by
Greek Giant
With all the recent acquisitions of “veteran” players like Jimmy Rollins, Justin Ruggiano, Michael Morse and Josh Johnson is it possible that GM Bobby Evans is prepping the groundwork for some sort of trade? Is he stock-piling veteran players for Sacramento to light a fire under the River Cats? Is there a reason why each of these acquisitions comes from the baseball scrap heap?
One has to wonder if something else is at play, particularly with the Jimmy Rollins and Justin Ruggiano acquisitions. It could be that Bobby Evans is gambling that these players, one a former World Series champion and MVP (Rollins) and the other, a right-handed power bat for the outfield (Ruggiano) will provide some depth in the event of a trade that involves someone like Mac Williamson, Eduardo Nunez or, Mays forbid, Joe Panik.
The spate of new signings of players nobody else wants is kind of uncouth and makes the Giants look a little desperate or like mad geniuses, depending on how things turn out in 2017. There’s no denying the buy low, sell high philosophy at play here. The Giants can afford to throw away a few million here and there hoping that one of these players puts forth a Travis Ishikawa moment.
I mean really! Did anyone in the world see Travis Ishikawa hitting the pennant-winning homer for the Giants back in 2014? Was there any dream scenario for any fan where this was even a marijuana-alcohol-name-your-narcotic-fueled fantasy?
Perhaps Evans, as I mentioned earlier, is counting on the magic of the Giants and their coaching staff, fans and beautiful ballpark to provide one last hurrah to these players nobody else loves.
But are there potential consequences? As one astute commenter speculated yesterday, is it possible that some of our AAA and AAAA players are starting to wonder just WTF is going on? How would you feel if you were Jarrett Parker or Kelby Tomlinson right now?
There has been some superb speculation in our commentariat about what exactly Evans is thinking here. Is he being a Thrift Store shopper when he should be perusing the goods at Tiffany’s? There is nothing more gauche than being a millionaire looking for a bargain. Are the Giants just being kind of cheap and afraid to make that big bold move, say, a trade for J.D. Martinez or Ryan Braun in exchange for Tyler Beede, Christian Arroyo and perhaps Eduardo Nunez? It is a truism that windows of opportunity to win championships don’t stay open forever in baseball. The Giants brass must weight the extent to which they want to remain competitive for the foreseeable future as MadBum, Buster, Craw and the gang edge closer to the twilight of their careers Vs the risk of mortgaging the longer-term future for a win-now philosophy.
Good stuff, GG. And it’s not just Ishi. Look at some of the other scrap heap acquisitions who have directly contributed to one or more Giants’ championships:
–Casilla
–Vogelsong
–Huff
–Burrell
–Torres
–Ross (kind of–they paid $1 mil to claim him off waivers–he wasn’t exactly in the dumpster)
–Blanco
–Arias
–Gillaspie (OK, not really, but he does have a 2012 ring and was briefly a postseason hero in 2016)
Picking up guys like Morse and Rollins for basically nothing is…mostly fine. But it doesn’t substitute for filling out the roster with actual contributors. I could come up with an alternate list of scrap heap guys who basically did little or nothing (Tyler Colvin, anyone; Justin Maxwell?), so just because they’ve hit on some of these guys doesn’t mean that they do so 100% of the time. And I think the point about the chilling message this sends to good organizational guys like Tomlinson, Williamson, Blach, etc. is a concern as well.
I think GG’s thoughts about a trade are intriguing (hadn’t considered flipping Nunez, but that’s interesting), and I hope the Giants are working on something(s).
The Giants under Brian Sabean spend mostly for Pitching, and dumpster dive for bench bats, and even starting bats some years, so since they have hit the budget for 2017, they are doing the same thing, nothing to see here move along .
That’s not entirely on them. Free agent hitters don’t usually want to come here unless they’re trying to rebuild their value (Burrell, Huff, Morse). It makes sense to spend money where you can actually attract the best talent. They’ll have to grow or trade for their position players.
Damn I was looking forward to a year of Nunez. We haven’t had a guy with his speed very often.
I was extremely surprised and impressed by his glove work at 3B, too. Great reflexes, very strong arm. Potentially the perfect hybrid of Duffy’s steadiness and Pablo’s tools (arm, in particular).
LOL, I think even Nunez was surprised. Maybe the folks who position infielders are due a little credit?
I’ve said several times that I think Ron Wotus is a Jedi Master when it comes to working with infielders. Panik and Crawford–Gold Glovers. Duffy and Belt were GG finalists in 2015, and even Pablo was a GG finalist a couple times. Panik improved rapidly after coming to the majors, and as for Duffy–that was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in awhile, the way he learned 3B at the major league level and was competing for a GG months later. Tomlinson got better by the week when he filled in for Panik the last two months of 2015. So I’m not surprised that when Nunez got some regular experience and coaching at 3B, he made rapid progress, too. Even Stone Hands Gillaspie was looking better there!
You make a good point. Somewhere out in internetland is an interview Crawford gave a few years ago that underwrites your point completely.
A veritable cannon.
(I just had to use ‘veritable.’)
Truly.
It’s only fine if they make their decisions based solely on players’ abilities to perform now, without regard to their histories, which is no guarantee with Bochy.
Agreed.
Gillaspie!!
I’m really interested to see how Curry will respond to Kerr calling him out in public.
he’ll respond the same way he always does. not at all..
Yup, I was about to write the same thing.
Another MVP trophy? Another championship?
Kerr knows how to tweak. You only know dynamite to redirect.
MVP, have you watched them lately Curry is having a bad Year .
Durant is the MVP. I was being rhetorical, Pete.
However…..
“Bad year”? Bad year?! You have the weakest grip on sports reality that I know
Yes, he’s “only” on pace for 306 three-pointers…which would be the second highest total of all time. “Bad year”–LOL
Worst % of his Career by a lot on those 3s !
I’ll give you “down year”–so far. I think the explanation that he’s a rhythm shooter, and with Durant being so prolific, Curry’s had a hard time getting into his usual groove–makes sense. But “bad year” is too extreme, in my opinion.
Bad year by his standards, you and Matthew have a hard time getting that, not a bad year, by a normal players standards .
