There R Giants

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.

There R Giants podcast is brought to you thanks to the support of my subscribers, and if...

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.

Follow me on the socials at Rog61, or simply become a There R Giant...

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.

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: “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!

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: “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.

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: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles

Dennis Pelfrey will be returning to Richmond in 2025 to helm the Flying Squirrels for the fourth consecutive season — making him the longest tenured manager in team history. He joins me this week to talk about the challenges of developing a major league winning ballplayer. We discuss the continuity and stability in minor league coaching staffs, the change at the top of the organization, and the challenges that young players face in trying to become big leaguers.

All There R Giants’ content is supported by the generosity of my subscribers. With this year’s Top 50 currently underway and spring...

Long time SFChronicle beat writer (and former President of the BBWAA), the great Susan Slusser joins me this week to set the stage for pitchers and catchers reporting soon. Susan and I talk a bit about the financial situation of the Giants, the weird impact of sharing a home Triple-A field with the Athletics, and she gets us set for the many, many camp battles that should be coming your way in just a couple of weeks! (There are a lot of them!)

You absolutely want to follow Susan’s reporting from Scottsdale, which you can do by...

KROG returns for another year! Kerry Crowley and I discuss the Dodgers’ kicking things up to Boss Mode on MLB in 2025. And, on a happier note, we talk about what we’re excited to see in this edition of the Giants as spring training approaches.

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: “Things Have Changed” by Bob Dylan

Eric Longenhagen just put out his essential Giants’ system rankings on Fangraphs last Friday. Which makes this a great time to catch up with Eric and talk a little Giants’ prospects. We get into the chaos that was created around the international signing deadline this year, as well as Eric’s appreciation for the talent the Giants are bringing in through that market in recent years. And of course, we talk plenty of Bryce Eldridge and pitching! Eric’s list are always interesting, insightful, idiosyncratic, and brilliantly written, so I look forward to them every year — and he’s just as much...

Once again this year, I’m privileged to have Giants’ Senior Director of International Scouting, Joe Salermo, on the podcast to talk about the latest class of international signees into the Giants’ organization. That class is headed by a player that many evaluators consider the top 16-year-old talent this year, shortstop Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez, and we talk a lot about that young man (including what we should call him). Joe also discusses the other recently signed players, the impact that Rōki Sasaki had on this year’s process, and we look back to the performance of previous year’s pl...

My guest this week is Joe Doyle, host of the fantastic “Over-Slot” podcast and prospect analyst for Future Stars Series_Plus. Joe and I talk about the the Giants’ draft and development identity, what types of players they have historically looked for in the draft, and how that might change under Buster Posey’s leadership.

You can become a Patreon subscriber to hear all of Joe’s conversations with Scouting Directors around MLB and other front office personnel, or follow him on Twitter at JoeDoyleMiLB or at BlueSky at joedoylemilb.bsky.social to follow all his work. You can fi...

This week, The Athletic’s Katie Woo joins me to talk about St. Louis Cardinals’ player development issues. Katie and I identify a few places where the Cardinals and Giants find themselves in similar circumstances, and she discusses the Cardinals’ plans to fix their development processes.

Follow Katie on Twitter at katiejwoo or on Bluesky at katiejwoo.bsky.social. You can follow me on Bluesky at rog61.bsky.social or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work delivered straight to your inbox.

There R Giants is a reader-supported publicat...

Kerry Crowley and I talk about the Giants’ vibe-based approach to roster building, the importance of having “top steppers,” and the pursuit of Corbin Burnes. We also make a Christmas wish for the return of good old fashioned baseball trades to the Giants’ off-season.

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: Selections from “Nutcracker Suite for Guitar” by Stevan Pasero

My guest this week is Eli Walsh, who once again this year penned the Giants’ prospect rankings for Baseball Prospectus. We spend a good lot of time talking about Prospectus’ always interesting 25 and Under talent list for the Giants, which has seen some surprising developments, before turning to talk of Bryce Eldridge, James Tibbs III, Carson Whisenhunt and others.

Be sure to follow Eli’s work on Baseball Prospectus, or at Twitter (at walsh_eli), Blue Sky (at eliwalsh.bsky.social) or the social media of your choice.

You can follow me as well, at rog61...

On this week’s podcast, I’m joined once again by our great Giants’ broadcaster, David B. Flemming. We talk tough times for radio and the Giants’ relationship with KNBR, Buster Posey’s vision for the Giants, and whether the young talent that we saw in 2024 has the makings of a competitive core.

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: “Moving On Up” by Primal Scream

Kerry Crowley and I dig into the mood surrounding this new world of Giants’ baseball. Is there a newfound sense of optimism with Buster Posey taking charge? Or are reports of lowering payrolls causing the Faithful to plunge into despair? One thing’s for sure, it’s a whole new ballgame! We discuss on this episode of the KROG podcast!

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: “My Ever Changing Moods” by The Style Council

On this week’s episode, The Athletic’s Eno Sarris joins me to talk about Buster Posey’s ascension to President of Baseball Operations, the concept of over-steering, the worrisome brain drain that seems to be happening over time, the importance of critical listening skills, and the most effective ways to provide players with the resources to help them succeed.

Eno’s work at The Athletic is some of the best national baseball coverage on the data and technology revolution in player development, and his Rates and Barrels podcast is one of my very favorite listens every week. Yo...

With the news that Buster Posey had taking the reins of the Giants’ organization as the new President of Baseball Operations, I wanted to get somebody on the podcast who understands the ins and outs of a baseball front office, and also knows a bit about Posey. So my dream guest was Eric Flemming, who spent nearly two decades in the Giants’ front office. Eric talks about Posey’s unique talents, the nitty gritty of working in baseball operations, and the value of optimism in player development.

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Kerry Crowley and I return to discuss the stunning turn of events at the top of the Giants’ Organization. There’s a whole lot of Buster Posey talk on this edition of the KROG podcast — what to expect going forward, who the major players in the organization might be going forward, and, the big one, will this all work?

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: “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave

It’s a Fresno State-themed podcast as former Bulldogs teammates Zach Morgan and Andrew Kachel discuss baseball in the valley, playing for the team you grew up rooting for, and the baseball friendships made along the way.

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Intro/Outro: “Be True to Your School” by The Beach Boys

Kerry and I talk about the Giants’ spate of hot play near the end, what it all means, and where the club goes from here in the final KROG of the 2024 season.

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Intro/Outro: “Where Do We Go From Here?” by The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

With the minor league season fully concluded now, I’m going to finish off my backload of player interviews from the season with two more “2024 minor league season” podcasts. First up, I have interviews conducted with Jonah Cox in Eugene back in mid-August, and a couple of final homestand interviews I did in Richmond with Diego Velasquez (hat tip to Lispo Nava for helping out with that one for translation) and Turner Hill. All three of these guys were in my Organizational All-Stars post after really strong years, and all are fun and engaging guys who are very thoughtful about...