Sunday, December 14, 2014

Community Question: Is Gary Brown Still a Top 50 Giants Prospect?

Hey team!  I'm hard at work on the annual Top 50 Giants Prospects for 2015 and the usual thorny questions come up.  It's always hard to compare pitchers with hitters, power guys vs speed guys, AAA prospects with low ceilings vs rookie ball prospects with high ceilings.  One this year that has me a bit flummoxed is what to do with Gary Brown.  He seems so close, but at the same time, so far away.  He seems to have no support from the organization and no clear path to the majors.  Where would you rank Gary Brown?  Is he even a Top 50 prospect anymore?  Yes or No and please defend your answer.

Bonus Question:  Same question for slightly different reasons for Adam Duvall.

78 comments:

  1. Adam Duvall i have no doubt his bat can play just need some more work. His defense is the major fault. As for Brown i still like him his defense is no doubt very good.

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    1. Even Duvall's bat seems like a AAA bat to me, kind of like Brett Pill and Lance Niekro.

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    2. I truly hate to write a guy off so soon, and I will certainly be rooting for him... But I am on DrB's side here. Of the 5 rookies who saw extended action this year (Duvall, Panik, Adrianza, Susac, Duffy), Duvall's plate approach looked the weakest to me. Yes, he has the most power, but power doesn't do you much if you can't hit the ball. Not a whole lot of Mark Reynolds' out there. I seriously doubt the Giants have any plans of playing him at 3B, but I'd love to be proven wrong in this case. They could use his bat if it develops.

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  2. Oh. Him. Talent wise, yes. And they did put him on the 40-man roster. But he's mule-headed so I think he's going to wash-out of the organization after this year. The bottom-line is he thinks he's a power-hitter and he's not, yet he refuses to admit it and change his game at the behest of his coaches (college & pro). I think this excerpt from a 2014 Spring Training article illustrates the issue:

    In college, coaches tried to get Brown to be more of a slap hitter, bunt more often and take advantage of his speed. The Giants have tried the same thing.

    "I'm not that guy," Brown said. "I've got a little bit of power, and I split the gaps. When you expect something from someone and they do something else, you're kind of shocked or you don't really know how to react. I think it's been a learning process of us getting to know each other."


    In short, 'eff-you I know what's best.' Even though he clearly doesn't since was passed by Perez and Keschnick and neither one of them is lighting the baseball world on fire.

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    1. I'm not really a slap hitting fan myself. I wonder what would happen if, instead of trying to change him, they worked with with style he is comfortable with. Let Gary Brown be Gary Brown? I just remember that the coaches tried to get Andres Torres to be a slap hitter and it wasn't until he adopted Albert Pujols swing that he finally made the majors and had that great 2010 season. On the other hand, Torres' 2010 might have just been a fluke.

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    2. Well, I've been following the Giants since I was a Cub Scout in 1968. I've had a lot of high hopes for the Giants, and its minor league players, dashed over the years. It's made me a bit of pessimist, despite the recent success.

      So I think unless Brown changes his game, he's probably going to give us the worst, in the batter's box at least, of a lot of players. And I say this not to be mean or dump on Brown, but the data is the data and it doesn't project well. After all, his numbers aren't pretty in AAA. And not just AAA, but what is probably the most hitter-friendly AAA in MiLB.

      So I'm thinking Crawford's strike outs. Crawford's low average. Morse's inability to draw a walk. A BABIP under .300 but without a power-driven OPS to make up for it.

      And I do hope I'm wrong. But I just see a guy who's made it to his level and unless something drastic happens to his approach, isn't going to get any better. Which is, I'm more than happy to admit, further than I made it in baseball and is equal (at level but not duration) to every man in my family that did go pro. (Three AAAers, no MLBers.)

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  3. Boy how I loved Gary Brown a couple of years ago. We have the same last name and I had visions of buying his jersey with our name on the back. My how a couple of years floundering at AAA can change our perception. Gary still has the tools so I think I would rank him around 25 on a prospect list but dude needs to at least get better at stealing bases and get that annoying wiggle out of his swing or he is pretty much going to be a bust.

    I like Duvall, he seems like a good kid but you could be right about the comp to Pill. It's very disappointing that he isn't a bit more consistent throwing the ball across the diamond because he has a spot just screaming for him right now and despite some offensive issues if the defense was stronger we would all feel a little better about the 3rd base situation.

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    1. I think that Brown's problems at the plate have more to do with that bat waggle and happy feet than slap vs gap power.

