Ok guys, today I went to probably my favorite Spring Training game of all time - the San Francisco Giants B-squad vs. the Giants futures. There was no one in the stands, it was nerdy, and I loved it.
Here are some things that I took away from Sundays game:
1. Madison Bumgarner is good at baseball. He made light of the futures line-up by tossing four shut-out innings. He gave up just one hit and two walks and even collected a solid base-hit. It seemed pretty unfair to make the futures face a future Cy Young award winner, but whatever. Seriously, Bumgarner is gonna be so great this season.
2. Christian Arroyo played some solid shortstop. The Giants first-round pick from 2013 looked very comfortable defensively and also collected a hit today, going one-for-two. I've been excited to see Arroyo play for the last few months, and he did not disappoint on Sunday. After a few more month in San Jose expect him to climb the rank in the Giants farm system quickly.
3. Kyle Crick struggled. In the game on Sunday, he last just 0.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on one hit and four walks. His command was off, throwing some wild pitches and pitches in the dirt. The biggest scouting report issue with Crick was his command, but the 21-year-old has plenty of time to work on his control problems before he makes a big-league roster.
4. Derek Law and Heath Hembree are solid. These guys were probably the pitchers that I was the most excited to see heading down to Scottsdale. They did not disappoint. Law entered Sunday's game with one out in the eighth and struck out Elliot Blair and Nick Noonan to end the threat. Hembree pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing just one hit. These guys are on the cusp of making the Opening Day roster, and their performances todays just got them one step closer to that.
5. Andrew Susac is my new favorite. It's kind of hard to explain why Susac is my "guy to watch" this Spring Training, but he just is. During Saturday's terrible game against the Mariners, Susac got the Giants on the board with a solidly hit two-run double in the seventh inning. Despite batting just .200 so far this Spring, his approach at the plate has been great.
Defensively, Susac has also been very solid behind the plate. With Crick struggling so much in the first inning of Sunday's game, Susac made some very solid throws down to second base. Susac also seems to bring a calming presence to the young Giants pitchers, patiently talking to them between batters.
Now, I realize that the Giants aren't exactly hurting for catchers. Hector Sanchez is having a great Spring now that he's fully healthy, and also that other guys, Buster what's-his-name, is signed to the Giants for another billion years. Last Spring, I picked Noonan as my guy to make the Giants opening day roster. This year, I'm gonna say that - if there's any injury (heaven forbid) to Sanchez or Posey - Susac should be the solid back-up catcher.
All in all, it was amazing to watch the young guys on Sunday. Tomorrow (fingers crossed) interviews with Hembree and/or Law are coming. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Who's on second
Yes, I know I had a blog entitled "what's on second" just last year. But seriously, I thought this title still made sense.
Marco Scutaro has yet to take a pitch this Spring Training. While it's maybe not time to panic (just yet), it might be getting close to freak-out time.
In 2013, Scutaro played in 127 games, missing several games due to back issues and a mallet finger. Last year, I attributed much of his struggles to the short offseason (hello, 2012 World Series!) and the World Baseball Classic last February and March. Coming into this Spring, I thought that he might be healthy and ready to play every day.
And yet, here we are. Still struggling with back issues. With a full and restful offseason, the fact that the 38-year-old is still having problems physically worries me now and will continue to worry me throughout the season. Especially considering he's in only the second year of a three-year contract. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scutaro will play around 100 games this season. Maybe 110. That still leaves 52-62 games where the Giants will need a second baseman.
So, who will that second baseman be?
Last Spring, I was so excited by Nick Noonan. He was my pick to make the 2013 Opening Day roster as the back-up infielder. His range at third, second, and short really impressed me in Scottsdale last year, and I really look forward to seeing him in a few days.
Though he's struggling so far this Spring, batting just .091 with no HRs and no RBIs in just four games for the Giants, I still think that Noonan is a contender. He hit just .219 last season in San Francisco, but again, Noonan was versatile, committing just one error while playing second, third, and short. He also hit .255 in Fresno while playing more consistently. I'm not saying that Nick Noonan is the future of second base for the Giants, but I'm not ready to rule him out. He brings a lot of range and impressive defense to the San Francisco infield.
But perhaps the player that I'm most excited to see this weekend is Ehire Adrianza (and that is saying something because I'm looking forward to seeing so many players). So far this Spring, the 24-year-old is hitting .250 in four games. He's already got one homerun and four RBIs. Last season, he did get 18 at-bats in San Francisco, and he managed to hit .222 with a HR and three RBIs.
He spent most of his time last season in AA Richmond, but did play in 45 games in AAA Fresno. During that span of two teams, he hit .266 with 35 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Most impressive, however, has been his defense. He's been a fantastic shortstop, owning a career .959 fielding percentage in the minors. He was slated to start at second for the Giants in Saturdays game that was eventually rained out. So while we haven't gotten to see him play second yet this Spring, it seems that the time for that is coming.
As Giants beat writer Chris Haft has reported, Adrianza has only started in one game at second base in his entire minor league career. But with Brandon Crawford a solid shortstop in San Francisco, Adrianza needs to adapt to second base if he hopes to make this big-league club. Manager Bruce Bochy seems to be on the same page, wanting to see what Adrianza can do at the other middle-infield position.
During Giants media day at the end of January, both Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean openly stated that they were excited to see what Adrianza does this Spring. With Bochy inserting Adrianza into the line-up at second this past weekend, we see that the skipper hasn't lost his enthusiasm towards the young infielder.
This isn't to bash Scutaro or say that he isn't a decent or hard-working infielder. He was an integral part of that 2012 World Series run (heck, his 'Scutaro-ing" in the rain is one of my favorite sports moments ever). But he's older, and defensively, much slower. His 13 errors on the season in 2013 were third-most on the Giants.
If Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval have the kinds of years that we hope (and expect) them to have, the middle infielders don't need to hit .300. I'd settle for .250-.260 and amazing defense. In Crawford at short, you get that. But this is where Noonan and Adrianza have the advantage over Scutaro. It'll be interesting to see them live and in-person.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I'm pretty stoked to head down to Spring Training in two days. I'll be writing from there, so keep checking back in for (hopefully) some awesome interviews!
Marco Scutaro has yet to take a pitch this Spring Training. While it's maybe not time to panic (just yet), it might be getting close to freak-out time.
In 2013, Scutaro played in 127 games, missing several games due to back issues and a mallet finger. Last year, I attributed much of his struggles to the short offseason (hello, 2012 World Series!) and the World Baseball Classic last February and March. Coming into this Spring, I thought that he might be healthy and ready to play every day.
And yet, here we are. Still struggling with back issues. With a full and restful offseason, the fact that the 38-year-old is still having problems physically worries me now and will continue to worry me throughout the season. Especially considering he's in only the second year of a three-year contract. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Scutaro will play around 100 games this season. Maybe 110. That still leaves 52-62 games where the Giants will need a second baseman.
So, who will that second baseman be?
Last Spring, I was so excited by Nick Noonan. He was my pick to make the 2013 Opening Day roster as the back-up infielder. His range at third, second, and short really impressed me in Scottsdale last year, and I really look forward to seeing him in a few days.
Though he's struggling so far this Spring, batting just .091 with no HRs and no RBIs in just four games for the Giants, I still think that Noonan is a contender. He hit just .219 last season in San Francisco, but again, Noonan was versatile, committing just one error while playing second, third, and short. He also hit .255 in Fresno while playing more consistently. I'm not saying that Nick Noonan is the future of second base for the Giants, but I'm not ready to rule him out. He brings a lot of range and impressive defense to the San Francisco infield.
But perhaps the player that I'm most excited to see this weekend is Ehire Adrianza (and that is saying something because I'm looking forward to seeing so many players). So far this Spring, the 24-year-old is hitting .250 in four games. He's already got one homerun and four RBIs. Last season, he did get 18 at-bats in San Francisco, and he managed to hit .222 with a HR and three RBIs.
He spent most of his time last season in AA Richmond, but did play in 45 games in AAA Fresno. During that span of two teams, he hit .266 with 35 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Most impressive, however, has been his defense. He's been a fantastic shortstop, owning a career .959 fielding percentage in the minors. He was slated to start at second for the Giants in Saturdays game that was eventually rained out. So while we haven't gotten to see him play second yet this Spring, it seems that the time for that is coming.
As Giants beat writer Chris Haft has reported, Adrianza has only started in one game at second base in his entire minor league career. But with Brandon Crawford a solid shortstop in San Francisco, Adrianza needs to adapt to second base if he hopes to make this big-league club. Manager Bruce Bochy seems to be on the same page, wanting to see what Adrianza can do at the other middle-infield position.
During Giants media day at the end of January, both Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean openly stated that they were excited to see what Adrianza does this Spring. With Bochy inserting Adrianza into the line-up at second this past weekend, we see that the skipper hasn't lost his enthusiasm towards the young infielder.
This isn't to bash Scutaro or say that he isn't a decent or hard-working infielder. He was an integral part of that 2012 World Series run (heck, his 'Scutaro-ing" in the rain is one of my favorite sports moments ever). But he's older, and defensively, much slower. His 13 errors on the season in 2013 were third-most on the Giants.
If Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval have the kinds of years that we hope (and expect) them to have, the middle infielders don't need to hit .300. I'd settle for .250-.260 and amazing defense. In Crawford at short, you get that. But this is where Noonan and Adrianza have the advantage over Scutaro. It'll be interesting to see them live and in-person.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I'm pretty stoked to head down to Spring Training in two days. I'll be writing from there, so keep checking back in for (hopefully) some awesome interviews!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
MadBum and the "Posey" rule?
MadBum:
Bruce Bochy came out today and declared that his Opening Day starter for 2014 will be southpaw Madison Bumgarner.
This might come as a surprise. With Matt Cain getting the nod last year, many expected Bochy to go with Cain yet again. But when looking at the 2013s that each guy had, it was really a no-brainer to pick Bumgarner. The lefty was 13-9 with a 2.77 ERA in 31 starts with a 1.03 WHIP. His WHIP and ERA were both major league career-lows and were both 5th in the National League. Opponents hit just .203 off of him (3rd in the NL), and he had 199 strikeouts to just 62 walks.
He was also an All-Star for the first time in his young career, and Bumgarner finished 9th in the NL Cy Young voting last season. He really didn't get enough recognition in large part because he pitches in the same division as the reigning Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, also a lefty, also dominant. Kershaw was 16-9 last year with a miniscule 1.83 ERA.
Many people are saying that this could be Bumgarner's year, not only to gain national recognition, but also to win the Cy Young. I love the move by Bochy to put him on that big stage and give him the Opening Day nod. If you've watched the Giants in the postseason over the last few seasons, you're familiar with how well Madison has performed. Perhaps most impressive was the 2010 World Series when, at just 21 years old, he pitched eight shut-out innings against the Texas Rangers in Arlington in Game 4 to give San Francisco a 3-1 series lead. Lest we think he's inconsistent, Bumgarner also threw seven shut-out innings just for fun against the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series. I mean, he has yet to give up a run in a World Series game. Oh yeah, and he's 24. Let's put him in a bigger stage and watch him go. I think it's going to be one of the most fun things to watch on the 2014 Giants, and I'm glad that we only have to wait for the first day of the regular season to see it.
the 'Posey" rule:
In case you missed it, Major League Baseball came out with a new rule regarding home plate collisions this past week, and it almost seemed like they took some advice from our very own Hunter Pence.
Back in January, at Giants media day, Pence said that plays at the plate are difficult to define as dangerous or not because the rule wasn't clearly defined.
"There becomes all these unwritten rules between teams of what can you get mad at or not get mad at. If they do write a rule, then everyone understands what the rule is, and it makes a lot more sense to everyone. Everyone understands what needs to be done."
However, he had solid ideas on how to better clarify what's allowed and what isn't.
"We had a pretty good discussion about things that are possible...if they could make lanes. If the catcher's in front of the plate, the runner could be in danger if he can't go through a catcher that's sticking his leg out, but also, it's almost insane to have a catcher standing in front of home plate like a sitting duck and a base runner just plowing them. Think of in football - they have pads on and they don't let them just hit the guy trying to catch the football...There needs to be a safe spot for the catcher, but also the catcher can make the decision to be in the danger zone, and the runner has to have a zone that he can go through."
When asked for clarification on who he shared these ideas with, Pence said that he's had discussions with someone who was asked for their opinion by MLB.
The actual rule that came out on February 24 (yesterday) generally states that:
1. A runner maybe not run out of a direct line to home plate just to force a collision. If they have a clear path to home without going through the catcher, they have to take it. If the runner goes for the collision rather than the plate, the umpire has the right to call him out, regardless of whether or not the catcher maintains possession of the ball.
2. The catcher may not block the plate unless he has complete possession of the baseball. The runner may be called safe if the catcher attempts to block the plate without possession of the ball.
In other words, it seems like MLB is trying to eliminate collisions just for the sake of collisions. It has been met with mixed reviews from players and coaches around the league but seems to be a step in the right direction. After the horrifying collision at home plate in 2011 that left Buster Posey with several torn ligaments and ended his season (it's still hard to talk about, I know), we knew that a change was coming. It seemed that Scott Cousins slide was a clean one (don't be too angry at me, Giants fans!), but Posey didn't have full possession of the ball and wasn't properly set to block the plate. Under the new rule, supposedly, Posey would need to have iron-clad possession of the baseball in order to block the plate. Would this rule have prevented that collision? Who knows. But it'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference this season and lowers home plate injuries.
I guess my point it is essentially that MLB is trying to protect their players as best as they can. Also, that Hunter Pence is a genius. We should probably all listen to him more.
Also, I'm headed to Scottsdale in a week and a half and will be blogging from down there, so be sure to stay tuned! Can't wait!
Bruce Bochy came out today and declared that his Opening Day starter for 2014 will be southpaw Madison Bumgarner.
This might come as a surprise. With Matt Cain getting the nod last year, many expected Bochy to go with Cain yet again. But when looking at the 2013s that each guy had, it was really a no-brainer to pick Bumgarner. The lefty was 13-9 with a 2.77 ERA in 31 starts with a 1.03 WHIP. His WHIP and ERA were both major league career-lows and were both 5th in the National League. Opponents hit just .203 off of him (3rd in the NL), and he had 199 strikeouts to just 62 walks.
He was also an All-Star for the first time in his young career, and Bumgarner finished 9th in the NL Cy Young voting last season. He really didn't get enough recognition in large part because he pitches in the same division as the reigning Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, also a lefty, also dominant. Kershaw was 16-9 last year with a miniscule 1.83 ERA.
Many people are saying that this could be Bumgarner's year, not only to gain national recognition, but also to win the Cy Young. I love the move by Bochy to put him on that big stage and give him the Opening Day nod. If you've watched the Giants in the postseason over the last few seasons, you're familiar with how well Madison has performed. Perhaps most impressive was the 2010 World Series when, at just 21 years old, he pitched eight shut-out innings against the Texas Rangers in Arlington in Game 4 to give San Francisco a 3-1 series lead. Lest we think he's inconsistent, Bumgarner also threw seven shut-out innings just for fun against the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series. I mean, he has yet to give up a run in a World Series game. Oh yeah, and he's 24. Let's put him in a bigger stage and watch him go. I think it's going to be one of the most fun things to watch on the 2014 Giants, and I'm glad that we only have to wait for the first day of the regular season to see it.
the 'Posey" rule:
In case you missed it, Major League Baseball came out with a new rule regarding home plate collisions this past week, and it almost seemed like they took some advice from our very own Hunter Pence.
