Giants winners, losers from spring training ahead of Opening Day

Whether the Giants turn out to be an exciting team remains to be seen, but they are an interesting one, for sure. And that’s something to be said for what has been baseball’s blandest organization.

The most beloved player in recent franchise history is running their front office. He hired a total unknown to try to do something never done before as their manager.

It’s been about four months since Buster Posey introduced Tony Vitello at Oracle Park and four weeks or so since pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale, Arizona, for Vitello’s first spring training as a major-league manager. The fiery former University of Tennessee coach still has lots of questions left to answer as he blazes the trail from college ranks straight to The Show.

But we’ve seen enough to assess some winners and losers so far:

Winner: Tony Vitello

It would be hard to say Vitello hasn’t second-guessed his choice to put ambition and a change of scenery ahead of loyalty and familiarity in Knoxville. More on that in a second.

But he’s here. He’s doing it. And it doesn’t look any different from the other 29 dugouts across Arizona and Florida. The milestone won’t become official until March 25, Opening Night against the Yankees, when Vitello’s career win-loss record at any level of professional baseball reflects anything other than zeroes.

The games don’t count for now, but his team is off to a rollicking start nevertheless. Heading into Thursday, they owned the best record of any team in the Cactus or Grapefruit leagues — 15-3 — with a plus-47 run differential that also leads every team in spring training.

Loser: Tony Vitello’s public perception

Vitello, himself, didn’t start off on such a strong note.

The rookie manager immediately raised questions about his commitment to and readiness for the job when he questioned the circumstances around his hiring in one of his first sessions with reporters.

In what he called a “tangent,” Vitello began by telling the scrum “new format today” and turning questions around on them about the timeline of events. The Giants’ interest in Vitello was reported by The Athletic four days prior to his hiring becoming official. Vitello said “it might’ve changed the course of history.”

Vitello had continuously referenced his former program, the Volunteers. After it was clear it was becoming an issue, Vitello said, “It’s probably time … to divide the line in the sand.”

Winner: Logan Webb

The Giants ace is one of their seven players in the World Baseball Classic but the only one with Team USA. Not all by himself, though: Dave Groeschner, the Giants’ longtime trainer, is also with Team USA.

Webb will make his second and final start Friday in the quarterfinals against Canada at loanDepot Park in Miami. He recovered from allowing a leadoff homer to Manny Ramirez’s son in the Americans’ opening game of the tournament, tossing four strong innings in a 15-5 win over Brazil.

It’s also been a good tournament for new second baseman Luis Arraez, who has showed off an unexpected power stroke with two homers for Venezuela, which also advanced to the quarterfinals.

The experience wasn’t so nice to Tristan Beck, who got shelled on the way to Great Britain’s elimination, or Reiver Sanmartin, a left-handed hopeful for the bullpen who suffered a bad hip flexor strain in one of Colombia’s exhibitions. Harrison Bader (Israel) is also back in camp, while Jung Hoo Lee (Korea), Heliot Ramos (Puerto Rico) and Jose Butto (Venezuela) play on.

Loser: Pitching depth

Webb and Robbie Ray are about the only sure things in the Giants’ starting rotation.

The good news is offseason stopgaps Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser have looked more than capable of holding down two spots in the back end. Youngsters Landen Roupp and Trevor McDonald have also looked promising. Beyond them, the early showings from other young arms have left little to be desired.

Winner: The starting lineup

Adding Arraez’s contact ability atop a middle-of-the-order made up by Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Willy Adames gives the Giants their most potent lineup in years. While Bader was signed primarily as a salve to their defensive woes in the outfield, his proven veteran presence also lengthens the lineup.

Although Devers missed two weeks with a hamstring strain, the group has lived up to the billing so far this spring. Adames, a notorious slow starter, is the only slugger whose numbers don’t pop off the page.

Loser: Bench composition

The Giants look poised to carry two backup infielders who both hit right-handed and play every position in Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss. Their two best options off the bench in the outfield have looked like Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnacion — both out of options and tearing the cover off the ball this spring, but also bat from the right side. Same goes for Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac, the front-runner to back up Patrick Bailey.

It’s a little right-handed heavy. (There’s a similar problem in the bullpen, where the Giants just signed Joey Lucchesi, whom they non-tendered after last season, to add some competition to a group of lefties either injured or underwhelming.)

It also looks different in a world where Bryce Eldridge makes the Opening Day roster, which looks like more of a possibility now than when camp began. The 6-foot-7 left-handed slugger is still probably striking out more than the Giants would like, but the 21-year-old is making consistent enough contact — and when he does, it’s been among the loudest of anyone in the Cactus League.