From what I've read so far, I'm starting to think Freddy Sanchez is a longshot to start the season anywhere but on the DL. As I've said before, I'm not convinced Freddy plays even one game all season. A platoon of Theriot and Fontenot(love those two names together. Sounds like a country song or something) seems like the most likely backup plan. I wouldn't be at all against an experiement using Emmanuel Burriss and try for a "speed" lineup. What about Pagan, Burriss and Melky as 1,2,3 on the order with Pablo cleanup and Buster hitting #5? The obvious worry is whether you get enough OBP with Burriss, but he could be useful bunting a bit, putting the ball on the ground on hit-and-runs, taking some pitches to let Pagan steal.
I'm encouraged by what I hear of Brian Wilson's throwing. Sabes pretty much slapped down any thought of an early extension for BWeezy. Sabes: "We're still in the evaluation stage." Translation, "we're not sure he's healthy and he's getting very expensive."
Hector Correa reportedly lit up the bullpen he was throwing in yesterday. Don't count Correa out as a starter option should a backup plan become necessary. He got stretched out to 4 innings at the end of last season and handled it well.
Apparently Bochy and Sabes have been spending a lot of time standing around where Seth Rosin is throwing. Sabes? I like that he is apparently personally scouting some of his younger players in camp. As for Rosin, it seems he felt very comfortable in he bullpen last year. Everybody, including him, seems to agree that he can kick the FB up a notch or two out in shorter outings. He had a pretty good changeup out of college but he rarely used his curveball. He's now junked the curve and is working on a hybrid slider/cutter that rags and the Giants coaches seem to favor.
A new pic of Pablo is out. Yeah, he still has a bit of a belly on him, but he really wasn't exactly skinny in ST last year. It only seemed that way in comparison to 2010. I think he looks good and in about as good a shape as we're going to get from Pablo.
How embarrassing is it for Angel V to be denied a visa because he doesn't appear to be an "elite athlete?" This is the first I've heard of a chronic medical condition. Asthma? Type II Diabetes already? Hypertension? Lose some weight, kid!
I thought the full squad didn't report until tomorrow, but it sounds like the they had a full squad workout today. Hope Boch sticks with his plan for a OF alignment of Cabrera in LF, Pagan in CF and Nate in RF. Assuming Huff is the starting 1B, that would seem to leave Brandon Belt on the bus headed to Fresno. I have this suspicion that the Giants are going to try to trade Huffster before opening day.
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I caught the BP and some random stuff on sfgiants today. First off, loved the interview of The Riot and The Hobbit. I love the scrappy role players, I think they are good ones. Having Theriot makes the time table on Freddy much more comfortable, I really like the signing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to say I don't have confidence in Manny B as part of a speed lineup. Watching his horrible BP today was a reminder at how frustrating the lineup can get. He is a AAAA player. I wish it wasn't so, I like him a lot, but that's the facts. He isn't going to adopt Torres Williams/Pujols strategy. His only choice is to try and be a pest like Jamey Carroll. Bochy did have every player practicing bunting in the BP session.
Buster hit a couple out, and Panda looked great as well. Your spidey sense on Huff is interesting. He does look like a roadblock at this point, and is definitely whipping boy #1 for Giants fans. He may have something left in the tank though. I have mixed feelings on that.
Hector Sanchez didn't look great. Stewart had the best BP of the 3 Buster backup candidates.
This could be a moralistic state department snafu, who knows. From the pic I've seen, Angel V looked in OK shape. Who knows.
When I hear that Freddy might not be ready for the season, my first thought is if they might consider giving Conor Gillaspie a shot at second this spring. I could easily see him slotting into the number two spot in the order and being an asset to the lineup. Don't know how easily he would pick things up on defense but I still think it's worth a shot and a much better option than Burriss is.
ReplyDeleteGillaspie has a 2B bat, I don't see him handling the position defensively.
Deletemake sure you all read alex' bit on sanford...real tear jerker
ReplyDeleteand it looks like sabean is spending a lot of time checking out all the young pitchers...especially guys like rosin and hembree....
i have no doubt that they will be looking to replace wilson from within....healthy or not, no way can this org afford his next contract
Wilson's getting pretty pricey - 8.5 mil and another year of arb to go if kept? Yikes. But sounds like the FO is pretty realistic.
ReplyDeletePablo loved the LASIK surgery. Good to see what he'll do.
Was Freddy throwing and fielding from 2B yet? Didn't see any articles.
Freddy is not throwing from 2B. He apparently is doing some throwing, but when he takes grounders at 2B, he tosses them aside. At least that's the last report I read.
DeleteI unfortunately must concur with your diagnosis on Freddy, DocB. Not even making the cross body throws to first yet. Maybe mid-summer. Better get used to The Riot n' Fontenot for now.
DeleteI just don't see Manny working out. At best, he was OK batting against LHP in 2008-9, so he could be in a platoon with a lefty (perhaps if Crawford has too much troubles against LHP), but he should never be the starter unless he starts hitting for more power (I don't think he'll ever get more walks until he starts hitting for more power; pitchers would rather he just hit the ball to someone weakly).