Back in January, at Giants media day, Pence said that plays at the plate are difficult to define as dangerous or not because the rule wasn't clearly defined.
"There becomes all these unwritten rules between teams of what can you get mad at or not get mad at. If they do write a rule, then everyone understands what the rule is, and it makes a lot more sense to everyone. Everyone understands what needs to be done."
However, he had solid ideas on how to better clarify what's allowed and what isn't.
"We had a pretty good discussion about things that are possible...if they could make lanes. If the catcher's in front of the plate, the runner could be in danger if he can't go through a catcher that's sticking his leg out, but also, it's almost insane to have a catcher standing in front of home plate like a sitting duck and a base runner just plowing them. Think of in football - they have pads on and they don't let them just hit the guy trying to catch the football...There needs to be a safe spot for the catcher, but also the catcher can make the decision to be in the danger zone, and the runner has to have a zone that he can go through."
When asked for clarification on who he shared these ideas with, Pence said that he's had discussions with someone who was asked for their opinion by MLB.
The actual rule that came out on February 24 (yesterday) generally states that:
1. A runner maybe not run out of a direct line to home plate just to force a collision. If they have a clear path to home without going through the catcher, they have to take it. If the runner goes for the collision rather than the plate, the umpire has the right to call him out, regardless of whether or not the catcher maintains possession of the ball.
2. The catcher may not block the plate unless he has complete possession of the baseball. The runner may be called safe if the catcher attempts to block the plate without possession of the ball.
In other words, it seems like MLB is trying to eliminate collisions just for the sake of collisions. It has been met with mixed reviews from players and coaches around the league but seems to be a step in the right direction. After the horrifying collision at home plate in 2011 that left Buster Posey with several torn ligaments and ended his season (it's still hard to talk about, I know), we knew that a change was coming. It seemed that Scott Cousins slide was a clean one (don't be too angry at me, Giants fans!), but Posey didn't have full possession of the ball and wasn't properly set to block the plate. Under the new rule, supposedly, Posey would need to have iron-clad possession of the baseball in order to block the plate. Would this rule have prevented that collision? Who knows. But it'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference this season and lowers home plate injuries.
I guess my point it is essentially that MLB is trying to protect their players as best as they can. Also, that Hunter Pence is a genius. We should probably all listen to him more.
Also, I'm headed to Scottsdale in a week and a half and will be blogging from down there, so be sure to stay tuned! Can't wait!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
The Panda
I wrote an article a few months ago about Pablo Sandoval and what I think the Giants should maybe do about his contract. Now that we've all seen what he did over the offseason and how good he looks and how much effort he's clearly put into getting into better shape, my thoughts are still the same. So, if you're one of those people who reads everything that I write (bless you), this will be a bit of a repeat. I just wanted to throw it out there again as we get ready to head into Spring Training games.
Sandoval arrived a few days early to Scottsdale, showing off a svelte-r frame - down about 30 pounds according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News. Obviously, this is great news for us Giants fans because it should 1) decrease his chance of injury 2) increase his range in the field, and 3) increase his bat speed. All things that have significantly slowed down over the past few years as he's packed on the pounds. These are indicators that Sandoval is serious about 2014 and is ready to put his best foot forward. But does that mean that the Giants should sign him to a big, long-term contract before the start of the season?
In my opinion, no.
The Panda is a good guy who brings a light-heartedness to the clubhouse and salsas with his teammates in the dugout (Seriously, if you haven't seen Pence and him dancing, youtube it). The reports coming out of Spring Training about Buster Posey, Matt Cain, Hunter Pence, and Marco Scutaro approaching Sandoval at the end of last season and encouraging him to take the game, the team, and his health seriously are great to hear. The chemistry and camaraderie on this Giants team is undeniable and refreshing in pro sports.
That being sad, it's a little disconcerting that it took his teammates urging him to take being in shape seriously for Sandoval to actually put it into action. I'm sure the added motivation of it being a contract year also doesn't hurt. Again, it's great that he's in shape, and he seems ready to be serious about the season, but I'm not sure I like how much it took for him to show up to Spring Training in the type of shape that he needed to be in.
Let's compare him to another guy who's known to be a contract-year player: Juan Uribe.
In 2009, the Giants signed Uribe to a one-year deal. During this contract year, he hit .289 with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs, and an .824 OPS in 122 games. The next year, also a one-year deal, he hit 24 home runs, 85 RBIs, but his average dropped to .248. The Giants and Uribe parted ways after the 2010 season, and he ended up signing with the hated Los Angeles Dodgers to a three-year deal. He hit just .204 in 2011 and .191 in 2012 while netting just six home runs and 45 RBIs over that two-year span while battling various injuries.
However, then came his - you guessed it! - contract year in 2013, and he bounced back in a huge way, hitting .278 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. It seemed to work, as he just signed a two-year deal worth $13 million with the Dodgers. Uribe is a career .253 hitter, so we can see how his average trends up when he's about to become a free agent.
Of course I hope that Sandoval will have a career-year. Contract years motivate most major league players. But if I'm Brian Sabean and the Giants I'm hesitant to re-sign a player who seems to need so much motivation to stay fit and healthy and committed to the game. I'd love to see the Giants sign the Panda to a two- or three-year deal for somewhere from $17-20 million. It's a decent amount of money and the shorter-term contract could help to keep Sandoval on his toes (literally and figuratively).
If I'm being honest, I'm worried that a long-term contract would lessen his drive.
Hopefully, I'm wrong. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Sandoval arrived a few days early to Scottsdale, showing off a svelte-r frame - down about 30 pounds according to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News. Obviously, this is great news for us Giants fans because it should 1) decrease his chance of injury 2) increase his range in the field, and 3) increase his bat speed. All things that have significantly slowed down over the past few years as he's packed on the pounds. These are indicators that Sandoval is serious about 2014 and is ready to put his best foot forward. But does that mean that the Giants should sign him to a big, long-term contract before the start of the season?
In my opinion, no.
The Panda is a good guy who brings a light-heartedness to the clubhouse and salsas with his teammates in the dugout (Seriously, if you haven't seen Pence and him dancing, youtube it). The reports coming out of Spring Training about Buster Posey, Matt Cain, Hunter Pence, and Marco Scutaro approaching Sandoval at the end of last season and encouraging him to take the game, the team, and his health seriously are great to hear. The chemistry and camaraderie on this Giants team is undeniable and refreshing in pro sports.
That being sad, it's a little disconcerting that it took his teammates urging him to take being in shape seriously for Sandoval to actually put it into action. I'm sure the added motivation of it being a contract year also doesn't hurt. Again, it's great that he's in shape, and he seems ready to be serious about the season, but I'm not sure I like how much it took for him to show up to Spring Training in the type of shape that he needed to be in.
Let's compare him to another guy who's known to be a contract-year player: Juan Uribe.
In 2009, the Giants signed Uribe to a one-year deal. During this contract year, he hit .289 with 16 home runs, 55 RBIs, and an .824 OPS in 122 games. The next year, also a one-year deal, he hit 24 home runs, 85 RBIs, but his average dropped to .248. The Giants and Uribe parted ways after the 2010 season, and he ended up signing with the hated Los Angeles Dodgers to a three-year deal. He hit just .204 in 2011 and .191 in 2012 while netting just six home runs and 45 RBIs over that two-year span while battling various injuries.
However, then came his - you guessed it! - contract year in 2013, and he bounced back in a huge way, hitting .278 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. It seemed to work, as he just signed a two-year deal worth $13 million with the Dodgers. Uribe is a career .253 hitter, so we can see how his average trends up when he's about to become a free agent.
Of course I hope that Sandoval will have a career-year. Contract years motivate most major league players. But if I'm Brian Sabean and the Giants I'm hesitant to re-sign a player who seems to need so much motivation to stay fit and healthy and committed to the game. I'd love to see the Giants sign the Panda to a two- or three-year deal for somewhere from $17-20 million. It's a decent amount of money and the shorter-term contract could help to keep Sandoval on his toes (literally and figuratively).
If I'm being honest, I'm worried that a long-term contract would lessen his drive.
Hopefully, I'm wrong. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
One Week
Spring Training 2014 has officially begun, as the Arizona Diamondbacks reported yesterday, February 7. We still have to wait six more days for our beloved Giants pitchers and catchers to report, and I am beyond excited. It's the single greatest Valentines Day present that I could ever ask for. Just a couple quick blurbs before the preseason kicks off.
How many games will Hunter Pence play?
In 2013, Pence played all 162 games in right field, earning him the respect of fans and the Willie Mac Award from his teammates. On the final weekend of the season, he signed a $90 million/5-year contract complete with a no-trade clause, so we'll be watching his awkward movements in right field for a long time. But will he start every regular season game for the second straight year?
General Manager Brian Sabean isn't convinced that it's the best thing for Pence or the team.
"That's Pence's mentality, but I don't know if it's the smartest thing in the world for any player. Everybody needs a break, and more so because of our travel schedule as a West coast team. We lose a lot of free days...that's up to [Bochy], but that'd be my opinion."
It might be up to Bochy, but the Giants manager knows that it won't be easy convincing Pence to rest. But fatigue didn't seem to be too much of a factor for the right fielder last season, as he had career-highs in home runs (27) and stolen bases (22) and crushed 99 RBIs.
"I don't know how much time he'll get off, if any," laughed the skipper. "I'm sure that's gonna be a battle."
Not surprisingly, Pence's biggest concern - perhaps only concern - is what's best for the 2014 Giants as a whole.
"My expectation right now is to go out there and play. Bochy is the manager, and I trust that. Our only goal is to win the World Series, so that's my only focus. It's not 'how many games am I going to play?' That has nothing to do with the team winning the World Series. It's what can we do to be the strongest team on a daily basis."
That guy sure knows how to endear himself to fans and teammates.
The bullpen:
When asked if the bullpen would be the biggest area of competition, Sabean responded:
"Well, I would think so, withstanding health. We expect everybody to be healthy day one to start the season, but we can't predict that."
The Giants will take 11-12 men to San Francisco with them to make up the the pitching staff, including starters. Let's assume everyone is healthy at the end of Spring Training. This is what we can be sure of:
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Matt Cain
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Tim Hudson
5. Ryan Vogelsong
6. Javier Lopez
7. Jeremy Affeldt
8. Sergio Romo
That leaves 3-4 spots up for grabs coming out of Scottsdale. Right-handers George Kontos and Santiago Casilla, if healthy, are very likely to be on the Opening Day roster. So who are some the guys who could possibly take that final spot (or spots)?
Sabean said that he's anxious to see what some of these young guys can do.
"A lot of us are interested in seeing what Law is able to do. He was lights-out in the Fall League...Dunning also. Dunning had some experience last year....And Huff was acquired really similar to Petit, as protection as a long reliever. He's got 54 Major League starts. Granted, he has to make the team. That was the method to the madness -he's a lefty to Petit's righty."
That's a lot of reliever info going on in that statement, so let's take a look at these prospects one by one:
Derek Law: The 24-year-old right hander owns a career 2.57 ERA in three minor league seasons. Last year between San Jose, Augusta, and the Arizona Fall League he gave up just two home runs total in 66.1 innings. He struck out 102, walked only 12, and had a WHIP of 0.95. Law is the biggest long-shot to make the Opening Day roster, but if his Spring Training performance matches his 2013 numbers, he could be very valuable on that AT&T mound.
Jake Dunning: The tall and lanky 26-year-old got some big league experience in 2013 going 0-2, although that record is deceiving. Dunning was mostly used in relief during games in which the Giants were already behind, and he posted a 2.84 ERA, allowing 20 hits in 25.1 innings. He did allow 11 walks while striking out 16, which gave him a WHIP of 1.22. It'll be interesting to see if his time in San Francisco helped him to be ready for 2014.
David Huff: The Giants acquired the 29-year-old lefty from the Yankees for cash considerations at the end of January. He struggled in New York in 2013, posting a 3-1 record but a 5.50 ERA. He gave up 33 hits in 37.2 innings, including seven home runs. He did have 31 Ks over that span, though. He also struggled during his time in AAA last season, although it was an improvement. He went 4-7 with a 3.90 ERA and gave up eight home runs in 22 games. Huff also allowed 97 hits in 92.1 minor-league innings. But, like Sabean said, he can handle a role in long relief, and a left-handed long reliever could be a valuable asset to the team.
Yusmeiro Petit: Petit gave us an amazing story last season when he came one pitch away from throwing a perfect game. The 29-year-old started seven games for San Francisco in 2013 and was impressive, going 4-1 with a 3.56 ERA. In 48 innings, he allowed four home runs and 11 walks and struck out 47. Opponents hit .251 off of him, and his WHIP of 1.19 was seventh-best on the team.
A guy not mentioned by Sabean but who I'm very excited to see in Spring Training is Heath Hembree. The 25-year-old closer was impressive in his 7.2 innings with San Francisco last year, posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out 12 during that span. In his minor league career, Hembree owns a 3.15 ERA over four seasons. He's 87-for-97 on save opportunities and has given up just 11 home runs. Hembree was ranked the Giants #6 prospect at the end of last season, and if any injury befalls Romo or the back end of the bullpen, Hembree could be the closer of the future.
All in all, I am beyond excited to keep a close eye on the bullpen competition (among others) when I head to Spring Training in a month. Thank goodness baseball season is right around the corner!
How many games will Hunter Pence play?
In 2013, Pence played all 162 games in right field, earning him the respect of fans and the Willie Mac Award from his teammates. On the final weekend of the season, he signed a $90 million/5-year contract complete with a no-trade clause, so we'll be watching his awkward movements in right field for a long time. But will he start every regular season game for the second straight year?
General Manager Brian Sabean isn't convinced that it's the best thing for Pence or the team.
"That's Pence's mentality, but I don't know if it's the smartest thing in the world for any player. Everybody needs a break, and more so because of our travel schedule as a West coast team. We lose a lot of free days...that's up to [Bochy], but that'd be my opinion."
It might be up to Bochy, but the Giants manager knows that it won't be easy convincing Pence to rest. But fatigue didn't seem to be too much of a factor for the right fielder last season, as he had career-highs in home runs (27) and stolen bases (22) and crushed 99 RBIs.
"I don't know how much time he'll get off, if any," laughed the skipper. "I'm sure that's gonna be a battle."
Not surprisingly, Pence's biggest concern - perhaps only concern - is what's best for the 2014 Giants as a whole.
"My expectation right now is to go out there and play. Bochy is the manager, and I trust that. Our only goal is to win the World Series, so that's my only focus. It's not 'how many games am I going to play?' That has nothing to do with the team winning the World Series. It's what can we do to be the strongest team on a daily basis."
That guy sure knows how to endear himself to fans and teammates.
