Whew! We finally finished running down DrB's Giants Top 50 prospects + honorable mentions + the Dominican Dandies. As we await the first exhibition game of Spring Training, we'll open it up for a Q and A thread. The new reply feature will allow response to each individual question. Any baseball related topic is fair game, draft, prospects, Giants, MLB, Fantasy, College.
Fangraphs did a 3 part feature on TV broadcast team. I was a bit surprised that Kruk and Kuip ranked #3! Personally I don't put them in the ranks of great broadcasters like Russ and Lon, Al Michaels and Jon Miller. I think Dave Flemming has the potential to be great. Kruk and Kuip are more like chicken soup for the Giants fans souls. They have a whimsical sense of humor. They have almost become one with Pac Bell/ AT&T park and seem to revel in the atmosphere of the place. Kruk is a hopeless homer while Kuip can be a curmudgeon at times. They are both hilarious when it sounds like they've had 1 or 2 too many by the end of the game. Krukow puts on a college level course in pitching theory every single game. Nice to see them get some recognition on a site that is not always kind to the Giants.
A few thoughts on the intrasquad game:
I'm thinking Emmanuel Burriss is on a mission to win the starting 2B job on the chance that Franchez is not ready to start the season. I could see him putting up an OBP in the low .300's with 40+ SB's with excellent D. I don't know how much that helps the Giants, but the guys in my fantasy league would be all over him.
Still getting some mixed signals with Buster and his ankle. One day it's fine and he's had no pain, next day he's saying it's sore after trying new things. Just a nagging worry at this point.
I hope Brandon Crawford doesn't go all Randy Elliott in the exhibition games then tank again in the regular season. He certainly seems to be raking it right now. I'll take the attitude that's better than not raking it.
Gary Brown looked great but Joe Panik struck out and apparently didn't look too good in the process. Just one AB though.
I recall a lot of people wanting the Giants to sign Grady Sizemore to to the tune of $9-10 M this offseason. Well, spring training had no more than started when Grady "strained" his back. It seemed a bit strange that early estimates had him starting the season on the DL. Now comes word that he underwent a surgical procedure and will definitely start the season on the DL. There are some players who seem to just have bad protoplasm and can't stay healthy. Grady Sizemore seems to be one of those.
HS RHP Lucas Giolito reportedly hit triple digits in a recent game. John Klima is absolutely in love with the guy. I see him passing Mark Appel as the frontrunner to be the #1 overall pick in the June draft. If you are the 'Stros GM, do you take Giolito with the inherent injury risk to hard throwing HS pitchers or the more highly developed Appel or go with the 5 tool stud in Byron Buxton?
I have a new favorite draft sleeper: Jamodrick Magruder, IF/OF, Texas Tech. 5'7", 170 lbs, B-L, T-R. .375/.595/.542, 12 BB, 3 K's, 8 SB, 2 CS in 24 AB. 2011: .293/.470/.391, 28 SB, 6 CS. That's all I know about him and all I need to know.
Bring on the questions!
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Hard to figure out a question, we have discussed a lot here, collectively.
ReplyDeleteHow about your thoughts on the new playoff format with two wild cards? I just shared my thoughts on CSN last night.
And assuming all goes as you think, what is the Giants starting lineup, rotation and closer for opening day, 2014?
Giants 2014 roster: It's a close call, but I'll go 51-49 that the Giants lock up both Cain and Lincecum and eschew any significant FA signings or trades. They have the resources in their farm system to build out the team from within which would be how they save the $$$$ to spend on the two aces. I think it will be obvious to all that Zito is done by then, so the Giants will pay him $7 M to go away.
DeleteC: Hector Sanchez
1B: Buster Posey
2B: Joe Panik
3B: Pablo Sandoval
SS: Brandon Crawford
LF: Brandon Belt
CF: Gary Brown
RF: Franciso Peguero
Batting order: Brown, Panik, Peguero, Sandoval, Belt, Posey, Sanchez, Crawford.
SP: Tim Lincecum
SP: Madison Bumgarner
SP: Matt Cain
SP: Eric Surkamp
SP: Hector Correa or Seth Rosin or Mike Kickham
Closer: Heath Hembree
How's that?
