Kerry Crowley and I sweep up the ashes of a disappointing season, talk about the player development system, and look for signs of hope.

You can watch to all episodes of The Kerry Crowley Show on his You Tube channel, and to follow my work, simply click below to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.

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: “Float On” by Modest Mouse

More player interviews from Eugene on this week’s edition of the podcast. I caught up with Trent Harris, one of the biggest pop up relievers of the year in the Giants’ system, Joe Whitman, the 2nd rounder from Kent State who his having a really strong first year, and Charlie Szykowny, who’s been having a sneaky good under the radar first season.

Of course, all of these conversations are thanks to the support of my subscribers, who allow There R Giants to exist. And if you’d like to become one of those who support my work, I have just the link for you!

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: “A Beginning Song” by The Decemberists

Eli Walsh, part of the fine prospect-coverage crew at Baseball Prospectus stops by to join me and talk about a few of the players on the San Jose and Sacramento rosters. Eli writes the Giants’ organizational rankings for B-Pro, and helps fill in some of my West Coast blindspots with his first-hand reports from the Cal League and PCL.

We talk big players like Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt, and a few more obscure discoveries, like Trent Harris and Cesar Perdomo. Check out all of Eli’s work at the Monday Morning Ten Pack (including this week’s report on Whisenhunt), and follow him on twitter at walsh_eli to find all of his prospect coverage.

You can follow me on twitter at Rog61 to find all of my work, or simply become a There R Giants’ subscriber and get it all delivered straight to your inbox.

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: “Twisting by the Pool” by Dire Straits

My guest this week is Eric Flemming, formerly Assistant Farm Director for the SF Giants. Eric digs into the bombshell news that the MLBPA is working to help form a union for minor league players. We talk benefits, costs, complications, and degree of hopefulness on a true Labor Day edition of the There R Giants podcast.

To read Eric’s blog posts, follow him on twitter @EricFlemming or just go straight to mlbinsidepitch.com. And you can keep up all of my work by following me on twitter @rog61 or simply becoming a subscriber to There R Giants to get daily, ad-free content on Giants’ prospects delivered straight to your Inbox.

Intro/Outro: “There is Power in a Union” by Billy Bragg

The Athletic’s Andy Baggarly joins me to talk about his recent trips to Eugene and Sacramento to check in on Giants’ prospects. We talk some of the success stories and struggles on the farm, and, by popular demand, a whole lot of Vaun Brown content!

You can (and should!) follow Andy on twitter @extrabaggs to catch all of his great work on the Giants’ organization. And, of course, follow me @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my Giants’ prospect related work direct to your Inbox.

Intro/Outro: “Wall of Death” by R.E.M.

My guest this week is the great Jim Callis from MLB Pipeline who stops by to talk about the Giants’ draft class and the latest MLB.com Top 30 ranking of the Giants’ system. As Jim says, it’s been a pretty volatile year on the Giants’ farm with a lot of big risers and big fallers, making for a pretty fascinating snapshot in time.

You can (and should) follow all of Jim’s work on Twitter @jimcallisMLB and of course you can keep up with all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or by becoming a subscriber to There R Giants.

IntroDraft Class Overview: Crawford and Whisenhunt (1:30)Favorite “Other” Arm from Draft (10:18)Newest Top 30: Big Risers (12:00)Luciano and Harrison at Top (17:20)Luis Matos’ Season (19:25)Great Defenders at Top of List: McCray, Matos, Arteaga, Schmitt (22:00)Bottom Half: Wilson and Beck (26:30)Jim’s Favorite Guy from Back Half (32:30)

Intro/Outro: “Who’ll Be the Next In Line” by The Kinks

This week’s podcast contains a couple player interviews I was able to do on my recent west coast trip. I sat down with Vaun Brown in Eugene and then while I was in San Jose was able to speak with Grant McCray by telephone. Both of them discuss their terrific breakout years and the work that lay behind that success.

Look for more player profile stories coming over the next week or so at There R Giants.com.

Grant Brisbee of The Athletic stops by to talk about the Giants trade deadline, a disappointing 2022 and the path forward on the latest edition of There R Giants podcast.

You can (and should!) follow the wit and wisdom of Grant on twitter @GrantBrisbee and read his work at The Athletic. And, of course, you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 and read all of my Giants’ prospect-related writing by becoming a subscriber to There R Giants for daily updates of all the action around the farm.