      Yeah, you know, Duvall is another case of so near and yet so far. You are right, the 3B situation should be tailor made for him, but he may not be able to field the position. Maybe if the Giants don't have a solution by the time the season starts, he'll get the chance to win the position by default. After that, it's all up to him. You never know.

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    2. Here's your jersey...

      http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-Fresno-Grizzlies-Team-Signed-Game-Worn-Jersey-By-26-Adam-Duvall-Gary-Brown-/201240832271?pt=US_Autographs&hash=item2edae3690f

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  4. Brown still makes my Top 50. He has MLB tools in speed and defense. But mainly he makes it only because some other club will want to try him out. He's worth a small trade chip and that makes my Top 50.

    I disagree with you DocB on your, "He seems to have no support from the organization and no clear path to the majors." comment. 1. He has a very clear path to the majors as the Giants desperately need a backup CF with great D and who can leadoff with speed. 2. He is on the 40-Man, he's been called up in September and on the playoff roster. He's been given two years at AAA. So clear path and lots of carrots. Maybe the onus is on the player to produce. And Brown has not produced.

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    1. Uh, except that the organization had multiple opportunities to give him a shot last year for exactly the same reasons and tried everybody else imaginable including putting a first baseman who had never played OF before out there. That does not look like a clear path to me!

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    2. The path is clear, the player did not step up and produce in AAA to warrant it. Stop blaming the management for the player's inability to produce. Two years of AAA middling production does not earn you and automatic cup-o-coffee, even decaf.

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    3. Who is blaming management here? I know I'm not!

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  5. Depending if we sign someone long term for 3B we should give Duvall a lot of time at 3B for ST. If we sign someone like Headley then Duvall should be converted into a LF. I hope he can stick at 3B because that kind of power is valuable for a corner infielder. If not, he probably could handle LF as good or better than Ishikawa and provides a whole lot of power off the bench. If Ishikawa struggles then Duvall is a call away.

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    1. Duvall's arm, or rather the errors it produces, has yet to play at any level. 317 games at 3B, 1078 chances and 89 errors. Fielding % never above .931 and .915 in 2014 in AAA. Rodger, what makes you thing ST is going to change that?

      I would say Duffy has a better chance to improve his arm strength and play at 3B, than Duvall making the cut.

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    2. Yeah, I don't see Duvall suddenly developing an accurate arm at 3B or being able to come close to Travis Ishikawa's level of D in LF.

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  6. I think they are both top 50 guys. Where? 20-30s is where I often put guys that will likely be in AAA as ML backup with some amount of upside (youth, power, speed). My list philosophy is that I'll usually take the replacement level player in hand over not a sure thing/not-a-clear-path-to-the-majors guys.

    Brown seems like he could do .255/.315/.370, wRC ~80. That would put him in 2014 Emilio Bonifacio and BJ Upton territory, or not quite the worst CF in the league. Bonifacio had 24 SB and 8 CS, and had a fWAR of 2.1 and rWAR of 1 in 426 PAs. I think we could see a line like that from Brown and it would be a decent return, and much better than most C-, 20-30 ranked players. I have to give him another year of draft pedigree and a playoff roster spot bump (albeit zero other options) and put him the teens (before I got into hard sorting and moved him up or down due to organizational prospect depth/promise). Besides 1st round pedigree, he also has 2012 as a season on minors-wide top 50 lists.

    And Duvall into similar territory - he got that power thing that someone (Carpton?) on this site broke down in the comments. He is actually on the 25/40man roster. 3rd base is open. He could also contribute this year. Teens for him, then adjust.

    I'd pop Brown higher than Duvall. Brown still has age,draft position, speed-tool, defense and option-years to work things out and fall back on. I have to think Duvall is a bad couple of weeks from being cut and replaced by a Noonan or Ugla type character.

    Hey didn't Perez play 3rd in 2013? 34 games in AAA (and one in 2014). I wonder if they can work him into a super-sub this year? He should be due for a positive regression for his BABIP up from .216. If it's ~320 again like in 2013, I think he can do a decent wRC+ of ~80. Not starter stuff but okay for the 25th man.

    Bench (Blanco and Mystery 3B starting):
    1B/OF: Ishikawa LH PH
    C: Susac RH PH
    IF: Arias RH
    OF: Brown RH
    OF/IF: Perez RH

    Sorry, it is late and I'm officially rambling. I was going to say something like Ishi gives a LH to the bench, plus Arias can spell Craw and Panik versus some lefties. But it all looks better if Perez can muster some 3b and 2b for a few innings over the year. You know... now that he is a established big leaguer.... He should be the one aiming for a Bonifacio-like/lite career.

