San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler will be skipping the national anthem before his club's games until further notice. 

Kapler told reporters Friday that he will not participate in the national anthem "until I feel better about the direction of our country" following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children and two adults. 

Kapler's comments come after he published a blog post on his personal website stating that he is "not okay with the state of this country" and noted that he considered taking a knee during the national anthem before the Giants' 9-3 win over the New York Mets on Wednesday, one day after the school shooting occurred: 

Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I’m participating in a self congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place. On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.

My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn't want to call attention to myself. I didn't want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn't understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.

Kapler also criticized how police officers in Uvalde, Texas, responded to the scene and put pressure on politicians to enact stricter gun laws, writing, "We aren't free when politicians decide that the lobbyist and gun industries are more important than our children's freedom to go to school without needing bulletproof backpacks and active shooter drills."

The 46-year-old is one of many sports figures to speak up in the aftermath of the shooting, including Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who gave an impassioned speech during his media availability ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. 

In addition, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays used their social media accounts during their matchup on Thursday to raise awareness about gun violence and its impact in the United States. The Rays also made a $50,000 donation to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old from Uvalde Texas, killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday using an assault rifle after shooting and wounding his grandmother at her home.

Ramos was inside the school for over an hour before police officers rushed in to confront him. During a Friday news conference, Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said that police at the scene made a series of missteps, including not immediately sending officers into a classroom where the shooter had barricaded himself. 

"From the benefit of hindsight where I'm sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision. It was a wrong decision. Period. There was no excuse for that," McCraw said. "There were plenty of officers to do what needed to be done, with one exception, is that the incident commander inside believed he needed more equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that time."

A Border Patrol agent eventually shot and killed Ramos, who purchased the weapons and ammo used in the shooting after turning 18 last week. 

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler is speaking out about the state of the country in the wake of Tuesday's mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 

In a post on his personal website, Kapler wrote that he is "not okay" with where things are in the United States. 

Kapler noted he considered taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem prior to San Francisco's game against the New York Mets on Tuesday, but he didn't because he "didn’t want to call attention" to himself:

"I didn't want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn't understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves."

The 46-year-old said his father taught him to stand up for the pledge of allegiance when he believed the country was representing its people well or to protest and remain seated when it wasn't. 

"I don’t believe it is representing us well right now," Kapler wrote.

Speaking to reporters prior to Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Kapler said he won't come out of the dugout for the national anthem before games going forward "until I feel better about the direction of our country."

Kapler was also critical of the police response and politicians who receive money from gun lobbyists: 

"The police on the scene put a mother in handcuffs as she begged them to go in and save her children. They blocked parents trying to organize to charge in to stop the shooter, including a father who learned his daughter was murdered while he argued with the cops. We aren't free when politicians decide that the lobbyist and gun industries are more important than our children's freedom to go to school without needing bulletproof backpacks and active shooter drills."

Salvador Ramos killed 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers, after walking into the school with an assault rifle. He also shot his grandmother in the face at her home before taking his grandparents' car to drive to the school, per the Los Angeles Times. 

Ramos was killed by a Border Patrol agent. 

Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told reporters on Friday that police officers made several missteps in their response to the situation. 

The mass shooting is the deadliest at a U.S. elementary school since 2012 when 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It has led to renewed calls for gun-law reform across the country, including the sports world. 

The Golden State Warriors held a moment of silence for the victims prior to Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and provided fans a way to support sensible gun laws. 

Instead of covering their game on Thursday night, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays used their social media accounts to share stats and facts about gun violence and its impact in the United States. 

Kapler noted he's "often struck before our games by the lack of delivery of the promise of what our national anthem represents."

He closed his post with a similar message: "I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this."

San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson credited team legend Barry Bonds for providing him with words of wisdom ahead of his three-home run game against the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

"Just getting knowledge from such a good hitter and the way he thinks about baseball and hitting, it just helped to connect some dots to free my mind up at the plate," Pederson told reporters. "I'm not ever going to be Barry Bonds. He's the best hitter to touch a bat. But it definitely helped free my mind up in the box."

