The Giants' new coaching staff will march to a different drumbeat than the previous regime, which should be a breath of fresh air for many fans and players alike.
New manager Bob Melvin's staff includes a mix of coaches with old and new philosophies, which could provide his players with a more balanced approach to the game.
One of the team's new voices is pitching coach Brian Price, who joined KNBR 680's “Murph & Marcus” on Friday at Scottsdale Stadium to discuss his new role and approach to the game. Ta.
“I think there are some new ideas and expectations. We'll see what works in the end, but if they're there and don't do as much heavy lifting, we'll have better staff, better I think it’s going to be the bullpen,’” Price said. “If they want to get the next generation of Giants icons, they're going to have to pitch more innings. Last year we really relied on Logan Webb and Alex Cobb, so we're going to have to pitch more innings.” You need to contribute, and I think we have them.'' The players here. ”
Price's emphasis on pitchers pitching deep into games has been well-received by the Giants' young pitchers like Kyle Harrison, who was facing strict innings restrictions at multiple levels of the organization in 2023. And he will be relied on every five days in San Francisco's starting rotation this season. .
“That's the message,” Harrison told KNBR of Price's philosophy. “He's performed really well in the bullpen. He's been working my butt off and tweaking all the little things I do, not necessarily worrying about the outcome. I just worry more about how things feel. I don't care about pitching like a pitcher, I don't talk to people, I don't care about the iPad as much. Let’s go.”
Price not only wants to increase the workload of the Giants' pitchers, but he also has a safe job with young pitchers like Harrison, Keaton Wynn, Tristan Beck, and Jordan Hicks, who have not experienced a full season as major league starting pitchers. He emphasized the importance of doing well.
“I think the whole idea is to think about finishing what you start. Sometimes a great start is the fifth inning, because pitchers throw a lot of pitches in the early innings. and find a way to stay in the game until the fifth inning,” Price said. Added. “Not every game is going to be a classic, but I think you have to have the mindset that you're not going to throw a life ring after five innings. Of course, the challenge is that there's no one better than Logan Webb. That's the thing.'' These guys have pitched extra innings before.
“So we have to pay attention to that as well, it’s difficult to get a pitcher from 100 to 180 innings pitched. [Jordan] Hicks is a reliever, Harrison pitched 100 innings last year, Beck, Keaton, those are guys who don't have innings left. So developing them into the next great San Francisco Giants starting rotation comes with a certain amount of responsibility.
So it's no surprise that Price isn't particularly a fan of the opener strategy. The previous coaching staff used this strategy heavily in recent seasons, often to the benefit of the team.
“I like to leave it to people who are smarter than me to figure out how to put the best product on the field and how to put analytics together to give us the best chance of winning,” Price said. Told. “I've never been a part of that. I've never been a part of a team that played an opening game. Never before,” Price explained. “I'm sure there's a strategy to it and I understand that. It's not my preference, but again, I don't have to make decisions like that.”
For better or worse, the Giants' coaching staff will be taking a different approach to the game starting in 2024, and it appears to be resonating with hungry young players.
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