Oh yeah, Wilson will either get hurt or get too expensive.
DeleteOh that's good, I just was curious how you saw things working out with prospects. I was wondering if Susac or Joseph might make the majors by then, they could be in AAA by 2013.
DeleteI'm kind of shocked that Posey is only hitting 6th, do you see a regression on his part? At minimum, I rate Posey above Peguero and would put Sandoval, Posey, Belt in the 3-4-5 spots, though not sure what order.
Yeah, and I wanted your take on Wilson or Hembree. Plus who would be the 5th starter, if you thought Vogelsong could last beyond two years or if he wouuld be gone by then. I guess by salary he's probably gone by then, talent or no talent.
Oh, and I was curious how you saw the Lincecum and Cain extensions would work out. I would say 2:1 that the Giants sign both, though that is mainly on Lincecum because I think that the Giants should be able to extend Cain, it is Lincecum that I'm worried about.
Thanks.
I see Peguero to have potential to be a slashing #3 hitter type. I put him up in the lineup mainly due to his speed. Yeah I know, that drives the sabers crazy, but with a couple of good table setters up front, you don't necessarily want Pegs up there taking pitches anyway. I just like to get the speed at the top of the lineup unless there's compelling reason to put the bat lower. I remember the early Big Red Machine linups with Pete Rose, Bobby Tolan and Joe Morgan. Rose wasn't fast, but he got on base then Tolan and Morgan went to work to create havoc with Bench and Perez cleaning up the plate. That's the type of lineup I envision.
DeleteI don't necessarily see a regression for Posey, but I also don't necessarily see him as progressing either. I think both Sandoval and Belt have up to 40 HR potential while I just don't see Buster getting in that territory. Besides, I would be OK with putting Sandoval, Belt and Posey's names in a jar and drawing them out at random for #4,5,6 or you could move all 3 up a notch and drop Pegs to #6 or 7. It'd still be a great lineup.
The Giants, much to the frustration and anger of a lot of fans, always seem to construct their teams to be fringe playoff good. Adding an extra team in the playoffs would have almost doubled the number of playoff appearances during the Sabean era. I like having an extra playoff spot! The biggest objection seems to be the 1 game playoff, but 1 game playoffs have always been part of the game and I don't see 1 game as being any more of a crapshoot than 7.
ReplyDelete2014 roster? Great question that I will definitely answer but it will take more time than I have right now.
You need to click the reply link directly under the comment to have it intent properly and aligh with that comment. I've done this a number of times myself, clicking the other reply when there is one comment.
DeleteI like the new format because it gives an advantage to the division winner who plays the wildcard team, as the wild card team will presumably burn their ace in the wild card game. However, that advantage is negated for the most part when the team has a stellar rotation, say, being able to go with Cain and Bumgarner 1-2, then start Lincecum with at least 3 days rest third. Heck, depending on the part of the season, you might want Cain, Bumgarner, Lincecum in that order.
And good point about the Giants getting a lot more playoffs with this new format had it existed before. I would add on top of that, three Giants division winners ended up losing to the wild card winner, but if they had lost their ace starter, I would have to think the Giants would have at least made it to the next round of playoffs. The Mets and Marlins did not have that deep a rotation.
No problem, at your leisure.
Do you know where the one game playoff will be held? How do they decide who gets to be the home team?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't know but I would guess it's the team with the best record that hosts the 1 gamer.
DeleteThat would be my take as well, record usually decides then there are tie breaking categories that you go through. Oh, nope, read here: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120229&content_id=26927024&vkey=news_sf&c_id=sf&partnerId=rss_sf
DeleteLooks like there will be tie breaking games played to settle who is what.
If you could only keep one pitcher:
ReplyDeleteCain or Bumgarner?
That's pretty easy. Bumgarner. He's just as good, if not better, now and he has a lot less mileage on his arm.