The two-time World Series champion drove in eight of the Giants' 13 runs as part of a wild 13-12 victory over the Mets.

The 30-year-old California native signed with San Francisco in March after winning titles with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves over the past two years.

Pederson provided the Giants' offense with an early boost, hitting six homers in April, but he'd gone cold in May. He entered Tuesday's game with an .073 average (4-of-55) and one HR this month.

He explained his conversation with Bonds, who serves as a special adviser to the club, started in the clubhouse alongside teammate LaMonte Wade Jr. and then shifted to an office ahead of the game's 6:45 p.m. PT start.

"The next thing you know it was like 6:25 p.m. and I was like, 'I gotta go,'" Pederson said.

Whatever Bonds said worked as Pederson finished with four hits, adding a game-tying single in the ninth inning to his three longballs. The Giants won the game on a walk-off single by Brandon Crawford.

Bonds is one of the most decorated players to ever step on a baseball field.

His accolades include seven National League MVP Awards, 14 All-Star selections, eight Gold Glove Awards and two batting titles. His 762 home runs and 2,558 walks are both the most in MLB history.

His Hall of Fame candidacy generated ample debate because of his links to the BALCO scandal.

Bonds never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in a MLB-administered test, but an indictment as part of his perjury case included evidence of a positive test for anabolic steroids in November 2000.

That link to PEDs was a key factor as Bonds' 10th year on the Hall of Fame ballot ended in January without being enshrined. He could still be one day elected for the HOF via an Era Committee.

Regardless of whether he ever lands in Cooperstown, his success at the plate makes him one of the greatest hitters ever and, based on his advice to Pederson, it appears he still knows a thing or two about how to attack modern pitching.

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly in the market for starting pitching, and the Cincinnati Reds duo of Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle could be in their crosshairs. 

"I'm hearing that the Giants are looking at the Reds' starters, Castillo and Mahle," Jon Heyman of the New York Post said on The Show podcast (25:15 mark). "I do think there is a possibility there. The Mets have scouted at least Mahle as well. We talked about the lack of depth of starting pitching with all of these teams—there's going to be a lot of teams looking at them. But to me, the Giants is a team to keep an eye on for Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle."

Castillo, 29, is 0-1 this season in two starts with a 5.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Shoulder soreness delayed the start of his regular season, and the 2019 All-Star is clearly still trying to find his mojo after a solid 2021 campaign (8-16 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 192 strikeouts in 187.2 innings). 

"I thought I felt fine the whole game," Castillo told reporters after his start on Saturday. "My slider and changeup weren't working as well as I wanted them to, but everything else felt fine."

Mahle, 27, is 2-4 on the year with a 5.89 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. It's been a tough start after his fantastic 2021 showing (13-6 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 210 strikeouts in 180 innings over 33 starts). 

With the Reds starting the year a woeful 9-26 and likely already out of the running for postseason consideration, barring an incredible turnaround, the buzz has already begun that the team could be sellers and their pair of starters would interest prospective buyers:

The Giants (21-14) and Mets (23-13), meanwhile, look like legitimate contenders, and bolstering the rotation would make sense for both teams. It wouldn't be surprising if both teams were indeed circling the floundering Reds, hoping to add some pitching. 

San Francisco Giants assistant coach Alyssa Nakken continued to make history Tuesday.

Nakken, who was already the first full-time female coach in major league history, became the first female coach to make an on-field appearance in an MLB game when she filled in after the ejection of first base coach Antoan Richardson against the San Diego Padres.

Nakken, who was an intern in the Giants' baseball operations department in 2014, was named to the coaching staff in January 2020. She made an appearance as the first base coach in an exhibition game in July that year.

The Giants won the game 13-2 to move to 3-2 on the season.