Because you didn’t say that, Cap’n Cryptic.
Look up his % on his shooting, and his low assist numbers and high turnovers .
He’s not having a bad year, Peter.
You need either a sports therapist or a bong.
There’s no way you can reasonably say that Curry is having a bad year. What’s true is that, so far, he’s having a down year (for him) and isn’t maximizing his value to the team.
Agreed …
Intensity and hustle come from “energy”. Intensity and hustle happen even when teams lose to or get beat by the other team that before the game the score was 0-0.
I have been typing for years, way before you that Steph has a mental war in his own head. “Am I a 1 guard or a 2 guard”. Dell Curry was thick across the chest when he entered the NBA. Not as thick as he was later in his career. Steph has free weighted his arms into Cosmo Magazine cover. But when Steph goes to the rim since 2009 – he doesn’t have the type of upper body strength of a Lillard – Harden – Westbrook – Irving and Isaiah Thomas. It appears he has more Sonya DNA than Dell and until he ways more than he does – he will fail driving in the paint. He is NOT 190 lbs as listed.
Furthermore WHO dribbles over to the left side and then passes with their left-hand-palm – over the top of their head – over to a teammate at the top of the key and does not expect to have the pass stolen.
Steph, Klay and Draymond make that silly playground pass during a game because it was not intercepted on the playground but all three should stop.
I’m not Curry’s coach, so I have no reason to phrase things as gently as Kerr did. Curry needs to re-prioritize winning over putting on a show to allow the great parts of his game to fully benefit the team. As is obvious now, their championship run benefitted greatly from the Cavs having been crippled. They have the team to beat them straight up, but everyone needs to play with intensity, toughness and intelligence. On Christmas Day, Curry didn’t.
I read the interview Kerr did with NY Times, about his Family History, and was not impressed with him , his siblings were way more involved then he was as a humanatarion, he was more into his Sports, and put to much on his family to carry the torch for his late Father
Sometimes you are completely oblivious to the human condition. Odd, because you live honorably for your family, and we know that.
How Kerr chose to respond to the murder of his father is personal, and honorable in its own way. There, obviously, is no cookie cutter way one “should” respond. His leadership acumen draws on his complex life, and those around him are better for it….
Did you read the Interview, he did not attend his funeral , did not fight the legal battle that his siblings did, to get Justice for his Fathers killing.
Did YOU read it? He was an 18-year-old college student in the U.S., dealing with his father’s death long distance and alone, deciding whether to drop everything and travel to a dangerous area where his father had just been murdered.
If I’d been his mother, I absolutely would have told him to stay put. They had a memorial service later in the U.S. that he did attend.
I have Guilt to this day, because when I was 16, my older brother OD on his medication, and I was the 1st to find him, but since I was in my room playing with Baseball cards at the time, I thought I should have found him sooner, only noticed , because the noise of him having a Seizure, he was brain dead a week later, and Parents pulled the cord .
We know you’ve had some tragedy and pain, and we all have empathy.
Now, show the same.
What a horrible experience for a young man. I’m so sorry that happened to you and for your loss.
We all have horrible experiences, and, I suspect, we all deal with them differently. It’s interesting how we share them, or don’t. It seems to me life is about moving on, and not judging those who have by the yardstick of those who haven’t.
That is rough Pete. My neighbor was supposed to watch her sis during the summer and lost track of her until we all heard the loud train whistle out back where she had been run over by the train.
I certainly did. I read it with open eyes, and an open mind, and an open heart. I read it with empathy. I read it with an eye on the layered realities that he and his family faced. I read it with knowledge of the dangerous conditions in which his father was murdered…and I read it knowing how Steve has lived his life since. The entire Kerr family sounds incredible, and they have all taken both individual and united paths in honoring their father.
One thing that really struck me was the comments section after that story–such an outpouring of respect and affection from all walks of life. People who went to college at U of A with Steve and are still proud of his legacy there. People who took classes with Malcolm Kerr at UCLA or AUB. People who also lived and worked in the Middle East/Beirut during that period of time and have appreciation for its history and culture.
In a world where comments sections after news articles and columns are cesspools of people screaming nasty things at each other, I found it downright inspiring.
Real time versus hindsight is 360 degrees different
It was an interesting story, not a sales pitch or promotion. Man the turmoil between your ears has got to be akin to Archie Bunker’s.
Wow. I thought it was an amazing story. Amazing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wins journalism prizes.
Steve Kerr was/is talented enough to play Division I NCAA basketball, many years in the NBA (five championship teams, including a title-winning shot), become a GM, a TV analyst, and now one of the best head coaches in the business. There are not many people in the world who can do all that, and he’s right–it gives him a unique platform. In my opinion, he should be commended for his tremendous success, not criticized for being a lightweight. We should all be so good at our jobs.
Job is first to you, and let the other Family members deal with the tragedy , why you go on with your life dream, and play a game, and when your Siblings take the killers to court, you feel guilty leaving the Basketball team for 2 days to go to court, not the priorities I would feel proud of .
He was 18 years old. 18!!!! I wouldn’t want my 18-year-old dropping his/her life to “deal with the tragedy” either. I’m sure it was incredibly hard for him.
The Court case was in his last season as an NBA player, he was in his mid 30s, and he felt guilty supporting his Family and leaving the Team for 2 days, until Pop told him it was kool .
2.0 What in Gods Name is wrong with you?
I don’t know about you, but in my family some of the siblings carry more of the family responsibilities (for my parents) than others. We don’t do it equally and we don’t all do it the same all the time. I’m the one that moved away and it’s hard for me to do as much.
Plus, Norman Rockwell didn’t design a lot, maybe most, families.
whoa
Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Some people hate the NY Times, so that’s their opinion.
Thanks for the shout out.
I vehemently dislike the editorial bias….I respect many of their feature writers. But you knew that distinction, my favorite Stir Stick Cousin!
Hey, “some person”!
You ever seen “Manufacturing Consent” – yeah they stick it to the ol NY Times in that one, calling them the Emperor’s Lap Dog. Well, at least My Guy Chomsky did.
LOL. Who’s editorial bias is popular with you?
