TV and in podcast form. There were also changes to the coaching staff. There were plenty of other notes from the final day at AT&T Park. Here are some highlights:
--- Evans said Eduardo Nuñez (hamstring) would not have been healthy enough to start Game 5 of the NLDS. He wouldn’t have started, anyway. Conor Gillaspie had four hits in the final game. The staff isn’t sure about Angel Pagan. He was to be tested on Wednesday to see if his back could hold up, but obviously that wasn’t necessary. Pagan instead got on a flight home.
--- The Giants would like Christian Arroyo to get at least a few months in Triple-A next season. The internal evaluation is that he isn’t ready, not after a season in which he hit .274/.316/.373 with three homers. Arroyo is just 21 years old, and there’s no desire to rush him. The Giants believe they have a budding superstar if they handle this right.
Nuñez and Gillaspie are locks to make the roster as third basemen next year, and while Joe Panik’s name will come up in trade talks, it’s very unlikely the Giants part ways with a young All-Star-caliber player after dealing Matt Duffy away. Arroyo is mostly focused on third base right now.
“l’ll go into spring training hoping Christian continues to show progress in his defensive role and with the bat,” Evans said. “I anticipate him starting next year in the minor leagues.”
Arroyo will be in camp for a second straight year. Evans said, “I love it when a player tells us he’s ready by how he performs,” and the Giants did once put Duffy on the Opening Day roster because he forced the issue.
--- Evans said Albert Suarez will come into camp as a guy providing depth. He’ll be competing for a long reliever role on the Opening Day roster. Suarez posted a 4.29 ERA in his first year with the Giants and provided some valuable spot starts.
--- Ty Blach and Matt Cain will go into camp competing for the fifth starter job, and Tyler Beede will be around to try and swipe it away. The guess right now is that Blach wins the job. Players raved about the young left-hander as they packed up Thursday. But Cain has earned the right to compete, Evans said.
“Matt wants to be a starting pitcher,” Evans said. “He’ll come into spring training expecting to start and he’ll be given every opportunity, and he deserves that.”
If Cain doesn’t blow the Giants away, it would be worth seeing if he could transform into a Joe Blanton-type. Blanton is much further removed from starting success than Cain, and posted a 2.48 ERA in 75 appearances for the Dodgers this season. There are some in the Giants’ organization who wonder if Cain — with a rare four-pitch mix out of the bullpen — could make a similar transition.
--- Before you look forward, you must first look back. In case you missed it, here's a pitch-by-pitch recap of the ninth inning. Bochy said Thursday that he has no regrets about the pitchers he used. "We just had a hard time getting that last out," he said.
