The Giants abused a traveling half of a split squad Indians team with a steady stream of hits to back the no-hit pitching of Drew Pomeranz. Key Lines:
Steven Duggar CF- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .343. Barring injury, Duggar has his starting CF gig wrapped up. Here he doubled in the middle of the Giants 5-run 4'th inning.
Joe Panik 2B- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .472. Joe Panik's hot spring continues.
Buster Posey C- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .259. Buster's bat is coming alive with steadier playing time late in the spring. He stayed behind the plate late into this one.
Brandon Belt 3 for 3, 2B, HR(3), HBP. BA= .485. Belt is en fuego and feeling good. He also had a disastrous attempt at standup comedy in a dugout interview with Amy G. Don't quit your day job, Belt!
Pablo Sandoval 3B- 1 for 1, 2B, HBP. BA= .265. Pablo hit a loud double into he LF corner batting RH. That may have taken him a long way toward nailing down a roster spot.
Gerardo Parra RF- 1 for 2, 3B, Assist(home). BA= .270. Not sure why Parra's arm has been such a well kept secret, but he's creating a buzz with a series of amazing throws this spring. He made a believer out of me when he came up throwing here on a SF attempt and had Tyler Naquin out by about 20 feet. Naquin is not a slow runner either.
Yangervis Solarte LF- 1 for 3, 2B. BA= .311. Solarte played LF in this one. Are the Giants just creating versatility or are they thinking of starting him out there? He's had a strong spring at the plate.
Drew Pomeranz LHP- 1 for 1, BB. BA= 1.000. Pomeranz looked like he wants to challenge Bummy for best hitting pitcher on the team with a drive off the wall in RF. He runs about as fast as Bum too as he was held to a single.
Mac Williamson PH/LF- 0 for 2. BA= .244. Mac was a bit snakebit as he scorched a drive down the line that was snagged by the 3B. It feels like his hold on the starting LF job is starting to slip away even thought he's been hitting better lately.
Drew Pomeranz LHP- 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K. ERA= 3.21. The K's and BB's were ugly but he made up for that by not allowing a hit. Gotta remember this was a traveling split-squad team he was facing. On the other hand, the FB looked sharp at 92 MPH, although the curverball was hanging up.
Steven Okert LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 5.63. Tough to see the Giants finding a roster spot for Okert but he looked really impressive albeit against 3 scrubs in a blowout game. Also tough to see him clearing waivers if it comes to that.
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Jeff Samardzija makes his 5'th spring start on the road against the Cubs in an afternoon game.
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The Giants optioned RHP Tyler Beede and RHP Ray Black to minor league camp. Good chance we'll see both again before the season is done.
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Farhan Zaidi made good on his promise of bringing in a RH hitting OF with some pop when he signed Adam Jo.....wait! What? Oh sorry. Jones went to the D'Backs on a minor league, yes minor league deal. Hey, his fielding isn't what it was and there's not a great track record on free agents who sign late. What Farhan actually did was dip into his impressive surplus of pitching to trade for......oh, sorry again. He brought in Matt Joyce on a minor league deal. Matt Joyce! Joyce is coming off an injury plagued season and was released by the Indians after a cold spring. He did hit 25 dingers for the A's in 2017, so maybe there is something in the tank.
Look, I'm not saying this is a bad deal but I'm still waiting for Farhan to make a move that impresses me. I'm still waiting for something besides rifling through his rolodex for old contacts from the A's and Dodgers.
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Saw that Belt left after being hit by a pitch. Was concerned for a bit. I'll assume that he was okay.
ReplyDeleteI was watching on TV. He seemed OK. Offspeed pitch in the hip area.
Delete1st 3 batters in 6th got on base and were immediately replaced by pinch runners.
Delete70-something mph.
Couldn't have felt good!
Strickland gets 6 outs, 2 saves facing 6 batters in Japan.
Smashing a door after a frustrating blown save was immature, getting nothing for him was stupid.
If we're lucky there will be no more stupid moves.
