Jeff Samardzija had another strong start supported by more hot hitting from Steven Duggar and Brandon Belt. Key Lines:
Steven Duggar CF- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .368. Duggar just keeps raking and against MLB quality pitching. Today both hits came of Cubs SP Kyle Hendricks. sfgiants.com also reports he made a catch against the wall off Kris Bryant.
Brandon Belt 1B- 1 for 3, HR(4). BA= .472. Please stay healthy!
Evan Longoria 3B- 2 for 3. BA= .351. Longoria has quietly had a strong spring.
Mac Williamson LF- 1 for 4. BA= .245. The long knives seem to out for Mac but is Conner Joe really more likely to break out?
Aramis Garcia C- 2 for 3, 2B. BA= .222. Despite the low BA, I think Aramis is leaving a positive impression from his spring.
Jeff Samardzija RHP- 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 6/2. ERA= 2.84. Shark looks ready to attack. What a difference from last spring. Now, stay healthy!
Travis Bergen LHP- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00. Seems like Bergen has to have made the roster, no?
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Giants split the squad tomorrow with Madison Bumgarner making the trek to Surprise to face the Royals and Chris Stratton staying in Scottsdale to face the Rockies, both evening games.
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Some roster movement today. OF Anthony Garcia was reassigned to minor league camp. Rule 5 Draft pick, Drew Ferguson, was Designated for Assignment. The Giants can either trade him to another team, work out a trade for him with the Astros which would allow the Giants to send him to the minors, or they can offer him back to the Astros for $50 K. I had high hopes for Ferguson, so this is a disappointment for me. Can't honestly say the Giants should keep him on the MLB roster though.
In a related move, the Giants traded RHP Jordan Johnson to the Reds for another Rule 5 draftee, Utility Man, Connor Joe. Joe is 26 years old and was drafted out of Univ. of San Diego in 2014 by the Pirates. He has played 1B, 2B, 3B, and both corner OF positions in the minors. He hitting lost traction in the mid-minors and he was traded to the Braves for Sean Rodriguez. The Braves flipped him a year later to the Dodgers for international bonus pool money. He kind of broke out last year for the Dodgers hitting .304 for AA Tulsa and .294 for Oklahoma City Dodgers with 17 dingers between the two levels. He was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft and was selected by the Reds. Joe has had a strong spring for the Reds hitting .275/.356/.450. It seems unlikely the Giants would make this trade just to turn around and offer him back to the Dodgers, but who is bumped off the roster bubble with this move, and is he really an upgrade over whoever gets bumped?
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Per Connor Joe, there's a chance that they were trying to free up Johnson's roster spot for another young pitcher, and they wanted to get something for him. That said, I don't think Connor Joe is worth a major league roster spot. Perhaps they're looking to flip him on another trade.
ReplyDeleteDoes a Rule 5 choice (Connor Joe or Drew Ferguson) have to go back on the original club's 40-man roster if the selecting team offers him back to his original club and they pay the $50,000 price?
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteLots of beat writers think Connor Joe makes the roster over Pablo. I know Pablo is well liked, but Joe certainly has more upside.
ReplyDeleteI’ve liked Connor Joe since he was in college and I scouted him for the draft. I think his ceiling is limited and he will be fortunate to ever be as good as Pabs is right now.
DeleteI don't fully understand the trade and hope it doesn't cost Panda a roster spot. He can still hit, plays multiple positions, and is well liked in the clubhouse. Maybe Zaidi thinks Joe is a young player that will help them now and in future seasons. The Dodgers and Reds reportedly liked him, but the reds already have a similar type player in Kyle Farmer, acquired in the Puig trade. Zaidi finally makes a small trade with interesting ramifications!
DeleteI actually like the Joe move, even if it spells the end of Panda. While I love Panda, the "now" is always the issue with him. And while not having scouted Joe, I have to wonder if he's better than Panda is when Panda has fallen off the wagon. He's also years younger and at some point age is gonna catch up. Giving up JJ to me isn't that huge of an issue.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the way this offseason has played out, I'm kind of liking the smaller moves. Bergen was a great find. And he fills a huge hole in the pen as the next guy up on the left given Okert has been up and down. I'm also liking that, in contrast to Bochy, there haven't been any huge trades to take the opportunities away from the likes of Duggar or Mac. It seems to me that they've brought in people close to the same ceiling and said "let's roll dice". I think our OF is probably settled (with Mac, could be wrong), and if we're going a 12 man position player roster (which it sounds like), Joe's ability to play OF (and Catcher) gives some utility. Especially if (as may be necessary) the up the middle guy doesn't have any OF experience.
Seems like we're "phasing" in the younger kids--not blowing up the team but not standing pat. A nice change from prior years.
PiLamBear
Well, Connor Joe looks on paper like an upgrade on Sandoval for the Giants. Pablo is never going to be .300+ OBP from the right side, but Connor Joe might. Plus add in corner OF on top of the infield utility role. Obviously Zaidi knows Joe and has been waiting for him to be DFA'd from the Reds and he pounced. I don't think Joe's just a trade chip. Pablo, however, might be tradeable to a team looking for a World Series experienced .270 switch-hitting 3B at minimum salary.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the A's would like Sandoval to play 1B while Olson is on the DL - trade Stratton and Panda for Piscotty?
DeleteNo way Pabs andcStratton come close to Bri going back Piscotty.
DeleteStill none of the SF guys we value are traded. Probably becaue only we faithful think they're worth a ship..
ReplyDelete