We have not done an AQA for awhile. We'll go ahead and use the All-Star Break to try one. Give me your questions about anything baseball related. Giants, farm system, trading deadline, Around the League, whatever is on your mind. I will give you my answer. Others are welcome to chime in with their answers too.
Bring it on!
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Who is next to make his major league debut in the second half, if any?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Giants want to bring up any more kids and would love to get more reps over the next few weeks for SCUTS and PAGAN...
DeleteBut, as a guess, I'm gonna say HUNTER STRICKLAND (Hembree has already had his debut) ant the next sign of bullpen failure or injury...
SteveVA
I think there is a decent chance Brown gets his cuppo this year. Not that he is doing great in Fresno, but he is doing OK, and the Giants have real OF depth issues. Time for him to show if he has anything, IMO.
DeleteMost likely a reliever. Strickland or Okert are the best bets. Cordier is a consideration. Not sure if Cordier has seen MLB action before or not. Isn't Brownie on the 40 man roster? I would think he comes up in Sept, but I don't think it is automatic.
DeleteIs Hector Sanchez good enough to be a starting major league catcher on another team? If so, should they trade him in the off season to improve in other areas?
ReplyDeleteLG
I am quite sure that Hector Sanchez is better than several starting catchers in MLB. I would not trade him because Buster's playing time is always in thin ice.
DeleteIf the Giants have a choice to either re sign Pablo or Morse who should they choose?
ReplyDeleteMorse would be MUCH cheaper and MUCH less of a risk. I think there is a better chance they resign Morse than Panda right now. Morse would continue to act as the 3/4 OF and backup 1B, and apparently he fits real well in the clubhouse.
DeletePanda will cost upwards of 20M and require at least 4 years. I just do not feel comfortable giving that many years to a guy whose dedication is in such question.
My best guess is , if we do well (not wanting to jinx anything), we will pay Panda.
DeleteThat's my guess...old fashioned (bless him) Sabean's 'we reward people who've helped us.'
I believe it's not likely (unless we have a major need for, say, for example a bat like Melky) we will ever see a 'let's trade Montana while he's still worth something'...a very ancient, pre-Moneyball concept.
But I could be wrong.
This a bit of an apples and oranges comparison because there will be a vast difference in salary that Morse and Sandoval command, but if they are going to spend money, I think they should spend it on Pablo. Morse has a bit of that Aubrey Huff last gasp thing about him to me.
DeleteShould the Giant's go after Max Scherzer or Nelson Cruz in free agency? I think the Giant's should chase a big free agent finally.
ReplyDeleteI do not see the Giants going after a premium FA. They already are committed for a lot of money. If they sign anybody for big bucks it will be Pablo.
DeleteJustin, Scherzer will most likely command 175MM or more. There is no way the Giants will pay that and as a fan you shouldn't want that either. Cruz has a PED history and with Melky and Bonds I don't see them going down that path again.
ReplyDeleteSo who is left? Asdrubal Cabrera, Colby Rasmus, Chase Headley. JJ Hardy. Sound good? I say we pass on all of those. Possibly Alex Rios if the Ranger buy his option out.
Our best chance to get a big name in a trade or go to the international market.
As above, it the Giants have money to spend, they will most likely spend it on Pablo Sandoval.
DeleteArias has struggled to say the least. I say re-assign him and bring back Duvall. He gives the Giants a HR threat off the bench and can sub for Belt and maybe Panda if needed. NVDude
ReplyDeleteI've seen enough of Arias to be convinced he is never going to be more than what he is now. I'd be OK with moving on. Not sure that Duvall would do much off the bench. He strikes me a the kind of guy who needs to hit every day.
DeleteI think Duvall has a pretty special bat. The main question is where to put him. His native position is 3B but people have doubts he stick there. If he can put up similar numbers from Fresno we need to think outside the box to find him a position. Not many people can hit with power and average. The Miguel Cabrera's of the world are a special find. Maybe he could be a 20-30HR/ .275-.290 guy. Can he play LF? Would it make sense for Belt to go to LF and have Duvall play first? Would the amount of mistakes he has at 3B be good enough to just keep him there?
ReplyDeleteDuvall is making errors at about twice the rate of Pablo. That would get old at the MLB level very fast and I doubt the pitchers would stand for it. I like his bat, but would stop short of calling it "special". I don't see why Duvall could not play LF as well as Belt. I'd try him there in Fresno for awhile and see how he does.
DeleteRight-handed power is hard to find, but Duvall has it. We saw first-hand that his throwing issues are very real, even from 1B. Personally, I think his fate with the organization is trade bait... maybe as early as this summer, while his value is pretty high.
DeleteDuffy is a beast in AA. Why do you think the Giants are keeping him there? Is he just one of those scrappy players who gets the job done, but won't amount to anything in AAA or the majors?
