The Giants finally took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 5'th inning, but Jonathan Sanchez couldn't make it out of the bottom of the 5'th. These days, all it takes is one bad inning and the Giants are sunk. Key Lines:
Jonathan Sanchez- 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K's, L(4-5). ERA= 3.71. Sanchez seems to be slowly regressing this year. Maybe he needs to skip a turn or two when Zito comes back. That sure woke him up the last time he got pulled from the rotation.
Not a lot else to say about this game. They had 7 hits, 4 BB's and the A's committed 2 errors. It seems like they should have been able to parlay that into more runs. This team has zero power other than Cody Ross's occasional bomb. Burrell wasn't the DH for the second game in a row even though he seems like the obvious choice. His days on the team could be numbered.
With the Loss, the Giants stayed 0.5 games ahead of the Dangerous D'Backs who lost to the ChiSox 6-2. Here come the Rockies again! They gained a game to 3.5 back with their 4'th win in a row, this time 5-4 over the Detroit Tigers. The Desperate Dodgers got shellacked by the 'Stros again 7-0. They've lost 5 in a row and stayed 8.5 games behind the leaders while the Pathetic Padres lost their 4'th in a row, 1-0 to the Twins, to stay 9.5 games behind the leaders.
Matt Cain tries to stop the Giants losing streak at 3 facing Trevor Cahill who has struggled lately. Don't think we can count on him to struggle against the Giants though.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Down on the Farm: 6/17//2011
AAA Sacramento River Cats came from behind to pass the Fresno Grizzlies 6-5:
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4. BA= .316.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .293.
Hector Sanchez(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .308.
Matt Yourkin(LHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.70.
Vinnie Chulk(RHP, River Cats)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, W(3-2). ERA= 2.97.
Yup, THAT Vinnie Chulk! Ford starts a rehab assignment. Unclear if he'll get called back to SF when it's done. Conor Gillaspie and Hector Sanchez keep hitting. Gotta be getting a bit excited about Sanchez, in particular.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 6-4:
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .256.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .125.
Johnny Monell(C)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .227.
David Quinowski(LHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.01.
A+ Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 10-1:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, Assist(3B). BA= .335.
Alex Burg(3B-C)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .462.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 2.93.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.79.
Brown has been in enough of a slump to get mention on BA's "Not So Hot" list. This was Marte's worst start of the season so far.
Low A August Greenjackets smothered the Asheville Tourists 15-5:
Adam Duvall(3B)- 4 for 6, 2B. BA= .266.
Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(9), HJBP, SF. BA= .228.
Ryan Scoma(DH)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .247.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(3), BB. BA= .230.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K'S, Save(1). ERA= 3.83.
Tyler Matzek(LHP, Tourists)- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 8 R, 6 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 14.00.
Adrianza is hitting .282/.341/.436 over his last 10 games, 8 for 23 in his last 6. Not sure how he got credit for a Save entering the game with a 12-5 lead, but my man Seth Rosin had a dominant outing. He has 10 K's against 1 BB in 6 IP his last 2 outings. The wheels have completely fallen off for Tyler Matzek, a former first round draft pick for the Rockies. He was recently demoted from the Cal League and is even worse at the lower level.
Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes exploded for a 14-2 win over the Spokane Indians:
Jesus Galindo(CF-RF)- 0 for 5, BB, SB(1). BA= .000.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .400.
Dan Burkhart(C)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .333.
Mike Murray(DH)- 5 for 6, 2B, HR(1). BA= .833.
Chuckie Jones(LF)- 3 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, HBP. BA= 1.000!
Brett Krill(RF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .250.
John Eshleman(3B)- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(1). BA= .333.
Julio Izturis(2B)- 2 for 6, SB(1). BA= .333.
Cameron Lamb(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 1.80.
Aaron King(LHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Lots of stuff going on here. Galindo is a slap and dash guy from the DSL who stole a lot of bases but had trouble keeping his BA above the Mendoza Line. He's off to a similar start here. Solid start for first round draft pick Panik. Gotta love Chuckie Jones who reached base 6 times in the game! Brett Krill is a sleeper drafted in a late round last year out of UCLA. He's big and looks unathletic but is surprisingly fast and has a great arm for RF. Cameron Lamb was signed as a 17 yo out of Australia back in 2007. He's been hampered by rawness and injuries. He's 22 yo now. This could be his make or break year. We'll see if Aaron King can find a floor here and start to rebuild his career which has been derailed by wildness.