    Oh, and Nick Noonan signed with the Yankees to a minor league deal.

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  7. Good questions on birth of these guys. I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said, so I will just say ditto.

    My point for posting, though, is that I think AnVil belongs in this class, as well. Is he still a prospect? He plays a position that we don't really need, his bat has really never shown up and his growth has been stunted by a couple years dye to his legal problems.

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    1. Oh, I think Angel Villalona is clearly down in HM territory now. I have to say after putting my preliminary list together, I'm kind of leaning toward HM for both Brown and Duvall, but I'm open to changing my mind, which is why I posed these questions.

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  8. It's your Top 50 so stick with your predictions and don't let others influence you. LOL

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    1. Oh, I will. This is one where I made up my preliminary list and Brown and Duvall were not on it. At first I thought it was an oversight and that I needed to add them in somewhere and bump someone else off, but the more I thought about it the less sure I was of it. I thought it might be fun to get some input from the community.

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  9. I just think in the case of Duvall that raw power is really hard to come by. It is a shame that we do not have a position to put him. On the other hand it would be also nice to put him at a position at AAA to showcase his skills to make him a more attractive trade chip. Convert him into a 1B and his defensive woes might be limited and people we see that he can hit the cover off the ball and want him for 1B or DH. Why keep him at 3B if he cannot stick there?

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    1. He played almost as much 1b as 3b last year in AAA, and more 1b than 3b overall when you bring in his major league time.

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    2. Good. Keep him at 1B and maybe an American League club will want him towards mid season. Why not package him up in a trade if we are not going to use him. Playing him at 3B is useless if we don't want to play him there at the big league level.

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    3. Rodger, with Headley gone (whoops), I saw a tweet that the Giants found some pills on the internet that will cure Duvall's clank-mitt and make it 10" longer.

      It's called a 1B glove.

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    4. Nice call. Easy on the 'Rodger'. Way too close to Dodger for me :)

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    5. OK, move him to first base. Do you really think Duvall is going to displace Belt? As for a RH platoon, Posey already takes quite a few of those starts at 1B. I still don't see a place for Duvall to play.

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    6. DrB, I meant market him as a 1B for a trade chip. He might have higher value if he can stick there. It seems that the big league club has no use for him so we might as well trade him.

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    7. I honestly don't think Duvall has any trade value.

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  10. Well, Chase Headley is off the board for a very affordable 4 years /$52M. I was hoping the Giants would sign him for 4 years /$56M so I wasn't far off. Now what the hell are we going to do at 3B? I hope the Giants have some very nice cards up their sleeve because so far it has been a disaster. Besides Scherzer I do not see anything to jump up for joy over. Shields seems like a decent 2 year stop gap but definitely not a 4 or 5 year guy. I sit here very confused.

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    1. No kidding. Sometimes, it's about making the game fun and exciting, as much as it is about winning. Bringing back the same thing plus some journeymen upgrades is just not fun as a fan, and the FO is really disappointing us right now. When you win the WS, you can afford to go out and overspend or take on a bad contract or two if it means fresh blood to the org. But instead, they insult their potential matches and "don't receive a rose" like a mopey kid on the play yard.

      Nobody wants to be associated with the mopey kid on the play yard. Even the quite kid in the corner gets more respect than that!!!!!

      Come on now!

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    2. Giants must be all in on that Korean guy and the Cuban IF. What else makes sense?

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    3. I agree. I never think it is okay to spend just to spend. However, when you lose one of your best players at 3B, also need a SP and coming off of a World Series victory why not make a splash by signing another top tier 3B or SP. They needed to be more aggressive on both Sandoval and Lester. Now there is not much out there and chances are our splash will be Jed Lowrie and a second tier SP. Doesn't make sense to me either.

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    4. Now Lowrie is gone too. That pretty much leave Gordon Beckham who really isn't a third baseman, unless they have a trade up their sleeves.

      Man, it's really starting to look like the Giants were really counting on signing Lester and when that fell through, they had no backup plan.

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    5. Lowrie came up through Houston, lives in Houston and can play shortstop there which is what he wants to do. Guy was probably never coming to the Giants.

      Billy Baseball

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    6. Maybe they had no backup plan because there wasn't anyone they thought was worth it. Letting players go elsewhere isn't because they're out of money. Headley and Masterson and McCarthy all have histories of injury that the Giants may have wanted to avoid. Tomas went cheap enough to make me guess that he really is a klutz, which is what the Phillies said.

