SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants looked outside of their baseball orbit to recruit the first of what they hope will be several impactful guest speakers this spring, inviting Arizona State University head football coach Herm Edwards to address the 72 players in camp Thursday morning.

Edwards, who previously served as the head coach of the Jets and the Chiefs in the NFL, attended high school in Monterey, Calif., and is a Giants fan.

“He addressed our players today and did a really tremendous job,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He shared with our players that he recognizes that they're all independent contractors, but then once we're in that room together, we're a team and we're fighting for one another. I thought that was a really powerful message at a really good time in camp. I think our players and staff both benefited from having Coach Edwards in the building this morning.”

Clubhouse culture has been a focus for Kapler in his first Spring Training with the Giants, and he hopes to continue inspiring his players by bringing in a diverse set of guest speakers to Scottsdale Stadium in the coming weeks.

“We want impactful speakers to be spliced into camp and have a nice balance between fun and light-hearted things in the morning,” Kapler said. “That keeps the entire group loose. And then some more serious messages. In some cases, like this morning, a combination of both. He had the ability to make people laugh and hold the attention of a room.”

Sánchez goes deep
Non-roster invitee Yolmer Sánchez hit only two home runs for the White Sox last year, but he has been working on some adjustments to his swing, and he seemed to show signs of progress when he crushed a long blast off left-hander Wandy Peralta during live batting practice on Thursday. Batting from the right side, the switch-hitting Sánchez deposited a fastball on the hill above the left-field bullpen at Scottsdale Stadium.

“That was kind of cool, to see him square up a fastball, be on time with his swing and then drive the ball in the air to the pull side,” Kapler said. “That's always a good sign this early in camp. One thing we know about Yolmer is his defense is always going to be there. To the degree that some of those swing changes can take effect, we see him as being a really impactful player for us.”

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Taking the lead
The Giants haven’t enjoyed much speed on the basepaths in recent years, but they could be more aggressive in attempting to take extra bases under Kapler, who wants his players to make informed decisions about their lead lengths this season. Kapler said quality assurance coach Nick Ortiz will study opposing catchers’ pop times and the accuracy of pitchers’ pickoff throws to provide baserunners with information that will help guide their strategy during games.

“The first thing we want to do is see the kind of jumps and leads our baserunners are getting,” Kapler said. “By way of example, we know how our baserunners stack up against everybody else in the league as it relates to their lead length or average lead length. We don't want anybody in our camp to be in the lower half of that. We really want to challenge our guys to get the maximum leads. So does that lead to more stolen bases? Maybe, but only if it's applicable and it makes sense.”