DSL Angels blanked the Giants 4-0.
Nothing to see here.
Darren Ford(CF)- 2 for 4. BA= .316.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .293.
Hector Sanchez(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .308.
Matt Yourkin(LHP)- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.70.
Vinnie Chulk(RHP, River Cats)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, W(3-2). ERA= 2.97.
Yup, THAT Vinnie Chulk! Ford starts a rehab assignment. Unclear if he'll get called back to SF when it's done. Conor Gillaspie and Hector Sanchez keep hitting. Gotta be getting a bit excited about Sanchez, in particular.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels defeated the Bowie Baysox 6-4:
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .256.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .125.
Johnny Monell(C)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB. BA= .227.
David Quinowski(LHP)- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 2.01.
A+ Modesto Nuts crushed the San Jose Giants 10-1:
Gary Brown(CF)- 2 for 4, Assist(3B). BA= .335.
Alex Burg(3B-C)- 1 for 4, HR(2). BA= .462.
Kelvin Marte(LHP)- 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K's. ERA= 2.93.
Jake Dunning(RHP)- 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 5.79.
Brown has been in enough of a slump to get mention on BA's "Not So Hot" list. This was Marte's worst start of the season so far.
Low A August Greenjackets smothered the Asheville Tourists 15-5:
Adam Duvall(3B)- 4 for 6, 2B. BA= .266.
Devin Harris(LF)- 1 for 3, HR(9), HJBP, SF. BA= .228.
Ryan Scoma(DH)- 2 for 5, 2B. BA= .247.
Ehire Adrianza(SS)- 3 for 4, 2 2B, HR(3), BB. BA= .230.
Seth Rosin(RHP)- 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K'S, Save(1). ERA= 3.83.
Tyler Matzek(LHP, Tourists)- 1.1 IP, 3 H, 8 R, 6 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 14.00.
Adrianza is hitting .282/.341/.436 over his last 10 games, 8 for 23 in his last 6. Not sure how he got credit for a Save entering the game with a 12-5 lead, but my man Seth Rosin had a dominant outing. He has 10 K's against 1 BB in 6 IP his last 2 outings. The wheels have completely fallen off for Tyler Matzek, a former first round draft pick for the Rockies. He was recently demoted from the Cal League and is even worse at the lower level.
Short Season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes exploded for a 14-2 win over the Spokane Indians:
Jesus Galindo(CF-RF)- 0 for 5, BB, SB(1). BA= .000.
Joe Panik(SS)- 2 for 5, BB. BA= .400.
Dan Burkhart(C)- 2 for 6, 2B. BA= .333.
Mike Murray(DH)- 5 for 6, 2B, HR(1). BA= .833.
Chuckie Jones(LF)- 3 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, HBP. BA= 1.000!
Brett Krill(RF)- 1 for 4, 2B, BB. BA= .250.
John Eshleman(3B)- 2 for 6, 2B, SB(1). BA= .333.
Julio Izturis(2B)- 2 for 6, SB(1). BA= .333.
Cameron Lamb(RHP)- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 9/2. ERA= 1.80.
Aaron King(LHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Lots of stuff going on here. Galindo is a slap and dash guy from the DSL who stole a lot of bases but had trouble keeping his BA above the Mendoza Line. He's off to a similar start here. Solid start for first round draft pick Panik. Gotta love Chuckie Jones who reached base 6 times in the game! Brett Krill is a sleeper drafted in a late round last year out of UCLA. He's big and looks unathletic but is surprisingly fast and has a great arm for RF. Cameron Lamb was signed as a 17 yo out of Australia back in 2007. He's been hampered by rawness and injuries. He's 22 yo now. This could be his make or break year. We'll see if Aaron King can find a floor here and start to rebuild his career which has been derailed by wildness.
DSL Angels blanked the Giants 4-0.
Nothing to see here.
