Right handed relievers generally include potential closers. While being lefthanded doesn't preclude a pitcher from being a closer, the vast majority of closers are RH. There may be several reasons for this: 1. LHP with closer velocity are scarce enough that if teams have one or two, they usually make them starters. 2. Managers might prefer to use the few LH relievers at their disposal in more high leverage situations against specific LH batters earlier in the game than against whatever comes up in the 9'th inning. 3. That's just the way it's always been done.
The thing about closers is once they are established, they often become overvalued. I don't subscribe to the notion that closers are fungible assets, but the established ones are generally overvalued. There are several closers on the FA market this offseason and they are still looking for top dollar. There's a note in today's MLB Trade Rumors about Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous being "shocked" at the demands of closers on the market, more so in length of contract than years salary. It seems they are all looking for 4-5 years deals. With the number of closers on the market, those demands may eventually come down, but it's still sobering.
Now, I don't know about you, but the thought of a 5 year/$60 M contract for Brian Wilson makes me long for the days of The Gamer and his contract. There is just no way that risking that much money for that long on Brian Wilson is a good idea. The corollary to that is the Giants better have a plan for who will take over when they have to either trade him or let him go.
In addition to the closer concerns, bullpen depth has become almost a prerequisite for winning a championship, thus inflating the market for relievers of all kinds. The later rounds of the draft and the farm system are relatively inexpensive ways of mitigating these costs. Let's take a look at how the Giants organization stacks up for the future of the bullpen:
AAA
Waldis Joaquin 6'0", 240 lbs. BD: 12/25/1986. AAA 2-2, 3.44, 49.2 IP, 23 BB, 27 K's, GO/AO= 1.49. MLB 1-0, 4.26, 6.1 IP, 3 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO- 2.75. Joaquin has been around seemingly forever, and he has yet to turn 25 yo. At one point, he was DFA'd by the Giants and claimed by the White Sox. He refused to sign with them and re-signed with the Giants as a minor league FA(I didn't even know a player could do that!) He was then reinstated to the 40 man roster and called up in September. He is basically a one pitch pitcher, but what a pitch! It's a 93-94 MPH 2 seam fastball with heavy, heavy sink that bores in on RH batters. It should be noted that his minor league splits had a 2.22 ERA with a 2.59 GO/AO against RH batters and a 5.06 ERA with a 1.21 GO/AO vs LH batters. I wouldn't be heartbroken if he took a bullpen slot away from Ramon Ramirez or Guillermo Mota. It should be noted that Fresno plays in a lot of high altitude stadiums were sinkers don't sink.
Steve Edlefsen 6'2", 195 lbs. BD: 6/27/1985. AAA 2-4, 5.66, 41.1 IP, 19 BB, 29 K, GO/AO= 1.96. MLB 0-0, 9.53, 11.1 IP, 10 BB, 6 K's. GO/AO= 4.20. Another guy with a diving 2 seamer. It has so much movement, it's very tough to control which was his undoing in the majors. Also had much more success against RH batters in the minors. Probably deserves at least one more chance at some point. Will definitely start the season in Fresno.
Dan Otero 6'3", 205 lbs. BD: 2/19/1985. AA/AAA 4-4, 2.31, 74 IP, 11 BB, 76 K's, GO/AO= 1.47, 13 Saves. Otero has worked his way up the ladder and deserves a shot soon. His numbers are reminiscent of Sergio Romo's with the great command/control but a slightly lower K rate. Still, the K/9>9 which is impressive for AAA. I've never seen a scouting report on Otero nor seen him pitch so I don't have a feel for how hittable he would be in the majors. Gotta like his minor league numbers though.
Scott Munter, Ronnie Ray, Casey Daigle, and Osiris Matos are all minor league FA's. I assume Marc Kroon will retire.
AA
Heath Hembree 6'4", 210 lbs. BD: 1/13/1989. High A 0-0, 0.73, 24.2 IP, 12 BB, 44 K's, 21 Saves. AA 1-1, 2.83, 28.2 IP, 13 BB, 34 K's, 17 Saves. After being drafted and blowing away rookie ball in 2010, Hembree rocketed up the Giants prospect rankings with a sensational 2011 campaign split between San Jose and Richmond. He was used exclusively as a closer averaging just under 1 IP/appearance. I saw him pitch early in the season and he has a truly impressive jumping fastball that sat at 96 MPH. My concern is that he doesn't seem to have any secondary stuff to speak of and pitching in the closer role does not give him an opportunity to develop it. He certainly has the heat to be a future closer though.
