by
Greek Giant
With news that the Mets just signed Yoenis Cespedes to a 4 year $110 million dollar contract the Giants are now faced with one less option for their left field vacancy. There are still considerable possibilities to reflect upon for Giants fans and for our very own Bobby Evans. They include making a trade for a marquee player in the vein of Ryan Braun (please no) or signing an aging veteran free agent like Matt Holliday as a stop-gap (please no). In between these possibilities and various hot stove permutations it is easy to forget the obvious solution, the one avenue closest to home that will not cost the Giants any prospects or require a nine figure contract: Mac Williamson.
It’s hard to read the tea leaves regarding the comments made by Giants brass but I sense the Giants may resist spending the big free agent dollars or popping a trade for a top player this year. I have a feeling the team may decide upon a path that goes like this: Let Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker duke it out for left field during spring training and either platoon them or name one player a starter.
I personally have always believed that it is very hard to succeed as a player when your job is in jeopardy after every game and every at bat. In baseball peace of mind and mental clarity are essential components to success. Since success is measured over the long-term, I believe the Giants have mis-handled the development of many young players. Think Brandon Belt, for example. Remember 2011? Belt was strung along and never given the full opportunity to shine. Battling Aubrey Huff and others for playing time delayed Belt’s development and certainly fudged with his confidence. It arguably delayed his arrival as a full-fledged Major Leaguer at least one year.
The tricky thing with un-proven young players is knowing when to pull the plug on them if they start off slowly or enter into a prolonged slump. As critical as I am with the Giants handling of Belt, one cannot deny the team has done an excellent job grooming Buster Posey, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Matt Duffy and other young starts. They certainly have a great track record with developing young talent.
Last year, Williamson performed admirably for much of June and July while Hunter Pence was on the disabled list. He displayed legitimate Major League power, speed and a propensity for the big play in right field. I believe the Giants should trust him and tell him you are our left fielder of the future. His style of play as a power-hitting right handed bat is exactly what the Giants need and what he would save in salary could be used to acquire a Mark Melancon and some form of outfield insurance policy on the free agent market.
Just a hunch.
Read the title question. My answer without reading the article: Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker. Either one or the other. More likely, a platoon.
I suppose Mac Williamson could take over left field for the Giants. In that scenario, would Jarrett Parker become the 4th outfielder à la Gregor Blanco?
If they want to stay in-house, Austin Slater made a pretty strong case to be a Blanco-type. He played all three OF positions, including CF in Sacramento after Gorkys Hernandez was called up in September. He also had a tremendous year in AA/AAA with the bat: .305/.393/.500/.893, 18 HRs and 73 RBIs. He actually played more games in AAA (68) than in AA (41), and he finished the season with a very strong August. So he might be ready for a major league look.
There’s also, of course, Gorkys himself as a backup outfielder, and we know he can play CF.
Of course Gorkys. I’m not sure why, but I always seem to forget about Hernandez.
Somehow I’m just not sold on Parker, but think Williamson needs a good long look. One thing that bothers me is that (assuming no Gregor Blanco) our OF and organization seems to have no one to play CF other than Span, who certainly will need some off-days next season. So I’d be happy to see someone like Fowler (just an example) come in from outside, w/o pushing Williamson off the field. In other words, Pence/Span/Williamson with a 4th guy able to rest each of these regularly. Pence and Span should not play every day, and WIlliamson would likely benefit from being in a platoon while he is still learning the MLB.
I agree Pence and Span should not play every day. I think 2016 showed us that they can’t play every day, as much as Pence would like to believe he can, which gets him and the Giants in trouble. I’m guessing Span was not fully recovered last year. I’m tired of the Giants bringing in free-agent older outfielders and then getting stuck with the backend of these too-long contracts. I’m ready to see what Mac and Parker can do with regular playing time in the outfield.
The spirit is strong, but Hunter’s flesh is getting older. 125 games sounds about right to me, along with a PH opportunity late in the other games. We gotta keep that guy on the field the entire 2017 season!
Denard moves to LF and Billy Hamilton is aquired to play CF.
(Carmot Special)
I have mad love for Billy Hamilton.
More slap hitters the better, you check his OB% , it helps to get on base to use that speed, you will never change defense and pitching , who cares about hitting .
I did check it. His career OBP is right around .300. That’s not that good. But when he does get on, he steals bases–57 in 2015 and 58 in 2016 the last two seasons. That evens out the difference between a “good” OBP–say .350–and a mediocre one.
Let’s say a hitter has 600 plate appearances. A .350 OBP means he gets on base 210 times. A .300 OBP means he gets on base 180 times. But in Hamilton’s case, he steals bases almost one-third of the times he gets on base. I’ll take 30 fewer walks/hits if it means that in nearly 60 cases, it’s like he’s hit a double or triple.
In any case, CF is not a power position, and in our park I’d sure rather have a plus-defender.
He is hurt a lot, doubt ever get 600 PA’s, Span is playing next year, so he is your LF, no way the Giants eat his salary or bench him, not much power from those two, Pence getting older and injury prone, not a good OF .
Hamilton had 460 plate appearances in 2016 and an OBP of .321. He stole 58 bases. That means he got on base about 148 times and stole bases nearly 40% of the time.
I get your point about Span and I agree about Pence. In isolation, though, I’d still love to have Hamilton. Also, he’s only 26 years old and had his best year at the plate (.260/.321), so he could even get better.
My ideal OF would be Pence, Hamilton, and Mac. Speed, power, defense. I might even move Pence to LF and play Mac in right–he made some great plays out there when Pence was injured, and he’s younger and healthier than Pence.
Hamilton is very slight, so injury prone, speed guys like him , get hurt a lot, he is not built like a Ricky Henderson big thick legs, thin and long build like a greyhound, very fragile .
You get a guy like Hamilton, you have to move Span to the bench. Can’t see it.
In other words, Hamilton does nothing to solve their need for some additional pop.
Your on the wrong blog, they are a defense and pitching only blog, the regulars on this blog, are not into power .
First of all, it should be you’re not your. You’re = you are.
Second of all, where is your evidence that “the regulars on this blog are not into power”?
Snob = Grammar police, you have not paid attention, if you do not notice that, CC, Ryan DR. Lefty, MR. Scott, Matthew, are anti power, and buy the keep the line moving propaganda, the Giants front office spout , I liked the Bonds and Kent era more then they seemed to .