Game Wrap 6/17/2011: A's 5 Giants 2
I got a fierce headache part way through this game and had to go to be early. It was kind of starting before the game, so I don't think it was from watching Tim Lincecum pitch, but I'm sure Timmy didn't help it at all. Then there was the jarring sight of Bip Roberts sitting next to Duane Kuiper at the top of the TV broadcast. Apparently Kruk is on "assignment" whatever that means. Hope everything is all right with my man Krukow and he's just on vacay or something. It was a pretty crappy game with Timmy all over the place, some sloppy fielding by the Giants and the typical impotence of the bats against a guy they should have sent to the showers early. Key Lines:
Cody Ross- 2 for 4, HR(6). BA= .275. Once again, Cody was the only guy hitting with any kind of authority last night.
Tim Lincecum- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.39. Timmy was obviously out of sorts, especially in the first 3 innings. He was wild high with the fastball, hanging breaking pitches. The split/change was diving down but the hitters were taking it and the ump was not calling it for strikes even though it looked like it was catching the front of the strike zone to me.
Here's my theory on Timmy's struggles. It's not an injury. The fastball has plenty of heat at 94 MPH. I think Carl Steward's notion of him missing Buster has some merit. Timmy has obviously gained a significant amount of weight. He's fuller in the face and much thicker around the torso. My theory is that even though he is stronger and getting more velocity on the FB, the extra weight has started to restrict his extension and he's not able to get on top of the fastball and breaking ball like he should. Maybe it's time to dial back on the double-doubles and maybe order just 2 instead of 4?
With the Loss, the Giants lead in the NL West shrunk back to 0.5 games over the Dangerous D'Backs who topped the ChiSox 4-1. The Rockies climbed up to 4.5 games out with a 13-6 win over the Detroit Tigers. The Desperate Dodgers lost to the 'Stros 7-3 in the only non-interleague game of the night to remain 8.5 games off the pace. The Pathetic Padres lost to the Twins 6-5 to remain 9.5 games out and in last place.
Jonathan Sanchez tries to be the stopper tonight facing Guillermo Moscoso, whoever that is.
Cody Ross- 2 for 4, HR(6). BA= .275. Once again, Cody was the only guy hitting with any kind of authority last night.
Tim Lincecum- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K's. ERA= 3.39. Timmy was obviously out of sorts, especially in the first 3 innings. He was wild high with the fastball, hanging breaking pitches. The split/change was diving down but the hitters were taking it and the ump was not calling it for strikes even though it looked like it was catching the front of the strike zone to me.
Here's my theory on Timmy's struggles. It's not an injury. The fastball has plenty of heat at 94 MPH. I think Carl Steward's notion of him missing Buster has some merit. Timmy has obviously gained a significant amount of weight. He's fuller in the face and much thicker around the torso. My theory is that even though he is stronger and getting more velocity on the FB, the extra weight has started to restrict his extension and he's not able to get on top of the fastball and breaking ball like he should. Maybe it's time to dial back on the double-doubles and maybe order just 2 instead of 4?
With the Loss, the Giants lead in the NL West shrunk back to 0.5 games over the Dangerous D'Backs who topped the ChiSox 4-1. The Rockies climbed up to 4.5 games out with a 13-6 win over the Detroit Tigers. The Desperate Dodgers lost to the 'Stros 7-3 in the only non-interleague game of the night to remain 8.5 games off the pace. The Pathetic Padres lost to the Twins 6-5 to remain 9.5 games out and in last place.
Jonathan Sanchez tries to be the stopper tonight facing Guillermo Moscoso, whoever that is.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Blast From the Past: AFW, Brian Sabean's Plan For the Post-Bonds Era
Even the most ardent of Brian Sabean's detractors, and there are still a lot of holdouts out there, grudgingly admit that he deserves some credit for putting together the championship team of 2010. They are quick to add, though, that he just got lucky. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut. The theory goes that he was "lucky" to have a series of high draft picks which were supposedly slam dunks to produce MLB stars and then he had a string of luck with mid-season acquisitions and it all ended up in a perfect storm of luck to produce the 2010 championship. Most of the "detractors" have even conceded that the Barry Zito signing was probably done at the insistence of Peter Magowan. A lingering argument, which on the surface seems to have some merit, is that the team was unprepared for the Post-Bonds era and went through an unnecessary drought to get the high draft picks and eventually rebound to win the 2010 World Series.