Intro/Outro: “Stay Out Of It” by Michigander

Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes joins me this week to talk about pitchers in the Giants’ draft class, the uniqueness of Kyle Harrison, and the best single pitches in the Giants’ organization.

You can keep up with all of Geoff’s great work at BA by following him on twitter @GeoffPontesBA. He’s putting a ton of video from the Cape Cod League up there right now, which makes this a great time to follow him — like this footage he took of Giants’ 12th round pick Tyler Vogel:

You can follow my work on twitter @rog61 or simply become a subscriber at There R Giants to get it all delivered straight to your inbox:

Intro/Outro: “Walking on a Wire” by Richard and Linda Thompson

I’m joined this week by my friend Brian Recca who provides draft coverage for Prospects Live. Brian and I talk over the Giants’ 2022 draft literally from the top to the bottom. We talk surprises, risks, trends, pitch data, and much more.

Follow Brian on Twitter @brian_recca to keep up with all of his draft work (he’s already following the 2023 draft class!), and, of course, you can follow me @rog61 to find all of my Giants’ prospect work — or just become a There R Giants subscriber to get it all delivered to your Inbox ad-free!

You can also download the Substack App to follow all of your Substack subscriptions in one place.

Intro/Outro: “Howling for You” by The Black Keys

I don’t like to play favorites — but this week’s There R Giants pod may be the best ever! My guest, Eric Flemming, spent 15 seasons as a member of the SF Giants organization, most of that time as a part of the Player Development staff. After spending several seasons as a Minor League Operations Assistant, he was made Coordinator of Minor League Operations in 2012 and later was named the Assistant Director of Player Development.

Eric has a lot of stories to tell and much insight to share about the way player development works. You can follow Eric on twitter @EricFlemming, or read his occasional blog posts at MLB Inside Pitch — if you make it to the end of the show, Eric gives a sneak peak at his next post which sounds like a must read for any Giants’ fan!

You can keep up with all of my Giants’ prospect-related work by following me on twitter @rog61, or simply by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.

Intro/Outro: “Inside” by Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers

Richmond Flying Squirrels multi-position veteran Shane Matheny is my guest on this week’s podcast. In his second year with Richmond, Shane has been among the league leaders in several offensive categories, while hitting .297/.429/.530 with a 162 wRC+. According to manager Dennis Pelfrey, Matheny has been a leader for the Squirrels team, both on the field and in the clubhouse. Shane and I talk about the dramatic conclusion to the first half, celebrating their entry to the playoffs, and his progress through the Giants’ system and developing his game, offensively and defensively.

If you want more There R Giants content, why not become a subscriber and get daily newsletters delivered, ad free, right to your Inbox?

Or you can read There R Giants or any Substack newsletters in the new Substack App;

Intro/Outro: “Working Man’s Blues” by Merle Haggard

The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard is my guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast. We discuss some health-related issues with various players in the system and then dig in to observations on the first half of the season. Melissa does a great job covering the Giants’ and A’s farm system for The Athletic and is a must follow on Twitter @melissalockard.

And, of course, you can follow all of my work on Twitter @rog61 and get all of my work on the Giants’ farm system by subscribing to There R Giants for daily recaps and much more!

Injury Updates (1:20)Marco Luciano timeline (4:00)Weather effect on Eugene (5:30)Luis Matos’ season (7:45)Hunter Bishop (11:00)Patrick Bailey (13:40)Casey Schmitt (15:45)Carter Aldrete (17:50)Will Wilson (20:20)Looming 40-man crunch (22:00)Kyle Harrison (26:45)Randy Rodriguez (29:15)

Intro/Outro: “Summer Mood” by Best Coast

EDITOR’S NOTE: I mistakenly put “Restricted” links in today’s Stats Reviews post for the Google sheet tables — those have now been replaced with links you can see freely as usual.

Kerry Crowley and I have finally gotten our schedules synced up — but things haven’t changed a whole lot in the NL or with the Giants since last we spoke. Kerry and I discuss whether this .500 club is just another variety of the one we’ve watched the past two years, or whether there’s something more interesting brewing under the surface. Along the way, we talk about the delightful surprise that has been Heliot Ramos, the pitching staff’s shortages, and the NL’s “race” for mediocrity.