LH batting Matt Joyce isn't real clever but other than LH (batting) Duggar and Parra, the Giant OF is a MESS and can't see how Matt Joyce helps!
joyce is a desperation signing with ferguson and maybin stinking it up. we'll see how joyce does in sacramento first.
DeleteSometimes the Best Deals are the ones you never make, better to stay patient than make Panic Deals just to satisfy the Fans ............ by just doing something.
ReplyDeleteI like Z's approach, we have too many holes for a quick fix.
How is signing an Adam Jones or CarGo to a 1 year, MINOR LEAGUE deal a "Panic Deal"? Farhan said he was going to wait out the market. Well, he did wait out the market and there are some sweet deals getting done and he's still waiting. Let me know when you see the his first deal that does something more than recycle old contacts from his time with the A's and Dodgers.
DeleteIf a Player doesn't have Long Term Value its a waste of time on this Team, that Roster Spot is better served developing a Younger Player with more upside..........defense and speed getting priority over hitting a couple HR's a month.
DeleteMinor league deals are fine, K or K (at one of them) last night thinks Maybin will make the 25 despite the slow start.
DeleteOf course, they like Bochy, have extreme "veteranitis"!
..
I agree - I still think of LAD getting Turner and their CF off of the scrap heap ... maybe some of these signings will pan out? Joyce? maybe ... and maybe management likes Mac - we all saw what he did last year before he sustained the concussion - Mac has a super live bat - MGMT pls give him another chance
DeleteI guess if you sign enough of them, 1 or 2 might pan out. Again, it's not like the Sabean/Evans regime never found a gem on waiver wire. I'm still waiting to see where Zaidi is an upgrade from them.
DeleteWhat you get players would you suggest they “develop” at the MLB level? In other words, who would be blocked by a vet on a 1 year deal?
ReplyDeleteGerber
DeleteUh, Gerber was just sent down so he's apparently "blocked" by the people already in camp. So how would signing a clear upgrade on a 1 year deal block someone who Zaidi apparently believes is not even good enough to crack the roster as is?
DeleteMac, Ferguson, Slater, Hansen.........I would prefer trading with the Phillies, Brewers or A's for a Younger OF who can play CF with above average D and Speed. We need strong D in the OF to help the SP get the extra Outs.
ReplyDeleteFarhan missed his chance to trade with the Brewers for Broxton or Santana. Who do they have now you would like him to get? Who do the Phils or A's have you think he could trade for?
Delete...and by the way, I'm all in favor of a trade if there is one to be made. Farhan said the trade market would open up late. Well, let's see a trade or two then. I'm just saying Matt Joyce is not what I had in mind for his signature move of the offseason.
DeleteGiants reportedly offered Cargo a contract but he preferred to sign with American league team. They were not high on Adam Jones for some reason, but I saw a report that they offered him a contract too. As far as trades for outfield help, do they have the pieces to trade for the help they need? I remember Evans saying he had a hard time making a big trade for that reason after striking out on trading for Marcell Osuna. I wouldn't be happy if they were to include a Heliot Ramos for Nick Castellanous trade for example. Zaidi has done ok so far. I like his approach on building depth on the roster with short term deals. They were aggressive in pursuing Harper but fell short reportedly due to Cal tax concerns. It's also tough to sign hitters to hit in Oracle park. Maybe Zaidi wants to build up the farm system at this point instead of trading pieces away for average major league talent that might help them in the short term. Maybe that might be the right way to go at this point? The Giants are in a tough spot.
ReplyDeleteI agree we don't want him trading Ramos or Bart or any other top 5-10 prospect. At the MLB level, Dereck Rodriguez probably has the most trade value. If they could get a good young controllable OF for DRod, Will Smith and a lower level prospect, I would be down with that. They do have a surplus of pitching at the MLB level right now.
Deletedrod is one of my untouchables. if shark can have a decent season, he could be a viable candidate to be flipped at the deadline. i think smith may also get flipped if they are not in contention.
DeleteI wonder what Zaidi's assessment of Willie Calhoun is. Since he didn't make the team he might be available for the right price?
