From Bob Melvin to ‘common courtesy,’ what’s old is new again as SF Giants begin spring training
On Giants' first day of spring training, Logan Webb embraces his leadership role and Bob Melvin begins his reign.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Common courtesy is back in style, at least in the San Francisco Giants’ spring training clubhouse.
One after the other Wednesday morning, ahead of pitchers and catchers’ first official workout, the greenest arms in camp paraded past Alex Cobb’s corner locker, offering pleasantries in spades. On went Hayden Birdsong. Along came Carson Whisenhunt. Not far behind was Landen Roupp and and a handful of others who first thing paid a visit to the most roster’s most senior member.
Good morning.
Good morning, Alex!
Hey, Alex, good morning.
“Webby’s got all these guys saying good morning,” said Alex Cobb, 36, slightly bemused as the recipient of countless greetings.
“He’s trying to teach these guys common courtesy, not to be on their phones. It’s hilarious.”
Laughs were had. Smiles were exchanged.
But more seriously, a changing of the guard in the clubhouse was exemplified for the first time.
While Cobb’s veteran status is signified by his prime locker placement — and space, the only player with two stalls to himself — the new location of Webb’s locker is just as notable. It’s Brandon Crawford’s former digs, right next to the controls for the soundsystem.
Coming off his second straight season receiving Cy Young votes, the undoubted ace of the staff, Webb is more than just the new clubhouse DJ (which he said Crawford gave his blessing, as long as he mixes in a few of the old playlists). It’s his clubhouse now.
And Rule No. 1 in Logan Webb’s locker room: Say good morning.
“It was just kind of a fun thing,” Webb said. “That was something I learned from a couple guys when I first came up. Especially, too, I feel like when you do just say ‘good morning,’ it creates a relationship right away. It kind of starts just by saying ‘good morning’ and it turns into a friendship, right? It’s ‘good morning,’ then maybe it’s a sentence the next day, and it turns into a full conversation. So just creating relationships.”
That’s not all that was new on the Giants’ first day of camp since bringing in Bob Melvin to replace Gabe Kapler, who once said he preferred texting to face-to-face interaction, even in the same room.
If it’s Webb’s clubhouse, it is Melvin’s team. And he, too, wanted to hammer home one priority above all else in his first team meeting Wednesday morning.
“We’re going to be detail-oriented in everything that we do,” Melvin said.
That starts with being on time.
Melvin arrived for his morning media session promptly on schedule, another departure from his predecessor.
“He’s an old-school manager who’s going to be strict on that,” Webb said. “I think that’s a positive change that we’re going to have. … From the get go, our first meeting today was, number one thing is be on time. That’s just a little more attention to detail, I’ll say.”
Returning to the team he grew up rooting for and eventually played on, Melvin is tasked with taking it back to the playoffs after falling short the past two seasons, leading to the ouster of his predecessor.
He has two decades in the manager’s seat and spent his lifetime in the game, but Melvin isn’t jaded enough not to appreciate putting on the uniform for the first time.
“I was for the first time in a little while really nervous for a first meeting,” Melvin said. “That’s a good thing. Just try to get all the firsts out of the way, putting the uniform on for the first time, being out on the field and all those sorts of things. It’s special.”
Not unlike the Roger Craig-led teams Melvin played on, this one will go as far as its young players can take them.
That is especially true for their pitching staff, which will be missing Cobb and Robbie Ray until midseason, relying on three rookies — Kyle Harrison, Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck — and a converted reliever, Jordan Hicks, to fill the final four spots of their rotation.
Webb and Cobb, who both live nearby and spent extensive time at the team’s Papago Park complex, came away with similar impressions this offseason.
“It’s impressive to watch these guys throw their pens and do their stuff,” Webb said. “All of them are like 6-foot-5. That’s one thing I’ve noticed. Watching them work out, I feel small.”
Added Cobb, who has the distinction as a survivor of multiple hip surgeries in addition to his veteran status: “You just feel like you don’t belong watching these guys in the weight room. They’re lifting the house and you’re just over there rehabbing your left hip with 10-pound dumbbells.”
Harrison and Winn threw dueling bullpens on the mounds beyond the right field wall here Wednesday, but there is only so much to glean until they begin to face live hitters. On day one, the veterans on the staff were content to chuckle at the absurdity of their interactions.
“It’s just funny when they come up and shake your hand, like, ‘Good morning, Logan,'” said Webb, who will make his third Opening Day start this year but only this spring has so clearly ascended into one of the most important forces in the clubhouse, too.
“It’s my third year with the Giants,” Cobb said. “It’s been really fun for me to see him take that role and embrace that role. As you see, every young guy is coming up to say good morning. He does fun things. He’s going to be a really good leader for a long time. I think that me and Robbie can go and focus on our rehab for the most part and know that the rotation is in good hands.”
Notable
— The Giants finalized the signing of left-handed reliever Amir Garrett to a minor-league contract with an invite to major-league spring training. After Taylor Rogers, the only southpaw out of the bullpen on the Giants’ 40-man roster is Erik Miller, giving Garrett a good chance to crack the Opening Day bullpen.
In 322 career appearances, Garrett, 31, has a 4.95 ERA, including a 3.33 mark in 24⅓ innings last season with Kansas City.
“Look, we don’t have a ton (of left-handed relievers),” Melvin said. “Bryan (Price) managed him, so he’s got a relationship with him. I think it’s a really good sign for us.”
— The team has still not announced the reported signing of Jorge Soler, though Melvin came close to doing so himself unprompted: “Obviously Soler is huge,” he said, before catching himself and pausing. “If indeed that comes to fruition, there’s another guy in the middle of the order that’s going to get all the at-bats. … He’s always scared me. So hopefully he’s on our team scaring the other side.”
— Despite no clear spot on the Giants’ roster, Joey Bart “just seems like he’s in great spirits,” Melvin said of the former No. 2 overall pick. “Look, everybody knows he’s out of options. Someone picks him up he’s in the big leagues somewhere. So for him, it’s not a horrible situation.”
— Blake Sabol, who now has a full set of options after spending all of last season on the MLB roster as a Rule 5 pick, is going to pick up a new position this spring. Melvin said he will add first base to his responsibilities, in addition to catcher and left field.
— While only pitchers and catchers were required to report, a good number of position players were already in Scottsdale, including top shortstop prospect Marco Luciano and center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, who drew a crowd of about a dozen Korean reporters for his first day in camp.