Madison Bumgarner pitched like the ace he is, holding 1-0 lead through 8 innings. The Giants tacked on 3 insurance runs in the top of the 9'th and made is stand up. Key Lines:
Hunter Pence- 2 for 4. BA= .302. Pence can help you win in so many ways. I'm not sure how many other players could have scored from 1B on Buster Posey's double in the 9'th to score the first of the insurance runs. Wanna 5 tool player? Hunter Pence is a true 5 tool player!
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .257. The triple was great, but the true measure of how far Brandon Crawford has come as a hitter came in the 9'th inning rally when he hung tough against one of the meanest, nastiest, wiliest lefty specialists in the game, Joe Thatcher. The resulting single to right-center drove in Buster Posey from 2B for the second insurance run.
Joe Panik- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .500. Panik got the endorsement of none other than Will the Thrill Clark who spoke glowingly of his strong front side. In the minors, Panik actually hit better off lefties, .359 in fact! Kruk and Kuip were having fun with all that, rooting for him to face Joe Thatcher in the 9'th inning. Their reasoning was that he may have faced some lefties in the minors but he had not faced anyone like Joe Thatcher, because well, there is a reason why Joe Thatcher is a major leaguer and not a minor leaguer!
They say a good scout only needs to see one AB to make a judgement on a hitter. I've read of one very successful scout who says that if he sees a batter flinch, he knows he'll never make it. Well, Joe Panik did not flinch against Joe Thatcher! He watched a called strike on the inside corner. He then fought off a couple of nasty sliders on the outside corner before putting a nice, easy, smooth swing on one that he sent over Cody Ross' head in left-centerfield for a double that drove in Brandon Crawford from 1B. In addition to the hitting, Panik looked completely comfortable in the field making several strong plays including a nifty glove flip on a slow dribbler to the right side.
OK, so the Giants Farm System as of a couple of days ago was a "nuclear wasteland" according to Chris Quick, writing for mccoveychronicles.com. OK, maybe it's just one game, but take THAT Chris Quick and a big F You to mccoveychronicles.com. Isn't it just rich that 2 days after posting that the Giants farm system is a "nuclear wasteland", the Giants graduate the guy who is probably going to be their starting 2B for the next 6 seasons minimum? If you don't believe that just ask Will Clark and who are you going to believe anyway, Chris Quick and Grant Brisbee or Will "The Thrill" Clark? The Giants farm system may not be a top 10 farm system, but rest assured, it is also NOT a "nuclear wasteland!" Seriously, it amazes me that anyone pays any attention to what they say over there anymore, and shame on me for going over there and caring enough to even post these comments!
Oh, and I see someone in the comments section over at mccoveychronicles.com apparently still thinks the Giants actually traded for Yuniesky Betancourt once upon a time! LOL!
Madison Bumgarner- 8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K's, GO/AO= 11/2. ERA= 2.63. Totally dominating ace performance. Through 8 innings, the only hit allowed by Bummy was on an IF dribbler that he almost made an astonishing play on. In fact, if Joaquin Arias had come up with the scoop at 1B, the batter/runner would have been out and Bummy would have taken a no-no into the 9'th inning. Even the hit in the ninth was one that a play could have been made on. It was just so difficult, that Pablo was appropriately not charged with an error.
Sergio Romo- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.75. Romo came on the the 9'th with no outs and runners on first and second thanks to an error by Crawford and the aforementioned IF hit off Pablo. Martin Prado greeted Romo with a scorcher up the middle for score the lead runner and once again put runners at first and second. The fearsome Paul Goldschmidt then hit another scorcher that Brandon Crawford somehow corralled with Joe Panik making a nifty relay on the DP. Romo then looked like his old self against Aaron Hill and struck him out on a vintage Romo slider. Hopefully, Romo found something in that AB he can carry forward.
With the Win, the Giants maintain their 4 game lead on the Dodgers who topped the Pathetic Padres 2-1. BTW, the Padres fired their GM Josh Byrnes. The interim GM is Omar Minaya? Got news for you, Padres owners. If you think Omar Minaya is an upgrade on Josh Byrnes, the problem ain't in the GM chair!
Speaking of the Padres, the Giants now go home to open a homestand against the Padres with Matt Cain facing TBD.
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"Outside of these 10 prospects, Joe Panik is having a nice year for AAA Fresno, hitting .316/.378/.441. He's still largely a singles hitter -- 69 of his 91 hits have been singles -- and he's most likely a utility player at the majors. Considering the Giants' issues at second base this year, it's odd the team has never called him up, which might tell us how the team values Panik." ~ Chris Quick
ReplyDeleteIn one weekend, Joe Panik just turned this paragraph into a "nuclear wasteland." We've seen a lot of rookie hitters come up over the years. How many have looked as comfortable out there as Mr. Panik did yesterday? Not many...