Actually, you are the one who has not paid attention to the nuanced understanding, depth of baseball knowledge, and differences among contributors cc, Scout Ryan, Dr. Lefty, Michael Scott, and Matthew.
By the way, there are a lot of good writers on here, and people who make the effort with grammar and punctuation and spelling.
Not important to me, so lots of snobs, I type fast, mistakes happen big deal!
PJ … welcome back!
I did not see a response from you to Mac getting a legit shot.
I am guessing you would like it; a way to avoid what the Giants did in getting “Duvalled”?
Bochy will never give him a fair chance, 0 for 12, and he will be benched, Duvall got the same treatment from Bochy .
Old Dogs cannot learn new tricks but …
Old Managers are not dogs.
Evans/Sabes will lean on him enough to do it if they really want to.
.250 / 25 HRs with above average Def works for me.
Not so, Boch would handle the talk with Span like he did with Pagan. Span’s arm (what arm) also works better in LF where once BLB patrolled with having zero arm but quick release.
The Reds will want way too much in return for Billy Hamilton. Statcast Play of the Year:
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/209860382/would-the-reds-trade-billy-hamilton/
Wow. Would I love to see plays like that in our center field.
For a KNOWN commodity I, as GM would give there Reds a prospect that could play CF in the name of Slater – and also Arroyo and Kontos.
A lot? Absolutely, but would do it in a heartbeat for BH as our lead off hitter and CF.
Then what do the Giants do with Span? Move him to left field and relegate Mac and Parker to playing part time? Sounds dreary to me.
http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/giants-offseason-news/who-will-play-left-field-for-the-giants-in-2017/#comment-3028009958
The link doesn’t work. What does it say?
(It works for me) It says: What I posted when GG first posted the question.
——> Denard moves to LF and Billy Hamilton is acquired to play CF.
(Carmot Special)
Yeh…that’ll add pop to the lineup.
I need: Pitching – Speed – Defense – Timely Hitting and Productive outs – the ACTUAL teams that hit big power numbers don’t always go to the Dance.
Told you dgg !
Uh, you didn’t mention ClutchUp in your list of specific examples.
DGG = PJ is just a hater for people who know that the Giants although they had power in 2010 and YES hit for Power in previous World Series – DO NOT need a bulky American League type body who won’t be able to defensively conform to most NL parks.
HOME RUNS come via bat speed – they don’t always come from being built like Nelson Cruz or Dave Kingman.
Bat Speed Bat Speed Bat Speed is what Kevin Elster had that infamous day when Pac Bell had opening day.
How about Brian Dozier, a Right handed dead pull hitter, he is not bulky at all .
Sure, but the Twins want the moon and the sun for him. Panik is a very capable 2B under team control for several more years and very affordable. His back worries me but I think he’s still a keeper.
Just an example that power hitters do not have to be bulky, just need quick swing .
Agreed but – I believe his source of vitamins is superior and we have an all star gold glove home grown player playing there already.
Where would YOU play Dozier?
You are accusing him of cheating, he is a dead pull hitter, so hits HRs down the line where fences are closer .
Regulars, he is that, missed him by name, but he is part of that group .
Actually I am not dgg. Hit the right keys PJ before you get bored again.
Earlier I posted that this blog is anti power , because the regulars like you are anti power, she disagreed, so that’s why, I said told you dgg !
I’m not talking the Bronx Bombers, but Hamilton brings zero pop and his OBP would be #13 on the Giants. No thanks.
Great, just what we need, a guy with speed who can’t get on base.
Maybe a “change of scenery”. How many triples or ISPHR’s would he hit at ATT?
Considering his best BA is .260 (w/ a high BABIP), a 20% K rate and a slugging % below average, not enough. Rather take my chances with who we have.
I think the change of scenery, the ability to work with Muelens and have the chance to talk with Mays about playing CF at ATT – would invigorate the team and The City.
to each his own.
That would be a brutal OF in terms of offensive production, especially if Pence continues to have injury problems.
Historically and baseball card wise – yes, but each year does not follow a strict finite matrix.
My guess is that they go all in on Melancon, and then go the lightning in the bottle approach again for LF. Rasmus, Holliday or Rajai Davis have future Giant written all over them.
I agree the Giants will go all in on Melancon. My question: Will Melancon say yes, yes, yes?
I concur.
Jon Heyman endorses this guy (John Perrotto) as someone who knows Pittsburgh. He mentioned this as one of his 3 destinations for McCutchen.
San Francisco Giants
While the Pirates would ideally like to land a controllable starting pitcher with upside such as Thompson, they could also use bullpen depth and someone who could eventually become the closer. Thus, an offer centered around right-handers Derek Law and Kyle Crick would draw some attention.
Law 26, had a 2.13 ERA in 61 games as a rookie this year and was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Crick’s stock dropped after he went 4-11 with a 5.04 ERA in 23 starts while spending a third straight season at Double-A Richmond, but he is still just 23 with stuff that could play well out of the bullpen.
The Pirates also lack power-hitting prospects, which would make Chris Shaw appealing. In his first full professional season, the 23-year-old first-round draft pick from Boston College in 2015 hit a combined .267 with 21 home runs and an .819 OPS with high Class-A San Jose and Richmond.
Anybody who wants to take Crick off our roster needs to have their wish fulfilled asap before they come to their senses. I don’t care if he is 23, he is simply org filler.
Alex on McCutchen to the Giants: “Every team would have interest in McCutchen, but I don’t see how they put together the winning package if he’s available.”
The above package seems do-able; regardless of what Alex says. Once again, this guy is from Pittsburgh and is endorsed by Jon Heyman.
I’m pretty sure we have different perspectives on Jon Heyman.
We have different perspectives on Alex !
he came to me in a big black mask and said, “I am your Father”, so I have to listen to him :-))
Okay, you got me KIR. I burst out laughing over this. I’m still laughing!
Alex is right, the Giants do not have enough to beat out other teams if McCutchen is made available. As great as it would be to land him, not worth focusing energy in that direction.
It depends on how other teams view McCutchen. He’s owed $42 million over the next three years, which is already too rich for some, particularly if they reasonably view him as trending downward.
That pitching guru they have in Pittsburgh might just be able to make something out of Kyle Crick! But giving up Law would hurt a lot, especially if they don’t sign an elite closer. Even if they do, it would hurt.
