There R Giants
196 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago -Talking all things related to the SF Giants minor league system.
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There R Giants pod-46 with Brian Recca
July 08, 2021 20:28 - 43 minutesMy good friend Brian Recca, who you might know from Twitter as “SF Draft Talk” stops by again to talk about the MLB Draft, which begins with the 1st round this Sunday night! You should definitely be following @Brian_Recca for all your draft-related info, and check out his tremendous spreadsheet primer. It’s a resource I use all the time! Brian will be live chatting the draft on Twitch as well, if you want to check that out. Brian and I talk various scenarios for the 1st round and try to hone...
There R Giants Pod-45 with David Villar and Doug Clark
July 01, 2021 19:26 - 49 minutesOn today’s edition of There R Giants podcast, Richmond 3b David Villar talks to me about getting through 2020, how he’s seeking to improve his game, and how all the many connections between players in the baseball world. David is currently one of just three players in the Giants’ system with 10 HR and is coming off a June in which he slugged .506. After David, I talk with Richmond hitting coach Doug Clark about how he and the Giants development staff seek to support and help players through...
There R Giants Pod-44 with Will Wilson and Dennis Pelfrey
June 24, 2021 16:06 - 58 minutesIt’s a Eugene Emeralds two-fer on this week’s edition of the pod. First up, one of the Giants top prospects, Eugene starting shortstop Will Wilson stops by to talk about what it’s like to get traded so early in his career, getting to work with Brandon Crawford, life at the alternate site, and how his first full season is going so far. Following Will, his manager Dennis Pelfrey visits me to dig pretty deep into the Emeralds roster, breaking down what’s so special about this group of players. ...
There R Giants Pod-43 with Joe Salermo
June 17, 2021 17:44 - 44 minutesMy guest this week is the Giants Director of International Scouting Joe Salermo and this is one I’m really excited to share with you. Joe and his staff are responsible for bringing so much talent into the Giants organization over the last few years. You’re going to hear Joe talk about names you know very well and are already excited about, and you’ll hear him talk excitedly about names you might not know at all! If you care about the future of the San Francisco Giants then this edition of T...
There R Giants pod-42 with Caleb Kilian
June 14, 2021 15:33 - 21 minutesRichmond starting pitcher Caleb Kilian joins me to talk about adjusting to Double A, how he spend the 2020 pandemic (it’s pretty incredible!), and how he works to improve himself in the days between starts. It’s a great conversation with one of the rising pitching stars in the system. For those of you wondering about the slightly odd timing — I was originally planning to include this interview in last week’s podcast, but weather and scheduling changed my plans. And I have another interview ...
There R Giants pod-41 with Phil Goyette
June 10, 2021 20:22 - 40 minutesThis week I’m joined by Phil Goyette. Phil writes prospect-based fantasy content for Rotoballer, Baseball Farm and other outlets. And lately he has created a formula, working with Matt Eddy of Baseball America, to estimate “Barrel” percentages and xwOBA for minor league hitters — these are the kinds of “batted ball” stats we’ve come to rely on major league baseball, but the public data is sadly lacking at the minor league level. For Baseball America, Phil is just using the formula to look at...
There R Giants Pod-40 with Eric Longenhagen
June 03, 2021 18:28 - 49 minutesFangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joined me for a deep dive into the Giants system with a side discussion of project valuation in general. Eric also gave me insights from his trips to the Giants new Extended Spring Training site at Papago Park with first-hand observations of youngsters like Manuel Mercedes, Adrian Sugastey, Aeverson Arteaga, and much more! Near the end of the pod, Eric talks a lot about the Giants young right-hander Manuel Mercedes, and refers to this video that he posted on Fang...
There R Giants Pod-39 with Joey Marciano and Trey Wilson
May 27, 2021 15:56 - 58 minutesToday’s podcast is a little different as I have two different interviews to share with you in this podcast. First up is LHP Joey Marciano who is off to a fantastic 2021 in the Richmond Flying Squirrels bullpen. You may recall that I spoke with Joey a year ago when he talked about his work to come back from retirement. Now that he’s back I wanted to know how it felt to return the game and what is working well for him. And then secondly I talk with the Voice of the Flying Squirrels, Richmond D...
There R Giants Pod-38 with Alex Stimson
May 20, 2021 17:24 - 41 minutesAlex Stimson who handles radio duties for the Giants new High-A affiliate the Eugene Emeralds is my guest this week. Alex and I talk about the Emeralds roster in depth and he shares observations on Will Wilson, Patrick Bailey, Kai-Wei Teng, Logan Wyatt and many more. Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexStimson — he wants to hear from Giants fans listening in so let him know you’re out there. You can also contact Alex @EugeneEmeralds. And, of course, you can follow my work on twitter @Rog61 and read...