Hector Correa 6'3", 165 lbs. BD: 3/18/1988. High A 3-1, 1.93, 42 IP, 12 BB, 37 K. AA 4-1, 3.20, 39.1 IP, 12 BB, 32 K. Correa as acquired from Florida in the Ronny Paulino trade in 2009. He's worked his way up the ladder since then putting up decent ratios along the way. Future bullpen depth guy, but those are becoming more and more valuable.
Edwin Quirarte 6'2", 185 lbs. BD: 12/20/1986. High A 2-1, 12.2 IP, 1 BB, 14 K's. AA 1-2, 5.44, 46.1 IP, 20 BB, 38 K's. GO/AO= 2.06. Quirarte was a 5'th round draft choice in 2008 out of Cal State Northridge. You would hope that a college reliever drafted that high would progress more rapidly through the system and show more dominance.
Mitch Lively 6'5", 230 lbs. BD: 9/7/1985. High A/AA 3-7, 2.14, 71.1 IP, 27 BB, 71 K's. Drafted by Colorado in 2007 and dropped after his first pro experience that same year. The Giants picked him up in 2008 and he has been moving slowly up the system since then with pretty good numbers. Probably an organizaitonal player, but could sniff the back end of a MLB bullpen at some point.
HIGH A
Jake Dunning 6'4", 188 lbs. BD: 8/12/1988. 6-3, 4.74, 76 IP, 24 BB, 71 K, GO/AO= 1.47, 10 Saves. College SS converted to pitching. Tall slender build with very loose looking arm action. I saw him pitch a couple of times this year and was impressed. FB goes 93-95 MPH with the makings of a breaking ball and changeup. Started 7 games and didn't fare too well(wow! I didn't remember him starting at all!) Moved to the closer role after Hembree and Lively got promoted. Potential 8'th inning guy at least. Outside chance of moving back to starter at some point.
Jacob Dunnington 6'2", 160 lbs. BD: 2/2/1991. Low A 3-3, 3.77, 43 IP, 32 BB, 53 K's. High A 2-1, 2.82, 22.1 IP, 10 BB, 31 K's. Dunnington was signed as an undrafted FA out of HS, a very rare occurence. Somehow he just slipped through the draft unnoticed. This was his first full season as a pro. All of his appearances have been as a reliever where he has put up very interesting K ratios. I think he may convert to starting at some point. Looks like the Giants found a diamond in the rough!
Stephen Harrold 6'1", 200 lbs. BD: 3/12/1989. Low A 4-3, 1.54, 41 IP, 17 BB, 39 K, GO/AO= 1.73, 16 Saves. High A 1-0, 23 IP, 13 BB, 24 K. AFL 3-0, 1.88, 14.1 IP, 5 BB, 15 K's, GO/AO= 3.17. Harrold started out as the closer in Augusta, got a promo to SJ and struggled a bit. Has pitched extremely well in the AFL. Not sure what to make of him at this point, but he seems to be moving up the ladder quite smartly.
Chris Wilson 6'2", 205 lbs. BD: 11/27/1986. 0-1, 2.35, 15.1 IP, 6 BB, 15 K's. Wilson was drafted in the 38'th round in 2008. He started out on the closer track. Seems to have battled injuries the last two years, but has pitched well when able. A bit old but still moving up if he can stay healthy.
Jose Valdez 6'7", 250 lbs. BD: 8/1/1988. High A 1-0, 6.98, 38.2 IP, 34 BB, 44 K's. Low A 0-0, 0.00, 13.2 IP, 2 BB, 21 K's. My perennial breakout candidate started the year strong but then hit a wall and got crushed for several games. Missed some time and resurfaced in Augusta where he seemed fine. Not sure if the collapse was due to an injury or stress or what. He's been around long enough that he should be moving into Rule 5 and minor league FA territory soon. Future is a bit murky at this point, but my, what a physical presence on the mound!
Addison Proszek 6'5", 260 lbs. BD: 4/17/1987. Rookie AZL 1-0, 2.05, 22 IP, 3 BB, 21 K. High A 0-1, 6.75, 9.1 IP, 5 BB, 9 K's. Huge guy drafted in 2009. Has had trouble getting his pro career off the ground. I saw him near the end of the season with San Jose. He looked like he was throwing good but got knocked around. Might have a tough time finding opportunities to pitch as the Giants reload their system.