Greek Giant. No other
Bubble, bubble, time and trouble.
1.0 What is WRONG with you?
who do you like better:
Mookie Betts or Steph Curry?
he already did respond
Well, it’s a free look. At the very least these guys might impart some insights and motivation to the young guys. And it’s not just about hoping to catch lightning in a bottle but covering their arse.
If I recall correctly, last yr, Duffy Crawford Panik Tomlinson Adrianza Pence Williamson Pagan Blanco all spent time on the DL.
I don’t think Crawford was ever on the DL, but you’re right about the rest of them. Even Ramiro Pena–the backup for the backup–got injured.
Maybe he just missed 4-5 games with the pinkie thing
Crawford was on the dl for a while near the end of the season
I don’t remember that, and I’d think I would. Maybe he missed some games. They don’t put people on the DL in September, anyway–no need to.
Dr. Lefty is correct. He was never on the DL, officially. He was forced to sit out 5-6 consecutive games with a hand injury, and there were a couple other dings and dents that cost him a few games. But no DL. I’m certain without even looking it up.
Carrie Fisher dead at 60.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/12/27/carrie-fisher-dies-after-heart-attack-flight-london/95806436/
Never saw any Star Wars – but this is an awful cute photo.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a51868/carrie-fisher-obituary/
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0bdd3a610b63d187045e4ee2418c99cf13bcae3be2ebfa0ebef1c2d129f3dcc2.jpg
2016 is no good.
We need A New Hope.
” As one astute commenter speculated yesterday, is it possible that some
of our AAA and AAAA players are starting to wonder just WTF is going on?
How would you feel if you were Jarrett Parker or Kelby Tomlinson right
now?”
If you back away from fan myopia, and give some credence to external evaluation of these young prospects, a conclusion might be that, beyond youth, there is not much in their skill sets or performance history to suggest that they’re going to be much beyond average MLB ballplayers, if that. That’s a consequence of inadequate scouting at the very least. By the same token, it’s hard to trust the judgement of this same set of fellows in evaluating what’s left in the tank of prospects in the latter stages of their careers. In the end, IMO, one has to conclude that the Giants organization isn’t a very astute judge of talent at either end of a player’s career.
I like the notion of backing away from fan myopia but I just can’t get behind the conclusion about Giants talent evaluation. They seem to do “alright”.
So an upvote and a downvote which neutralize each other.
Parker has an OPS of .865/OPS + 131 with 11 HRs in 205 major league plate appearances. He strikes out way too much, but the power potential is there (and he proved that in AAA, too).
Tomlinson has a different skill set, but a .299 career average in 313 MLB plate appearances and a .362 OBP (.739 OPS/107 OPS+). His speed is game-changing (I saw that many times in Sacramento), and he has the potential to be an above-average versatile defender if given opportunities and reps.
This is to say that their (limited) performance histories suggest…that they should be given more opportunities, not buried behind 38-year-old Jimmy Rollins (KT).
As to potential, Parker is, IMO, a bit of an underachiever. He’ll be 28 on Sunday, has barely 200 major league plate appearances, and was a second-round draft pick in 2010. KT, on the other hand, was a 12th-round draft pick who had a “meh” minor league career until he got to Richmond in 2014 (and especially emerged in 2015). I’d say overachiever (like Duffy) in his case. And they turned Duffy into Matt Moore, so…something was working there.
There will inevitably come a time the word potential won’t be a required descriptor of a Giant’s prospect. At a 100-200 ABs coaches know what they’ve got, mostly it’s fans who cling to prospects. There are a few surprises, but looking at upside ceiling, it’s hard to find in Giant’s prospects. It never ceases to surprise me how folks cling to the successes, and just forget the marginal performers, and outright miscues. I’m as guilty as anyone else, I suppose, but I hope Evans isn’t.
Then I guess, by your reasoning, the Giants have a .300 hitter in Tomlinson?
Do you want to make a point absent the dime store Socrates question? Say something TO.
“Curry sucks”
LOL. It’s hard to be superman.
I’ve never said that. It’s just that your love of some of these guys makes it harder for you to see or admit reality.
So you are an ‘options paradigm advocate’ after all.
I don’t know about that, but you have the same kind of love vs. reality difficulty with Bochy.
Not really. It’s enough to say I don’t share your POV about how the game of baseball is played, and managed. I see it probabilisticly, you, IMO, see it deterministicly.
According to you, Bochy has never been wrong.
Those are your words not mine. I just get no joy out of disrespecting the guy who gave me 3WS. It’s one thing to question a guys moves, and quite another to behave as some of you do. You know that particularly true when he is successful, and everyone is silent or says that it was obvious. Those folks are ignorant, hypocrites.
Asking or voicing a question makes sense to me. You see, I admit he (Bochy) has forgotten more about baseball than anyone here ever knew. That fact seems to offend a lot of the folks here. If there is such a thing as a hierarchy in baseball wisdom, we’re on the bottom.
There was sadness in all the land when King Hyperbole went blind…though his wit remained, he no longer could see it in others
Shakespeare, right?
This is my thinking about KT too. He’s just too good and too young to have another year like last year where he was in the minors most of the year and couldn’t contribute as much as he might have in another situation. Either find some way to play him a lot (including maybe trading Panik, but not for a 2bman) or see what you can get for him, but don’t just waste another year. Career 27.9% line drives, 54.1% grounders, incredible speed out of the box, an as much of a spray hitter as you can get. The guy can be a .300 hitter if he gets the strikeouts down.
…more veteran bench players such as Travis Ishikawa???
…but you went Woodstock-naked-mud-dance on J Roll…..
Video or it didn’t happen!
I’d pay to see it! Just for the permanent blackmail potential we would have on SFB every time he plays fantasy GM!
(besides that is a picture of a female)
Hmmm.
My friend married a lady named Ryan….capital HMMMMMMM
Go J Roll ! Go J Rugg !!
http://www.demilked.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/crazy-things-woodstock-festival-photography-thumb6401.jpg
That human is recognizable for life by the masses …
Posey kids “hamming and egging it” …
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d14f5afac1ef2aababe0a4ea3aad6b9392a356501233ad1ddba6e09ff3e99780.jpg
LOL–check out young Lee representing for Under Armour.
Older brother by 2 minutes Lee Demp looks like he will take care of his twin Sis Addison Lynn forever. These two favor Both their parents good looks. Typical of Buster, he meets his future bride while both were taking SAT’s as the seating arrangement had her (Powell and him Posey) side by side.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d9cfb898587aaf1f75c02dffb4d41b45b2f4641cd01c0a2624abb8f33aba2b62.jpg
Talked to a guy this morning who said Buster just bought a duck hunting spread up here near Willows. I wish I knew more. Maybe the Poseys are setting real NorCal roots.
Would you move to Georgia or Florida, given NorCal as the option? I suspect Posey will end up owning a lot of NorCal if he can keep his brain intact. I’d also guess he sees media as part of what his post baseball income is tied to.
Apparently, Mrs Posey loves it here. And you’re right about retirement opportunities.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/02/15/kawakami-buster-posey-settling-down-in-bay-area/
I remember reading this now. It was good to revisit. Thanks, Bleacher Bob.
I had forgotten about it too. I was dgging for news about him buying a duck ranch and found this. Very cool that Kristen has embraced the Bay Area. She could be a media star in her own right once the kids are grown up.
Latest on Brian Dozier…
Nothing really. Just obfuscation and vain attempts to stir the imaginations of fan bases who like power and not slappy.
Like Clutch says, he’ll probably be wearing Dodger Blue in February.
As for Cutch???
I don’t really get the Nats rumors. They have Daniel Murphy; where would Dozier play? Move Murph to 1B and pull the plug on poor broken-down ol’ Ryan Zimmerman?
I will admit to being fixated on the team’s problems agains lhps but i would lean towards that as the explanation for ruggiano and morse, williamson being actually significantly worse against lefties. Rollins on the other hand has me a bit uncertain, it seems not impossible that they might deal panik or tomlinson. But for who? If dozier, why get rollins, if an outfield upgrade, why get ruggiano and morse?
Option thinking is what comes to mind to me. i wonder what Evans background is.
Meaning what?
My introduction to the concept was via McKinsey. It’s just a strategy of staging, and hedging investments in products from early phase discovery to market. As a strategy, it can be applied to about anything. The article I linked describes the thinking. Guys like Rollins fit into that approach to player development pretty seamlessly as low investment and limited payoff ‘assets’. But even though limited, the payoff is certain in a probabalistic sense. Guys like Williamson or Parker, are a much chancier ROI, albeit, perhaps a bigger payoff.
You seem to be leaving the real world. Is everything ok?
It’s a complex world. Luddite survival isn’t guaranteed. SF is about the last holdout for ‘that old time religion’ of baseball. Like it or not, it’s here. Read the article, it might help you understand, or it might just deepen your rut.
If i understand what you’re saying, then that’s my fallback guess. Try a number of different possibilities, none of which cost much, and assume that something will work for the best. Given the quality of the pitching staff and the general team defense, this does look like a reasonable formula for success this year. The problem is that the clock is ticking on the everyday player roster and without a successful gamble on a young player, the bottom will fall out in a few years.
I’d agree in that they seemed to have racked it up to play options, but that’s not a game for amateurs. That’s the model, for what it’s worth, the Dodgers use and it’s had great regular season success, but been a bust outside that. Beane said the same thing about the A’s too. What happens in the post season seems to be a different ballgame.
The dodgers use it particularly for pitchers more that hitters, the giants are doing the reverse now. It seems conceptually different although i’m having a hard time articulating why
It’s like if you throw out travis ishikawa in left or conor gillaspie at 3rd in the postseason, the chances of something going really wrong aren’t really that high, but if you have to send someone out to pitch a playoff game after you’ve used up kershaw and hill and don’t have a deep bullpen and none of your other bets have come through, you’re kind of screwed.
The gotcha in baseball, IMO, is on the defensive end most visibly. So much depends on reacting to situation and circumstance without thinking. Stuff like an OFs arm, where you position for the cutoff as an infielder… So players aren’t simply plug and play. Pitchers are a lot more plug and play, with the notable exception of groundball pitchers, where command and control seem to be everything in terms of infield positioning.
E.G., Juanito Perez’s jump on the Aoki liner in 2014 Game 7, 5th inning, that saved at least one run. (Thx for John for posting the game last night.)
That was huge. Remember the story from spring training 2015? Nori Aoki walks into the clubhouse for the first time, walks by every player he sees until he reaches Perez. Nori then asks Juanito “why were you there!?” Juan Perez: a forever Giant just for his defense and throwing arm. That triple off the top of the CF fence in 2014 WS Game 5, after hearing of the death of his good friend Oscar Taveras…that was pretty good, too!
And – “How do you do THAT?!?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hrt2PoX5yI
Incredible catch.
I always thought that Perez’ triple was more significant than it seemed because it was off Wade Davis and shattered the idea that the Royals’ bullpen was unhittable.
You can see it most clearly in they way they move pitchers, but I’ve wondered if it happens in their draft process, and MiLB development as well. If you just go off tradable parts who are perceived to have value, it would seem something is afoot there that isn’t happening here.
You too TO. When do you guest post?
Are you paid by the word?
No, could I be GG? LOL
When do you guest post?
Not in my repertoire. Besides I’d just bore people to tears. Lefty is the professor, LOL, I’m the ex professor, aka old fart. Besides, compared to the lifers here, I’m a Johnny come lately Giants fan, just since 2009.
Keep it short. I want to hear the story of your baseball fandom. Negotiate with Greek.
2009 for me too. I was at the Jonathan Sanchez no hitter. The next year I had season tix.
Really? I did not know that and would never have guessed it. You’ve obviously been a baseball fan much more than seven years.
Oh sure. I’ve followed baseball off and on for 60 years. But, to me, the Giants, under Bochy, are special.
What about 3 sentences per decade? Then, describe your interest and fluency with advanced baseball metrics since 2009.