But to me, if Pittsburgh also wants starters, the Giants are pretty top-heavy with guys like Blackburn, Stratton, Heston, and Slania, all on the 40. That’s not even including Blach (who I’d very reluctantly part with to get McCutchen) and Beede (who I don’t want to trade at all). There are also several who had nice years in AA (Andrew Suarez, Matt Gage, and Sam Coonrod). Those guys aren’t ace types, but they’re all major league ready or near it, and they could be in the back end of a rotation.
No argument here…
Good question at the top. From these parts, anybody but our 2 AAAA players. And would take just about anyone else mentioned in here as an improvement and decent fix…except Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton playing in ATT would hit 24 triples and 5 inside the park home runs. He has developed very late as a professional hitter.
The operative word is ‘hit’.
Not buying it
I’d love to see Hamilton as a Giant, and I bet the pitchers would as well.
You like injury prone players that can not hit !
As is already becoming apparent, there will be plenty of input on him in particular as a somewhat polarizing player.
Fully agree with you and hope either Mac or Parker get an exteneded non-platooning shot at it. [two months?] I would never believe the FO would try it but there are some hints and I will hold on to those like you.
This made me laugh out loud.
Hank Schulman 18hrs ago:
Nice to see the “Giants are sitting on their hands because they haven’t signed a player before winter meetings” tweets. I missed those.
A follower replied: “Waiting is hard.”
Those tweets will come if they don’t sign a closer.
Those tweets will turn into blaring sirens if they miss out on Melancon or Jansen (I don’t consider Chapman an option because (a) he wants too much $$$, (b) isn’t good enough when it matters most, (c) will be much more hittable when his FB drops from 100+ to “merely” 97-98 and (d) has major character issues – he’s just a nice decoy to take one of the other teams looking for a closer out of the running for Melancon or Jansen).
I think the Giants will sign a closer. I just don’t know if it’s going to be one of the big two. I want Melancon, but I keep reading about “mutual interest” between Melancon and the Rockies. GM Jeff Bridich has been tight-lipped about negotations with Melancon. Birch said in a recent interview: “I won’t say much. Like we have done with a lot of guys, we have had conversations, and we have checked in on Mark.”
Put those worries out to pasture. Not going to happen.
http://www.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post/_/id/31241/mlb-rumor-central-mark-melancon-to-rockies-unlikely
I wish I could.
Panik only got to play after all other options, including the great Dan Uggla, were tried and failed. They stupidly shipped out Brandon Crawford in the middle of a pennant race in 2011, replacing the light hitting, excellent fielding Crawford with the light hitting, terrible fielding Orlando Cabrera. Casey McGehee had to redefine awful before Duffy got to play. Even with Posey, management had to take Benjie Molina away from Bochy in order to force him to play Posey at catcher. Adam Duvall never got much more than a sniff of playing time.
The only way Williamson gets a real shot to see what he can do is if the Giants don’t acquire a veteran outfielder. If they sign any veteran, from anywhere, that’s who is going to be playing. We’re talking about Bruce Bochy here.
Correct !!
LOL. That’s certainly an interpretation.
Bochy’s biggest fan is going to defend him , what a shock !
You’re easy to shock, apparently.
TRUTH, you have pointed out the biggest falsehood of the article. The SFG have developed players, but it seems to be more by accident than design. As for BB blocking Mac and Parker with a veteran, I don’t think that will happen this season because he knows them and Evans won’t give BB a chance to do that because he not going to sign one.
How many OF’s have the Giants EVER developed?
Willie Mays?
Perfect…there you go!
The real answer is NONE…not a one, of any consequence…since 1984. So not holding my breath on Maaaac and Paaaarker
No one is asserting that those 2 will be keepers, just that they are good enough to start the season with (in the eyes of the SFG).
On the other hand, one or both could turn out to be keepers.
That makes sense? They’re not likely to be keepers but good enough to start the season? You mean start with them but inevitably dump them sooner than later. What a strategy!
How are they any different than Bowker or Schierholtz, or Torres.
They’re not any different and that’s exactly my point
Andres Torres was outstanding in 2010. He doesn’t belong in the same sentence with either of the other two.
Are you kidding? in 2009 he was a career minor leaguer, he most certainly belongs with those two. He was a guy nobody (maybe the coaches or scouts) thought was going to be special, just like every other Giant OF minor leaguer.
Please tell me which of those guys ever had a season like Torres had in 2010?
It isn’t about where they finished, it is about where they started. He was just like them, another just ok player who had done nothing notable in the bigs.
Mays started off very slowly. Good thing it was Leo Durocher managing, not Bochy.
Rigney was hanging in the wings – he would have given Boch the 411 even though Boch had not been born yet. Going O for 12 is not a bad thing when your next swing is hit out of the stadium.
McCovey won NL ROY of the year in 1959. In 1960 he was shipped to the minors.
O for 20
Mays began his major league career with no hits in his first 12 at bats. On his 13th at-bat, he hit a home run over the left field roof of the Polo Grounds off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn
1 for 26, just looked it up !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Mays
New York Giants (1951–57)
Mays began his major league career with no hits in his first 12 at bats. On his 13th at-bat, he hit a home run over the left field roof of the Polo Grounds off future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn.Spahn later joked, “I’ll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I’d only struck him out.” Mays’ average improved steadily throughout the rest of the season. Although his .274 average, 68 RBI and 20 homers (in 121 games) were among the lowest of his career, he still won the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award. During the Giants’ comeback in August and September 1951 to overtake the Dodgers in the 1951 pennant race, Mays’ fielding and strong arm were instrumental to several important Giants victories. Mays was in the on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round the World against the Brooklyn Dodgers to win the three-game playoff 2-1 after the teams had tied at the end of the regular season.
So what you are saying is the if Bochy managed Mays, he would have been sat on the bench to rot and bounced up and down between the majors and the minors with that rookie start.
You do know that’s an idiotic comparison, given the personal relationship between Durocher and Mays. Durocher had a reputation of tension, to fist fights with his players. In 1972, it all culminated with a shouting, wrestling match between Milt Pappas and Ron Santo and Durocher. Durocher had a warm relationship with Mays, who he referred to as ‘his boy’. It was almost unique. Before you chip that one onto the green again, maybe you should spend some time on the putt-putt course.
Or, maybe you should relax and not take everything quite as seriously. I’m sure Mays’ talent would’ve been enough to penetrate even the thickest of skulls.
I love Willie, but it can’t really be said the Giants deveoped him. He was placed on earth to roam centerfield.
OF worth keeping? nearly 0. Has that stopped them from winning ? no. What is your point? Is the idea that the SFG have developed players invalid because they have failed at OF?