Did Brian Sabean really just forget about preparing for the post-Bonds era? Not so fast there, detractors! Remember a trio of pitching prospects, Kurt Ainsworth, Jesse Foppert and Jerome Williams, AKA AFW? By now, it should be obvious that at the core of his soul, Brian Sabean believes in building a team around pitching, homegrown pitching! With that in mind, and the knowledge that in 2003, he had assembled one of the most impressive trifectas of pitching prospects in the history of baseball can lead one to conclude that Brian Sabean had indeed prepared for the post-Bonds era and he saw the future as being based on pitching, pitching and more pitching. I know there is a nemonic known as TINSTAAP, There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect, but it's pretty hard to find a similar run of monumental bad luck than the complete failure of 3 such highly ranked pitching prospects in succession.
Kurt Ainsworth was the Giants first round draft pick in 1999 out of LSU. I can't confirm this right now, but I believe he had undergone Tommy John Surgery at some point in his amateur career, but even in those days, TJ survivors frequently came back stronger than before the injury. Ainsworth didn't have overpowering stuff, but he could get his fastball up to 92 MPH and he had terrific command of two fastballs, slider, curve and changeup. In 2002, he had a record of 8-6 with an ERA of 3.41 at age 23 for AAA Fresno which is pretty good given league and park effects. He pitched in 25.2 innings for the Giants at the end of 2002 with an ERA of 2.10. He began the 2003 season in the Giants rotation and went 5-4 with an ERA of 3.82 over 66 IP, I remember one start in particular against the Dodgers where he threw something like 27 first pitch strikes and had all 5 of his pitches working. It was a thing of beauty. Alas, he went on the DL with a stress fracture of the right scapula, a rare injury, and was never the same again. He was later traded with Damien Moss to the Orioles for Sidney Ponson where his shoulder basically fell apart with both a labrum tear and a torn rotator cuff. Again, I may be wrong here, but I think I remember him also re-injuring his TJ repaired right elbow.
Jerome Williams was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 1999 draft out of high school in Hawaii. Despite being drafted out of high school, he progressed rapidly through the Giants farm system. Although he was somewhat inconsistent, the scouting reports were mostly positive having him with a FB up to 94 MPH and a rapidly developing changeup, slider and feel for pitching. During his development, he raised a few eyebrows by talking about dialing down the fastball to achieve better command and increasing his reliance on the changeup. Williams got his first callup in 2003 and pitched very well, going 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA during a Giants run that ended with a NLDS loss to the Florida Marlins in which he was the center of a controversy about who should start a must-win game. Williams showed up to spring training in 2004 looking visibly overweight, but eventually got into decent shape and put together a solid, if unspectacular, 10-7 record with a 4.24 ERA. After that, something went terribly wrong in his life. He married a girl from Fresno, seemed to lose interest in playing baseball, became grossly overweight, was demoted to the minors and eventually traded to the Cubs for LaTroy Hawkins. Despite numerous attempts with numerous organizations, including the Giants, he was never able to get his career back on track. He is currently signed to a minor league deal with the Angels.
Jesse Foppert was drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft out of USF. He immediately started putting up eye-popping numbers in the minor league and rocketed through the Giants farm system. Reports started surfacing in Baseball America of 97 MPH fastballs thrown with an effortless delivery. He split time in 2002 between AA and AAA and struck out a total of 183 batters. Entering 2003, he was BA's #5 overall prospect and the top ranked pitching prospect in all of baseball. He was brought up to the majors early in 2003 after an injury to Ryan Jensen. His arrival was possibly the most anticipated and most disappointing of any in the entire history of the Giants organization. He never once displayed the legendary fastball velocity that had been reported in the minors usually sitting at 87-90 MPH. His results were mediocre at best. On August 20, 2003 he went on the DL with "ulnar neuritis". He received a cortisone shot and while throwing in practice, felt a pop in the elbow and soon after underwent TJ surgery. Unlike many pitchers who have undergone the procedure, "Foppy" never made it back. He was traded from the Fresno roster to the Seattle Mariners in 2005 along with Yorvit Torrealba for Randy Winn. He never regained his once legendary form and now lives in Greenbrae where he is the pitching coach at Marin Catholic High School.
