SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Even in a normal spring training, the Giants don't care much about Cactus League numbers. In a 17-game spring, the sample size is even more meaningless.
"So much of the stuff that (players) are doing between the lines is just out of their control," manager Gabe Kapler said on Tuesday.
Ahh, but that doesn't mean Kapler and the staff are turning a blind eye to any part of the day at Scottsdale Stadium. There are always strides to be made, whether it's in the cage, the video room, the weight room, or shoeless on the outfield grass. Over the weekend, a group of young Giants sat out there with a specialist to work on their breathing.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "I know players seem really busy, but they have a lot of time on their hands," Kapler said. "They have a ton of time on their hands. They can choose to use that time doing any number of things, but they can also choose to fill up that extra time with things that are going to help them improve as men and as baseball players."
Every day is a chance to work on your processes and prove you belong or deserve more opportunities. As the Giants get going, here are five young players with a chance this spring to show they're ready for more.
Joey Bart
The time has finally come for Bart, taken second overall in 2018, rushed into the starting lineup in 2020, and then sent back to Triple-A last season for more development. Buster Posey's retirement has Bart in line to finally take over, but the Giants aren't going to just hand him the job. Early on, Kapler has had plenty of praise for Curt Casali, too.
San Francisco Giants
Find the latest San Francisco Giants news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
"Both guys are going to play and both guys are going to catch," Kapler said. "It's just a matter of how it shakes out. Like always, these things are earned."
Bart, now 25, appears more comfortable than in the past. Kapler said exit interviews with Triple-A pitchers last year resulted in a lot of praise of Bart's preparation and game-calling. Now he has to show that in big league games -- and bring along the bat that made him a top prospect. The Giants will make him earn the starting job, but so far he seems to be doing everything that's been asked of him.
Thairo Estrada
When he met with reporters a few days after the NLDS, Farhan Zaidi mentioned Estrada as someone he wanted to see more of in 2022. Last week, Zaidi again mentioned Estrada as a young player who needed a longer look. The 26-year-old has a golden opportunity ahead of him, even if the Giants do add more infield depth.
Donovan Solano is gone and Tommy La Stella is not a lock for opening day after Achilles surgery. Estrada, who posted a .813 OPS last year and showed good pop for a middle infielder, has a chance to at least grab most of the right-handed at-bats at second. Solano alone would be 307 at-bats out the door. Estrada also currently stands as Brandon Crawford's backup.
Estrada is out of options and so is Mauricio Dubon, who was the opening day center fielder last year but lost his utility role in part because of Estrada's emergence. It's a big spring for both.
Kervin Castro
The young right-hander was known as "El Tanque" as a rookie, but after watching big lefty Carlos Rodon throw his first bullpen session on Monday, Kapler approached Castro. "That might be The Tank," he said.
Castro shed the nickname on his own, anyway. He is noticeably slimmed down this spring. "Castro looks amazing," Kapler said.
It's not like Castro needed to get in the Best Shape of His Life to be on the radar, either. It got lost a little because of Camilo Doval's emergence as the closer, but Castro was just as dominant after being called up in September. Including the postseason, he made 12 scoreless appearances, allowing just 13 hits in 14 2/3 innings while striking out 13 with six walks. Castro did all this as a 22-year-old with fewer than 50 minor league relief appearances under his belt.
The Giants love Castro's stuff, demeanor and pace, but that may not matter this month. Basically the entire bullpen is back and guys like Jakob Junis and Carlos Martinez are now in the mix, so Castro may find himself back in Triple-A to start the season regardless. Before final bullpen decisions are made, he has a chance to prove that he should be there with Doval on April 8, and possibly be given a meatier role.
Heliot Ramos
The last time we saw Heliot Ramos in Arizona, he was doing things like this:
Ramos was the story of camp last spring, going 16-for-39 with three homers and three doubles, although he had only one walk. It seems like we've been talking about him for a decade, but he's still just 22, and he's still viewed as a big part of the future outfield mix at Oracle Park.
Ramos made it to Triple-A last season for 54 games but posted just a .722 OPS in a hitter-friendly league. He's headed back there but is now on the 40-man roster, so he would be an option anytime the Giants need an outfielder. Kapler said he's happy to see Ramos "really seeking out the value at the margins" this spring.
RELATED: Breaking down this year's non-roster invitees in Giants camp
"He's as physically gifted as anybody we have in the organization, hits the ball as hard as anybody we have in the organization and can run around center field and get good jumps," Kapler said. "He's another player we've talked to about his processes. We have to build better processes for Heliot and I think he's going to be fine."
Tyler Beede
The world completely changed in March of 2020, but Beede's career had been turned upside down even before the pandemic led to a shortened season. Beede's elbow started barking before the shutdown and he ultimately needed Tommy John surgery, robbing him of what could have been a breakout campaign.
Beede entered that spring as the favorite for the No. 5 starter spot and he was hitting the upper 90s in February before getting hurt. Surgery and rehab went well, but 2021 wasn't filled with many on-field highlights. Beede gave up three earned in one inning in his lone big league appearance and fought his command the rest of the summer in Triple-A, walking 45 batters in 48 2/3 innings.
Beede is 28 now, but the new front office has shown a lot of commitment to him from the start. In Zaidi's first year, Beede made 24 up-and-down starts, and that experience paid off in September when he had a 3.28 ERA in five starts and crept up to 98 mph. Back then, it was Beede, not Logan Webb, who looked like the next homegrown starter to emerge.
In his final big league start prior to TJ, Beede struck out seven in 3 1/3 hitless innings before an oblique injury ended his 2019 season. Will that Beede ever return? The Giants remain hopeful, and while they've turned over practically the entire 40-man roster since Beede's MLB debut, he has remained on the 40-man roster.
The rotation is full, Junis and Martinez were brought in, and Sammy Long has proven to be the next young pitcher in line. Beede is out of options, so on the surface things look a little tight. But the Giants expect to have an expanded roster in April and likely will carry extra pitching depth, so a good spring could allow Beede to make the roster and try to carve out a role.