      Yes, this is disappointing, but since we are talking about Sabean, the best GM in the business or close to it, the disappointment has to do with the players not being right, and not with the GM's being clueless. If we believe he is the best or close to it, we need to believe in him, in his judgment, and in his being able to keep up his record.

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    7. Gordon Beckham is no good and has not been good for the last five years, since he was a rookie. Steamer predicts he will be no good again next year. Even Arias would be better, because he is a sunk cost this year. Matt Duffy, over 500 or 600 ABs, should be much better, according to Steamer.

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    8. Just don't, Brian, say something like, "I am not impressed by his English," referring the Korean shortstop/3B/CF
      .
      Try to be a little slick and not so brutally honest.

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    9. Brian Sabean is a very good GM, probably a HOF'er. He is not perfect or above criticism, and I don't think anyone has supported him as strongly as I have,except maybe ogc.

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    10. I wasn't talking about past loyalty, or about Sabean as perfect. I was talking about how unlikely it is that a GM with Sabean's skills and experience simply assumed he would get Lester, even after he knew about the money and personal ties that his competitors could offer. I do not believe he is a blind, arrogant megalomaniac, which is what he would have to be if he was so sure he would get Lester that he and Evans and the rest of them failed to make plans if Lester signed with another team. I do not believe that he failed to think through his options or that he neglected to be in touch with the possible players and their agents, and GMs where that was appropriate. I do not believe that he did not do his job at the most elementary level, and I would not believe that he has been cocky and derelict until I had ruled out different explanations.

      What are the other explanations? I can think of three. First is that there are budget restrictions. But if the Giants had money for Sandoval or Lester, that explanation probably doesn't work. Second is that he made several offers that got turned down. That is possible. But since if he really wanted a player, the Giants could outbid most of the competitor teams, you would get close to a paranoid conspiracy theory the more you decided that the Giants outbid other teams and still got turned down again and again. The third explanation is the one I mentioned, that they saw enough danger signs or defects in the available free agents for Sabean to pull back. I mentioned a history of injury for three players. Losing the first-round draft pick would make Sabean hesitate.

      But no one writing on this blog knows what his reasons have been. That includes me. I prefer to deal with my ignorance here by trusting that Sabean has not been clueless or derelict. I prefer to believe that I do not know what has been going on, but that the Giants HOF (maybe) GM does. Other people who are also ignorant of what is happening prefer to make different judgments. And that is a position that I can't really find a good explanation for.

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    11. I believe in acknowledging Sabean's success and his ongoing skills as well as his weaknesses. Let's just say flattery and smooth talk has never been his strong suit. He has also had offseasons in the past where he has basically struck out which has led to some unfortunate fallback positions. I'm thinking specifically of Soriano, El Caballo, etc which led to signing Aaron Rowand. So, let's review what we have so far this offseason:

      1. Sabean started off by proclaiming that he would direct 100% of his attention to re-signing Pablo and that any alternatives would have to come from outside the organization.

      2. The Giants went into the Winter Meetings saying they would do nothing until Jon Lester made up his mind whether to sign with them after making a very public overture to him.

      3. Once Lester notified the Giants that he would be signing with the Cubs, Bobby Evans said, "we did not get a rose." That does not strike me as sounding like the Giants pulled anything back.

      4. Since the Lester signing, Giants related rumors have all but disappeared and the external options that Sabean talked about in the postseason press conference have also all but disappeared.

      Maybe they have an ace up their sleeve, but man, I am not seeing it now. Personally, I am A-OK with not signing any FA's or making any trades and just giving the kids a chance, but I also have no illusions about that approach winning a repeat championship in 2015. It was Sabean himself who said that a replacement for Pablo would have to come from outside the organization and Sabean himself who said that there is no immediate help for the rotation from within. While there remain some decent pitching options out there, 3B availability has all but disappeared.

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  11. Jed Lowrie is off the board going to the Astros for 3 years

    BREAKING NEWS: The Giants sign Pedro Feliz and Kirk Reuter to 2 year major league deals since they let every other 3B and SP sign with other teams. Lol.

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  12. DrB and all,
    I think Brown needs to be on the Top 50. In your depth chart, isn't Brown better than most of the other OF prospects, at least from development/talent perspective? He does need seasoning and whether he will make it as a MLB regular still remains to be seen, but I don't see that many other OF prospects that are MLB ready either.
    I realize that we all wish we had Trout on our hands, but being realistic I think Brown has growing pains but he remains one of the best OF prospects still on the roster.