There R Giants Pod-37 with Joe Ritzo
May 13, 2021 15:43 - 35 minutesThe Voice of the San Jose Giants Joe Ritzo joins me in this week’s There R Giants podcast to discuss the exciting talent on the 2021 San Jose club. Joe has been the full time play by play announcer on San Jose broadcasts since 2007 and has watched generations of talent come through the Giants system, so he’s the perfect guest to discuss this year’s crop of Low-A Giants prospects. Comparing 2021 and 2009 rosters (1:30)San Jose OF: Canario, Matos, and Smtih (7:05)Lenn Sakata and Mix of Age an...
There R Giants Pod-36 with Conner Penfold
May 06, 2021 16:00 - 39 minutesMy friend and former fellow blogger Conner Penfold joins me to talk about the Alternate Site scrimmages that took place in Sacramento over the last month and look forward to the Sacramento River Cats season, which opens tonight in Las Vegas. You might know Conner from his days writing Giant Potential, or follow him on Twitter @@giant_potential. But he’s now the Media and Baseball Operations Coordinator for the River Cats and got to watch all of the scrimmages that took place at Sutter Field...
There R Giants Pod-35 with Dalton Johnson
April 29, 2021 14:00 - 35 minutesThe 2021 Minor League Season is just days away and NBC Sports Bay Area’s own Dalton Johnson joined me to celebrate the coming year. We talked sleepers, pop ups, and of course, lots of Heliot Ramos, Joey Bart, Will Wilson, and Hunter Bishop content as well! Follow Dalton all season on Twitter @DaltonJ_Johnson or at NBCSports.com/bayarea. Standouts from Camp: Grant McCray and Garrett Frechette (1:30)San Jose Outfield (7:45)Luis Matos: (9:30)Will Wilson and Hunter Bishop (12:00)Are Alt Site r...
There R Giants Pod-34 with Dennis Pelfrey
April 15, 2021 13:26 - 34 minutesDennis Pelfrey was supposed to start his career as a Manager in the Giants system in 2020. Instead he’ll get his Giants debut next month as the Manager of the Eugene Emeralds. It’s been a long journey for Dennis who spent six years in Indy Ball as a player and many more years as a Coach and Manager in Indy Ball before coming aboard the Giants system. Here Dennis tell the story of his baseball journey and talk about what it’s like becoming part of the large, complex, and sophisticated develop...
There R Giants Pod-33 with Melissa Lockard
April 08, 2021 14:00 - 33 minutesThe Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me to talk about players (finally!) reporting to minor league spring camp. We discuss storylines for the upcoming season and potential assignments for many of the system’s best prospects. Follow Melissa on Twitter @melissalockard. Intro/Outro: “Feed the Tree” by Belly This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-32 with Ahmed Fareed
April 01, 2021 14:00 - 43 minutesNBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed stops by to brainstorm ways to make baseball a more entertaining product just in time for Opening Day. Removable walls and borrowed soccer rules are just some of the ideas we have to up the fun quotient of the game. Intro/Outro “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” by Gladys Knight and The Pips This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-31 with Jim Callis
March 25, 2021 14:00MLB’s Jim Callis stopped by to talk about MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Prospect ranking for the Giants’ system. Jim’s always a must listen! Ranking in a pandemic (1:20)How Driveline and other labs are changing development (5:00)Where Giants system ranks among MLB (6:30)Top Tier of the system (8:00)Ramos/Bishop comparison (9:15)Seth Corry (12:45)Kyle Harrison (16:30)Other Pitching Prospects (19:15)Players beyond the Top 10 (22:30)Luis Matos chances to leap up rankings (26:00)How clubs will treat lo...
There R Giants Pod-30 with Lukas McKnight
March 18, 2021 13:30 - 43 minutesI’m joined today by Lukas McKnight, longtime member of the Chicago Cubs organization and front office who now helps run the baseball site PeloteroIntl.com. Along with his partner Tom Shafer, Lukas recently penned a series of guest posts at There R Giants on recent Giants international signees Marco Luciano, Diego Velasquez, and Mauricio Pierre. Lukas and I discuss the evolution of front offices, how scouting the amateur and international markets are different, and the effects that technology...