LOW A
Brett Bochy 6'2", 192 lbs. BD: 8/27/1987. 1-0, 1.38, 39.0, 8 BB, 53 K's, 10 Saves. Melonhead Jr. entered his junior season at Kansas as the closer, but suffered a torn UCL with subsequent TJ surgery at the start of the season. Scouting reports I've read have him with a 94 MPH fastball. He put up dominating K and BB rates in his pro debut for Augusta and could be a fast mover in the system.
Edward Concepcion 6'3", 190 lbs. BD: 10/3/1988. 1-1, 3.61, 52.1 IP, 36 BB, 62 K, GO/AO= 1.50. Concepcion has a high 90's heater, but has trouble making it go where he wants it to. He had better luck working exclusively out of the bullpen in Augusta. He's a high ceiling arm but a risk to not reach his ceiling due to the command/control issues.
Seth Rosin 6'5", 235 lbs. BD: 11/2/1988. 2-3, 3.34, 89.0 IP, 30 BB, 93 K's, GO/AO= 1.41. AFL 0-0, 2.13, 12.2 IP, 4 BB, 9 K's. Rosin was used as both a starter and reliever and put up solid numbers. He seemed to have a bit more success out of the bullpen. Personally, I see him as a workhorse starter who will pound the zone and eat innings. I hope the Giants give him more chances to start.
Austin Fleet 6'1", 175 lbs. BD: 4/17/1987. 3 levels 9-5, 3.87, 83.2 IP, 27 BB, 57 K's. AFL 2-1, 3.38, 16 IP, 3 BB, 14 K's. Fleet was a college closer who the Giants used as a starter after he was drafted in 2010. He started and relieved in 2011 so it's not clear what role he will take on in the future. Ceiling is probably a #4 or 5 starter or middle reliever.
Drew Bowlin 6'1", 190 lbs. BD: 12/28/1986. Low A 2-0, 3.66, 51.2 IP, 26 BB, 33 K's, 3 Saves. AA 0-0, 2.84, 6.1 IP, 4 BB, 4 K's. Older prospect for level with unimpressive K and BB ratios.
Matthew Graham 6'4", 225 lbs. BD: 5/1/1990. Low A 0-0, 5.32, 22 IP, 18 BB, 10 K, GO/AO= 3.00. SS 2-2, 8.35, 36.2 IP, 22 BB, 31 K, GO/AO= 1.44. Drafted as a project out of HS in 2009, Graham has struggled to establish himself in the pros. He's got a hard sinking fastball that he needs to command better and then add a secondary pitch or two to get more swings and misses. He's still fairly young. I hope the Giants are patient with him. Too early to tell if his future is in the bullpen or rotation, Needs to have some sustained success first.
SHORT SEASON
Stephen Shackleford 6'1", 185 lbs. BD: 5/5/1989. 2-2, 5.21, 46.2 IP, 19 BB, 41 K. Shack had interesting numbers in 2010 after being drafted. More pedestrian in 2011.
Brennan Flick 6'1", 180 lbs. BD: 9/12/1989. 2-3, 5.57, 32.1 IP, 16 BB, 30 K's, GO/AO= 3.71. Extreme groundball numbers may mitigate pedestrian K/BB ratios.
Cody Hall 6'4", 220 lbs. BD: 1/6/1988. 3-1, 2.63, 27.1 IP, 19 BB, 42 K's, 4 Saves. 19'th round draft pick. Strong K numbers, but a pretty high walk rate to go with it. Looks like another live arm for the Giants to try to harness.
ROOKIE AZL
Miguel Ferrer 6'3", 168 lbs. BD: 8/7/1990. 6-1, 1.53, 29.1 IP, 7 BB, 36 K's, GO/AO= 1.48. Nice numbers after moving up from the DSL.
Demondre Arnold 6'3", 208 lbs. BD: 3/18/1992. 1-0, 1.69, 26.2 IP, 8 BB, 32 K's, GO/AO= 1.47. I very optimistic that the Giants have found a steal deep in the draft here. Solidly build with a fluid looking arm. Not sure he gets it up much above 90 MPH though.