DeleteJeff Todd said in his chat not to sleep on Will Smith being moved. He's a good left handed reliever with a affordable contract who could draw a bidding war if on the block. Zaidi should be patient here to get the return he seeks.
DeleteWillie Calhoun lost traction on his career last year. He's reportedly in the "best shape of his life" this spring, so we'll see. He is reputed to be a terrible defensive player at all positions.
DeleteAdam Jones has strong reverse splits his entire career so he's like a LHB. Carlos Gonzalez might have been a possible platoon partner for Mac but doubt he'd be much of an upgrade over Joyce at Oracle.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see a buy low trade for Steven Souza. Or Derek Fisher as he's pretty much blocked in Houston.
CF: Steven Duggar (L)/Drew Ferguson
RF: Mac Williamson/Derek Fisher (L)
LF: Steven Souza/Yangervis Solarte (L)
Through rose-colored glasses this OF can have a ceiling of around 10 WAR?
It would be a pleasant surprise if Duggar or Mac or, especially both, exceed 2 WAR. Wouldn't 3 each be excellent?
DeleteDuggar with a .275 or more BA could get to 3 with his CF defense.
Mac would need more than 20 HRs to get there, 25 wouldn't guarantee it.
Still need 4 to get to 10 WAR.
Harper would be a good chance for that.
Broxon or Santana isn't.
Muncy could be good for 4 but he's not an OFer.
Only 11 OFers had 4 or more last year.
Hard to come by.
With the pitching and any resurgence of the Giant C-IF 5, a 10 WAR in the OF would likely make the playoffs..
Whelp, there goes my Drew Ferguson optimism. Welcome Connor Joe!
DeleteIt's all long term thinking now - the trades will happen as teams in contention need upgrades over the next four months. I loved the idea of Domingo Santana - not sure how Seattle outbid or if SF even tried to bid for him. There's no one else like him available at the moment. Meanwhile I like how Belt looks ready to carry the team.
ReplyDeleteYou assume the team will drop out of contention early and be sellers.
DeleteIf Duggar (great Spring) is for real, if Longoria, Belt, and Panik stay healthy and hit as they have in Spring, if Pomerantz returns to form and yes there are more variables than this - but if these four players have VG years then Bochy may be able to retire on an up-note.
ReplyDeleteYes..wat if the infield vets all have good (dont have to be great) years..and the pitching staff pitches the way it looks like it is cappable of?.. I think both are very possibe..and also not out of the question that Duggar can be the CF that we all can be onboard with...then it domes down to the other OF spots that Farhan fell asleep on..Finding an OF not of the bottom of the battle scap heap class might help
DeleteI know many people just want to play kids no matter how good or bad they are and want every single vet gone and start pepraring for 2023.., but I think the Giants might rather have good than young this year while still holinding on to the good youth they have (and the upcomig draft)...I dont think the vets will be traded or replaced by unready youngstetrs just for the sake of playing kids until the season collapses and they show they are done..I'm all fine with that....there will be plenty of time to trade for kids come JUly if and when the season goes down hill..
SteveVA
I agree with this.
Deletewe may have some surprises ... Posey came up in his second year .. what if Bart tears it up on the Farm and he joins the team mid-course and brings his live bat with him? I am more worried about Posey than any other player. He showed no power last year, they shut him down so he could either get rest and/or surgery in the off-season, and he has had a tepid bat all Spring and concerns over his health linger. The other big question mark for me is Mac. Everyone is pulling for him and if he gets its it together - it would add so much life to that line-up.
DeleteHmmm..Drew Fergurson DFA...Can't say I have any problem with that..But I'm sure the Giants can work something out with Houston to keep him after he clears if they really like him enough..Guve him some time in Sac to see..
ReplyDeleteSo, what can anybody tell me about this guy CONNOR JOE that the Giants just traded with CINCY for? Basically takes Fergurson's spot and as another Rule 5 guy, Farhan must really think he will be on the roster to trade for him now..Not sure what it means for Mac Williams tough..Anyway, just seems like another bottom feeded deal from FRAHAN that leaves me unimpressed but maybe this will work....We'll see...
SteveVA