It seems like FZ may have turned up another gold nugget out of his sluice box of an upper farm system. The Giants acquired Thairo Estrada SS in the offseason from the Yankees for cash after they DFA'd him. His minor league record in the Yanks system was up and down with flashes of power and speed, but he did not hit at all during a couple cups of coffee in the majors. FZ kept him on the Giants 40 man roster and sent him to AAA Sacramento where he hit and hit and hit some more to the tune of .385. He got the call to SF when FZ finally gave up on Mauricio Dubon IF/OF. So far he's made the most of the opportunity, raising his BA to .343. In the process, he's shown the ability to work counts and draw walks.
Brandon Crawford SS is having a fantastic season and deservedly made the All-Star team. Now he's out with an oblique with at least 10-14 games and Estrada will have to stand in the gap in what might be the crucial stretch of the season. 6 of the next 9 games are against the Dodgers. Estrada was up to the challenge last night with 2 hits including a 2-run double in the 7'th then a run scored.
If something happens to Estrada.
ReplyDeleteDoes Flores move to short and Vosler stays at 3rd?
Richard in Winnipeg
I don't think Flores can handle SS defensively for more than a game or two. They would probably have to bring Dubon back.
DeleteI have heard that several years ago, when the Giants played the Yankees, Buster commented that Estrada was a good young player - it seems like FZ listened, to the benefit of the Giants. APGiantsfan
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm not giving up on Dubon yet. My read is that he struggled and got a case of the 'yipps' as a result. He still has all that versatility and a ton of talent, and he's still young. Hopefully some time at AAA will let him get back on track.
ReplyDeleteLet's go Thairo! I am feeling good about having him shoulder the load. He seems to have a great approach at the plate as he works the count and adjusts throughout the game. Let's go Thairo!
ReplyDeleteTauchman .176/.287/.284/.570 0.5 dWAR 57 Games
ReplyDeleteDubon .234/.272/.373/.646 0.4 dWAR 66 Games
Wade .252/.347/.520/.867 -0.5 dWAR 44 Games
Dubon has seemed to address his problems in Sac, BB/SO much improved and he's on base a lot: .382/.456/.426/.882 in AAA. Perhaps he is past his 'yipps' and ready to contribute, albeit without the power of either Wade or Tauchman.
The latter is deep in woe: .146/.205/.244/.448 in his last 22 games, 10 starting. His strike out rate is near 40%.
As for Wade's fielding deficiency, 1B has not been his position with only a single game in Sac this year before coming up to the Giants. He seems to be improving there with an occasional lapse, perhaps from lack of experience.
Wow, what a complete meltdown by Rogers last night in the 9th!
It's hard to believe that the Giants infield is Wade, Solano, Estrada, & Flores, with Vosler & Ruf regular substituting.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, had you said the Giants could play (and win) in 2021 without Belt, La Stella, Crawford, and Longoria, or Dubon, in the infield and take 3 of 4 from the Dodgers, well, welcome to FZ-land!
The outfield is kinda more familiar unless you go back to, say, 2018: Pence, Hernandez, McCutchen, and Blanco.
On the pitching side, those with the most 2018 starts were Holland, Suarez, Stratton, Bumgarner, Rodriguez, Blach, & Samardzija.
Of the 13 relievers with the most appearances in 2018, only Moronta is still around. Sort of.
Which do we prefer: continuity or success?
These are not your father's Giants!
But isn't it nice to be in First Place?