The Giants got encouraging performances from several players in their first spring win. Key Lines:
Michael Conforto LF- 2 for 3. BA= .222. Conforto did not figure into the scoring but whether he is the starting LF or trade bait, multi-hit games help.
Ismael Munguia PR/LF- 2 for 2. 3 SB(3). BA= .714. Munguia is having a sensational spring so far. Is he a sleeper in the system?
Jorge Soler DH- 2 for 3. BA= .500. Soler's bat anchoring the middle of the order almost every game should lead to more run scoring.
J. D. Davis 3B- 2 for 2, HR(2), BB. BA= .444. Hopefully Davis' hot start allows FZ to shift his focus exclusively to bolstering the rotation.
Nick Ahmed SS- 1 for 3, HR(1). BA= .333. Ahmed already obviously had the inside track for a reserve MI roster spot. The HR today may have guaranteed it.
Luis Matos RF- 2 for 3, 2 HR(3). BA= .455. What a monster start to the spring for Matos! His secondary numbers were good last year and it appears the added bulk paid off in more HR power. Still a long way to go before the season starts but if he keeps this up he may force his way into a starting OF role.
Kyle Harrison LHP- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 2.98. Webb and Harrison are on track to be 1, 2 in the rotation. Hicks is probably #3. After that it's Winn if he can stay healthy and then open mic night. Giants could really use another reliable SP if they are serious about competing for the postseason. I'd be OK with Lorenzen or Clevinger if FZ doesn't want to go long with Blake Snell.
Mason Black RHP gets another start tomorrow in Scottsdale facing Michael King RHP and the Padres.
Chapman 3/54 (20/18/16), 2 opt-outs.
ReplyDeleteAgree, would love Clevinger coming in now, with the Chapman in the fold.
ReplyDelete...and there you go. No sooner were the words out of my keyboard than Chapman signs. Pretty much same deal as Bellinger but for almost $30 M less guaranteed. 3 yr/$54 M with 2 opt-outs. Still don't like the deal will root for him to provide GG defense at 3B with enough offense. What happens to J. D. Davis?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I was wrong about the Giants being done with spending, lol. I think Chapman is a player FZ and Melvin wanted for his GG defense to stabilize the left side of the infield with rookie Luciano at SS. Susan Slusser tweeted the Giants are still very much in on Snell, so we'll see what happens.
DeleteChapman moves the Giants to $230M or $7M below the first threshold, plus, assuming they trade Davis, $6.8M, they will be close to $14M below the $237M threshold.
DeleteThat's not enough to sign Snell or even Montgomery without going over but still leaves Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger as possibilities, and neither is represented by Boras.
OK, well maybe bat Lee, Estrada, Wade, Soler, Chapman, Conforto/Yaz, Matos, Bailey, Luciano and try to win 3 out of 5 behind Webb, Harrison and Hicks?
ReplyDeleteThe long wait this off season now looks like FZ made the hard calls this coming season. FZ might end up a "forever Giant" ??
ReplyDeleteSo happy with Matos hot start. I want him to have a starting role in the outfield this season because I’m still a believer in his potential. If Matos, Luciano, and Bailey prove to have ML starting caliber bats we could have a sneaky good lineup with Chapman in the fold.
ReplyDeleteI didnt mind this deal for Chapman at first considering the length and aav but then I saw we lost a second rounder and international spending money for a potential one year rental. Bad track record in the draft recently so I guess I shouldn’t complain about the pick for a good player. We could move him still down the line so could recover there if needed.
Idk where JD Davis fits anymore but I’m sure our pitching staff will appreciate the upgrade in defense which I like. Curious to see which SP(s) we add. Perhaps we sign one and trade for another. Conforto, JD and Bart most likely trade candidates?
Unless there is a signing of Snell/Montgomery coming (which would change everything and make the rest moot--but, hey, I'm a fan!), I think CHAPMAN is moronc, idiotic money and asset management as well as redundancy...Also like switching chairs on the deck of the Sinking Rotation Titanic...Big Whoop, a GG 3B with a declining bat when You already have JD Davis???
ReplyDeleteTo me, reeks of Chapman being easier to sign because of the Giants desperation in the rotation and BORAAS knowing it, yet FZ had to do something with his mess and money
But again, my entire narrative changes if SNELL is signed....otherwise
This is still as bad of a rotation as it gets in MLB..Forcing a kid like Harrison to be #2 (can you say more failure and injury??), making a converted closer to starter pipe dream with inning/pitch restrictions your #3? and having nobody for 4, 5, or 6? and messiahs like Clevinger and Lorenzen being the only options to come in? Can you say 90-100 losses? But, they got 3B covered with Chapman and Davis!!
But, yeah, still a fan of the team(not of FZ right now)....so
Do they trade Davis for an arm??
Like what I am seeing at the plate from Davis (for how long?), Lee, Soler, Matos and Munguia and hopefully 1 can make the team
Is Nick Ahmed the starting SS already? Can Chapman and his GG play SS?
SteveVA
Chapman will play 3B.
DeleteSorry, that was my sarcasm rearing its' head!
