I've liked Lance Lynn, the SP for the Cards in Game 1 of the NLCS tonight, for a long time. I remember being fairly bullish on him in college and hoped the Giants might take him in the supplemental round or 2'nd round of the 2008 draft. He had all the ingredients you look for in a pitching prospect: size, velocity and a great K rate plus he was a horse with durability. Here are his college stats from Mississippi:
2006: 7-3, 4.96, 85.1 IP, 51 BB, 76 K's.
2007: 8-5, 2.85, 123.1 IP, 44 BB, 146 K's.
2008: 7-4, 4.52, 89.2 IP, 31 BB, 110 K's.
The Cards ended up drafting him at #39 in the supplemental round after the Giants had taken Conor Gillaspie at #37. Now, don't get me wrong. I was very happy with the Gillaspie pick at the time, so I'm not saying I would have done it differently, but I also would have been happy had the Giants picked Lynn at #37.
Lynn moved smartly through the Cards minor league system putting up similar K and BB numbers as in college. He reached AAA near the end of his first full pro season and spent all of 2010 at that level. He bounced back and forth between AAA and the majors in 2011 mostly starting in AAA and mostly relieving in St. Louis. He started out 2012 in the pen again but quickly moved into the rotation when Chris Carpenter went down with an injury early on, compiling an overall record of 18-7, 3.87, 176 IP, 64 BB, 180 K's.
With Carpenter back late in the season, the Cards moved Lynn back to the bullpen for the NLDS going with a rotation of Waino, Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse. Lynn made 3 appearances out of the pen with a record of 1-1, 8.10, 3.1 IP, 2 BB, 6 K's. When Garcia came up with a bum shoulder, Lynn was called on to move back into the rotation for the NLCS and thus will start game 1 against Madison Bumgarner.
The Cards still have some long relief options in their bullpen. I've already mentioned Trevor Rosenthal and his triple digit heat who was a starter most of the season in the minors. Then there is Shelby Miller, who is an elite pitching prospect and who pitched 6 innings of shutout ball against the Reds in the season finale in a game the Cards won 1-0.
On paper, the Giants have better pitching than the Cards, but the Cards pitchers are tenaceous and can eat up a lot of innings and they have some very good, young fresh arms in the bullpen. This series will come down to who pitches better. Tough to project that in a short series at the end of the season when everybody is fatigued from the long season.
The Cards are a strongly RH leaning lineup who could really abuse the Giants lefty pitchers. On the other hand, their pitching also leans strongly RH and the Giants match up well against RH pitching.
The Giants bench is clearly stronger than the Cards bench.
Gonna be a great series. First game is big. If Madison Bumgarner can hold his own against this RH heavy lineup, The Giants will be in good shape. If not, the Giants will be in a must-win game 2 and have a dogfight on their hands.
What are your keys to the series?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
AFL Report: 10/13/2012
Peoria Javalinas pounded the Scottsdale Scorpions 7-2:
Joe Panik(SS)- 0 for 4. BA= .083.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .222.
Chris Dominguez(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(1), Assist(home). BA= .222.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Mike Zunino(C, Javalinas)- 3 for 5, 2 3B. BA= .308.
Fantasy heads up on Zunino who was the 3'rd overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Mariners. He destroyed both the NWL and the Southern League(AA) and is now continuing that trend in the AFL. Look for him in Seattle sometime this next season if not out of spring training. Lots of really good young catchers coming into the league right now after a down period.
Joe Panik(SS)- 0 for 4. BA= .083.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 0 for 2, 2 BB. BA= .222.
Chris Dominguez(LF)- 2 for 4, HR(1), Assist(home). BA= .222.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Mike Zunino(C, Javalinas)- 3 for 5, 2 3B. BA= .308.
Fantasy heads up on Zunino who was the 3'rd overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Mariners. He destroyed both the NWL and the Southern League(AA) and is now continuing that trend in the AFL. Look for him in Seattle sometime this next season if not out of spring training. Lots of really good young catchers coming into the league right now after a down period.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
AFL Report 10/12/2012
Scottsdale Scorpions blanked the Salt River Rafters 4-0:
Gary Brown- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .231.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Like what we've seen from Hembree so far. He threw 8 pitches, 7 for strikes.
Gary Brown- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .231.
Heath Hembree- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. ERA= 0.00.
