2022:
Joc Pederson 102 G, -8.4 UZR, -16.5 UZR/150, 2.1 fWAR(multiple positions).
Luis Gonzalez 52 G, -0.9 UZR, -5.8 UZR/150, 0.3 fWAR(multiple positions).
Darin Ruf 28 G, -2.7 UZR, - 29.7 UZR/150, -0.7 fWAR(multiple positions).
LaMonte Wade Jr 19 G, 0.1 UZR, -2.3 UZR/150, 0.2 fWAR( multiple positions).
Thairo Estrada 18 G, -0.4 UZR, -11.6 UZR/150, 2.7 fWAR(multiple positions)
Austin Slater 16 G, 0.4 UZR, 16.3 UZR/150, 2.1 fWAR(multiple positions).
Yermin Mercedes 8 G, -0.8 UZR, -30.7 UZR/150, -0.2 fWAR.
Austin Dean, Jason Krizan, Heliot Ramos, Jason Vosler 3 G
J.D. Davis 2 G
Lewis Brinson, Steven Duggar, Bryce Johnson, Luke Williams 1 G
2023:
Michael Conforto(Projected) 140 G?, 27 HR/600 PA(Career), 3.9 fWAR/600 PA(Career), 0.9 UZR(2021), 2.1 UZR/150(2021).
Outcome: Upgrade?
Opportunity for Upside: Conforto has to stay healthy and return to his career averages. There is really no viable backup plan.
Comment: Left field was another disaster position for the Giants in 2022. While it's not a premium defensive position, Giants left fielders as a group gave up way too many defensive runs. A healthy Conforto should eliminate the defensive liability while providing close to Joc Pederson level offense and remove 1 position from the platoon carousel. Of course, health is the big concern and if Conforto is not healthy, the position falls back into the abyss. Austin Slater could be a short side platoon partner but the expectation is for Conforto to play the position full time.
I hope he stays healthy and plays about 140 games. He would, in that optimistic case, be a good contributor.
ReplyDeleteThen perhaps he would want to look for a longer term contract, and with that, we can worry, or hope we have some more affordable, in-house replacements who can put up a similar (currently projected) fWAR of 3.9.
Luis Gonzalez is the only one that showed me anything last season and he unfortunately faded late. Hopefully Ramos can correct whatever flaws we uncovered in AAA and rebounds to be the star he was supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteThe three OF's on the AAA Sacramento roster are Clint Coulter, Bryce Johnson and Ismael Munguia. We could see Vaun Brown in Oracle Park sooner than we think.
DeleteBryce Johnson's only hope is that the Giants get so much production from RF & LF they can carry a fielding-first CF.
DeleteAs for Coulter and Mungia, they are interesting.
Mungia lost the entire 2022 season with wrist surgery after a breakout 2021. The pandemic blew up his 2020. Could he have a year in Sac? It is possible.
Coulter's FA signing potentially looks like a good catch. Another guy sidelined with injuries, looked good at the end of 2022.
McCray is another guy, like Brown who could be heard from, but is it now or never for Ramos and Bishop?
Trying really hard to find improvement in the 2023 Giants – corner OFers are pluses if they stay healthy, probably the 'pen is deeper, and some hopeful growth with experience behind the plate.
DeleteDefense up-the-middle has not been addressed, infield corners are wishful projects, depth is rather shallow.
The rally call can be "No one predicted 2021!"
Be nice to get an "impact" rookie. Or 2.
In news, Giant signed #15 International Prospect Rayner Arias, OF, D.R.
Padres took #1, Dodgers #3, and Cubs got 3 of top 19, all SS.
Agree. When you go through a position-by-position comparison with last year's team, It's almost shocking how thin the roster is and how much they are depending on significant bounce backs in health, performance or both. A whole lot of things are going to have to go right for them to even equal last year's .500 record.
DeleteA few days ago (Jan 12, 2023), Andrew Baggarly wrote on The Athletic (behind the paywall) what might be called a review of the results of Zaidi's 2023's off-season starting with waving off corner infielders BB-9 and Longo while discussing about everything he has done or not done to improve the 2023 Giants.
DeleteThe reader comments were scathing (of Zaidi).
However bad 2023 may become, it's very wrong to criticize FZ for failing to sign Judge and (ultimately) Correa — and it's very right to appreciate how hard he tried in both instances. Alas, neither was to be. There was no lack of his effort in both cases.
