There R Giants

The Giants have rather shockingly named University of Tennessee head coach, Tony Vitello, as the franchise’s 40th manager — a historic and fascinating hiring. Kerry Crowley and I naturally had to crank up the ol’ podcast machine immediately to talk about it, in the Emergency Pod version of KROG!

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Baseball America’s Jesús Cano joins me this week to talk Instructional League, Bridge League, and Arizona Fall League action. We talk a bunch of Josuar Gonzalez, as well as the set up for Instructional League and the importance of game action in the fall.

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Kerry and I dive into the manager search, and talk approaches to interviewing, potential favorites, and more wide-ranging organizational changes that could be on the horizon in the latest KROG podcast.

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit rogermunter.substack.com

Though the dugouts are all empty at this time of year, let’s drop another “In the Dugout” episode, this one featuring Drew Cavanaugh, who made it up to Double-A Richmond for the final month of the season. I caught up with Drew during the final weeks of his whirlwind season, in which he played for all four full-season affiliates in the Giants’ system — and hit a home run for all four of them, too! Drew talks through his baseball journey from freez...

My guest this week is Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes, who digs into the data to look at some of the best pitching breakouts of the season on the Giants’ farm. We also play a little game of “Prospect Showdowns,” stacking up Keyner Martinez vs Argenis Cayama, and Luis de la Torre vs Jacob Bresnahan in a ranking game. Geoff does incredible work at Baseball America, especially digging into the metrics, and he’s always a fun guy to talk ball with.

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Kerry Crowley and I talk Giants’ 2025 season in the end game.

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It’s something of a theme pod today: Rehab Stories. I talk with three different pitchers who spent most of the last couple of years going through rehab together in the Giants’ Papago Park facility in Scottsdale. Ryan Murphy, R.J. Dabovich, and Chris Wright all give their own variations on the theme of life in rehab, and talk about the support and comfort that these players give each other while trying to work their way back to normal.

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The Northwest League Championship series begins tonight in Eugene, OR. And to help you get prepared for it — and recapture the feel of the amazing second half run that the Eugene Emeralds have been on — Eugene’s road announcer (and man of many behind-the-scenes talents) Jacob Archer rejoins the pod. We talk about the turnaround in pitching, the guys who really took forward strides along the way this year, the leadership that Charlie Szykowny and Jonah Cox have give the team all year long, and some of the recent additions to the team that have really supplemented the core. We als...

This week I have a matched pair to last week’s group of player interviews from my west coast swing. Where we had hitters in last week’s group, this week it’s the arms. I speak with one of the true break out stars of this season, left-hander Luis de la Torre, one of the hardest throwers in the Giants’ organization, right-hander Liam Simon, and the team’s 7th round pick in 2024, lefty Greg Farone, who is putting the finishing touches on a very strong first season of pro ball.

All of my travel and player interviews...

Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Giants’ recent power surge, whether this current incarnation of the team is what we should have expected all along or just a September chimera, and what to hope for in this final month. We also indulge in a little bit of looking forward to the off-season to come, because we just can’t help ourselves!

Enjoy!

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I put quite a number of player interviews in the can on my trip to the west coast affiliates last week, and I’ll roll them out over the next couple of weeks. First up, I have a trio of hitters — two trade acquisitions who have just gotten their first taste of action in the Giants’ organization this month, and a high school draftee in his second season. Nate Furman and Parks Harber talk about the unique situation of being traded while rehabbing injuries, as well as their approach to hitting. Furman is one of best contact hitters in the mi...

For this week’s podcast, I’m joined by a couple of members of the Richmond Flying Squirrels who have traveled some long roads to get to where they are now. First we have Aruban native, Dayson Croes, who has hit ball everywhere he’s every played, but had to go through tiny colleges, Indy ball north or the border, and international competition to get the chance to play pro ball. And once again, he’s hitting the ball all over the field. Marques Johnson hasn’t had that long or circuitous a road, but from a SoCal JuCO to college...

Kerry Crowley and I sift through the aftermath of the trade deadline, talk about our hopes for the rest of the year, and maybe starter to side-eye the coming winter.

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Finishing up my tour of the affiliate broadcasters, I get to talk ball with Trey Wilson with the tape recorder going for once! Trey and I talk about trade deadlines in the minor leagues, the challenge and quality of the Eastern League, and the Squirrels’ hopes for making a spirited run in the second half to try to grab a playoff spot. And along the way, we talk a few players as well! It’s always great to chat Eastern League baseball with Trey!

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After many scheduling conflicts that precluded us talking at happier times, Kerry Crowley and I come together to pick over the sorry spectacle that this Giants’ team has become, hazard a few guesses at trade deadline behavior, and respond live on air to a deal being made! What more could you ask for?

