SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Expect no bold pronouncements from Eugenio Velez, no predictions about what he expects from himself or when he'll reach the Major Leagues for good.

"My job," he said Wednesday, "is going to talk for me."

If that's the case, then the United Nations should hire Velez as an interpreter.

Velez is trying to become fluent at second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield, as the Giants view him as a utilityman par excellence in the manner of the Los Angeles Angels' Chone Figgins. Manager Bruce Bochy termed it as Velez's best opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. Bochy added that once it's decided what level Velez will occupy, the Giants will focus more on finding a specific position for him.

Velez, 25, more than likely will begin the season at Triple-A Fresno. He has played only 18 games above Double-A, including a 14-game trial with the Giants last September when he excited onlookers with his tremendous speed. But it's widely assumed that Velez will find his way to San Francisco at some point this season, and he recognizes that the Giants' desire to make him a handyman reflects their regard for his skills.

"If they want you to play second, short, third, outfield, that's good for you," he said. "I just want to play in the big leagues. I don't care where I have to play. I'll play everywhere."

After Velez's brief but tantalizing stint with the Giants -- two of the three hits he collected in 11 at-bats were triples -- he reported to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League and hit .303 with 14 stolen bases in 15 tries. Although his season ended prematurely when he fractured his right wrist on a headfirst slide into third base, he was named to the league's All-Prospects team.

Velez's fortunes began to ascend in 2006, when he hit .315 with 14 home runs, 90 RBIs and 64 steals for the Giants' low-Class A Augusta squad. That followed four pedestrian seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. No wonder Velez credited much of his development to Roberto Kelly, his Augusta manager who's now the Giants' first-base coach.

"I try to put into play everything that I've learned from him," Velez said.

Mac is back: Journeymen such as Scott McClain typically are forced to latch on with a new team each year. But for the first time since 1998-99, when he played in the Tampa Bay organization, McClain is in Spring Training with the same team for the second year in a row. That doesn't count 2001-04, when McClain, a veteran of 18 professional seasons, performed for the Seibu Lions in the Japanese Pacific League.

"It's nice to come back to the same team for the first time in a long time and be familiar with everybody," said McClain, 35. "I think there are some opportunities here."

McClain received an opportunity to sample big league life last September when the Giants summoned him following a 31-homer, 100-RBI performance at Fresno. That promotion motivated him to re-sign with them.

"I didn't have any intention to look elsewhere because of the way they treated me here," said McClain, who has hit 333 homers in the Minors and Japan yet has appeared in just 30 Major League games. "It was nice to get rewarded for a good season."

McClain, a non-roster invitee, is a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. But his ability to play both first and third base perpetuates his hopes.

"It's a transitional phase for the Giants," he said. "You never know what can happen. I'm sure there are going to be quite a few surprises with a few guys having good seasons that nobody really expected. So it might as well be me."

Short hops: The Giants will conduct an intrasquad game next Wednesday, one day before they open the Cactus League season against the Chicago Cubs. Bochy said that some pitchers from the Minor League mini-camp might appear in that game to consume innings, since the Giants will need all the arms they can muster for a split-squad doubleheader Feb. 29. ... Whether "Giants Idol" will return for a third performance is uncertain. Mark Sweeney, who coordinated the no-talent show featuring mostly rookies in 2006 and 2007, has gone to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I guess we're going to have to talk about it and see," said right fielder Randy Winn, a former "Idol" judge.