Similarly, criticizing FZ for so little that has come forward from the Amateur Draft for the years preceding his tenure which began after the 2018 draft is also wrong. And it's still early to condemn his choices: although his first two picks probably won't pan out (like most top picks back to Buster Posey in 2008 and traded-off Wheeler and Reynolds), McCray and Waites might vindicate 2019 (plus Killian traded as part of the deal to get Bryant which almost worked).
The unprecedented success of 2021 was an aberration of Titanic proportions, somewhat comparable to the 1969 NY Mets who won 100 games sandwiched by 73 and 83 win seasons (if the shortened 2020 is extended to 162 games, SF's pre- and post-2021's 107 wins would be 78 and 81).
Another curious comparison between the 1969 Mets and the 2021 Giants is their managers: with multiple teams, Gil Hodges and Gabe Kapler each had a singular good year while being ~.500 or worse in their other managerial efforts.
Ultimately, it’s the players who win games not the managers.
Just as the Belt Wars end, the Zaidi Wars explode. I agree that continued criticism of the unfortunate Judge/Correa outcomes is getting tiresome and ridiculous. On the other hand, while the Giants draft outcomes on Zaidi's watch are a mixed bag, the first round failures are rather spectacular and should be scrutinized if not criticized.
DeleteMight help to stop drafting in the 1st round players whose name begins with "B" (unless the name is 9 letters or longer):
DeleteBednar
Bailey
Bishop
Bart (bWAR at 1.1 and rising)
Bickford
Beede
Brown
Burriss
Bosner
Bump
OTOH, if the Giants had chosen their 2nd round pick in the 1st round of 1982 instead of Steve Stanicek @ #11 — well, that's another story.
Every GM/VP or whatever FZ is knows and accepts that criticism is a part of the job. I don’t understand why anyone feels the need to defend someone who has been pretty mediocre and doesn’t have a lot to show for all his “efforts” in a position that it’s understood that criticism is involved.
DeleteI also think it is justified to at least partially blame him for the picks made before he got here that haven’t developed like Ramos, Bart, and even Luciano. There were plenty of people giving him credit for improving the farm a few years ago when those were the best prospects he had. The truth is his drafts have been average at best and his development of a farm that had some talented young players already has been below average.
I am still waiting to see “the smartest man in baseball” make some more impactful moves that show how smart he is. The Yaz’s and Lamont’s are cute compliments when you either trade well, sign well, or develop well around them but guess what? Aint happened! Great job finding Gausman and Rodon but off they go to some other team once they got right. The Giants reputation has taken a big hit and I don’t see any big name FA trusting this management/ownership to build a team around them. Not looking good but yeah how dare anyone criticize poor Farhan and all he has done for us!
"big name FA trusting this management/ownership"
DeleteCorrea - the #2 FA after Judge - was absolutely signing with them.
That said, I fully agree that the farm MUST produce.
I've followed teams who looked bad on paper to start the season and ended up being good teams and teams who looked good to start the season ended up being bad teams. Baseball is unpredictable. We won't know until they play the game
ReplyDeleteBishop looks like a bust.. MLB draft is the biggest crapshoot out of all the major sports drafts, but they can't afford to keep missing on 1st rounders. Bailey won a gold glove though which tells me he has a shot at a MLB career. Bednar gets a pass for 1 bad season until we find out what went wrong physically. He had back issues and COVID, was that the cause?. Hope he rebounds I do like the later round picks coming up to be fair like Harrison, Schmidt, Dabovich, Vaun Brown. My biggest concern with FZ is since he has stated the direction of the team is to win now, he should explore all avenues to improve the team: free agency, farm system, and trades. He should be exploring trades to get a back up SS for example and be willing to give up a good prospect between #6 and #15 if he has to. He's relying too much on free agency. Remember the 1st trade Sabes made with Matt Williams, which he took a lot of criticism for I'd like to see FZ make a big off season trade and take a risk
ReplyDeleteHow about a 2-year contract for Elvis Andrus to strengthen the middle?
ReplyDeleteRHB to supplement Craw and replace him next year.
SS, 3B, 2B
I'm for it, but FZ all but ruled out any additional MLB contracts before spring training opens. On the positive side, it sounds like FZ thinks Villar is ready to be the starting everyday 3B.
DeleteIf Villar can establish himself as an everyday 3rd baseman that would be good news. FZ has said the team is in transition as we know so they need to give young players a chance now. I'm also looking forward to see what Casey Schmidt can do once he gets his chance.
ReplyDelete