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03.30.2008

Yabumania!

The opening day 25-man roster is set. It won't be the roster for long, as Omar Vizquel is due back soon, Vinnie Chulk doesn't seem too injured, and Noah Lowry could be back by the end of April. Here are the moves of note:

* Steve Kline was released. Not a huge surprise, as he blew biscuits last year. He didn't pitch great this spring, Jack Taschner did, and Erick Threets threw well enough to justify keeping him for now. Excellent move by the Giants. (As expected, Merkin Valdez made the team -- and he gets Felix Rodriguez's old number, 47. Let's hope Smirkin' Merkin can throw the way Fi-Fi did in his glory Giant years.)

* Steve Holm is the backup catcher, and Eliezer Alfonzo goes back to AAA. Like Alfonzo and Guillermo Rodriguez, who were supposed to battle for the backup spot, Holm is a minor-league lifer in his late 20s. He's never played above AA. Bochy was reportedly impressed by his defensive skills. No complaints about this move. Might as well see what he can do for a couple months.

* Keiichi Yabu gets the last bullpen spot. Yabu is 39; the other non-roster invitee he beat out is Bartolome Fortunato, several years younger. Fortunato also pitched well, but the Giants needed a guy who could throw several innings at a time. The best thing about this move is the flexibility when Noah Lowry comes off the DL. Their current 5th starter Jonathan Sanchez has been spotty this spring, and when he's bad -- like today -- he's horrid, and it would be much better for him to hone his craft as a starter in AAA than get buried again in the bullpen when Lowry returns. (That's assuming Yabu does a decent job.) The other positive: the Giants haven't had a fringe-talented Japanese player since Shinjomania! forced us all to wear huge orange wristbands. The first time Yabu is called from the bullpen, will he have pleasant companies of a fuzzy panda?  (Watch, you won't be sorry.)

So who else will be short-lived on the roster? Vizquel will obviously knock Brian Bocock back to the minors, but the biggest decision will come with Chulk's return. If Threets and Valdez are pitching well, do the Giants dare trade a bullpenner instead of risking the loss of either new guy? The brass gets nervous without a certain quota of veteran savviness in the pen, which is why I'm pleasantly surprised about Kline's release. Don't forget Taschner still has an option, so even if he's throwing well, the team could stash him in Fresno 'til they've sorted out the other bits.

I also expect juggling in the infield -- er, perhaps that's not the best way to put it seeing how the Giants have fielded this spring. I expect infielders beyond the Bocock/Vizquel swap will be on the hot seat, too. If someone better than Castillo comes along (that's not setting the bar too high), Castillo can be sent to AAA. If Ortmeier flails (talk about a guy being set up to fail), he won't be around long, either.

Last note: the 40-man roster's all filled up. To make room for someone outside the organization or, say, a guy like Scott McLain or Justin Leone, heads are gonna roll.

Play ball! I'll look at the minor-league rosters tomorrow, but for now: What roster move did you like the most? Least? What was most surprising? Who will be the first casualty from the current 40-man roster? Discuss.