Like what we've seen from Hembree so far. He threw 8 pitches, 7 for strikes.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Around the League: Cards Will Be Giants Opponents in NLCS
Oh my! The Washington Nationals started Game 5 of their NLDS series against the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals with their first 3 batters going double, triple, HR. They jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the 3'rd inning. Then the Cardinals staged one of the more epic comebacks in postseason history, finally scoring 4 runs in the top of the 9'th inning off an exhausted Drew Storen to pull out a 9-7 win. They will now face the Giants in the NLCS with the Giants hosting the first two games as the higher seed, a homefield advantage that has eluded the Giants for much of the season including the just concluded NLDS. Key Lines:
Carlos Beltran- 3 for 3, 2 2B, 2 BB. BA= .444. Beltran had a perfect night reaching base 5 times. Don't relish facing that guy in the NLCS.
Daniel Descalso- 3 for 5, 2B, HR, SB. BA= .316. Descalso was hitting just .214 in the series before tonight, but was a huge part of the comeback in this one hitting the HR that made it 6-5 in the 8'th and then hitting the game tying 2 run single off the glove of Ian Desmond in the 9'th.
Pete Kosma- 2 for 5. BA= .250. Kosma is a newcomer filling in for an injured Rafael Furcal. Nothing in his minor league resume suggests his hot hitting down the stretch and tonight is sustainable, but we Giants fans know about small sample sizes in the postseason and sustainability as much as anyone.
Matt Carpenter- 0 for 1. BA= .000. Carpenter struck out as a pinch-hitter. The only reason I'm mentioning him is he looks like he and Brian Wilson might have been separated at birth. BTW, Cards pinch hitters did not get a hit in the series.
Trevor Rosenthal- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. OK, heads up on this guy! He was sitting, sitting at 100 MPH with the easiest looking triple digit delivery I've ever seen. He backed that up with a slider and changeup. This guy was a starter in the minors and looks like he could go several innings at a time out there.
Drew Storen- 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. I knew the Nats were in trouble at the start of the 9'th inning when the TBS announcers mentioned that this was Storen's 3'rd consecutive appearance. One of them had asked him before the game if he had enough in the tank to go one more time. His reply was that he would TRY to dig down for whatever was necessary. That answer tells you he knew he was out of gas and had no confidence. Not sure what else Davey could do, but man, makes you appreciate The Committee even more.
Personally I did not have a preference for who the Giants would be facing. Both the Cards and Nats are good tough teams. This really sets up an epic battle though. 2010 champs vs 2011 champs. Can't wait for it to start!
Carlos Beltran- 3 for 3, 2 2B, 2 BB. BA= .444. Beltran had a perfect night reaching base 5 times. Don't relish facing that guy in the NLCS.
Daniel Descalso- 3 for 5, 2B, HR, SB. BA= .316. Descalso was hitting just .214 in the series before tonight, but was a huge part of the comeback in this one hitting the HR that made it 6-5 in the 8'th and then hitting the game tying 2 run single off the glove of Ian Desmond in the 9'th.
Pete Kosma- 2 for 5. BA= .250. Kosma is a newcomer filling in for an injured Rafael Furcal. Nothing in his minor league resume suggests his hot hitting down the stretch and tonight is sustainable, but we Giants fans know about small sample sizes in the postseason and sustainability as much as anyone.
Matt Carpenter- 0 for 1. BA= .000. Carpenter struck out as a pinch-hitter. The only reason I'm mentioning him is he looks like he and Brian Wilson might have been separated at birth. BTW, Cards pinch hitters did not get a hit in the series.
Trevor Rosenthal- 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's. OK, heads up on this guy! He was sitting, sitting at 100 MPH with the easiest looking triple digit delivery I've ever seen. He backed that up with a slider and changeup. This guy was a starter in the minors and looks like he could go several innings at a time out there.
Drew Storen- 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 K's. I knew the Nats were in trouble at the start of the 9'th inning when the TBS announcers mentioned that this was Storen's 3'rd consecutive appearance. One of them had asked him before the game if he had enough in the tank to go one more time. His reply was that he would TRY to dig down for whatever was necessary. That answer tells you he knew he was out of gas and had no confidence. Not sure what else Davey could do, but man, makes you appreciate The Committee even more.
Personally I did not have a preference for who the Giants would be facing. Both the Cards and Nats are good tough teams. This really sets up an epic battle though. 2010 champs vs 2011 champs. Can't wait for it to start!
RIP Champ Summers
I"ll credit High Heat Stats for giving me a heads up on this one. I think I've mentioned that I used to read The Sporting News as often as I could back when they provided about the only coverage of the minor leagues that was available. I remember reading an article about a guy named Champ Summers who played for Cincinnati's AAA team and tore up the International League. Back in those days, Cincinnati had some pretty good baseball teams and a seemingly endless supply of prospects. I remember thinking to myself, "oh no, not another one!" Champ Summers became something of a white whale for me. There was just something about the name, "Champ" that conjured up all kinds of dreams.