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    1. Agreed. However, I think DrB and most of us believe his ceiling is now as a 4th or 5th OF. After his great year at High A there was hope he could make it but all of that hope has about dried up. I think the majority believe it is more of a mental issue. If he can get out of that funk and play up to his potential then I take back everything I said before. He is running out of time to change peoples minds.

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    2. If Brown thought minor league baseball was too boring for him to put in any hard work or make the necessary adjustments continually, I hope his exposure to the professionalism he witnessed first hand while being with the team can help him mature and motivates him to fulfill his potential.

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    3. Professionalism? You mean like other Giants players using his crewcut head as a bongo drum? Sorry, couldn't resist.

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    4. DocGroo,

      The depth chart is not the same as a prospect ranking. Depth chart is 100% about proximity to the majors. Who would be the next callup if there were multiple injuries on the MLB club.

      In a prospect ranking, at least in my mind, ceiling trumps proximity. I believe there are at least a half dozen OF lower in the system who have higher ceilings at this point than Gary Brown, who is getting dangerously close to AAA lifer status.

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    5. You know, when Juan Perez plays the bongos on your head you're not Top 50 material.

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  13. Yes, Gary Brown is a top 50 prospect. He is just outside the top 20 bubble and is therefore a top 50 prospect.

    Poor guy, can't believe a quasi debate would beheld over his "top 50 in Giants system" status.

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    1. Just locking at my prelim list, it looks like there might be a break right around #30 which might be a reasonable place to slot GB and Duvall into. It will bump a couple of guys at the end who I would like to include, but they are probably appropriate for HM too. I will give it consideration.

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    2. Brown is 39 on my list, Duvall 25. I do think both will have some kind of MLB career, and in the end I have to give them some respect in that regard. But I don't see either being any more than role players. Most think Duffy will only be a role player, yet I've got him in my top 12. Prospecting is a funny business, isn't it?

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  14. Definitely sad because he seems like a good kid. I want the best for anyone drafted by the Giants unless they are picked up by the Dodgers. Lol

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  15. Speaking of Dodgers, they just signed Brett Anderson for a $10 million, 1 year deal. Talk about rolling the dice.

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  16. I don't really get any of their moves this year. They are definitely high risk considering the players injury history and some of their ages. They did get better on defense but lost speed and game changers. They shed a lot of payroll overall but added a whole bunch for 2015. I am very confused. It is hard to believe their 2015 team will be better than the 2014 team. But then again they will not be too much worse.

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    1. Not sure why you would trade Dan Haren plus pay all his $10 M salary, then turn around and sign Brett Anderson for $10 M. Personally I would bet on Haren over Anderson and it's not close. I guess Haren must have really ticked the Dodgers off by accepting his option, but it certainly was within his right. I mean, it was the Dodgers who signed a contract with the option in there, so I'm not sure why they are PO'd about it. Yeah, strange stuff going on in that organization.

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    2. Seriously. That is like the Giants being pissed Scutaro won't retire. Sure it would be nice but they know they made the deal and they will have to fulfill it.

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  17. I really do enjoy discussions like this, and I seem to agree with most everything said here. I feel Brown certainly remains top-50. But there are at least 20 names in my head that I'd rank higher. Then, when we consider others that have fallen a bit due to poor performance/injury, Flores, Kickham, Osich, Gregorio,, etc... And those much lower/not previously ranked who are rising after nice 2014 seasons: Miller, Tomlinson, Black, Edie, Ysla, Carbonell, etc...

    I'd probably rank Brown low-ish, seeing how the Brain Trust has a vote of "no confidence" bearing down on him. His stubbornness hasn't helped, unorthodox mechanics haven't either. But he showed some very nice skills in his few MLB appearances, IMO anyways. CF defense and speed both are valuable, especially in these offensively challenged times around MLB. So, ultimately, Brown #25-35, IMO.

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  18. So which FA are left that can actually help the Giants?

    Scherzer - Wants $200M. Very unlikely. Lose a draft pick.

    Shields - Probably wants 4-5 years. A lot for a 34 year old. Lose a draft pick.

    A. Cabrera - May be a fit if he will play 3B. Giants called on him so they at least thought about it. Probably can offer 2-3 year deal.

    Jake Peavy - Not a bad fallback if on a 1 year deal.

    Ryan Vogelsong - 1 year deal might be good for both parties.