Groupthink is a scary thing, and this article honestly makes me not want to return to MCC, even just to check things out. If that many people feel exactly the same way about something (500 comments - majority bashing the farm system), that just seems a little too cult-like for me. I'd prefer DrB's well-informed coffee-shop-chat style forums (that's a compliment!), as well as Shankbone's tireless research and reporting on his site. Those guys can keep their negativity over there... we'll keep enjoying ourselves with productive conversation on this end.
Thank you, Covechatter. I would add that this is not to say the Giants farm system doesn't have it's warts or that Brian Sabean is a perfect GM. I try to point out areas where improvement is needed when the situation calls for it and I think you and Shankbone do also. When someone in the comment section makes a statement like, "…how many more Yuniesky's can we trade for?….", Yeah, I understand the joke completely, but I am also quite sure that there are people who visit that site who have read handwringing over anticipated trades for Yuniesky Betancourt, that they have come to believe it actually happened! Stuff like that won't stay on this site very long, I promise you that!
DeleteTo be fair, I bet the majority of the 500 comments are off topic, but to be honest I only skimmed through 50 of them before clicking out. The biggest agreement came from Noted Curmudgeon, but even he, when pressed, found some positives, denying the nuclear wasteland, and admitted that most prospects (across all MLB) don't pan out. I still read his comments (or some of them), because at least his hate is normally informed by extensive reading and often on the scene 'scouting'. He doesn't just parrot the things Kieth Law sad 4 years ago as gospel. Chirs seems to have lost the plot. I used to enjoy his statistical analysis of top prospects and the bigs, but he seems to just show up to crap on the minors without putting in any work. I've been skipping his comments for months. I try to stay informed by reading "all sides", but he hasn't been presenting new facts or info, just retread opinions and hyperbole.
DeleteAnd I'm not as brave as Skankbone or OGC to self-immolate in a flame war, when just ignoring him works. Criticism and constructive advice are so hard to convey on the tone-deaf internet. This comment was meant to be an "aw shucks, all of MCC ain't so bad," but I think it won't be read that way.
No, that is fair enough, kennv. Although I hope you typoed Shankbone's name and aren't calling him that!
DeleteToo much reading Keith Law! It's a combo of old time hatred of Brian Sabean, just too much investment there, and a complete lack of understanding how farm systems are and instead going to the BA 100 and comping to that. Basically they don't want to respect draft order and the odds that start at the top of the draft and diminish quickly.
DeleteThat article is just the latest among many that look miserable in hindsight, its just this one came extremely Quick, Chris. I have to say these so called "fans" seem to almost have something invested in seeing players fail, at a game that humbles and fails at an extreme rate. Doom and gloom, groupthink, listening to posters who are "informed" with some rather bizarre mindsets. It just adds up to a big hot mess.
I saw so little joy after the second ring. And then the catty articles about Sabean when the dude should be celebrated as one of the best GMs ever, that was the straw that broke. And the kicker is that everybody is so bitter over there, they end up not being the funny guys they think they are. Rooting for the Giants is fun! Sometimes you don't get what you want, you get what you need. Joe Panik!
It's also the rumored contract offer to Willie Bloomquist. That's another good one. Or John Bowker. Freddy Lewis. Completely dissing on Brandon Crawford for a long time, now that one is off the menu. Adopting Brandon Belt as if Grant B discovered the guy, because of his awesome analysis that the guy can take walks but will be ruined by a uncaring front office that just doesn't understand, man!
Deletekennv is typing on a mobile I bet. I've been called worse! The Curmudgeon goes through positive moments where he behaves himself, but he can't help himself, he has to go bleak. He has a lot invested in Joe Panik failing though, because he's been down on him from almost the get-go.
I don't know if its brave, and I don't know if its self-immolation. I just say what I want to say. I try to do it in a constructive manner, but when the articles are wrong, the posters are wrong and you're at complete loggerheads, with results to back you up, what are you supposed to do? I don't waste too much time on it.
Brian Sabean wins another one, he's at least a 80% chance to go to the hall of fame. He has always downplayed his exact role in building the Yankees dynasty but it is extremely significant. Is he perfect? Hell no. Is he entertaining and very, very good? Hell yes! And the biggest thing I see with him is if he's such a miserable personality, why the hell do the Giants have the longest tenured staff in the game, with no defections for GM jobs (Tidrow) and why is everybody so loyal to the guy? Because when you take away the curtain, this is what its about - pissant internet guys who can't get over being completely wrong with too much invested to change. Good for DrB calling it how it is. Bunch of losers with bad opinions in a wind tunnel.
Sorry Shankbone! Just a dumb typo. Thankfully my mobile doesn't auto-correct things that way so that is all on me.