My point? see below or to save you time, dont wait on Maaac or Paaaarker.
Erase the words great Uggla – stupidly shipped out – etc and you have made some valid points but I SAW Buster HIT in 2009 in September and he hit 11 – forty two hoppers into right field and surely was not ready to catch – IE – be a Receiver the way Molina had been until – the day it actually happened.
Sabean’s comment about Panik was backed up and Area/Regional scout driven by about 16 scouts and 11 cross-checkers. Sabean parroted their reports. Panik proved everybody wrong.
I had the same reaction–don’t give the Giants too much credit for developing their young players because, as you said, in every one of those cases, they desperately tried to put a veteran in there first.
Posey’s slightly different because, as a top-five draft pick, it was only a matter of time before he took over the job. Even so, they kept him in the minors for the first two months of 2010 as the stellar pitching staff was losing game after game for lack of run support. (I distinctly remember a Jonathan Sanchez start in San Diego early that season where he pitched a one-hitter and lost 1-0.) The Giants only made the playoffs on the very LAST day of that season. Keeping Buster in the minors until the end of May could have cost them a championship if only a couple of things had gone slightly wrong.
Now, it seems to be a bit different with young pitchers. They threw Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner into the mix as soon as they could, and they’ve promoted young relievers, too (Law, Strickland, Osich, etc.). But when it comes to position players, in the Bochy/Sabean world, it seems that veterans are always better.
Totally wrong, as usual.
Really? How? Can you actually explain something, or are you only capable of one liners?
I’ll let you stay ignorant.
Thought so. Stick to the not too clever one liners. It’s more your thing.
It’s been discussed here several times. You wish to remain ignorant and I figure you’re happier that way.
And you keep saying nothing, which is why I don’t usually respond to you. There’s nothing there.
At least I say nothing in short original bursts, instead of saying the same nothing on and on and on and over and over and over.
Home Runs can be over-rated for the Giants
1962 – 204
1987 – 205
1989 – 141
1993 – 198
2002 – 198
2001 – 235 (Bonds 73)
2002 – 198
2007 – 131
2010 – 162
2012 – 103
2014 – 132
You blame the offence for the bad pitching, in 2001, if they only hit 100 HRs in 2001 they would have won it all
Did I use the word blame – I wrote what I wanted to write.
You did say that, you blame Willie Mays too his teams in the 60s hit lots of HRs but never won it all, but the Bonds and the Mays Giants teams were great and fun to watch, some times it is luck that goes your way to win it all, Brookes Conrad !
WoW Pete – your comprehension skills are like MLBSF’s.
Are you providing this in support of your Billy Hamilton “want”?
I will concede this much: the Giants have done just about everything they could to tailor the roster to the ballpark – pitching, defense, move-the-line hitting – all except speed. Hamilton would solve the CF problem but too bad you can’t have DF’s, designated fielders.
He could be Herb Washington Jr.
You have bought the Propaganda, Ball park is not the problem, the players hitting for the home team are, Cespedes made it look small last year .
LOL. You need a data review.
The Giants have the wrong type of hitters for the ball park, that’s why they have always have great offences on the road, in 2012 they scored 46 more road runs then any NL team, but struggled at home in runs scored. the have Pence and Posey that go the other way with power , so get AT&T’d , rather then a Dozier type that is a dead pull hitter, that would do well at AT&T Park .
I have not bought any propaganda. I’m not blaming the ballpark.
Nunez has speed. He had 40 stolen bases last year. But for some reason Bochy chose to bury him at the bottom of the order where the speed was less useful in favor of Span and Pagan, who are no longer the threats on the bases that they once were.
One of the weirder things that happened less year was Bobby Evans going out and trading for players with specific skill sets (Nunez, Smith) and then Bochy refusing to use them in ways that maximized those skill sets.
I think there’s quite a bit of evidence that there’s some tension between Evans and Bochy.
Like what?
Like Bochy refusing to use the players Evans acquired in the way they were meant to be used and Evans’ comments after the season questioning some of the decision making that took place.
What comments?
The year ending press conference, said the bullpen had good young pitchers, that would grow with the help of Righetti, and Gardner, did not mention Bochy .
Based on your cock-a-mamie interpretation of a comment. You’re such a drama mama.
Who is Wynton Bernard and why did he sign with the SFG?
http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=592144#/career/R/hitting/2016/ALL
Better question.. why did the SFG sign him?
They don’t want Dexter Fowler? (kidding)
Did you see him on the Rule V Draft?
They must have just been looking at him at the end of last year and he did not catch on. Nice smile.
Slater has moderately better numbers in AA and way better #s in AAA.
The Giants signed him.
He’s a speedy outfielder…
http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=90761783
…and he can hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dr2C2PQ930
My guess: Span and Pence insurance.
more like Hernandez insurance.
Backups for backups.
How about Carlos Gomez? Seems like a risky move both in the clubhouse and on the field but he does have good pull power, the ability to play CF, a good arm, and a lot of upside.
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/texas-rangers/rangers/2016/11/28/rangers-free-agent-carlos-gomez-crazy-collection-autographed-baseball-bats
Have always like his field ability but…. and also he seems to be getting “heavy-legged” as he matures.
Bobby, do it!
Matthew update: Was released from the hospital and had an important meeting in SF today so he snuck away and had his brother in law drive him. Rumors that he is dressed in disguise as Robbie Thompson are not true. After the meeting – he’s due back home right after and is due for actual bed rest. They gave him a shot into a joint that allowed him mobility and come “next month” he is due for a *nerve-killing-procedure*. (gulp)
Meanwhile I told him all the “dawgs” here are splashing around waiting for his return.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpfHCnjWhNc
That seems like mostly good news, pending the ‘nerve killing’ step. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
That’s good to hear that Matthew is on the mend.
Mike Felger of the Boston Globe would love that.
Matthew in disguise https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/008b6dfb3728d60bfcf62245d957701c6c66e388aa10dde5ed52a8c2eb09df53.jpg
Good news!
Meeting hell, it’s probably a scientology pub crawl.
Hey, uh, who let those dogs out? Sorry. Back to my offseason bunker.
For the Amateur Umpires on TWG
Awarding the Cycle – Written by George Demetriou
Just about every baseball fan knows what hitting for the cycle means: the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. While getting four hits in a game is a significant accomplishment, the cycle is more of a conversational oddity than a statistic of excellence. It is though, a feat that is very rare. At the end of the 2015 season roughly 210,000 MLB games had been played, giving the 18 starters 3,780,000 opportunities to hit for cycle. It’s been done 306 times (.008%) and is as rare as a no-hitter.