Compared to those that truly are, I’m just a novice. For me, metrics and probability are just provides a window I enjoy. LOL, TO for instance doesn’t seem to. I think it comes from my Mom being a card counter at blackjack and not a gambler, maybe. She was banned from all the gambling joints in the Galveston area in the late 1940s, and early 50s, back when Las Vegas was more or less a bathroom break stop in the desert. You could categorize baseball fans into those two groups, sort of gamblers and card counters, I guess.
That’s 4 guest posts right there. It’s a long time til pitchers and catchers report.
I’m primed. I’m reading Michael Lewis new book, The Undoing Project.. It’s about how the real world isn’t the one we perceive because we seem to build narratives as explanations that are a basis for poor decisions. Sounds like baseball, huh.
6 sentences per decade. Final offer.
LMAO. Can I think about it?
Write about it and submit to Greek.
Maybe. I’ll give it some thought.
Squint and think ballplayer, and not pharmaceutical.
http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/pharmaceuticals-and-medical-products/our-insights/new-frontiers-in-pharma-r-and-38d-investment
Like much of what you post, this is way over my head, but it reminds me of a Ted podcast I heard recently about failing quickly. Take a quick look at an opportunity and recognize if there is reason to apply more resources. Stockpiling cheap veterans seems like a variation of this. It’s a low investment with upside on trade market, bench strength, and maybe a magic moment or two.
There’s a fine line between something being over one’s head and simply not making any sense.
I actually agree with cc on this, although i’m not sure there isn’t a trade in the works
He makes a ton of sense….you just need to expand your sensibilities and let other points of view enter that intellect of yours.
I’d say you see it pretty well. The trick is to have the discipline to cut your losses and change horses, so to speak, in midstream. I asked a McKinsey guy once if he got paid by the word. He frowned.
http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/487606750/failure-is-an-option
Merry Christmas to you and yours Nate. Since you are no longer a Phillies – Cub – National – Ranger Hiroshima Toyo Carp or Detroit Tigers – this Russian River Blind Pig IPA is for YOU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zx63ETp5ds
“Am I out?” by Tulo, and Ryan Howard cruising into 2B…only to be tagged out were my two favorites. Nate, you were a big fan favorite. A hometown, homegrown player (like our Brandon Crawford) will always hold a special place in the hearts of long-time North/Central California Giants fans.
Both those utterances made me laughe esp. Tulo turning to his first base coach. Howard got deked by Rento.
I was at a game where he gunned down one, then two trying to stretch out doubles. He affected the outcome of the game as no one after that would run on him from first to third. Then in the last inning someone had to try him again and Bang Bang down they went. One of my favorites all these years. Thanks for the montage CU.
I really think someone in KC saw this. There is one like this on Alex Gordon in LF.
Noce: My other favorite was this one: http://m.mlb.com/video/v14983583/?query=Nate%2BSchierholtz
Best of Luck in 2017 Timmeh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5xq3WE9LdA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_987241019&feature=iv&src_vid=p5xq3WE9LdA&v=6z5AhLBvX9w
Good vibes, or should I say Electric Feel. And she even included the standup triple. Thank you, and Carmen.
Gawd this makes me sad.
Big Time Timmy Jim: Forever Giant. Forever in our Giant hearts!
It seems that Brisbee’s jones has shifted from Martinez to Dozier:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/
“The Twins asking for Panik and the Giants hinting that it might be possible wouldn’t be “creative,” though. So don’t trash the Panik/Duffy superfriends graphic novel that you’ve been working on for a year. Creative, to me, means the Giants would be offering top prospects and players on the 25-man roster, but maybe not the obvious ones.
Maybe the Twins would want Eduardo Nuñez, idk.”
Good stuff. I’m of the mind that Beede, Tomlinson, and take their pick of a prospect not named Arroyo could conceivably get it done, BOOM!
Take that fantasy GManship, El Greco 😉
I asked Santa for Dozier, and it’s only the third day of Christmas. So there’s still time.
that Advent stuff confuses me, but I guess it makes all the sense in the world given that manger scene
The Magi delivered gifts on the Epiphany. Still plenty of time.
that’s the outta the box i’m looking for!
With all the recent acquisitions of “veteran” players like Jimmy Rollins, Justin Ruggiano, Michael Morse and Josh Johnson is it possible that GM Bobby Evans is prepping the groundwork for some sort of trade?
No. I think this means Sabean and Bochy have taken over.
I’m glad GG wrote a blog on this topic because the headline question will get more attention than our previous comments, questions, and concerns in the comment section.
What I wasn’t expecting was the very interesting discussion today about GG’s blog question between cc, Bleacher Bob, and John Myhill with links to informative articles. Their discussion made me look at “all the recent veteran acquisitions” from a different perspective.
It’s truly a bewildering rethink on the part of Giants management, if it’s true.
I’m impressed we stayed on topic.
And let us not take for granted the generosity of Greek Giant.
Hear, hear! We are blessed to have GG and TWG. Thank you sir!
I’m glad you did!
Bravo. The term “veteran” in and of itself should not be foreboding. The so called Golden Age of Major League baseball – deemed still to have been the best – had ML rosters with many older players due to a number of things. (War – Illness etc)
I can’t top Footys photo when he was at “Footstock” but I can guarantee if you start your little ones reading at an early age – they will love you for it.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8e0577a8ed163b5b247e8d48d4645e693c2ce0ea62309ceb812aa9c4e5de55d4.jpg
Just sat down to eat my lunch. Thanks 😉
Don’t let the door hit ya Rex Ryan …
King Ryan, what a name. “Ryan” actually means “little king” or “prince” from Irish, I do believe.
So, King Prince?
I swear, this isn’t me:
https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/813856009345241088
It was me
Maybe the Giants can get him at the break. It would be cool to see you get behind and stay behind a guy like Cutch.
I’ve been behind Cutch the whole way and see last year as an aberration. If the Pirates have a shred of brain matter, he stays there until he retires
That wouldn’t be smart for smaller market club, but your heart is in the right place.
