SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a meaningful day around Giants camp, at least as far as these things go in spring training, where the games don’t count and the stats don’t matter. Some $160 million worth of newcomers made their much-anticipated debuts in black and orange.
“It’s very exciting,” manager Bob Melvin blurted at the mention of Jung Hoo Lee’s name Tuesday morning.
For the first time, Melvin wrote the name of the Giants’ biggest free-agent acquisition in the top spot of his lineup card. Occupying the bottom spot reserved for the starting pitcher, was another cause célèbre, Jordan Hicks, whose high heat lit up the Scottsdale Stadium radar gun for the first time, too.
It didn’t take long for either to show why they enticed the Giants to pay a nine-figure sum.
Backed into a two-strike count in his first at-bat, Lee slapped a single into right field, broke up a double play by bolting for second base, then scored without a throw when LaMonte Wade Jr. dropped a single into center field. It was the start of a five-run first inning that was capped by a grand slam from Patrick Bailey.
“After kind of a long wait, to be delayed a little bit, and to go up there and get a hit in his first at-bat, score a run, looked pretty good to me,” Melvin said afterward.
Nicknamed the “Grandson of the Wind,” it wasn’t just Lee who flew around the base paths. His helmet caught air, too.
Ha-Seong Kim, the last player to make a successful jump from Korea, apparently experienced the same issue. Lee is eagerly awaiting a custom model from the same company that outfitted Kim, so that the only thing moving around the bases is himself.
It didn’t take more than the naked eye to tell that Lee immediately became one of the quickest players on a team that stole the fewest bases in the majors last year. Belying his speed and nickname, though, Lee only swiped 69 bases in seven seasons, never more than 13 in one year.
“Until you really get him on the field and see what he can do, (you don’t know) what kind of havoc he can create,” Melvin said. “I think he’s kind of looking forward to being a little more aggressive on the bases. … He definitely has some speed. He had the ankle injury, and my understanding was last year they wanted him to be a little bit more careful. But from what we’ve seen there’s good foot speed, so we’re going to try to see what he can do.”
It wasn’t just Lee’s first game in the U.S., it was his first time on the field in seven months, since he injured his ankle last July.
His spring debut was delayed by tightness in his side, but Lee said he is “100%” recovered. He won’t play Wednesday against the A’s, Melvin said, but will be back atop the lineup Thursday.
The biggest question mark about Lee has been his ability to adjust to major-league pitchers, who throw harder and often with more movement than those in the KBO, which is generally considered about two levels below the majors.
He faced a stiff first test in George Kirby, the Mariners’ young ace who features six pitches and can crank his fastball into the upper 90s. (Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons paid a visit to camp Monday and mentioned Kirby as his favorite pitcher to watch in today’s game.)
“Personally I was satisfied,” Lee said of facing Kirby, with Justin Han interpreting from Korean. “He is a very known pitcher. I was at two strikes and thought let’s just make contact. … Talking about the fastball, for sure there is a difference. But I feel like the biggest difference will be the breaking ball speed. Compared to the KBO, the major leagues will be different.”
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks throws to a Seattle Mariners batter during the first inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Hicks debuts
Lee wasn’t the only one who noticed the radar gun.
“I think I was a little excited. I threw a little harder than I was expecting that first inning,” Hicks said following his first Cactus League outing. “Looked back at the radar and it said 99, 98, and I had only hit 97 in lives. … I was amped up a little bit, spraying some pitches, but overall I felt like I liked where my stuff was today.”
In fact, Hicks registered multiple readings of triple digits against the first batter he faced.
Throwing about 40 pitches over 1⅔ innings, Hicks used his heater, splitter and slider to record four strikeouts. However, he also walked a batter and served up a two-run homer to Mitch Garver, who swatted a low-and-inside offering over the visitor’s bullpen in left field.
“I thought he threw the ball well,” Melvin said. “His ball was sinking, running. Obviously one pitch ends up with two runs. We weren’t gonna pitch him past 40, so (that’s) the reason he came out with two outs in the second. But looked like he really settled in more in the second inning as far as strikes.”
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The five-run first meant a lot of downtime in the dugout for Hicks, a quirk of being a starting pitcher that’s new to the former reliever.
When he came back out for the second inning, Hicks’ first fastball was 93 mph and he sat in the mid-90s but recorded two quick outs before bumping up against his pitch count. As he builds up from a reliever’s workload, the next step will likely be three innings and 45 pitches.
“I’m glad it happened in the first outing just to get my feet with it again, just that long sit,” Hicks said. “It was good to get that. I know it’s going to be part of the game. … I feel like that was a good workload. Obviously 30 in the first inning is not where I want to be. I was amped up a little bit, spraying some pitches, but overall I felt like I liked where my stuff was today.”
Notable
— OF Mike Yastrzemski (shoulder) will make his spring debut Wednesday at designated hitter, and RHP Spencer Howard will get the nod on the mound. Mason Black was moved up to start Monday in place of Tristan Beck (right hand discomfort), so Howard, a non-roster invitee, was chosen to fill the opening. “He’s got some experience,” Melvin said, “and we’re a little thin with our starters right now.”