According to Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com, as of January, 10 women were set to work as on-field coaches across major and minor league teams in the 2022 season.

Nakken told MLB Network's Amy Gutierrez in March that she felt it was important to build a community with the women who coach in MLB.

"There's a lot of people that sure you trust and can talk to about things, but sometimes they just don't get it because they haven't been in those positions," Nakken said (h/t Lindsay Kimble of People). "So it is nice to just kind of swap stories now that we're able to be together and actually go out to dinners and stuff.

"It's just been amazing to get to know some of the women that are in our minor league system right now and hear their stories and share a locker room with them and just be around more women in the game."

The ejection of Richardson, who is Black, has also become a topic of conversation after he said comments made by Padres acting third base coach Mike Shildt "reeked undertones of racism."

Shildt allegedly referred to Richardson as "that motherf--ker" and said he needed to be controlled following a confrontation between the pair. Richardson was the only coach ejected from the game.

The Padres and Shildt have yet to comment on the allegation.

The San Francisco Giants are planning to call up center fielder Heliot Ramos ahead of Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

MLB.com ranks Ramos as the sixth-best prospect in San Francisco's minor league system.

The 22-year-old split the 2022 season across Double-A and Triple-A. In 116 games, he batted .254 and slugged .417 with 14 home runs. In March, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter listed him as the Giants' most hyped prospect coming into this season:

We're still at least a year away from seeing Marco Luciano in the big leagues, and Joey Bart has already seen MLB action, so Ramos gets the nod for the Giants. The 22-year-old's elite bat speed and huge raw power should give the Giants a major boost offensively once he gets the call, and the team's outfield situation is far from set in stone.

The timing of Ramos' promotion is a bit surprising. Earlier this week, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami that Ramos was getting close to the majors but added he's "definitely a name to look for at some point this summer."

That certainly seemed to indicate the Puerto Rican slugger wouldn't be joining the Giants until late May or early June, unless Zaidi has a far different definition of "summer."

Ramos has hit the ground running in 2022, though. He homered in his first at-bat in the Sacramento River Cats' season opener.

In a 6-0 victory over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys on Thursday, he doubled home Sacramento's first two runs.

All three of San Francisco's regular starting outfielders (Mike Yastrzemski, Joc Pederson and Steven Duggar) bat left-handed. Adding Ramos' righty bat to the mix gives manager Gabe Kapler a little more flexibility with his offense.

The Giants face a left-hander (Taylor Rogers) Sunday and see another southpaw on tap Wednesday (Sean Manaea of the San Diego Padres). Either game would be a good opportunity to insert Ramos into the starting lineup.

Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Joc Pederson reportedly agreed to a new deal with the San Francisco Giants, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Pederson's contract will be worth $6 million, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed the details of the one-year pact.

Pederson had declined his $10 million mutual option in favor of a $2.5 million buyout to become a free agent earlier this offseason prior to the MLB lockout that lasted 99 days.

Pederson originally signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2021 season. He was traded to Atlanta in July after Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending torn ACL.

In 64 games with the Braves, Pederson slashed .249/.325/.428 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. He finished the 2021 season with a line of .238/.310/.422 with 18 homers and 61 RBI.

The 29-year-old lefty made the most out of his postseason appearances and was a key contributor to Atlanta's World Series title run. Pederson had two pinch-hit home runs in the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, making him the third player ever with two in a single postseason series.

He followed that up with a two-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers ace Max Scherzer in Atlanta's comeback win in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

Pederson became the ninth player in major league history to win back-to-back World Series with different teams, as he was a part of the Dodgers' title in 2020.

Pederson spent the first seven seasons of his career in Los Angeles. He hit 25 or more home runs four times and was selected to the All-Star Game in 2015.

The addition of Pederson provides the Giants with some outfield depth and an experienced postseason hitter who can help them make another run to the playoffs.

