Those of you who have been around here awhile know we start scouting the draft during to offseason, because it's fun and because things get too busy once he season starts. Before we get into scouting drat prospects for 2020, let's review the 2019 draft to see the early returns. While it is generally better for a drafted and signed player to get off to a good start to their career, a good start does not mean they are a great prospect and a slow start does not mean they are a bad prospect. Grades are for fun and are for performance only not a measure of value as a prospect.
Round 1 #10: Hunter Bishop, OF, College(ASU). DOB: 6/25/1998. B-L, T-R. 6'5", 210 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .250/.483/.550, 3 2B, HR, 2 SB, 31.0 BB%, 37.9 K%, 29 PA.
Short Season: .224/.427/.400, 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 6 SB, 24.8 BB%, 23.9 K%, 117 PA.
Not sure what to make of Hunter Bishop's pro debut. I don't recall seeing or even hearing of a more extreme 3 true outcomes approach this early in a career. How that plays at higher levels is something to watch closely. Grade B.
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Round 2 #51: Logan Wyatt, 1B/OF, College(Louisville). DOB: 11/15/1997. B- L, T-R. 6'4", 230 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .375/.448/.417, 2B, 13.8 BB%, 20.7 K%, 29 PA.
Short Season: .284/.385/.403, 2 2B, 2 HR, 12.8 BB%, 11.5 K%, 78 PA.
A: .233/.368/.333, 3 2B, HR, 15.8 BB%, 18.4 K%, 76 PA.
Nice plate discipline but disappointing power from a guy who projects as a 1B only. Grade B.
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Round 3 #87: Grant McCray, OF, HS. DOB: 12/7/2000. B-L, T-R. 6'2", 170 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .270/.379/.335, 5 2B, 2 3B, HR, 17 SB, 13 CS, 13.6 BB%, 24.5 K%, 220 PA.
Relatively unknown before the draft. Got off to a slow start hitting just .114 in June, but then took off, hitting .292 in July and .321 in August. Has projectable power. Needs to cut down on CS to be a base stealing threat at higher levels. Grade B.
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Round 4 #116. Tyler Fitzgerald, SS, College(Louisville). DOB: 9/15/1997. B-R, T-R. 6'3", 205 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .273/.308/.636, 2B, HR, 13 PA.
Short Season: .284/.381/.431, 11 2B, 2 3B, 12.7 BB%, 20.3 K%, 118 PA.
A: .264/.333/.306, 3 2B, 9.6 BB%, 20.5 K%, 83 PA.
Hit for decent BA with doubles power and strong plate discipline. No word on defense at SS. Grade B.
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Round 5 #146. Garrett Frechette 1B, HS. DOB: 12/31/2000. B-L, T-L. 6'3", 200 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .290/.364/.366, 7 2B, 2 3B, 6.7 BB%, 21.1 K%, 165 PA.
Giants landed this sweet-swinging HS prospect with an above-slot bonus. Hit well at appropriate level. Power will have to develop given 1B profile. Grade B.
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Round 6, #176. Dilan Rosario SS, HS. DOB: 06/16/2001. B-R, T-R. 6'0", 175 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .214/.254/.364, 9 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 9 SB, 5.5 BB%, 35.8 K%.
Another above-slot bonus. Impressive power but with severe contact and plate discipline issues. Has time to develop those. No word on defense. Grade C+.
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Round 7, #206. Armani Smith OF, College(UCSB). DOB: 8/7/1998. B-R, T-R. 6'4", 215 lbs.
Rookie AZL: .211/.318/.316, 3B, SB, 13.6 BB%, 31.8 K%, 22 PA.
Short Season: .307/.372/.454, 6 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 2 SB, 9.8 BB%, 30.1 K%, 183 PA.
Strong slash line at appropriate level. K rate needs to come down. Grade B.
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Round 8, #236. Caleb Kilian RHP, College(Texas Tech). DOB: 6/2/1997. 6'4", 180 lbs.
Rookie AZL: 0-0, 0.00, 12 IP, 8.25 K/9, 1.50 BB/9.
Short Season: 0-0, 0.00, 4 IP, 13.50 K/9, 0.00 BB/9.
Giants finally drafted a pitcher in round 8. Extremely conservative placement and innings limits. Pitched well in extremely small sample. Grade C(I'm actually bullish on him going forward).
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Round 9, #266. Simon Whiteman SS, College(Yale). DOB: 1/28/1997. B-R, T-R. 5'10", 165 lbs.
Short Season: .279/.401/.349, 7 2B, 3B, 15 SB, 8 CS, 15.8 BB%, 14.6 K%, 158 PA.
A: .269/.371/.277, 2B, 16 SB, 3 CS, 13.2 BB$, 23.7 K%, 152 PA.
College Senior signed way underslot. Pretty strong numbers with fairly aggressive placement. Obvious lack of power may catch up at higher levels. Grade B.
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Round 10, #296. Jeff Houghtby 2B, College(San Diego). DOB: 5/13/1997. B-L, T-R. 5'11", 175 lbs.
Short Season: .235/.343/.382, 16 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 2 SB, 11.7 BB%, 20.9 K%, 239 PA.
Another college senior underslot bonus. Nice walk rate with gap power but disappointing BA. Grade C.
*********************************************************************************
Giants signed all 10 of their top 10 draft picks. All performed well in their pro debuts but with no outstanding performances.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Giants Depth Charts: Catcher
We'll start our annual Depth Charts series which as originally a commenter suggestion and has now become an annual ritual for When the Giants Come to Town. The purpose of doing this at the end of each season is to get a better idea of what assets the Giants have within the organization which informs their offseason needs. We start with the 40 man roster and work our way down to the DSL so we also get in a bit of prospecting in the process. We'll start off with the Catcher position.
40 man MLB Roster:
1. Buster Posey
2. Aramis Garcia
Steven Vogt is a free agent who IMO, the Giants should bring back. His left-handed bat and ability to play some LF compliments Buster Posey well. Buster Posey himself is coming off the worst season of his career, by far. Will a full offseason a full year after hip surgery give him a chance to build his leg strength back or re-tool his swing mechanics? Will that translate into improved offensive production? One minor mystery is why he had a stellar defensive season, especially throwing out baserunners, yet seemed to have no base at the plate? Aramis Garcia has toonder in his bat, but when you strike out at a rate of 45%, it's hard to tap into. Is it possible for him to cut that down significantly at this point in his career?
AAA:
None.
I'm pretty sure Francisco Pena and Ronnie Freeman are both free agents. Pena had a strong season in a crazy hitter's environment. He's probably worth bringing back for MLB depth.
AA:
Joey Bart
Joey Bart is the guy to be excited about on this list. He is coming fast after going on a small sample size tear after his late season promotion to Richmond. He's currently blasting the Arizona Fall League too. If he keeps this up, the Giants will be faced with some tough calls about how to juggle the beginning of Joey's MLB career with the end of Buster Posey's. I'm pretty sure Jin-De Jhang and Matt Winn currently listed on the Flying Squirrels roster are both free agents.
A+:
Fabian Pena
Chris Corbett
Pena was a 25'th round draft pick in 2018 out of an obscure program(Manhattan). Hit just .222 in 144 AB for the SJ Giants but this was a very aggressive placement for him. Corbett was an 18'th round pick in 2017 out of an even more obscure Rollins(FL). He has struggled to hit at all in the pros(.169 for 2 teams in 2019). Hamlet Marte is listed on the SJ Giants roster, but I think he is a free agent.
A:
Ricardo Genoves
Jeffry Parra
Andres Angulo
Genoves was a 6-figure international bonus baby way back in 2015. Hard to believe he's already played 4 professional seasons, but he's still just 20 yo. He had a bit of a power breakout in 2019 hitting 9 HR in 196 AB for Salem-Keizer and Augusta. Jeffry Parra was a 24 round draft pick in 2016 out of HS(NY). His bat has just never come around and he hit just .161 for Augusta in 2019. Angulo has played 5 pro seasons but it took him 4 seasons to get out of rookie ball. He hit just .210 in 252 AB for the Greenjackets in 2019.
Short Season:
Matt Malkin
Brandon Martorano
Martorano was drafted in the 16'th round(2019) out of North Carolina and was assigned to S-K after just 21 AB in Arizona. He slashed .260/.365/.385 with 3 HR in 96 AB. Malkin was an undrafted free agent(23 yo) who hit .309 for 4 different teams mostly with Giants Black(AZL).
Rookie AZL:
Cesar Gonzalez
Keyberth Mejias
Rodolfo Bone
Angel Guzman
Omar Medina
Gonzalez is 18 yo and OPS'd 1.032 in 37 AB for the DSL Giants in 2018. He hit just .200 in 60 AB for Giants Black in 2019. Mejias is a 20 yo DSL graduate who hit just .161 between Giants Black and S-K in 2019. Braden Frankfort is listed on the Giants Black roster but was placed on the restricted list in April. Everybody's favorite name, Rodolfo Bone(19 yo) hit .317 for the DSL Giants in 2018, .240 for Giants Orange in 2019. Angel Guzman(19 yo) was drafted in the 21'st round in 2018. He hit .289 in 45 AB for Giants Black in 2018 but just .081 in 37 AB for Giants Orange in 2019. Omar Medina(19 yo) started 2019 in his third DSL season. He hit .317 and got a midseason promotion to Arizona where he hit just .169 in 71 AB.
DSL:
Ronaldo Flores
Rayner Santana
Eduardo Jaramillo
Flores(17 yo) slashed .325/.370/.408 in his pro debut. Santana(17 yo) played most of his debut season at age 16 and led the DSL Giants in HR's with 10 while hitting .294. Jaramillo(17 yo) hit just .176 in 85 AB.
40 man MLB Roster:
1. Buster Posey
2. Aramis Garcia
Steven Vogt is a free agent who IMO, the Giants should bring back. His left-handed bat and ability to play some LF compliments Buster Posey well. Buster Posey himself is coming off the worst season of his career, by far. Will a full offseason a full year after hip surgery give him a chance to build his leg strength back or re-tool his swing mechanics? Will that translate into improved offensive production? One minor mystery is why he had a stellar defensive season, especially throwing out baserunners, yet seemed to have no base at the plate? Aramis Garcia has toonder in his bat, but when you strike out at a rate of 45%, it's hard to tap into. Is it possible for him to cut that down significantly at this point in his career?
AAA:
None.
I'm pretty sure Francisco Pena and Ronnie Freeman are both free agents. Pena had a strong season in a crazy hitter's environment. He's probably worth bringing back for MLB depth.
