Skyler Ewing, 1B. DOB: 8/22/1992. B-R, T-R. 6'1", 220 lbs.
2014 College(Rice): .335/.403/.512, 16 2B, 9 HR, 29 BB, 35 K, 242 AB.
2014 Rookie AZL: .237/.318/.421, HR, 9.1 BB%, 20.5 K%, 44 PA.
2104 Short Season: .291/.417/.473, 8 HR, 15.8 BB%, 12.3 K%, 228 PA.
Skyler Ewing had a breakout college season in 2014 for Rice after struggling his freshman and sophomore seasons. The Giants took him in round 6 of the draft. His 8 HR's for Salem-Keizer are impressive, but even more so are his K and BB rates. Kind of like a Joe Panik except with power. Ewing credits his 2014 success to shortening his swing and improved pitch recognition. He won the Cape Cod League HR derby in the summer of 2013 which is probably where he hit the Giants radar screen.
Ewing was a catcher in HS and did a bit of catching at Rice. He does not have the tools to be a great defensive catcher and the Giants have kept him at 1B so far. My feeling is the Giants drafted him for his bat and will not mess around with him catching unless his offensive progress stalls. He could start out 2015 in either Augusta or San Jose. I would bet on San Jose.
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Love these Texas kids.
ReplyDeleteHe also is a very decent fielder, 2 errors in 477 chances, for a.996 rating.
Richard in Winnipeg
Giants sign Aoki!!
DeleteRichard in Winnipeg
Are you happy with this signing? I don't know what to think right now. After seeing his horrible defense in the World Series I am not sure what we will get out of him.
Deletenothing flashy. just steady. not much upside. singles, walks, doubles, some good baserunning.
Deleteshort term risk, historically decent defender and can play all 3 outfield position's like Blanco.
ReplyDeleteI see it as one year insurance on Pagan.
Richard in Winnipeg
Here is a list of all of the things I like about Aoki:
Delete1. Decent OBP
Oops! Thought there were more things but I guess it is just 1.
Yes, there is only short term risk but I don't think there is much of a reward either. I would rather roll the dice with Blanco. Him being left handed does not setup much of a platoon either.
fine leadoff man for when Pagan goes blooey
DeleteYeah, I see this as an insurance move. I'm still nervous about Pagan, as back problems frequently recur (let me tell you about mine), and until I see him play for a couple of months straight I'll worry. Aoki won't be a stud, but he might become a very handy piece to have on hand at a reasonable price.
DeleteI see this as an effort by marketing to increase sell outs by increased ticket sales from Japanese ex-pats. :)
ReplyDeleteR in Wpg
He hits lefties maybe better than rhp
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would have liked some power, but I really like the signing....AOKI is the definition of consistent....Hit about .285. with an OBP of about .345 in both the AL and DL. He will hit well in SF...Was poor defensively in the WS but he is a fair OF and a huge upgrade over Morse...
ReplyDeletePeople might say he's barely better than Blanco, but I don't buy it...When Blanco is forced to start and play full time, and especially bat lead off, he wilts big time....while AOKI is consistent as a starter and leading off....This also lets us use Blanco as a 4th OF where he is perfect...And let's not forget Pagan's injury history, we had to sign an OF
And a one year contract with a max of 6 mill per year? Great signing by Sabes...The power will come by mid season if we need it..have faith.
SteveVA
That's kind of thought provoking. Because Blanco batted .223 in the first half (mostly because of that horrible April at .125) but batted .296 in the second half and by that time he was full-time as a starter thanks to Morse, Belt & Pagan missing time and the position shifts the various injuries caused.
DeleteSomething else of note, he also batted fairly poorly when he was forced into the lead-off spot (.145) but when Bochy finally put him in bottom-half of the order, his BA perked right up. But that's just one year and that's not enough data to make a real case.
So I look at 2013 to see what kind of pattern may emerge. First half he was stronger (.277) than second half (.244), supporting your assertion which 2014 rebutted. But, once again, when he was batting in the bottom-half of the order, he was batting significantly better (.283) than as a lead-off man where he batted .242.