Brian Sabean wasn't content with just "AFW" in the organization. He drafted Matt Cain in 2002. After winning the NL Pennant in 2002, he traded Russ Ortiz to the Braves for Damien Moss and a young fireballing RHP named Manuel Mateo who soon rocketed to the top of BA's prospect lists and changed his name to his true identity of Merkin Valdez who was a few months older than Manuel Mateo. At one point in 2003, the Giants future rotation seemed set as far as the eye could see into the future. AFW plus Cain and Valdez were about as good as it gets in pitching prospects. Of the 5, only Cain would reach the stardom that was predicted for all of them to one degree or another. They were the Giants future that would carry on after Barry Bonds left the scene. There was even a good chance that some or all of them might help end the Bonds era with a long elusive championship!
Those who dismiss Brian Sabean's success in 2010 should also acknowledge that he also suffered a run of monumentally bad luck in the failure of "AFW". Even acknowledging TINSTAAP, which I don't personally believe in that much, it is hard to find a comparable run of bad luck in the development of a group of highly ranked pitching prospects.
We will never know how history might have been different had "AFW" succeeded, if even one of that trio had "made it." Perhaps they would not have been as dominant as Timmy, MadBum and Buster. Perhaps they would have been just good enough to help the Giants contend but never win it all, thus depriving the Giants of the chance to draft the core of the championship team. We'll never know, but as I like to say, "all things work together for good."
Did Brian Sabean really just forget about preparing for the post-Bonds era? Not so fast there, detractors! Remember a trio of pitching prospects, Kurt Ainsworth, Jesse Foppert and Jerome Williams, AKA AFW? By now, it should be obvious that at the core of his soul, Brian Sabean believes in building a team around pitching, homegrown pitching! With that in mind, and the knowledge that in 2003, he had assembled one of the most impressive trifectas of pitching prospects in the history of baseball can lead one to conclude that Brian Sabean had indeed prepared for the post-Bonds era and he saw the future as being based on pitching, pitching and more pitching. I know there is a nemonic known as TINSTAAP, There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect, but it's pretty hard to find a similar run of monumental bad luck than the complete failure of 3 such highly ranked pitching prospects in succession.
Kurt Ainsworth was the Giants first round draft pick in 1999 out of LSU. I can't confirm this right now, but I believe he had undergone Tommy John Surgery at some point in his amateur career, but even in those days, TJ survivors frequently came back stronger than before the injury. Ainsworth didn't have overpowering stuff, but he could get his fastball up to 92 MPH and he had terrific command of two fastballs, slider, curve and changeup. In 2002, he had a record of 8-6 with an ERA of 3.41 at age 23 for AAA Fresno which is pretty good given league and park effects. He pitched in 25.2 innings for the Giants at the end of 2002 with an ERA of 2.10. He began the 2003 season in the Giants rotation and went 5-4 with an ERA of 3.82 over 66 IP, I remember one start in particular against the Dodgers where he threw something like 27 first pitch strikes and had all 5 of his pitches working. It was a thing of beauty. Alas, he went on the DL with a stress fracture of the right scapula, a rare injury, and was never the same again. He was later traded with Damien Moss to the Orioles for Sidney Ponson where his shoulder basically fell apart with both a labrum tear and a torn rotator cuff. Again, I may be wrong here, but I think I remember him also re-injuring his TJ repaired right elbow.
Jerome Williams was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 1999 draft out of high school in Hawaii. Despite being drafted out of high school, he progressed rapidly through the Giants farm system. Although he was somewhat inconsistent, the scouting reports were mostly positive having him with a FB up to 94 MPH and a rapidly developing changeup, slider and feel for pitching. During his development, he raised a few eyebrows by talking about dialing down the fastball to achieve better command and increasing his reliance on the changeup. Williams got his first callup in 2003 and pitched very well, going 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA during a Giants run that ended with a NLDS loss to the Florida Marlins in which he was the center of a controversy about who should start a must-win game. Williams showed up to spring training in 2004 looking visibly overweight, but eventually got into decent shape and put together a solid, if unspectacular, 10-7 record with a 4.24 ERA. After that, something went terribly wrong in his life. He married a girl from Fresno, seemed to lose interest in playing baseball, became grossly overweight, was demoted to the minors and eventually traded to the Cubs for LaTroy Hawkins. Despite numerous attempts with numerous organizations, including the Giants, he was never able to get his career back on track. He is currently signed to a minor league deal with the Angels.