The bullpen:
When asked if the bullpen would be the biggest area of competition, Sabean responded:
"Well, I would think so, withstanding health. We expect everybody to be healthy day one to start the season, but we can't predict that."
The Giants will take 11-12 men to San Francisco with them to make up the the pitching staff, including starters. Let's assume everyone is healthy at the end of Spring Training. This is what we can be sure of:
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Matt Cain
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Tim Hudson
5. Ryan Vogelsong
6. Javier Lopez
7. Jeremy Affeldt
8. Sergio Romo
That leaves 3-4 spots up for grabs coming out of Scottsdale. Right-handers George Kontos and Santiago Casilla, if healthy, are very likely to be on the Opening Day roster. So who are some the guys who could possibly take that final spot (or spots)?
Sabean said that he's anxious to see what some of these young guys can do.
"A lot of us are interested in seeing what Law is able to do. He was lights-out in the Fall League...Dunning also. Dunning had some experience last year....And Huff was acquired really similar to Petit, as protection as a long reliever. He's got 54 Major League starts. Granted, he has to make the team. That was the method to the madness -he's a lefty to Petit's righty."
That's a lot of reliever info going on in that statement, so let's take a look at these prospects one by one:
Derek Law: The 24-year-old right hander owns a career 2.57 ERA in three minor league seasons. Last year between San Jose, Augusta, and the Arizona Fall League he gave up just two home runs total in 66.1 innings. He struck out 102, walked only 12, and had a WHIP of 0.95. Law is the biggest long-shot to make the Opening Day roster, but if his Spring Training performance matches his 2013 numbers, he could be very valuable on that AT&T mound.
Jake Dunning: The tall and lanky 26-year-old got some big league experience in 2013 going 0-2, although that record is deceiving. Dunning was mostly used in relief during games in which the Giants were already behind, and he posted a 2.84 ERA, allowing 20 hits in 25.1 innings. He did allow 11 walks while striking out 16, which gave him a WHIP of 1.22. It'll be interesting to see if his time in San Francisco helped him to be ready for 2014.
David Huff: The Giants acquired the 29-year-old lefty from the Yankees for cash considerations at the end of January. He struggled in New York in 2013, posting a 3-1 record but a 5.50 ERA. He gave up 33 hits in 37.2 innings, including seven home runs. He did have 31 Ks over that span, though. He also struggled during his time in AAA last season, although it was an improvement. He went 4-7 with a 3.90 ERA and gave up eight home runs in 22 games. Huff also allowed 97 hits in 92.1 minor-league innings. But, like Sabean said, he can handle a role in long relief, and a left-handed long reliever could be a valuable asset to the team.
Yusmeiro Petit: Petit gave us an amazing story last season when he came one pitch away from throwing a perfect game. The 29-year-old started seven games for San Francisco in 2013 and was impressive, going 4-1 with a 3.56 ERA. In 48 innings, he allowed four home runs and 11 walks and struck out 47. Opponents hit .251 off of him, and his WHIP of 1.19 was seventh-best on the team.
A guy not mentioned by Sabean but who I'm very excited to see in Spring Training is Heath Hembree. The 25-year-old closer was impressive in his 7.2 innings with San Francisco last year, posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out 12 during that span. In his minor league career, Hembree owns a 3.15 ERA over four seasons. He's 87-for-97 on save opportunities and has given up just 11 home runs. Hembree was ranked the Giants #6 prospect at the end of last season, and if any injury befalls Romo or the back end of the bullpen, Hembree could be the closer of the future.
All in all, I am beyond excited to keep a close eye on the bullpen competition (among others) when I head to Spring Training in a month. Thank goodness baseball season is right around the corner!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
What's on Second
It's that sad time of the year again - Giants offseason. We've been so fortunate to be watching them in the postseason two out of the last three years, so that softens the blow a bit for 2013. But it turns out that we'll have some things to watch even though the Giants aren't playing. The offseason moves are going to be crucial if the black-and-orange hope to re-take the NL West crown in 2014.
One of the biggest areas of concern from 2013 was second base. It was a no-brainer to re-sign Marco Scutaro after his contributions in the second half of 2013. The reigning NLCS MVP hit .362 with 44 RBIs after being traded from the Colorado Rockies, including .328 during the playoffs. But the soon-to-be 38 year old struggled in 2014, mostly due to injury. After playing the World Baseball Classic until mid-March, maybe Scutaro was just tired. Back spasms sidelined him at the beginning of the season and returned to bother him in August and September. He also was hit by a pitch on June 11, smashing his left pinkie finger. After only missing a few games initially, the injury refused to go away, and his season ended when he was pulled from a game in New York. Just before the season was officially over, Scutaro had surgery to place a pin in his pinkie to straighten it out. The pin will come out in about six weeks and a specific training regimen will hopefully strengthen his back this offseason.
Despite struggling so much this season, Scutaro finished with a .297 batting average and a trip to the All-Star game. However, his stats were inconsistent. His averages for the season were .240 in April, .420 in May, .289 in June, .303 in July, .229 in August, and .300 in his 40 September at-bats. Hopefully, he'll return healthy and rested and ready for 2014.
But the lack of depth at second proved costly for the Giants this season, and it's something they absolutely have to address this offseason. Nick Noonan could be an option and should be given serious consideration during Spring Training. He hit .333 in April, but finished with a .219 average. His playing time decreased dramatically with only 16 at-bats in the second half, not allowing him time to get comfortable at the plate. Defensively, Noonan committed just one error in San Francisco this season, which is a step up from Scutaro, who's defensive skills are not what they used to be.
Tony Abreu also made a strong case for himself with the September that he had. He hit .268 in the majors this year, including .325 in April and .271 in September. His seven RBIs (in only 16 at-bats) in the final month of the season were the fifth-most on the team. His three errors in 116 chances isn't the best, but he was able to play second, third, and shortstop, providing some flexibility on the bench.
Joaquin Arias also continued to be a solid backup utility infielder. His finished 2013 batting .271 in 225 at-bats. He also played all four infield positions, committing only five errors. He's proved over the last two years that he can play dazzling defense (Cain's perfect game, anyone?) and is probably the best bench player that the Giants have. Both Arias and Abreu are eligible for arbitration, so there's a good chance that at least one of them will return without a high cost to the Giants.
Free agent-wise, left field is more of a priority for San Francisco. There's also not a ton of great second base options out there, but a couple guys are:
1. Kelly Johnson, Tampa Bay. He's struggled in the past few years and will probably be looking for a starting role somewhere, but he'd be a solid guy off the bench for a reasonable price. He'd also bring a little bit of power to a position that normally doesn't provide that much pop.
2. Mike Fontenot, Tampa Bay. The former Giant is a free agent again at the end of this season. He was a solid backup for San Francisco in 2012 hitting .278 in 36 at-bats with a .341 OBP, but struggled in 2013. In 45 at-bats with the Rays, he hit .156 with just a .278 OBP. He also dipped in SLG from .389 in 2012 to .178 in 2013. But, again, he'll come at pretty low price if the Giants are just looking for a quick fix solution to their depth problems.
3. Ramon Santiago, Detroit. The 34-year-old veteran second baseman has spent the last six seasons with the Tigers. In 205 at-bats this year, he finished with .224/.298/.288, which are up from his 2012 numbers of .206/.283/.272. Lifetime, he owns a career .243 average. Because of his age and numbers, Santiago will probably go cheap and be willing to sign as a back-up.
Again, there's not a lot of great back-up options out there, and it's not the biggest area of concern for the Giants, so they may just decide to go with a minor leaguer, Arias, or Abreu. Either way, they'll need to make sure they have a solid guy coming off the bench so that Scutaro can get rest when he needs it without the line-up taking such a big hit.
One of the biggest areas of concern from 2013 was second base. It was a no-brainer to re-sign Marco Scutaro after his contributions in the second half of 2013. The reigning NLCS MVP hit .362 with 44 RBIs after being traded from the Colorado Rockies, including .328 during the playoffs. But the soon-to-be 38 year old struggled in 2014, mostly due to injury. After playing the World Baseball Classic until mid-March, maybe Scutaro was just tired. Back spasms sidelined him at the beginning of the season and returned to bother him in August and September. He also was hit by a pitch on June 11, smashing his left pinkie finger. After only missing a few games initially, the injury refused to go away, and his season ended when he was pulled from a game in New York. Just before the season was officially over, Scutaro had surgery to place a pin in his pinkie to straighten it out. The pin will come out in about six weeks and a specific training regimen will hopefully strengthen his back this offseason.
Despite struggling so much this season, Scutaro finished with a .297 batting average and a trip to the All-Star game. However, his stats were inconsistent. His averages for the season were .240 in April, .420 in May, .289 in June, .303 in July, .229 in August, and .300 in his 40 September at-bats. Hopefully, he'll return healthy and rested and ready for 2014.
But the lack of depth at second proved costly for the Giants this season, and it's something they absolutely have to address this offseason. Nick Noonan could be an option and should be given serious consideration during Spring Training. He hit .333 in April, but finished with a .219 average. His playing time decreased dramatically with only 16 at-bats in the second half, not allowing him time to get comfortable at the plate. Defensively, Noonan committed just one error in San Francisco this season, which is a step up from Scutaro, who's defensive skills are not what they used to be.
Tony Abreu also made a strong case for himself with the September that he had. He hit .268 in the majors this year, including .325 in April and .271 in September. His seven RBIs (in only 16 at-bats) in the final month of the season were the fifth-most on the team. His three errors in 116 chances isn't the best, but he was able to play second, third, and shortstop, providing some flexibility on the bench.
Joaquin Arias also continued to be a solid backup utility infielder. His finished 2013 batting .271 in 225 at-bats. He also played all four infield positions, committing only five errors. He's proved over the last two years that he can play dazzling defense (Cain's perfect game, anyone?) and is probably the best bench player that the Giants have. Both Arias and Abreu are eligible for arbitration, so there's a good chance that at least one of them will return without a high cost to the Giants.
Free agent-wise, left field is more of a priority for San Francisco. There's also not a ton of great second base options out there, but a couple guys are:
1. Kelly Johnson, Tampa Bay. He's struggled in the past few years and will probably be looking for a starting role somewhere, but he'd be a solid guy off the bench for a reasonable price. He'd also bring a little bit of power to a position that normally doesn't provide that much pop.
2. Mike Fontenot, Tampa Bay. The former Giant is a free agent again at the end of this season. He was a solid backup for San Francisco in 2012 hitting .278 in 36 at-bats with a .341 OBP, but struggled in 2013. In 45 at-bats with the Rays, he hit .156 with just a .278 OBP. He also dipped in SLG from .389 in 2012 to .178 in 2013. But, again, he'll come at pretty low price if the Giants are just looking for a quick fix solution to their depth problems.
3. Ramon Santiago, Detroit. The 34-year-old veteran second baseman has spent the last six seasons with the Tigers. In 205 at-bats this year, he finished with .224/.298/.288, which are up from his 2012 numbers of .206/.283/.272. Lifetime, he owns a career .243 average. Because of his age and numbers, Santiago will probably go cheap and be willing to sign as a back-up.
Again, there's not a lot of great back-up options out there, and it's not the biggest area of concern for the Giants, so they may just decide to go with a minor leaguer, Arias, or Abreu. Either way, they'll need to make sure they have a solid guy coming off the bench so that Scutaro can get rest when he needs it without the line-up taking such a big hit.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Moving Day
Right now, the Giants are in 3rd place in the National League West, one game behind the Colorado Rockies and 3.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks. It's only June 8, not yet time to panic. But like Saturday is "moving day" for players in the PGA tour - the day to either make a move to the top or drop out of contention - June could prove to be "moving month" for the Giants. They can either take over 1st place in the division or fall farther behind. After going 14-13 in May, they're 2-4 so far this month, are currently playing the Diamondbacks, and have 20 games left before July rolls around. Oh yeah, and they play 18 of their 27 games on the road.
In order to really make a move, the Giants will need to start getting back to basics. They won their two World Championships in three years on teams built on pitching and defense. It's not secret that the starting pitching has struggled so far this season, amassing an ERA of 4.77 and a record of 19-21. However, they've seemed to gather some positive momentum lately, recording quality starts in three of their last four games. Last Sunday, Chad Gaudin went six innings, giving up two runs and giving the Giants their first win of the month. Tim Lincecum followed that performance with his own gem, tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Blue Jays. And last night, despite the loss, Matt Cain threw seven-plus innings, allowing one run.
(And currently, Madison Bumgarner is through four shut-out innings in Arizona. So, there's that.)
Assuming the starting pitching is returning to it's old ways, the next big area of concern is the defense. The Giants have committed 40 errors so far this season. They finished 2012 fourth in baseball with 115 errors. However, if their starting pitchers are allowing more base-runners through the hit or the walk, the defense has got to buckle down and play tighter behind them. While in the field, this team needs to get to doing the little things to eliminate base-runners.
(As I was writing that, Gregor Blanco made a great throw to Joaquin Arias, who made a great tag to get Cody Ross out at third base. They also haven't made an error in their last seven games. So, there's that, too.)
And lastly, if the Giants hope to survive this tough month, their offense has got to come alive. So far this month, they've scored just eight runs in six games. They've been outscored 25-8 during that stretch and have a team batting average of just .216. They've hit just one homerun (a 2-run shot by Andres Torres to give them the win over Toronto on Tuesday) and have worked only six walks while striking out 38 times. Not pretty. They need their big guys - Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt - to start finding their swings. Now that Belt is getting consistent playing time, his .242 average should be significantly higher. He looks brilliant at times, and is tied for second on the team with 19 walks, but he needs to be much more consistent. Belt does have two RBIs this month, while Pence has one, but neither Posey nor Sandoval have any. Sandoval has been battling a foot injury and isn't running well, but now is the time for these bats to get going and start driving in runs. Without them, this offense will continue to struggle.
(And now, tonight, the Giants have scored ten runs so far in this game. Posey is 2-for-3 with a homerun and three RBIs, Pence is 1-for-3 with his team-leading 10th HR, Sandoval went 1-for-2 before leaving the game with a foot injury, and Belt has gone 3-for-5. He's raised his average almost ten points to .251. Also, Brandon Crawford is 4-for-5. Unbelievable.)
Bumgarner eventually ended up going five innings and giving up three runs (although, Torres should've made a catch to prevent at least one of those...). Not a quality start, but a solid start none-the-less, and it was enough to give him the win.
Tonight was a game that showed what the Giants are capable of if they do the things that they should be doing. The starting pitching was solid, the defense was (near) perfect, and the offense poured on the runs using their 3-4-5-6 hitters. If they can play this type of baseball, especially for the next month, first place should be easily attained.
In order to really make a move, the Giants will need to start getting back to basics. They won their two World Championships in three years on teams built on pitching and defense. It's not secret that the starting pitching has struggled so far this season, amassing an ERA of 4.77 and a record of 19-21. However, they've seemed to gather some positive momentum lately, recording quality starts in three of their last four games. Last Sunday, Chad Gaudin went six innings, giving up two runs and giving the Giants their first win of the month. Tim Lincecum followed that performance with his own gem, tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Blue Jays. And last night, despite the loss, Matt Cain threw seven-plus innings, allowing one run.