No records are kept of awards that would be equivalent to a cycle and it is highly doubtful it has ever occurred and is not likely to ever occur, but it is interesting to understand how umpires would award a cycle by rule. Of course, the player would not get credit for the cycle because some of the following events are not scored as a base hit.
One base. There are several ways a batter can be awarded first base and one occurs in almost every game and frequently multiple times. Four pitches which miss the strike zone and which are not swung at will get a batter to first base via a base on balls (NFHS 2-4-2; NCAA 2-7; pro 5.05b1/6.08a).
Another uncommon award of first is a hit batsman. A batter is awarded first base if he is hit anywhere on his person or uniform by a pitch unless he swings at the pitch or the pitch is in the strike zone when it strikes him. In both those cases, the ball is dead, no runners can advance and a strike is called. If it’s the third strike, the batter is out (NFHS 7-2-1b, 8-1-1d1; NCAA 8-2d; pro 5.05b2/6.08b).
Play 1: With a runner on first, B1 anticipates a curve on a 1-0 count and holds his ground. The ball breaks, but hits B1 on the wrist in the strike zone. Ruling 1: The ball is dead and B1 remains at bat with a 1-1 count. R1 remains at first.
The issue of the batter’s responsibility when a pitch is thrown near him involves a fine distinction. The NCAA and pro language require the batter to attempt to get out of the way in order to be awarded first base, while NFHS states that he is awarded first base unless he permits it to hit him (8-1-1d1).
The professional interpretation is that it is the umpire’s responsibility to determine whether or not the batter could have feasibly avoided the pitch. The basis for that according to retired AL umpire, Jim Evans, is that it is unrealistic to expect batters to protect the plate and not subject themselves to being hit.
NCAA takes this issue a step further and distinguishes between pitches that are clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter’s box and those that are not. If the batter freezes and the umpire rules there was nothing he could do to get out of the way and he is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, he is awarded first. If the pitch is clearly outside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, the batter must make an effort to avoid being hit by the pitch (6-4c, 8-2d1).
Play 2: F1 throws a fast ball down the middle of the batter’s box. B1 is caught flat-footed and the ball strikes him in the middle of the back. Ruling 2: B1 is a hit batsman since he did not swing at the pitch. He is awarded first.
Play 3: B1 takes a stance leaning over the plate. The pitch is high near the inside edge of the plate. B1 freezes and allows the pitch to hit the top of his shoulder that is out of the batter’s box. Ruling 3: The ball is dead and is a ball. B1 is not awarded first.
In all codes, if the batter intentionally gets hit by moving or rolling any part of his body into the pitch, a ball or strike is called depending on whether it was in the strike zone when it touched the batter.
If the catcher interferes with the batter’s swing, the batter is awarded first. However, if a play follows, the ball is not immediately dead and the umpire will allow the play to continue (NFHS 8-1-1e, NCAA 8-2e1, pro 5.05b3/ 6.08c).
If the batter reaches first base and all other runners advance at least one base, the interference (NFHS: obstruction) is ignored. A runner who misses the first base to which he is advancing and who is subsequently called out for a base running infraction (NCAA/pro: appeal required) is considered to have advanced one base for the purpose of this rule (NFHS 8-2-3 Nt, NCAA 8-3o3 AR 3, pro 5.05b3 Cmt/6.08c Cmt).
If the above does not occur and a play where the ball is batted follows the interference, the offense may elect to decline the interference penalty and accept the results of the play. This should be handled the way a football referee treats any penalty enforcement.
Just heard this idea on KNBR: Swap Cain to the Red Sox for Pablo. The argument was that if the Red Sox mainly want to get Pablo gone, no one’s going to trade them anything of value for an overweight guy just back from shoulder surgery who’s still owed $54 mil. The Giants still owe Cain about $29 mil., including his 2018 buyout of $7.5 mil.
The Red Sox get rid of the bad juju surrounding Pablo and clear about $25 mil. of payroll. They also get the chance–OK, not a great one, but a chance–that Cain might be of some value to them (they need pitching).
The Giants get a 30-year-old third baseman, a former World Series MVP and All-Star, at a net cost of 8.3 mil per year for the next three years. They also deal with the awkward problem of what to do about Cain in 2017.
Probably wouldn’t happen for a number of reasons (including what the Red Sox did to Cain at Fenway in July)–but it could solve problems for both teams.
How does this work with Cain’s full no-trade clause?
p.s. I don’t want Pablo back.
You send them by boat during hurricane season.
LOL!
It adds depth and a seafarer’s gravitas to the phrase ‘around the horn’.
rotflamao
Larry Krueger never let facts get in the way of a good fake trade , he might be Scouts best Sports talk radio host .
Krueger and Chris Townsend – when they both worked for KNBR – their voices were hard to tell apart.
And at first – Sabean and Colletti were hard to tell apart over the radio
I always thought that, too, about Chris Townsend and Larry Krueger.
Yeah, just say it with volume, and bluster, huh.
Good point about Cain.
SportsTalk radio at its finest. More like who hangs up first.
Someone please get ahold of Lefty and tell her that her account has been hacked.
I’m just reporting, not advocating. 😉
Regardless of the specifics/details (salary, etc.), it would give both players a better opportunity to succeed…versus what they’ll get staying with their current team.
43 doubles, 8 triples, 16 HRs, .268/.343/.479/.823, with excellent defense.
Who’s stats are these?
those are Cain’s projected numbers in Boston after 3 outings 😉
Pretty sure I watched that game in Fenway in July. 🙁
Torres in 2010.
This is horrible. AP: The pilot told the controllers that there was no fuel before the plane crashed into the mountainside.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_COLOMBIA_AIR_CRASH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
I’d love to see the Giants steal Turner from LA and put Nunez in LF.
No love for Connor , the Giants best post season hitter .
+ Turner was on Mega Vitamins
Jeff Passan from his Ultimate FA Tracker:
“5. Justin Turner, IF: It’s amazing to think less than three years ago, Turner got an on-the-eve-of-spring-training minor league deal from the Dodgers. All he’s done since is hit .296/.364/.492, play every spot in the infield and position himself to score $75 million-plus as a 32-year-old after being cut loose by the Mets at 28. He’s not your typical top-five free agent, but then this isn’t your typical free-agent class, and with the paucity of available third baseman, someone’s going to give Big Red a nice, long kiss.”