Follow Kerry on twitter at KO_Crowley and make sure to look for all the episodes of The Kerry Crowley Show on his You Tube page. You can follow me on twitter at Rog61, and get all of my Giants’ prospect work delivered straight to your inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber.

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: “They Didn’t Believe Me” by Dinah Washington

It’s a double pod week! I had the chance to talk with Richmond catcher Brandon Martorano and LHP Chris Wright last week and thought I’d share the whole conversations with you. Both of these guys are low round draft picks who have jumped pretty quickly into the upper minors and they were gracious enough to share their baseball journeys with me and with you the listener! Enjoy!

Brandon Martorano (1:56)Chris Wright (21:10)

Intro/Outro: “Periodically Double or Triple” by Yo La Tengo

This week I’m joined by my favorite fellow Giants’ prospect blogger affectionately known as GPT. Avi and I talk over our major impressions of the Giants’ farm through the first third of the 2022 season. It’s a power summit of observations and one I think you’ll really enjoy!

Of course, you need to be following Avi on Twitter @giantsprospects. And for all of my work, you can follow me on Twitter @rog61 or simply subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my writing delivered, ad free, straight to your Inbox every morning.

Major Trends on Giants’ Farm (0:00)Heliot Ramos’ Season (8:50)Marco Luciano (13:30)Pleasant Surprises: Will Wilson, Trevor McDonald (16:40)Will Bednar (21:50)Mason Black (25:00)Casey Schmitt (27:35)Vaun Brown (30:30)1st Round Woes (33:10)

Intro/Outro: “Good Morning (The Future)” by Rogue Wave

Richmond 1b Frankie Tostado joins me to talk about his baseball journey, the stop and start nature of his early career, and the strides he’s making that are powering this year’s outstanding performance. Tostado has been first or second in the league in batting average or hits for most of the year, and is now in the league’s Top 10 in OPS, Slugging, and wRC+.

Intro/Outro: “Santeria” by Sublime

Baseball America’s draft expert Carlos Collazo joins me to talk some 2022 draft! Carlos digs into the stars of the draft, the potential bargain spots, some high risk/high reward types, and picks me out four potential targets for the Giants’ top pick at #30. It’s not too early to get a strong case of Draft Fever!

Follow Carlos on twitter @CarlosACollazo to make sure you’re up to date on the latest draft news, mock drafts, and high risers! And, of course, you can follow me on twitter to get all of my work, video, and observations from the field @rog61.

With draft coverage coming and rookie league season underway, there’s no better time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber!

Intro/New Draft Calendar (0:20)Competitive Advantages of Shortened Draft (5:20)Looking back: Hunter Bishop and Patrick Bailey (7:00)Overview of this year’s draft (9:50)Extreme Pitcher-heavy drafts of 2021 (12:00)Kumar Rocker Update (14:30) — Note: Rocker did pitch this weekend for first time (and looked great!)Who are Stars of 2022 draft (16:15)Tamarr Johnson (20:15)Theme of the Draft: Bloodline players (22:00)Late Round Depth of Draft — what’s available at 30? (24:30)Big Risk/Reward types who might be available (26:20)Finding the Giants a Player — one player from each quadrant (30:00)

Intro/Outro: “Gonna Get that Man” by Connie Francis

Laura Nuñez, the Giants’ Manager of Education and Cultural Development stops by to discuss the important work being done by her office to help the players coming into the organization from the international side transition to playing professional ball in the United States. It’s a critical aspect of player development that we don’t often hear about, so I’m really excited to be able to get some time to speak with Laura about the work that she and her team are doing.

Intro/Outro: “The World is Full of Strangers” by Camera Obscura

I’ve got something different for you this week: Richmond Manager Dennis Pelfrey joins be, but he’s not here to talk Giants’ prospects, instead Dennis and I dive in to some alternative ideas for extra-innings baseball, and in particular a rule he originated while working in Indy ball that’s starting to get some play around the baseball world. We’re calling it: The Pelfrey Rule!

Intro/Outro: “Only A Fool Plays By the Rules” by Chris Rea

Johnny Doskow, the voice of the Sacramento River Cats joins me on this week’s There R Giants podcast to talk about this year’s team, life in Triple A, and Jason Krizan’s long-awaited call up.

Follow Johnny on twitter @JDoskow. And you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 or become a There R Giants’ subscriber to get all of my work covering the SF Giants’ farm system.