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We had a little reunion of former Eugene outfielders last week in Richmond, when the Portland Sea Dogs came to town. I was able to talk to Scott Bandura, who was just settling in from his recent promotion to Double-A, and Portland outfielder, James Tibbs III about the crazy month he’s had adjusting to a new organization, a new league, new teammates, and a new time zone! Bandura talks about the impact that COVID had on his baseball journey, and why he thinks the best is still to come for him, while Tibbs gives some real insight into th...

The great Jim Callis joins me to talk about the Giants most recent draft class, and how it fits in with a farm system that has really turned over a surprising amount the past two years. Come for the draft talk….stay for a whole lot of conversation about what a dude Jhonny Level is!

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Alex Pavlovic, the long-time Giants’ beat reporter for CSN Sports Bay Area, and now the author of The Franchise: San Francisco Giants: A Curated History of the Orange and Black, which you can find at your local (or non-local) bookstore as of today. Go get it!

Alex and I talk about the Giants’ checkered history of player development before delving into the current state of affairs with the Giants’ farm system that Buster Posey inherited. Alex talks about how he thinks Posey and Randy Winn are assessing the state of the farm and what changes they are likely...

Time to head back to the field with a trio of player interviews — and a themed trio, as all three of my guys for this episode are East Bay kids. In this episode we cover all sorts of player development hardships from injury to game just plain ol’ being hard. Villers, the former Cal closer, had hardly joined pro ball when he went down for multiple years with injury. Gavello struggled with his performance over some difficult seasons in Eugene. And Hecht gave up on his dreams of playing pro ball forever — he thought — before a twist of fate gave him...

Continuing my tour of the provinces, my guest in today’s edition of the pod is the well-traveled Joe Ritzo, who digs into a San Jose Giants team that just completed a historically good first half. As Joe notes, one of the keys to this club’s success has been tremendous depth throughout the roster — which makes it tough to cover everybody in one session. We do our best, though, to race through all the major players on the First Half Champs.

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My guest this week is Sacramento play-by-play announcer, Zack Bayrouty, who regales me with tales from the club’s 18-game road trip. Zack and I talk about the River Cats’ unique situation, sharing facilities with the A’s, the grind of coming back down to Triple-A from the majors, and the rapid progress of Bryce Eldridge.

Pardon the periodic drop outs and freeze ups in Zack’s part of the conversation — the internet wasn’t always our friend today! But it’s still a great conversation.

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It’s been too long since Kerry Crowley and I diced up the Giants’ surprisingly strong 2025 season. But we’re back to talk big trades, a bold new front office, and where the club might look to upgrade next.

It’s a great new KROG episode to start your week out right!

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Jacob Archer, the play-by-play announcer for the Eugene Emeralds joins me to talk a little Emeralds baseball. What went right in the first half, where to hope for improvement in the second half, and the crazy night that James Tibbs III was taken off the field.

You can follow Jacob on twitter at Jacob_Archer12, not to mention his sly alter ego at EugeneEmeralds for updates on the Eugene squad. And, of course, you can become a There R Giants’ subscriber for daily coverage of the entire SF Giants’ farm system delivered ad-free, straight to your Inbox, Mond...

Baseball America’s Jesús Cano joins me to talk about the Giants exciting young crop of talent in the Arizona Complex League this year. We dig into several of the pitching breakouts with this club, including Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez, and Luis de la Torre, along with talk about Jhonny Level, Rayner Arias, and more.

You can follow Cano’s dispatches from the ACL on Twitter, at Jesus_Cano88, where he drops plenty of video and links to his BA stories.

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This week’s pod takes us back to The Diamond, where I conducted interviews this week with relievers Braxton Roxby and Raymond Burgos. Roxby is one of the newer members of the Giants’ organization, coming over from Cincinnati this winter in the Taylor Rogers trade. We talk about his unique journey in baseball and what it’s like to shift organizations. Burgos, who has now signed with the Giants as a minor league free agent on three separate occasions, knows all about changing environments. We talk about life as a minor league free agent, that sweet day last year when h...

Over-Slot Baseball’s draft expert, Joe Doyle joins me once again to preview the talent at the top of the 2025 draft. We talk about the mix of talent in the class (if you, like me, like a good group of high school shortstops, then this is the draft for you), which players can really change their stock as we get into College World Season season, and toss around some names that the Giants might be considering at the 13th spot. As usual, Joe is great (and I am also there).

You can (and should) follow all of Jo...

This week on the podcast, a trio of conversations from last week with some top prospects on the Double-A squad. Bryce Eldridge talks about the joys of being around home, the frustrations of waiting out an injury, and the work he’s put in on his defense. Joe Whitman discusses his fast-track journey through the minors, how young he still feels he is, and how he dreamed up a specialty pitch. And lastly, Jack Choate talks about wanting to be as intimidating as Chris Sale — and doing a pretty good job of it so far!