AA:
Joey Bart
Joey Bart is the guy to be excited about on this list. He is coming fast after going on a small sample size tear after his late season promotion to Richmond. He's currently blasting the Arizona Fall League too. If he keeps this up, the Giants will be faced with some tough calls about how to juggle the beginning of Joey's MLB career with the end of Buster Posey's. I'm pretty sure Jin-De Jhang and Matt Winn currently listed on the Flying Squirrels roster are both free agents.
A+:
Fabian Pena
Chris Corbett
Pena was a 25'th round draft pick in 2018 out of an obscure program(Manhattan). Hit just .222 in 144 AB for the SJ Giants but this was a very aggressive placement for him. Corbett was an 18'th round pick in 2017 out of an even more obscure Rollins(FL). He has struggled to hit at all in the pros(.169 for 2 teams in 2019). Hamlet Marte is listed on the SJ Giants roster, but I think he is a free agent.
A:
Ricardo Genoves
Jeffry Parra
Andres Angulo
Genoves was a 6-figure international bonus baby way back in 2015. Hard to believe he's already played 4 professional seasons, but he's still just 20 yo. He had a bit of a power breakout in 2019 hitting 9 HR in 196 AB for Salem-Keizer and Augusta. Jeffry Parra was a 24 round draft pick in 2016 out of HS(NY). His bat has just never come around and he hit just .161 for Augusta in 2019. Angulo has played 5 pro seasons but it took him 4 seasons to get out of rookie ball. He hit just .210 in 252 AB for the Greenjackets in 2019.
Short Season:
Matt Malkin
Brandon Martorano
Martorano was drafted in the 16'th round(2019) out of North Carolina and was assigned to S-K after just 21 AB in Arizona. He slashed .260/.365/.385 with 3 HR in 96 AB. Malkin was an undrafted free agent(23 yo) who hit .309 for 4 different teams mostly with Giants Black(AZL).
Rookie AZL:
Cesar Gonzalez
Keyberth Mejias
Rodolfo Bone
Angel Guzman
Omar Medina
Gonzalez is 18 yo and OPS'd 1.032 in 37 AB for the DSL Giants in 2018. He hit just .200 in 60 AB for Giants Black in 2019. Mejias is a 20 yo DSL graduate who hit just .161 between Giants Black and S-K in 2019. Braden Frankfort is listed on the Giants Black roster but was placed on the restricted list in April. Everybody's favorite name, Rodolfo Bone(19 yo) hit .317 for the DSL Giants in 2018, .240 for Giants Orange in 2019. Angel Guzman(19 yo) was drafted in the 21'st round in 2018. He hit .289 in 45 AB for Giants Black in 2018 but just .081 in 37 AB for Giants Orange in 2019. Omar Medina(19 yo) started 2019 in his third DSL season. He hit .317 and got a midseason promotion to Arizona where he hit just .169 in 71 AB.
DSL:
Ronaldo Flores
Rayner Santana
Eduardo Jaramillo
Flores(17 yo) slashed .325/.370/.408 in his pro debut. Santana(17 yo) played most of his debut season at age 16 and led the DSL Giants in HR's with 10 while hitting .294. Jaramillo(17 yo) hit just .176 in 85 AB.
Friday, October 4, 2019
All Questions Answered: Answered
We didn't get a lot of questions but the ones we got were definitely challenging. I could probably write a whole offseason of posts answering each one, but I'll try to tackle them here.
1. Will the Giants improve in 2020?
Lots of question marks here. A lot depends on how the offseason goes, but Farhan Zaidi has his work cut out if he wants to progress in a rebuild in the long term and still remain competitive in the short term. Anon is right. If the free agents all leave, heck, if just Madbum leaves, there is one huge hole to fill. The single biggest strength from 2019, the bullpen, is a shadow of it's former self already and Smith may well be gone too which makes for another big question mark. Is "The Core" coming back and can any of them bounce back? Can Johnny Cueto regain his former magic on the mound? Are Tyler Beede and Logan Webb ready to be rotation contributors for a full season? Can Mauricio Dubon hit over a full season? Can Mike Yastrzemski build on, or at least maintain, his rookie season success? Does Shark have one more solid season in him? Is Kevin Pillar worth his likely 2020 salary? Those are a lot of questions that have to all break the right way for the 2020 team to be as good as 2019 let alone better.
Zaidi has proven he can work the waiver wire and find a few gems. That's great if you are trying to add to a solid core of players to create depth and fill a gap or two. That approach alone is not going to transform this team. At some point, he's going to have to address the core and make some big money decisions. Will he do that this offseason or is the plan to work the sluice box until the improved farm system starts delivering the next homegrown core? That could take a few years?
2. Who is the right person for the open GM job?
The days of having front office responsibilities handled by a singular GM are long gone. All of the top, big money organizations have multiple people handling the job single GM's used to do. I am sure there are differences in how responsibilities are divided up. Farhan was GM under Andrew Friedman in LA and have this vision of him having the singular job of operating the "sluice box". I mean, that's about 90% of what he's done since coming to SF! Now, for all I know, maybe Farhan has already delegated that role to JP Ricciardi and he's frying bigger fish or maybe his new GM will be the "sluice box" guy like I think Farhan was in LA? Maybe Farhan does not want to be bogged down with contract details and negotiating with agents and opposing GM's and needs more of a business type guy in that role? Or does he want to create a team of nerds who all sit around a table bouncing ideas off each other?