(And currently, Madison Bumgarner is through four shut-out innings in Arizona. So, there's that.)
Assuming the starting pitching is returning to it's old ways, the next big area of concern is the defense. The Giants have committed 40 errors so far this season. They finished 2012 fourth in baseball with 115 errors. However, if their starting pitchers are allowing more base-runners through the hit or the walk, the defense has got to buckle down and play tighter behind them. While in the field, this team needs to get to doing the little things to eliminate base-runners.
(As I was writing that, Gregor Blanco made a great throw to Joaquin Arias, who made a great tag to get Cody Ross out at third base. They also haven't made an error in their last seven games. So, there's that, too.)
And lastly, if the Giants hope to survive this tough month, their offense has got to come alive. So far this month, they've scored just eight runs in six games. They've been outscored 25-8 during that stretch and have a team batting average of just .216. They've hit just one homerun (a 2-run shot by Andres Torres to give them the win over Toronto on Tuesday) and have worked only six walks while striking out 38 times. Not pretty. They need their big guys - Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt - to start finding their swings. Now that Belt is getting consistent playing time, his .242 average should be significantly higher. He looks brilliant at times, and is tied for second on the team with 19 walks, but he needs to be much more consistent. Belt does have two RBIs this month, while Pence has one, but neither Posey nor Sandoval have any. Sandoval has been battling a foot injury and isn't running well, but now is the time for these bats to get going and start driving in runs. Without them, this offense will continue to struggle.
(And now, tonight, the Giants have scored ten runs so far in this game. Posey is 2-for-3 with a homerun and three RBIs, Pence is 1-for-3 with his team-leading 10th HR, Sandoval went 1-for-2 before leaving the game with a foot injury, and Belt has gone 3-for-5. He's raised his average almost ten points to .251. Also, Brandon Crawford is 4-for-5. Unbelievable.)
Bumgarner eventually ended up going five innings and giving up three runs (although, Torres should've made a catch to prevent at least one of those...). Not a quality start, but a solid start none-the-less, and it was enough to give him the win.
Tonight was a game that showed what the Giants are capable of if they do the things that they should be doing. The starting pitching was solid, the defense was (near) perfect, and the offense poured on the runs using their 3-4-5-6 hitters. If they can play this type of baseball, especially for the next month, first place should be easily attained.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Vogey Vogey Vogey
Ah, the mystery of the Vogey.
He's currently nine games into the worst season of his career. Coming into tonight's game, he's 1-4 with an astounding 8.06 ERA. His worst year before this (as a starter) was in 2004 with Pittsburgh where he went 6-13 with a 6.50 ERA.
In his one win this season, he still gave up four runs in six innings. He hasn't had a single shutout all year, compared to five games without allowing an earned run last year (although, he didn't have his first shutout game until May 19 last season, so maybe tonight, May 20, will give him his first of this season).
So, what's going on for a guy who's had a solid last two years with the Giants with a 27-16 record and a 3.05 ERA in the regular season, and who went 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in last year's postseason run?
Well, it's not his age. At 35, his 8.06 ERA is well above-average for 35-year-old pitchers, which is 4.17.
It's not his walks per nine innings, which is only slightly above average (Vogelsong's is 3.70, the MLB average is 3.11).
He's still striking out an average of 8.27 per nine innings pitched, which is the highest it's been since 2000, where he averaged 9 Ks/nine innings.
The biggest difference in Voegy's 2013 vs. Vogey's 2012 or 2011 numbers (or other pitchers in the game this year) is the homerun. Vogelsong's HR/9 innings is a whooping 2.40, more than double the MLB average of 1.04. In 2011, he gave up 15 homeruns all season, and he allowed just 17 in all of 2012. So far this season, he's given up 11 long balls, and we're only nine starts into the year. He's on pace to give up 40 homers this season. Obviously, that cannot continue if he hopes to help the Giants win.
The problem doesn't seem to be his velocity. It's actually up on his off-speed pitches. His curveball last year averaged 76.3 and so far this season has averaged 76.6. However, opponents are hitting .381 off of the curve (they hit just .210 last year). His change-up is also up to 83.6 from 83.1 in 2012, but once again, it's getting hit a lot more, with batters hitting an astounding .433 this season, double what they hit last year (.216).
His fastball is down slightly to 89.9 from 90.7, but he has hit 92.5 on the radar gun this year, so he's still throwing in the same range. And considering he's had less starts so far on the season, it's definitely possible that by the time mid-season rolls around, he'll be throwing as fast as he did last season. And because he had a short spring training this season since he was pitching in the World Baseball Classic, he didn't have as much time to get up to speed (pun very much intended).
As I was writing this, Vogelsong was busy pitching five shutout innings - his first shutout start of the year. He allowed three hits and one walk, while striking out two. He lowered his season ERA to 7.19, almost a full point lower than what is was coming into tonight's game. Hopefully, these are good signs of a Vogelsong turn-around.
(The Giants just announced that Vogelsong fractured his pitching hand during an at-bat earlier in the game and will be out at least 6 weeks. Prayers and good thoughts for a speedy recovery for the poor guy, who seemed to finally be finding his groove on the mound.)
P.S. - Brandon Belt went 4-for-5 tonight with a HR and four runs. He now has six homers on the year, tied for second-most on the team (Buster Posey also has 6, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval each have 7). He's also tied with Brandon Crawford with 22 RBIs, fourth on the Giants. He's batting .302 in May with 4 HR and a .521 SLG %, after a dismal start to the season (.235 AVG, 2 HR, .353 SLG in April). Just sayin'.
He's currently nine games into the worst season of his career. Coming into tonight's game, he's 1-4 with an astounding 8.06 ERA. His worst year before this (as a starter) was in 2004 with Pittsburgh where he went 6-13 with a 6.50 ERA.
In his one win this season, he still gave up four runs in six innings. He hasn't had a single shutout all year, compared to five games without allowing an earned run last year (although, he didn't have his first shutout game until May 19 last season, so maybe tonight, May 20, will give him his first of this season).
So, what's going on for a guy who's had a solid last two years with the Giants with a 27-16 record and a 3.05 ERA in the regular season, and who went 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA in last year's postseason run?
Well, it's not his age. At 35, his 8.06 ERA is well above-average for 35-year-old pitchers, which is 4.17.
It's not his walks per nine innings, which is only slightly above average (Vogelsong's is 3.70, the MLB average is 3.11).
He's still striking out an average of 8.27 per nine innings pitched, which is the highest it's been since 2000, where he averaged 9 Ks/nine innings.
The biggest difference in Voegy's 2013 vs. Vogey's 2012 or 2011 numbers (or other pitchers in the game this year) is the homerun. Vogelsong's HR/9 innings is a whooping 2.40, more than double the MLB average of 1.04. In 2011, he gave up 15 homeruns all season, and he allowed just 17 in all of 2012. So far this season, he's given up 11 long balls, and we're only nine starts into the year. He's on pace to give up 40 homers this season. Obviously, that cannot continue if he hopes to help the Giants win.
The problem doesn't seem to be his velocity. It's actually up on his off-speed pitches. His curveball last year averaged 76.3 and so far this season has averaged 76.6. However, opponents are hitting .381 off of the curve (they hit just .210 last year). His change-up is also up to 83.6 from 83.1 in 2012, but once again, it's getting hit a lot more, with batters hitting an astounding .433 this season, double what they hit last year (.216).
His fastball is down slightly to 89.9 from 90.7, but he has hit 92.5 on the radar gun this year, so he's still throwing in the same range. And considering he's had less starts so far on the season, it's definitely possible that by the time mid-season rolls around, he'll be throwing as fast as he did last season. And because he had a short spring training this season since he was pitching in the World Baseball Classic, he didn't have as much time to get up to speed (pun very much intended).
As I was writing this, Vogelsong was busy pitching five shutout innings - his first shutout start of the year. He allowed three hits and one walk, while striking out two. He lowered his season ERA to 7.19, almost a full point lower than what is was coming into tonight's game. Hopefully, these are good signs of a Vogelsong turn-around.
(The Giants just announced that Vogelsong fractured his pitching hand during an at-bat earlier in the game and will be out at least 6 weeks. Prayers and good thoughts for a speedy recovery for the poor guy, who seemed to finally be finding his groove on the mound.)
P.S. - Brandon Belt went 4-for-5 tonight with a HR and four runs. He now has six homers on the year, tied for second-most on the team (Buster Posey also has 6, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval each have 7). He's also tied with Brandon Crawford with 22 RBIs, fourth on the Giants. He's batting .302 in May with 4 HR and a .521 SLG %, after a dismal start to the season (.235 AVG, 2 HR, .353 SLG in April). Just sayin'.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Week 1
We're now a full week into the 2013 Giants season. While it's difficult to be too concerned/too elated with anything this early in the season, there are some things of note to take away from the last seven games:
1. Hitting with Runners In Scoring Position.
Coming into tonight's game, the Giants were just 5-30 with RISP (.167 avg.). They scored a total of 15 runs in their first six games of the season, while grounding into a Major League-leading nine double plays. For those of you keeping score at home, that's averaging just 2.5 runs per game. Not great. The Giants overall team-average coming into tonight's game was .224, good enough for 23rd in the league. And while San Francisco hasn't been known for it's hitting abilities in the last few years, this same starting line-up (Pagan, Scutaro, Sandoval, Posey, Pence, Belt, Blanco, Crawford) was a decently hitting team in 2012. Last year they hit .269 as a team, which was good enough for 5th in baseball. If this team wants to win those close ballgames that they're known for, they've got to get back to playing the small-ball that won them a championship last year - and that includes the big hit with runners in scoring position.
(As I was writing that, Hunter Pence crushed his 3rd homerun of the season deep - and I mean deep - into the left-field bleachers. Oh, and Scutaro and Sandoval were on-base. So, what do I know?)
2. Speaking of ol' crazy eyes, something to be excited about so far this season is the Reverend himself, Hunter Pence.
After a tough 2012 with San Francisco (.219 avg, .287 OBP, 7 HRs in 59 games), Pence had a solid Spring Training (.333 avg., .392 OBP, 3 HRs in 25 games). And he looks to have carried that momentum with him into the regular season. After his 3-run homerun tonight, Pence is batting .304 on the season with three HRs (leading the team) and five RBIs (tied with Sandoval for the team lead). And despite his slump in the rest of his numbers last season, Pence still managed to have 45 RBIs in 59 games with the Giants - and 13 this spring. Hunter will be an RBI machine for the Giants this season, even if he doesn't hit 30-35 homeruns (which I'm pretty sure that he will).
3. Something else to be positive about is the defense...at least so far. In the first week of this new season, the Giants have committed only three errors (Posey, Pagan, Sandoval). In the first week of the 2012 season, they committed 108. (ok, maybe they really only had ten, including three in the first game - but still, didn't it feel like 108? at least?). Despite having one of the team's errors so far this season, Sandoval has played an incredible 3rd base. The Kung Fu Panda is definitely living up to his nickname of a large-but-agile man down the line, consistently making diving stops and strong throws. Joaquin Arias has shown that he's incredibly versatile (and therefore, valuable) as a back-up infielder while filling in for Brandon Belt at 1B. And lastly, my boy Crawford is holding it down at shortstop, (seemingly) grabbing everything that comes his way.
(Again, as I was typing that, Andres Torres made an error in left field allowing Michael Cuddyer to score for the Rockies. Seriously, what do I know?)
4. That brings us to probably the biggest concern/thing we really shouldn't worry about yet but we are anyway: Buster Posey.
The reigning National League MVP is off to a slow start this season. At this moment, he's batting .174. He's tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with six (Pence, Crawford). He's got no homeruns, no walks, and no RBIs. However, he also started out slowly in spring training, only to finish the spring hitting .294 (although, still without any HRs). And before we all freak out, in 2012 Posey also got off to a slower start, hitting .289 with ten HRs before the All-Star game and a blistering .385 post-All-Star game to go to become the National League batting champion. Plus, in case we all forgot, the Giants had kind of a short off-season this past year. Posey is a pure, natural athlete and a great hitter. He'll get there.
(Ok, SERIOUSLY, Posey just got his first RBI of the season, a solidly hit single to right field scoring Angel Pagan. Maybe I do know some stuff.)
More tomorrow.
1. Hitting with Runners In Scoring Position.
Coming into tonight's game, the Giants were just 5-30 with RISP (.167 avg.). They scored a total of 15 runs in their first six games of the season, while grounding into a Major League-leading nine double plays. For those of you keeping score at home, that's averaging just 2.5 runs per game. Not great. The Giants overall team-average coming into tonight's game was .224, good enough for 23rd in the league. And while San Francisco hasn't been known for it's hitting abilities in the last few years, this same starting line-up (Pagan, Scutaro, Sandoval, Posey, Pence, Belt, Blanco, Crawford) was a decently hitting team in 2012. Last year they hit .269 as a team, which was good enough for 5th in baseball. If this team wants to win those close ballgames that they're known for, they've got to get back to playing the small-ball that won them a championship last year - and that includes the big hit with runners in scoring position.
(As I was writing that, Hunter Pence crushed his 3rd homerun of the season deep - and I mean deep - into the left-field bleachers. Oh, and Scutaro and Sandoval were on-base. So, what do I know?)
2. Speaking of ol' crazy eyes, something to be excited about so far this season is the Reverend himself, Hunter Pence.
After a tough 2012 with San Francisco (.219 avg, .287 OBP, 7 HRs in 59 games), Pence had a solid Spring Training (.333 avg., .392 OBP, 3 HRs in 25 games). And he looks to have carried that momentum with him into the regular season. After his 3-run homerun tonight, Pence is batting .304 on the season with three HRs (leading the team) and five RBIs (tied with Sandoval for the team lead). And despite his slump in the rest of his numbers last season, Pence still managed to have 45 RBIs in 59 games with the Giants - and 13 this spring. Hunter will be an RBI machine for the Giants this season, even if he doesn't hit 30-35 homeruns (which I'm pretty sure that he will).
3. Something else to be positive about is the defense...at least so far. In the first week of this new season, the Giants have committed only three errors (Posey, Pagan, Sandoval). In the first week of the 2012 season, they committed 108. (ok, maybe they really only had ten, including three in the first game - but still, didn't it feel like 108? at least?). Despite having one of the team's errors so far this season, Sandoval has played an incredible 3rd base. The Kung Fu Panda is definitely living up to his nickname of a large-but-agile man down the line, consistently making diving stops and strong throws. Joaquin Arias has shown that he's incredibly versatile (and therefore, valuable) as a back-up infielder while filling in for Brandon Belt at 1B. And lastly, my boy Crawford is holding it down at shortstop, (seemingly) grabbing everything that comes his way.
(Again, as I was typing that, Andres Torres made an error in left field allowing Michael Cuddyer to score for the Rockies. Seriously, what do I know?)
4. That brings us to probably the biggest concern/thing we really shouldn't worry about yet but we are anyway: Buster Posey.