To get all...

This week on the There R Giants podcast, I have to empty out the file drawers with some player interviews I conducted back in April before a few travels disrupted my podcast schedule a bit. I’ve been stacking these player interviews up a bit the last few weeks, so I wanted to get these out before they became too musty!

Just before the season began I spoke with Sabin Ceballos about his strong winter and spring. I also talked with Vaun Brown, who looked back on a difficult 2024 and how he navigated his way through that se...

Kerry tries to explain to Roger what’s been going on with the Giants in his absence, and we both try to come to grips with the strengths and potential weaknesses of this resilient edition of the team. One thing’s for sure, a strong start has put them in position to think about where the team can and should be supported and upgraded as the summer goes along.

You can listen to Kerry frequently on KNBR, and follow all of his work on social media at ko-crowley. You can follow me at rog61, or simply sign up t...

My friend and former collaborator, Kevin Cunningham, joins me this week to discuss early season impressions and our trips to various Giants’ affiliates — especially Kevin’s recent trip up to Eugene. We talk early season weather and a few injuries, as well as philosophical changes we’ve picked up in the organization.

Kevin puts out great content all over the interwebs, including Instagram, Twitter, Blue Sky and Tik Tok, so look for him under Giant Futures at any of those sites, as well as at his Patreon site of the same name. And, of course, you can get all...

Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Giants’ crazy first homestand, the good vibes and question marks surrounding the team, and look forward to a tremendously challenging road trip coming up.

As always, you can hear Kerry talking Giants regularly on KNBR and follow him on either Twitter or Bluesky at KO_Crowley. You can follow me at rog61 or get all of my Giants’ prospect related work by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber to get daily Minor Lines delivered straight to your Inbox.

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My friend Wrenzie Regodon joins me once again from his home base in the Philippines (where he watches copious amounts of Giants’ minor league ball) to talk over the Giants’ break camp rosters at all four full-season affiliates. We talk about the guys we’re missing on the Opening Day rosters, our favorite parts of each roster, and some players we think might surprise up and down the Giants’ system.

You can follow Wrenzie at GiantProspectiv on twitter, or support him at his Patreon sight, Giant Prospective.

And, of course, to get all of my work, yo...

Ok, I’m going to try something new today and you can tell me if you like it! A quick little video recorded from The Diamond giving my initial take on the Opening Day rosters. If you like this I’ll try to make it a regular gig throughout the year. Plus I’ll have some player interviews coming soon in the same format.

Happy Opening Day everybody!

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We have actual, meaningful games to discuss! Real performances, real stats, and real action! Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter dig in with relish to the start of a new baseball season, and all the fun it’s brought Giants’ fans so far. Are the new vibes real and sustainable? We discuss!

There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Intro/Outro: “Song No. 2” by Blur

The dean of prospect writing, MLB’s Jim Callis stops by to talk about the Giants’ new direction and a fresh new top 30. We talk about Bryce Eldridge, Carson Whisenhunt, James Tibbs III, Josuar Gonzalez, Jhonny Level, Landen Roupp and many, many others!

There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Intro/Outro: “Future Starts Slow” by The Kills

SF Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin drops by the podcast this week to discuss the Giants relatively uneventful but upbeat spring training. We talk about the magnetic personality of Willy Adames, the 5th starter race, Jerar Encarnacion’s clear path to playing time, and the interesting mix of youth and veteran talent on this year’s club.

The pod will take a break for the next few weeks, but content keeps flowing out at There R Giants. Later this month I’ll be in Papago Park for in person looks at the entire farm and bringing you plenty of video...

Kerry Crowley and I return to talk actual baseball games! That’s fun! We get into some of the interesting camp battles around the edges of the roster, including backup catcher, fifth starter, and the interesting outfield situation.

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Intro/Outro: “Panda and the Freak” by The Baseball Project

Baseball America’s Ben Badler joins me this week to talk about the Giants’ increasingly product efforts scouting and signing international free agents. Ben is the preeminent expert on international baseball prospects, and we talk a good bit about the unique process for going after players in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other Latin countries, as well as the upturn in recent fortunes for the Giants.

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Intro/Outro: “So Nice (Summer Samba...

Jeremiah Knackstedt, who will be returning to Manage the Eugene Emeralds once again in 2025, is my guest on this week’s show. We talk about the challenges of moving from the Cal League to the NWL (for both players and staff), and get into the performances on the 2024 Eugene club. Of course, that includes a whole lot of Bryce Eldridge conversation!

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Intro/Outro: “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” by Lykke Li

It’s another KROG pod! Kerry Crowley and I discuss the oddly incomplete Giants’ roster as pitchers and catchers are set to report. We dig in on the players we hope to see step forward on the pitching and hitting side, and what we think needs to happen for this club to stay competitive.

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Intro/Outro: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles