SF Giants Press Clips Friday, March 17, 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ Christian Arroyo: next piece of homegrown infield? John Shea SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants love shortstops. Theirs is one of the best in baseball, Brandon Crawford. Their second baseman was drafted as a shortstop and converted in the minors, Joe Panik. They drafted Matt Duffy as a shortstop and taught him to play third base as a big-leaguer. Last summer, they traded for Eduardo Nuñez, who had played mostly shortstop during his career but played third after Duffy was traded to Tampa Bay. Heck, even Buster Posey played shortstop in college. No wonder the Giants’ top hitting prospect is a shortstop. Not that Christian Arroyo is targeted to play the position in the big leagues, not with Mr. Crawford in the house. Arroyo, who’s 21 going on 30, is the team’s third baseman of the future, and we’re not talking the distant future. It’s not unrealistic to imagine Arroyo playing third on Opening Day in 2018, so long as he continues to excel on the fast track. 1 “For me, they stressed the value of versatility,” Arroyo said at his Scottsdale Stadium locker. “Staying versatile is going to be huge.” Arroyo was the Giants’ top draft pick in 2013 — he was salutatorian at Hernando High School in Brooksville, Fla. — and he signed after turning down a scholarship from Florida, where he would have studied architectural engineering. He’s plenty smart enough to realize his ticket to the big leagues might not be at his No. 1 position, and he’s perfectly fine with that. “If you move around, I think it’s a little easier to move from short to other positions than from other positions to short,” Arroyo said, and he’d get no argument from Panik or Duffy. Unlike Duffy, Arroyo’s good friend who predominantly played short in the minors, Arroyo already is moving around the infield. Last season at Double-A Richmond, he got 48 starts at short, 48 at third and 19 at second. More of the same is expected this season at Triple-A Sacramento, though third will be the focus. “He’s already capable of handling all three positions,” general manager Bobby Evans said. “It’s really about getting his at-bats and facing higher-level pitching.” With Crawford and Panik around long term, the only potential opening will be at third, where Nuñez is in a contract year. He could leave as a free agent after the season, creating a spot for Arroyo. Then again, Nuñez has unique value on a team lacking team speed. He stole 40 bases last season and handled third nicely late in the year, at least until his hamstring injury that opened the door for Conor Gillaspie’s magnificent Division Series. Arroyo must show progress, and the Giants must be willing to move on from Nuñez. That’s a long way off, and there’s always the possibility Arroyo could be sought by other teams at the 2 trade deadline — it wouldn’t be the first time. Meantime, Arroyo will be one of the youngest players in the Pacific Coast League as he was in the Eastern League last year when he hit .274 with a .316 on-base percentage, three homers and 49 RBIs. Not overly impressive numbers, but darned good for someone three years out of high school. It’s a tough hitters’ league, and Richmond has a tough hitters’ park. Arroyo’s 36 doubles ranked third in the league, and he’s expected to add pop as he physically matures. “The front office guys were telling me power is the last tool to come for a high school guy and not to worry about it, just stay with my approach,” Arroyo said. “I talked with Sabes (Brian Sabean) during the season, and he told me, ‘Get on base, swing at strikes and hit hard line drives to gaps.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ I kind of kept that approach all year.” Evans didn’t rule out Arroyo playing in San Francisco this year, under the right circumstances, but the emphasis is succeeding at the Triple-A level. “The front office guys know what they’re doing,” Arroyo said. “They’re going to try to bring me along at whatever rate they want.” Spoken like a true shortstop destined to be a former shortstop. John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @JohnSheaHey 48 Starts at third base — the first of his minor-league career — for Christian Arroyo at Double-A last season. He also spent time at shortstop and second base. 3 San Francisco Chronicle Giants’ Michael Morse making roster decisions tough John Shea SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Michael Morse is hitting as if he wants to play ball all summer. Morse, who was invited to spring training by team officials at Hunter Pence ’s wedding, is making a serious run at the Opening Day roster. Morse’s latest hits were an RBI double in the sixth inning and tie-breaking single in the eighth in Wednesday’s 7-4 win over the Angels. Afterward, Morse spoke highly of the Giants’ talent and team chemistry, which he said reminded him of the championship season of 2014, to which he mightily contributed. “Hopefully, I’ll be around to check it out,” he said. “If not, I’ll catch the team when they’re in Miami.” Morse, whose carefree attitude seems to be a benefit, has gotten more productive by the week and remains in the running for a bench role. He entered at first base Wednesday and still is waiting for his first assignment in left field, which is expected soon. “Early on, I felt great. I was just missing the ball,” Morse said. “By being relaxed and trusting my abilities and knowing I was just a click away, it really helped. Now I’m getting the results.” Pence would love to see Morse make the team. “It’s been good times having him around,” Pence said. “He’s got that RBI presence. When he steps in the box, the game can change. We’ve seen it quite a bit. Even his BPs fire me up. It’s a spectacle.” Cain’s next: Matt Cain , competing for the final rotation spot, will bring a 9.58 ERA to the mound when making his fifth appearance Friday. “For all Cain’s done and all he’s accomplished,” general manager Bobby Evans said, “you’d love for him to finish with the Giants strong this year and see where it takes him.” Ty Blach , who’s in competition with Cain, pitched in relief Wednesday and gave up hits to his first five batters before retiring the final six men he faced. His ERA is 5.56. 4 John Shea is The San Francisco Chronicle’s national baseball writer. Giants 7, Angels 4 Notable: Bruce Bochy made a couple of intriguing lineup moves, batting pitcher Madison Bumgarner eighth and moving Eduardo Nuñez into the 2 hole. The Giants faced lefty Tyler Skaggs , and Bochy inserted his usual second hitter, Joe Panik (who swings left- handed), in the seventh spot and said it’s something he’ll further consider. ... Mac Williamson , competing for the left-field job, doubled in four at-bats. ... Catcher Tim Federowicz has hit four consecutive doubles. ... Steven Okert threw another scoreless inning and maintained his 0.00 ERA through five outings. Quotable: “I’m happy that he’s here. I’m sure that he’s very proud of seeing me, even in this environment. I just know he’s happy.” — Johnny Cueto on his father, Domingo , who watched his son pitch at the Giants’ minor- league complex Thursday: No game. San Francisco Chronicle Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto on different path to season John Shea SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Giants’ aces were in separate places for different showcases. While Madison Bumgarner was pitching six scoreless innings in front of a packed crowd at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday, Johnny Cueto quietly threw 32/3 shutout innings in front of a few dozen folks at the Giants’ minor-league complex. It’s the beauty of spring training. It doesn’t matter which path to the regular season is taken so long as you get there in good health and in a good groove. “Really, all it comes down to is getting your arm in shape to throw 100-plus pitches and making sure everything’s starting to get sharp,” Bumgarner said after shutting down an Angels lineup featuring Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. 5 “Results here don’t really matter one way or another. Just as long as guys are ready and feeling good. It’s a plus but not that big a plus to be throwing well this time of year. But it don’t hurt.” The plan for Bumgarner, in his fifth start, was to throw five innings or 80 pitches, but he was so efficient that the Giants ended his stint after 70. His previous start lasted four innings, and there was no reason at this point to leap to seven. Cueto’s path is slower after he arrived late to spring training because of his father’s health issues. Wednesday’s was just his second outing, and he faced a group of Arizona Triple-A players at the Jim Davenport Field in Indian School Park, 2 miles from Scottsdale Stadium. “I’m a little bit off. I still need to pitch a little bit more,” Cueto said through interpreter Erwin Higueros after throwing 54 pitches, allowing two hits, striking out three and hitting a batter.