You didn't really have to squint all that hard to see a vision of a Giants future come into focus as home run by Joey Bart and David Villar backed the determined pitching of Logan Webb in front of a large contingent of Giants fans, many of whom are probably here for the 49'er game tomorrow.
Joey Bart C- 3 for 4, 2B, HR(11). BA= .233. The double was a catchable flyball that got lost in the sun but there was nothing flukey about the HR. Wow! A belt high fastball on the inner half and Bart destroyed it. It landed about 2/3 of the way up the LF bleachers which is quite a blast at Wrigley field. The single was a nifty oppo field poke that was a nice piece of hitting too.
David Villar 2B- 2 for 4, 2B, HR(5). BA= .228. David Villar smoked two balls. The double went up the L-CF alley and evaded a diving CF. The HR was a no-doubter over the elevated wall in LF. Villar has been of fire since being recalled on 9/2 with a slash of .345/.387/.828. He's done nothing but hit at every level and seems to have overcome the rookie jitters from his first MLB stint earlier in the season.
Logan Webb RHP- 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K's, GO/AO= 9/3. ERA= 2.88. This may come as a surprise to some but by some measures, Webb is better this season than last(Last year's ERA was 3.03, this year's FIP and xFIP slightly higher. fWAR was 3.4 going into this game compared to 4.1 in 2021. That gap undoubtedly closed today and he has several starts left in the season.
Camilo Doval RHP- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, Save(21). ERA= 2.64.
There you have it. 4 potential members of the next Giants core. If this season accomplished nothing else, getting those guys feet on the ground in the the major leagues is a huge success(Webb actually established himself last year but he's a big part of the next core). I would add Sean Hjelle RHP's performance on Friday agains the Brewers as big positive for the future. Hopefully we'll get to see more of him before the season is over and he'll back up that performance with more goodness.
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Churn Watch:
In a somewhat surprising move, the Giants released Dominic Leone RHP, a move that allows him to hook on with another team, possibly a contender, before the end of the season.
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John Brebbia RHP is apparently the Opener for a bullpen game tomorrow evening facing Wade Miley LHP.
Grant wrote a article that Longo will probably be back next year because he"only" costs 8M in new money. Pretty sound logic, but Villar is making a push for every day ABs. I think you have to start him until he proves otherwise, making Evan an expensive backup, when we also have JD that can play 3B
ReplyDeleteA healthy Longo makes a great late innings defensive insert, and could DH a fair amount. I'm for keeping him.
ReplyDeleteRichard in Winnipeg
There are only 26 roster spots and Longo really only plays one position. I think he's either got to be the projected starter at 3B or bought out and released.
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