2024 Depth Charts: Left-Handed Relievers

It's not long, but it's sneakily interesting!

Photo Credit: Mick Anders | Richmond Flying Squirrels

So far in this year’s Depth Charts series, we’ve covered:

• 2b

• RHP - Starters

• Corner Outfielders

• Catchers

• Center Fielders

• LHP - Starters

• RHP - Relievers

• Shortstops

• 1b

I had to reverse the order of my final two editions of this year’s Depth Chart series because the cast of characters was so similar between first and third base that I started to feel like I was writing a second draft of the exact same post. So 3b gets shunted to the end on Friday and I’ll use that as something of a wrap up to the series (and a look forward to the soon-to-come start of the Top 50!).

Instead, for today’s piece, I thought I’d take a literal left-hand turn into a position that is sneakily setting up to be a fascinating subplot in the coming year. In 2023, the Giants received 214.2 innings from left-handed relievers, apportioned out as such:

• Sean Manaea (71.0 IP)

• Taylor Rogers (51.2 IP)

• Alex Wood (50.1 IP)

• Scott Alexander (41.2 IP)

You can see, I’m sure, the set up for this particular joke. One hundred and sixty-three of those innings have left the building (congrats on the new contract, Sean!), and in their place, the Giants have added one (1) new left-handed pitcher to the roster, Erik Miller, who has yet to throw his first pitch in a major league game. To date, there have been no minor league free agent signings or non-roster invites to supplement the position, and Farhan Zaidi has been quoted recently as saying he wasn’t interested in pursuing the lefty reliever section of the major league free agent market (which has one BIG lefty reliever currently floating around in the pool).

That would seem to suggest that whoever is going to replace those 160 innings up there is going to come from inside the house, at least at the start of the year. So let’s check out the candidates for what is, typically, a fairly critical aspect of any team.