You be addicted to trades…
http://www.chicagonow.com/hippy-shakes/files/2014/08/palmer-girls-then.jpeg
Yeah sure.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFpT9aok7O0/UWeqeD7I6GI/AAAAAAAALUk/ozyW2EYouRI/s1600/hamlet-W.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMEzFgCLv8c
Kevin Durant rocks.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/27/kevin-durant-defends-referees-blasts-nba-for-throwing-them-under-the-bus-with-officiating-reports/
I’m not a fan of NBA refs, and the fact that sooooo many discretionary calls influence the outcome of any NBA game is why I don’t like it nearly as much as baseball or football, but Durant’s overarching point is what I love: don’t blame the refs, we lost the game. They had a 14 point lead with 9:30 to go and lost. Get that out of the system in the regular season and ensure it never happens when it matters most. And, getting to watch Durant regularly gives me so much more of an appreciation for just how unbelievably good he is. If he can get a run of titles with the Warriors he’ll go down as one of the best ever because the title validation (despite detractors saying he chose to join them rather than beat them). Would love, and expect to, see the Warriors own the NBA for the next 4-5 years.
He’s also right that this hyper-focus on the last two minutes skews the picture (there are missed calls for both teams all four quarters) and puts pressure on the refs in ways that could actually hurt their performance in a future game.
It’s admirable that he made this strong (profanity-laced) statement when the two-minute report actually favored HIS team and showed that they got hosed twice on key calls that could very well have changed the outcome. It shows his integrity.
There has to be something said for the live speed of the game played by athletes in the 7 foot range with unique other talents to stop-start-dive and elevate. Kerr want a 4th NBA official for ONLY travelling calls. I WANT 5 officials BUT two always stay in the back court and one stays at half court and trails – making it a half court three person crew. My point is that 90% of the NBA officials are in better shape than MLB or NFL officials and yet they STILL cannot keep up with the speed and height of the game.
Funny how playing for the home team can change some peoples attitudes about a player.
My attitude on Durant hasn’t changed. Just pointing out that I didn’t get to see him play regularly prior to this year and have gained a significant appreciation for the little things he does well beyond his prolific scoring. I’ve always been a big fan of Durant, he’s kinda hard not to like. If anything, attitudes went the complete other way by so many hating him for choosing the Warriors.
There are those who called him a jerk after following last years playoff game press conference he shared with Westbrook…the famous “do you consider Steph a good defensive player” response.
Good for him. He knows why they lost that game. I think his gravitas makes it more likely that Curry listens to Kerr and tightens up his play. If they play the game properly, the Warriors are better than the Cavs. I’m glad they meet again in three weeks. I think it’ll be very revealing.
I’m just a sucker for data like this. It’s from an article trying to pick out relief pitchers early, and what it takes to be successful.
https://i.imgur.com/hO6WP0s.png
So here’s my report on the two meal delivery kits I ordered from Chef’d:
Meal 1: Jumbo scallops with mushroom risotto and Parmesan crisps. Delicious. Labor-intensive like all risotto (you really do have to stand over it for 35 minutes) but otherwise not especially complicated. I forgot to take into consideration that cooking scallops would stink up my house two days before Christmas, but I solved that problem by baking two kinds of cookies and a pumpkin pie to make better smells.
Meal 2: Beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes and green beans. The meat arrived already in chunks and marinated (beef bourguignon can take hours–I’ve made the Julia Child version after seeing the movie). Very labor-intensive, lots of steps, messy. Outcome also delicious.
Overall: These are not dishes to make if you want a quick/easy/one-pot meal. Both said on the recipe cards that they took 45-50 minutes, but they took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes each. I’m a bit slow in the kitchen and always have to add time to whatever the preparation says. But if one wants a restaurant-quality meal without having to go to the store for the ingredients, this gets the job done. It was about $60 for the two meals, which served two (with leftover risotto!), delivery was free over $49.
I’ll definitely use the service again, but it’s not an everyday kind of thing–maybe for a nice Friday night meal or even for guests.
I’m there for the scallops and mushroom risotto. I know what town you live in!
I thought of the movie Julia and Julia for Meal 2. Saw that moons ago, a young Amy Adams, hubba hubba.
I loved that movie and it made me hungry.
Yeah, that’s chock full of 411.
So is the takeaway to get some sinkerballers?
On a related note, market for Joe Blanton heating up.
“Both said on the recipe cards that they took 45-50 minutes, but they took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes each.”
“Imbibe wine liberally while stirring the risotto”
Always the gentle bully. Lefty must have missed that step.
“I’m slow”–Lefty
Slow living. Off grid. Solar crock pots. Kale gardens. Go Giants.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/422199146a9628fba16be02157fa384963a3c1907b8ecbdaa0ad3c0195effd90.jpg
http://yonanas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Grasshopper-Pie.jpg
It’s Sonora Pass
These two tee shirts are keepers https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/811380391344906240
https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/809555653865811969
That Little Bugger Jamey Carroll use to do everything to stir the pot against SF. Check out Bums expression as he steps over the railing with what looks like Darren Ford giving Bum congrats. 🙂
http://m.mlb.com/video/v14983583/?query=Nate%2BSchierholtz
Kelby Carroll Tomlinson?
On a related note, Rockies signed Alexi Amarista.
Another faux Padre – Giant killer.
Cardinals sign Dozier?
They’d have to trade for him
Wong will make everything right
How about that, Blanton owns Napa winery…
https://twitter.com/jcrasnick/status/813830594446716929
Moonshot Vineyards!
Stats, Schmatz Brewery. Serve with Red Bull…
https://twitter.com/jcrasnick/status/813830363000750081
WhenItMatters Red Blend
I’m investing in the Seattle franchise of Knappogue Castle.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3771fe08c505bee5b30abc1d283e2e4ef409fd71eae6c27f93880fb6532b746b.jpg
Who doesn’t own a winery?
Apparently you do ! 🙂 Cheers!
LOL… ohh I wish…
Well, we already have Rollins, so why not? Then sign Utley and…
Blanton would be a good addition, and you know I’ve always been an Utley fan.
Good addition for somebody. He figured some things out on the hill and has done it well in relief since ’15.
Didn’t Rolling come up from the minors with Pat Burrell?
Colton Wong might shed a tear or two because now the Cardinals Want Dozier?
That would theoretically make Kolten Wong a Twin.
If Kolten’s Wong, I don’t wanna be right
Great song. Johnny Guitar Watson’s version was the best. My apologies to Luther Ingram.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TfJRxOgQX4
I once had two doctors on my circuit. Doctor Black was white and Doctor White was black.
