Someday in the future when we all look back on this season, there is a good chance we will remember 3 plays over the last two games that told us the season, and possibly era, was over:
In game 3 of this series, YtY was sent in to pinch run as the lead runner with runners at first and second and 1 out. Kap obviously desperately wanted to add to a 2-1 lead. YtY got picked off. End of rally. The D'Backs scored two runs the next inning and the Giants lost the game.
In game 4 of the series, the Giants ran into a very hot pitcher, Zac Gallen RHP. Brandon Crawford SS, who won game 2 of the series with a walk-off HR, led off the 6'th inning with the Giants trailing 5-0. He struck out on a foul bunt. That's kind of understandable. A HR there would not help much. The Giants needed baserunners.
Then in the 7'th inning, Brandon Belt 1B came to the plate with two outs and runners at 2'nd and 3'rd. He struck out on a foul bunt. Think about that one for awhile and let me know when you think of a reason why it was OK for that to happen. I'll wait.
There is just not much else to write about this game. Gallen is having a helluva season(9-2, 2.78, 132.2 IP, 35 BB, 132 K) and he was obviously at the top of his game. The Giants lineup was no match.
Logan Webb RHP is also having a helluva season but he struggled in this one and left the game in the 5'th inning after giving up 5 run, 3 earned.
Thomas Szupacki LHP- 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 22.50. Szupacki has a 97 MPH FB and a sharp slider. It's possible the reason why his ERA was so high is he was tipping his pitches. If he can keep pitching like this, he has a very bright future.
Zack Littell RHP- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K. ERA= 4.73. Littell comes off and extended absence on the IL. This was a low-leverage situation but an indication that maybe some of the bullpen's struggles are related to fatigue.
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The Giants hit the road and start their trip with a weekend series in Coor's Field with Alex Wood LHP facing Jose Urena RHP.
I'm not trying to kill FZ every day, but saw BA's new organizational rankings - Dodgers #2, Dbacks #4, Rockies #10, Giants #18. For all the talk about building it right/slow, our farm is in the same spot it was 4 years ago
ReplyDeleteWhen you go 0 for 3 on your first 3 first round draft picks, the farm system is going to take a hit. I've been saying it's a problem for over a year now.
DeleteObviously they should stop drafting guys starting with B in the first round. Crawford is a good start.
ReplyDeleteDoc, you and Grant Brisbee made Belt's 2-strike bunt attempt the metaphor of the 2022 season on the same day!
ReplyDeleteRightfully so.
A case can be made for the bunt attempt: Belt can't hit Gallen, Belt's having a lousy season, Belt thought it was his best chance to get on base, the Giants down 5 needed base runners, but the attempt still capsulizes the season - standing pat with aging players is pretty much a guarantee for failure.
Last year's near no-name team almost pulled the upset of the history of baseball if winning the division itself didn't.
Standing pat on that aging lineup was impossible (Posey, Bryant, 80% of the SPs, and other contributors were unsigned for 2022), but management did it anyway as division rivals added on significantly.
A few short term additions on the cheap were made but this was a team destined for disaster.
And, who aside for Webb and the aging Brandons, were the attractions? What jerseys populated the stands? To see what were the fans to shell out 100's of bucks to attend? Flores, Estrada, Ruf, LaStella, Slater, Duggar? What youngsters other than Webb and Bart were to lead this team? Be the jerseys of the future?
Take the wife and kids, buy the overpriced food, pay high rent for parking, drive 50 miles in traffic, shell out 3-4-500 bucks - for what? To see Brandon Belt (and Crawford) bunt to get on base? With two strikes!
FZ has put a team on the field that might win half their games but where is the future? Are they still coming? Do we think Luciano, Ramos, Matos, Harrison, Schmitt, McCray, Black-and-Brown will beat the Dodgers or even the Padres? Or win 90+ games in a season?
Can FZ buy the future? Will he? Is he allowed?
I'm 82 yo, a Giant fan when Bobby Thomson hit THE HR - yes I heard it on the radio! - will I see another pennant or Giant WS?
Will the Giants ever beat the Dodgers again?
Troubling questions. If Belt was so helpless against Gallen(not saying he wasn't), what was he doing batting 5'th in the lineup or batting at all in that situation? The reason you stop spending while bad contracts expire is so you can eventually take all that money and spend it on better players. Now is that time. What is Zaidi and Giants ownership going to do? If they wait for the farm sytem to supply another young core before they spend, it might be another 5-10 years before we see a competitive Giants team on the field again.
DeleteNow is that time!
DeleteYes!
BUT what if the Ownership is content with a .500+ team that has a high-middle payroll?
A change of draft strategy had to be made.
It isn't clear whether FZ's regime is better or worse.
What did the Giants have to show for the 2009-2018 drafts (omitting the trades of Duval, Duffy, Wheeler, Reynolds which had a purpose whether fulfilled or not): Belt, Panik, Webb, Bart, Rogers (?), Slater (?), Ramos (?), Villar (?), Hjelle (?), Roby (??), Duggar (??)?
International signings (Luciano, Matos, Pomares, Doval, and others) could make the pre-FZ look better!
2019 looks weak (McCray may be good, Bishop could make it better, Kilian traded for Bryant).
2020 could be great! Perhaps as early as next year.
2021 might yield several major leaguers and would be productive.
2022 too soon to tell, certainly a roll of the dice.
BA ranked the Giants 17th before the season, so 18 is not a big drop, also picking 30th in each round of the draft also contributed I think. While I like the seasons that players like Casey Schmitt, Grant McCray, and of course Kyle Harrison are having, but they've had players who had down seasons or suffered injuries like Will Bedner, Luciano, Matos and Helliot Ramos which caused the farm not to move forward as well. I read something even more alarming that the Giants have the least amount of draftees since 2015 out of all teams to make a major league roster. Maybe they need to take a look at their player development program.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few bright spots to be sure and it's probably still too early to completely write off Bailey and Bednar but oh my! Those first three first round draft picks of the FZ era are not looking good at this point. That is a huge drag on long term health of the organization.
DeleteFortunately Bailey's splits against RHPs are good - IF he can maintain just them he will be a productive MLer.
DeleteBig IF, there...
Saw someone suggested Bailey should drop drop switch hitting and bat strictly left-handed. Agree if FZ's 3 1st round picks don't work out, that will hurt. Not sure if it'll hurt as much if Reggie Crawford doesn't work out, since he was the #30 pick in the 1st round . Looks like a high risk high reward pick. It's hurting them now that they haven't gotten much help from # 1 picks starting from 2015 draft. Here are their 1st picks from 2015-2018, before FZ: Phil Bickford, Bryan Reynolds, Helliot Ramos , and Joey Bart. At least Joey Bart is starting to come around with the bat, but Helliot Ramos has fallen off a cliff this season.
Delete