Jason Krizan (2:00)Life in Triple A (4:20)LaMonte Wade Jr (8:00)Sean Hjelle and Heliot Ramos (10:00)Yunior Marte (16:20)Gregory Santos (18:15)Raynel Espinal and other arms (19:40)David Villar (24:45)So many new guys! (30:30)Ka’ai Tom and Austin Dean (32:00)Bryce Johnson (35:30)Pitch Clock (40:30)

Intro/Outro: “This is the Day” by The The

Joe Ritzo, the voice of the San Jose Giants stops by this week’s edition of the pod to talk about the 2022 version of the San Jose Giants and all of those amazing arms. We talk piggy back starters, strikeout records, and the chances this club could “run it back.”

You can (and should!) follow Joe on twitter to keep up with the San Jose team @@JoeRitzo. And, of course, you can follow all of my work on twitter @rog61 or subscribe to There R Giants to receive my posts five (or six!) days a week to keep you updated on everything happening on the Giants’ farm.

* Putting a bow on the 2021 San Jose team (1:00)

* 2022 team: so many arms! (6:00)

* 20 strikeout game (9:30)

* Top Group of Draft picks (Bednar, Mikulski, Black): (16:00)

* Eric Silva, the high school guy (20:15)

* Mercedes, Vinicio, and other interesting arms (23:00)

* The young position player group (27:20)

* Returning players (McCray, Frechette) (34:00)

* Vaun Brown (36:20)

* Will they run it back? (37:20)

Intro/Outro: “Stronger Better Faster Stronger” by Daff Punk

This week’s There R Giants podcast features this year’s Barney Nugent Award winner Brett Auerbach and Richmond Flying Squirrels’ Hitting Coach Danny Santin. Auerbach has quickly become a fan favorite and he talks to me about his journey from undrafted college free agent to a prospect that Giants’ fans now have their eyes on (#32 in TRG Top 50 this year and looking to move up next year!). Santin talks about his approach to helping the hitters achieve their potential and how the organization is trying to put their hitters in a position for success! Danny’s a little soft in the recording, but hopefully he’s so engaging you won’t mind!

Intro (0:00)Brett Auerbach (1:48)Danny Santin (18:25)

Intro/Outro: “The Laws Have Changed” by the New Pornographers

On this week’s There R Giants podcast, I answer a few listener questions regarding opening day rosters and some expectations for key players and then talk with tonight’s starting pitcher for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Tristan Beck, as well as Squirrels’ 3b Sean Roby.

Don’t forget you can get all my posts delivered straight to your Inbox by becoming a There R Giants’ subscriber, and for the next two days you can get a full year’s subscription at 30% off, so now’s a great time to join the 2022 journey on the Giants' farm system.

Intro/Listener Mailbag (0:00)Tristan Beck interview (13:00)Sean Roby interview (22:20)

Intro/Outro: “Begin the Begin” by REM

This week’s There R Giants podcast features Richmond Hitting and Pitching Coaches Cory Elasik and Paul Oseguera (respectively). Together they walk me through the Richmond roster talking about development growth they’ve seen from their players this year — many of whom they’ve coached in previous years as well. We talk about the recently promoted Grant McCray and Hayden Birdsong, and a wide variety of other Flying Squirrels including Victor Bericoto, Adrian Sugastey, Vaun Brown, Carson Ragsdale, Evan Gates and many more.

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: “But I’m Different Now” by The Jam

Maria Guardado, MLB’s beat writer for the Giants, joins me this week to talk about some of the impressions that various minor league players have made on the major league coaching staff this spring. We talk about how top prospects and some of the lesser known guys have made big impressions on Gabe Kapler and his staff over the last month. We also spend some time talking about Maria’s fantastic story on the Giants Spanish-language classes for English-speaking minor leaguers, which you can read here:

Follow all of Maria’s coverage of the Giants on Twitter @MI_Guardado. And follow my work on Twitter @Rog61, or subscribe to There R Giants to get full coverage of the Giants minor league system sent right to your Inbox every day of the week!

Triple A Sacramento begins its season tonight, so now’s a great time to jump in!

Intro/Outro: “Beatnik Beach” by The Go Gos

MLB’s Jim Callis is back from visiting the Giants minor league camp in Scottsdale, AZ. He joins me talk about MLB’s new Top 30 ranking of the Giants organization, one of the deepest top 30s for the Giants in recent memory.

