COMPETITIONS AND HEALTH LEAVE RIVER CATS ROSTER UP IN THE AIR
With the season opener just 16 days away, there is plenty of room for speculation regarding the River Cats 2015 roster. Spring Training is in full swing in Arizona and a number of players have already been sent from big league camp at Scottsdale Stadium to the minor league facility just a few blocks away. This only adds fuel to the discussion of who will suit up for the Cats when they face the Salt Lake Bees on April 9 at Raley Field. So as the Giants coaching staff and front office contemplate the assignments of each player in the organization, let's look at the Sacramento roster storylines as things stand right now.
The Giants have always had a steady supply of pitching rotation talent from their farm system and, while the last couple years have not produced a Cain or Bumgarner, several of their top prospects have been moving through the organization and will more than likely make appearances in Sacramento this year. The question is when. Kyle Crick, Ty Blach, Clayton Blackburn and Adalberto Mejia are all top 10 talents in the Giants system according to Baseball America and they all pitched for Double-A Richmond in 2014. While Mejia must serve a 50-game suspension for a banned substance, they all could spend time in the River Cats rotation. Chris Heston and Austin Fleet may be the only returning members from the Giants Triple-A rotation in 2014 and surely there will be a surprise member of this group, perhaps Chris Stratton or a minor league free agent signee.
The River Cats bullpen figures to be a strong group in 2015, partly because of the consistency of the bullpen in San Francisco. The Giants bullpen likely has just one spot available and the competition is fierce between Jean Machi, Hunter Strickland, and George Kontos. The losers of that battle will be coming to Sacramento to join Jake Dunning and Brett Bochy, who should remain in Triple-A. The remainder of the Cats bullpen is more difficult to sort out. Steven Okert and Cody Hall are well regarded in the Giants front office, but may be initially sent to Double-A Richmond where they finished last season. Derek Law is coming off Tommy John surgery and will undoubtedly start in one of the lower levels to build strength and confidence. Others in the mix include hard throwing right-handers Ray Black and Erik Cordier, and non-roster invites Michael Broadway, Braulio Lara, Curtis Partch and Nik Turley.
Catcher is a hot topic around Sacramento, as many River Cats fans were excited at the possibility of seeing Roseville native Andrew Susac his play home games at Raley Field, but all signs point to him backing up Buster Posey in San Francisco. You always hate to see an injury force someone to lose their job, but that seems to have happened to Hector Sanchez. After a tough 2014 season battling concussion symptoms, Sanchez will be working to find consistent health and production in Sacramento. The backup will most likely be journeyman Guillermo Quiroz, but former Giants draftee Jackson Williams will also compete for the role.
The Giants infield also does not leave much room for competition and the only real discussion is between Ehíré Adríanza and Matt Duffy. While Duffy played a role in last year's postseason run, Adríanza is out of options and the Giants may not want to expose him to the waiver system. The River Cats infield will surely have some guys who saw big league time in 2014, namely Adam Duvall, Brandon Hicks, and potentially Travis Ishikawa. Others that may be in the infield mix include veterans Juan Ciriaco, Carlos Triunfel and Ronny Cedeno, and Kelby Tomlinson, who is coming off a solid season in the Eastern League where he stole a league-high 49 bases. The Giants also signed Sacramento product and former Giant John Bowker to a minor league contract, so he is in the equation as well.
The River Cats outfield picture is still blurry, especially since Hunter Pence fractured his right forearm early in Spring Training. At this point, Juan Perez, Travis Ishikawa, Justin Maxwell and Gary Brown are all in competition for the fourth and fifth outfielder spots in San Francisco. Many assume Perez and Ishikawa will make the team due to their stand-out defense and power, respectively. Once the race for the Giants' two roster spots finishes, the outfield in Sacramento figures to be occupied by Jarrett Parker, Gary Brown, and Justin Maxwell with the speedy Darren Ford as the fourth outfielder.
With more than a week left in Spring Training, there is much to be determined when it comes to both the Giants and River Cats rosters. For more information regarding Giants Spring Training, including the game schedule and tickets, click Giants Spring. The River Cats open the season at Raley Field against the Salt Lake Bees on April 9, first pitch at 7:05 p.m. The Giants start their regular season on the road versus Arizona on April 6.
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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2015 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.