I’ll be shocked if Turner ever hits 10 HR in a season again
Who’s got the better defensive glove?
at third? probably close to equal. In the OF probably the better athlete Nunez. I bet Nunez’s arm is stronger too.
You ask that question when the Giants won 2 of their 3 World Series with Pablo starting at third and won the other one with him as a part time starter? The Glove at third does not matter that much.
I only ask that because the Giants pride themselves on having a strong defensive infield and outfield.
infield yes, but tell me when was the last time the Giants had an OF considered to be tops in D?
That is perception vs reality. Reality is
http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+fielding&game_type='R'&season=2010&season_type=ANY&league_code='NL'§ionType=sp&statType=fielding&page=1&ts=1480596473505&timeframe=&position='6'&playerType=ALL
2010
1B Huff ranked 54th in NL at first was constantly replaced by Ishikawa
2B Sanchez backed by Fontenot and DeRosa the later rankend below 50%
3rd Pablo Uribe Fontenot ranked 34th and 36th. sandoval 6th of 11 qualified
SS Uribe 24th , Renteria 27th
Outside of Pablo, no player was ranked in the qualifiers selection
2012
1B Belt ranked 6th out of 8 qualified
2B Scutero 6th out of 11 qualified
3B Sandoval ranked 34 and not in the qualified
SS Crawford 7th out of 10 qualified
2014
1B Belt 56th non qualified based on attempts if was he tied 6-10 of 12
2B Hicks 56th Panik 61rst
3B Sandoval 3rd of 11 qualified Arias as backup
SS Crawford 10th of 12 qualified.
As you can see in all 3 seasons the Giants infield was influx with no solid everyday defenders in the top half of the NL qualified outside of Pablo on 1 occasion(2014). Thus rotations used by Bochy or searching for fielders or late inning replacements were quite common not only in the infield but also in the Outfield. Think Huff Ishikawa, Uribe Renteria, Uribe Pablo, Sanchez Fontenot, Pablo Aria, Morse Blanco etc.
Thanks for doing research on this. So, do you think the Giants should pursue Turner to play 3B and move Nunez to LF, as mentioned by DrLefty?
I think they should trade Williamson, Parker, Blach , Adriansa and another player or 2 for McCutchon.
I wonder if the Braves would be interested in letting Malex Smith (CF) move on for a reasonable trade?
In my dream I heard the Gigantes had obtained Marcell Ozuna
CC with the sleeper acquisition. Unless they think he is a solid starter in the near future I’m sure the SFG system has someone to trade for him.
Smith is injured and blocked currently. He’s Billy Hamilton, only better, IMO.
I always thought that the Orioles would be a great fit for Pagan
Angel Pagan is “definitely” on the Orioles’ radar as they look for help in the corner outfield and atop their lineup, reports Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com.
Looks tons like his dad https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/545eb3e04ceaf1e71668f033fdc64aabaa834b6d5c3d9398ceb90cea440ff986.jpg
John Perrotto @JPerrotto 4m4 minutes ago
Told there is 80-percent chance” that McCutchen is traded by end of winter meetings. #Pirates #MLB
To the Rangers or Nationals i’ve read…what does this have to do with the Giants?
http://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/three-possible-trade-destinations-andrew-mccutchen/
Sure, they can have Crick!
They really fell Austin Meadows is ready. And maybe they see McCutchen’s 2016 season as more of an ominous sign and aren’t as optimistic about a bounce back to his previous years’ MVP form. McCutchen is one of my favorite players, but if I were a GM with a top farm system (e.g. not Bobby Evans), emptying the farm for him would be a bit terrifying. What if you traded for a below average defensive CF whose best offensive numbers are behind him?
Hey Giants peeps. Hope everyone had a smooth and relaxing Thanksgiving!
74 days until Spring training:)
Hey, Team TWG! I can’t express how much your best wishes meant to me. I was in the hospital from Saturday thru yesterday. I was given a fascia L block injection and will next have a nerve “burn” next month. This worked well enough to allow me to be driven to SF for a presentation that had been scheduled recently …we nailed it.
I had a ladder secured on pavers , but one paver broke and threw me off…I landed on grass, and only “shocked” my spine, specifically whiplash and huge trauma to my L3,4 and 5. I was immobile for 48 hours and afraid of permanent disability, but the MRI was clean, the docs procedure was magic.
I went 56 years and 11 months with -literally – no visits to a hospital…I now have a Gold Elite membership card to Four West at Doctor’s Medical Center with 3 extended stays in 15 months. The nurses and techs were all “Again???!!!” but were amazing.
Beauty , of course, managed this whole incident with Motherly leadership that is beyond comprehension.
Now….who the f— plays left field??????
You better suit UP and give it a go!
You pulled a Reverse Casilla and closed the deal!
So glad for your recovery. And what a team player!
Jarred Kushner. Feel at home again? 😉 I tried to start the rumor you were on a scientology pub crawl, but no one bit. Guess I’ll wait for Efrain to show.
Glad you are better and presentation went well. Hope the “burn” works. Send your wife to the spa for all her good work.
Glad you’re doing well! What’s the status on “Operation Christmas Lights”?
Just before Trump builds the wall – Matthew is gonna hire some boys hanging down at Home depot to finish the job ….
You ‘love’ this story. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/30/former-nfl-player-accused-of-running-juvie-fight-club.html
My son finished the job…full Ken Griffey Jr. Performance
Whew Matthew! I’d like to suggest an extension ladder with a stabilizer for future endeavors, or forget the Christmas Lights.
BOOM!
You should get partial royalties – even tho not the same
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1a853e4d708d631f78f296701b76c6bcc184f5a7677ac4dfccf633ddfe610451.jpg
This make no sense, ClutchUp.
…
I realize that, but really this is nonsensical.
It is hot stove – off season fodder. Sorry Montana
I’m glad you’re ok. I do have a suggestion, though. With all the problems you’ve had, stay off ladders.
That sounds both painful and terrifying. I’m sure you’re very grateful it wasn’t worse. Glad to hear you’re out and about so quickly.
You just became Mike Felger’s hero. Who he, you ask? Just ask Al Horford who definitely got on his bad side.
Matthew, so glad to hear from you. So, are you on the 15 or 60 day DL for the time being?
Who plays LF? Any combo of Mac/Parker/J.D. Martinez and/or Span if we get Lorenzo Cain or Cutch or that kid from “The Sandlot”.
