Spring Training Storylines to Follow for The San Francisco Giants

In terms of a free-agent additions, it was a fairly quiet offseason for the San Francisco Giants. They did, however, find a way to make one of the most notable signings of the entire offseason.

Tony Vitello is going to become the first manager to jump directly from NCAA baseball to the top step of a big-league dugout. What can he bring to the table for a team that is largely the same from last year’s squad led by Bob Melvin?

With a lineup and starting rotation that is virtually set, there won’t be any starting jobs necessarily being fought for. However, a top prospect and a handful of role players are looking to secure their spot on the Opening Day roster.

After failing to significantly upgrade the rotation, several arms are in the same position — looking to prove they belong throughout the spring. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable conversations surrounding the Giants as we get into the Cactus League.

Who Is Tony Vitello?

It’s no secret that Buster Posey and the Giants are taking a risk in bringing in Vitello as the squad’s next manager. After completely turning around the University of Tennessee baseball program, he looks to save a franchise that has been the epitome of mediocre across the last four years.

While the spring doesn’t really give a clear picture of the in-game decisions a manager has to make, it does provide a sense of how they handle their clubhouse and the media. We should get a decent idea of what brand of baseball Vitello intends to play throughout the spring, especially as we inch closer to Opening Day.

If one could guess going off of his time at Tennessee, it’ll be a much more energetic clubhouse in San Francisco. In 2025, the Giants lacked a true sense of aggressiveness and fire, something Vitello is infamous for providing.

In terms of how he’ll handle the media, we got our first glimpse of that last week. Vitello intended the clear the air about his departure from Knoxville, but seemed to ruffle some feathers. He did make one thing clear, though: he is not afraid to say what is on his mind.

Did Vitello make his first mistake and display some immaturity coming from college ball? Or did he simply give us an idea of how he intends to operate during his tenure as the Giants’ manager? Time will tell.

If the hire works out, Posey may have changed the future landscape of managing in Major League Baseball.

Young Arms Proving Themselves

Even with a rotation that appears to be fully set, San Francisco has a handful of depth starters looking to prove they belong this spring. When the first, and inevitable, injury hits the rotation in 2026, who’s the first name to get the call?

Two righties that have had a cup of coffee in the big leagues immediately stand out after dominating in their 2026 debuts: Blade Tidwell and Trevor McDonald. While they both have thrown just an inning in the Cactus League, they’re continuing to build off of good finishes to their respective 2025 campaigns.

Tidwell is a newer face to the organization but has already made his presence felt. If it weren’t for a minor shoulder injury at the end of the year, we probably would’ve seen him in San Francisco to close 2025.

He opened the Cactus League by showcasing some of the best pure stuff in the organization and getting all three outs via strikeout. Tidwell also played for Vitello at Tennessee, a small wrinkle that could help his chances.

McDonald is another name looking to prove himself. The right-hander is fresh on the minds of Giants fans as he ended 2025 throwing 13 innings of one run ball — six of which came against the eventual World Series-winning Dodgers.

In his first appearance this spring, he sat 95 mph and touched 97.2 mph, a big jump from his 2025 average of 93.5 mph. If that level of velocity is sustainable, he could easily climb the pecking order, if he hasn’t already.

Lastly, two of the Giants fresher pitching prospects find themselves present in this conversation.

Carson Whisenhunt has long been known to have one of the best changeups in all of baseball, whether you’re talking the big leagues or minors. However, for a long time, that seemed to be the only effective offering in the arsenal.

The 25-year-old southpaw decided to show up to camp sitting 95-96 mph and consistently touching 97 mph in his first set of live at-bats. The former top 100 prospect also added a new cutter, which has been a consistent theme in the early days of Giants camp. For a guy who sat 92 mph in 2025, the new looks — on top of the changeup — could increase what his future ceiling looks like.

Hayden Birdsong is the last name we should mention, which is surprising thinking back to how high his ceiling was just a year ago. He quickly rose up prospect lists between 2023 and 2024 due to his electric stuff as a starter. However, after a debut in 2024 and dominant start to 2025, he completely lost his control once reinstated to the starting rotation.

While the organization is far from giving up, some real adjustments need to be made in order for Birdsong to return to the guy we saw from 2024 to early 2025.

Time for the Top Prospect?

Bryce Eldridge is arguably the most popular name when discussing the 2026 Giants, especially after a strong start to the spring, hitting a double off of All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz.

He’ll undoubtedly be a contributor at some point, but whether he’s there on Opening Day is the real question.

His absurd 95.6 mph average exit velocity and 65% hard-hit rate in 2025 suggest he’s big-league ready, but there’s still some seasoning to be done with the 6-foot-7 21-year-old. During his 10 game cup of coffee in 2025, he struck out 35.1% of the time, which was a slight increase from his 29.3% mark in the minor leagues.

While striking out will likely always be a part of his game, Posey wouldn’t mind seeing a slight improvement in that department before calling him up for good.

There’s also the defensive questions. Eldridge has reportedly improved at first base, but still needs some work. Not to mention three-time All-Star Rafael Devers should be manning the poor man’s hot corner the majority of the time in 2026.

Eldridge has taken a few reps in the corner outfield spots during the first few weeks of spring, but that likely won’t be a legitimate option until further down the road. Even if the bat looks fully ready, do the Giants want to hinder his future value by making him a designated hitter this early in his career?

The Bench

Despite both being right-handed hitting utility infielders, Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss should both be safe bets to crack the Opening Day bench. Schmitt was slotted in as the starting second baseman before the singing of Luis Arraez. He’ll now act as a soft platoon and regularly slide in to all four of the infield positions when needed.

Koss had a surprisingly strong rookie season, despite the numbers not jumping off the page. He offers speed off the bench, puts the ball in play, and can play every infield position outside of first.

This likely makes Tyler Fitzgerald the odd-man out in terms of bench infielders. However, his speed and improved defense in 2025 make him an appealing option if he can perform throughout the spring.

Daniel Susac is the projected backup to Patrick Bailey and has had a nice start to the spring. Eric Haase and Jesús Rodríguez are also in the mix, but Susac being selected in the Rule 5 Draft helps his chances significantly.

Three names will be fighting for the last spot, with one having a major advantage. Drew Gilbert was clearly the Giants’ best defensive outfielder once he was called up in 2025 and struck the clubhouse with electricity, going viral for his dugout celebrations.

He also has a very close relationship with Vitello and is a left-handed bat off the bench. He would have to struggle mightily this spring to not make the Opening Day bench.

Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion are the last two names, with both having zero minor-league options remaining. Matos has struggled defensively and against lefties, while Encarnacion has struggled to stay on the field consistently.

They both offer solid power upside, with Matos having a strong strikeout rate (14.2% career strikeout rate) and Encarnacion providing some eye-popping exit velocities (95 mph average exit velocity and 58.5% hard-hit rate in 2025).

It may not be the most exciting position battle, but whoever perform best throughout the spring could very likely play their way onto the Opening Day roster.