We took a look at all 32 pitchers in camp for the Giants on Friday and now we’ll take attendance while breaking down the 24 position players in camp, including those on the 40-man roster as well as the non-roster invitees to big-league camp who are fighting for a spot.
40-man roster position players (20)
Willy Adames, SS: Adames was the glue guy on a Milwaukee Brewers club that did so many little things right while cruising to the NL Central title last season. The Giants were so impressed with his all-around game that club president Buster Posey gave Adames the richest contract in franchise history: seven years and $182 million, breaking the record previously held by … Buster Posey. Now Adames will hope to become the Giants’ first 100-RBI guy since Posey in 2012. Playing alongside Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman should give the 29-year-old every chance to reestablish his world-class defensive metrics as well after they took a beating last season.
Patrick Bailey, C: If you’re a wonk for baseball projections, then you probably took note that PECOTA recently pegged the Giants’ defense for an MLB-best 30 defensive runs prevented. Bailey’s off-the-charts framing metrics have a lot to do with that. He is coming off his first Gold Glove season and there’s reason to be bullish that the switch-hitter has more to offer on the offensive side. It’d be almost impossible for him to struggle to another four-hit month, which is what he posted during a freaky August in which everything he put in play got vacuumed up.
Osleivis Basabe, IF: We would call Basabe the most popular Giants player ever to come from Bobures, Venezuela, except that’s also where Luis Matos calls home. Basabe and Matos are cousins. They have another cousin, Luis Alexander Basabe, who played in nine games for the Giants in 2020. Oh, and just to confuse you, Luis Alexander Basabe has a twin brother, Luis Alejandro Basabe, who also played professionally. Anyway, the Giants acquired Osleivis Basabe for cash from Tampa Bay after the Rays DFA’d him on Feb. 3. He’s a right-handed contact hitter who plays up the middle and has minor-league options.
Matt Chapman made himself a team leader in his first season with the Giants. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
Matt Chapman, 3B: Chapman was named the Willie Mac Award winner after leading the Giants in games (154), hits (142), doubles (39), home runs (27), RBIs (78), runs (98), walks (64), and total bases (266) all while playing Gold Glove defense and putting on a daily baserunning clinic. His 7.1 bWAR was second among NL players, trailing only Shohei Ohtani. Beyond all that, the Giants were enamored by the consistency of both his effort and his performance. No wonder ownership was eager to sign him to a six-year, $151 million extension before he could opt out of his contract. Chapman has spoken about the liberating feeling he’ll have now that he doesn’t have to think about his contract situation for the first time in years. Given his competitiveness and inner drive, the Giants aren’t worried that he’ll be any less determined.
Jerar Encarnacion, OF/DH: In the Giants’ dream scenario, Encarnacion reads from the J.D. Martinez script and becomes a late-blooming, power-hitting force who can anchor the middle of their lineup. But there’s a reason those stories happen maybe once a generation or so. Encarnacion’s tale is remarkable enough as it is: hadn’t played in the major leagues since 2022 for the Miami Marlins, received no Triple-A opportunities last season, signed with Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League, turned into Barry Bonds while smashing 19 home runs in 26 games there, signed with the Giants, did more Barry Bonds stuff while hitting .352 with 10 homers in 33 games for Triple-A Sacramento, then hit five homers in 35 big-league games, including a game winner. His average exit velocity of 95.5 mph trailed only Aaron Judge, Ohtani and Oneil Cruz among all hitters with at least 50 batted-ball events. Encarnacion is out of minor-league options, so expect him to make the team. It’s not as if the Giants have a wealth of other DH options.
Tyler Fitzgerald, 2B: Fitzgerald’s 132 wRC+ and .831 OPS led all qualified rookies last season, he became the first Giants rookie to steal 17 bases since Rajai Davis in 2007, and he became the first Giant to homer in five consecutive games since Barry Bonds in 2004. It was a splashy and unexpected rookie season, but a .677 OPS in September and issues with strikeouts down the stretch suggest it might not be so repeatable. Moving Fitzgerald from shortstop to second base should alleviate some pressure as he seeks to cement himself as an everyday player. Fitzgerald has the most work to do in situational at-bats; he hit .179 and struck out 30 times in 67 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Wilmer Flores, 1B/3B: Everyone’s favorite “Friends” fan led the Giants with 23 home runs in 2023 but knee problems led to a .595 OPS in 242 PA. The soft batted-ball data was even bleaker. Flores opted into a $3.5 million salary and the Giants had too much respect for him as a professional to write off their losses. He’ll seek to prove his health this spring after undergoing knee surgery last year. When Flores is right, there aren’t many hitters who give you a better at-bat when it’s close and late. The Giants’ bench looks pretty light on experience and could use more of those skills.