DeleteManny B is on a mission, and the Giants are giving him every chance, I just don't see the hitting getting there, and because pitchers don't respect him enough to throw outside the strike zone, I don't see the OBP breaking 300. I've said it every time, the nicest guy, I want him to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI had a momentary Sizemore? moment, but the price would have had to be cheap, and there were too many bidders for that. I was more interested in the injured pitchers and it appears that no MLB team is interested in the likes of Webb/Kazmir. The Giants have hitched their pony to Surkamp with the longshots of Bonser/Burres/Hensley as the 2nd coming of VSG. So be it. I ignored the Sabean doctrine - react to what happened most recently - lots of injuries = avoid injury risks.
Love your sleeper. Did OK in the cape, stole some bases. 33 HBP and 65 BBs in his TT career. Scrapper.
I would take my chances with Buxton if I was Houston. They are so far away from contending going for the franchise cornerstone and developing him properly should be the priority. It looks like Giolito could pull a madbum and be pitching in the majors in 2-3 years. That won't help a franchise like the Stros.
Oh, a question? OK, what position on the Giants is most easily filled by trade, and what position is hardest? Do you see a "go big" scenario or will it be a typical Sabean incremental type trade where not much is risked for not much reward?
I'm going to say SS is the hardest position to fill by trade. I do not foresee Sabes pulling any blockbuster trades over the next few years. The only caveat being that he might be forced into it if it becomes obvious Tim or Matt don't want to sign an extension. Wilson might be a candidate to be traded, but the market for closers is a bit soft right now. There were several who went begging this offseason.
DeleteThought I would mention two things, not really questions:
ReplyDeleteFirst, a part-time Giants scout created an app for a scout to store their reports while at the park, saving time so that the scout can spent it with their significant other at home instead of writing the report at home: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2012/03/giants-scout-creates-iphone-app/
I love the idea, but assuming that these scouts lean more towards technophobes than bleeding edge, wouldn't they worry that whoever wrote the app could be stealing their reports somehow? If I were a scout, I would either wait for my team to provide or approve one for me to use. At minimum, maybe this guy can create custom app for each team so that the team has some assurance that their scouting reports aren't ending up in other people's hands.
The other thing I wanted to note is: are the Pirates jinxed or what? Or maybe just bad karma for some reason. They just acquired Burnett and now he's out 2-3 months with a fractured face. Hard for a Pirates fan not to feel snakebit right now.
OK, that got me thinking and now I have a question. I'm reading a lot lately about athletes that were holding back their potential because they thought too much, like Jeremy Lin, and I would put Ishikawa and Belt in that category as well, and probably Vogelsong too.
Now, generally, most people would say that alcohol and harder drugs like cocaine are not performance enhancing drugs, but as we all know alochol can loosen up people, and cocaine, well I don't know, but I imagine that if they are tripping on that, their inhibitions were lost as well: what if that allowed players like Mickey Mantle and Dock Ellis to perform at their peak, because they have no inhibitions from their normal "inner thoughts" second guessing them or holding them back in some way? Then they would be performance enhancing drugs, just not in the traditional sense of the word.
I had the same thought about the Pirates. Has any organization had worse luck over the years?
DeleteAgree completely that most people have way to narrow a definition of PED's. Nicotine is clearly a PED helping with concentration. Caffeine is a PED for almost all of us. Alcohol is a PED for a lot of people in social situations, why not baseball if the blood level isn't too high? My one thought with alcohol is that it doesn't take much to impair eye-hand coordination which is fairly important in baseball.
OGC, like the outside-the-box, "Doors of Perception" drug take.
DeleteBut, where do you draw the line? Were Torres' ADD drugs performance enhancing? Pretty much, yep.
Caffeine and Cocaine kinda do the same thing. A question of degree.
It's odd to think, in an era awash in drugs (prescription and otherwise) and drug laws, that about 125 years ago, there were no laws governing/restricting what drugs Americans could take.
I think all of us would agree it was obvious that Torres truly has ADD, but I read somewhere that the percentage of baseball players who have medical exemptions for ADD drugs is way higher than the prevalence of the condition in the general population. Kind of makes you wonder.....
DeleteHere's a question. Some think that Selig wants to eventually bring the DH to the NL, particularly given that we now have interleague play all year round with 15 teams in each league. Do you think that will happen?