DeleteEasy way for Sabean to get into the hall (without another WS): Jeter mentions him in his Hall acceptance speech in 5 -7 years.
I didn't see the part "aw shucks MCC ain't that bad" - I have a slightly different view, as I got stalked by a few posters looking for arguments. I find the balance completely out of wack between reasonable posters and ones with agendas. I also think most have lost what it means to be a fan. And there are so many criticisms so much of the time that when there is a legit event that calls for criticism, its just more noise, you can't see the forest for the trees. The stalking started when I called out the Curmudgeon on his silly grass is greener comping to the best in baseball antics btw. I got my comments completely twisted out of context, and I'm not really one to suffer fools for very long. If the head writers had more imagination and knowledge of baseball I'd feel like its worth sticking around, but they don't. They are extremely ignorant actually. Especially with their hometown team. I'd love for them to go root for a team that FO has a "approved process" and stop lousing up with bad opinions on my team. But that's asking for the moon.
DeleteAnd one more, because I'm on a roll - players and parents of players read MCC, this joint, my joint. The smacktalk about our players is over the top. Yes, in a draft room or an org meeting, harsh things will be said. That doesn't need to be the case with a fan message board. Constructive criticism is one thing, but its quite another on that MCC board. Its pretty shameful of the players efforts to call out a "nuclear wasteland" but that's just a little tuned up version of what gets said a lot there. Its a lousy way to talk about people doing an extremely challenging sport, and doing quite well, even in a year that seems to be not going the Giants way on the farm. As I listed out a few posts back, most major league teams are having significant setbacks. That's the nature of the business. Considering the draft position they've been culling from, the Giants are doing just fine. Further, they have a ton of interesting sleeper stories to follow and root for.
DeleteAgree with Covechatter that these guys can keep their negativity over there and also agree with DrB's brave confession of the shame of going over there.
DeleteThis site is great, by itself. Thanks Dr. B.
Let's leave the nattering nabobs of negativity to themselves.
I usually leave MCC alone, but when the headline of the article contains the words "nuclear wasteland", it need to be called out, IMO.
Deletei am not going to get overly excited by one good game for panik.....they will find his holes
ReplyDeletei will get excited when he learns to adjust....but its a huge positive that clark likes what he sees
as for macchron....well, they also said that craw would never make it, so they pretty much know not of what they speak
and i take it that mr quick is not aware of the giants current philosophy, which is pretty much to keep every farm hand on a hard time schedule,,,,injuries moved panik up, but the team has always been high on him
GIANTS HAVE AN ENTIRELY HOME GROWN INFIELD....THAT IS EXCITING
they needed a series win and they got it...
as for the friars, im not sure what the owners are thinking
they spent no money in the offseason and dont really seem to have a plan to turn the team into a winning franchise....changing gm's midseason aint gonna do squat
bacci
HOMEGROWN INFIELD!
DeleteWow.
DeleteC Posey
1b Belt
2b Panik
SS Crawford
3b Panda
OF Perez (ok, now on 40 man roster)
P1: Bumgarner
P2: Cain
P4: Lincecum
P5: Vogelsong? Can we count him?
Closer: Romo
Bench: Sanchez, Adrianza,
Wow. That is an impressive draft and develop list. (Or I guess Perez was a undrafted FA, but still he's never been with another Organization).
Then you might add in Schierholtz, Gillaspie, and Frandsen to the Bench. Or Brown, Susac and Duvall in the future.
Stars, starters, role players, bench. That's an amazing run of success on the prospect pipeline.
Perez was indeed a late round draft pick a few years back.
DeleteYoung pitchers are in the minors for a reason. Developing new pitches, learning how to use the strike zone, how to "pitch-to-contact" (a completely novel concept for many of them), making changes in mechanics to reduce the chances of injury. Probably half a dozen others I can't think of. Two months on stats mean nothing, and certainly don't justify condemnation of an entire organization by people who have no first-hand knowledge of what's going on.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I stirred up a racket up there! The main point was, I'd much rather hang around here with you folks.
ReplyDeleteYou're all good. DrB started it off with the bold F to the U. And some of this stuff just lingers around. There are only so many people who pay attention to Giants prospects in this world. Why should it be dominated by whiny naysayers? Life is good as a Giants fan, including the farm.
DeletePersonally, I don't mind McCoveyChronicles. I appreciate Grant's articles more for the writing and sense of humor. I see it as an entertaining read about the Giants rather than a myriad of hard-hitting facts to pull people to his side of an argument. It is what it is. However, I admit I avoid articles written by anyone other than Grant and the comments section is unreadable. Like most large internet communities, there's too many idiots hiding interesting, well-informed opinions.
ReplyDelete