You can follow Jim on Twitter @jimcallisMLB to follow all of his work at MLB Pipeline and, of course, you can follow me on Twitter @Rog61 or just subscribe to There R Giants.com to get daily in-season updates of all the happenings on the Giants’ farm delivered straight to your Inbox.

Intro/Outro: “Endless Summer” by Superchunk

This week’s There R Giants podcast features three conversations I had with players conducted while I was visiting the Giants’ minor league spring training facility in Scottsdale. Matt Mikulski, Trevor McDonald, and Rohan Handa all took time to share their journeys with me as they each prepare for their first full season in pro ball.

Audio is a little uneven this week, as the interviews were recorded out in the back fields at the Giants’ new Papago Park facility and I didn’t quite have my normal technical elements on the road with me. Hopefully, you’ll overlook some low tech recording for great insight from the players.

If you’d like more great There R Giants content, why not subscribe to get daily in-season updates, ad free, delivered right to your Inbox?

Richmond Flying Squirrels Manager Dennis Pelfrey (coming off of last season’s championship in Eugene) joins me to talk about spring training camp, the advantages of coming from an Indy ball background, the resources available for player development today — and, of course, we talk about some of the players as well! You’ll be into the spring mood by the time you finish this one!

I’ll be heading to Scottsdale next week so I’ll have much more minor league camp content to share in the coming days. So now is a great time to become a There R Giants subscriber if you’re not already. Once the season starts, I’ll bring coverage of the entire Giants’ minor league system five days a week.

Intro (1:00)Do Manager’s Think in Terms of “Promotions” (4:00)Advantages of coming from Indy Ball (7:50)Technology and Data Resources for Player Development (12:30)Marco Luciano (18:50)Jairo Pomares (23:30)Ismael Munguia (26:30)Diego Rincones (30:20)Will Wilson (32:15)Ryan Murphy (35:00)

Intro/Outro: “Go!” by Apples in Stereo

A little something different in the podcast this week. I needed to do some venting and emotional processing over the current state of MLB so I called in my friend Marc Delucchi to help talk me through it. Marc and I talk negotiations and economics and how sad and unnecessary the current situation is.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back to Giants prospect talk next week!

You can follow Marc’s work on Twitter @maddelucchi and read his Warriors and 49ers writings at Golden State of Mind and Niners Nation.

And, of course, you can follow my work on Twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com for all of my Giants prospect-related work — I’ll be at minor league camp in a couple of weeks with video and observations coming at you!

Intro/Outro: “I’m Not Angry” by Elvis Costello

My friend Phil Goyette joins me this week to talk statistics and predictions for big performances in the upcoming season. Phil and I play “Big Three/Next Three” with Giants’ hitting and pitching prospects to see if we can tease out who the big stories will be on the farm in the upcoming year. We also see if we can identify the next Ryan Murphy type breakout player.

Phil’s been kind enough to share his spreadsheets, estimating major league equivalencies from last year’s statistics which you can find at the following links:

* Hitters

* Pitchers

You can follow Phil on Twitter @PhilOfSports to see all of his excellent work. And, of course, you can follow my work on Twitter @rog61 or get all of my Giants’ prospect work by subscribing to There R Giants dot com!

One more thing, I fumblingly mentioned seeing something recently that highlighted the great college seasons that Giants draft picks Matt Mikulski and Nick Sinacola had in 2021. I was right that it came from my friend Kyle Goings DIGS:

Intro/Outro: “Hell of a Season” by The Black Keys

Giants breakout RHP prospect Ryan Murphy is my guest on this week’s edition of There R Giants podcast. At least on the minor league side pitchers and catchers have reported to Scottsdale for spring training, and Ryan and I talk about his off-season regimen, what he’s been working on improving this winter, and how he likes to use data in his training. Ryan should be headed to Double A sometime in the upcoming season and hopes to keep himself on the fast track to a big league future.

If you like my coverage of Giants prospects, you might want to subscribe for daily coverage in season.

Intro/Outro: “The Boys Are Back” by The Dropkick Murphys

Fangraphs’ Tess Taruskin joins me to talk about Fangraphs recently published Giants prospect rankings and the state of the system. We talk about Casey Schmitt’s defense, Joey Bart’s weird development path, Patrick Bailey’s eventful first year and much more!