ReplyDeleteDuffy is the closest thing the Giants have had to a hitting machine in the minors all year (you could make a case for Duvall too, especially since he was sent back down). I really don't see any reason why he won't keep hitting at the next level, as he's gone into two very pitcher-friendly atmospheres (Augusta & Richmond) and made short work of opposing pitchers. Not many guys can essentially skip over San Jose and keep hitting the way he has. He's approaching .340 in the Eastern League... you don't see that from a younger player very often.
DeleteI don't have a good reason for why he isn't in Fresno right now. They already promoted him aggressively to Richmond this year, so maybe they don't want to go too crazy just yet. But I have a strong feeling he'll be in MLB camp next spring, and will probably continue to make noise.
I guess I should also add that I think Duffy can be everything the Giants are expecting from Joe Panik in the majors, with quite a bit less fanfare... and Duffy is still a shortstop to boot.
DeleteDuffy has become a very interesting player. AA was a pretty aggressive placement for his second full season of pro ball. I don't see anything wrong with letting him consolidate his success there and start him out in Fresno next year. I don't think the Giants sense an immediate need on the MLB team short of trading for a veteran.
DeleteHere's my question. Am I crazy for wanting Ben Zobrist in the lineup yesterday? Established veteran, 2b/SS/Corner OF capabilities, good clubhouse guy. Seems like a great fit, despite some down #'s this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you be willing to give up to get a Zobrist?
I just had this convo yesterday, and I was thinking Panik and a second-tier pitcher prospect (Blackburn, Hall, Osich, etc). However, I am not familiar with the Rays system, so I have no idea if they want/need a guy like Panik. Maybe Duvall would fill in instead.
DeleteI do think if the Giants are serious about making a run, they need a solid 2B ROS. I like Panik, but he's getting his feet wet and they cannot depend on Scutaro's back to stay healthy. Zobrist is certainly the type of player they need to solidify the position and his versatility is an added plus, so yeah, I'm down with a trade for Zobrist. It would be for 2B, not to replace Pablo at 3B!
DeleteAs for what it would take, I do not see the Giants trading Panik. I would think a package of Adrianza, Blackburn and a hard throwing RP might be enough to get it done.
Commenting on this site yesterday I noted that a Rays blogger thinks it could be done with a package of Blackburn and Panik. Also noted that tho Z is on the decline, his fWAR this year is markedly better than Sandoval's and his wRC+ is slightly better. If we're pro Sandoval in 2014 we should be very pro Zobrist, and esp if we can get him as cheaply as has been suggested. His OBP is such as would make him a v good table setter, and his ability to play 3b may turn out to be very much to our advantage in dealings with Sandoval without undue handwringings if PS opts for rich free agency.
DeleteGiants sign 2'nd and 3'rd round picks Aramis Garcia and Dylan Davis. Now we'll see if they can get the two HS pitchers signed by Friday.
ReplyDeleteSounds like both of them signed for over slot as well, which may not help the situation in signing all of Webb, Slater and Woods. The clock is ticking.
DeleteWhat do you think of Brandon Bednar? He is already in SJ, just in his first full year of pro ball. He is moving at a faster pace than Duffy. Also, Tomlinson is one of those players who haven't put up good numbers, yet the organization keep moving him forward. Is this a case where the FO sees something us casual fans don't see?
ReplyDeleteTo say Bednar is moving faster than Duffy is kind of splitting hairs a bit, but yeah, Bednar is a very athletic infielder who plays multiple positions and has great size. I think the organization values those qualities a lot and he could continue moving fast.
DeletePersonally, I was surprised that Tomlinson got moved off SS to make room for Duffy. My understanding has always been that Tomlinson was a defense-first SS, so I figured Duffy would be the one to go to 2B where his bat would still play.
Tomlinson is putting together an interesting season for Richmond with a solid BA and a surprisingly high number of SB's. He may well be turning himself into a serious prospect.
Thoughts on Rafael Rodriguez?
ReplyDeleteHe's done better this year when he's played, which seems to be not too often. This is what? His 5'th or 6'th season in Augusta? I have no expectations at this point for RafRod, but he wouldn't be the first guy signed at a very young age who finally put it all together when he hit his early 20's.
DeleteWhat do you think it would take to get David Price? My thought, Hector, Crick and Adrianza. Would you pull the trigger on that deal? I think Tyler Beede makes Crick expendable as I view them as pretty even at the moment and we know that once Sabean has a replacement for his #1 minor league pitching prospect he is more than willing to trade that piece.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that package is nearly enough to land David Price. I do not think the Giants have enough to make that trade and they definitely are not going to be signing a contract of the magnitude necessary to keep him long term. In other words, forget about David Price. He's not coming here!
DeleteWhat do you think of the young catcher for the Cincinnati Reds Devin Mesoraco? Do you think he's the second coming of Johnny Bench?
ReplyDeleteI think Mesoraco will be a solid MLB catcher for a long time. I do not think he is anything close to what Johnny Bench was and likely will never be. Johnny Bench, for several years was one of the elite power hitters in baseball at ANY position. He hit 40 HR's in a season during one of the most extreme pitching eras the game has seen.
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