Ryan Bean 6'4", 225 lbs. BD: 3/9/1990. 2-1, 4.15, 21.2 IP, 15 BB, 28 K's. Great size. Looks like he has stuff. Needs to cut down on the walks.
Danny Sandbrink 6'2", 195 lbs BD: 6/23/1989. 1-0, 2.53, 21.1 IP, 3 BB, 21 K's, GO/AO= 1.92. Drafted out of Stanford. AZL is too low a level for him.
Derek Law 6'3", 218 lbs. BD: 9/14/1990. 0-0, 2.50, 18 IP, 2 BB, 19 K's, 4 Saves. JC draftee with nice numbers in his pro debut.
Christopher Marlowe 6'0", 175 lbs. BD: 10/26/1989. 1-0, 0.00, 3 IP, 1 BB, 5 K's. Strikeout artist from a small college. One of 5 Giants draftees who have hit 97 on the radar gun. Has a plus breaking ball as a put away pitch. Could rise rapidly as a reliever or be converted to starting.
Dashenko Ricardo 6'0", 160 lbs. BD; 3/1/1990. 1-0, 9.00, 3 IP, 0 BB, 6 K's. Former catcher who the Giants picked up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft and converted to pitching. Reportedly has a big time arm.
2011 DRAFTEE
Ray Black 6'5", 225 lbs. BD: 6/26/1990. Pitt 1-1, 6.30, 20 IP, 26 BB, 33 K's. Black is a big guy with a big fastball that reaches 97 MPH. 26 BB's in 20 IP? Yikes! Tidrow has his work cut out for him!
OK, here's an attempt to rank 'em:
1. Heath Hembree
2. Brett Bochy
3. Jake Dunning
4. Chris Marlowe
5. Seth Rosin*
6. Jacob Dunnington*
7. Hector Correa
8. Stephen Harrold
9. Austin Fleet*
10. Edward Concepcion
11. Ray Black
12. Demondre Arnold.
13. Dan Otero
14. Waldis Joaquin
15. Jose Valdez
16. Derek Law
17. Cody Hall
18. Miguel Ferrer
19. Steve Edlefsen
20. Chris Wilson
21. Dashenko Ricardo
22. Danny Sandbrink.
23 The Rest.
*Pitchers who I think are likely to be tried as starters again.
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Someone should tell Hembree to start growing out his mutton-chops or a Fu Man Chu mustache, as he's the obvious heir apparent to Wilson and some form of ridiculous facial hair would probably ease the blow for the fan base.
ReplyDeleteAny idea what kind of "stuff" the Dunnington kid has? I followed him and Dunning all year, mostly because I could never remember which was which, and was impressed by their ability to rebound from rough patches and put up very nice, very consistent peripheral numbers.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping some of these kids can move through the system quickly because the Giants are going to need to rebuild their bullpen soon.
I haven't seen Dunnington pitch. I don't have much on him. I think he FB was in the low 90's in HS.
ReplyDeleteYeah, BWeezy and his beard have pretty much become parodies of themselves, and that's almost never a good thing.
ReplyDeleteDrB - you are a gem, my man, thank you so much for all this information, and more importantly the thoughtful and clear organization that breaks it down. I've always followed the minor leagues but this gives me such a better idea of the depth for the Giants, right when they are really doing some exciting things.
ReplyDeletePlease correct if wrong, our five draft picks that hit 97 are Marlowe and Black, lefties Bandilla and Osich and Kyle Crick with the 1st Sup. Those guys were taken 4th-7th one after another.
So Rosin is our best shot at a starter, and then these skinny Dunning/Dunnington guys, and Fleet. It seems to me Rosin is definitely the pick of that litter though due to his body type and size. With the Rule 5 draft coming are you doing a "who do we protect?" article next? Correa and Otero will be eligible.
Good job on the rankings, Doc; we are very much in agreement. And I thought I was overvaluing Brett Bochy - wow!
ReplyDeleteYup, Crick, Bandilla, Marlow, Osich and Black are the members of the 97 club. I don't think these guys sit at 97. I think they have all been clocked at 97 at least once.
ReplyDeleteI saw Fla-Giant's post about Rule 5 on MCC. All they guys on the exposed list are borderline calls at best, IMO. If there is room on the roster to protect them, yeah, OK, but if not, there isn't anyone there they can't do without.