Dude.
Great to have you back and to hear it wasn’t too serious.
damn, mateo, that was scary. i’m sure the docs and nurses were awesome, but a tip o the hat to the big guy upstairs. it sounds like you were an inch or so from some permanent damage. glad you’ll be ok.
i’d like to see mac get 500 AB’s, and show what he can do. i think .240 with 25 bombs, and a better job playing left field than we’ve seen of late.
well at least you are realistic about the BA. I actually don’t think that highly of Mac, but if he did hit 240/25 and played better D than what we have had lately I actually think the team would be better off than the likes of what they have been throwing out there for a few seasons.
Good to have you back Matty, hot stove not the same w/o you
Another day in Evans’ville.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/medical-earth-planets-globes-atlas-heavy-vsh1331_low.jpg
Another article mentioning the Giants and McCutchen. Very steep price mentioned, though. I’ve also read that his value may take a hit, because there’s so many FA OFers out there…many not requiring a draft pick.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/209941922/5-teams-have-assets-to-get-andrew-mccutchen/
Dave Flemming tweet re:McCutchen and Giants pursuing him:
Dave Flemming @FlemmingDave 14s15 seconds ago
They are definitely exploring the possibility – as all teams should be.
Give em Stratton and Parker.
Do it Bobby, Do it…… Pull the trigger!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRQnJyP77tY
I am laughing but McCutchen is exactly the type of bombshell that a Billy Beane goes out and acquires for no apparent reason ..
Trent (Balk) Baalke
http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-GM-Trent-Baalke-I-feel-bad-for-the-10642258.php
He’s wrong. Ownership is at fault for hiring him.
Scot McCloughan got rip-roaring drunk at the Niners Christmas party several years ago. Baalke was already on staff. Harbaugh’s success was with McCloughan’s draft. NOW Scot McCloughan’s is doing it again with Washington. Baalke has always been over-matched. He loves guys coming off knee injuries on defense with 20 foot wing spans. He’s obsessed. Him and Beane go out and run about 14 miles per day while both teams struggle to compete.
Harbaugh Wearing Thin Again
http://www.sfchronicle.com/college/jenkins/article/Somebody-tell-Jim-Harbaugh-his-team-lost-10643369.php
I’m not going waste my time reviewing whether or not Jenkins has an axe to grind with Harbaugh, but a national writer said that he felt Harbaugh’s rant was calculating in nature. He believes Harbaugh was letting the committee know that they lost in double-OT to Ohio State in Columbus…and if it wasn’t for some questionable calls…they would would have won that game. Therefore, they belong in the playoff.
He’s not “wearing thin” at Michigan. I can assure you of that.
BTW…I still think Ohio State’s QB was short on that 4th down play. The ball was pushed up against his O-lineman’s butt and didn’t appear to cross over the 1st down line. If they had the NFL replay, it would have been very interesting to see if that call was reversed.
I enjoyed the teaching aspects of his article. THE call did not lose the game for Big Blue.
It helped 🙂
True – but I am a believer of trying not to let somebody else – Umps or Refs control the game or make ONE friggin call that might ruin our game …
I’m a Raiders fan, remember? Immaculate Reception, Tuck Rule, Lytle non-TD in 1977, etc.
Ha…even Franco knows what happened…. but then again the Casper fumble-rooski was funny and not against any rule.
Tomsula is more your idea of a great coach.
It wasn’t just the spot on fourth down. The game wasn’t officiated evenly, and it wasn’t even close.
What was the crew, 3 Ohio residents in strips?
There was also a guy from Michigan. One of the Ohioans had been previously fired by the Big 10 for incompetence. Whatever the reason, the game wasn’t called evenly. It wasn’t a good look.
Agreed. That was so absurd that it appears either a preordained fix or personal dislike of Harbaugh by the crew members seem the only logical reasons.
College football is a pretty untrustworthy sport in many ways
well they don’t, therefore you just have to get over it.
They love him in Michigan.
There really might be a Santa Claus if this far fetched item takes place
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/209864780/will-clark-considered-in-hall-of-fame-vote/
Aubrey Part Two
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/209765948/aubrey-huff-reveals-personal-struggles-in-book/
So something is very off about all this. First of all, how did Huff abuse Adderall for three years without ever getting caught in the regular testing cycle? Second, it says he went into rehab after the 2010 World Series–and he signed his new contract with the Giants just a few weeks after the Series. So either he hid his substance abuse issues or they flat-out missed it. Then, in the 2011 season, with him continuing to abuse drugs and alcohol and slumping badly, Bochy ran him out there day after day (and as GG pointed out, that led to jerking Belt around a lot in his rookie year).
Either way, that’s a bad story–Huff lied/cheated/hid stuff to get his contract and/or the Giants knew he had problems but still played him everyday and/or they didn’t know but it sounds like they should have.
Not a good look all around. It explains some things about the 2011 season, though.
Huff was probably pretty good at masking his substance abuse.
Most junkies are
So basically he duped the Giants out of $20+ mil while not being honest about his problems. I remember part of the reason Sabean jumped so quickly is that the Dodgers were trying to get him, having already peeled off Uribe. Too bad they didn’t just let the Dodgers sign Huff, in hindsight.
Adderall is the key. Hardest to detect for males at HS-College and Pro level. The only good thing is that Huff lived. I know 3-4 families that have buried their sons.
http://www.today.com/health/dads-word-warning-adderall-changed-my-son-1B8296733
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/12/15/brad-halsey-new-york-yankees-cliff-dead-halloween-arizona-diamondbacks/20442185/
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2013/october/adderall-addiction-lessons-from-a-sons-suicide/?mobile=false
My instincts tell me Huff isn’t the most truthful guy around…especially if it gets the spotlight shining back his way.
You pretty much have to screw up to test positive.
just backs up the point that no organization in baseball is pristine. They all have some issues here and there and no need for the organization and many of their fans to act like the moral majority as if their crap doesn’t stink.
Bingo
Klay trying to rep best paper air plane https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/803493560628580352
This self-proclaimed goofy guy is fitting in nicely for the Dubs
http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/JaVale-McGee-finds-right-fit-with-Warriors-10643423.php
So many opinions out there about McCutchen. The former Pirates’ beat guy thinks the Giants could get him for Law, Crick, and Shaw. Grant Brisbee says, nah, it’ll take Panik and prospects. The MLB writer thinks Beede and/or Arroyo would do it.