There R Giants Pod-29 with Marc Delucchi
March 09, 2021 19:17 - 53 minutesMy good friend Marc Delucchi stopped by to talk about all of the “Prospect Week” content he produced at Around the Foghorn. Marc and I talk at length about specific prospect comparisons: Matos vs. Ramos, Bart vs. Bailey, Santos and Castro vs. Blake Rivera. It’s a deep dive into the system. Follow Marc on Twitter @@maddelucchi Intro/Outro “Best of You” by the Foo Fighters. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ...
There R Giants Pod-28 with Kerry Crowley
March 04, 2021 15:00 - 41 minutesKerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group joined me to talk about Giants prospects and the organization’s path into the future. We talked a lot about pitchers, and a little bit about how much we hate “bulk innings” and “openers!” You should follow Kerry on Twitter @KO_Crowley. Intro/Outro “Outside Chance” by The Turtles This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-27 with Mark Sanchez
February 25, 2021 15:01 - 38 minutesKNBR’s Mark Sanchez joins us from Scottsdale, AZ bringing us prospect tales from the early days of Giants Spring Training (and just a little bragging on a fellow Terrapin!). Follow Mark for all his reporting from camp @MarkWSanchez on Twitter. Intro/Outro: “Looking at the Sun” by Matthew Sweet This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-26 with Mac Marshall
February 18, 2021 15:00 - 28 minutesGiants LHP prospect Mac Marshall was nice enough to spend time with me discussing the mental side of the game, the incredible new technology available to help development, how he dealt with the loss of the 2020 minor league season, and what he’s looking forward to in the season to come. I hope you enjoy this conversation! Mac was recently the subject of a There R Giants profile as well. Intro/Outro: “You’re Still a Young Man” by Tower of Power This is a public episode. If you’d like to di...
There R Giants Pod-25 with Andrew Baggarly
February 11, 2021 14:00 - 41 minutesThe Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly stops by to talk about the Giants’ hopes for balancing prospect development and major league relevance as they head to spring training. We also discuss the newly announced development staff and extraordinary technology available to them these days. Plus, we engage in a little Peter Magowan Appreciation. Intro/Outro “Summer Teeth” by Wilco This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit roge...
There R Giants Pod-24 with Maria Guardado
February 04, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutesMLB.com’s Maria Guardado and I play a game of “Who Was the Best Giants’ Prospect?” while talking about Giants past, Giants present, and Giants future! Follow along with all of Maria’s coverage of the Giants on Twitter @mi_guardado. For some background on some of the greatest Giants’ minor league seasons, read some of my earlier posts: Greatest Minor League Seasons 1b Greatest Minor League Seasons C Greatest Minor League Seasons 2b Greatest Minor League Seasons 3b Greatest Minor League...
There R Giants Pod-23 with Carlos Collazo
January 28, 2021 14:00 - 38 minutesWarming up the Winter with a little Draft Fever talk with Carlos Collazo! Carlos, who heads up draft coverage at Baseball America, stops by to talk about a draft which is going to be unlike any before it in a number of different ways. We talk about the challenges for players and scouts, the unprecedented ways that COVID has impacted the class, the new opportunities being introduced this year, and, of course, the Players! Check out all of Carlos coverage by following him on Twitter @CarlosAC...
There R Giants Pod-22 with Jeffrey Paternostro
January 21, 2021 14:43 - 46 minutesJeffrey Paternostro, lead prospect writer for Baseball Prospectus, dropped by to talk in depth about their Giants prospect rankings as well as the BP Top 101 that includes four different Giants prospects this year, including Marco Luciano as the #8 prospect on their list. Intro/Outro: “Feeling Good” by My Brightest Diamond This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-20 with Katie Woo
January 14, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutesNBCSAuthentic’s Katie Woo stopped by to talk about the Giants’ system, changes to the minor league structure and more. Katie spent the last two year’s working for MiLB.com and has just recently come back home and joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s team and she’s enthusiastic about where the Giants are headed. There’s a lot of Hunter Bishop content here! Make sure you follow Katie’s work @katiejwoo. Intro/Outro: “Return of the Grievous Angel” by Lucinda Williams This is a public episode. If you’d...
There R Giants Pod-20 with Britt Ghiroli
December 22, 2020 15:00 - 16 minutesOne last present before the holiday break. I spoke with The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli about what the lost minor league season means for player development and some of the ways that players attempted to get their work in. Britt recently published a story in The Athletic with Eno Sarris and Melissa Lockard on the topic and the many many unknowns that players and coaches are left with. Intro/Outro: “Merry Christmas from the Family” by Jill Sobule This is a public episode. If you’d like to disc...