Jesse Foppert was drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft out of USF. He immediately started putting up eye-popping numbers in the minor league and rocketed through the Giants farm system. Reports started surfacing in Baseball America of 97 MPH fastballs thrown with an effortless delivery. He split time in 2002 between AA and AAA and struck out a total of 183 batters. Entering 2003, he was BA's #5 overall prospect and the top ranked pitching prospect in all of baseball. He was brought up to the majors early in 2003 after an injury to Ryan Jensen. His arrival was possibly the most anticipated and most disappointing of any in the entire history of the Giants organization. He never once displayed the legendary fastball velocity that had been reported in the minors usually sitting at 87-90 MPH. His results were mediocre at best. On August 20, 2003 he went on the DL with "ulnar neuritis". He received a cortisone shot and while throwing in practice, felt a pop in the elbow and soon after underwent TJ surgery. Unlike many pitchers who have undergone the procedure, "Foppy" never made it back. He was traded from the Fresno roster to the Seattle Mariners in 2005 along with Yorvit Torrealba for Randy Winn. He never regained his once legendary form and now lives in Greenbrae where he is the pitching coach at Marin Catholic High School.
Brian Sabean wasn't content with just "AFW" in the organization. He drafted Matt Cain in 2002. After winning the NL Pennant in 2002, he traded Russ Ortiz to the Braves for Damien Moss and a young fireballing RHP named Manuel Mateo who soon rocketed to the top of BA's prospect lists and changed his name to his true identity of Merkin Valdez who was a few months older than Manuel Mateo. At one point in 2003, the Giants future rotation seemed set as far as the eye could see into the future. AFW plus Cain and Valdez were about as good as it gets in pitching prospects. Of the 5, only Cain would reach the stardom that was predicted for all of them to one degree or another. They were the Giants future that would carry on after Barry Bonds left the scene. There was even a good chance that some or all of them might help end the Bonds era with a long elusive championship!
Those who dismiss Brian Sabean's success in 2010 should also acknowledge that he also suffered a run of monumentally bad luck in the failure of "AFW". Even acknowledging TINSTAAP, which I don't personally believe in that much, it is hard to find a comparable run of bad luck in the development of a group of highly ranked pitching prospects.
We will never know how history might have been different had "AFW" succeeded, if even one of that trio had "made it." Perhaps they would not have been as dominant as Timmy, MadBum and Buster. Perhaps they would have been just good enough to help the Giants contend but never win it all, thus depriving the Giants of the chance to draft the core of the championship team. We'll never know, but as I like to say, "all things work together for good."
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Down on the Farm: 6/16//2011
AAA Fresno Grizzlies defeated the Tacoma Rainiers 8-4:
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .283.
Thomas Neal(LF)- 2 for 4, SB(5). BA= .325.
Hector Sanchez(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .273.
Barry Zito(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 6.00.
I have a feeling Sanchez is going to get a chance to show what he can do in the Show at some point this season. I can't think of any pitcher on the Active Roster I would be happy to send out to make room for Barry Zito right now.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outslugged the Binghampton Mets 11-9:
Jason Christian(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .255.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(6), SF. BA= .256.
Wes Hodges(1B)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .250.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .000.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Kieschnick drove in 5 runs. Dominguez and Hembree make their AA debuts.
A+ San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts 6-3:
Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .332.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 4. BA= .253.
Michael Main(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.79.
Mitch Lively(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(1). ERA= 1.82.
Joseph continues his hot hitting. Michael Main is back from the DL and missing bats as well as the strike zone. Is Lively the new closer for San Jose?
Augusta Greenjackets edged the Asheville Tourists 6-5:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(9). BA= .263.
Rafael Rodriquez(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .248.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.98.
Stephen Harrold(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(10). ERA= 2.01.
Lofton was moved up to #2 in the batting order and seemed to like it there. Young Mr. Bochy seems to be for real.
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes played an exhibition game against a local All Star team. I wasn't able to find a boxscore or game wrap anywhere at this time. Will add it in if it becomes available.
DSL- the entire DSL was rained out.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .283.
Thomas Neal(LF)- 2 for 4, SB(5). BA= .325.
Hector Sanchez(C)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .273.
Barry Zito(LHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 6.00.
