Barry Zito pitched 3 sharp innings and Francisco Peguero continued his hot spring start as the Giants topped the D'Backs in Scottsdale. Key Lines:
Gregor Blanco- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .200.
Brandon Crawford- 3 for 3, 2B. BA= .300. Crawford hit second and came through with a solid day at the plate scoring 2 runs.
Brock Bond- 1 for 1, SB. BA= .444. Bond continues to impress with the bat. The Giants have said that Tanaka will have to be able to handle SS to win spot on the 25 man roster. Is the same true of Bond? What happens if they both get sent to Fresno?
Francisco Peguero- 3 for 4, 2B. BA= .563. Pegs drove in 3 of the Giants 5 runs. I don't see him making the 25 man roster unless he wins the starting LF job outright. Is that possible?
Barry Zito- 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.86. Very sharp outing for Zeets.
Chad Gaudin- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.38.
Sandy Rosario- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.00.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.00. Interesting that Hembree is given the Save opportunity. Not sure how significant that is in early spring training, but I imagine he will get more chances while Romo is gone.
PS: Alex Pavlovic reports that Hembree's FB was 93-95 and he combined it with a nasty slider and a rapidly improving changeup. He had noticeably more success in the inning when he mixed in his secondary pitches. Good stuff!
This one is for Bacci: Amber Zito made something called cake balls for the team last postseason that were apparently a huge hit. She made them again today. I'm guessing it is no accident that Barry Zito's renaissance over the last year has a lot to with with finally having a missus like that.
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Do the Giants really need both Blanco and Torres? They bring similar skill sets. Live them both for what they brought to championship teams. However, if Pegs can hit for some pop he brings a different dimension.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered the same thing. My understanding is that the Giants planned to platoon them with the LH hitting Blanco facing RHP's and the switch hitting Torres, who seems to hit better RH, starting against LHP's.
DeleteIt seems to me that the ideal LF for the Giants would be a RH batter with some HR power. Pegs has gap power, but that is probably marginal over what Blanco and Torres give you and Torres might actually have a bit more HR pop.
Torres and Blanco are sentimental favorites of the team, so I think they are going to stay ahead of Pegs eventhough that may not make sense. Pegs is younger, has all the tools and we need to start establishing our OF positions unless we want to pay Pence 13mm per year (which I don't see happening). I would prefer that Pegs start and see what he can do, with Torres and Blanco being backups. I realize that is the minority opinion.
DeleteHaving said that, there is one scenario in which I think Pegs might make the 25 man. If he keeps hitting like he is, then I wonder if Bochy does to him what they did with Belt. Bring him along, let him come in to get his feet wet and then gradually let him play. He can also play CF so that gives a level of optionality. Then, if he gets hot, you let him take over and at least one of your OFs are covered, giving us flexibility with Pence (especially if Brownie proves he can handle CF next year, with Pagan shifting over).
Just one man's view.
PiLamBear
From my vantage I'll take the experience that Blanco/Torres offer over Peggs every day of the week. He is a toolsy prospect, but he will have a rough time of it in the majors, and it will be a big adjustment. One factor in the somewhat maligned bottom of the order is that they see some pitches, the 1B/LF/SS don't look fearsome on paper but it worked well in August through the postseason. We already have two hackers with Pablo and Pence.
DeletePeguero doesn't have the resume to make the club, barring injury.
DeleteDidn't Sabean say recently that they were not going to push prospects and make them earn their way up to the big club?
Pegs had a nice little cup of coffee in Sept, but he needs to put up better numbers in the PCL before he gets consideration in SF. And he needs to play every day, and I can't see that happening in LF with Blanco and Andres fighting for time.
Shankbone,
DeleteI agree on the seeing pitches thing. Down the stretch and into the postseason last year, Belt, Blanco and Crawford became really tough outs. Just ask Lance Lynn! You could count on those 3 producing at least 1 run per game in addition to what they were getting from the top 5. Heck, even the pitchers were starting to get into the act, making the opposing pitcher work a bit harder and even coming through with the occasional hit. To me, that is what won it all last year as much as anything.
Sent to Fresno? Lots of depth, and injury backup. I suppose Noonan could handle 3B, Tanaka SS and Bond 2B. This goes to your point about the Giants having depth in their system. Arldriaza goes to Richmond to play 2B? There are only so many spots. The Giants are filing in, and there won't be as much room for rapid growth. You want that spot? Earn it by blowing everybody away.
ReplyDeletePhil Ervin up to six HRs after adding a grand slam. He ain't gonna be there at 26. I am crying in my Cheerios.
Start eating Lucky Charms instead!
DeleteBecause all of the "problems" we are seeing right now are depth issues. I have said it before Pegs, Hembree, SpecialK, Runzler have options and have to prove that they can stay healthy and produce for a whole year in AAA. Blow us away in AAA, then 2014 is your ticket to the bigs.
I like depth.
Exactly.
DeleteThey're after me... Gold on the ceiling!?! I like depth as well. Injuries happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's never a problem if Hembree, Peguero, Runzler, Brown, Kieschnick et al, put up monstor numbers in Fresno.
ReplyDeleteWe will need fresh reinforcements at some point during the season, as is true for all teams.
I would also say, it's not who will start but who will finish that is important.
Loving the depth, just don't understand why you need both Torres and Blanco. Same skill set and the platoon doesn't add much. Why not use Belt or Pill out there when Buster moves to first.
ReplyDeleteShankbone,
ReplyDeleteI liked what I read in BA about Phil Ervin. According to the article, a NL front office executive said, "I'd take Ervin over Judge and Wilson because that swing is going to play. He's an extremely calm hitter who lets the ball travel deep and hits velocity. He's similar to Ron Gant with not the same power."
Other notes in the article: It sounds like scouts are trying to figure out why Judge's (+) power tool doesn't translate in games. Some scouts like Austin Wilson, while others say he won't hit..
Since the Giants are in the win-now mode, they'll go with Blanco/Torres, I doubt Pegs wins the starting LF job outright. Maybe Pegs comes up during the season if an injury occurs. I don't blame the Giants pitchers if they love having Blanco playing the outfield behind them. He made several memorable highlight reel catches like the one saving Cain's perfecto.
Its early in the college season, so lots of time left to see how the draft rankings shake out.
LG