The reigning National League MVP is off to a slow start this season. At this moment, he's batting .174. He's tied for the team-lead in strikeouts with six (Pence, Crawford). He's got no homeruns, no walks, and no RBIs. However, he also started out slowly in spring training, only to finish the spring hitting .294 (although, still without any HRs). And before we all freak out, in 2012 Posey also got off to a slower start, hitting .289 with ten HRs before the All-Star game and a blistering .385 post-All-Star game to go to become the National League batting champion. Plus, in case we all forgot, the Giants had kind of a short off-season this past year. Posey is a pure, natural athlete and a great hitter. He'll get there.
(Ok, SERIOUSLY, Posey just got his first RBI of the season, a solidly hit single to right field scoring Angel Pagan. Maybe I do know some stuff.)
More tomorrow.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Infield Update
Yes, another one.
The Giants made a huge cut this past week that brought them a step closer to the finalized 25-man roster.
Nick Noonan, sadly, was assigned to AAA Fresno. It's good for him, because he'll get a lot of at-bats and lots of playing time. As disappointed as I was, it's the best thing for him. He's only 23, so he's got time to perfect his swing and see lots of pitches. Despite his fantastic defense at multiple positions during the spring, he hit only .194 (although he went six for his last 19). I guess it's safe to say that his chance of making the Opening Day roster (barring some major injury to Pablo Sandoval) has been reduced to 0%. Although, if Sandoval goes down during the regular season, Noonan has a good chance of being called up as a back-up utility infielder. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for this one.
Brock Bond was reassigned to Minor League camp, where he awaits his assignment for the regular season. We only know for sure that it won't be in San Francisco. The 27-year-old had a great offensive spring but struggled a bit defensively (and as if he's trying to confirm his own talent at the plate, as I'm typing this, he hit a run-scoring triple to tie the current game in the 9th). He'll probably start the season in Fresno but could end up in Single A San Jose. Wherever he ends up, this is a big season for Bond. This will be his seventh year in the Giants minor league system, so if he's going to make a statement for himself, he'd better do it quick. But if he can improve his arm strength, or continues to hit like he did in the spring, he also has a shot at joining the Giants should an infielder need a break.
Brett Pill is also officially out of the running to make the 25-man roster. Pill had knee surgery this past week on his right meniscus. He's been spending some time playing left field and had a decent shot to begin the season with the Giants. Now, however, he's expected to begin the season on the disabled list. He's only expected to spend three to six weeks there, and then he'll most likely start in Fresno. Should Brandon Belt, Andres Torres, or Gregor Blanco get injured, Pill would probably be the Giants first choice to join the team in San Francisco.
Kensuke Tanaka still has an outside shot to claim the 6th infield spot, but it's looking more and more unlikely as the preseason goes on. He made a questionable, off-line throw to home plate today, during an inning where the Reds scored four runs. He was also 0-for-2, bringing his spring average to .220.
That leaves the likely candidate for taking over the sixth infield spot Wilson Valdez. The 34-year-old is currently hitting .231 with one double, two RBIs, and a .333 OBP. He's listed as a shortstop, but he's played six games at third base, six games at short, and two games at second, while committing zero errors. Valdez has played for five Major League teams since 2006: the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and, last year, the Cincinnatti Reds. He owns a .236 career batting average, with 107 RBIs in 439 games. He may not be the most promising future infielder for the Giants, but with the injury to Pill, Tanaka's sloppy play, and Tony Abreu's lack of play, Valdez could provide a need for a back-up infielder who can play a variety of positions.
The Giants made a huge cut this past week that brought them a step closer to the finalized 25-man roster.
Nick Noonan, sadly, was assigned to AAA Fresno. It's good for him, because he'll get a lot of at-bats and lots of playing time. As disappointed as I was, it's the best thing for him. He's only 23, so he's got time to perfect his swing and see lots of pitches. Despite his fantastic defense at multiple positions during the spring, he hit only .194 (although he went six for his last 19). I guess it's safe to say that his chance of making the Opening Day roster (barring some major injury to Pablo Sandoval) has been reduced to 0%. Although, if Sandoval goes down during the regular season, Noonan has a good chance of being called up as a back-up utility infielder. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for this one.
Brock Bond was reassigned to Minor League camp, where he awaits his assignment for the regular season. We only know for sure that it won't be in San Francisco. The 27-year-old had a great offensive spring but struggled a bit defensively (and as if he's trying to confirm his own talent at the plate, as I'm typing this, he hit a run-scoring triple to tie the current game in the 9th). He'll probably start the season in Fresno but could end up in Single A San Jose. Wherever he ends up, this is a big season for Bond. This will be his seventh year in the Giants minor league system, so if he's going to make a statement for himself, he'd better do it quick. But if he can improve his arm strength, or continues to hit like he did in the spring, he also has a shot at joining the Giants should an infielder need a break.
Brett Pill is also officially out of the running to make the 25-man roster. Pill had knee surgery this past week on his right meniscus. He's been spending some time playing left field and had a decent shot to begin the season with the Giants. Now, however, he's expected to begin the season on the disabled list. He's only expected to spend three to six weeks there, and then he'll most likely start in Fresno. Should Brandon Belt, Andres Torres, or Gregor Blanco get injured, Pill would probably be the Giants first choice to join the team in San Francisco.
Kensuke Tanaka still has an outside shot to claim the 6th infield spot, but it's looking more and more unlikely as the preseason goes on. He made a questionable, off-line throw to home plate today, during an inning where the Reds scored four runs. He was also 0-for-2, bringing his spring average to .220.
That leaves the likely candidate for taking over the sixth infield spot Wilson Valdez. The 34-year-old is currently hitting .231 with one double, two RBIs, and a .333 OBP. He's listed as a shortstop, but he's played six games at third base, six games at short, and two games at second, while committing zero errors. Valdez has played for five Major League teams since 2006: the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and, last year, the Cincinnatti Reds. He owns a .236 career batting average, with 107 RBIs in 439 games. He may not be the most promising future infielder for the Giants, but with the injury to Pill, Tanaka's sloppy play, and Tony Abreu's lack of play, Valdez could provide a need for a back-up infielder who can play a variety of positions.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tanaka and Bond
I told you we'd come back to these two utility infielders. They're both currently listed as non-roster invitees, so they're unlikely to make the Opening Day roster (although, I wouldn't rule out Kensuke Tanaka completely). They are, however, likely to start the season in the AAA Fresno and join San Francisco at some point during the season if anyone is injured.
1. Kensuke Tanaka. The 31-year-old second basmen, who was invited to the Giants spring training this year after 13 years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan has definitely struggled so far. In 16 games, he's hitting just .231 with an OBP of .286. He has no homeruns, one double, just one RBI. He also has only three walks and five strikeouts. The best thing that Tanaka has going for him so far is that he has played every infield position for the Giants, beside 1B. The bad part of Tanaka is the caliber of the defense. He's committed seven errors at the various positions (three at SS, three at 2B, and one at 3B). And today he bounced a throw to 1B from shortstop, showing that his arm is a little weak from the left side of the infield. For a team that focuses so much on pitching and defense, having a late-inning replacement that provides questionable defense doesn't make much sense. He did win three Gold Gloves in Japan and is trying to transition from playing on mostly turf (in Japan) to dirt and grass (in US), which could provide a reasoning for why he's struggled so much this spring. Even after a tough day today, Bochy reiterated the team's support for Tanaka.
"We've thrown alot at him. We thought, with as much as we're moving him around, that we'd probably see some errors that would come with the chance in position."
Even so, seven errors in 16 games is frightening for a team that's built on pitching, defense, and playing small ball. A back-up utility infielder that doesn't have great range doesn't make much sense, so unless his defense rapidly improves, look for Tanaka to begun the season in Fresno.
(although, he is the player who Sabean brought to camp, so even if he continues to struggle, he's Sabean's guy, so he's still got a 50/50 shot at making the 25-man roster)
2. Brock Bond. Maybe I just really like Bond because of his whole "being accidentally picked by the Giants in the draft" thing, but I'm rooting for him to make an appearance in the Big Leagues this season. He does have some impressive numbers to back up my admiration. He's batting .412 in 17 at-bats this spring with two HRs and four RBIs. He also has an impressive .412 OBP. He's only got one double, which isn't proof of much speed, but I did get to see him attempt to beat out an infield single this past weekend. In my humble opinion, he beat it out, and his hustle was admirable. So far defensively, he's shown an apitude for perfection, committing zero errors in 34 chances. The biggest concern about the 28-year-old is the same as Tanaka - the strength of his arm. He's played mostly 2B, with only one game at 3B, so we're not exactly sure of how strong his arm is from the left side of the infield, but he's had a couple of weak throws from just second, which doesn't bode well for third. But the Giants roving Minor League hitter instructor Steve Decker believes that Bond has an indefinable quality that could help his case.
"The one word that comes up with Brock is 'gamer.' He's not a guy who wows the scouts by running 4.1 down the line or with extra power or a plus arm. He's just a guy who basically does everything in his will to beat the other team. Those are the guys you root for."
Both Tanaka and Bond have been praised for their great attitudes and their willingness to play wherever they're need.
Decker is right. Those are the guys you root for. And I hope I get the chance to root for them in a San Francisco uniform this season.
1. Kensuke Tanaka. The 31-year-old second basmen, who was invited to the Giants spring training this year after 13 years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan has definitely struggled so far. In 16 games, he's hitting just .231 with an OBP of .286. He has no homeruns, one double, just one RBI. He also has only three walks and five strikeouts. The best thing that Tanaka has going for him so far is that he has played every infield position for the Giants, beside 1B. The bad part of Tanaka is the caliber of the defense. He's committed seven errors at the various positions (three at SS, three at 2B, and one at 3B). And today he bounced a throw to 1B from shortstop, showing that his arm is a little weak from the left side of the infield. For a team that focuses so much on pitching and defense, having a late-inning replacement that provides questionable defense doesn't make much sense. He did win three Gold Gloves in Japan and is trying to transition from playing on mostly turf (in Japan) to dirt and grass (in US), which could provide a reasoning for why he's struggled so much this spring. Even after a tough day today, Bochy reiterated the team's support for Tanaka.
"We've thrown alot at him. We thought, with as much as we're moving him around, that we'd probably see some errors that would come with the chance in position."
Even so, seven errors in 16 games is frightening for a team that's built on pitching, defense, and playing small ball. A back-up utility infielder that doesn't have great range doesn't make much sense, so unless his defense rapidly improves, look for Tanaka to begun the season in Fresno.
(although, he is the player who Sabean brought to camp, so even if he continues to struggle, he's Sabean's guy, so he's still got a 50/50 shot at making the 25-man roster)
2. Brock Bond. Maybe I just really like Bond because of his whole "being accidentally picked by the Giants in the draft" thing, but I'm rooting for him to make an appearance in the Big Leagues this season. He does have some impressive numbers to back up my admiration. He's batting .412 in 17 at-bats this spring with two HRs and four RBIs. He also has an impressive .412 OBP. He's only got one double, which isn't proof of much speed, but I did get to see him attempt to beat out an infield single this past weekend. In my humble opinion, he beat it out, and his hustle was admirable. So far defensively, he's shown an apitude for perfection, committing zero errors in 34 chances. The biggest concern about the 28-year-old is the same as Tanaka - the strength of his arm. He's played mostly 2B, with only one game at 3B, so we're not exactly sure of how strong his arm is from the left side of the infield, but he's had a couple of weak throws from just second, which doesn't bode well for third. But the Giants roving Minor League hitter instructor Steve Decker believes that Bond has an indefinable quality that could help his case.
"The one word that comes up with Brock is 'gamer.' He's not a guy who wows the scouts by running 4.1 down the line or with extra power or a plus arm. He's just a guy who basically does everything in his will to beat the other team. Those are the guys you root for."
Both Tanaka and Bond have been praised for their great attitudes and their willingness to play wherever they're need.
Decker is right. Those are the guys you root for. And I hope I get the chance to root for them in a San Francisco uniform this season.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Race for the infield
Even though there are still a couple weeks left of Spring Training, you can be that Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean have already started to think about who they will bring with them to San Francisco as a member of the 25-man roster.
So far the biggest area of competition is the infield, and it just continues to heat up as March continues on.
The Giants currently have nine infielders listed on their active roster, and that will dwindle down to either six or seven (depending on whether or not the Giants take 11 or 12 pitchers to Opening Day). We know five of the players that'll be on the 25-man roster:
1. Brandon Belt
2. Marco Scutaro
3. Brandon Crawford
4. Pablo Sandoval
5. Joaquin Arias
The big question is: who would get that final spot? (or possibly the final two spots)
The four remaining guys on the current roster are Ehire Adrianza, Brett Pill, Tony Abreu, and Nick Noonan. Let's break each one down with the odds of them starting the season in the big leagues, shall we?
1. Ehire Adrianza. He's played in just six games this spring, had only eight at-bats, and, oh yeah, no hits so far. He also doesn't have any walks. On the bright side, he only has one strikeout....ok, yes, I'm reaching. Just trying to give the guy a break. He's listed as a shortstop and has played only SS this spring, not showing much range. But he is error-free in five chances, so that's something. All in all, I'd say the odds of him making the Opening Day roster are....well, you know, slim (don't make me say an exact number).
2. Brett Pill. Pill is no stranger to the 25-man roster, as he began the 2012 season there. In 105 at-bats, he hit .210 with two homeruns and 11 RBIs. His OBP was a mere .265. He played most of his games at 1B, but started a few games in the outfield and played once at 3B, so he brings a bit of flexibilty to the bench. So far this spring, though, he's only played 1B and has been designated hitter. Offensively, he's batting .273 with two homeruns and seven RBIs. He hasn't made any errors in 35 chances, so he'd be a solid back-up for Brandon Belt. I'd say he's got a 65-70% chance of making the Opening Day roster. The Giants don't really have anyone to back up Belt (besides Posey) so they'd most likely take a back-up infielder who could play at 1B.
3. Tony Abreu. Unlike Pill and Adrianza, Abreu didn't come up through the Giants farm system. The Giants picked him up off of waivers from the Kansas City Royals in early February. The issue with Abreu is that he's only played in one game so far this spring due to a strained quad. He finally made his spring training debut with the Giants yesterday against the Texas Rangers. He went 1-2 and committed no errors playing at 2B. Last season in 105 games for the Royals AAA team, he hit .322 with nine HRs, 36 doubles, and 73 RBIs. During 22 games in the majors in 2012, he hit .257 with one HR and 15 RBIs. Only time will tell what Abreu's fate will be on April 1st. If he can prove that his injury is behind him, even if his batting average is mediocre, I believe he'll make the 25-man roster. Just the fact that he was claimed off of waivers gives him a leg up over the minor leaguers. If he's healthy, I'd say he's got a 100% chance (yes, that bold) to make the 25-man roster.