Being in school back in those days, I didn't have much time to really study these things. What I hadn't noticed was that the year Champ destroyed the International League he was 32 years old. Believe it or not, it was not until today when I went back and reviewed his whole career that I realized Summers was actually signed by the Oakland A's and came up through their farm system. He was a Viet Nam vet who was playing in a local softball league when he was signed by the Oakland A's at age 25. He had played some college ball at Southern Illinois prior to that. He spent 3 years in the Oakland farm system and played his first MLB game at age 28 in 1974. He was a good hit/no field corner OF and got minimal playing time in Oakland before being traded to the Cubs and later the Cincinnati Reds. He was sent down to the IL in 1978 which is the year he laid waste to that league and got the write up in The Sporting News.
I'm not sure if he played for Sparky Anderson in Cincinnati, but when Sparky was managing the Detroit Tigers, he thought Champ might make a pretty darn good DH. He was traded to Detroit mid-season 1979 and put up a line of .313/.414/.614 in 290 PA's. He followed that up in 1980 with a line of .297/.393/.504 in 408 PA's. His production tailed off in 1980.
My dreams came true in 1981 when he played for the Giants. Alas, he was mainly a bat off the bench for them, but a very good one hitting .248/.341/.384 in 147 PA's. He only had 30 PA's the next season and was traded to the Padres where he hit just .185 in 59 PA's, but appeared in his only postseason game.
He was involved in a nasty on-field brawl in that last season with the Padres when he charged Pascual Perez on the mound and was tackled by Bob Horner and 2 fans who said he said nasty things to them in the parking lot! LOL!
Nowadays, Champ would be known as a sabermetric darling as he consistently posted OBP's 100 pts higher than his BA. His final career batting line was .255/350/.425 with 54 HR's in 1593 PA's or approximately 3 full season's worth of playing time.
His Wikipedia page does not indicate why or how he died at age 66, but 66 is awfully young to be dying these days.
RIP Champ Summers. Anyone else out there remember him?
Being in school back in those days, I didn't have much time to really study these things. What I hadn't noticed was that the year Champ destroyed the International League he was 32 years old. Believe it or not, it was not until today when I went back and reviewed his whole career that I realized Summers was actually signed by the Oakland A's and came up through their farm system. He was a Viet Nam vet who was playing in a local softball league when he was signed by the Oakland A's at age 25. He had played some college ball at Southern Illinois prior to that. He spent 3 years in the Oakland farm system and played his first MLB game at age 28 in 1974. He was a good hit/no field corner OF and got minimal playing time in Oakland before being traded to the Cubs and later the Cincinnati Reds. He was sent down to the IL in 1978 which is the year he laid waste to that league and got the write up in The Sporting News.
I'm not sure if he played for Sparky Anderson in Cincinnati, but when Sparky was managing the Detroit Tigers, he thought Champ might make a pretty darn good DH. He was traded to Detroit mid-season 1979 and put up a line of .313/.414/.614 in 290 PA's. He followed that up in 1980 with a line of .297/.393/.504 in 408 PA's. His production tailed off in 1980.
My dreams came true in 1981 when he played for the Giants. Alas, he was mainly a bat off the bench for them, but a very good one hitting .248/.341/.384 in 147 PA's. He only had 30 PA's the next season and was traded to the Padres where he hit just .185 in 59 PA's, but appeared in his only postseason game.
He was involved in a nasty on-field brawl in that last season with the Padres when he charged Pascual Perez on the mound and was tackled by Bob Horner and 2 fans who said he said nasty things to them in the parking lot! LOL!
Nowadays, Champ would be known as a sabermetric darling as he consistently posted OBP's 100 pts higher than his BA. His final career batting line was .255/350/.425 with 54 HR's in 1593 PA's or approximately 3 full season's worth of playing time.
His Wikipedia page does not indicate why or how he died at age 66, but 66 is awfully young to be dying these days.
RIP Champ Summers. Anyone else out there remember him?
AFL Report 10/11/2012.
The Salt River Rafters edged the Scottsdale Scorpions 6-5:
Gary Brown(LF)- 3 for 5, SB(1). BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .125.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .286.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Runzler(LHP)- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Good games for Brown and Ricky.
Gary Brown(LF)- 3 for 5, SB(1). BA= .333.
