SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants will display some of their top prospects on Saturday night as part of Major League Baseball’s “Spring Breakout,” a list of names featuring Carson Whisenhunt, James Tibbs III and Jhonny Level, among plenty others.
A certain 6-foot-7 first baseman will not be showcasing his talents.
Bryce Eldridge, the Giants’ top prospect, will miss the exhibition against the Texas Rangers’ top prospects due to left hand soreness. Along with Eldridge, outfielder Dakota Jordan, a fourth-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, will not play due to a left wrist contusion. Right-handers Will Bednar, Josh Bostick, Argenis Cayama and left-hander Jack Choate were healthy scratches.
“He wanted to play in that game today, I’m sure, but we’re not taking any chances with him,” said manager Bob Melvin.
Along with the Spring Breakout game, center fielder Jung Hoo Lee was scratched from the Giants’ Cactus League game against the Seattle Mariners due to back tightness. Manager Bob Melvin said Lee simply had a sore back when he woke up and could return as early as tomorrow.
Eldridge, 20, impressed early in spring when he hit a 450-foot home run in the ninth inning of the Giants’ Cactus League opener against the Texas Rangers, but was part of the first wave of cuts after going 2-for-11 with eight strikeouts. It is currently unclear whether Eldridge, who will be tasked with improving his defense at first base, will start the season with Double-A Richmond or Triple-A Sacramento.
Roupp discusses 13 strikeout performance at Papago Park
Landen Roupp couldn’t understand in the moment why his teammates were going wild during his outing on Friday at Papago Park. Only after the fact did he learn why.
Roupp had stuck out nine batters in a row.
“They were screaming after I struck somebody out. I was like, ‘What are they doing?’” Roupp said. “I guess that was because I struck out nine in a row. Every strikeout, they were like, ‘Aye!’”
Roupp, who’s in competition for the fifth spot in the Giants’ rotation, pitched five scoreless innings against the Colorado Rockies Single-A team on Friday, recording 13 total strikeouts and punching out the first nine batters that he faced. The right-hander did so with manager Bob Melvin in attendance; Melvin skipped the Giants’ 11-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers to watch Roupp because he missed his last outing due to San Francisco having a split squad day.
When asked if Roupp’s outing helped his chances of making the team, Melvin responded that the performance “doesn’t hurt.” Roupp said he didn’t know Melvin would be in attendance until he was warming up.
“When you go over there, it’s tough to get the adrenaline, too, and he was just laser focused from his warmup to the game,” Melvin said. “It was impressive to see that he created that kind of intensity for himself. It kind of is who he is, though.”
The 26-year-old Roupp said he’s never had a run where he’s struck out nine batters in a row, estimating that the last time he struck out at least 13 batters was high school. As a professional, Roupp has struck out at least 10 batters on only one occasion: Aug. 27, 2022 with Double-A Richmond. At UNC Wilmington, Roupp maxed out at 12 strikeouts on two occasions, both against Elon University.
It’s still unclear if Roupp will make the Giants’ Opening Day roster, regardless of whether it’s as a starter or reliever. When Melvin was asked if Roupp was set to make the team,Melvin responded, “that’s a hard one to answer right now.” For now, the competition for the rotation’s fifth spot remains undecided.
“I don’t think the competition’s going to be over until the last day of camp,” Roupp said. “I still have to pitch well and continue doing what I’ve been doing.”
Worth noting
- Melvin said that Santiago Casilla, one of several guest instructors that the Giants have had in camp, was around Camilo Doval “a lot” and was “fairly impactful with some guys.” Doval is coming off the worst season of his major-league story but San Francisco is maintaining faith in the 27-year-old reliever.