4. Nick Noonan. Yes, maybe I saved my favorite for last. Like I've said before (and I'm sure you're sick of hearing), I was most impressed by Noonan this past weekend. The shortstop looked pretty fantastic playing a mean third base, showing that he just might be a solid utility infielder. Offensively, however, he is struggling this preseason. He's batting just .138, after going 0-1 tonight with a rather unattractive at-bat. He did come in to relieve Crawford at short, showing that he can play a flawless defensive shortstop (you know, in at least one game). He's also shown some speed that the others on this list haven't shown, hustling out a couple triples this past weekend. He's starting to look comfortable at the plate (and he's already looking comfy in the field). I'd say that, if Abreu is injured, his odds of making the Opening Day squad is 90%. If Abreu is healthy, I'd put Noonan at a 70%. I think his potential is that apparent (and by me saying this, his actual probability probably just dropped to 6.7%. However, I'm sticking with it).
A couple guys are playing this spring as non-roster invitees and are looking to make a case for themselves. Brock Bond and Kensuke Tanaka are unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, but look for them to make an apperance during the regular season.
More on them later.
So far the biggest area of competition is the infield, and it just continues to heat up as March continues on.
The Giants currently have nine infielders listed on their active roster, and that will dwindle down to either six or seven (depending on whether or not the Giants take 11 or 12 pitchers to Opening Day). We know five of the players that'll be on the 25-man roster:
1. Brandon Belt
2. Marco Scutaro
3. Brandon Crawford
4. Pablo Sandoval
5. Joaquin Arias
The big question is: who would get that final spot? (or possibly the final two spots)
The four remaining guys on the current roster are Ehire Adrianza, Brett Pill, Tony Abreu, and Nick Noonan. Let's break each one down with the odds of them starting the season in the big leagues, shall we?
1. Ehire Adrianza. He's played in just six games this spring, had only eight at-bats, and, oh yeah, no hits so far. He also doesn't have any walks. On the bright side, he only has one strikeout....ok, yes, I'm reaching. Just trying to give the guy a break. He's listed as a shortstop and has played only SS this spring, not showing much range. But he is error-free in five chances, so that's something. All in all, I'd say the odds of him making the Opening Day roster are....well, you know, slim (don't make me say an exact number).
2. Brett Pill. Pill is no stranger to the 25-man roster, as he began the 2012 season there. In 105 at-bats, he hit .210 with two homeruns and 11 RBIs. His OBP was a mere .265. He played most of his games at 1B, but started a few games in the outfield and played once at 3B, so he brings a bit of flexibilty to the bench. So far this spring, though, he's only played 1B and has been designated hitter. Offensively, he's batting .273 with two homeruns and seven RBIs. He hasn't made any errors in 35 chances, so he'd be a solid back-up for Brandon Belt. I'd say he's got a 65-70% chance of making the Opening Day roster. The Giants don't really have anyone to back up Belt (besides Posey) so they'd most likely take a back-up infielder who could play at 1B.
3. Tony Abreu. Unlike Pill and Adrianza, Abreu didn't come up through the Giants farm system. The Giants picked him up off of waivers from the Kansas City Royals in early February. The issue with Abreu is that he's only played in one game so far this spring due to a strained quad. He finally made his spring training debut with the Giants yesterday against the Texas Rangers. He went 1-2 and committed no errors playing at 2B. Last season in 105 games for the Royals AAA team, he hit .322 with nine HRs, 36 doubles, and 73 RBIs. During 22 games in the majors in 2012, he hit .257 with one HR and 15 RBIs. Only time will tell what Abreu's fate will be on April 1st. If he can prove that his injury is behind him, even if his batting average is mediocre, I believe he'll make the 25-man roster. Just the fact that he was claimed off of waivers gives him a leg up over the minor leaguers. If he's healthy, I'd say he's got a 100% chance (yes, that bold) to make the 25-man roster.
4. Nick Noonan. Yes, maybe I saved my favorite for last. Like I've said before (and I'm sure you're sick of hearing), I was most impressed by Noonan this past weekend. The shortstop looked pretty fantastic playing a mean third base, showing that he just might be a solid utility infielder. Offensively, however, he is struggling this preseason. He's batting just .138, after going 0-1 tonight with a rather unattractive at-bat. He did come in to relieve Crawford at short, showing that he can play a flawless defensive shortstop (you know, in at least one game). He's also shown some speed that the others on this list haven't shown, hustling out a couple triples this past weekend. He's starting to look comfortable at the plate (and he's already looking comfy in the field). I'd say that, if Abreu is injured, his odds of making the Opening Day squad is 90%. If Abreu is healthy, I'd put Noonan at a 70%. I think his potential is that apparent (and by me saying this, his actual probability probably just dropped to 6.7%. However, I'm sticking with it).
A couple guys are playing this spring as non-roster invitees and are looking to make a case for themselves. Brock Bond and Kensuke Tanaka are unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, but look for them to make an apperance during the regular season.
More on them later.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Last thoughts from the weekend
The Giants beat the Texas Rangers today 2-1. Just a few notes from today's game before daylight savings puts me to sleep:
1. Bumgarner is back.
The 22-year-old left-hander who struggled in the 2012 postseason (going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA, giving up ten runs in 15 innings), seems to be back in regular season form...or, so far, even better. He's currently 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA (two ER in 9.2 innings). He started today and one-hit the Rangers through four innings, striking out four (three of them looking). Posey, who caught MadBum today, was impressed with his start. "He threw the ball to both sides of the plate as well as I've seen him this Spring."
2. Hunter Pence
The inspirational right-fielder is having a nice, if not the most impressive spring. He's batting .300, but has hit .350 this month after hitting just .200 in February. And today he took some long, awkward strides in the right direction. He had the only two RBIs for the Giants this afternoon, doubling his total on the spring from two to four. He drove in Kensuke Tanaka in the 3rd with a solid double to left field. After Nick Noonan tripled to lead off the 5th, Pence followed it up with a three-bagger of his own to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, which proved good enough to win. Pence hit the ball hard today and showed of his speed a little bit, and looked to be ready for the regular season.
3. Nick Noonan
Yes, again. Like Saturday, he came in as a midgame replacement at 3B, this time replacing Tony Abreu. And, like Saturday, he had a crucial triple. Today, he led off the top of the 5th inning with a triple, missing a homerun by about a foot. And again, similar to the game against the Royals, Noonan had another great defensive play down the line. He's listed as a shortstop, but has been playing different infield positions and has looked impressive at 3B. He's still only batting .143, but he's collected hits in the last three games, including his first two triples and first two RBIs of the preseason. Despite the heavy competition for the reserve infield spots on the 25-man roster, I think that Noonan is really starting to make a case for himself.
P.S. - tomorrow we'll look at a more invasive look at the infield competition that's heating up down in Arizona.
Thanks for reading my thoughts from Spring Training! Baseball season is coming, people.
1. Bumgarner is back.
The 22-year-old left-hander who struggled in the 2012 postseason (going 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA, giving up ten runs in 15 innings), seems to be back in regular season form...or, so far, even better. He's currently 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA (two ER in 9.2 innings). He started today and one-hit the Rangers through four innings, striking out four (three of them looking). Posey, who caught MadBum today, was impressed with his start. "He threw the ball to both sides of the plate as well as I've seen him this Spring."
2. Hunter Pence
The inspirational right-fielder is having a nice, if not the most impressive spring. He's batting .300, but has hit .350 this month after hitting just .200 in February. And today he took some long, awkward strides in the right direction. He had the only two RBIs for the Giants this afternoon, doubling his total on the spring from two to four. He drove in Kensuke Tanaka in the 3rd with a solid double to left field. After Nick Noonan tripled to lead off the 5th, Pence followed it up with a three-bagger of his own to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, which proved good enough to win. Pence hit the ball hard today and showed of his speed a little bit, and looked to be ready for the regular season.
3. Nick Noonan
Yes, again. Like Saturday, he came in as a midgame replacement at 3B, this time replacing Tony Abreu. And, like Saturday, he had a crucial triple. Today, he led off the top of the 5th inning with a triple, missing a homerun by about a foot. And again, similar to the game against the Royals, Noonan had another great defensive play down the line. He's listed as a shortstop, but has been playing different infield positions and has looked impressive at 3B. He's still only batting .143, but he's collected hits in the last three games, including his first two triples and first two RBIs of the preseason. Despite the heavy competition for the reserve infield spots on the 25-man roster, I think that Noonan is really starting to make a case for himself.
P.S. - tomorrow we'll look at a more invasive look at the infield competition that's heating up down in Arizona.
Thanks for reading my thoughts from Spring Training! Baseball season is coming, people.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Royally beat
Today I got to watch my beloved Giants for the first time in 2013. I had been waiting four months for this and was beyond excited. My mom and I got to our seats a half hour before first pitch, talked to the fellow fans around us, and settled in to watch our Boys of Summer take the field.
They got beat 13-2 by the Kansas City Royals. And they were actually getting no-hit through the bottom of the 6th inning. Rough.
However, there were some positives to take away from today.
1) Nick Noonan.
Noonan was brought in as a mid-game replacement for Joaquin Arias at 3B when the Giants still had no hits in the game. When Gregor Blanco broke up the no-no in the bottom of the 6th with a triple, Noonan drove him home with a three-bagger of his own. He also played solid defense, stabbing at hits and diving at balls that could have easily driven past him. Noonan was drafted 32nd overall by the Giants in the 2007 draft. In six years in the minor leagues, he owns a .267 average, a .322 OBP, 36 homeruns, and 305 RBIs. This spring, he's batting .095 and collected his first RBI today. Watching the energy and agility that he brought to 3B, and his aggressive approach at the plate, I'd say today was a step in the right direction for the (possible) future third baseman.
2) Brock Bond.
The 2B prospect for the Giants is currently at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Today he went 0-1, but it was on a fairly questionable call. He could've been called safe at first on an infield hit, and the hustle to first base was impressive. But all-in-all, the "accidental draftee" has been nothing short of impressive this entire Spring. Bond was drafted by the Giants in the 24th round of the 2007 draft, when they intended to take outfielder Casey Bond. San Francisco took Casey in the next round and decided to keep Brock around, despite scouts declaration that Brock wasn't a Major League player. Since that fateful draft, Brock has hit .313 over six minor league seasons, with a .410 OBP, but with only four HRs. But this Spring, he's blowing his already-impressive stats out of the water. After going 0-1 today, he's batting .462 and has a .462 OBP. He also already has two homeruns.
3) And finally, the Brandons (yes, again).
Belt and Crawford continue to impress this Spring and watching them live today only reinforced what we've (I've) been hoping for. When the Giants were getting no-hit through the first five innings of the game, their only two baserunners were Crawford and Belt, who both drew walks. Crawford had a leaping catch to save a run in the first inning (not that it mattered much, seeing as how Yusmeiro Petit gave up six runs that inning anyway, but still, it was impressive to see). And despite going 0-1 today, B Craw is still batting .375 this Spring.
Belt crushed his fourth homerun of the preseason (tied for fourth in the league) to straightaway center in the 7th inning. He leads the Giants with nine homeruns and is 2nd in the league with a .467 average (among players with at least 30 at-bats). I'm telling you, I cannot wait to watch these two in the regular season.
And I'd like to put it out there right now, Brandon Crawford for the Gold Glove at shortstop in 2013. I know, I know. I've only seen him play one game so far in 2013. But still, I'd like to call it now. If he plays every day (no injuries slow him down), I fully believe he will win a Gold Glove this year.
Overall, a great first day here in Scottsdale. More tomorrow after Giants-Brewers. Thanks for reading!
They got beat 13-2 by the Kansas City Royals. And they were actually getting no-hit through the bottom of the 6th inning. Rough.
However, there were some positives to take away from today.
1) Nick Noonan.
Noonan was brought in as a mid-game replacement for Joaquin Arias at 3B when the Giants still had no hits in the game. When Gregor Blanco broke up the no-no in the bottom of the 6th with a triple, Noonan drove him home with a three-bagger of his own. He also played solid defense, stabbing at hits and diving at balls that could have easily driven past him. Noonan was drafted 32nd overall by the Giants in the 2007 draft. In six years in the minor leagues, he owns a .267 average, a .322 OBP, 36 homeruns, and 305 RBIs. This spring, he's batting .095 and collected his first RBI today. Watching the energy and agility that he brought to 3B, and his aggressive approach at the plate, I'd say today was a step in the right direction for the (possible) future third baseman.
2) Brock Bond.
The 2B prospect for the Giants is currently at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Today he went 0-1, but it was on a fairly questionable call. He could've been called safe at first on an infield hit, and the hustle to first base was impressive. But all-in-all, the "accidental draftee" has been nothing short of impressive this entire Spring. Bond was drafted by the Giants in the 24th round of the 2007 draft, when they intended to take outfielder Casey Bond. San Francisco took Casey in the next round and decided to keep Brock around, despite scouts declaration that Brock wasn't a Major League player. Since that fateful draft, Brock has hit .313 over six minor league seasons, with a .410 OBP, but with only four HRs. But this Spring, he's blowing his already-impressive stats out of the water. After going 0-1 today, he's batting .462 and has a .462 OBP. He also already has two homeruns.
3) And finally, the Brandons (yes, again).
Belt and Crawford continue to impress this Spring and watching them live today only reinforced what we've (I've) been hoping for. When the Giants were getting no-hit through the first five innings of the game, their only two baserunners were Crawford and Belt, who both drew walks. Crawford had a leaping catch to save a run in the first inning (not that it mattered much, seeing as how Yusmeiro Petit gave up six runs that inning anyway, but still, it was impressive to see). And despite going 0-1 today, B Craw is still batting .375 this Spring.
Belt crushed his fourth homerun of the preseason (tied for fourth in the league) to straightaway center in the 7th inning. He leads the Giants with nine homeruns and is 2nd in the league with a .467 average (among players with at least 30 at-bats). I'm telling you, I cannot wait to watch these two in the regular season.
And I'd like to put it out there right now, Brandon Crawford for the Gold Glove at shortstop in 2013. I know, I know. I've only seen him play one game so far in 2013. But still, I'd like to call it now. If he plays every day (no injuries slow him down), I fully believe he will win a Gold Glove this year.
Overall, a great first day here in Scottsdale. More tomorrow after Giants-Brewers. Thanks for reading!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Buster
I figured he didn't need any sort of fancy or catchy title. A blog on Buster Posey really needs no introduction at all.
In January, Posey visited the Yogi Berra museum and got to spend time with Berra himself. The legend and the already legendary catchers spent the day together and answering questions. Both players each won two World Series in their first three seasons. It led me to wonder about the other similarities between them and other great catchers of the game.
Which begs the question with Posey: are we watching potentially the greatest catcher of all time?
After being drafted 5th overall in the 2008 draft, Posey made his Major League debut in September of 2009. He started the 2010 season in Fresno but was brought up in May to provide some relief for Bengie Molina behind the plate. When Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 1st for Chris Ray and Michael Main, Posey moved into the full-time catcher role. And he never looked back.
Every Giants fan, and now every baseball fan, is familiar with the greatness of Buster Posey for the last two and a half seasons. 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2012 All-Star (receiving more votes than any National League player in the history of the game), 2012 Silver Slugger Award, 2012 Hank Aaron Award, 2012 Comeback player of the year, 2012 MVP, and, most importantly to Giants fans, two World Series rings.
The only other catchers in baseball history who have won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and a World Series are Johnny Bench and Thurman Munson. Pretty good company.