One prominent name that keeps coming up is his old pal Billy Owens from the A's. Owens' background is in scouting and he absolutely loves tools. He also is not afraid to advocate for a prospect he's fallen in love with. That approach has intriguing upside, but my concern is how it may have impacted the A's last several drafts in which they sold out for tools with disappointing early returns.
It should be fun to analyze the new GM when we learn who it is.
3. How does the Starting Rotation shape up for next season?
Another great question. Best case scenario is a re-sign of Madbum or another top of the rotation type. Johnny Cueto wins Comeback Player of the Year. Shark has another solid season with Beede and Webb stepping up to their potential. I have a feeling Farhan does not believe in giving big, long contracts to pitchers. I think he will ultimately let Bummy go. Rather than replace him with an expensive ace, he'll go for depth and sign a mid-level guy with a couple of potential bounce-back value guys like Alex Wood or Rick Porcello then work the sluice box for long shot options. As for what else may be available on the farm, I'll be firing up the depth chart series shortly to get a granular look at it.
1. Will the Giants improve in 2020?
Lots of question marks here. A lot depends on how the offseason goes, but Farhan Zaidi has his work cut out if he wants to progress in a rebuild in the long term and still remain competitive in the short term. Anon is right. If the free agents all leave, heck, if just Madbum leaves, there is one huge hole to fill. The single biggest strength from 2019, the bullpen, is a shadow of it's former self already and Smith may well be gone too which makes for another big question mark. Is "The Core" coming back and can any of them bounce back? Can Johnny Cueto regain his former magic on the mound? Are Tyler Beede and Logan Webb ready to be rotation contributors for a full season? Can Mauricio Dubon hit over a full season? Can Mike Yastrzemski build on, or at least maintain, his rookie season success? Does Shark have one more solid season in him? Is Kevin Pillar worth his likely 2020 salary? Those are a lot of questions that have to all break the right way for the 2020 team to be as good as 2019 let alone better.
Zaidi has proven he can work the waiver wire and find a few gems. That's great if you are trying to add to a solid core of players to create depth and fill a gap or two. That approach alone is not going to transform this team. At some point, he's going to have to address the core and make some big money decisions. Will he do that this offseason or is the plan to work the sluice box until the improved farm system starts delivering the next homegrown core? That could take a few years?
2. Who is the right person for the open GM job?
The days of having front office responsibilities handled by a singular GM are long gone. All of the top, big money organizations have multiple people handling the job single GM's used to do. I am sure there are differences in how responsibilities are divided up. Farhan was GM under Andrew Friedman in LA and have this vision of him having the singular job of operating the "sluice box". I mean, that's about 90% of what he's done since coming to SF! Now, for all I know, maybe Farhan has already delegated that role to JP Ricciardi and he's frying bigger fish or maybe his new GM will be the "sluice box" guy like I think Farhan was in LA? Maybe Farhan does not want to be bogged down with contract details and negotiating with agents and opposing GM's and needs more of a business type guy in that role? Or does he want to create a team of nerds who all sit around a table bouncing ideas off each other?
One prominent name that keeps coming up is his old pal Billy Owens from the A's. Owens' background is in scouting and he absolutely loves tools. He also is not afraid to advocate for a prospect he's fallen in love with. That approach has intriguing upside, but my concern is how it may have impacted the A's last several drafts in which they sold out for tools with disappointing early returns.
It should be fun to analyze the new GM when we learn who it is.
3. How does the Starting Rotation shape up for next season?
Another great question. Best case scenario is a re-sign of Madbum or another top of the rotation type. Johnny Cueto wins Comeback Player of the Year. Shark has another solid season with Beede and Webb stepping up to their potential. I have a feeling Farhan does not believe in giving big, long contracts to pitchers. I think he will ultimately let Bummy go. Rather than replace him with an expensive ace, he'll go for depth and sign a mid-level guy with a couple of potential bounce-back value guys like Alex Wood or Rick Porcello then work the sluice box for long shot options. As for what else may be available on the farm, I'll be firing up the depth chart series shortly to get a granular look at it.
All Questions Answered: End of Season 2019
This seems like a good time to do an All Questions Answered Thread. Post your question in the Comments. I will post responses in a new post tonight or tomorrow. If readers want to chime in with their own thoughtful and constructive answers, I'll post those during the day in as close to real time as I can get.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Scouting the Hot Stove League: Scouting Potential Giants Managers Part 2
Thanks to one commenter for mentioning Josh Bard as a potential Giants Manager candidate. I thought of a few more after writing the post yesterday.
Mike Matheny: Matheny seems to have the inside track for the KC Royals job. He was widely promoted as a manager candidate during his playing career, but was widely criticized for both his game and clubhouse management while managing the Cardinals. I seem to remember he was badly out managed by Bruce Bochy in postseason competition. So, thumbs down on Matheny.
Joe Girardi: Former manager for the Marlins and Yankees. He managed the Yankees from 2008-2017 and won a World Series in 2009. He was fired by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria after just 1 season despite winning NL Manager of the Year award. Crazily, his firing may have stemmed from an incident where he asked Loria to stop heckling the Umpire during a game after receiving a warning from the ump. His long tenure and success with the Yankees was not without controversy although the Yankees job always comes with a high decree of scrutiny. Girardi seems like a bit of a control freak as he banned facial hair during his stint with the Marlins and banned concentrated sweets in the Yankees clubhouse. Girardi has announced his interest in managing again. He might be more expensive and high profile than what Farhan Zaidi has in mind.
