The Giants are trying to strike a balance between letting the kids play and shoring up key positions with established veteran stars.
And with the 2024 MLB season just two days away, the 26-man Opening Day roster should do exactly that.
A handful of youngsters, including starting pitchers Kyle Harrison, Keaton Winn, Mason Black, outfielders Jung Hoo Lee, Tyler Fitzgerald and Luis Matos, plus shortstop Marco Luciano all could be among the rookies and second-year players who earn a roster spot out of spring training.
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Most of those are household names and players you already know about. But here are six prospects who likely will not make the roster or aren't as well known who will debut in the majors this season.
LHP Carson Whisenhunt
Whisenhunt, the team's No. 3 prospect, is the Giants' second-best young pitcher behind Harrison, and some believe the talent gap between the two is rather small. Currently ranked the No. 83 prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com, Whisenhunt possesses an elite changeup with a plus fastball.
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In 16 combined starts across Single-A, High-A and Double-A in 2023, Whisenhunt posted a 2.45 ERA with 83 strikeouts to 23 walks in 58 2/3 innings pitched.
The 23-year-old, at one point this spring, was in a position to compete for an Opening Day roster spot before suffering a minor elbow injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. He was re-assigned to minor-league camp on March 13, but could be an option for the Giants early on this season.
RHP Hayden Birdsong
Birdsong, the team's No. 7 prospect, is one of the more underrated pitchers in the Giants' system and has flown under the radar a bit.
He followed a similar path as Whisenhunt last season, progressing through Single-A, High-A and Double-A. In 25 combined starts, Birdsong posted a 3.31 ERA with 149 strikeouts to 44 walks in 100 2/3 innings pitched.
The 22-year-old has three plus pitches (fastball, curveball, slider) and ranked second among minor-league pitchers in strikeout rate (13.3 K/9) last season with at least 100 innings pitched. Similar to Whisenhunt, Birdsong could start the 2024 season in Triple-A.
RHP Mason Black
Giants fans will not have to wait long to see Black, who should make the team's Opening Day roster and likely will be the No. 5 starter to begin the season.
Selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Black is the Giants' most major-league-ready pitching prospect outside of Harrison and was the obvious choice to replace Tristan Beck after the young righty suffered a right arm aneurysm earlier in camp.
Black has a plus slider and fastball and led the Giants' farm system among qualifiers in both K/BB ratio (2.98) and WHIP (1.21) in 2023.
In 29 combined starts between Double and Triple-A last season, Black posted a 3.71 ERA with 155 strikeouts to 52 walks in 123 2/3 innings pitched.
Currently the Giants' No. 8 prospect, Black is one of a handful of young pitchers who will try and earn a spot in the rotation this season and for years to come.
RHP Landen Roupp
Roupp was another under-the-radar arm in the Giants' system until he blew everyone away in spring training with his eye-popping curveball.
Currently, San Francisco's No. 12 prospect, Roupp is in consideration for the Giants' 26-man roster after allowing just two earned runs with 13 strikeouts to four walks in eight innings pitched this spring.
Roupp was limited to just 10 starts for Double-A Richmond in 2023 after missing three months with a back injury, posting a 1.74 ERA with 42 strikeouts to nine walks in 31 innings pitched.
The 25-year-old has an elite, elite curveball and is blowing past expectations as a 12th-round pick in the 2021 draft.
OF Wade Meckler
His meteoric rise through the Giants' farm system last season was one of the more interesting storylines to follow.
Meckler, now the Giants' No. 18 prospect, began the 2023 season in High-A and blazed through three different levels, batting .371/.456/.510 with six homers and 50 RBI in 83 minor-league games before reaching the majors in August, where he mostly struggled through 20 games.
It was clear he wasn't ready for the majors, but Meckler showed throughout his rollercoaster season that he soon could be a plus hitter in the major leagues.
He will begin the 2024 season in Triple-A, but an impressive spring where he slashed .394/.444/.576 with 10 RBI in 33 at-bats certainly will put him in position to be one of the top candidates for a promotion should the Giants need additional outfield depth.
RHP Carson Seymour
The Giants have so much young pitching depth that even a guy like Seymour, who has the potential to be a solid major-league starting pitcher, isn't on too many people's radar right now.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2021 draft by the New York Mets, the 25-year-old Seymour has been pretty consistent throughout Single-A, High-A and Double-A across two professional seasons.
In 2023, the young righty posted a 3.99 ERA with 114 strikeouts to 43 walks across 112 2/3 innings pitched in 28 appearances (23 starts) for Double-A Richmond.
Seymour has a plus fastball and slider to go along with a changeup and curve that generate a lot of weak contact and ground balls, a trait the Giants love in their starting pitchers.
Originally acquired by the Giants in the heist that was the J.D. Davis-for-Darin Ruf trade two years ago, Seymour certainly could be an option for San Francisco later on this season.