You can follow Tess on Twitter @tesstass. And of course you can follow me @rog61 and get all of my Giants prospect related posts by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com

Intro (0:00)How Fangraphs balances various data (3:00)Not overrating difficult seasons (7:30)Hunter Bishop (9:50)Casey Schmitt (11:30)Marco Luciano (15:30)How close is Luis Matos to top? (17:45)Patrick Bailey’s ranking (19:15)Bailey vs. Bart (23:00)Heliot Ramos (28:00)Pitching strategies and armslots (31:50)Kyle Harrison (34:25)Gregory Santos (37:20)Sleepers (39:45)

In/Out: “I’m Down” by The Beatles

The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly is my guest on this week’s There R Giants podcast. Andy and I talk about the important work area scouts do, what’s going on in the Giants’ front office during the lockout, and how they’ll handle the plethora of players who are running out of options this year.

You should absolutely be following Andy’s on twitter @extrabaggs. And, of course, you can follow me on twitter @rog61, or subscribe to There R Giants to get all of my work, ad free, delivered straight to your inbox. I’ll be headed out to minor league spring camp soon and hope to have plenty of observations and video to bring you from Papago Park.

Life during the lockout (2:00)Dick Tidrow Scout of the Year (6:10)Seiya Suzuki (11:00)How is the Giants depth at this point? (17:00)Guys running out of options (20:20)Tyler Beede (23:50)Steven Duggar (28:20)Joey Bart’s transition (33:35)How high will payroll go? (40:00)

Intro/Outro: “If and When” by The dBs

Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes stops by to talk about modern pitch data and how smart clubs like the Giants are leveraging different looks. We also dive into the five Giants who placed on the BA Top 100, with some deep dives into the hit data on Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Joey Bart. It’s a super-packed episode full of vertical approach angles, inverted vertical breaks, pitch shapes and more!

Follow Geoff on twitter @GeoffPontesBA to see all of his great work at Baseball America. And to get all of my There R Giants content, you can follow me on twitter @rog61 and subscriber to ThereRGiants to get daily Giants’ prospect news during the season and three posts a week through the winter.

Giants’ Development Philosophies (0:40)How Advanced Understanding of Pitch Metrics is Helping Smart Teams (8:40)Swiney, Santos, Bednar, Murphy and their Pitch Data (15:20)BA Top 100: Kyle Harrison (26:20)Marco Luciano (38:00)Luis Matos (42:00)Joey Bart (47:55)

Intro/Outro: “Watch the Tapes” by LCD Soundsystem

This week’s pod features a couple of pitchers who have been carving up hitters this year without the normal huge velocity we tend to associate with great pitching performances. John Michael Bertrand has now won the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors twice, while Dylan Cumming was the Pitcher of the Month for the Northwest League in April — and has a decent shot at repeating the honor in May. Both of them were generous enough to share their baseball journeys with me and detail their preparation and thought processes when on the mound.

This one’s a little noisy — as happens with in-stadium interviews, but it’s well worth it. Both of these guys are thoughtful, articulate, and engaging!

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’ve Got to Use My Imagination” by Gladys Knight and the Pips

Joe Salermo, the Giants’ Director of International Scouting, graciously stops by to talk about the newest class of international free agents who signed with the Giants this weekend. Joe takes us through the Giants journey to sign shortstop Ryan Reckley, catcher Juan Perez, and infielder Dennys Riera, as well as the rest of the incoming class (who does he say can hit a ball as far as anyone?). He also talks about the progress of some of the previous years’ classes. And he leaves us with this message: it’s an exciting time to be a Giants’ fan!

If you like the There R Giants podcast, consider subscribing to get all of my Giants-related content delivered ad-free, straight to your Inbox.

Intro/Outro: “You Can Have It All” by Yo La Tengo

SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser is my guest this week. The longtime A’s beat writer and former President of the BBWAA talks about becoming a newbie on the beat in the middle of a pandemic, the Giants’ risk tolerance, how they’ll handle the catcher position in the upcoming year and much much more.

You can follow Susan’s work on twitter @susanslusser and read all of her work by subscribing to the SF Chronicle.

And, of course, you can catch all of my work by following me on twitter @rog61 and read all of my Giants’ prospects work by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com. You’ll get five posts a week in season rounding up all the minor league action and three posts a week throughout the offseason.

