After what feels like a twenty year long off-season, it is time for baseball yet again. The first day of the preseason brought feelings of immense excitement, paired with crippling despair once I realized most of the Giants pre-season games were not being broadcasted in SoCal.

To be honest, it never occurred to me that that would be a problem. However, I’m in Padre and Dodger territory now. I was faced with the reality that I might not be able to watch baseball until I got home. Then, I had the brilliant realization that I could watch the games - if I video chatted with my mom and she pointed the camera towards the screen. The past few weeks, I’ve been watching blurry versions of the games and trying to decipher who the pixelated people on the screen are.

Ever since our stunning success at the 2014 World Series, courtesy of our star pitcher Madison Bumgarner, the Giants have faced some pitching problems.

Our struggle to keep our pitching game strong has resulted in many tragic trades. In my opinion, the most notable loss was Matt Duffy, our third baseman and unexpected star of the 2016 season. He brought a spark to third base.

We traded him for pitcher Matt Moore in some hopes of bringing some strength to our dugout. Moore served his purpose with arguably limited success and was traded last season.

Following a pretty devastating 2017 season, the SF Giants, unfortunately, lost many other players to trades in hopes of strengthening the team for 2018. While losing players is hard when they feel like family, I’m always going to support my team. In preparation for the San Diego Padres versus Giants game I am attending at Petco Park this weekend, I’ve tasked myself with learning about our new players.

Here is my breakdown of the new 2018 San Francisco Giants roster:

PITCHING

As I said before, pitching is arguably the biggest problem. I can’t even begin to understand all of the changes that have been made to the bullpen this season. What I do know is, as of today, our three strongest starters are on the disabled list. Definitely not what we had in mind to start the season, but our new pitchers have their work cut out for them.

CATCHING

Thanks to a full no-trade clause, we have kept our beloved Buster Posey as our main catcher. Nick Hundley also keeps his position as a very reliable relief catcher.

INFIELD

This season comes with some surprising additions to the team, as well as some sad losses. Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, and Brandon Crawford have assumed their roles as the first baseman, second baseman, and shortstop respectively.

We lost center fielder Denard Span and infielder Christian Arroyo in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Although we only had Span for 2 seasons, he quickly wiggled his way into my heart - and the team. Arroyo made his major-league debut with the Giants last season and I had the privilege of watching the then-twenty-one-year-old fulfill his dreams in the big leagues.

The third base position was given to Evan Longoria, who has already begun to prove himself with some home runs. He played for the Tampa Bay Rays for almost ten years before this trade. He won his third Gold Glove Award last year, proving he is still at the top of his game.

Pablo Sandoval and Kelby Tomlinson are both ready to step in when necessary. Sandoval, or “the Panda” as he is lovingly referred to, came back to the Giants after signing with the Red Sox last season. His return brought back some nostalgia for the 2014 team and provided some welcome morale.

My mom and I, as well as SF Giants fans, have taken to calling Tomlinson “Clark Kent” because of his signature thick-rimmed glasses and boyish charm. He has gone back and forth between the Giants and the minor-league Sacramento River Cats but he’s ready when we need him. He has already played second base for Panik this season.

OUTFIELD

The outfield brings the most changes to the dugout for this 2018 season. While we’ve kept three players, though their roles have switched around a little. Wildcard Hunter Pence, with his crazy socks, eyes, and hair, moves over to left field after playing in right field for as long as I can remember. After talks of dropping him this season, I am overjoyed to see him on the field again after a personally rough 2017 season.

His switch makes room for newcomer Andrew McCutchen, from the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen singled in the bottom of the ninth and brought the Giants a win against the Diamondbacks last Tuesday. If he can continue to bring us wins, I’m not mad about him uprooting Pence from his long-standing position.

Austin Jackson, who has previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians, is taking over center field for at least two years. He is ready to step into any position in the outfield.

We briefly lost center-fielder Gregor Blanco to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he is ready to reprise his role this 2018 season when we need him. Gorkys Hernandez was signed to the Giants in 2016 and has played for injured Blanco and Span, and is now ready to step in this season too.

I’m ready to see all of my favorite players this season, but I’m also ready to see how these new changes affect the team. We’ve had some bittersweet losses in the dugout over the last couple years, yet I’m ready to make room in my heart for these new players. Hopefully, I'll have some gifs of them soon in Giants orange and black. Here’s to a great season, no matter the outcome. Let’s go Giants!