2012 was just too small to be reliable. But it suggests the same BO problem.
Perhaps the problem is the manager failing to recognize the order-expectations pressure on Blanco might be impacting his hitting and that Blanco should be a career 6/7/8 hitter. Possibly behind Crawford or just ahead. With the lower expectations of that BO position, he could be more productive.
Or perhaps it's just normal variation and some statistical flukes. In any case, there's no reason to believe he 'fades' so much as gets stuck in unfavorable situations where he doesn't play as well.
BTW, I'd made a keying error when I was computing Blanco's over-all 1/2 average. So I'll just copy the by-slot averages for 1 & 2:
Delete1 .213
2. .148
Not sure exactly what the keying error was, but I should have seen it.
As for the rest of Blanco, Blanco is a much better defenseman than Aoki. And another interesing bit. WHen Blanco is playing CF, Bochy does tend to put him at the top of the order. BUT, when he's playing LF, he's generally 5th through 8th. So we get some interesting BAs:
DeleteCF:
2014: .244
2013: .224
2012: .187
LF:
2014: .284
2013: .305
2012: .255
So, if Blanco is batting where he's best (bottom-of-the-order) and playing in LF, I think he's a better player than Aoki. Better defense. And, as a .280ish hitter in those less-pressure spots... So, to be honest, while I'd love some big stud LF as an upgrade, I think I'd rather go with Blanco and have him bat at the bottom-of-the-order where he thrives.
Move would look better if their rotation looked stronger. Oh well, they're up against it payroll wise with a couple ill advised contract on books for one more year. Gear up for 2016 anyways. We know how this works. Maybe the Padres can knock off the Dodgers if the SF odd year pattern prevails.
ReplyDeleteI believe, spring training will see them take longs looks at several of Dr B's higher ranked pitchers to gadge if a mid season call up is problable. That said they are likely wanting to see the starting 6 in spring training before bringing or looking outside the organization. Looks like Voggie is getting lower and lower on the resign list.
ReplyDeleteRichard in Winnipeg
I think Vogey is almost off the resign list. Which I understand a baseball move. But I wouldn't mind a 6-man rotation because I don't have a lot of faith that Lincecum (no matter how much I hope that he does) will ever regain his form.
DeleteDisagree about forgetting 2015....With the vets in place, this team should be strong enough early in the season..And with plenty of money coming off the books after next season, the Giants will be in a good position to make trades and improve during the summer if they want or need...Saying that, I agree about the uncertainity of the rotation with Cain coming back from an injury, ditto for Hudson..and the inconsistent Lincecum....PETIT could be a key..
ReplyDeleteSteveVA
Agreed. I think we will be able to compete with what we have. Everybody is so concerned with Dodgers. Honestly, that does not matter. We proved a Wild Card berth is good enough. The Dodgers are just like any other team. If they catch the injury bug like we did last year that big tree will fall hard. I am more concerned with the improvements with AZ and SD. However, with all of their new additions they probably won't "gel" this year. They both might be tough in 2016 though.
DeleteI'd be concerned with what the Padres got going. They still managed okay in spite of no offense last year. Now they have offense. If Alonso and Gyorko bounce back to expectations, they could be very potent. If they manage to swing a deal for Cole Hamels or sign James Shields, I'd say look out Dodgers. But, hey got to play the games out in the field on not on paper. That said, Bud Black is a good skipper and their pen will be a real asset.
DeletePadres have not the made the playoffs since 2006. So, until they do something then I am not going to give them the benefit of the doubt. They might look good on paper but that is why we play the games. Based on paper the Nationals should have been in the World Series. We all know what really happened.
DeleteBeing good on paper (having lots of talent) usually helps put wins in the bank - which has been true for the Nationals. Winning the tournament is another matter is usually a confluence of getting hot at the right time, having a stud pitcher or two on a roll, and catching some critical breaks at the right time.
DeleteThe Padres were just about a playoff team in 2010. Dropping 10 in a row in September certainly did not help their cause. Mat Latos was a big part of their success. The Marlins could get into the playoffs if he helps carry the load until Fernandez is back and at full strength.
