SF Giants announce spring training report dates, first workouts

Believe it or not, baseball is barely more than a month away.

Giants pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout Thursday, Feb. 16, while position players will join for the first full-squad workout to begin the following week, Monday, Feb. 20. Both groups are scheduled to report to camp at the Giants’ facilities in Scottsdale, Arizona, the day before their first workout.

The club officially announced the dates Thursday, with all but the finishing touches made to their roster. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is scheduled to speak to reporters later in the afternoon.

Fans will get their first look at the club in action when they open Cactus League play Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Cubs. They host their first game at Scottsdale Stadium the following day, at 1:05 p.m. against the Reds.

For the first time since 2009, Brandon Belt won’t be in Scottsdale — or Arizona at all — after signing with the Blue Jays. Carlos Rodón will be training in Florida, too (alongside Aaron Judge), while Evan Longoria will be just a few miles away, in D-backs camp.

The new faces in Scottsdale include the pair of outfielders they signed in free agency, Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, as well as starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea, and relievers Taylor Rogers and Luke Jackson.

For the first time since 2017, the World Baseball Classic will also be taking place while teams prepare for the season.

Players set to participate in the tournament will report a few days ahead of time, Feb. 13 for pitchers and catchers and Feb. 16 for position players. Team USA will train at the Giants’ facilities in Scottsdale, and will scrimmage them at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday, March 8.

Logan Webb has committed to pitching for Team USA, and Joc Pederson will play for Team Israel, which will be based in Florida. Camilo Doval has also been rumored to potentially play for the Dominican Republic, though his participation hasn’t been announced, and Giants officials were concerned about his workload last season.