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San Jose Giants

Giants Host Grizzlies to Open Regular Season

April 4, 2024 - California League (CalL)
San Jose Giants News Release


The Giants open the 2024 regular season with a three-game series against Fresno at Excite Ballpark

SEASON OPENER: The San Jose Giants begin the 2024 season with a three-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies (Rockies affiliate) this Friday through Sunday at Excite Ballpark. Friday's season-opener is a 7:00 PM first pitch before a 5:00 PM contest on Saturday and a 1:00 PM day game on Sunday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: San Jose Giants games are broadcast live on the team's official website, sjgiants.com. Home game broadcasts are also available on 92.9 FM inside the main seating bowl. Every broadcast is streamed live on your mobile phone through the MiLB App. Additionally, a live video feed of all San Jose Giants home games through MiLB.TV is available. Giants broadcasters Joe Ritzo & Justin Allegri will call all of the action this season.

SAN FRANCISCO AFFILIATION: This year marks San Jose's 36th season as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants - the longest current partnership in the California League. Since their inception in 1988, the San Jose Giants have won seven league championships (1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2021) and graduated 240 players to the major leagues.

2023 REVIEW: The Giants posted a 68-64 overall record last season and reached the playoffs after winning the first half North Division title. San Jose went 40-26 in the first half and won the North Division by four games over second-place Fresno. The Giants' first half title last season was their first since 2013. San Jose then went 28-38 in the second half. The Giants were swept two-games-to-none by eventual league champion Modesto in the North Division Series last September. San Jose led the California League in batting average (.266) and stolen bases (222) while ranking second in runs scored. The Giants pitching staff also boasted a league-best 4.20 team ERA. It marked the third straight season that San Jose led the California League in ERA. The Giants have reached the playoffs in four consecutive seasons (2019, 2021-23).

The Giants celebrate their first half title last season

SCHEDULE NOTES: The Giants will once again play a 132-game regular season schedule this year. The season is split into two 66-game halves (first half concludes on June 20). 84 of San Jose's 132 games will be played against North Division opponents: 30 games vs. Fresno, 30 games vs. Modesto and 24 games vs. Stockton. The Giants' remaining 48 games are versus South Division clubs (12 games each vs. Inland Empire, Lake Elsinore, Rancho Cucamonga and Visalia). Two teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs (first half winner & second half winner). If the same team wins both halves, the next-best second half record qualifies for the postseason.

VILLEGAS TO MANAGE GIANTS IN 2024: Ydwin Villegas will manage the San Jose Giants this season after serving as the club's fundamentals coach in 2023. The 33-year old is in his fifth season as a coach in the San Francisco Giants organization and first year as a manager. Villegas spent his entire seven-year playing career in the Giants system, including stints with San Jose during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. Dan Runzler (pitching coach) and Travis Ishikawa (hitting coach) also return to San Jose while Nate Keavy (fundamentals coach) rounds out the Giants coaching staff.

ELDRIDGE HIGHLIGHTS OPENING DAY ROSTER: 2023 first round draft pick Bryce Eldridge highlights San Jose's opening day roster. Eldridge, the 16th overall pick last year, enters the year ranked as the #4 prospect in the San Francisco Giants organization according to MLB.com. The 19-year old will focus on being a position player this season after he was originally drafted as a two-way player. In 31 games between the Arizona Complex League (Rookie-level) and San Jose last season, Eldridge hit a combined .294 with five doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI's (.905 OPS).

WELCOME BACK: 11 of the 30 players on San Jose's opening day roster have prior experience with the Giants: pitchers Trent Harris, Tommy Kane, Cale Lansville, Cody Tucker, Esmerlin Vinicio and Joe Whitman, catchers Drew Cavanaugh and Luke Shliger and infielders Bryce Eldridge, Cole Foster and Javier Francisco. Among the group of returnees, only Vinicio was on the opening day roster last season while the remaining 10 players all joined the club during the second half in 2023.

GIANTS-GRIZZLIES HISTORY: The Giants are opening the regular season against Fresno for the second straight year and third time in the last four seasons overall. The two division rivals have met in the playoffs twice in the last three seasons. San Jose swept Fresno in the Championship Series in 2021 before the Grizzlies ended the Giants' season in the 2022 North Division Series. Three members of the current San Jose coaching staff - Villegas, Runzler & Ishikawa - played for both the SJ Giants and Grizzlies (Fresno was San Francisco's AAA affiliate from 1998-2014).

STARTING PITCHERS THIS SERIES: Josh Bostick is slated to get the ball for the Giants on opening night. The right-hander was an eighth round pick in the 2023 draft out of Grayson Junior College (TX) and will be making his California League debut. Bostick made four appearances (two starts) in the Arizona Complex League (Rookie-level) last summer (4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 SO). Cale Lansville is the scheduled starter on Saturday for the Giants. A 14th round selection last year out of San Jacinto Junior College (TX), Lansville made two starts and one relief appearance with San Jose late last season (7 IP, 4 R, 3 BB, 11 SO). Joe Whitman is expected to make the start in Sunday's series finale. Whitman, a second round pick in 2023 out of Kent State University, is currently ranked the #11 prospect in the SF Giants organization by MLB.com. Whitman joined San Jose late last season and made three appearances (two starts) with the Giants tossing 5 2/3 innings with two runs allowed and nine strikeouts.

ON DECK: Following the current series against Fresno, the Giants embark on their first road trip of the season with a six-game set at Visalia from April 9-14. San Jose returns to Excite Ballpark on Tuesday, April 16 to host the Modesto Nuts in a six-game series.

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