How ya doing Effie?
He was wrong – out too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTi-PIN4EXM
wight
The crisis in youth baseball. http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-baseball-is-losing-children-1432136172
Converging crises of modern times…
Such a bummer. I see it in my town. Twelve years ago there were six Little League Juniors (13-14) teams when my older son played, then down to three just three years later when my younger son played and now it’s down to just one team. Some players have moved on to tournament teams but that doesn’t account for a majority of the difference. More kids sitting around players Assassin’s Whatever would be my guess.
We used to mow an open field to play. No uniforms, no coaches, just baseball.
Never did that but in the summer me and friends would play a lot of pick up games at local school fields. We have a beautiful field right here in town, easy access on the main drag and the field is hardly ever used, and never by kids playing pick up games or Over The Line (as far as I know, I am at work most days).
This has good vibes https://twitter.com/TimFlannery2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Flan the comedian: “I’ve been limited to one cocktail a night…yes, I agree..I’m getting better…Merry Christmas”
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f0c0b0599f925e1d9cd7000ececa79c7d1c9759c227dd871c385d016ea3676f6.jpg
mmmm, Tito’s is good.
Doesn’t Matthew sell that stuff?
You know it!
One of the most apropos names in all the lnd:
Tito Beveridge
Joey Batts most likely one yr deal with the Jays
Charley Blackmon for MyGuy Marcus Stroman? WTF are you talkin bout Willis. NO NO NO
There, the A’s, or the Rays.
I’ll take rhymes with Mays for 600, Alex.
Haha Anthony Davis is The Oracle’s MyGuy
http://www.ninersnation.com/2016/12/26/14080438/anthony-davis-tweets-trent-baalke-jed-york-chip-kelly-49ers
I had to laugh, this article on drafting strategies uses the Dodgers-Giants as the example case.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/game-theory-and-baseball-part-1-concepts/
Okay Dgg and other snowbirds, not to rub it in but it was 60° and absolutely gorgeous here in the Bay Area today. Just finished playing 18 holes in Alameda, can’t beat that on December 27. Oh, you could beat my score, 106, a bit rusty after not playing for over a year. The good news though is that you don’t really need a biceps muscle to play golf so the one I have hanging by a thread wasn’t an issue st all.
Golf is a great game, and very hard, but I don’t think you need any muscles to play it.
Golf sucks. But ripping a 5 iron, nice and easy, not muscling up, 200 yards onto the green is sweet
Everyone on the course was walking, including me and my buddy but the single player who played with us rode a cart. He said “I don’t mix my golf with exercise.” Young, in shape guy, i thought that was pretty funny.
It’s the only game I’ve ever enjoyed that I’m not good at. For me, hitting a couple of good shots cancels out all the bad ones.
Yep, I’m with you, I hit some really good shots and I’ll be back despite some truly dreadful ones.
I almost never play, because I don’t have the time, but I’d be out there almost every day, if I could.
Was just reading through the thread down below about the Posey’s settling into and enjoying the bay area, and in addition to the great variety of places one can enjoy, the winter weather don’t hurt.
Sounds luxurious, PS35. I sure can’t beat that on December 27. I strapped on ice cleats and walked to the gym this afternoon.
Seriously, how is your arm/shoulder?
We need snow photos. Otherwise, we’ll assume that you’re in Maui.
Not to rub it in, verse two: here in the ATL it’s been high 60s/low 70s since Christmas Eve. Sunday we actually switched over to A/C for a few hours, due to all the cooking heat.
A/C on Christmas Day, TF62!? You must be in New Zealand then.
Cross-country ski trails in the Little Belts. (There are snowshoe trails too.)
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/28e72539f56348e796e91d175293ddbe04770007/c=0-0-768-1024&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2016/12/27/GreatFalls/B9325243356Z.1_20161227184052_000_G0IGOGCDO.1-0.jpg
Beautiful.
It’s fine, thanks for asking. Complete tear of the distal biceps tendon. It’s all healed up and won’t cause any limitations to my daily life or hobbies such as baseball or golf. I should have had the surgery to repair it but procrastinated to the point where it wasn’t fresh anymore and would require a cadaver tendon and a more difficult healing process so I passed on doing that.
I wasn’t sure from what you said earlier if the injury was going to cause limitations in baseball (I didn’t know you played golf too). I’m very glad to hear that It won’t.
Randomness and coincidence. Hidden brain.
http://www.npr.org/2016/09/27/495532494/magic-or-math-the-appeal-of-coincidences-and-the-reality
I’m coaching my son’s first real Little League game. It had been 20 plus years and a different city since I played little league. I look up in the stands there is my Little League coach out to see his grandson play ball watching our game. I’m thinking something like the perfect circle of baseball, but randomness and coincidence works as well.
What’s life without a little magic thrown in!
(laser sounds)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/2294380-3×4-700×933.jpg
Anybody else seen this?
Darren Wolfson ✔ @DWolfsonKSTP
Haven’t heard specifics on Cardinals. Just told the Giants have been trying to get creative. #mntwins https://twitter.com/brettr527/status/813493593423904768 …
1:20 PM – 26 Dec 2016
https://media.giphy.com/media/vH6GKkCzfFQuA/giphy.gif
I admit I know about as much about Carrie Fisher as I do about Brian Dozier. And I was wondering, if he’s so good, why are the Twins dumping him? He’s a 5-yr. vet, .246 BA (!), and has 151 HRs in a bandbox. And we’re gonna dump JOE PANIK for this guy???
p.s. Let the dogers give away the farm for him.
They want to do a rebuild and he’s their most trade-able asset.
Rebuild? Why fix something that’s not broken??
I’m talking about the Twins want to do a rebuild and Dozier is their most trade-able asset. They lost 103 games last year. I was trying to answer your question about why the Twins want to move him, but I”m not advocating one way or another.
Cheers!
Thx Surf. In my panic over trading Panik I misread you. Ciao!
No worries!