There R Giants Pod-19 with GPT
December 09, 2020 16:18 - 39 minutesGood morning! It’s a big day around the prospect world as we prepare for the Rule 5 draft tomorrow and also anticipate MLB announcing it’s “invitations” for teams to join their new minor league arrangement. We’re going to look at the new affiliate structure on Friday, but today it’s all about the Rule 5 draft. I got together with the great Giants’ twitter follow, GPT (@giantsprospects) to provide you with a great Rule 5 preview podcast. And to accompany that, I’ve given a quick summary of m...
There R Giants Pod-18 with Josh Norris
December 04, 2020 15:00 - 38 minutesFor those of you eagerly awaiting this year’s Prospect Handbook, today’s podcast should be a treat. Baseball America’s Josh Norris, who covers the Giants’ system for BA took some time to talk about his Giants Top 10 — which has surprises in it! We talked about guys who popped at Instrux, Joey Bart’s major league experience, Marco Luciano’s time at the Alternate Site, and lots and lots of Luis Matos chat! You can follow Josh on Twitter @JNorris427 and of course, read his work at BaseballAme...
There R Giants Pod-17 with Grant Brisbee
November 05, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutesIt’s always great fun to chat with The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee, who helped start my journey writing about Giants’ prospects. Grant and I revisit the past, talk prospect crushes gone by, and look for some signs that the Giants are successfully replicating the Dodgers’ great development system. A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Intro/Outro: “The Slow Descent Into Alcoholishm” by The New Pornographers This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ...
There R Giants Pod-16 with Melissa Lockard
October 15, 2020 14:00 - 31 minutesIn this edition of There R Giants podcast, The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard joins me to talk about the Giants’ Instructional League camp and how lost development time of 2020 will impact future baseball decisions. If you have a subscription to The Athletic you’ll want to keep Melissa’s Giants’ Instrux roster primer nearby while listening, as well as my own dissection of the roster. Music Intro/Outro: “The Wanting Comes in Waves” by The Decemberists This is a public episode. If you’d like to...
There R Giants Pod-15 with Shelly Verougstraete
October 01, 2020 14:00 - 31 minutesShelly Verougstraete (@ShellyV_643) stopped by to play a game of Prospect “Would You Rather” and talked all things Giants’ prospects on this edition of There R Giants podcast. Shelly writes about prospects and dynasty baseball for a variety of online sites including @PitcherList, @DynastyGuru, @Prospects365 and @Rotographs, and covers her beloved Red Sox @OvertheMonster. Intro/Outro music: “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” by The Brogues This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this wi...
There R Giants Pod-14 with Kyle Goings
September 17, 2020 14:10 - 37 minutesKyle Goings, better known to Twitter followers as @CoveChatter stopped by to discuss his Defensive Independent Game Score (DIGS) system. We talked about how the Giants current pitching is performing through the lens of DIGS as well as what DIGS thinks about Giants pitching prospects on the way up. This was a really fun conversation, but we just scratched the surface of all the work Kyle has done —which includes scoring performances throughout major league history as well as the contemporar...
There R Giants Pod-13 with Marc Delucchi
September 10, 2020 14:00 - 47 minutesFreelance writer Marc Delucchi joined me for a free wheeling chat about the trade deadline, next winter’s moves, and much, much prospect talk. Always great fun getting to talk with Marc about the Giants’ system. Follow him on twitter @maddelucchi. Intro/Outro: “Where Do We Go From Here” by the Original Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the album “Once More, with Feeling.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...
There R Giants Pod-12 with J.J. Cooper
September 03, 2020 13:44 - 44 minutesBaseball America’s Executive Editor J.J. Cooper was gracious enough to join me on this edition of the There R Giants podcast to talk about the negotiations between Major and Minor League Baseball and what developmental baseball might look like in the future. Hope you enjoy this one! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-11 with Carmen Kiew
August 27, 2020 15:33 - 32 minutesCarmen Kiew drops by to talk Brandon Belt, Joey Bart, Hunter Pence, kayaking in McCovey Cove and the weird experience that is 2020 Giant’s baseball! It was great getting to catch up and talk ball with my old McCovey Chronicles colleague who I don’t get to talk ball with near enough. Hope you enjoy this episode! It was a fun one to record. Also, since this episode taped on Tuesday afternoon, I’m happy to report that my saying “I think Brandon Belt will be alright” didn’t jinx him at all! Y...