I would not drop Joaquin, that's for sure. Probably Correa and Otero are the most likely targets as Rule 5 is a good way to pick up a cheap reliever or two. Not sure either one is indispensable though.
Its an interesting post Fla-Giant put up, and the 8 most likely Rule 5 draftees in his opinion are:
ReplyDeleteBucardo, Correa, Culberson, Graham, Kieshnick, Monell, Otero and Quinowski.
I was in protect them all mode this morning, but was convinced that Bucardo will slip by because of his surgery and Graham is one of many speedy light hitting guys so they should choose one of Ford/Christian already on the 40. Wasn't big on Correa, Monell or Quinowski but liked the others.
I think its a good indication of who the Giants are giving up on as prospects - Brock Bond, Wendell Fairley, Nick Noonan and Jackson Williams stand out in particular as guys who have the longest of long shots now to make the show.
Surprised you wouldn't protect Culberson or Kieschnick DrB or were you just focused on relief guys? I live in fear of Culberson becoming Dan Uggla and figure one more year for Kieschnick to work on those contact issues is worth the power potential, although I guess the Gints have a younger, faster better defender same power profile type in Parker. If you are using Romo in the same breath as Otero, I figure at least he is worth putting on the 40.
Bucardo is a minor league free agent, so he can sign with any team who wants him. I don't see the Giants putting him on the 40 man roster. Yeah, Culberson and Kieschnick are close calls. If they have the roster space, sure, give it to them. I don't see either as being indispensable though.
ReplyDeleteDrb, thank you for providing all this great info on Giants prospects! I can't get this anywhere else. According to Baggs latest column from the GM Meetings, Hector Correa is a slam dunk to be added to the 40 man roster and he describes him as having an "impact relief arm".
ReplyDeletebaggs assesment of the rule 5 possibilities is right on the button...giants are gonna lose some players
ReplyDeleteinteresting that the org signed an org guy for cf...i know the giants ended up short in the of in fresno...but i didnt think that would be a prob this season
i thought the bigger prob would be finding arms to fill out the rotation in fresno...gonna be very thin
Baggs has a feature on Correa in BA. Says he has a mid 90's FB and a "plus-plus" changeup. Could be converted to starter.
ReplyDeleteMike McBryde has been working off the mound in instructionals. He may convert to pitching in the spring.
I really, really dislike the Rule 5 draft. They've lengthened the time before eligibility to just one year before they become minor league FA's. It creates an enormous disruption that tends to put teams in tough situations with their rosters and really helps very few players or teams.
The Giants have a deep farm system. They can't protect everybody. You win some, you lose some.
DrB - I think that's Wilber Bucardo who is the minor league FA, not Jorge. (I think they're brothers - Leon NI hometown for both, Wilber is 2 years older.
ReplyDeleteSaw the idea of The Riot - I like that idea as well cuz Clint Barmes is going for even more than my 2/12 overpay estimate it looks like. What is Furcal going to get in this insane market?
Yeah, it's Wilber Bucardo who's the FA. Jorge is Rule 5 eligible. If some team picks him and he sticks on the 25 man active roster all year, more power to 'em.
ReplyDeletewish with the new labor agreement they wouldve chosen to dump the dh, expand the 25 to 26 or 7 and expand 40 man to 42 (which wouldve allowed for the dh dump and made the union happy)
ReplyDeleteno change in minor league pay....mistake
mlb really has to get out of the 19th century mentality that the farm system is survival of the fittest...gotta really change development strategies
pablo doesnt become a fat mess in 2010 if he had learned proper training while in the minors
gonna have season long interleague starting in 13....gonna suck
the other thing that sux is the post expansion to 10 teams
giants did not deserve to be in the hunt till the final 2 weeks...they wouldve been
the expansion will also hurt sept callups...who wont get the chances to play as they would if their respective teams were out of it
Regarding the Rule V, I don't really see any point in protecting our position players. The chance of them being selected, and staying on a 25man roster for a full year is zero. I would protect a few pitchers, but I would also maintain a few openings for roster flexibility going forward.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Bacci's comment on minor league pay. I've gain lots of respect for Giants FO over the last few years for doing the right things rather than following the herd. This issue is another one where Baer and Co. should take the lead, and treat the minor league players as important assets that they are.
Bacci,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points about minor league pay and conditions.
Agree about the postseason. It's already too long as it is.
