Ok, I’m going to try something new today and you can tell me if you like it! A quick little video recorded from The Diamond giving my initial take on the Opening Day rosters. If you like this I’ll try to make it a regular gig throughout the year. Plus I’ll have some player interviews coming soon in the same format.

Happy Opening Day everybody!

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We have actual, meaningful games to discuss! Real performances, real stats, and real action! Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter dig in with relish to the start of a new baseball season, and all the fun it’s brought Giants’ fans so far. Are the new vibes real and sustainable? We discuss!

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Intro/Outro: “Song No. 2” by Blur

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The dean of prospect writing, MLB’s Jim Callis stops by to talk about the Giants’ new direction and a fresh new top 30. We talk about Bryce Eldridge, Carson Whisenhunt, James Tibbs III, Josuar Gonzalez, Jhonny Level, Landen Roupp and many, many others!

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Intro/Outro: “Future Starts Slow” by The Kills

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SF Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin drops by the podcast this week to discuss the Giants relatively uneventful but upbeat spring training. We talk about the magnetic personality of Willy Adames, the 5th starter race, Jerar Encarnacion’s clear path to playing time, and the interesting mix of youth and veteran talent on this year’s club.

The pod will take a break for the next few weeks, but content keeps flowing out at There R Giants. Later this month I’ll be in Papago Park for in person looks at the entire farm and bringing you plenty of video and observations, which makes this a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber.

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Intro/Outro: “Photograph” by Weezer

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Kerry Crowley and I return to talk actual baseball games! That’s fun! We get into some of the interesting camp battles around the edges of the roster, including backup catcher, fifth starter, and the interesting outfield situation.

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Intro/Outro: “Panda and the Freak” by The Baseball Project

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Baseball America’s Ben Badler joins me this week to talk about the Giants’ increasingly product efforts scouting and signing international free agents. Ben is the preeminent expert on international baseball prospects, and we talk a good bit about the unique process for going after players in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other Latin countries, as well as the upturn in recent fortunes for the Giants.

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Intro/Outro: “So Nice (Summer Samba)” by Bebel Gilberto

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Jeremiah Knackstedt, who will be returning to Manage the Eugene Emeralds once again in 2025, is my guest on this week’s show. We talk about the challenges of moving from the Cal League to the NWL (for both players and staff), and get into the performances on the 2024 Eugene club. Of course, that includes a whole lot of Bryce Eldridge conversation!

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Intro/Outro: “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” by Lykke Li

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It’s another KROG pod! Kerry Crowley and I discuss the oddly incomplete Giants’ roster as pitchers and catchers are set to report. We dig in on the players we hope to see step forward on the pitching and hitting side, and what we think needs to happen for this club to stay competitive.

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Intro/Outro: “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles

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Dennis Pelfrey will be returning to Richmond in 2025 to helm the Flying Squirrels for the fourth consecutive season — making him the longest tenured manager in team history. He joins me this week to talk about the challenges of developing a major league winning ballplayer. We discuss the continuity and stability in minor league coaching staffs, the change at the top of the organization, and the challenges that young players face in trying to become big leaguers.

All There R Giants’ content is supported by the generosity of my subscribers. With this year’s Top 50 currently underway and spring camp coming up next month, now is a great time to become a There R Giants’ subscriber and get all of my posts delivered, ad-free, 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: “Blue Skies” by Willie Nelson

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Long time SFChronicle beat writer (and former President of the BBWAA), the great Susan Slusser joins me this week to set the stage for pitchers and catchers reporting soon. Susan and I talk a bit about the financial situation of the Giants, the weird impact of sharing a home Triple-A field with the Athletics, and she gets us set for the many, many camp battles that should be coming your way in just a couple of weeks! (There are a lot of them!)

You absolutely want to follow Susan’s reporting from Scottsdale, which you can do by following here on Bluesky at susanslusser.bsky.social — or simply do the old fashioned thing and subscribe to the Chronicle!

You can follow all of my work at Bluesky at rog61.bsky.social, or become a full subscriber to There R Giants to get it all delivered, ad free, straight to your Inbox. With my Top 50 prospect rankings rolling out now, and footage from minor league camp coming in late March, now is a great time to join the There R Giants’ community.

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Intro/Outro: “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” by Oasis

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