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, no. I noticed how he moved the Brewers to the NL with his first move, then moved Houston to the AL, when he could have very well just moved the Brewers back, since they have the history, plus, now both Texas teams are in the AL, which I found weird. But now, assuming this, it makes sense: he likes the NL, wanted his team to be in the NL, and thus he won't change the NL to DH, while also acknowledging that the AL teams (and the Players Association) would never give up the DH. But at least he got his team back to the NL, where it once was when they were the Braves.
Also, beyond all that, it gives the AL a different feel than the NL, a difference that no other league really has right now, you could jumble up the divisions so that they are not geo-centric and nothing would really matter except for long-term affiliations. So that is actually a good marketing hook to keep around for the MLB.
Plus, it is like the Coke vs. Pepsi thing, there are groups of people who like one or the other taste and don't want to switch, it is their preference.
There is a fairly compelling argument that the DH has made the AL a stronger league. Being a lifelong Giants fan, I've also been a lifelong NL fan. I tend to view the DH as another Charlie Finley gimmick, but it has also had undeniable staying power and has a lot of very smart baseball people believing it is good for the game. I guess emotionally I'd be against it for the NL, but intellectually I don't really have preference.
DeleteI think the NL not having the DH hurts the AL more than the NL. Not that most pitchers can hit, but I'm pretty sure NL pitchers can at least bunt better than AL pitchers.
DeleteI remember in 1998 watching Randy Johnson trying hit at Candlestick. Pretty amusing. Actually the rest of 98, after he got traded to Houston, his hitting was pretty awful. I think he ultimately became a much better hitter after he signed with the D-Backs and got some practice.
OGC, while you're probably right that Selig prefers the NL just from the history in Milwaukee, I think he moved Houston to the AL for money and ease. They wanted balanced divisions, and the Brewers definitely did not want to play in the West. Easy to beat up the new owner, and send his team to the other league. And they are thinking that the Texas/Houston "rivalry" will catch hold.
I think that there are cycles in dominance. For years the NL dominated the AL, but in more recent memory the AL dominated the NL. But in recent years, the NL is battling OK.
DeleteOh Yeah, Charlie O. created the DH. Too bad baseball didn't listen to his warnings about the arbitration system. He suggested contracts every year.
I like how the NL does it, part of it is bias as an NL fan, but when I played baseball, there was no DL either.
I think the DH is good for the game, and I'm OK with the AL keeping it, I just don't want to see it pushed on the NL, I think the game is more interesting without the DH.
I believe the evidence is pretty overwhelming that the DH gives the AL a bigger advantage in AL parks than having pitchers who are used to hitting gives the NL in NL parks.
DeleteI know Texas felt forced to put Vlad in RF in AT&T with disastrous results, but I would say that is an exception to the rule.
OK, that, yes, the AL has a structural advantage because their roster includes a great bat in their roster, while the NL team usually end up putting their best bench player at DH. Forgot about that, very good point.
DeleteDrB got his question punted by Newman on fangraphs re Rosin & Kickham.
ReplyDeleteHere's another one: Who is our biggest trade chip in the minor league system?
Part of being a scout is taking pride in seeing talent where others don't see it. A big raspberry to Newman for blowing off Augusta last year.
DeleteThe Cal League has such a bad reputation for inflating stats. Have any of the teams, especially those with launching pad stadiums, ever moved back their fences or at least considered doing so?
ReplyDeleteA lot of teams in the Cal League, especially the ones in launching pads, are lucky to even have a stadium let alone quibble about where the fences are. Right now, there are two teams, Bakersfield and High Desert, with unacceptable stadium situations but no place to move to. If the A's go to San Jose it will exacerbate that situation.
DeleteMaybe if the economy gets back on it's feet at some point in the future, smaller cities in California will become more interested in putting up stadiums to attract minor league teams.
Yeah, this is usually something the minor league team can't afford and look to the city to handle. The Giants wanted Norwich to move in the fences and, I forgot why, but they had to re-do the whole field, a perfect opportunity to reduce the dimensions (they weren't going to move the fences in, but move the diamond close to the fences) but ESPN had some deal to shoot something there, so that fell through for the Giants.
DeleteI think that was the last straw, the Giants soon switched to Richmond.
I've never been to Bakersfield, but I understand it's one of the oldest stadiums around. It's not properly situated for night games in that the setting sun is in the hitters eyes. I've heard they delay games about 15 minutes while the sun sets out of the hitters eyes.
