The Giants got an early 3-1 lead of Josh "Tomahawk Boy" Collmenter, but couldn't keep up with an offensive assault by the defending NL West Champs. Key Lines:
Angel Pagan- 1 for 3, SB, E. Pagan made a lot of OF errors last year, so this is something to watch.
Melky Cabrera- 1 for 3, 2B, Assist. Pagan's error came in the first inning, allowing Justin Upton to advance to 2B on a single. Melky limited the damage by gunning down Upton trying to score from 2B on a single.
Brandon Belt- 3 for 4, HR. Belt was the DH today. What a statement! Man, did he throw down here or what?
Brandon Crawford- 1 for 2. Crawford came through with a 2 run single in the 2'nd inning off Tomahawk Boy.
Hector Sanchez- 1 for 2, HR. A statement from The Hector after CStew went 0 for 2!
Emmanuel Burriss- 1 for 2, 2B. I'm tellin' y'all, Burriss is on a mission to win a roster spot and even be the starter if Franchez can't answer the bell on opening day.
Tim Lincecum- 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. Timmy was amped and went an extra inning today.
Eric Surkamp- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K's. Correa allowed an inherited runner to score, but you want to see more from a Rook early in ST. These aren't tune up games for them, they are opportunities to make a statement.
The Giants play split squad games tomorrow with MadBum facing the BrewCrew and Brian Burres taking on the Snakes.
Around the League:
Some former Giants had some good games today as Kevin Frandsen hit a 2 run dinger for the Phillies and Erick Threets pitched a scoreless inning for the A's.
Jarrod Parker(A's), Trevor Bauer(D'Backs) and Drew Pomeranz(Rockies) all pitched 2 scoreless innings.
Brett Lawrie of Toronto had a big day, 2 for 4, 2 2B, SB, 4 RBI's but made an error.
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Hector! I'm telling you, the Giants will eventually lean on his bat. They have to. It might not be breaking camp, that's my hedge, but I think it'll be the 25. Stewart and Whiteside are just not good enough with the stick.
ReplyDeletePagan is very aggressive in the field. He will make highlight plays and he will make errors. When is the first web or tv broadcast so we can see these cats?
There might be a another web thing before, but mlb.tv will broadcast Giants/Brewers from Scottsdale on Monday night, 6:35pm PST.
DeleteI had MLB.tv last year. I still have access based on last year's membership until the 9th. (Just in case anyone else had access last year, but not yet this year)
Oh, looks like CSN Bay Area will have the Monday night game as well.
DeletePersonally, my gut feeling is to not rush Sanchez since he was thrown into action so quickly last year (going from Single-A in 2010 to High-A through the Majors in 2011), just so he can develop himself offensively at the plate. That being said, you're absolutely right about Stewart and Whiteside, and I think the Giants' best bet in 2012 is having Sanchez as the backup. Stewart and White just are not viable options anymore behind the plate. I could maybe (and that's a big MAYBE) tolerate Stewart, because he does have some value defensively, but definitely not Whiteside to start off the year. I think Whiteside's chances of making the team this year are pretty slim.
DeleteIn fairness to Whiteside, he battled a sore elbow all last year and was an excellent defensive catcher in prior years when healthy. He has no stick, though.
DeleteI happened to turn on MLB.tv right when Frandsen went yard. Grooved FB right down the pipe. (Long shadows, late in the game, time-to-wrap-it-up pitch) But he got every bit of it, just crushed.
ReplyDeleteSo absolutely incredibly early in ST, but I'm really hoping Belt makes things difficult for the Giants brass.
runzler has arm probs...looks like he starts the season on the dl....then rehabs in the minors....which means his shot at making the pen is gone for now
ReplyDeletethe way i see it, if craw looks like he can hit 250, hes a lock
i hope that belt keeps up this torrid hitting....as long as it doesnt mean nate ends up as the 4th of....that would make me sick....and im sorry, no matter what shape huff is in, i dont think he can play the of on a daily basis....trade him
i hope that kfran can impress enough to earn the utlity spot
I agree Huff is not an OF. It's 1B or bust for him, I'm afraid. I think Belt could play LF adequately but not Huff.
DeleteJenkins on sfgate has some more details on how they adjusted Crawford's stance. DrB you alluded to this on a lefty malo post a while back. Anything that helps his bat speed is a good thing. Basically the mechanics are adjusted by him keeping his bat on his shoulder, flat plane, which stops him from dropping his hands. Coupled with plate discipline that he improved a ton from his Double-A balls and hopefully he can hang in there. I think he's a great #8 hitter actually, because he does see pitches.
ReplyDeleteOn Huffy I'm going to say he can fudge it in the OF. Nate needs to stay healthy and bust through his ceiling to be more than a 4th OF. I'm rooting for him, but he's at 1100 ABs and is looking more and more like a 275/325/725 guy with a great arm.
I'm going to pat myself on the back here and say that I posted a comment about Crawford holding his hands too low last September a couple of days before he made the mechanical adjustment. Probably just a coincidence, but I like to think I noticed it first.
DeleteI think if he can keep those hands up he will be a much better hitter, possibly better than any of dare to hope for.
just revealed....peguero had offseason knee surgery
ReplyDeleteguess that is why he is not in big league camp
and honestly....if nate can hit 275 with some pop....how do you keep him on the bench....his glove, arm and range save runs
Well, if the alternative is Belt with a .275 BA + 35 HR's, well, I don't think it's much of a contest.
DeleteBad news for Frankie Pegs. 2 knee surgeries in 2 seasons. So much of his game comes from his speed and athleticism. If the legs go, he's done.
DeleteIt was the same knee apparently, to clean up from the previous surgery? That isn't good news though. As hopeful as we get with these guys, we should always have Marcus Sanders or the usual parade of pitchers in the back of our heads.
Deleteinteresting stuff from game in progress. hector has 3 hits, all on first pitch....blanco went from 1st to 3rd on a wp....uh, i knew the guy was fast, but didnt know he was that fast
ReplyDeletehector is gonna be a pretty strong contender for backup if it looks like posey cant play more than 2 games a week to start the season....his bat is for real
I think the people who are saying Hector Sanchez profiles as a career backup are missing the boat. He's going to have a long career as a starting catcher for someone.
DeleteI've been a Hector fan from the first AB he took. You get the stats, you read up, and then you see em and you make some judgement. I think he's going to be good, and dismissing him as a backup is a disservice. He may not make the 25, that's my tempering my enthusiasm, but he should, because he can hit.
Delete