Mark Kotsay: Kotsay had a solid MLB career with multiple teams including a stint with the A's when Farhan Zaidi was an assistant in the A's front office early in his career. Kotsay is currently the A's Quality Control Coach and also has experience as a hitting coach, bench coach and special assistant. He announced yesterday that he is interested in managing.
Ron Wotus: Maybe I'm missing something here, but I just don't see Wotus getting the position even though he is one of two current Giants employees who will be interviewed. Although I think he would be a solid choice and is deserving, I see him being just too old school and too tied to prior Giants regimes for Zaidi to give him the job. I will say that Wotus was a pioneer in defensive positioning which gave the Giants an huge under-the-radar advantage long before shifts revolutionized the game.
Mike Matheny: Matheny seems to have the inside track for the KC Royals job. He was widely promoted as a manager candidate during his playing career, but was widely criticized for both his game and clubhouse management while managing the Cardinals. I seem to remember he was badly out managed by Bruce Bochy in postseason competition. So, thumbs down on Matheny.
Joe Girardi: Former manager for the Marlins and Yankees. He managed the Yankees from 2008-2017 and won a World Series in 2009. He was fired by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria after just 1 season despite winning NL Manager of the Year award. Crazily, his firing may have stemmed from an incident where he asked Loria to stop heckling the Umpire during a game after receiving a warning from the ump. His long tenure and success with the Yankees was not without controversy although the Yankees job always comes with a high decree of scrutiny. Girardi seems like a bit of a control freak as he banned facial hair during his stint with the Marlins and banned concentrated sweets in the Yankees clubhouse. Girardi has announced his interest in managing again. He might be more expensive and high profile than what Farhan Zaidi has in mind.
Mark Kotsay: Kotsay had a solid MLB career with multiple teams including a stint with the A's when Farhan Zaidi was an assistant in the A's front office early in his career. Kotsay is currently the A's Quality Control Coach and also has experience as a hitting coach, bench coach and special assistant. He announced yesterday that he is interested in managing.
Ron Wotus: Maybe I'm missing something here, but I just don't see Wotus getting the position even though he is one of two current Giants employees who will be interviewed. Although I think he would be a solid choice and is deserving, I see him being just too old school and too tied to prior Giants regimes for Zaidi to give him the job. I will say that Wotus was a pioneer in defensive positioning which gave the Giants an huge under-the-radar advantage long before shifts revolutionized the game.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Scouting the Hot Stove League: Scouting Potential Giants Managers
While Bruce Bochy was packing his bags in the clubhouse, Farhan Zaidi was the sole face of Giants management at the end-of-year press briefing. He talked some about the general type of hitters he is interested in pursuing. He talked about his interest in re-signing current Giants free agents(long story short, don't expect any of them back next season). He talked about relying on young pitchers. He also talked about potential managers. He says is first priority is one who can build relationships with players much like Bruce Bochy did. He also favors prior managing experience. He specifically named Giants Bench Coach Hensley Meulens and 3B Coach Ron Wotus as candidates he plans to interview, but added he plans to interview several candidates from outside the organization. With that in mind, let's break it down a bit more starting with some specific characteristics I think Zaidi will want and maybe ones which might be dealbreakers.
First a few general thoughts: 1. I don't think Zaidi is looking for a yes-man, but I also don't think he wants to take a chance on someone who might challenge his authority. He also is not going to want to commit a large amount of financial resources into the manager's job. That all but eliminates Joe Maddon from the pool which is fine with me. I am not a Joe Maddon fan. 2. Although I think he will give Hensley Meulens and Ron Wotus fair consideration, I believe he will ultimately want to make a clean break with the Sabean/Evans/Bochy regime and shake up the culture of the organization. Much as I would like to see Meulens and Wotus get their shots at managing, I really can't argue with a culture shakeup which seems to be badly needed. 3. Farhan has already shown a strong tendency to bring in people, both on the field and in management that he has worked with before. Not that he'll refuse to consider people from outside his solar system, I think the safer bet is on someone he has worked with in the past.
So let's take a look at some of the other names out there:
1. Eric Chavez: Chavez was practically the poster-boy for Moneyball era when he played for the A's, which paralleled Farhan's career in the A's front office. After he retired from playing baseball, Chavez worked as a commentator on A's TV broadcasts before going to work as a special assistant in the Yankees front office. He then moved out west with Billy Eppler when Eppler was hired as the Angels GM. He managed the AAA Salt Lake City Bees for about 6 weeks in 2018 before resuming his Special Assistant role. He is quoted as saying he would be interested in a MLB field managing job. His main drawback is lack of experience post-playing career working in a MLB dugout.
2. Raul Ibanez: Well known former player. Ibanez has been a Special Assistant to Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman since 2016. Prior to that he was one of 3 reported finalists to replace Joe Maddon as Manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. Has a reputation for being a great people person and was once voted second nicest player in baseball after Jim Thome. Has obvious connections to Farhan Zaidi. He main drawback again is lack any in-dugout experience post-playing career.