I looked up Dozier, he’s hit 117 HR’s in his career, four seasons and change. Target field is ninth easiest park for home runs (AT&T of course is 30th) so Dozier definitely owns some bombs that would be outs or XBHs in SF but he does have pop. Maybe the team is interested in his reliability compared to Panik, he’s averaged well over 150 games the last four since he’s been a starter, much better than Panik who has missed so much time since he became the starter in 2014.
Nice research, especially the HR park factoring.
Do your Homework , your buddy CC did, showed Dozier HRs, almost all right down the left field line , in what park would he have trouble hitting HRs right down the left field line ?
Your a piece of work, “Homework” that is.
I never said anything about Dozier having trouble hitting HRs. Heck, Dozier will probably hit 30-35 HRs for the Dodgers this season, to go along with the 5 other guys hitting 25+ HRs for them.
He is also a dead pull hitter, so it does not matter where he plays, the fence at AT&T Park down the left field line is just 335 FT .
I was looking at the same data a week ago or so to support my “they’d be stupid to trade Panik” rant. Everything you say is true, but Dozier’s home runs (and RBIs) were split equally at home and on the road. Then you start looking at “easiest parks to hit home runs” data and to my surprise…there were a lot of cupcake NL parks listed near the top too.
I know the Giants are long shots, but there’s also some arrogance coming from the Dodgers; where they feel they can make trades without giving up their top prospects. If that arrogance continues and the Giants package looks better than what the Dodgers are willing to part with…you never know.
Panik needs to stay and Dozier can play 3B or LF. No need to keep Arroyo, if Dozier can play 3B.
Hopefully the Giants scrutiny of Dozier includes weaknesses…just in case he goes to the Smurfs.
There is a strange situation in which the giants and dodgers both have a significant problem hitting left-handed pitching and both have more than the average number of left-handed starters. The dodgers are even more extreme than the giants in both respects. What it means is that their problems hitting lefties don’t affect their performance against other team so much because other teams don’t have so many lefties, and although they suffer against each other’s pitching, the other has the same problem. It’s weird that things evolved this way.
Yeah, like maybe they’re acquiring all the leftys so they don’t have to bat against them! 🙂
Is there some concern about Panik staying healthy?
Greetings from Cortina d’Ampezzo. As you can easily see the snow is totally missing in the “Pearl of the Dolomites”. Hotel managers and skiers are desperate. Not me, I stopped skiing some years ago. My two sons, expert skiers, went to Norway this Christmas. Global warming strikes again. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c61189d765a662a1994a8da7ad894249405c327d32652def66cf65b056d27ff9.jpg
Good morning, Alvise.
Wow, that’s quite a n incongruous spectacle. What glaciers?
Skiing is a fun sport. More fun than golf. Now golf in the snow is as unbeatable as any goose egg hunt.
Look at what a woman can do skiing in Cortina. Alpine skiing World Cup downhill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duEpoX3kMnQ
IMO Panik will outperform Dozier in the future. I think it would be foolish to trade him unless there is a health issue they are keeping secret.
Pretty sure they are not getting Dozier, and if they are, Panik is not part of this far flung fantasty. Dozier would have to play LF or 3B. But alas, back to reality.
it’s just a fantasy, wo o o o
are singing me some Billy Joel? Are you a fan?
one of my all time faves. from long isle to boot
that, plus moving JP12 #futurehof’er is, better be, a fantasy..
Nice! Then must be well acquainted with the Downeaster Alexa. I dig this one…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVlDSzbrH5M
Prove it, because the numbers say otherwise !!!!
Conserve your exclamation points. You never know when you’ll need them.
I hate when people let bias, get away from the Facts, Dozier has been a far better, more productive player then Panik has been so far, and Panik has yet to play a full MLB season .
Reminds me of another Blog member ,posting that Duffy was a better player then Bryant, and lost a bet over it, this Blog is anti power, so do not a surprise to me that they over value Giants players with far less power then other players with great power numbers .
Yes Peter, HAS BEEN, past tense. But here we are discussing of the future.
You and Walter can predict the future now too, track records are far better indicators to the future, then hoping .
I cannot predict anything but the fact that some day I’ll die. It’s simple an opinion. And it’s dangerous project numbers of the past into the future if human activity is involved which is not a linear function for sure.
When you do not project numbers from the past, you are just guessing !
Sometimes it’s better if humans are involved. Human activity CAN NOT be reduced to a math function. Too many variables.
Peter, we are chatting of sports. Let the hate out of this, please.
Peter, you – again -are looking at hitting only. That’s your choice on how you analyze. Fine. But, some of us believe fielding also plays a significant role.
Debate is fine. And, we all have our biases. You do, too. Are yours more right? “Facts” come in wearing many outfits.
How do I prove an opinion?
Speaking of rebuilds, the Phillies rebuild has been underway for some time. For their reputation as one of the top farm systems, I find this one lacking the upper echelon talent that really makes a farm sing. JP Crawford is probably a very slick shortstop and could, someday, be as good as the Giants’ Crawford. Otherwise, most of these guys have some levels to climb or adjustments to make before impacting the club.
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/12/27/14090122/philadelphia-phillies-top-20-prospects-for-2017
Where are all these rumors about the Giants seeking to acquire Brian Dozier coming from?
National baseball writers, Twins beat writer, What is your problem with it ?
I don’t believe the rumors.
Why, you do not think the Giants would try to get more power, to address a team weakness ?
Beat writers have to make a living with rumors.
http://kingofwallpapers.com/mill/mill-003.jpg
Who’s Don Quixote (Quijote) here?
So we’re arguing about windmills. That’s what I thought.
I guess this is more appropriate:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f2/dd/7f/f2dd7fa4caeb50ee1aeb153bc0b26d33.jpg
Tilting at windmills seems appropriate, and funny.
Makeup your mind , one second you post a link to a trade, the next second you joke about it being not true, are you bipolar ?
Yeah man, can you spare some of your lithium? Okay, this is not funny.
Have a good day, Peter.
Relax Peter. You’re always in fighting mode. It’s not good for your health. Stress can kill in the long run.
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/guest-posts/mooooose-guest-post-my-giants-story/
Mooooose Guest Post!
Cooooooool!
What’s it about? I gotta catch up on this post!
Uh oh!