The Giants held a huge retirement party for Bruce Bochy at Oracle Park with a veritable parade of family, friends and coworkers, past and present......Oh! You mean there was a game played too? Not that it was much of a game.... RHP Dereck Rodriquez got blown up for 5 runs in the first inning and the route was on. No point in trying to find some Key Lines here. We'll just call it a wrap on a long season. This offseason should be a lot more interesting than the last week or two of games.
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No game tomorrow or the next day. Game Wraps will resume in the spring.
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The Giants have the 13'th pick in next year's amateur draft.
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I might take a few days off from posting....or I might not. The offseason rule is I write what I feel like, when I feel like it. That usually works out to at least 1 post everyday, but I might get busy with other things or have a day or two of writer's block here and there. As always, I appreciate the people who come here to read my thoughts on Giants baseball and welcome thoughtful, constructive comments.
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Thanks again Doc for the great work on your blog! It is appreciated. How about Bochy's emotional retirement speech. I thought that was one for the ages. Happy retirement Bruce Bochy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another season of game posts and baseball thoughts, Doc. And now I'm looking forward to the hot stove and fall league!
ReplyDeleteI just want to say THANK YOU for your awesome blog and reports. I discovered you this year, great game breakdowns and indispensable for minor league/hot stove too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all the work you do on the blog. Every morning I go to your blog to find out what I need to keep an eye on with the Giants.
ReplyDeleteThe first read of the morning, every morning, and when you don't post, the day starts empty.
ReplyDeleteCoffee in the morning without your blog is just not as good.
Thanks.
P.S. Who will win the WS?
I am lucky to have a backup team, from the city of my birth, long long ago, I was born a Cardinal fan and converted to the Giants a few years after moving to Palo Alto in 1967.
This year, as the Giants faded, I luckily had a fall back, for the first time since the Giants collapsed after the ASG in 2016 and died in Game 4 of the NLDS.
Pulling for StL this Fall is akin to the Giants of 2010, a scrappy bunch of draftees, free agents, and trades, underdogs with grit, facing a daunting task, opening with Atlanta as did the Giants, then if slipping past the Braves face the probable 2010 Phillies -- the fearful Dodgers. They're not given much chance in either matchup.
As always, looking forward to your thoughts...
Thanks for the blogging Doc - I read it every day! Enjoy your thorough take as well as the reader comments - thank you!
ReplyDeleteDoc I might just add that your reader's comments are enjoyable to read because there are no negative comments directed at other commenters - if that is you on the filter then that's the key to making it readable. I rarely read comments at other sites because they quite often degenerate into put-downs and that's not what I want to spend my time on. No need to post this - just letting you know one of the things that sets your blog apart.
DeleteBruce Bochy finished the season and maybe career in a hail of well earned glory.
ReplyDeleteHad he coaxed another 4 wins from this moribund team to finish at .500, he might have been hustled directly from Oracle to Cooperstown for immediate enshrinement in the Hall of Fame without the usual formality of a vote.
Even with a second year-over-year won-lost improvement and a 13-game jump in wins from the 2017 tie for worst-team-in-baseball, this was a very bad team spotlighting Bochy's ability to garner fine wood from ashes.
Baseball-Reference has an excellent 30-team comparison by entire team and position/function using their version of WAR comparably for all teams in a single chart (https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/team_compare.cgi).
From total team WAR, to All Pitching team WAR, separate accumulations for starters and relievers, each field position, total outfield combined, DH, PH, and non-pitching position player combined, all 30 teams are ranked for their play in each of 16 categories, including best overall.
Any team can be highlighted to get a poignant visual of how a team stacks up -- it's embarrassing to show the Giants and the Dodgers consecutively although to see far SF has to go is illuminating. And, it is nice to see how far the Giants have come from their soulmate of 2017, Detroit.
SF is "good" only for relief pitching, tied with Oakland for 6th best WAR at 0.5 WAR.
In only one position do the Giants finish in the top half (15th of 30) -- 3B @ 0.8 WAR. (How's that, Longoria haters!)
Finishing 2019 18th overall in W-L while sporting the 23rd best overall in Team and All Pitching and Non Pitching WAR could be attributed to the genius of Bruce Bochy.
Since the Giants are sort of locked (by payroll) at C (20th in WAR), 1B (22nd), and SS (26th), the areas that could be improved significantly are SP (28th) and RF (24th). It seems that YtY is the one credited for the 17th best WAR in LF (-0.5, his efforts being hurt by the others paraded out there).
The 3rd highest SF positional WAR after 3B and LF, is CF ranked 19th (-0.9 WAR). That could be interpreted as not the place to improve or if Duggar is an improvement or at least nearly as good, RF then along with SP become where effort is most needed or could be felt.
Obviously if any of the high-priced core could be inexpensively disposed of, those are needy positions, with 3B being the least needful of the 4.
Since that is unlikely to happen, the high cost of those 4 sort of puts them on the field for 100 or more games, so what can be done?
3 starting pitchers and a mashing LFer (YtY going to RF) seems where to start placing the buy money.
By replacing Pillar with Duggar provides $6+ million more to spend and not reducing overall WAR by even a point.
Farhan doesn't need any advice from me, I'm sure he will spend whatever money he is allowed for the best return, and if he can't do something constructive with Longoria who is more or less earning his keep, there should not be a Anthony Rendon although he might be the ONE to help them the most at 30 yo next season, but for how long?
Correction: the WAR referred to above is B-R Wins Above Average, not Replacement.
DeleteThe table can be recast from WAA to various offensive statistics such as OPS, Hits, etc...
A good player can make an impact beyond his position only. Think of Dickerson's effect on the whole line up. A good hitter in the middle of the line up will make everybody better. I don't think they will be WS better, but they can be good enough to make the post season.
DeleteThat said bullpen will be a problem next year if they don't sign someone. We traded Melancon, Dyson, Pomeranz and Black. Smith is a FA; Watson will probably opt out and Moronta will be out due to injury. WE have some promising names, but they lack MLB experience. Gott is the one with most experience from this year, I think.
I think next year will be much like this one. The year after that the prospects will start arriving.
First blog I read in the morning for Giants news and thoughts. Good stuff, every day. And the commenters (and comment admin) deserve a shout too. You all add value and make it great read. Thanks Doc!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another season! Your blog is the best!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Doc! Always worth reading.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the biggest question for the offseason is who will be the next manager? Because that will have a major influence on which player moves the team makes.
Yes, manager AND perhaps general manager before players.
DeleteIf the off-season is anything like it's been, there won't be quick movement on the players.