SF Giants spring training takeaways: The player who got ‘huge’ over the offseason, plus details on Tommy La Stella’s recovery
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Some of the first words out of Gabe Kapler’s mouth Sunday morning were remarking on the new size of catcher Curt Casali. Kapler, ever the player’s manager, was just doing his duty.
“He’s huge,” Kapler told reporters gathered in the dugout of Scottsdale Stadium.
“Good,” Casali said later. “I told him to.”
Casali, expected to be one half of the Giants’ backstop duo stepping in for Buster Posey, quantified the added bulk: he’s up 15 pounds — “most of it good,” he said with a laugh — and it shows. He spent the offseason working out with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski at Vanderbilt University, a popular site for many locked out major league players. Yastrzemski said he bulked up by 15 pounds, too, though he’s just back at his regular weight after shedding pounds in the offseason.
As players arrived for their physicals and first official workout Sunday, Kapler said there weren’t any other surprises. It’s always a possibility to be surprised in bad way when seeing a player for the first time in a few months.
“I haven’t had that moment,” Kapler said. “And to be honest with you, last year I did have that moment.”
Crawford ‘a little behind’
When Brandon Crawford stepped into the batter’s box Sunday morning on the Giants’ practice field, it was his first time facing live pitching since the lockout began. Crawford warmed up with some half-hearted hacks but ended his session by smacking at least one home run into the netting above the right-center field fence.
#SFGiants Brandon Crawford takes come cuts in the cage pic.twitter.com/kb5JICTazZ
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) March 13, 2022
“I’ll be a little bit behind, but I’m not worried about it,” Crawford said. “I don’t know when I’ll necessarily start games or anything like that yet, just being a little bit behind with baseball-related stuff, more so than usual, anyway. Just with how tough it was to find a field and a place to hit.”
Crawford made a cameo at the Vanderbilt training site on a trip to Nashville but mostly spent time at Evan Longoria’s house in Arizona, which is equipped with a batting cage and pitching machine.
Kapler said this week that the Giants aren’t concerned with the traditional boxes to check before a player is ready for the season, such as playing a full nine innings of a spring training game, and Crawford echoed the same sentiment.
“It’s not a huge deal to be playing nine innings by the end of the spring. I think you kind of are able to naturally be ready,” Crawford said. “If I play seven innings, I’m going to be able to play nine. I think my plan, what I would prefer to do would be to play nine innings one of the last couple games, just for the amount of reps. But we’ll see how it goes.”
Details on La Stella’s surgery
When Tommy La Stella went under the knife in October, the only description the Giants provided was that the operation was on his Achilles. A full tendon repair can sideline a player for up to a year, but La Stella was running sprints, turning corners and fielding ground balls on Sunday, six months removed from surgery.
Turns out, the operation was merely to remove the sheath of his right Achilles, which had become inflamed and was causing La Stella pain while running the bases and moving to either side on defense. It remains unlikely that he is ready for Opening Day, but his outlook is more favorable entering camp than anticipated.
Without access to the Giants training staff or facilities during the lockout, La Stella had to create a rehab plan months in advance, without much ability to deviate on the fly once the lockout began, some six weeks after the operation.
“It was pretty much on me and the physical therapist I was working with to stay on it,” La Stella said, showing off a two-inch scar on the back of his right ankle. “It was much harder to coordinate. We were pretty much putting our faith in the program we drew up ahead of time.”
Numbers game
Two days after it was reported that Carlos Rodón had agreed to a two-year, $44 million contract with the Giants, the team had still not made the signing official. That has not delayed the left-hander’s arrival at the Giants’ facility.
Rodón rolled in on Saturday and began to get his bearings in the only spring training facility.
One of Rodón’s first tasks was to pick a uniform number. What digits would appear on the back of his jersey took on an outsized importance when he signed with San Francisco. Rodón has worn No. 55 since he entered the big leagues with Chicago in 2014. No Giant has worn that number since Tim Lincecum.
And it will stay that way. Rodón, aware of its significance, opted for a different number than 55, though he has yet to debut it here this spring. Before Rodón makes his spring debut, however, the Giants will have to open a spot on their 40-man roster, after they claimed catcher José Godoy off waivers Sunday.