DeleteCosts them a first rounder. Can’t get too excited about that since they seem to have restocked at pitching, seem to be turning the corner on Of and have decent depth / future potential starters for the infield. I read they could move one of their middle infielders picks from last year to 3b, which could even out the glut up the middle. Big issue is what happens to Davis (or Wade if Davis moves there?). I guess Chapman could move to short but don’t know if that plays.
ReplyDeleteBecause Chapman turned down the qualifying offer, the Giants will lose their second-round draft pick.
Deletehttps://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/third-baseman-matt-chapman-and-giants-reach-a-54-million-3-year-deal-ap-source-says-2/
I don’t hate the Chapman deal, as it isn’t the foretold disaster.
ReplyDeleteBut I feel bad for JD. He deserves to play and there’s nowhere for him here now. They need to trade him so I hope he finds a good landing spot.
Also it will cut into Flores' playing time; he started 95 or so games at 3B in 2021 - 2023.
DeleteOne of Flores or JD can platoon at 1B with Wade -- Flores more versatile around the infield so yes, maybe JD goes across the bay for an arm
DeleteSoler, Conforto, and Chapman have all hit more than 30 HRs in a season.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while for Conforto and Chapman (2019), but Soler hit 36 last year and 48 back in 2019.
Giants with 3 30+ HR hitters in one season?
When did that happen last?
1966: Mays 37, McCovey 36, Jim Ray Hart 33. Plus Tom Haller chipped in with 27.
The more I think and read bout Chapman, the more I hate it (and tht's hard to do)...Except for 1 month in the last three years he has been on a steady, significant decline at the plate. How is this guy better than Davis? Heck, is he even better than Casey Schmidt? and how is he worth half the salary he got? and how is he worth the assets given up (which I didn't know)? This is how ypu spend your money? Boggles my mind...But, here's the worst part, this is a guy that the Brain Rust of FZ and Melvin wanted just becasue they had him in the pas, not even considering how bad he has been since thent.. But, of course, they ixnayed Crawford for the opposite reason.. Yeah. I like the Soler and Lee selections as consolation prizes, but this team is n trouble from the head down. I really do want to feel different and hope the kids change my outlook.
ReplyDeleteSteveVA
It sure smells like an old-school cronyism signing to me.
DeleteMason Black pitched great today - maybe can step in for Beck. Steve you cracked me up with 'Brain Rust'!
DeleteHmmmmm...Maybe an olive branch to BORAS for the Correa shennanagins and greasing the way to SNELL signing????..Only way I can see a silver lining in wasting money and signing of the atrocious Chapman
DeleteSteveVA
On one hand I completely agree, but on the other I’m scratching my head remembering many experts anticipated he would fetch into the $100mil+ range over 5+ years, so maybe somebody knows something I don’t? If so, I’m all ears… tell me why Matt Chapman is a good idea?
DeleteAndy in OC
It could work if Chapman has a decent year — most of the projections on Fangraphs are optimistic (https://www.fangraphs.com/players/matt-chapman/16505/stats?position=3B).
DeleteOTOH, also likely & maybe more so, Chapman is another Conforto or Hanniger, and FZ deserves all the criticism he is getting.
It will improve the left side of the infield, and that could help Luciano at SS. The Giants can get a chunk of his salary by trading Davis for a prospect, and a better prospect would sweeten the deal some.
BTW, Fangraphs' projections on Davis are terrible, making his $6.9M an overpay, while the $20M for Chapman is an underpay.
OK, now I’m starting to hate it more.
DeleteI'm enjoying reading the comments about the Chapman signing so it made me look at the baseball reference page for Chapman and JD Davis. Their stats look similar except for WAR. WAR,-wins above replacement is still new to me so not sure how to evaluate it. It surprised me that for 2023 Chapman's war was 4.4 while Davis's war was ,9. A war of 2.0 is considered average for MLB regular. It's a little confusing. Maybe I'll appreciate Chapman more once I see him play everyday? I'm just happy that the Giants are showing a willingness to spend that I wasn't sure they had it in them
ReplyDeleteIts unfortunate that Brandon Crawford wasn't to complimentary of management, now J D Davis is caught between are rock and a hard place, not sure Chapman will be that much better, at least J D got a little more money, as far as utility man Wilmer is #1.
ReplyDeleteFlores is a good hitter and terrible fielder
DeleteGeez, get over it SteveVA! It's a good signing, plain and simple. Not great, not awful. They'll trade Davis, for sure. You can't keep looking at the signings in a vacuum. All together, they've absolutely made the team better. Who knows why the pitchers are taking longer. We're not privy to those discussions. They'll sign a pitcher, that I have 100% confidence in. They're doing all they can.
ReplyDeleteSteve, "atrocious"???
ReplyDeleteC'mon back from the ledge, buddy. Chapman is not ideal, but really, a decent add to this team. Do they need an arm? Absolutely. Does it back them up the the Luxury Tax perimeter? Yep. But lets see how it plays out, instead of attacking a fairly elite defender who is a very good bet to be, at the very least, a league average bat.With the possibility of being more.
Two decently premium arms out there and at least two or three arms that would be great #4 or #5 starters. Give this time...