I much rather have a tight knit home grown team like the Giants than a team like the Padres who half their roster came from outside of the organization in one offseason. Team chemistry is the factor that does not show up on any stat sheets. With leaders like Pence and Posey in the clubhouse it will not take long for Aoki and McGehee to feel at home and buy into the culture.
DeleteTrue, can't argue with that. For all the chemistry woes with the Dodgers, they've won the division two years in a row. Yankees with best record in MLB last 5 years.
DeleteOne more for you with respect to Padres haven't made playoffs since 2006:
Giants haven't made playoffs in an odd year since 2003 ! (please correct me if I'm wrong)
All in all, I love the competition though. Getting to 88 wins again will be an uphill battle in a much tougher division. Dodgers will have trouble getting back to 94 as well. Giants need Belt and Cain to be beastly this year !
Agreed. We were riddled with injuries in 2011 and 2013. As far as prior to 2010, the Giants FO did not give Bonds much help after the World Series in 2002. They did well in 2003 but it kind of went downhill from there. It seemed like any holes were filled with aging verterans. Klesko, Vizquel, Wynn, Alou, Grissom, etc.
DeleteAs for Ewing. San Jose, they need somebody mashing the ball, giving those pitchers a little cushion to work with ;-)
ReplyDeleteAny insights in a potential Jr. Giants lineup. Slater can hit a little I gather.
The pitching will be fine. Why won't Cain pitch well? Was this Tommy John surgery? No, he'll be free and easy. Hudson? A cleanup. The later he starts the later he'll pitch. Lincecum? Dad's back. He'll be up and down which is better than down and down.
ReplyDeleteNot to worry. Killer bull pen, lights out closer. Only need to win 5 innings.
But it is an odd year......
Agreed. Cain will be fine. He did not have structural damage. Just cleaning out loose fragments. Not like he tore anything. Pagan is a wild card though. DrB might be able to tell us if the surgery he had will fix his issue or if it will keep being an issue. I think we should keep an eye on him all year. If are we have a nice lead in the 6th maybe he should come out here and there. If those 2 guys are close to 100% most of the year then losing Sandoval won't be a huge deal.
DeleteI have a little expertise in the medical arena, Pegan had a microdiscectomy, they just removed the herniated part of the disc and left the rest of his back the way it was. Prognosis is good for non athletes but for baseball players it can be a bit iffy and the disc can re-herniate with all of the rotation in the trunk from throwing and especially from batting. Scutaro had a fusion with removal of the whole disc, probably due to much more degeneration of the disc and more of an arthritic joint as a whole. Not good for a baseball player. As for Cain and Hudson, loose bodies can be easy to remove but there can be adhesions with the surrounding soft tissues including tendons and ligaments that make things tricky. The articular cartilage can also be damaged in the joint and that is not good. All in all, generally much better than ligament tears but some cases can approximate the problem of a ligament tear as with TJ but I have seen some instances where the joint surface was pretty wore out and it took considerable time for non athletes to recover. Aoki is an insurance policy for sure.
DeletePretty much agree with RBJ here. I would add the most bone chips are broken off pieces of bone spurs and bone spurs can re-grow with amazing rapidity.
DeleteOne thing about Cain is that he has been dealing with this (elbow) injury for such a long time that he has changed his effective arm slot because of the pain..Hopefully it's like riding a bike in going back to the old way, but you never know.....I too hold some optimism for Timmy working with Dad again..I'm a little lery of Hudson, hip and ankles giving him probs, if the legs go, he's done....Well, that's why they have spring training!
ReplyDeleteSteveVA
Cain needs to be a monster, or at least the equivalent of Shields or Lester out there.
DeleteLike the power.More impressed by the the .290 avg.
ReplyDeleteBack to Ewing, right? I am most impressed by the K/BB but yeah, average, contact, plate discipline, power. Looking good so far!
DeleteIt's gonna be interesting to watch him,Arroyo,and Slater develop.
ReplyDelete