He'll turn 26 at the end of this month, so he's got a long career ahead of him (knock on wood) that he'll hopefully spend in a San Francisco uniform. He's played 308 games in his career so far, not quite enough statistically for two full seasons. But he's already made quite an impression on the baseball world. How does he match up against some of the greats?
Yogi Berra, considered by many to be the greatest catcher in baseball history, was a three-time AL MVP. He was a 15-time All-Star, won 10 World Series with the Yankees, and hit 358 career homeruns. He also caught Don Larsen's perfect game.
Johnny Bench (personally, my favorite catcher) played for the Cincinnati Reds in the 70s. As stated before, Bench was named 1968 Rookie of the Year. He was also a two-time MVP, won ten Gold Gloves, a 14-time All-Star, and won a World Series in 1976.
Roy Campanella began his career in the Negro Leagues before coming to the Dodgers one year after Jackie Robinson did. Even though he only played ten seasons before being paralyzed in a car accident in 1958, he was one of the best catchers in the game. He played in eight consecutive All-Star games, won a World Series in 1955, and was a three-time MVP. He also set a single-season record for catchers with 41 homeruns and 142 RBIs in 1953.
And perhaps the All-Star catcher most similar to Posey is Mike Piazza. Piazza was an incredibly impressive catcher offensively, perhaps the best in the game (so far). He holds a .308 lifetime batting average with 427 career homeruns. He was Rookie of the Year in 1993, a 12-time All-Star, the 1996 NL MVP, and he won the Silver Slugger Award ten times.
Piazza played in 389 games in his first four seasons. Over that time, he hit 94 homeruns and had 304 RBIs. He hit .322 over that span. So far, Posey isn't quite on pace to reach those kinds of numbers, but he's not off to a bad start. 308 games in, Posey has a career 46 homeruns, 191 RBIs, and has a career average of .314. Both of them won Rookie of the Year, with similar averages (Posey with .305, Piazza with .318) and on-base percentages (Posey .357, Piazza .370).
While Buster has a long way to go to reach some of these great catchers, he's definitely on his way. And I'm looking forward to watching him all along the way.
In January, Posey visited the Yogi Berra museum and got to spend time with Berra himself. The legend and the already legendary catchers spent the day together and answering questions. Both players each won two World Series in their first three seasons. It led me to wonder about the other similarities between them and other great catchers of the game.
Which begs the question with Posey: are we watching potentially the greatest catcher of all time?
After being drafted 5th overall in the 2008 draft, Posey made his Major League debut in September of 2009. He started the 2010 season in Fresno but was brought up in May to provide some relief for Bengie Molina behind the plate. When Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 1st for Chris Ray and Michael Main, Posey moved into the full-time catcher role. And he never looked back.
Every Giants fan, and now every baseball fan, is familiar with the greatness of Buster Posey for the last two and a half seasons. 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2012 All-Star (receiving more votes than any National League player in the history of the game), 2012 Silver Slugger Award, 2012 Hank Aaron Award, 2012 Comeback player of the year, 2012 MVP, and, most importantly to Giants fans, two World Series rings.
The only other catchers in baseball history who have won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and a World Series are Johnny Bench and Thurman Munson. Pretty good company.
He'll turn 26 at the end of this month, so he's got a long career ahead of him (knock on wood) that he'll hopefully spend in a San Francisco uniform. He's played 308 games in his career so far, not quite enough statistically for two full seasons. But he's already made quite an impression on the baseball world. How does he match up against some of the greats?
Yogi Berra, considered by many to be the greatest catcher in baseball history, was a three-time AL MVP. He was a 15-time All-Star, won 10 World Series with the Yankees, and hit 358 career homeruns. He also caught Don Larsen's perfect game.
Johnny Bench (personally, my favorite catcher) played for the Cincinnati Reds in the 70s. As stated before, Bench was named 1968 Rookie of the Year. He was also a two-time MVP, won ten Gold Gloves, a 14-time All-Star, and won a World Series in 1976.
Roy Campanella began his career in the Negro Leagues before coming to the Dodgers one year after Jackie Robinson did. Even though he only played ten seasons before being paralyzed in a car accident in 1958, he was one of the best catchers in the game. He played in eight consecutive All-Star games, won a World Series in 1955, and was a three-time MVP. He also set a single-season record for catchers with 41 homeruns and 142 RBIs in 1953.
And perhaps the All-Star catcher most similar to Posey is Mike Piazza. Piazza was an incredibly impressive catcher offensively, perhaps the best in the game (so far). He holds a .308 lifetime batting average with 427 career homeruns. He was Rookie of the Year in 1993, a 12-time All-Star, the 1996 NL MVP, and he won the Silver Slugger Award ten times.
Piazza played in 389 games in his first four seasons. Over that time, he hit 94 homeruns and had 304 RBIs. He hit .322 over that span. So far, Posey isn't quite on pace to reach those kinds of numbers, but he's not off to a bad start. 308 games in, Posey has a career 46 homeruns, 191 RBIs, and has a career average of .314. Both of them won Rookie of the Year, with similar averages (Posey with .305, Piazza with .318) and on-base percentages (Posey .357, Piazza .370).
While Buster has a long way to go to reach some of these great catchers, he's definitely on his way. And I'm looking forward to watching him all along the way.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Freaky Franchise
Today, a big piece of the 2013 Giants puzzle took to the mound.
How Tim Lincecum is going to perform this season is a huge question mark for San Francisco - whether or not they'll have a 5th starter, another great bullpen guy, or even a future closer.
But after today, his first time facing batters this Spring, Lincecum took a step towards regaining his old, hard-throwing self. Despite lasting only 1 1/3 innings today against the Dodgers, while giving up three runs and four hits, Timmy came away feeling positive.
"Mechanically, I felt really good. The timing of my arm was good. I missed a couple of pitches high, but it was kind of because I wanted to. There wasn't anything way too far off where I wanted to throw it."
Not that we want to get our hopes up about The Franchise just yet, but there are indeed some positive signs to come out of today's brief start.
Today, Lincecum was throwing his fastball anywhere from 89-93. In 2012, his veloctiy averaged about 90 MPH. It was his worst career season, ending with a 10-15 record and a 5.18 ERA. His previous velocities averaged about:
2011 - 93 MPH
2010 - 91-92 MPH
2009 - 93 MPH
2008 - 94-95 MPH
It's not surprising that someone with Lincecum's frame (5'11", currently listed at 170 lbs., wiry limbs) would eventually decrease in velocity, but the sudden drop was alarming to both the Giants front offense and fans alike this past season. But the fact that he was throwing 89-93 today might be proof that Big Time Timmy Jim is back.
His routine this past offseason was certainly a step in the right direction.
When he reported to camp in February 2012, Lincecum had spent the offseason swimming and dieting and came to Spring Training about 20 pounds lighter than the previous season. As we all know, this lead to his worst season. Usually, more weight can mean more velocity and power behind a fastball, and obviously Tim's lack of weight contributed to a lack of speed on his pitches.
In 2011, Lincecum reported to camp after having spent his offseason throwing "the most [he's] ever thrown." He focused on making his legs strong, and he was so excited about winning the World Series the year before that he didn't take too much time off of throwing. Even though he went 13-14 that season, his ERA decreased to 2.74 (7th in the league), his WHIP was 1.21, and he pitched 217 innings (19th in the league), as opposed to a 3.43 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and 212.1 innings in 2010.
He had also said that he was motivated that offseason by his terrible August of 2010, in which he went 0-5 during a tight pennant race. Despite winning the World Series that year, and becoming the Giants postseason MVP, Lincecum wanted to show that he had put his struggles behind him in 2011. And he did.
This past offseason, Lincecum was instructed by Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner to put on weight. That was his big assignment, and Tim seemed just fine with it.
Timmy seems to be at best when he's just focusing on his pitching - not dieting, not losing weight, not worrying about which pitch to throw next. He's at his best when he's simply being Timmy Lincecum, throwing pitches and having fun. He also finds motivation in coming back from adversity, something he will have to do this year.
Or maybe, he just really loves pitching the season following a World Series win.
Hopefully he'll get the chance to do that many more times.
How Tim Lincecum is going to perform this season is a huge question mark for San Francisco - whether or not they'll have a 5th starter, another great bullpen guy, or even a future closer.
But after today, his first time facing batters this Spring, Lincecum took a step towards regaining his old, hard-throwing self. Despite lasting only 1 1/3 innings today against the Dodgers, while giving up three runs and four hits, Timmy came away feeling positive.
"Mechanically, I felt really good. The timing of my arm was good. I missed a couple of pitches high, but it was kind of because I wanted to. There wasn't anything way too far off where I wanted to throw it."
Not that we want to get our hopes up about The Franchise just yet, but there are indeed some positive signs to come out of today's brief start.
Today, Lincecum was throwing his fastball anywhere from 89-93. In 2012, his veloctiy averaged about 90 MPH. It was his worst career season, ending with a 10-15 record and a 5.18 ERA. His previous velocities averaged about:
2011 - 93 MPH
2010 - 91-92 MPH
2009 - 93 MPH
2008 - 94-95 MPH
It's not surprising that someone with Lincecum's frame (5'11", currently listed at 170 lbs., wiry limbs) would eventually decrease in velocity, but the sudden drop was alarming to both the Giants front offense and fans alike this past season. But the fact that he was throwing 89-93 today might be proof that Big Time Timmy Jim is back.
His routine this past offseason was certainly a step in the right direction.
When he reported to camp in February 2012, Lincecum had spent the offseason swimming and dieting and came to Spring Training about 20 pounds lighter than the previous season. As we all know, this lead to his worst season. Usually, more weight can mean more velocity and power behind a fastball, and obviously Tim's lack of weight contributed to a lack of speed on his pitches.
In 2011, Lincecum reported to camp after having spent his offseason throwing "the most [he's] ever thrown." He focused on making his legs strong, and he was so excited about winning the World Series the year before that he didn't take too much time off of throwing. Even though he went 13-14 that season, his ERA decreased to 2.74 (7th in the league), his WHIP was 1.21, and he pitched 217 innings (19th in the league), as opposed to a 3.43 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and 212.1 innings in 2010.
He had also said that he was motivated that offseason by his terrible August of 2010, in which he went 0-5 during a tight pennant race. Despite winning the World Series that year, and becoming the Giants postseason MVP, Lincecum wanted to show that he had put his struggles behind him in 2011. And he did.
This past offseason, Lincecum was instructed by Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner to put on weight. That was his big assignment, and Tim seemed just fine with it.
Timmy seems to be at best when he's just focusing on his pitching - not dieting, not losing weight, not worrying about which pitch to throw next. He's at his best when he's simply being Timmy Lincecum, throwing pitches and having fun. He also finds motivation in coming back from adversity, something he will have to do this year.
Or maybe, he just really loves pitching the season following a World Series win.
Hopefully he'll get the chance to do that many more times.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Brandons
A couple of the big question marks this year for the Giants are the Brandons, both Belt and Crawford. I've been a huge fan of both of them, and while last year started out slow for both of them, it ended on a great note. They both made huge strides and showed that they are capable of being major leaguers.
Now, the question is whether or not they'll continue to grow this year, or they've already reached their full potential.
Brandon Crawford ended up batting .248 on the season, but finished strong, hitting .281 in August and .290 in September. He had ten hits, seven RBIs, and seven walks in the 2012 postseason, despite hitting only .217. Luckily, shortstops don't need to bat .300. It is, however, the anchor of the infield defesively. The Giants have lacked a strong leader at this position for the last couple years, but the answer for the future to definitely lie in Crawford.
Quite obvious to anyone who watched the Giants in the playoffs, Crawford's greatest contribution was his defense. He was named the Giants' best defensive player and won the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year award, a new award that's figured out by putting a player's numbers through the "shredder system," a statistical analysis used by MLB Network. Although he made 18 errors last season, 12 of those came in the first 59 games. He went on to commit only six errors in the remaining 63 games that he started. And on the way to becoming a world champion, Crawford made just one error in 65 chances and turning nine double plays in the postseason.
Even though he lost out to Jimmy Rollins for the Gold Glove in 2012, it's pretty safe to say that he'll own that piece of hardware at some point in his career.
And now onto my favorite Giant (and yes, I realize labeling him as my favorite means he will probably get traded this season)....Brandon Belt!
Like Crawford, Belt really struggled at the beginning of the season, with many people calling for him to be benched. And he did struggle, I'm not saying that he didn't. He spent a lot of time swining at bad pitches and stranding men on base when he needed to get them home. However, he also didn't have a ton of consistent playing time over the first two months of the season. In June, when he began to start in back-to-back-to-back games, he batted .296. And though July was a tough month for him (batting .186), he finished the season strong, batting .293 after the All Star game. He ended the season at .275, with seven homeruns (tied for 5th on the team) and 56 RBIs (tied for 4th on the team).
Unlike Crawford, Belt really didn't shine in the postseason. He hit .304 in the LCS, but only hit .077 in the other rounds, giving him a cumulative total of just .184 with only three RBIs and one homerun. He did provide a solid defense, staying error-free in 125 chances, but Belt has got to learn to perform in the big pressure situations consistently.
Another possible concern about Belt is his lack of power. First base is definitely more of a power position, and Belt finished tied for 36th in the league among first basemen with his seven bombs. The Giants would love more power from him, and as he hit 23 in 2010 in the minors, we know that he has that capability. 2013 is a big year for Belt. Fingers crossed that he really comes into his own...and it wouldn't hurt if he made me look like a genius for always sticking up for him.
At 26 (Crawford) and 24 (Belt), the Brandons have long careers ahead of them. And I for one can't wait to see how many Gold Gloves they win between the two of them.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Take me out
Continuing to preview the 2013 Giants just a week (!) before pitchers and catchers officially report to Scottsdale for Spring Training, let's tackle the outfield.
Brian Sabean continues to make up for the Bonds years with great off-season signings, bringing back all three of the starting outfielders that played in the World Series in 2012.
Centerfielder Angel Pagan joined the Giants last offseason, when they traded Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for him. He finished the season batting .288 with 56 RBIs and fourth on the team with eight homeruns. He set a San Francisco Giants record (and led the major leagues) with 15 triples on the season. When Allstar game MVP Melky Cabrera was busted for steroid use on August 15, taking with him the Giants leader in average and hits, Pagan stepped up to fill the void. He batted .406 in August after Cabrera was suspended. And while he didn't have the best average in the postseason, he had some big hits in key games for the Giants. In Game 4 of the NLDS, Pagan hit the first leadoff homerun in Giants postseason history to help propel the San Francisco offense that had barely shown up in the playoffs. He also led off Game 2 of the NLCS with a homerun, helping to give the Giants their first lead at home in the 2012 postseason.
Once again, right field will be patroled by Crazy Eyes, himself. Hunter Pence was also resigned this offseason by Sabean. Even though Pence batted only .219 in the regular season, he had seven homeruns and 45 RBIs in 59 games for the Giants. And despite a .210 postseason average, Pence saved his biggest impact for the playoffs.