Intro/Outro: “The Way We Get By” by Spoon

The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me once again to talk about her Top 30 rankings for the Giants’ system and the many questions she fielded from her readers about that list. We dive into the questions of how to assess rough years, Rule 5 protection, and the difference between starting pitching prospects and relievers. As always, Melissa’s work on the Giants’ system is a must follow at The Athletic. You can keep up with all of her work by following her on Twitter @melissalockard.

And, of course, you can follow my work as well @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my work delivered straight to the Inbox.

Intro/Outro: “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes

I’m trying something new for the final There R Giants podcast of the year: a listener mailbag. No guest this week, just me prattling along trying to answer a host of great questions from you! If you like this format, just drop a comment for me below and I’ll try to mix in more of these from time to time.

And, of course, all of my content is wholly supported by my subscribers, so if you’d like to support There R Giants and get lots and lots of my prospect writing, just hit this button here:

Have a very wonderful New Year everybody and we’ll talk again in 2022!

Intro/Outro: “Anywhere I Lay My Head” by Tom Waits

Baseball America’s Josh Norris stops by with a little pre-Christmas gift of knowledge! Josh writes up the Giants’ system for BA and he talks with me about the Giants upcoming top 10 list, how the pitching is progressing in the system, and the amazing prospect bonanza that is coming soon to Eugene.

You can follow Josh on Twitter @jnorris427 and of course you can follow me @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my writing on Giants’ prospects.

As a reminder, next week I’ll run solo on the podcast answering listener questions (if I get some!), so drop any questions you might have for me in the comments below.

A very merry Christmas to all of my listeners. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and support my work!

Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas, Baby” by Booker T. and the MGs

x

Baseball Prospectus’ Lead Prospect Writer Jeffrey Paternostro drops by to discuss the site’s new prospect rankings for the Giants’ organization. Together we chat about why catcher development is weird, how pitcher usage affects prospect evaluation, the Giants epochal 2018 J2 class and much more.

Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @jeffpaternostro and look for his prospect coverage on Baseball Prospectus.

You can follow me on Twitter @rog61 and to get all of my Giants’ prospect writing delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to There R Giants:

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

Are Giants a Top 3 system? (0:45)Top of the list (7:45)Impact of 2018 J2 class (15:40)Joey Bart’s Future? (17:30)Diego Rincones: Sleeper Candidate (22:25)Pitching coming on: (25:15)Stretching out Kervin Castro or Randy Rodriguez (38:25)Hunter Bishop’s and Will Wilson’s prospects for revival (42:30)

Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)” by The Ramones

This week’s guest is the host of the RizzoCast and youngest journalist on the Giants’ beat, SF Bay’s Steven Rissotto. Steven has built up a substantial list of journalistic accomplishments already at the age of 19, including covering the Giants for the second half of their NL West title run in 2021. He stops by to talk about the young players who may make an impact on the 2022 version of the Giants, including Tyler Beede, Sammy Long, Joey Bart, and more!

You can follow Steven on Twitter @StevenRissotto or follow his podcast @RizzoCast. And, of course, you can find all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect-related work:

Intro: (0:20)John D’Acquisto: (3:30)Tyler Beede (7:30)Sammy Long (11:40)Joey Bart (16:00)Steven Duggar and Thairo Estrada (22:20)Mauricio Dubón (30:20)Jaylin Davis (33:55) Heliot Ramos and the OF situation (37:05)Bullpen Options (41:40)

Intro/Outro: “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles

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Kevin Goldstein, currently of Fangraphs, formerly of the Houston Astros front office, joins me on this week’s episode to talk about an industry in transition, how big data has changed the game, why developing pitchers is easier in some ways than hitters, and what the next frontiers are for development staffs.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter @Kevin_Goldstein and read his work or listen to his own podcast, Chin Music at Fangraphs.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @rog61 and keep up with all of my Giants’ prospect writing by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com

Intro/Outro: “The Room Where It Happens” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton

Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joins me to talk about Giants’ prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League as well as a little chatter on the kids who played in rookie ball in Scottsdale this summer. Eric is one of the very best prospect writers and analysts around and it’s always a huge pleasure when he stops by to talk Giants’ prospects with me. Follow Eric on Twitter @longenhagen and make sure you check out the great Prospects Board he’s created on Fangraphs’ site.