Sam Huff, C/1B: Huff, 27, has a .768 OPS and 10 home runs in 78 MLB games over parts of four seasons with the Rangers and was once considered their catcher of the future. He hit 28 home runs in the minors in 2019 and was named MVP of the Futures Game. But consistent contact became an issue at the upper levels. The Giants scooped him up on a waiver claim last month. He’s out of options so the Giants could lose him if he doesn’t make the roster. Huff’s ability to play first base might not matter so much when the Giants have Wilmer Flores and David Villar as potential right-handed platoon pals with LaMonte Wade Jr. But a little positional flexibility isn’t a bad thing to offer when you’re trying to make a team.
Tom Murphy, C: His catching skills are suspect, he hasn’t stayed healthy — he still couldn’t get in a squat months after spraining his knee May 4 — and he’s a right-handed bench bat on a team that really could use more on the left side. He’s also making $4 million and he’s the reason that Joey Bart got pushed out of the organization. Murphy’s guaranteed contract ordinarily would make him an automatic to open the season as Bailey’s backup. But it’s going to be an open competition this spring.
Jung Hoo Lee, CF: The Giants knew that Lee’s first MLB season would be a transition year for the former KBO star. After it was limited to 37 games because of a dislocated left shoulder, Lee is more or less starting over as he enters Year 2 of his six-year, $113 million contract. Before the injury, Lee was beginning to establish himself as a plus defender in center field and his at-bats were improving from week to week. He’ll be counted upon to be a defensive asset and a table setter atop the lineup. It wouldn’t hurt if he began to steal some bases, too.
Marco Luciano, OF: We know a lot about what Luciano is not. He is no longer a shortstop. He is no longer viewed as a top-100 prospect. He is no longer untouchable in trade talks. Here is what Luciano still is: just 23 with the swing ingredients to be a middle-of-the-order run producer. The last front-office administration utterly failed in its messaging about Luciano’s development and future. Perhaps the current administration will have more success turning Luciano into a successful big-league hitter. A good start would be turning him into a successful Triple-A hitter.
Luis Matos, OF: Matos became the youngest MLB hitter to drive in at least 11 runs over consecutive games since Johnny Bench in 1970. He had 17 RBIs through six games after joining the Giants in May and won NL Player of the Week. After that, he was a player of the weak, swinging at too many borderline pitches and making too much soft contact. He appeared to lose all confidence and barely played after a September callup. Perhaps Matos regained some of that confidence with his performance Venezuelan Winter League when he hit .300 with 10 home runs and a league-leading 20 doubles. Still just 23, Matos will get every chance to open as Mike Yastrzemski’s platoon partner in right field and potentially grow his role from there.
Grant McCray, OF: There’s no better case study than McCray to illustrate what the Giants’ new regime hopes to change in player development. They want position players who understand their strengths and seek to maximize the impact that those skills can make on the major-league club. For a pure burner like McCray, that means addressing a 40 percent strikeout rate, putting the ball in play and using his speed to put pressure on opponents. McCray was rushed to the big leagues last year after just 97 games above A-ball, so he’s likely to start the season in Sacramento. But the Giants want to create a more dynamic offensive identity and there aren’t many players in the system as dynamic as McCray. All eyes will be on him this spring.
Wade Meckler, OF: A wrist injury in the spring turned last year into a wasted season for Meckler, who has nearly as many walks as strikeouts as a pro hitter and whose contact skills still make him an intriguing name to watch. Perhaps down the road, Meckler and Lee can give opponents fits while hitting back-to-back and flicking away one pitch after another. Meckler shouldn’t be on the 40-man roster yet, obviously, but that’s on the previous administration for calling him up barely a year after drafting him in the eighth round.
Heliot Ramos, OF: We are contractually obligated to cite the fact that Ramos last year became the first drafted and developed Giants outfielder to make an All-Star team since Chili Davis in 1986. He probably deserved to start the game, too, after posting an .888 OPS before the break. And of course, Ramos became the first right-handed hitter in 25 seasons to splash a home run into McCovey Cove. The very big and very annoying caveat is that Ramos wasn’t the same hitter in the second half and he isn’t likely to hit like Aaron Judge against lefties again. But when you make an All-Star team, you earn the right to start on Opening Day the following season. He’s expected to become the latest in an impossibly long line of various and sundry Giants left fielders (19 in 19 years!) to start on Opening Day. Perhaps he’ll be the guy to stop the streak by starting there in 2026, too.
Casey Schmitt, IF: Schmitt has the misfortune of being an excellent defensive third baseman blocked behind a five-time Gold Glove winner at the position. So he’s likely to be a guy on the move this spring and could have the best opportunity as a second baseman if Fitzgerald gets hurt or struggles for an extended period. Schmitt did what was required as a call-up in September, hitting .429 over nine games and greatly reducing his chase rate. He brings loads of positive vibes, too. But if the Giants carry just one backup middle infielder, Brett Wisely will have the edge due to his left-handedness.