We've all heard the story of his inspirational speech prior to Game 3 of the NLDS against the Reds. The Giants, having lost the first two games of the series at home, now faced elmination in Cincinnati. Pence pulled his teammates into a huddle and encourages them to fight and to play for one another. And they did just that. The Giants would win an MLB-record six elmination games in this postseason. And Pence provided a speech for just about every one of those. His performance and leadership as a teammate more than makes up for any struggles at the plate, and I can't wait to see what a full season in a Giants uniform looks like for Hunter Pence.
The Giants also spent this offseason bolstering their left field. Gregor Blanco, who made great defensive play after great defensive play during the 2012 regular season, hightlighted of course by his hit-saving catch in Matt Cain's perfect game, will be the starter for the 2013 Giants (barring any sort of injury in Spring Training). Blanco batted .253 during the regular season, but, like his outfield counter parts, had a big impact during the Giants postseason run. Blanco started the six-run inning of Game 5 of the NLDS with a single. He laid down the "bunt heard round the world" in Game 2 of the World Series against the Tigers, and in Game 3 he drove in a run and then scored a run in a game the Giants won 2-0. He won't hit .300, he probably won't even hit .270 in 2013, but he will save you runs with his defense, and that's never a bad thing.
Finally, to share playing time in left field with Blanco, the Giants brought back fan favorite Andres Torres. Torres was an integral part of bringing the first World Series championship to San Francisco in 2010. Torres spent most of this last year playing for the New York Mets, batting .230 with with three homeruns and 35 RBIs. However, he committed just two errors in 124 games and had six assists. Again, he's not a player who's going to hit 20 homeruns or .300. But, like Blanco, he will save you runs with his defense.
All four of these players also provide a lot of speed on the basepaths and in the field. I'm not sure about you, but I feel pretty confident knowing those guys are going to be roaming the outfield at AT&T park come April.
Brian Sabean continues to make up for the Bonds years with great off-season signings, bringing back all three of the starting outfielders that played in the World Series in 2012.
Centerfielder Angel Pagan joined the Giants last offseason, when they traded Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for him. He finished the season batting .288 with 56 RBIs and fourth on the team with eight homeruns. He set a San Francisco Giants record (and led the major leagues) with 15 triples on the season. When Allstar game MVP Melky Cabrera was busted for steroid use on August 15, taking with him the Giants leader in average and hits, Pagan stepped up to fill the void. He batted .406 in August after Cabrera was suspended. And while he didn't have the best average in the postseason, he had some big hits in key games for the Giants. In Game 4 of the NLDS, Pagan hit the first leadoff homerun in Giants postseason history to help propel the San Francisco offense that had barely shown up in the playoffs. He also led off Game 2 of the NLCS with a homerun, helping to give the Giants their first lead at home in the 2012 postseason.
Once again, right field will be patroled by Crazy Eyes, himself. Hunter Pence was also resigned this offseason by Sabean. Even though Pence batted only .219 in the regular season, he had seven homeruns and 45 RBIs in 59 games for the Giants. And despite a .210 postseason average, Pence saved his biggest impact for the playoffs.
We've all heard the story of his inspirational speech prior to Game 3 of the NLDS against the Reds. The Giants, having lost the first two games of the series at home, now faced elmination in Cincinnati. Pence pulled his teammates into a huddle and encourages them to fight and to play for one another. And they did just that. The Giants would win an MLB-record six elmination games in this postseason. And Pence provided a speech for just about every one of those. His performance and leadership as a teammate more than makes up for any struggles at the plate, and I can't wait to see what a full season in a Giants uniform looks like for Hunter Pence.
The Giants also spent this offseason bolstering their left field. Gregor Blanco, who made great defensive play after great defensive play during the 2012 regular season, hightlighted of course by his hit-saving catch in Matt Cain's perfect game, will be the starter for the 2013 Giants (barring any sort of injury in Spring Training). Blanco batted .253 during the regular season, but, like his outfield counter parts, had a big impact during the Giants postseason run. Blanco started the six-run inning of Game 5 of the NLDS with a single. He laid down the "bunt heard round the world" in Game 2 of the World Series against the Tigers, and in Game 3 he drove in a run and then scored a run in a game the Giants won 2-0. He won't hit .300, he probably won't even hit .270 in 2013, but he will save you runs with his defense, and that's never a bad thing.
Finally, to share playing time in left field with Blanco, the Giants brought back fan favorite Andres Torres. Torres was an integral part of bringing the first World Series championship to San Francisco in 2010. Torres spent most of this last year playing for the New York Mets, batting .230 with with three homeruns and 35 RBIs. However, he committed just two errors in 124 games and had six assists. Again, he's not a player who's going to hit 20 homeruns or .300. But, like Blanco, he will save you runs with his defense.
All four of these players also provide a lot of speed on the basepaths and in the field. I'm not sure about you, but I feel pretty confident knowing those guys are going to be roaming the outfield at AT&T park come April.
it's official
After the 49ers made me so proud yesterday (albeit falling a little short), it means only one thing:
it's officially baseball season.
Giants pitchers and catchers report to spring training one week from tomorrow (February 12), so it's probably the right time for a 2013 preview. Let's start with the obvious, the backbone of the team for the last three years: the pitching.
The bullpen is going to be solid once again. Brian Wilson will be missed, personality-wise. He was an intergral part of the first World Series championship here in San Francisco, and fans will forever be grateful. However, they just won a World Series without him. He doesn't really have a leg to stand on when it comes to demanding more money for a contract. His replacement, Sergio Romo, went 1-0 with a .84 ERA in the 2012 postseason and converted all four save opportunities. During the regular season, he converted 14 of 15 save opportunities and had a 1.74 ERA. The Giants also have a great closer prospect coming up in Heath Hembree. In 2011 between single and double A, he combined for 41 saves, had 78 strikeouts in 53.1 innings, and finished the season with a .55 ERA. He struggled a bit in 2012, but he's the Giants #7 prospect in the organization.
Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, George Kontos, Jose Mijares, and Santiago Casilla are all back to give the Giants the same solid bullpen that helped them win the championship.
The starting rotation is also intact from last year. Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong are all returning to anchor the staff that finished 7th in the league with a 3.68 ERA in 2012. The three went a combined 46-25 last season, highlighted, of course, Matt Cain's perfect game on June 10 against the Astros. Barry Zito finished over .500 for the first time in his Giants career, going 15-8 and giving the Giants four starters with at least 14 wins.
The obvious question mark for the pitching staff going into 2013 is their fifth starter Tim Lincecum. Lincecum has been a fan favorite since he came up through the farm system and joined the Giants in San Francisco in May of 2007. He won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009, won the Babe Ruth award for being the postseason MVP in 2010.
However, Lincecum struggled from the get-go of the 2012 season. He finished 10-15, the worst winning pecentage of his career, and had an ERA of 5.18. He was resigned to the bullpen for the playoffs, but made the most of every time that he got to pitch. He finished the postseason with a 2.55 ERA, striking out 20 in 17.2 innings.
Which brings me to my point - what to do if Linecum struggles as a starter again this season? As wise men (my dad and brother) have suggested, make him the closer.
He's definitely got the stuff to make it coming out of the bullpen. It almost wasn't fair to watch him take apart the Reds, Cardinals, and Tigers. He can warm up quickly and be ready to go as soon as he's needed. In Game two of the NLDS against the Reds, when Bumgarner was struggling in his start, Lincecum was called upon to come in after just two warm-up pitches. And he was great. And he's not afraid to come in with the game on the line. Timmy has shown in the last few years just how comfortable he is pitching in the postseason, but in 2012 he showed us a new set of skills coming out of the bullpen that we maybe didn't know he had before.
Lincecum reminds me a bit of Dennis Eckersley. Ecks spent the first 12 years of his career as a starter, but transitioned into the closer role in 1987. By '88 he was dominanting ninth innings everywhere. He went on to pitch for another 10 years. Should Lincecum (or Bochy) decided to transition into a reliever full-time, I think that closer makes the most sense for Timmy.
Either way, I can't wait to start getting the reports from Arizona. It's gonna be a fun season.
it's officially baseball season.
Giants pitchers and catchers report to spring training one week from tomorrow (February 12), so it's probably the right time for a 2013 preview. Let's start with the obvious, the backbone of the team for the last three years: the pitching.
The bullpen is going to be solid once again. Brian Wilson will be missed, personality-wise. He was an intergral part of the first World Series championship here in San Francisco, and fans will forever be grateful. However, they just won a World Series without him. He doesn't really have a leg to stand on when it comes to demanding more money for a contract. His replacement, Sergio Romo, went 1-0 with a .84 ERA in the 2012 postseason and converted all four save opportunities. During the regular season, he converted 14 of 15 save opportunities and had a 1.74 ERA. The Giants also have a great closer prospect coming up in Heath Hembree. In 2011 between single and double A, he combined for 41 saves, had 78 strikeouts in 53.1 innings, and finished the season with a .55 ERA. He struggled a bit in 2012, but he's the Giants #7 prospect in the organization.
Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, George Kontos, Jose Mijares, and Santiago Casilla are all back to give the Giants the same solid bullpen that helped them win the championship.
The starting rotation is also intact from last year. Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong are all returning to anchor the staff that finished 7th in the league with a 3.68 ERA in 2012. The three went a combined 46-25 last season, highlighted, of course, Matt Cain's perfect game on June 10 against the Astros. Barry Zito finished over .500 for the first time in his Giants career, going 15-8 and giving the Giants four starters with at least 14 wins.
The obvious question mark for the pitching staff going into 2013 is their fifth starter Tim Lincecum. Lincecum has been a fan favorite since he came up through the farm system and joined the Giants in San Francisco in May of 2007. He won the Cy Young in 2008 and 2009, won the Babe Ruth award for being the postseason MVP in 2010.
However, Lincecum struggled from the get-go of the 2012 season. He finished 10-15, the worst winning pecentage of his career, and had an ERA of 5.18. He was resigned to the bullpen for the playoffs, but made the most of every time that he got to pitch. He finished the postseason with a 2.55 ERA, striking out 20 in 17.2 innings.
Which brings me to my point - what to do if Linecum struggles as a starter again this season? As wise men (my dad and brother) have suggested, make him the closer.
He's definitely got the stuff to make it coming out of the bullpen. It almost wasn't fair to watch him take apart the Reds, Cardinals, and Tigers. He can warm up quickly and be ready to go as soon as he's needed. In Game two of the NLDS against the Reds, when Bumgarner was struggling in his start, Lincecum was called upon to come in after just two warm-up pitches. And he was great. And he's not afraid to come in with the game on the line. Timmy has shown in the last few years just how comfortable he is pitching in the postseason, but in 2012 he showed us a new set of skills coming out of the bullpen that we maybe didn't know he had before.
Lincecum reminds me a bit of Dennis Eckersley. Ecks spent the first 12 years of his career as a starter, but transitioned into the closer role in 1987. By '88 he was dominanting ninth innings everywhere. He went on to pitch for another 10 years. Should Lincecum (or Bochy) decided to transition into a reliever full-time, I think that closer makes the most sense for Timmy.
Either way, I can't wait to start getting the reports from Arizona. It's gonna be a fun season.
Monday, August 13, 2012
odds and ends
Just a few quick thoughts as we go through these dog-days of August:
1. Belt.
I don't want to say "I told you so," but I will. He's batting .464 so far in ten games in August, up dratiscally from .186 in July. He's raised his overall average to .259, and he's got more hits this month so far (14) than he did in all of April (10), May (13), and July (13). Belt's OBP in August is .531 and he's third on the team in the last month. (Well, technically he's 4th, behind Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and, wait for it, Nate Schierholtz. Too soon?) Perhaps his most impressive game of the season was this past Sunday, where he went 4-4 with a run and an RBI. Belt has played 11 of the 13 games in August so far. He's back to consistent playing time, and, surprise surprise, he's killing it at the plate. But just to be safe, everyone go knock on wood that I didn't just jinx him for the rest of the season.
2. Pence.
Yes, Nate Schierholtz was my current favorite Giant. He'd come up through the organiztion, he was from the Bay Area, and he always seemed like a hard worker. Plus, in all honesty, it'll be very hard for anybody to play right field at AT&T park better than Nate Schierholtz. But I think that Hunter Pence was a great pick-up for the Giants. Honestly, I wish Sabean had gone after Pence last July instead of Carlos Beltran. Pence came from the Phillies on July 31 batting .271 with 17 homeruns and 59 RBIs. While he's struggled a bit in a Giants uniform, batting just .145 with one homerun, he does have 11 RBIs in 13 games. Sunday's game against the Rockies was huge for Pence as well, when he made his first homerun as a Giant really count. He crushed a three-run shot over the left-centerfield wall to break a 6-6 tie in the 8th inning. It gave the Giants the 9-6 win that they desperately needed to keep pace with the Dodgers, who had won earlier that day. Perhaps most encouraging, though, was Pence's post-game comments. Even though he had every reason to bask in the glory of his performance, he spent time praising his teammates for their tough at-bats and key hits. Pence is clearly a great teammate and a team player. The Giants are stronger with him.
There's more to come on Posey and the already-intense Giants-Dodgers pennant race. Stay tuned.
I love this time of the year.
1. Belt.
I don't want to say "I told you so," but I will. He's batting .464 so far in ten games in August, up dratiscally from .186 in July. He's raised his overall average to .259, and he's got more hits this month so far (14) than he did in all of April (10), May (13), and July (13). Belt's OBP in August is .531 and he's third on the team in the last month. (Well, technically he's 4th, behind Buster Posey, Melky Cabrera, and, wait for it, Nate Schierholtz. Too soon?) Perhaps his most impressive game of the season was this past Sunday, where he went 4-4 with a run and an RBI. Belt has played 11 of the 13 games in August so far. He's back to consistent playing time, and, surprise surprise, he's killing it at the plate. But just to be safe, everyone go knock on wood that I didn't just jinx him for the rest of the season.
2. Pence.
Yes, Nate Schierholtz was my current favorite Giant. He'd come up through the organiztion, he was from the Bay Area, and he always seemed like a hard worker. Plus, in all honesty, it'll be very hard for anybody to play right field at AT&T park better than Nate Schierholtz. But I think that Hunter Pence was a great pick-up for the Giants. Honestly, I wish Sabean had gone after Pence last July instead of Carlos Beltran. Pence came from the Phillies on July 31 batting .271 with 17 homeruns and 59 RBIs. While he's struggled a bit in a Giants uniform, batting just .145 with one homerun, he does have 11 RBIs in 13 games. Sunday's game against the Rockies was huge for Pence as well, when he made his first homerun as a Giant really count. He crushed a three-run shot over the left-centerfield wall to break a 6-6 tie in the 8th inning. It gave the Giants the 9-6 win that they desperately needed to keep pace with the Dodgers, who had won earlier that day. Perhaps most encouraging, though, was Pence's post-game comments. Even though he had every reason to bask in the glory of his performance, he spent time praising his teammates for their tough at-bats and key hits. Pence is clearly a great teammate and a team player. The Giants are stronger with him.
There's more to come on Posey and the already-intense Giants-Dodgers pennant race. Stay tuned.
I love this time of the year.
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