ReplyDeleteI don't get that about Huff. With his $10M contract and 2010 performance, I think they will keep him as long as he looks good hitting in spring. I think the key is that while Bochy says that Pagan is the CF and that Cabrera will play everyday but the position will change, he only says that Nate is the "front-runner" for RF. That's much like 2010, and the way I see it Nate is competing with Belt for a starting position. If Nate wins, he's the starting RF and the dominoes fall that way. If Belt wins, he's the starting 1B and the dominoes fall the other way, pushing Huff to LF and Cabrera to RF.
That's the way I read between the lines. That's why he says Nate is incumbent, front-runner, but not the starter for sure, while Melky will be in there somewhere everyday, but not sure which position in the OF. That's why he talks about Belt playing 1B and Huff playing LF.
It's like the past few years, Bochy (and by extension, I assume Sabean) has been keeping a position open for a top prospect that they think is ready (or in the case of Molina, was ready to trade him once Posey was ready). They did it for Niekro, Frandsen (except he blew out his Achilles and his chance, then sulked away his chance the following year), Bowker, Schierholtz, Wilson, Bumgarner, Merkin Valdez, Runzler, they try to let the prospect have a spot he can compete and win. There's one starting spot, Schierholtz has got it but Belt could take it away with a great spring. But I think Belt plays in Fresno if he don't win a starting spot, while Nate would become the 4th OF again.
About Franchez, what you say DrB is probably in the back of every fan's mind. Especially telling is the note the other day that his arm is not even expected to return to 100% until August, one year after the surgery. So he could be physically healthy for his 2013 team, which ever that is (unless Panik or Culberson really step up in 2012, the Giants might try to sign Sanchez to a one year contract for 2013).
Yeah, this spring seems to be about a lot of good minor league arms, Hembree, Rosin, Correa, all looking good and getting good notice.
Wilson has one open year, 2013 then free agency. I have to think that if he is OK physically this season, they try to sign him to a 3 year contract in the off-season, that should be enough time for Hembree to work his way up to majors, get adjusted and acclimated, then do some serious set-up man work, before taking over.
I'm excited for Melky and Pagan, but I think we have to remember that they were both spare part trades. I don't think either of them are a lock for the outfield anymore than Torres was a lock for CF or JSanchez was a lock for the rotation. Either or both could be moved to 4/5th OFer status with poor performances. We might even see a Belt, Schierholtz, Peguero OF. The least likely part of that alignment is Nate in CF.
DeleteAnybody can lose their starting job due to poor performance, but I completely disagree that Melky and Pagan were "spare part trades." They will both be in the starting lineup opening day and the jobs are theirs to lose. They are both mid-level OF's with both upside and risk but the risk is minimized by each only having one year contracts.
DeleteAs for a Belt, Peguero, Nate OF, I hope that doesn't happen because it that means the season is already a lost cause.
About Angel, I was thinking what Krukow said in morning show, that some official wants a little something, something to get the paperwork approved.
ReplyDeleteHuff's contact is an issue for sure, and that might make him impossible to trade. I see the Giants wanting Belt to win the 1B job, and I don't see Huff being adequate defensively in the OF. I just have this feeling that Huff is a 5'th wheel this year.
ReplyDeleteHow much of Huff's contract would you be willing to eat? Adding a solid bench/bullpen guy at 3 million or so plus Belt everyday could be an upgrade, so I'd give up to 7 million or so. Plus Huff still has a 2mil buyout for 2013.
ReplyDeleteSo we have the back and forth in the media from Cain and Larry Baer today. I would like to know how scarred the Giants really are over Zito/Rowand. Most likely it is posturing and they have a strong commitment to their home growns. It might get pretty dramatic in the next few weeks before the start of the season. I'm trying to think about it from a franchise point of view, but I'll admit I just don't like Larry Baer very much. To me its a no-brainer to re-sign Cain for six years, and I'd move as fast as possible to secure that. You cannot get more part of the core than Cain. Baer has the misfortune of having to answer random questions, but it is telling he's boasting about a season long sell out and then hedging on Cain. Lunatic fringe fires can get fanned pretty quick on this issue.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Giants point of view, why take the risk of an early extension if they have to pay full market value anyway?
ReplyDeleteThat's my problem with public negotiations - Cain asking for "fair value" to soft sell, Baer hedging his way. It doesn't make sense from the injury risk, but it does make sense if its what you want to do anyway, then you have certainty. Jockeying back and forth is expected, and the reporters are going to ask the questions and put it out there, its big on all Giants fans minds anyway. I'm trying to keep the franchise view to stay calm about it.
DeleteOh, and Victor Roache fractured his wrist tonight diving for a ball in the OF. Non-throwing glove wrist, x-rays and what not happening. The comp immediately thrown out there was Jackie Bradley Jr, who came back and was drafted in the late 1st/supp by Boston. I'm bummed for Roache, and we'll see what happens, hope he can get back out there before the end of the season.
Just finished a post on the Cainer/Baer situation.
DeleteToo bad about Roache. The Giants do have a history of grabbing up guys whose stock drops due to injuries or disappointing performance albeit not in the first round. Unlikely Roache falls to them in the 2'nd even with the wrist fracture.