Three unearned runs were the difference in this game which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the current state of the Giants. Key Lines:
Who are we kidding here? There were no Key Lines! OK, I guess Jake Junis RHP put up a nice line:
4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K's. ERA= 3.93. Junis has quietly put up a decent line and eaten 84.2 innings while getting credit for 4 Wins and 1 Save in the process. He's a free agent this offseason and 31 yo. He might be worth a 2 or 3 year offer if the AAV is low enough. He earned 1.3 fWAR last season and 0.6 so far this season. Maybe the security of a 3 year deal might get the AAV down to about $ 3 M?
The Loss dropped the Giants 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card playoff spot. With just 13 games left to play, gotta think this all but knocks them out of the postseason.
Sean Manaea LHP gets to state his case for opting out of his contract tomorrow afternoon facing Chris Flexen RHP.
as of tonight, i am playing taps on this season. kapler and zaidi will be back next year but, they are on the hot seat going into 2024.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your criteria for deciding whether to keep them or fire them?
Deletethe big thing is we cannot see another year of regression and we cannot be killing the bullpen with all these bullpen games in 2023. if the rooks still are not looking MLB ready, it is time to change course.
DeleteThat's a really good question.
DeleteZaidi came aboard in 2019 inheriting a losing team, a weak farm, and a winning manager.
He immediately began his makeover, including hiring a new manager for 2020.
There are less than 20 players left from the pre-Zaidi system on the team or in the system, notably Webb, Doval, Luciano, Matos, and Tyler Rogers, plus Slater, Crawford, Ramos, Walker, Winn, Villar, Bart, Johnson, Hjelle, Randy RodrÃguez, Juan Sanchez, Munguia, and Pomares.
Zaidi has drafted or Churned hundred's of players into the system with about half the current roster and nearly all the daily lineup being Zaidi's picks.
The Giants under Zaidi have gone from a sub-.500 team to a marginally over .500 team. Without the 2021 super positive aberration, the team is somewhat better but little to show for the Zaidi-Kapler era, and, again discounting 2021, Kapler is a career sub-.500 manager.
One could say that the Farm is better but is there enough there to say a contender is coming?
Pitching may well work out to be positive, but where are even a couple good batting average hitters or a "thumper" or 2 to get the runners home?
Looking at Dr B's final 2023 Giants Top 50 Prospects list (https://whenthegiantscometotown.blogspot.com/2022/12/drbs-2023-giants-top-50-prospects.html) one has to squint to see an excitingly good line-up.
It's pretty easy to say Z-K has failed and a repeat of anything even half the 2010-2016 era is a pipe dream. Near all the fan comments on TheAtlantic's coverage of the Giants are pitifully negative: there is little faith in management.
The criteria for deciding whether to keep them or fire them?
A playoff team in 2024, and one that is solidly there, not the maybe-they'll-make-it-but-probably-not like 2023, a team that is contending with the Dodgers, not necessarily beating them, but that would be something to shoot for.
I agree on the MLB level but IMO the farm system is far stronger now than when Zaidi came in despite the apparent failure of a couple of first round draft picks.
DeleteBarring signing Ohtani to a huge, extremely risky contract, I don't see much help coming from free agency and probably not from trades. But what if they finish around .500 again next season but Marco Luciano hits 20 HR's and the MLB leve and some of Luis Matos' warning track drives start carrying over the wall, Bryce Eldridge is raking in AA and Rayner Arias doing the same in SJ and about 10 of this year's Dominican Dandies performing well in Arizona and SJ? Wouldn't you say the organization his headed in the right direction?
Deleteif we're around .500 but, we finally see rookies develop into everyday players i would not pull the plug. platooning, bullpen games, defense, and hitting are my biggest areas of concern going into 2024. i would move on from viele and maybe hallberg this offseason and either bring up brundage or bring back wotus to coach third base next season.
DeleteI'm hopeful that FZ won't sign as many veterans this off-season that could block the development of their younger players at the major league level such as Harrison, Matos, and Schmidt. Some young players like Pat Bailey establish themselves as everyday players their rookie season. Others take 2 to 3 seasons to establish themselves as everyday players . A good example of this is Matt Williams, former all star 3rd baseman.wuth the Giants.
Deletewith detroit possibly having a managerial vacancy this offseason. kai correa could very likely be a managerial candidate there.
ReplyDeleteTheAthletic, not TheAtlantic!
ReplyDeleteIf Kim Ng’s contract is really up, I’d hire her as head of baseball ops and clean house.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Kim Ng. I read somewhere that there may be friction between her and ownership in Miami so it's not impossible. She would be my first choice for next Giants POBO when and if Giants ownership decides to move on from FZ.
DeleteTo your point above, Doc, "Wouldn't you say the organization his headed in the right direction?" Melissa Lockard in TheAthletic Sep 18, 2023, had an interesting piece on her team’s 2023 minor-league All-Stars @
ReplyDeletehttps://theathletic.com/4867233/2023/09/18/giants-2023-minor-league-all-stars/