SAN FRANCISCO -- At some point, Buster Posey probably will be tempted.
He'll be watching Hayden Birdsong throw a bullpen session and get the itch to drop into the squat and frame a few fastballs. He'll be leaning on the cage on a hot day in Scottsdale and wonder how many swings it would take to deposit a homer onto the berm. It'll be the natural reaction for a lead executive who still is just 37 years old.
But on a daily basis, Posey will be in comfortable khakis, a quarter-zip and shoes with no spikes on them. He'll be watching the team he now is running, wondering if he was right to have a relatively quiet offseason.
The Giants made a splash in October by turning to Posey, who quickly hired new GM Zack Minasian, and they grabbed headlines in December by signing Willy Adames. But for the most part, the group that is gathering this week at Scottsdale Stadium is a familiar one.
At the start of camp, you can make a strong argument that at least 11 of the 13 spots on the pitching staff will go to players who wore orange and black last season. It's possible that Adames will be the only newcomer among the position players at the end of camp.
Barring injuries, there aren't a lot of jobs up for grabs over the next six weeks, but there still are a lot of questions to be answered. Here are five to focus on as the Giants get ready for their first workout of the President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey Era:
Does It "Feel" Different?
San Francisco Giants
When Gabe Kapler took over, the first day of camp immediately looked and sounded different. Kapler's young staff used cell phones to monitor daily schedules, which could be shifted on the fly, and it was common to look out at the field those first few days and see coaches scrolling on iPhones as players took grounders or ran sprints. It wasn't a negative at all -- and it certainly made sense after decades of coaches pulling a piece of paper out of their back pocket. But it was different.
Posey likely will leave just about every part of camp to Bob Melvin and his staff, but he probably has spent some time over the past three months thinking about what he liked and didn't like from his own playing days. Does he love scrimmages, which were more prevalent during his time as a professional? Will he urge Melvin to set some marquee live BP matchups, which Bruce Bochy often did, occasionally leading to a situation where everyone stopped what they were doing to watch someone like Madison Bumgarner pitch to Posey? Does he feel there are too many meetings? Or not enough meetings? Will he insist that Brandon Crawford make the short drive and resume his tradition of throwing a few pitches off the mound on Day 1?
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There will be some changes, because that's natural with a new regime. It'll be interesting to see if Posey has any preferences about how the Giants should prepare every day.
Rewarding The Faith
Posey generally is measured with his public statements, but he spoke passionately about Camilo Doval at the Winter Meetings, and did so without even being pushed about him.
"I want to say on Doval, I'm pretty bullish on him coming back," Posey said. "This guy has got the potential to be a lockdown piece. We've seen it, right? He's got nearly 100 saves in the big leagues and that doesn't happen by accident. I'm excited to have a chance to talk with him. Obviously getting to catch him, I know the personality a little bit. I have belief in him being important for us."
The easiest path to contention for this roster is to be absolutely dominant late in games and win all the ones that are coin flips. Ryan Walker is coming off a brilliant season and will enter as the closer, but there's no reason why Doval can't emerge as a reliable setup man who can get Melvin out of jams with his wipeout stuff.
It would have been extremely easy for Posey to deal Doval, who has frustrated two coaching staffs, but he doubled down. Doval will be watched closely this spring, not just in games but during drills. If he's back to being himself, the Giants could end a lot of games after six innings by handing the ball to Tyler Rogers, Doval and Walker.
Where Are The Extra At-Bats Going?
The Platoon Era at Oracle Park might mostly be a thing of the past, at least until injuries hit. The Giants have locked-in everyday starters at catcher, shortstop, third base, left field and center field, and they hope to add to that list. Tyler Fitzgerald will get a chance to carry last year's momentum over to second base, LaMonte Wade Jr. plays just about every day when healthy and could lead off, and Mike Yastrzemski will try to hold off Luis Matos and other youngsters in right.
The easiest path to playing time for everyone else is at DH, where Jerar Encarnacion appears to be the frontrunner. Melvin's preference is to spread those at-bats around, and a big crowd of veterans (Wilmer Flores), youngsters (Marco Luciano and others) and non-roster invitees (Jake Lamb) will try and soak them up. Those players will all be in the mix for bench spots, too, and there's some uncertainty there at the start of camp.
The Giants need to pick a backup catcher (Tom Murphy is the incumbent) and need at least one backup infielder among a group that includes Casey Schmitt, Brett Wisely and newcomer Osleivis Basabe.
Who Is This Year's Erik Miller?
Last spring, Miller was optioned to minor league camp on March 11 -- the same day the Giants optioned Ramos. But a few weeks later he was back in the clubhouse and on the Opening Day roster, and he ended up supplanting Taylor Rogers as the go-to lefty in the bullpen. He also ended up being one of the only pitchers in baseball with the right answers for Shohei Ohtani.
There are surprises every spring, and often they are happening silently. There will be someone who makes it into just a few Cactus League games but pops behind the scenes in bullpen sessions and inside the pitch lab. The Giants believe their strength is young pitching, and they'll be in much better shape if a couple of new contributors emerge in February and March.
In addition to last year's breakthroughs, the 40-man roster includes young options like Trevor McDonald, Carson Ragsdale and Carson Seymour. Tristan Beck, who missed just about all of last season after a spring injury but threw very well when he returned, is an easy choice to make a real impact this year.
The Giants will have jobs open in their bullpen, not just in late March, but throughout the year. The next six weeks are in part about finding this year's version (or versions) of Miller.
Will Vibes = Wins?
Posey got involved in the Matt Chapman extension and then made a splash by giving the biggest deal in franchise history to Adames. He and Minasian brought Yastrzemski back and signed Justin Verlander, who is expected to provide leadership for the young pitchers on staff. With every big decision, they have given some thought to clubhouse chemistry and organizational culture, and the Giants are hopeful that makes them more dangerous than they look on paper.
It's not outrageous to feel that way, either. Posey was on teams that won titles by beating opponents with more talent, and in his final big league season, the Giants stunned the Los Angeles Dodgers by winning 107 games and the NL West. The vibes that season were as high as it gets.
With Logan Webb, Chapman and Adames leading the way, the Giants should have their best clubhouse in four years. It should be a close-knit group, one that has fun but also focuses on accountability. That should start to show in the spring, and while the games don't matter at all until the Giants land in Cincinnati at the end of March, it's never too early to start to raise expectations.