3. Bob Geren: On paper, Bob Geren is the obvious top candidate here, and Farhan may have dropped a huge hint when he talked about prior managerial experience and learning from past mistakes. He's worked in the same organization as Farhan not once, but twice. Previous managerial experience. Extensive bench coaching experience for WS runner ups the Mets and for the perennial NL West champion Dodgers. He's worked closely with multiple MLB managers giving him the opportunity to experience different styles and hopefully learn from them. The one big asset of previous managing experience is also the biggest red flag as his tenure in Oakland ended with a his bullpen in open revolt, although one of the leaders of that revolt, Huston Street, said later he would be happy to work with Geren again. It's also not necessarily encouraging that one of his subsequent role models was Terry Collins with the Mets, who was not exactly known as a relationship builder. So, there are big clues that Geren is the guy, but it's also hard to think that and take seriously Farhan's statements about relationship building being the single biggest thing he is looking for. One more thought. Geren is widely regarded as being extremely fluent in Sabermetrics. On the other hand, his signature move as bench coach of the Dodgers is the intentional balk. It's purpose? To get the runner on 2B to 3B so he couldn't steal signs! Now that......well, I'm at a loss for words. That brings back memories of Roger Craig and how old school is that?!
4. Brad Ausmus: Ausmus is either not a good manager or he's had the worst luck. He managed the Tigers during the collapse of their aging team. He's now been fired after 1 season of a 3 year contract with the Angels, possibly to make room for Joe Maddon. His Angels season was impacted by numerous injuries and the death of a player both of which were seemingly out of his control. He's an Ivy League graduate and has he reputation for being one of the smartest guys in baseball, which does not necessarily work in his favor in a clubhouse. He does check he box of previous managerial experience but has no history of working with Zaidi. I could definitely see Ausmus and Farhan hitting it off big time in an interview, though. An interesting subplot here: Ausmus is Jewish and observes Yom Kippur while Farhan Zaidi is a practicing Muslim which should not matter and hopefully wouldn't.
5. Hensley Meulens: Backtracking to Meulens: if Farhan is looking for a relationship guy, Meulens has that nailed down, at least on paper. He's fluent in 4 or 5 languages and seems to be able to relate to players from all ethnic backgrounds. What we don't know is how that translates into the clubhouse and how he relates to statistics informing his decisions. As I previously stated, I also suspect Farhan wants to make a complete break with the old regime.
6. Steven Vogt- Vogt definitely seems to be a relationship kind of guy with an extremely positive attitude. He has a background with Zaidi. On the other hand, he may want to keep playing and Zaidi may want to bring him back as a player. I don't see the player-manager thing working.
7. Hector Borg- I'll put his name out as a dark horse candidate. He is young and appears to be a rising star in the Giants organization. He took over managing the SJ Giants after Billy Hayes abruptly resigned and completely turned their season around. Could be the ideal manager to bring young top prospects like Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos on board.
8. Matt Wiliams- There is some sentiment out there for Matt Williams. He has no past connection to Farhan Zaidi and seemed in way over his head when he managed the Nationals.
9. Joe Maddon- I don't think it will be Maddon for many reasons. I really hope it isn't because I really don't like Joe Maddon. I don't like his scruffy face. I don't like his I'm the smartest guy in all of baseball attitude. I don't think he is a good game manager and he built his reputation on gimmicks that I don't think make any significant difference. So take that! On the other hand, he has a reputation for cultivating loyalty from players and has a compelling track record.
Any managerial candidates you can think of that I'm missing here? I'm sure the list is very large and there is a good chance it will end up being someone nobody is talking about.
First a few general thoughts: 1. I don't think Zaidi is looking for a yes-man, but I also don't think he wants to take a chance on someone who might challenge his authority. He also is not going to want to commit a large amount of financial resources into the manager's job. That all but eliminates Joe Maddon from the pool which is fine with me. I am not a Joe Maddon fan. 2. Although I think he will give Hensley Meulens and Ron Wotus fair consideration, I believe he will ultimately want to make a clean break with the Sabean/Evans/Bochy regime and shake up the culture of the organization. Much as I would like to see Meulens and Wotus get their shots at managing, I really can't argue with a culture shakeup which seems to be badly needed. 3. Farhan has already shown a strong tendency to bring in people, both on the field and in management that he has worked with before. Not that he'll refuse to consider people from outside his solar system, I think the safer bet is on someone he has worked with in the past.
So let's take a look at some of the other names out there:
1. Eric Chavez: Chavez was practically the poster-boy for Moneyball era when he played for the A's, which paralleled Farhan's career in the A's front office. After he retired from playing baseball, Chavez worked as a commentator on A's TV broadcasts before going to work as a special assistant in the Yankees front office. He then moved out west with Billy Eppler when Eppler was hired as the Angels GM. He managed the AAA Salt Lake City Bees for about 6 weeks in 2018 before resuming his Special Assistant role. He is quoted as saying he would be interested in a MLB field managing job. His main drawback is lack of experience post-playing career working in a MLB dugout.
2. Raul Ibanez: Well known former player. Ibanez has been a Special Assistant to Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman since 2016. Prior to that he was one of 3 reported finalists to replace Joe Maddon as Manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. Has a reputation for being a great people person and was once voted second nicest player in baseball after Jim Thome. Has obvious connections to Farhan Zaidi. He main drawback again is lack any in-dugout experience post-playing career.
