San Francisco Giants: Final Predictions for Each Key Spring Position Battle

On a partly cloudy Thursday evening in Scottsdale, Arizona, the San Francisco Giants trotted out a starting lineup that didn't feature Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Denard Span, Brandon Belt or Brandon Crawford.

Not coincidentally, the Giants did virtually nothing against Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez and fell 9-2 to the M's.

The game, however, was full of meaning for several players on the roster bubble. Like most clubs, San Francisco needs to make tough decisions and settle multiple position battles in the waning days of spring training.

Let's run through them one by one and offer predictions based on stats, the latest rumblings and a dollop of gut feeling.

5th Starter

Matt Moore was the starter Thursday, and while he lasted only 1.2 innings, he's guaranteed a rotation slot alongside Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.

As for the fifth spot, it's a tussle between veteran Matt Cain and rookie Ty Blach.

Cain is the longest-tenured Giant and will make $21 million in 2017. He's a three-time All-Star with a perfect game on his resume.

At the same time, he hasn't posted a sub-4.00 ERA since 2012 and owns an 8.10 ERA with 32 hits allowed in 20 innings this spring.

Stephen Lam/Getty Images

"Some of it is location and not being able to execute a pitch, and [I] was having a really hard time throwing away to right-handers," Cain said of his struggles, per Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News. "I feel I've been able to smooth that out a lot more."

Blach, who impressed down the stretch and in the postseason with the Giants in 2016, has struck out 11 and walked one in 14.1 innings, though he's also surrendered eight earned runs.

Top pitching prospect Tyler Beede enjoyed a better spring than Cain and Blach, posting an 0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings, but he was reassigned to minor league camp.

Prediction: Cain will open the season as the fifth starter, with Blach in the bullpen and Beede biding his time.

Bullpen

The Giants stabilized their bullpen by signing closer Mark Melancon this winter. The news that left-hander Will Smith will be out indefinitely with an elbow injury, per Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, throws things back into chaos.

Jon Durr/Getty Images

Right-handers Melancon, Hunter Strickland, Derek Law, George Kontos and Cory Gearrin are virtual locks. That leaves two lefty roles open.

Steven Okert has tossed seven scoreless innings this spring, while fellow southpaw Josh Osich has yielded eight earned runs in 7.1 frames. 

Both could make the team with Smith out, but Blach, another lefty, is in the picture as a long man and spot starter.

Prediction: Okert and Blach will win the final two bullpen spots, but expect the Giants to try multiple permutations and possibly go shopping for further southpaw options.

Bench 

Left field was the most interesting battle for the Giants coming into spring.

It belongs to Jarrett Parker, who has gone 13-for-48 with four home runs. Fellow youngster Mac Williamson and veteran Michael Morse have been bitten by injuries, further solidifying Parker's status.

San Francisco's bench competition, meanwhile, is wide open.

Speedy, glove-first Gorkys Hernandez has the inside track on the fourth outfielder job. Third baseman Eduardo Nunez is battling a sore shoulder but expects to be ready for Opening Day, per MLB.com's Owen Perkins.

With Nick Hundley set to back up Posey behind the dish, that leaves three bench spots, assuming San Francisco carries 12 pitchers.

The options are all over the map.

The Giants could tap Korean third baseman Jae-gyun Hwang, who has taken reps in the outfield to increase his versatility and is hitting .297 with four homers this spring. 

They could opt for veteran infielders Aaron Hill and/or Jimmy Rollins, who haven't hit the cover off the ball in the Cactus League but bring experience and leadership.

Norm Hall/Getty Images

In the outfield, the 34-year-old Justin Ruggiano could be a right-handed complement to the left-swinging Parker, while outfielder/first baseman Chris Marrero leads the team with five spring homers. Small-sample note: I was duly and unexpectedly impressed by Marrero during my time in Scottsdale.

Then there's third baseman and 2016 postseason hero Conor Gillaspie and utility man Kelby Tomlinson, who's hit .299 in 106 games with the Giants but has options remaining.

As McCovey Chronicles' Grant Brisbee put it: "This has been one of the better springs in recent memory for bench-battle fetishists like myself, and absolutely nothing has been resolved yet."

Prediction: Gillaspie, Hill and Marrero make the cut, with Hwang and Tomlinson awaiting the call at Triple-A and Rollins possibly opting for retirement. 

All statistics current as of Thursday and courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.