SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As the Giants’ bullpen and catching coach, Craig Albernaz’s responsibilities primarily include working with the backstops and making sure the club’s relievers are fully prepared when they enter games.  

This spring, he was tasked with carrying out another key function for the team: Serving as the voice of Giants PitchCom, an electronic device used to transmit signals from the catcher to the pitcher. It’s a constant source of amusement for the Giants considering Albernaz -- a native of Fall River, Mass. -- is known for his thick Boston accent. 

“SLYDAH, SLYDAH, BACKFOOT,” said catcher Blake Sabol, mimicking Albernaz’s voice. “When I was getting quizzed by my fiancée, she was like, ‘Did you change the accent on this thing?’ And I was like, ‘No, that’s my catching coach.’” 

“That was pretty funny, the first time putting that on and hearing that,” pitching prospect Tristan Beck said. “It’s like, ‘I know exactly who that is.’ I was talking to a buddy of mine, a pitcher with another organization, and he said they just have like, not Siri, but very standard voice recognition stuff. I’m like, ‘Oh no, we’ve got our big Boston, big personality guy in there.’ Right in your ear. It’s way better.” 

“Oh my gosh,” right-hander Anthony DeSclafani said. “It’s so hilarious. I don’t know if they’re going to change it for the regular season, but I don’t know, I kind of like it.” 

The Giants used director of video coaching Fernando Perez as their PitchCom voice last year, but Albernaz had to step in and complete the recordings during a strength and conditioning camp in January to ensure the club had the customized version it wanted in time for Spring Training. 

Albernaz told a few players they’d be hearing his voice on PitchCom, but his distinct verbal cues still elicited delight from the team during the early stages of Giants camp. 

“I don’t think they believed me,” Albernaz said. “When Joc [Pederson] was hearing it the first day on the field, it was pretty funny. He was like, ‘I can’t understand what you’re saying.’ ‘You’ll get used to it, you’ll get used to it.’ But yeah, the boys love it.”

“He’s the most fun accent to play with,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He’s an incredible sport, so it doesn’t feel like really making fun of him. It’s more like we get to enjoy his accent.”   

Albernaz probably won’t be in the Giants’ ears all year, as he said Perez is expected to record a new streamlined version that the club is planning to use during the regular season. There might still be a touch of his accent in there, though.

“I think we’re going to have Fernando do it because he has a professional setup, so it makes sense,” Albernaz said. “We might keep some of them -- like slider and cutter -- for the boys.”

Who is the youngest player on the Giants’ 40-man roster? 

A.) Jose Cruz
B.) Randy Rodriguez
C.) Marco Luciano
D.) Luis Matos

Here are some recent Giants stories you might have missed over the last week:

• No surprise here: Logan Webb will start for the Giants on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium on March 30. 

• The injury concerns are starting to pile up for the Giants. Outfielder Mitch Haniger is currently sidelined with a Grade 1 left oblique strain, while shortstop Brandon Crawford is dealing with the same left knee discomfort that sent him to the injured list twice in 2022.  

• Back in November, top prospect Kyle Harrison traveled to the Dominican Republic to get a taste of what life is like for international Giants prospects.

Harrison, ranked as the Giants’ No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was among the players reassigned to Minor League camp on Tuesday after allowing eight runs on 10 hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings in three Cactus League appearances. Kapler said he had a “good, sobering discussion” with the 21-year-old left-hander, who is expected to open the season at Triple-A Sacramento. 

“In his brain, he’s wondering why he wasn’t recording outs at the same rate as he was at the Minor Leagues,” Kapler said. “I think the answer to that, very directly, is because four innings can’t really tell you much because so much randomness happens in a four-inning stretch. But also, hitters are really good at the Major League level.  

“I think his control and his command overall is going to continue to improve. There’s nothing physically that is holding him back. Mostly just experience and reps at the higher levels of the Minor Leagues.”

The Giants already have seven capable starters on their projected 26-man roster, but Harrison and fellow pitching prospects Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn -- who were also optioned on Tuesday -- should provide additional depth at the upper levels of the Minors in 2023. Kapler was especially complimentary of Beck, a 26-year-old right-hander who logged a 3.72 ERA with eight strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings in four Cactus League appearances. 

“He looks more physical than he has in years past,” Kapler said. “Last year around this time, he didn’t really look like an option to make a huge impact at the Major League level in ‘22, but now you’re really starting to see that he has a good chance to do so.”

D.) Luis Matos

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