    Colby Rasmus - 1 year deal might be low risk/high reward for LF.

    Morse - Probably a decent chance he resigns but focusing on 3B and SP first

    Jung-Ho Kang - Posted today. Giants showed interest and then downplayed it. Can he even play 3B or hit in MLB? Remains to be seen.

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    1. My pitching target right now is Edinson Volquez. I'd bring Morse and his bat back for some kind of platoon with Blanco in LF. 3B is the big problem right now. Maybe try to trade for Garin Checcini or Asche? I just don't see a lot of options out there, even on the trade market.

      Scherzer is the only FA I would not be upset about losing the draft pick over, but I just don't see the Giants paying that kind of do-re-mi to sign Scherzer.

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  19. Yes, I'd love to see Duvall get a shot. I mean 60+ PA in one month. Power is one of the rarest commodities in MLB right now. I understand, I've seen his defense truly be lacking. So, what to do? 1B isn't available for us. I don't believe he can be a LF. He needs to be a 1B/DH, or somehow work out at 3B. However, I think Duvall easily ranks top-20 for me; for doing so much at our highest MiLB level, although his poor defense is duly noted.

    Maybe we need to trade a couple 'fringe' guys for just ONE solid MLB player. Parker, Adrianza, Duvall, Brown, Sanchez, Kontos, Kickham, Heston, McCormick, etc. Find a team that would value the chance for a cost-controlled solution or three. Get at least a "solid" piece in return? Desmond Jennings, Cody Asche, or Daniel Nava come to mind. Would some combo of 2-3 of these guys get us a strong reliever like Danny Farquhar or Brad Boxberger? Yeah, YMMV. Cheers.

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    1. Sorry, but any combination of 3 out of Parker, Adrianza, Duvall, Brown, Sanchez, Kontos, Kickham, Heston or McCormick is not going to get you squat in a trade. Just isn't!

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    2. This might well be true, but I don't *know* that. All it takes is one team to value a guy highly enough. I mean, masses of trades have been made that seem quite nonsensical to me. For example, I don't understand Sam Fuld for Tommy Milone, never in my mind would I have seen that coming. Cosart's trade for Moran and others? Geez, I would've figured Jarred Cosart heaps more valuable than that. Cost control is a great thing, especially for a small market/low-budget team, or one with a logjam at some position. Or as a return for guys that are out of options. And/or for a re-building team. Change-of-scenery swap for high draft/prospect busts...

      As I said, YMMV. You seem to hold absolute certainty. You could be right. You certainly may know a lot better than me. Cheers.

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    3. The Fuld and Cosart trades, while not the most obvious in history were both much more likely than any of the Giants fringe players you mention bringing back any value.

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  20. Brown? Sure, he does. Even if you stick him at 49.

    We have to remember that Panik looked like a longshot and surprised. I know a certain other blog thinks he's totally replaceable, but we obviously couldn't fill 2nd that easily.

    My wild guess is the Giants still hope to see him as a potential replacement for Blanco. He's not an orger type though, so I doubt he takes a roster spot past this season if he doesn't start to produce.

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  21. Catchers often make reasonably good to very good 3Bmen (Inge, Torrre, Bench) and Posey's not going there. So, what about Susac and Sanchez? Hector was pretty good in 2012 when he was healthy and catches Timmy. Susac showed a lot last year and should play somewhere. Both with good hands, quick reactions, strong accurate arms. I'd bet both can outfield AND outhit Duvall.

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    1. I seriously doubt that Hector Sanchez would hit enough for 3B. The idea of kicking the tires on Susac moving there is intriguing, although the guy is built like an Abrams tank.

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    2. I rather trade high on Susac than try him at 3B.

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    3. I don't think Susac is in a trade high situation right now.

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    1. Yeah, I'm not saying Susac can't play 3B. He does not have a classic 3B body, but as Trader Billy says, we're not selling jeans here.

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    2. You have an excellent blog. I enjoy it very much.

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    3. You probably won't see this so ddep in your thread but I want to tell you this: I am amazed with your knowledge and understanding of the whole baseball picture. I like to think I know a lo, but I always learn fromyou. Keep up the good work. BTW, I have been a baseball fan since the fall of ----- 1951!

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  23. He's beyond prospect stage of career.That's too bad he's unwilling to learn.He has a lot of ability.This is a big year in his career.

    Duvall is not major league talent.

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    1. Not sure who you are talking about in the first sentence there, but I don't think any of us really know how much any prospect is willing to learn.

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