I have a feeling Sanchez is going to get a chance to show what he can do in the Show at some point this season. I can't think of any pitcher on the Active Roster I would be happy to send out to make room for Barry Zito right now.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels outslugged the Binghampton Mets 11-9:
Jason Christian(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(4), BB. BA= .255.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 2 for 4, HR(6), SF. BA= .256.
Wes Hodges(1B)- 1 for 2, 2B, 2 BB. BA= .250.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .000.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, Save(1). ERA= 0.00.
Kieschnick drove in 5 runs. Dominguez and Hembree make their AA debuts.
A+ San Jose Giants beat the Modesto Nuts 6-3:
Gary Brown(CF)- 1 for 4, 3B. BA= .332.
Tommy Joseph(C)- 2 for 4. BA= .253.
Michael Main(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 0.79.
Mitch Lively(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K's, Save(1). ERA= 1.82.
Joseph continues his hot hitting. Michael Main is back from the DL and missing bats as well as the strike zone. Is Lively the new closer for San Jose?
Augusta Greenjackets edged the Asheville Tourists 6-5:
Chris Lofton(CF)- 2 for 3, 2B, BB, SB(9). BA= .263.
Rafael Rodriquez(LF)- 2 for 4, 2B. BA= .248.
Brett Bochy(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's. ERA= 1.98.
Stephen Harrold(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(10). ERA= 2.01.
Lofton was moved up to #2 in the batting order and seemed to like it there. Young Mr. Bochy seems to be for real.
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes played an exhibition game against a local All Star team. I wasn't able to find a boxscore or game wrap anywhere at this time. Will add it in if it becomes available.
DSL- the entire DSL was rained out.
Game Wrap 6/16/2011: D'Backs 3 Giants 2
The Giants put up a fight, but in the end, it wasn't enough as Justin Upton hit a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 10'th to avoid as series sweep. Key Lines:
Aubrey Huff- 2 for 4. BA= .243. Huff is hitting .316 over his last 10 games and is 8 for 15 over his last 4.
Cody Ross- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .270. Ross struck out with runners on first and third and no outs in the top of the ninth.
Pat Burrell- 0 for 0, SF. BA= .225. Burrell drove in the tying run with a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth. Ultimately, it wasn't enough.
Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 1.92. Vogelsong made one bad pitch to Chris Young, a hanging curveball with Upton on first. He still had a QS and pitched every bit as well as Bumgarner the night before. It wasn't enough in this one as Ian Kennedy was tougher.
Jeremy Affeldt- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.81. Affledt is pitching really well, which should be invaluable as the season stretches out.
Santiago Casilla- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. Casilla had pitched well, retiring 3 LH batters out of the 4 outs he recorded. He elevated a fastball on the outer half of the plate to Upton and the kid took it the other way for a walk-off dinger. No shame in giving up a walkoff to the other team's best hitter. It happens. This loss was really on the offense.
With the Loss, the Giants lead over the Dangerous D'Backs in the NL West shrunk to 1.5 games. The rest of the division had the night off. The Rockies are 5.5 games back, the Dodgers 8.5 and the Padres 9.5.
The Giants come back to the Bay Area for an away series in Oakland. Tim Lincecum tries to right his ship facing Rookie Graham Godfrey in just his second MLB game. He got hit around a bit by the White Sox in his debut and sports an ERA of 10.38.
Aubrey Huff- 2 for 4. BA= .243. Huff is hitting .316 over his last 10 games and is 8 for 15 over his last 4.
Cody Ross- 1 for 3, BB, SB(4). BA= .270. Ross struck out with runners on first and third and no outs in the top of the ninth.
Pat Burrell- 0 for 0, SF. BA= .225. Burrell drove in the tying run with a sac fly in the bottom of the ninth. Ultimately, it wasn't enough.
Ryan Vogelsong- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 1.92. Vogelsong made one bad pitch to Chris Young, a hanging curveball with Upton on first. He still had a QS and pitched every bit as well as Bumgarner the night before. It wasn't enough in this one as Ian Kennedy was tougher.
Jeremy Affeldt- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 3.81. Affledt is pitching really well, which should be invaluable as the season stretches out.
