SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Maybe the finish line of this rebuild isn't as far away as it first seemed.
The Giants waited nearly three hours for the rain to clear Saturday so they could get their Cactus League opener in, and it was worth it when a couple of young hitters stepped to the plate against the Dodgers. Mauricio Dubon went deep to left with his first swing of the spring, and four innings later Joey Bart also smashed a homer to right with his first swing of 2020.
Dubon showed surprising power as a rookie, hitting four homers in 104 at-bats after his promotion from Triple-A. He said he has spent a lot of time this spring working with new hitting coach Donnie Ecker on an adjustment to lower his leg kick, which should allow him to see the ball better. In addition to the solo shot, Dubon had an RBI single to center.
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Bart is in theory here to get reps before heading to Triple-A, but the Giants don't have a locked-in backup catcher and plan to be aggressive with a promotion early in the year if Bart's bat warrants it. Thus far, he's had an impressive camp.
Bart primarily is working on defensive adjustments and trying to show the ball to umpires more efficiently, but his batting practice sessions have been loud, with the new staff marveling at how easily Bart goes the opposite way. In his first at-bat after replacing Buster Posey, Bart nearly came out of his spikes while lining a shot to right.
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"It's always good to see Joey stay through the baseball to the right side," manager Gabe Kapler said. "We've seen that swing result since camp began, driving the ball to the air to the right side. It's nice to see that show up in ballgame."
Bart drew a four-pitch walk in his second at-bat to load the bases for Drew Robinson, a non-roster invitee who flied out to left. The Giants lost Kapler's first spring game 10-4.