DeleteI've been to High Desert, and didn't think it was all that bad of a single-A stadium, other than being smack dab in the middle of nowhere. What are the issues with High Desert?
High Desert? Well, it is in the middle of nowhere. The housing market in the Victorville/Hesperia area collapsed as hard as any place in the US and the whole area is basically a ghost town. The stadium is in disrepair and getting worse.
DeleteI agree though, it's kind of a neat place to watch a baseball game. Kind of like Field of Dreams in the desert!
Marcus Stroman fanned 17 batters today against George Washington U. His FB was 92-95 with a "wipeout" slider, a solid changeup and on occasional cutter.
ReplyDeleteStroman also happens to be undersized by pitcher standards (5'9") so my guess is most teams would profile him as a future reliever. But he could turn out to be a shut down middle reliever or perhaps a closer with the quality of his stuff.
DeleteI love Stroman and would be happy for the Giants to select him in the draft. I have such a soft spot for hard throwing, athletic pitchers.
DeleteWhere do you expect him to be drafted Dr B? 1st Round, top 5 rounds? \
thanks
Stroman's stock is almost certainly rising rapidly. I could see him being drafted as high as #10 and as low as early supplemental round. The Giants like big pitchers but Lincecum is proof that they are not dogmatic about it. I could envision the Giants drafting him at #20 as a nice safe pick who will sign for slot money.
DeleteI think he's definitely somebody to look at closely, but let's not get too excited about GW. I could probably strike out 6 or 7 myself. If he gets stretched out, can keep his velocity through games and zap some better competition then alright.
DeleteHere's a sweet topic which might be overdone, but what the hell:
ReplyDeleteKeith Law Twitter: I do. I don't think it will be for SF. "@CurlyAce100: @keithlaw Do you still believe Brandon Belt can be an all star player?"
and: I see them not giving him enough of a chance. “@AdamDoctolero: @keithlaw Really? You see them trading him?”
The question is, will Brandon Belt get a fair shake this year? the next question is wrapped up in the implication that the Giants are stupid and don't know what they've got, and he backtracks in his second response, but here it is anyway: would the Giants trade Brandon Belt? (You didn't answer my trade chip question above) (I think its Joseph)
I think the Giants still really like Brandon Belt. I don't think they will trade him unless they get overwhelmed by an offer. That is actually a possibility with as thin as 1B has become, especially in the NL. I'm really sick and tired of reading about how the Giants didn't give Belt a fair shake or mishandled him last year. If anything, they gave him too much of a shake, especially out of spring training. Then when they brought him back, how, exactly, was it their fault that he broke a bone in his hand? Brandon Belt was obviously a much better hitter and player at the end of the season than at the beginning. Yes, he had some disappointments and hard knocks along the way, but he overcame them and is a better player for it.
DeleteBelt is going to play ever day in 2012 whether he starts out in Fresno or SF. Aubrey Huff is going to get the first chance at 1B due to his contract. Brett Pill can come off the bench because he is probably destined for a reserve role for his career anyway. The Giants have much bigger things in mind for Belt, so they won't let his skills atrophy on the bench. Even if he starts the season in Fresno, he will probably get called up to fill a need that opens up before the season starts. If not, well, he can move into the first base job next year when Huff is gone.
People, like Keith Law, who have no understanding of Belt's situation need to just pipe down about it.
Trade chip? I believe in using veterans who are getting expensive as trade chips, but if you are talking about who they might trade at the deadline? Maybe Joseph, if he does well at AA. Heath Hembree is a possibility. I believe both Panik and Brown are probably untouchable.
Agreed. Especially Snarky Keith Law. I see Belt either making the starting 8, displacing Nate more likely but maybe Huff, or being sent down to hit a bit and then be the cavalry.
DeleteI do think the Giants out of spring training did mishandle him from the press/pr perspective. I just re-read Baggs entries, and they were very hot on him, Posey comparisons and he's here for good quotes. They turned on a dime. That could have been handled much better with some slick "cup of coffee" quotes and more measured expectations. Not a Sabean/Bochy specialty no doubt, and we were all (including fans) in a huge post-World Series post-delirium and having a very good spring training. He's tough enough to handle it though, and when he does crack through, he'll know he earned it.
