Two very long home runs by Grant McCray carried the Giants to a win over the Padres. Key Lines:
Patrick Bailey C- 1 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .232. Bailey is trying to fight his way out of a brutal second half slump. He reached base 3 times and scored 3 runs.
Grant McCray CF- 2 for 4, 2 HR(5). BA= .262. Oh my! That is a quick bat! McCray took Dylan Cease, a very good pitcher, deep in the 2'nd inning on a ball he pulled to RF. It was easily a HR in the old Petco dimensions which where huge. Then in the 9'th he hit one even farther to R-CF. Again it would have been gone in the original Petco. Even Barry Bonds found the original Petco Park dimension a challenge. I've been trying for awhile to think of who McCray reminds me of. Watching that first HR it came to me: Crime Dog! Fred McGriff! He's got a similar wiry strong build and the lightning quick power in the bat. Maybe his nickname can be Young Crime Dog? Did Grant McCray suddenly put himself in the mix for a starting OF spot next season?
Logan Webb RHP- 6 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 K's, GO/AO= 8/3. ERA= 3.48. Not his best work but a Quality Start. McCray's heroics made it good enough for the W.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 4.62. Whatever Doval was throwing up there, it looked like mostly 90 MPH sliders, the Padres were not picking it up. Multiple broken down swings and flails at pitches 6 inches off the plate. Now, if he can find some consistency......
Spencer Bivens RHP gets his second MLB start tomorrow afternoon against Joe Musgrove RHP.
Churn Watch: Cavan Biggio 2B didn't hang around long. The Giants traded him to the Braves for cash considerations.
Grant McCray partial stats this season Richmond 190 abs 6hrs 210 abs, Sacramento 190 abs 6 hrs 270 BA. Majors 19 games 5 hrs thats an impressive start for any rookie. Very encouraging. Is McCray a good athlete who is starting to figure things out? Giants need to play him more the rest of the season.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, after Meckler last season, I'm a little suspicious about any sole minor league success. That said, McCray has been solid, thus far.
DeleteCrime Pup?
ReplyDeleteThat portends quite an outfield for a long time: McCray (23 yo), Ramos (24 yo), and Lee (25 yo) — what about Matos (22 yo)?
ReplyDeleteAnd then there are Encarnación (26) and YtY (a young 33).
Do Meckler (24 yo), Munguia (25 yo), Bishop (26 yo), Pomares (24 yo) fit?
Who are trade chips for "The Big Bat"?
Is one necessary for 2025?
I enjoyed McCray’s post-game interview. Someone asked him what the ideal situation for him on the Giants next year is and his answer was “Me, Jung Hoo Lee, and whoever else they want in the outfield…” then he listed Ramos, Conforto, Yaz, etc. and said he didn’t care who it was.
ReplyDelete“All is know is me and Jung Hoo Lee out there can help the Giants win a lot of baseball games,” or something like that.
The kid has speed, some pop, and clearly is excited to play with some of the guys who will be on this team for a while. Two no-doubters, the first of which off a guy who will get Cy Young votes this year, can go a long way towards getting that spot next to JHL in 2025. I’m rootin’ for him!
Looking forward to Bivens start. He deserves it more than Mason Black and others that's been doing spot starts.
ReplyDeleteCan McCray follow Fitzgerald with a better Major League product, especially in power, than what they had in Sacramento?
ReplyDeleteCan they, and Ramos, carry their 2024 success into 2025?
This trio helps get over the disappoint-to-date from Luciano and Matos, who are both young, and we can hope they will make the adjustments necessary to be contributing major leaguers.
Likewise, Schmitt and Wisely are just 25 and developing at the major league level like Bailey and Lee, also just 25 yo.
The Giants have a very young core, and, along with a pair of 26 year-olds, Fitzgerald and Encarnación, offer a promising future.
Estrada, too, is just 28: should one injured-riddled season throw him on the trash pile when he can, minimally, skillfully back up the infield? That would be foolish, let the off season heal and freshen him, and see what a fresh 2025 can do.
Wade, too, has battled injuries this year, but, little recognized, he is having a CAREER BEST OPS+ @ 122!
Snell will leave, but the Giants will return a battle-tested pitching corps with many 1st-year players having their rookie seasons behind them: Harrison, Birdsong, Walker, Bivens, Winn, Beck, Miller, Roupp, Rodríguez, Black — that's 10 pitchers not counting Hicks who at 28-yo was a "rookie" at Starting Pitcher.
Ray would be a bonus if he doesn't opt out — he shouldn't considering he is still "coming back" from a long post serious surgery, but, who knows?
It will be a young-in-experience rotation behind a giant of Giants, Logan Webb.
As disappointing as 2024 has been, it's been an injury-ridden season of development.
Plus, the SF's best player will be a career Giant!