David Villar, 1B/3B: Villar only resurfaced in the major leagues for an 11-game cameo last season and it might be fair to wonder why he’s still in the organization. This might be the simplest answer: He’s got value within the industry and his name often has come up in trade discussions over the years. Villar’s right-handed, opposite-field power might make him an imperfect fit with the Giants and their ballpark (see previous note about Ramos splash home runs). Now that he’s out of options, he might finally get the chance to experience greener grass elsewhere. In the meantime, he’s depth at first base behind Flores and LaMonte Wade, Jr., neither of whom will be confused with Cal Ripken, Jr. in terms of durability.
LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B/DH: Wade was mentioned in enough trade rumors this winter to qualify as a Fleetwood Mac album. (British spelling accepted for Blue Jays fans only.) There probably would’ve been more fire beneath the smoke if the Giants had convinced Paul Goldschmidt to sign with them. But Wade is still here, and given the state of the roster and lineup, it probably wouldn’t be so bright for the Giants to casually cast aside any productive left-handed hitters. Wade has Juan Soto-like zone control because his vision and hand-eye coordination are on another level. He might not be the run producer that the Giants covet at the position, he’s a pure station-to-station runner and his long-term future in San Francisco is hazy after top prospect Bryce Eldridge reached Triple A last season. But what Wade does well, he does really well. You also do not want to challenge him to a ping-pong match.
Brett Wisely, IF: When the Rays made their selection in the 15th round of the 2019 draft, they chose … Wisely. Apologies, but by the time we get to the Ws in these capsules, we get a little punchy. Maybe you didn’t realize it, but Wisely was one of the Giants’ better situational hitters last season — even if the 79 OPS+ and .278 on-base percentage aren’t exactly selling points in his favor. Wisely has the great fortune of batting left-handed, which means there aren’t a lot of players in camp who fit the roster as ideally as he does. There are these things called trades and waiver claims, though. So he gets the same advice that everyone gets this time of year: go out and impress us, kid.
Mike Yastrzemski, OF: He will always be Carl’s grandson but it’s a credit to his career accomplishments that maybe his baseball lineage isn’t the first thing that Giants fans think about when his very distinctive name is mentioned. Yastrzemski was a 28-year-old rookie in 2019 when the Giants gave him a major-league opportunity and he didn’t have terrific prospects to earn much money in the game. Yet here he is in 2025, entering his final season before free agency, and pulling down a $9.25 million salary that will take him above $28 million in career earnings. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. He’s a Gold Glove-adjacent right fielder in a ballpark where there aren’t many who can excel at the position, he still has the bounce in his legs of a 25-year-old, and even in a so-so 2024 season at the plate, he posted a 110 OPS+. So yeah, he’s worth the money.
Non-roster invitees (6)
The team will have to make room on the 40-man roster to add any of these players to the active roster.
Sergio Alcántara, IF: One thing we know for sure: The Diamondbacks don’t hate Sergio Alcántara. They signed him as an amateur free agent in 2012, purchased him from the Cubs in 2022, selected him off waivers later in 2022, signed him as a minor-league free agent in 2023 and acquired him for cash in April 2024. Make up your mind, people. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022, but the switch-hitting infielder can play all over the infield and has enough plate discipline to keep an eye on.
Bryce Eldridge, 1B: Eldridge is the Giants’ top prospect and the one that other teams make sure to ask about in every trade conversation. He zipped through the minors last year, ending in Triple A. Even though he’s still just 20, he has a chance to make the majors this year, where he’ll be expected to save the Giants and usher in a new era of championships and parades. No pressure.
Christian Koss, IF: Koss came to the Giants last year from the Red Sox, and he hit the snot out of the ball in Double-A Richmond, where the baseballs typically keep their snot to themselves. He did just OK in Sacramento, but he has enough power and defensive flexibility for the Giants to think of the 27-year-old as a candidate for an emergency replacement this year.
Jake Lamb was an All-Star for Arizona … in 2017. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Jake Lamb, IF: Lamb was an All-Star in 2017, but he’s become a journeyman bench bat since then. The Giants don’t have a lot of left-handed DH candidates, so he has a better shot at making the roster than you think, but he hit just seven home runs in 414 Triple-A plate appearances last season, which doesn’t seem like the kind of power that will play at Oracle Park. He has more career home runs (11) against the Giants than any other team, including three against Santiago Casilla in 2016 alone. Buster Posey was behind the plate for those, which at least partially explains why Lamb will be in camp.
Logan Porter, C: Porter is a grinder with much better numbers in the minors (.274/.397/.459) than an undrafted catcher should have. You can read more about his potential to back Patrick Bailey up here.
Max Stassi, C: Stassi once hit enough in the majors to convince the Angels that they needed to extend his contract, but his body didn’t cooperate, and he’s had little success since then. If Tom Murphy isn’t the backup to Patrick Bailey, Stassi probably has the best chance of replacing him. Read more about him here.
(Top photo of Bailey: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
