Bruce Bochy says Giants ‘not even close to being ready’ for opening day
The wins and losses don’t matter much in spring training, which is why on record alone, we wouldn’t be too worried about the defending champion San Francisco Giants. They’re 4-12, tied for the most spring losses in all of baseball.
This part, however, heightens concerns somewhat: Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday after the Giants lost 10-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, that his team is “not even close to being ready” for opening day. It’s one thing to have a poor spring record if the skipper sees a team moving in the right direction, but for the Giants, things sound all bad right now.
“I know it’s spring training,” Bochy said Tuesday to a group of reporters, which included the Yahoo Sports video team. “But this is as tough a stretch as I’ve seen, even in spring, in all facets of the game. We’re not doing anything very well right now, from pitching to swinging the bats, defense.”
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Keep in mind that the Giants are without their emotional leader Hunter Pence, who broke his forearm when he was hit by a pitch on March 5. They’re also coming off a lackluster offseason in which Pablo Sandoval fled for the Boston Red Sox and the Giants weren’t able to add a power bat to their lineup. They traded for third baseman Casey McGehee and signed outfielder Nori Aoki, who hit a combined total of five home runs last season. So there are legitimate concerns about the Giants’ offense as they move toward opening day.
Bochy still has a couple weeks to get his squad in order before the Giants open their season April 6 against the D-backs. Bochy’s regarded as one of the finest managers in MLB, with a knack for turning his team into winners at the right time. The Giants’ three World Series rings in five years prove it. So if anybody can whip the defending champs into shape, it’s Bochy.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