Carlos Martinez will get a chance at a fresh start in his career after signing a minor-league contract with the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Martinez confirmed he was headed to the Bay in an Instagram post:

The right-hander had spent his entire nine-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but the team declined his $17 million option for 2022, making him a free agent. 

Martinez underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb in July, which ultimately ended his 2021 season after just 16 starts. He also dealt with an ankle issue earlier in the year after an oblique injury kept him to just five starts during the shortened 2020 campaign.

The injuries have seemingly derailed what had been a promising career.

Martinez produced a 3.22 ERA in four seasons as a starter from 2015-18, earning two All-Star selections in this stretch while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. He also thrived after moving to the bullpen in 2019, tallying a 3.17 ERA in 48 appearances.

The 30-year-old hasn't been quite as sharp in the past two seasons, producing a 9.90 ERA during his limited chances in 2020 before struggling with a 6.23 ERA in 2021. He allowed at least five earned runs in six of his starts last season.

With just 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings—a career-low—Martinez had a difficult time getting out batters.

A change in location could be what the veteran needs to get back on track as an elite pitcher.  

Former White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon has agreed to sign with the San Francisco Giants on a two-year contract worth $44 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The White Sox didn't give Rodon an $18.4 million qualifying offer prior to the MLB lockout that lasted 99 days, which allowed him to test the open market.

Rodon was named to his first All-Star Game in 2021. He posted a team-best 2.37 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings pitched, tying for the team lead with 13 wins.

Rodon pitched his first career no-hitter on April 14 against the Cleveland Indians. He lost the bid for a perfect game with one out in the ninth inning on a hit-by-pitch to Roberto Perez.

In the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, Rodon started Chicago's Game 4 loss as Houston advanced with a 3-1 series win. Rodon allowed two runs in 2.2 innings as the White Sox went on to lose 10-1.

After being selected by the White Sox with the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, Rodon has had a history of arm and shoulder injuries. After being named Chicago's Opening Day starter for the 2019 season, Rodon underwent Tommy John surgery that May and missed the remainder of the year. He was limited to four appearances in 2020. Over the last two months of the 2021 season, he pitched just 28 innings due to arm fatigue.

If he can stay healthy, Rodon bolsters San Francisco's starting rotation in a big way. He will likely earn a spot near the top of the rotation, and his performance in 2022 will be key to the Giants' playoff push.

Rodon will be the second starting picture to land with the reigning National League West champions after they signed Alex Cobb to a two-year, $20 million deal.

In his 10th and final year on the ballot, former Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds did not receive enough votes needed to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After the news broke, the Giants posted a social media message expressing disappointment in Bonds not getting voted in during his final year of eligibility. However, San Francisco still had some optimism, as Bonds still has the chance to qualify through a veteran committee.

"We remain hopeful that he will gain election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the next phase of the voting process," the team's message stated.

Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was the only person to be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in the class of 2022. Ortiz received 77.9 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Players need at least 75 percent of the vote to receive induction.

Bonds was on just 66 percent of the writers' ballots. Despite never failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs, his reputation was damaged by allegations of steroid use during his career in the 2007 Mitchell Report.

Another notable omission from the Hall of Fame was seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who received 65.2 percent of the vote in his final year of eligibility. Clemens had also been linked to steroid use despite denying that he's ever used PEDs.

The next avenue for Bonds and Clemens to be elected to the Hall of Fame will be through the Era Committees system.

A seven-time National League MVP, Bonds was named to the All-Star Game 14 times in his 22-year career. He also earned 12 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves.

Bonds remains Major League Baseball's career home run leader (762) and its single-season leader (73, in 2001). He also set a single-season record with a 1.422 OPS in 2004.

Bonds made his major league debut in 1986 and spent his first seven seasons with the Pirates, leading Pittsburgh to three straight NL East titles. He joined the Giants in free agency after the 1992 season and helped lead the team to the 2002 NL pennant.