3. Bob Geren: On paper, Bob Geren is the obvious top candidate here, and Farhan may have dropped a huge hint when he talked about prior managerial experience and learning from past mistakes. He's worked in the same organization as Farhan not once, but twice. Previous managerial experience. Extensive bench coaching experience for WS runner ups the Mets and for the perennial NL West champion Dodgers. He's worked closely with multiple MLB managers giving him the opportunity to experience different styles and hopefully learn from them. The one big asset of previous managing experience is also the biggest red flag as his tenure in Oakland ended with a his bullpen in open revolt, although one of the leaders of that revolt, Huston Street, said later he would be happy to work with Geren again. It's also not necessarily encouraging that one of his subsequent role models was Terry Collins with the Mets, who was not exactly known as a relationship builder. So, there are big clues that Geren is the guy, but it's also hard to think that and take seriously Farhan's statements about relationship building being the single biggest thing he is looking for. One more thought. Geren is widely regarded as being extremely fluent in Sabermetrics. On the other hand, his signature move as bench coach of the Dodgers is the intentional balk. It's purpose? To get the runner on 2B to 3B so he couldn't steal signs! Now that......well, I'm at a loss for words. That brings back memories of Roger Craig and how old school is that?!
4. Brad Ausmus: Ausmus is either not a good manager or he's had the worst luck. He managed the Tigers during the collapse of their aging team. He's now been fired after 1 season of a 3 year contract with the Angels, possibly to make room for Joe Maddon. His Angels season was impacted by numerous injuries and the death of a player both of which were seemingly out of his control. He's an Ivy League graduate and has he reputation for being one of the smartest guys in baseball, which does not necessarily work in his favor in a clubhouse. He does check he box of previous managerial experience but has no history of working with Zaidi. I could definitely see Ausmus and Farhan hitting it off big time in an interview, though. An interesting subplot here: Ausmus is Jewish and observes Yom Kippur while Farhan Zaidi is a practicing Muslim which should not matter and hopefully wouldn't.
5. Hensley Meulens: Backtracking to Meulens: if Farhan is looking for a relationship guy, Meulens has that nailed down, at least on paper. He's fluent in 4 or 5 languages and seems to be able to relate to players from all ethnic backgrounds. What we don't know is how that translates into the clubhouse and how he relates to statistics informing his decisions. As I previously stated, I also suspect Farhan wants to make a complete break with the old regime.
6. Steven Vogt- Vogt definitely seems to be a relationship kind of guy with an extremely positive attitude. He has a background with Zaidi. On the other hand, he may want to keep playing and Zaidi may want to bring him back as a player. I don't see the player-manager thing working.
7. Hector Borg- I'll put his name out as a dark horse candidate. He is young and appears to be a rising star in the Giants organization. He took over managing the SJ Giants after Billy Hayes abruptly resigned and completely turned their season around. Could be the ideal manager to bring young top prospects like Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos on board.
8. Matt Wiliams- There is some sentiment out there for Matt Williams. He has no past connection to Farhan Zaidi and seemed in way over his head when he managed the Nationals.
9. Joe Maddon- I don't think it will be Maddon for many reasons. I really hope it isn't because I really don't like Joe Maddon. I don't like his scruffy face. I don't like his I'm the smartest guy in all of baseball attitude. I don't think he is a good game manager and he built his reputation on gimmicks that I don't think make any significant difference. So take that! On the other hand, he has a reputation for cultivating loyalty from players and has a compelling track record.
Any managerial candidates you can think of that I'm missing here? I'm sure the list is very large and there is a good chance it will end up being someone nobody is talking about.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Down on the Farm: Sacramento River Cats 2019 Season Review
Before we dig into some of the meatier offseason topics here, let's finish up the minor league season reviews. Most organizations have effectively taken their AAA affiliates out of the player development ladder and use them as an extended bench for the MLB club. Farhan Zaidi did just that with the Sacramento River Cats. That approach paid off for Sacramento with a PCL and AAA championship. The PCL has always been an extreme hitter's league with multiple ballparks at higher elevations or arid climates or both. 2019 was even more of a feast for hitters as AAA used the MLB baseball which produced HR's at approximately 1.5 times any previous season.
By my count, and I could be off here so don't get your tails all in a knot if I'm off by 1 or 2, the River Cats had a total of 83 players compile a recordable statistic, 36 position players, 47 pitchers. 27 of those players also made appearances in a SF Giants uniform at some point during the season, 17 position players and 20 pitchers. 13 players who suited up for the River Cats ended the season out of the organization entirely. Paradoxically, accumulating counting stats for the River Cats was probably not a goal anyone wanted to achieve because it meant you either were not good enough for a call up to SF or you did get called up and got sent back down in short order.
OF Mike Gerber(.308/368/.569, 41 2B, 26 HR) and IF Abiatal Avelino(.283/.315/.444, 24 2B, 12 HR, 17 SB) were the team mainstays with 464 and 473 AB's respectively. Both got callups to SF and both failed to impress at the higher level. Position players who spent less time in Sacramento but went on to make an impact in SF included OF Mike Yastrzemski(.316/.414/.676, 11 2B, 12 HR 136 AB), OF Austin Slater(.308/.368/.529, 17 2B, 12 HR, 240 AB), OF Joey Rickard(.372/.431/.587, 15 2B, 6 HR, 172 AB), IF Mauricio Dubon(.323/.391/.485, 99 AB.
