There R Giants

Kerry Crowley and I talk about my annual trip to Papago Park and minor league spring training, where the Giants’ are in terms of competitive windows, and how the bullpen is likely to shake out in the next couple of months. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

On this week’s pod, I have a sort of hybrid for you from my spring training trip to Scottsdale. First, I’m flying solo, talking about the players that have jumped out at me during my time at Papago Park the past week or so. It’s been a fun trip, with a lot of bats really standing out in my looks. And then in the second half of the program (20:45 mark), I have a short interview with Gavin Kilen, whom I was able to talk to for a few minutes before last week’s Spring Breakout game. Kilen, last year’s 1st round pick, was a little dinged up from the end of his Tennessee season when he joined the Giants last summer, but he is looking strong this spring and raring to go — and should be one of the top bats in the system when the minor league season starts next weekend. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Opening Night is less than two weeks away…. and there are decisions to be made for the Giants! One jumbo-sized one, and a whole lot of smaller ones. KROG is here to help. Kerry Crowley and I dive into the Bryce Eldridge question and try to straighten out the bullpen and final bench assignments. Kerry even comes up with a late spring trade idea! Were sooooo close to the real thing! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic joins me to talk a lot about the Bryce Eldridge decision, and a little about the Luis Hernandez decision — with a lot of bullpen conversation along the way! It’s a spring spectacular with opening day less than 10 days away. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

SF Chronicle’s Giants’ beat writer, Shayna Rubin, joins me this week to talk about camp battles and young players making impressions early on in camp. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Kerry Crowley and I finally have some baseball to talk about…sort of! As the Giants get ready for their first games of 2026, KROG discusses what we’re looking forward to most in this year’s camp. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

As signs of baseball spring to life once again, MLB’s Jim Callis returns to talk Spring Breakout series, an improving Giants’ farm system, and we even sneak in a little early draft talk! Jim will be dropping his MLB Top 30 for the Giants on March 4 — and he even gives us a sneak peak at where a couple of players are landing on the list this year. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Giants’ young OF prospect, Carlos Gutierrez, is my guest on this week’s podcast. We talk about his surprise at making the San Jose squad last year — and the amazing season he had there. We also talk about his efforts to over come the continuing back issues that have sidelined him, and his hopes for the coming year. As the organization looks to develop more well-rounded players with supreme contact skills, Gutierrez figures to be a big part of the coming wave of outfielders, with his long history of outstanding bat-to-ball ability and that sweet left-handed swing. You also get a sense here for how smart a player he is, and what he’s looking to improve in his game. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Giants’ left-hander, Luis de la Torre, who is coming off one of the biggest and most unexpected break out campaigns of 2025. De la Torre talks about when he knew big things were coming for him, how it felt to be given the starting assignment for the Cal League clincher, and the many big goals he has set for himself in 2026. He’s going to be one of the really fun talents to watch in the upcoming year, and as you will hear, he’s got some big plans for what he wants to accomplish! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Kerry Crowley and I talk about the Giants’ signing of Harrison Bader. We also talk CJ Abrams, Brendan Donovan, and the moves still potentially to be made as they start packing the trucks for Arizona. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Giants’ Senior Director of Amateur Scouting, Michael Holmes is my guest this week. With the college season just about to get underway, this seemed like a great time to talk with Michael about the impending search for a star at the #4 position in the draft. Given how much changes in the course of the spring, this seemed like a good time to talk process with Holmes: how does the team marshal it’s resources? How big of a net do you cast when drafting high up in the first round? When does the winnowing down begin? And how does the calendar differ between college and high school players? We also talk about the strength of the upcoming class and how it fits with what the Giants are trying to accomplish. It’s a great conversation that I am thrilled to be able to bring to all my listeners! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Once again this year, Giants’ Senior International Scouting Director, Joe Salermo, joins me to talk about the January 15 international signing class. This year’s group was only three players, thanks to the Giants handing out MLB’s largest signing bonus this year to Venezuelan shortstop, Luis Hernandez. Joe talks about Hernandez and the Giants’ decision to build their entire year around him. We also talk about how Hernandez and last year’s top signing, Josuar Gonzalez, will be able to compete for shortstop reps in coming years, and discuss a lot of the big development steps that previous international signees have taken in the past year. It’s always my favorite pod of the year when Joe stops by, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of his generosity with his time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Kerry Crowley and Roger Munter ring in the new year…..without much new to discuss (other than the unwanted Kyle Tucker news that dropped last night). We talk austerity, strategies for improvement, why 2b has moved to the front of the wish lists, and think about the long-term strategy with an improving farm system bolstering the front office’s options. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Giants relief prospect Trent Harris joins me from Scottsdale, AZ, where he’s working hard to get ready for the 2026 season. Trent talks about the jarring transition pitchers face when heading to the PCL, what he learned from his first experience in Triple-A, and how he’s working to incorporate those lessons for the upcoming year. Hopefully, we see Harris get an invite to camp (something I ask him about) in about a month! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

With Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook now out in digital form, and the system top 30s up on BA’s site, it’s a perfect time to check in with Josh Norris, who has handled the Giants’ chapter of the Handbook for many years now. Josh talks about a system that has taken a large step forward over the last year, and the many exciting talents who are driving it up BA’s organizational rankings. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

Eli Walsh joins me to talk about Baseball Prospectus’ Giants’ prospect rankings which just dropped last Friday. We get into a few mano á mano debates in the system — including Bryce Eldridge vs Josuar Gonzalez at the very top — and talk outfielders, shortstops, and a lot about left-handed pitching. Enjoy our final podcast of the year! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

It’s Silent Night at the Hot Stove, and Kerry Crowley and I are here to dissect the difficult path ahead for the Giants this off-season. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

To celebrate the winter meetings, I’m having a double podcast week! Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen joins me direct from Orlando to talk Rule 5 picks, Marco Luciano’s development, the Giants’ contingent at Arizona Fall League, and much more. If you’re interested hearing about Josuar Gonzalez, Parks Harber, and Spencer Miles, then this is the podcast for you! There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

I’m not sure exactly why, but it appears that the post for today’s podcast went out with no media attached to it, so there’s nothing to listen to when you try to play it. It sounded great on my side of the curtain before it went out over the interwebs, so I’m not entirely sure how to fix things other than to re-create a new one, send it out once more, and hope for better! As the Winter Meetings get started in Orlando, FL, I’m joined by Giants’ beat reporter, Maria Guardado of MLB.com, to talk about the situation the Giants find themselves in this winter as they try to improve upon a long run of mediocre seasons. We talk pitching, money, potential avenues for upgrades, and we get into a little prospect talk with the upcoming Rule 5 draft looming on Wednesday. This conversation was recorded Friday afternoon just hours before the news broke of Marco Luciano being claimed by the Pirates — so while his name does come up briefly in this show, we didn’t quite have the foreknowledge of how little time he had left in the Giants’ organization. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe

As the Winter Meetings get started in Orlando, FL, I’m joined by Giants’ beat reporter, Maria Guardado of MLB.com, to talk about the situation the Giants find themselves in this winter as they try to improve upon a long run of mediocre seasons. We talk pitching, money, potential avenues for upgrades, and we get into a little prospect talk with the upcoming Rule 5 draft looming on Wednesday. This conversation was recorded Friday afternoon just hours before the news broke of Marco Luciano being claimed by the Pirates — so while his name does come up briefly in this show, we didn’t quite have the foreknowledge of how little time he had left in the Giants’ organization. There R Giants is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rogermunter.substack.com/subscribe