Joe Panik(SS)- 0 for 4, BB. BA= .125.
Ricky Oropesa(1B)- 2 for 3, BB. BA= .286.
Jacob Dunnington(RHP)- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Dan Runzler(LHP)- 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. ERA= 0.00.
Good games for Brown and Ricky.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Game Wrap NLDS Game 5: Giants 6 Reds 4
The Giants pulled off what might be the most improbable feat in a season that has been full of improbables by winning their 3'rd straight game in the opponents stadium after losing the first two games of the series at home. Never been done before, never! Buster Posey capped a 6 run 5'th inning with a grand slam HR. Matt Cain pitched 4 shutout innings before tiring. Then the bullpen, which looked shaky, held on for the W and the NLDS victory. Key Lines:
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4. BA= .333. Sandoval's performance in this series as well as the end of the season, bode well for the remainder of the postseason.
Buster Posey- 1 for 4, HR. BA= .211. Buster didn't hit that well in this series but when the opportunity arose to bury the Reds, he came through and oh how he came through! Against Mat Latos to boot!
Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, SB. BA= .200. Hopefully this is the beginning of something good in the next series.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .182. Crawford drove in the first run with a triple. As soon as I saw that on Gameday, which I was checking during breaks at work, I had a really good feeling about this game.
Matt Cain- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA 5.06. There is some grumbling out there that Bochy left Cain in too long. When it's Matt Cain, I think you give him a bit more rope than say, Barry Zito.
Bullpen- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. The bullpen nearly gave me at least 3 heart attacks, but hung on for the W. Romo got the Save, going more than 1 IP for the second time in the series.
The Giants now get two days off before beginning the NLCS on Sunday. Their opponent will be decided tomorrow in Game 5 of the NLDS between the St Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals. If the Cards win, the Giants will have a rather dubious home field advantage while if Washington wins, the Nats will have home field advantage.
So, who is your MVP of the series? Buster Posey, who hit the Grand Slam that ended up as the game winning hit of the clinching game? Sergio Romo who went 2 innings to get the win in Game 3 and 1.1 innings to get the Save in Game 5? Gregor Blanco, who hit .286 and started the winning rally today? Ryan Vogelsong who kept the Giants in Game 3 against the hottest pitcher on the planet, Homer Bailey? What about George Kontos who did not pitch many innings but got crucial outs in seemingly every game? Maybe Timmy who ate some serious innings, was the winning pitcher in Game 4 and whose cumulative line was by far the best of the pitchers from the regular season starting rotation?
Great Game! Great Series! Great Season! Go Giants! Let's keep it going!
Pablo Sandoval- 2 for 4. BA= .333. Sandoval's performance in this series as well as the end of the season, bode well for the remainder of the postseason.
Buster Posey- 1 for 4, HR. BA= .211. Buster didn't hit that well in this series but when the opportunity arose to bury the Reds, he came through and oh how he came through! Against Mat Latos to boot!
Hunter Pence- 2 for 4, SB. BA= .200. Hopefully this is the beginning of something good in the next series.
Brandon Crawford- 2 for 4, 3B. BA= .182. Crawford drove in the first run with a triple. As soon as I saw that on Gameday, which I was checking during breaks at work, I had a really good feeling about this game.
Matt Cain- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K's. ERA 5.06. There is some grumbling out there that Bochy left Cain in too long. When it's Matt Cain, I think you give him a bit more rope than say, Barry Zito.
Bullpen- 3.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K's. The bullpen nearly gave me at least 3 heart attacks, but hung on for the W. Romo got the Save, going more than 1 IP for the second time in the series.
The Giants now get two days off before beginning the NLCS on Sunday. Their opponent will be decided tomorrow in Game 5 of the NLDS between the St Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals. If the Cards win, the Giants will have a rather dubious home field advantage while if Washington wins, the Nats will have home field advantage.
So, who is your MVP of the series? Buster Posey, who hit the Grand Slam that ended up as the game winning hit of the clinching game? Sergio Romo who went 2 innings to get the win in Game 3 and 1.1 innings to get the Save in Game 5? Gregor Blanco, who hit .286 and started the winning rally today? Ryan Vogelsong who kept the Giants in Game 3 against the hottest pitcher on the planet, Homer Bailey? What about George Kontos who did not pitch many innings but got crucial outs in seemingly every game? Maybe Timmy who ate some serious innings, was the winning pitcher in Game 4 and whose cumulative line was by far the best of the pitchers from the regular season starting rotation?
Great Game! Great Series! Great Season! Go Giants! Let's keep it going!
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