On the pitching side, RHP Tyler Beede(2-2, 2.34, 34.2 IP, 14 BB, 49 K) and RHP Logan Webb(1-0, 1.29, 7 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's) were the top SP prospects to get called up. They both have a chance to stick with the Giants longterm. RHP Shaun Anderson(2-1, 3.76, 38.1 IP, 13 BB, 41 K), RHP Dereck Rodriguez(3-0, 3.64, 29.2 IP, 10 BB, 28 K) and LHP Conner Menez(3-1, 4.84, 61.1 IP, 30 BB, 84 K's) had more mixed results in SF with uncertain futures. Among relievers, RHP Tyler Rogers(4-1, 4.21, 62 IP, 28 BB, 58 K) took his submaweenie style to SF and thrived. RHP Enderson Franco(6-5, 5.97, 113 IP, 36 BB, 98 K) spun his wheels as a SP but picked up several MPH on the FB and was lights out in the PCL playoffs which earned him a late look in SF which he made the most of and put himself in the conversation for a MLB roster spot in 2020. RHP Jandel Gustave(2-2, 6.15, 26.1 IP, 12 BB, 25 K's) took his high-90's FB to SF with inconsistent results).
If I forgot to mention someone significant please post in Comments. There were a lot of players to sift through here. Team Leaders:
2B: Gerber- 41, Avelino- 24, Henry Ramos- 21, Aramis Garcia- 20.
3B: Avelino- 8, Levi Michael- 4, Cristhian Adames/Aramis Garcia/Joey Rickard- 2.
HR: Gerber- 26, Zach Green- 25, Chris Shaw- 21.
Wins: Steven Okert- 8, Andrew Suarez- 7, Franco/Yoanys Quiala/Pat Venditte- 6.
K's: Franco 98, Yoanys Quiala- 91, Menez- 84.
Saves: Fernando Abad- 13, Gustave- 7, Rogers- 5.
********************************************************************************
Thanks to everybody for the kind comments after the last Game Wrap post. It's an honor that folks find this site worth visiting and reading every day.
By my count, and I could be off here so don't get your tails all in a knot if I'm off by 1 or 2, the River Cats had a total of 83 players compile a recordable statistic, 36 position players, 47 pitchers. 27 of those players also made appearances in a SF Giants uniform at some point during the season, 17 position players and 20 pitchers. 13 players who suited up for the River Cats ended the season out of the organization entirely. Paradoxically, accumulating counting stats for the River Cats was probably not a goal anyone wanted to achieve because it meant you either were not good enough for a call up to SF or you did get called up and got sent back down in short order.
OF Mike Gerber(.308/368/.569, 41 2B, 26 HR) and IF Abiatal Avelino(.283/.315/.444, 24 2B, 12 HR, 17 SB) were the team mainstays with 464 and 473 AB's respectively. Both got callups to SF and both failed to impress at the higher level. Position players who spent less time in Sacramento but went on to make an impact in SF included OF Mike Yastrzemski(.316/.414/.676, 11 2B, 12 HR 136 AB), OF Austin Slater(.308/.368/.529, 17 2B, 12 HR, 240 AB), OF Joey Rickard(.372/.431/.587, 15 2B, 6 HR, 172 AB), IF Mauricio Dubon(.323/.391/.485, 99 AB.
On the pitching side, RHP Tyler Beede(2-2, 2.34, 34.2 IP, 14 BB, 49 K) and RHP Logan Webb(1-0, 1.29, 7 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K's) were the top SP prospects to get called up. They both have a chance to stick with the Giants longterm. RHP Shaun Anderson(2-1, 3.76, 38.1 IP, 13 BB, 41 K), RHP Dereck Rodriguez(3-0, 3.64, 29.2 IP, 10 BB, 28 K) and LHP Conner Menez(3-1, 4.84, 61.1 IP, 30 BB, 84 K's) had more mixed results in SF with uncertain futures. Among relievers, RHP Tyler Rogers(4-1, 4.21, 62 IP, 28 BB, 58 K) took his submaweenie style to SF and thrived. RHP Enderson Franco(6-5, 5.97, 113 IP, 36 BB, 98 K) spun his wheels as a SP but picked up several MPH on the FB and was lights out in the PCL playoffs which earned him a late look in SF which he made the most of and put himself in the conversation for a MLB roster spot in 2020. RHP Jandel Gustave(2-2, 6.15, 26.1 IP, 12 BB, 25 K's) took his high-90's FB to SF with inconsistent results).
If I forgot to mention someone significant please post in Comments. There were a lot of players to sift through here. Team Leaders:
2B: Gerber- 41, Avelino- 24, Henry Ramos- 21, Aramis Garcia- 20.
3B: Avelino- 8, Levi Michael- 4, Cristhian Adames/Aramis Garcia/Joey Rickard- 2.
HR: Gerber- 26, Zach Green- 25, Chris Shaw- 21.
Wins: Steven Okert- 8, Andrew Suarez- 7, Franco/Yoanys Quiala/Pat Venditte- 6.
K's: Franco 98, Yoanys Quiala- 91, Menez- 84.
Saves: Fernando Abad- 13, Gustave- 7, Rogers- 5.
********************************************************************************
Thanks to everybody for the kind comments after the last Game Wrap post. It's an honor that folks find this site worth visiting and reading every day.
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