There R Giants Pod-10: Kevin Cunningham Returns!
August 13, 2020 17:19 - 36 minutesMy good friend Kevin Cunningham of Giantfutures.com/ and I try to make some sense of negotiations for the future of minor league baseball. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-9 with Dalton Johnson
August 06, 2020 14:41 - 32 minutesI had a great time talking with NBCS-Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson. Dalton does a fantastic job covering the Giants’ system and brought us a lot insight to the world of development in the time of COVID. We talked about the Sacramento camp, players who aren’t in the Sacramento camp, and the future of the Giants. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-8 with Mark Sanchez
July 23, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutesKNBR’s Mark Sanchez stops by to talk about Summer Camp, Alternate Camp, Joey Bart and much more! This includes some great news about what we might expect to see coming out of Sacramento’s alternate camp site! You can (and should!) follow Mark’s work @MarkWSanchez. Happy Opening Day everyone! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe
There R Giants Pod-7 with Trey Wilson
July 09, 2020 14:01 - 39 minutesThis week I’m joined by the Richmond Flying Squirrels play by play announcer Trey Wilson. Trey and I talk about the cancellation of minor league baseball, the working life a minor league employee, and several of the players Trey watched in Richmond last year. You can follow Trey on Twitter @TreyWilson757 and you should also keep a follow for @GoSquirrels. Let me drop a couple of links here that are discussed in the podcast: First the maps of national coverage of MLB and MiLB: And second, ...
There R Giants Pod-6 with Ben Badler
July 02, 2020 13:16 - 41 minutesA J2 special episode! On the traditional signing day for international free agents (traditional, but not this year!) Baseball America’s Ben Badler stops by to talk about the IFA market, Giants international program, the international draft and much more. Ben gives us his view of the Giants most recent J2 classes and the upcoming ones, including discussions of Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, Rayner Santana, Aeverson Arteaga, Esmerlin Vinicio, and others. This is a public episode. If you’d like to...
There R Giants Pod-5 with Jim Callis
June 25, 2020 15:01 - 30 minutesThe great Jim Callis was nice enough to spend some time talking with me for this week’s podcast and I couldn’t be more grateful! Jim’s just about as knowledgeable a source on the MLB draft as you’re going to find and he has lots of interesting insights on the Giants’ draft, the Giants’ system and even some speculative (and in my case, dumb) talk on what the 2021 draft could look like. This was recorded on Monday so the big news of the week was yet to break, btw so we were still talking throu...
There R Giants Pod-4 with Melissa Lockard
June 17, 2020 14:00 - 37 minutesI’m very excited to share this week’s podcast where I’m joined by The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard to talk about the Giants’ draft. One of the great things that Melissa brings to her Giants work (besides, of course, her overall professionalism, experience, and knowledge) is a long history of covering Farhan Zaidi and draft runner Michael Holmes during their careers with the A’s. That familiarity underpins our conversation as we discuss who the Giants selected in 2020 and what it might mean for...
Pod-Three with Matthew Collier and FaBIO
June 04, 2020 15:57 - 1 hourThis week’s podcast comes in both audio and video formats — but I highly recommend you watch the video below to get the full value of this amazing session. Matthew Collier, creator of FaBIO (Fielding and Ballpark Independent Outcomes), takes a seriously deep dive into the Giants’ system and potential draft targets from the D1 college ranks. There is a ton of data here — much of which has never been seen before. In the first half of the video Matt walks me through FaBIO’s view of four Giant...
There R Giants Pod-Two
May 28, 2020 14:00 - 35 minutesWe’re getting the band back together! My old “Minor Lines” collaborator Kevin Cunningham joins me for a discussion on 2020 development options, the future of the minor leagues, and more. Always great to get together with Kevin who has the best pipes in the business! You can find Kevin’s current baseball writing here, and follow him on Twitter — and No, Kevin we don’t have a bleeper on this show. We can’t afford the technology! But don’t worry everyone — it’s mostly SFW! This is a public epi...
The 1st There R Giants podcast featuring Brian Recca
May 21, 2020 14:00 - 39 minutesLet the media empire begin! I’m branching out to a (hopefully weekly) podcast. And for my first episode I’ve invited in noted draft expert Brian Recca — who you might know as SF Draft Talk on Twitter (@Brian_Recca) to talk about the upcoming draft and some guys he has his eyes on for potential draft picks. Brian and I discuss our experience on the recent Prospects Live national mock draft and also some of the spillover effects of the 5 round draft and the effects of COVID-19 on amateur baseb...