I am sorry Doc, no way they trade Hembree. Wilson is going to be as good as gone either as a FA or by the trading deadline of his contract year. Hembree should be just about ready then too. I think if Peguero has a good year the Giants might try to sell high on him.
ReplyDeleteYou never know what they might do if they get to the trade deadline and are in the thick of a pennant race. Last year after I saw Wheeler pitch, I would have bet any amount of money he was untouchable. I'm just thinking in terms of what return they could get for their prospects and who might be replaceable. The Giants farm system is loaded with bullpen arms who can hit the upper 90's on the radar gun. Hembree is not untouchable.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deletesorry doc, but the giants system is not loaded with closers
Deletenot every guy with a pen arm has a closer mentality
hembree aint going nowhere
just remember how long it took to go from nen to wilson
case closed
and tomorrow is the first game of spring
as pablo says.,.....IS BASEBALL
Sorry Bacci, but you are the one who doesn't have it right here. As long as Wilson is healthy, and he appears to be as of right now, he ain't going anywhere for 2 years. Read what Klima says about Seth Rosin. He could be a closer. Then there's Hector Correa who hits the mid 90's with good secondary stuff. Farther down, you have Jake Dunning who has closer potential. Chris Marlowe who was just drafted has killer stuff. Cody Hall, Ryan Bean, the list goes on. If Sabes and Tidrow thought they had replacements for Wheeler in the system, believe me, they aren't wedded to the idea of Hembree being the next closer.....in 3 years!
DeleteI don't want to see Hembree traded either, but mark my word, when the trade deadline roles around and the Giants are 2 games ahead in the WC race and Angel Pagan is on the DL and BJ Upton is available? Well, you can pretty much bid Heath Hembree goodbye.
sorry doc makes me miss cody ross. Gotta agree with DrB here Bacc, if we have injuries I think both Hembree and Joseph are completely fair game. Hopefully they would be packaged together in a blockbuster to get somebody great like McCutchen, but a parcel off to grab BJ Upton is a distinct possibility. I could see the Mets giving up Daniel Murphy or David Wright for the right package, as Sabean and Alderson have quite the dialogue going here. Wright would be expensive no doubt, but if Pablo gets injured? Murphy can't field but he can hit. If Freddy is out and the LSU duo ain't cutting it, he could be had for a price.
DeleteIf the Reds bomb, maybe Brandon Phillips would be a good target. If the Brewers bomb, Greinke would be a huge prize. Both rentals, and FA for 2013. There is a serious lack of premium talent, that Sabean is always reluctant to trade for anyways. But as DrB states with the possible closer candidates, we may have to deal Hembree who has the best closer stuff and mentality to get something good. I do believe there is a closer mentality, and its important to have one. I think that's what the 2011 draft was about actually - Marlowe, Black, Bandilla - trolling for big arms to see what sticks.
Trading Tommy Joseph would be such a bad idea...
DeleteOK team. Here's a name for you! Anthony Montefusco! Redshirt Soph at George Mason, threw 8 innings of shutout ball today with 12 K's. Season line: 2-0, 0.86, 21 IP, 2 BB, 25 K's. He has several relatives who have played baseball, but no mention of The Count in his pedigree. Wouldn't that be wild if the Giants drafted and signed him?
ReplyDeleteThe Count!
DeleteHe was my Lincecum growing up, and I was watching the game when he got his HR and Al Michaels gave him the nickname, I can still remember that clear as day.
Still one of my faves after all these years.
Count Jr. got some love from The Stitchhead over on College Baseball Today linked over on the left.
DeleteHere's another factoid I ran across: Duke Von Schaman is a 6'4", 215 lb So. RHP for Texas Tech and pitching quite well. He's the son of former Univ. of Oklahoma kicker Uwe Von Schamam. Man, I remember pops kicking 55 yard FG's and getting his pic on the cover of SI back in the day!
Here's a list of the 2014 FA class, what pops out at me is the OF candidates.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/02/2014-mlb-free-agents.html
Ellsbury, Choo, Adam Jones, Hunter Pence.