And, of course, you can follow all of my work by following me on Twitter @rog61 or just subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to get all of my Giants’ prospects-related writing delivered straight to your Inbox.

If you enjoy the There R Giants pod, please share it with a Giants’ fan in your life. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Intro/Outro: “Who You Calling Kid?” by Hot Hot HEAT

Kerry Crowley stops by this week to talk about Buster Posey’s legacy with the Giants and how they fill his mighty shoes going forward. Buster was a transformational figure in Giants history — there will most likely be a statue of him standing outside Oracle Park one day — and it’s hard to imagine how they’ll replace everything he gave this organization and its fans.

You can follow Kerry on twitter @KO_Crowley, reads his Giants-related coverage for the Bay Area News Group, and listen to him evenings on KNBR. He’s always got a great take on the Giants and baseball in general.

And, of course, you can follow my work on twitter @rog61 or subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect work. Right now, I’m writing about each prospect on my Giants Top 50.

Intro/Outro: “One Last Kiss” by J. Geils Band

It’s time for another installation of There R Giants’ ever popular video interview series, In the Dugout! In this installment, we talk with Giants’ right-handed pitcher, Eric Silva. The Giants’ 2021 4th round pick out of JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA, Silva is going through multiple transitions this year: into the upper minors and to the bullpen. Through it all, Silva remains a thoughtful, introspective, and articulate young man, who is as interested in his growth as a person as he is his growth as an athlete. I hope you enjoy this super engaging talk with Silva, definitely one of my favorites to converse with.

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

Everyone’s favorite Giants twitter-related follow @GiantsProspects joins me for a listener requested conversation in which GPT and I talk about some players who we evaluate somewhat differently. It’s a fun conversation where we go back and forth on some guys and, hopefully, learn some things in the process!

Follow GPT on Twitter and, of course, follow me as well @rog61 to find all my work. You can also subscribe to ThereRGiants.com to read all of my Giants prospect writing including my upcoming Top 50 rankings project — I’ll be writing a new essay for each player in my Top 50 all through the winter!

Joey Bart (3:30)Heliot Ramos (11:00)Diego Rincones (16:10)David Villar, Casey Schmitt, and Ismael Munguia (20:20)Sammy Long (28:50)Hunter Bishop (33:40)Eric Silva and Manuel Mercedes (37:10)Nick Swiney (39:05)Patrick Bailey vs. Ricardo Genovés (40:30)Four Relievers: R.J. Dabovich, Cole Waites, Gregory Santos, Randy Rodriguez (45:00)

Intro/Outro: “I’ll Be You” by the Replacements

MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra joins me fresh off a two-week visit to Arizona to talk Arizona Fall League. Sam and I talk robo-ump, Statcast data, the pleasures of prospect watching in the desert, and he gives us his impressions of the various Giants’ prospects participating in the AFL.

You can follow all of Sam’s work on Twitter @SamDykstraMiLB and, of course, follow the entire MLB prospect team @MLBPipeline. And you can follow my work @Rog61 and make sure you get all of my Giants prospect work delivered straight to your Inbox by subscribing to ThereRGiants.com.

The AFL Setting: (1:00)Statcast Data (7:15)Robo-Ump system (10:00)Talking Giants prospects: Marco Luciano (13:10)Hunter Bishop (17:45)Patrick Bailey (20:40)Will Wilson (24:00)Seth Corry (27:00)

Intro/Outro: “Autumn Sweater” by Yo La Tengo

The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee joins me to parse through the pain of Giants’ seasons past. We share our mutual love of ‘70s era Giants baseball, and discuss why we’ll always remember 2021 with more fondness than sadness. With some side discussions into the current playoff format, the Dodgers’ playoff troubles, the Giants winter plans, and the importance of major league baseball supplying housing for minor league players.

What was the most painful Giants season: 2002, 1993, or 1962? (3:10)How does 2021 fit into the pantheon of pain? (12:20)Current Playoff format: love it? (18:15)Summing up this era of Dodgers baseball (21:55)Giants winter plans (27:00)Will the rookies make an impact in 2022? (31:50)Providing housing for minor league players (37:52)Will Grant ever write his book about the 70s Giants? (43:50)

Intro/Outro: “Cry Me a River” by Joe Cocker