Santiago Casilla- 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. Casilla had pitched well, retiring 3 LH batters out of the 4 outs he recorded. He elevated a fastball on the outer half of the plate to Upton and the kid took it the other way for a walk-off dinger. No shame in giving up a walkoff to the other team's best hitter. It happens. This loss was really on the offense.
With the Loss, the Giants lead over the Dangerous D'Backs in the NL West shrunk to 1.5 games. The rest of the division had the night off. The Rockies are 5.5 games back, the Dodgers 8.5 and the Padres 9.5.
The Giants come back to the Bay Area for an away series in Oakland. Tim Lincecum tries to right his ship facing Rookie Graham Godfrey in just his second MLB game. He got hit around a bit by the White Sox in his debut and sports an ERA of 10.38.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Down on the Farm: 6/15//2011
AAA Tacoma Rainiers pounded the Fresno Grizzlies 11-4:
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(4). BA= .277.
Thomas Neal(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .319.
Marc Kroon(RHP)- 1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HBP. ERA= 4.26.
Tough night for Kroon who had been pitching great for almost a month.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Binghampton Mets 5-3:
Charlie Culberson(2B)- 1 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .260.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB. BA= .252.
Wes Hodges(1B)- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .000.
Henry Sosa(RHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Jason Stoffel(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(10). ERA= 3.42.
Hodges was a 2'nd round draft choice by Cleveland out of Georgia Tech in 2006(was it THAT long ago?). I was really high on him and he started out pretty good. His fielding was subpar at 3B and he's never hit quite enough to be a first baseman. He was released last week by Cleveland and apparently picked up by the Giants. Not sure what was wrong with Sosa in Fresno, but he's been revitalized since his demotion to Richmond. Nice 2 inning Save for Stoffel.
A+ San Jose Giants downed the Bakersfield Blaze 4-1:
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(12). BA= .268.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .291.
Andy Reichard(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 2.90.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(21). ERA= 0.73.
Low A Lexington Legends edged the Augusta Greenjackets 2-1:
Gaspar Santiago(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.68.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.89.
DSL Giants defeated the Nationals 9-5:
Richard Rodriguez(DH, 18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(3). BA= .087.
Royel Astacio(3B, 17 yo)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2). BA= .323.
Astacio has nice size at 6'2", 197 lbs. I think he might be a keeper.
Conor Gillaspie(3B)- 2 for 4, HR(4). BA= .277.
Thomas Neal(LF)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .319.
Marc Kroon(RHP)- 1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HBP. ERA= 4.26.
Tough night for Kroon who had been pitching great for almost a month.
AA Richmond Flying Squirrels topped the Binghampton Mets 5-3:
Charlie Culberson(2B)- 1 for 3, 3B, BB. BA= .260.
Roger Kieschnick(RF)- 1 for 3, HR(5), BB. BA= .252.
Wes Hodges(1B)- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .000.
Henry Sosa(RHP)- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Jason Stoffel(RHP)- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's, Save(10). ERA= 3.42.
Hodges was a 2'nd round draft choice by Cleveland out of Georgia Tech in 2006(was it THAT long ago?). I was really high on him and he started out pretty good. His fielding was subpar at 3B and he's never hit quite enough to be a first baseman. He was released last week by Cleveland and apparently picked up by the Giants. Not sure what was wrong with Sosa in Fresno, but he's been revitalized since his demotion to Richmond. Nice 2 inning Save for Stoffel.
A+ San Jose Giants downed the Bakersfield Blaze 4-1:
Jarrett Parker(RF)- 2 for 4, 2B, SB(12). BA= .268.
Chris Dominguez(3B)- 1 for 4, 2B. BA= .291.
Andy Reichard(RHP)- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, GO/AO= 8/1. ERA= 2.90.
Heath Hembree(RHP)- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's, Save(21). ERA= 0.73.
Low A Lexington Legends edged the Augusta Greenjackets 2-1:
Gaspar Santiago(LHP)- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K's. ERA= 4.68.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 3.89.
DSL Giants defeated the Nationals 9-5:
Richard Rodriguez(DH, 18 yo)- 1 for 3, 2 BB, SB(3). BA= .087.
Royel Astacio(3B, 17 yo)- 3 for 5, 2B, HR(2). BA= .323.
Astacio has nice size at 6'2", 197 lbs. I think he might be a keeper.
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