If the Yanks haven't locked him up, Cano would be a FA (they have an option they will definitely pick up for 2013). If there is one guy to go burn rainy day funds on...
MAGRUDER!! MAGRUDER!! Just based on his name you can pretty much guarantee he wont make it in the pro's, the heckles that opposing fans would come up with would be too distracting. I can see entire sections of fans dressed with mullets quoting that horrific movie that made me pee my pants 2 or 3 times.
ReplyDeleteNot sure where the confidence in Manny B comes from. Everyone knows he can't hit and everyone should also know that his defense isn't exactly lights out. This has to be his last chance to break the bigs so I expect him to do everything he can to prove himself but not sure it will be enough.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ScoutingTheSally
ReplyDeleteinteresting youtube channel...with links to scouting writeups of kids in the sally
Drb, a couple of interesting notes in the Wichita St vs Hawaii series this weekend. Last nights starting pitcher for Wichita St. Mitch Mormann was the 20th round selection of the Giants in 2009. He's listed as 6'6" 255 lbs RHP and a redshirt senior. He throws a heavy mid 90s fastball along with a slider.. He had command issues last night in 6 innings with 3 walks, 1 HP and didn't make batters swing and miss a lot with only 1 K. He was also the 25th round selection by the Tigers in 2011 despite sitting out transferring from LSU to Wichita St. But this kid has a live arm, so you never know if the Giants have an eye on drafting him again in the mid rounds of the draft. His season stats so far are 1 win 2 losses and a 3.95 ERA. Conor Gillaspie's brother Casey is also playing for the Shockers and was one of their better recruits. He's 6'4" 230 lbs and also bats lefthanded. The Shockers have some talent that will be drafted this year. They have a 1st baseman/OF Johnny Coy who is a redshirt junior listed as 6'8" 215 lbs who is 4 for 8 in the series so far and was a 45th round selection last year by the Blue Jays. His season stats are .488 BA 2 hrs 10 rbis.
ReplyDeleteLG
Gotta think Mitch Mormann might be better off if he had signed with the Giants in 2009.
DeleteThere's a 6'8", 230 lb dude who plays CF/RHP for Fresno State who reportedly plays CF like a gazelle, Aaron Jordan or some name like that. Dudes that tall tend to have trouble controlling the strike zone though.
Judge, Aaron Judge is the big dude at Fresno State.
DeleteAaron Judge is a talented player and athetic, but he's only a sophmore. My 1st impression was he should be playing basketball, until he had like a 3 hit game against Hawaii. Baseball America ranked him as the #1 player in the WAC and says he's a potential 1st round pick in the 2013 draft. We'll see if he can improve his game to that level. Doesn't John Barr like to draft athletic outfielders?
DeleteI became curious to see how he's doing, and found that Judge hit 2 hrs last night against Mark Appel of Stanford in a 7-4 Fresno St victory. I bet scouts took notice of that performance by both players.. Judge was off to a slow start before last night hitting only .259 with 0 hrs and 3 rbis for the season.
LG
Judge is an intriguing player, that's for sure. My concern would whether a 6"7" guy could control the strike zone against MLB pitchers.
DeleteBelt goes 3 for 4 with a solo HR late in the game, and its on!
ReplyDeleteIf he keeps it up, he can play 1st, Huff can play left and Nate the Great can sub in late game, fill in for Melky/Pagan as needed. I really like Nate and would love for him to take the next step, but as of 1100 MLB ABs he is a 275/325/725 guy with good defense and a great arm. A 4th OF. A good one, but a 4th OF. There is nothing wrong with that, he's still a very useful piece.
Got a Game Wrap up.
DeleteIke Davis might have valley fever. If I'm the Giants, I'm screening every player who is from that area. Tommy Joseph is a native AZ. This is some scary stuff. It would be a shame if Ike washes out a promising career the way Conor Jackson did.
ReplyDeleteThey need to be more worried about the guys who are not from Arizona. If they've lived there a long time, chances are they have had a subclinical case already and are immune. The stuff is in the dirt there and tends to infect people when the dust blows. If you get a bad case, though, it can be life threatening. Gotta think it's affected Conor Jackson long term.
Delete