I'm neutral on the DH. There is some evidence that's it's made the quality of play in the AL better.
I'd like expanded rosters. It would give teams a chance to carry a guy like Darren Ford who can change the game as a pinch runner but can't hit to save his life. Problem is most teams would just carry another pitcher and we've have to endure even more pitching changes each game.
I'd much rather have the team I root for in the playoffs than give a few AB's to minor league callups. Personally, I'd do away with expanded rosters in September altogether.
I really don't think expanding the rosters in September helps a team. It might give a team a speedy pinch runner or defensive replacement but I don't think that will amount to many wins. I am really into keeping a team together for chemistry. I think that is why we fell apart by picking up Beltran, Keppinger, and Cabrera I think it ruined the team's chemistry and confidence. This might be shocking to some but I think Wilson should shave his beard before Spring Training and quit those commercials. If we are going to really win this year we don't need distractions and one player sticking out into the spotlight. We were much better when they were just Giants and not rock stars. The Showtime show in hindsight was probably a bad idea. Let's get back to baseball and fundamentals. Our defense should be better this year and we can only hope that the offense is better. We need to find one more starter to invite to Spring Training and we are good. Forget Beltran and all of the other FA's. Let's get one more bat who is in their prime when Rowand and Huff comes off the books next year and extend Cain and Lincecum. With that we should be contenders for several years. Let's use the money when Zito is off the books to lock up our core players who will be close to FA.
ReplyDeleteDamn, Doumit to the Twins for 1 year/3MM. That is a bargain if you ask me, with the way catchers are flying off the boards. Looks like we're going to stick with Stewart and/or Hector Sanchez at this point. I really don't want Pudge or Ramon Hernandez because of the draft pick. Bochy coached Hernandez and I'm sure we kicked tires last year, so if they are dipping into the FA market, that's the most likely.
ReplyDeleteSo now your guy is gone what say you DrB? Kelly Stopach looks like the best bet for me. He has a beard, decent D and a bit of pop.
The thing I liked about Doumit is he can play multiple positions. Ideally, you'd dump Huff and let Doumit and Posey split catching and 1b with little more of Doumit at 1B. I don't think Shoppach gives you that flexibility. I'd just as soon stick with CStew.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the Twinkies might have the same idea with Doumit and Mauer?
Wow! Doumit signed with the Twins for the same deal he rejected the Dogs for. Man he must have really hated the situation in LA!
Same idea with Mauer for sure. Good signing. Having Ryan back is going to be good for them. I bet being able to DH in addition to a clear cut limit to catching made Minny more appealing. Of course knowing McCourt and Agent Ned they were probably trying to defer a million on him. McCourt can't help himself, he's suing Fox again just to try and screw up the proceedings a little. If they want to extend that halfway into next season, fine by me.
ReplyDeleteHaving a switch hitting catcher is a nice advantage. And some actual pop off the bench. Thats my main problem with Burriss/Ford/Whiteside/Stewy - you fill up with bad singles hitters you really limit your late inning options. If Pill sticks, it will be nice to have a cheap power threat, although he isn't much of an BB threat. CStew did make progress with the bat and had really nice D as well, and he's dirt cheap. No problem with that.
I guess it all depends on how Hector Sanchez performs in Spring Training. He is tearing the cover off of the ball in Venezuela batting .392/.430/.570 with 3 homers but I am not sure how he is doing behind the plate. Before you say "it is the Venezuela Fall League", I understand that but you have to love the contact he is making on the ball. I still think that it is his job to lose and as long as he is decent behind the plate in Spring Training, he just might be the backup. I would love for him to be the backup next year because it shows that some of our players can be on the fast track while others cannot. I don't think there should be a rule that holds everyone back because of what happened with Belt. Meanwhile Posey, Bumgarner, and Lincecum did not spend many years in the minors and they are doing really well.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Hector Sanchez hit in spring training this year I immediately thought "mini Pablo". Slightly different stance, but pretty similar, obviously similar body types. I don't discount the league, dude can hit. The Giants bizarre call up of Sanchez may have been trying to catch Pablo lightning in a bottle again. I would love for him to be the backup as well - because expecting Posey to catch 130-140 games is unreasonable next year.
ReplyDeleteIf he's not, CStew ain't the worst option in the world, but his bat upside is nothing compared to Sanchez, and then there's also the switch hitting aspect of Sanchez' game.