One thing to consider: There are still a lot of outfielders on the free agent market and even as trade bait. One (Braun) is also a former MVP–oops, *MVP–and had a better year in 2016 than Cutch did. This is to say that the Pirates may not find this to be a sellers’ market.
The Bay Area Sports Guy notes that it’s a bit disconcerting that the Pirates are pushing so hard to trade him, even before the Winter Meetings. He wonders if they know something they don’t want other teams to figure out.
Sounds downright Preller-esque….
I know Scout drools, and I’m a Cutch believer in so many ways. But….the last thing we need is to overpay for a fading, aging OF. (Scout tends to put EEOC considerations before talent, though)
You should give a peak to the FG piece below. It’s interesting.
I’m about to go meet Scout in person at the local Irish pub in a few minutes. We’ll sort it all out and get back to you.
I’d love to have McCutchen and I believe he probably still has more in the tank. He’s only 30, and he did have a much better second half. But not for Panik and not for Beede.
I love me some Sabean Napkin Trades. You guys get r’ dun
I saw that the Tigers wanted Michael Conforto from the Mets for one year of J.D. Martinez. Imagine what they’d want for Verlander: “Sure, Andy, we’ll send Justin your way. But we want Seager, Urias, and your next two top prospects. That should do it. Oh, and Kate needs a movie deal, too.”
Stout Scout.
C u soon.
Let us know how many of his personalitities were there.
I put my best foot forward. She had some nice things to say about you mister, so welcome back.
cough cough burp
I’m gonna let this slide because I’m so happy that you’re alive!
Love the Eric riff. Tells me you’re back!
Thats a pretty good comeback lol
It’s a puzzle. Dave Cameron sees the upside and risks.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/andrew-mccutchen-and-selling-low/
They don’t have the payroll to spend more than a guy is worth, so they might just be getting nervous.
Well, IF they found JD Martinez too pricey…how the hell do they outbid for McCutcheon? Next.
MLB, MLBPA Agree To New Collective Bargaining Agreement https://t.co/dHV4PopbKJ https://t.co/k0LfZZ3Rf9
Source: Luxury-tax thresholds could rise in something close to this progression over new five-year CBA: $195M, $197M, $206M, $209M, $210M. Per Ken Rosenthal.
Magnus Carlson wins World Chess Championship.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/magnus-carlsen-wins-the-2016-world-chess-championship/
McCutchen has been trending downward for two season, but his 2015 was excellent and his 2016 was still very good by Giants’ outfielders’ standards.
He may actually end up in LF.
One of the stories I read suggested that McCutchen has resisted any discussion of moving out of CF.
But have you seen him play in person?
Still 25 limit so G’s won’t be able to carry 14 pitchers after all.
Don’t put it past them. Bochy likes a challenge.
I know most aren’t interested, but I just watched the BEST soccer semifinal the MLS has seen. It’s set up as a home-and-home series, in which Montreal originally took a 3-0 lead last week. Toronto scored twice to make it 3-2 . Away goals carry more weight in the tie breakers.
Tonight was in Toronto…and it went back and forth, and ended 3-2 Toronto in regulation , meaning 5-5 and 30 extra minutes of play to determine the winner. Toronto scored twice and won 7-5 on aggregate…37,000 in pouring rain and it was mayhem.
Sports are so cool.
Soccer in Toronto this time of year huh? Wow! Do they play games in the snow like American Football?
More detailabout the players agreement.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/11/30/mlb-collective-bargaining-agreement-lockout-union-luxury-tax/94701920/
Mr and Mrs Lefty rock. They totally know how to hang out with random person from Internet and his guest. Round of applause for their rock star appearance in Davis, CA.
As for napkin trades, I think we brought Sandoval back to the Giants. Hurray for us.
It was fun hanging out with you, too!
Would you believe a friend of Juan’s came after you left and we stayed a while longer. He came to US from Iran in 80s as a boy and was super interesting with passion for flamenco guitar and plant molecular stuff. Very stimulating night
Awesome. We old people caught up a bit on our DVR and were in bed before 10:30. 🙂
were any pictures taken of two of this blog’s hall of famers? there’s a famous country song titled ‘pancho & lefty’. i’m sure someone could come up with something clever to title a picture of you two.
I remember Jake Peavy and Tim Flannery covered that song and there was a video of it!
My orbit’s a bit bigger these days but while I’m passing by — what’s the latest on getting a reliever? What’s the hot stove consensus?
A closer, I meant.
Scared me – thought you said OBIT
From far-away France, the “problem” doesn’t seem to be “who is going to play LF?” It should be CF. Hunter Pence is our new LF. Mac is our new RF. Span must be replaced by someone with more than a noodle for an arm and suspect routes to fly balls in deep CF. Cutch? Maybe. But if we stay away from big spending other than getting Melancon, there should be money and room for creative CF thinking.
Glad to hear Matthew survived his ladder event. I have a tall hedge to trim today and will take extra precautions — like maybe coaxing my neighbor to bring over his back hoe and provide a bucket ride.
A bientot
No more All-Star Game home field advantage stuff.
http://apne.ws/2gIIfG0
https://apnews.com/331d6e369c2147709dde04ae7f0507b1/APNewsBreak:-All-Star-Game-no-longer-determines-Series-start
Great news. You can’t sleep either?
I’m actually getting ready to drive to work.
Glad you were able to hang out with the good doctor last night.
More from Rosenthal: Starting in 2018, season will start mid-week, helping create extra off-days in schedule.
Combing through all the stories about the new CBA…I guess they did NOT expand the rosters to 26 or limit September rosters. They did, however:
–change the All-Star Game/home field for World Series thing (hallelujah)
–create a hard salary cap of $5 mil for international spending (total per team)
–add more off days & a rule that games before long flights must be day games
–soften the qualifying offer/draft pick thing so that it’s less burdensome to players
–gradually raise the luxury tax line
–DRASTICALLY raise the penalties for going over the luxury tax line
–make a plan to wean the A’s off revenue-sharing in four years
Soften sure sounds vague. That would start next offseason I imagine.
That hard cap on IFA is a no small feat. Wow. Maybe team like Giants can take advantage.
It’s not vague–it’s actually quite detailed. I was just too lazy to reproduce it in a bullet-point list. And it does start next season, not right now. But the bottom line is no more first-round draft picks lost for signing a free agent with a QO. The highest a team could lose is a second-round pick, and in some cases, only a third-round pick. Another tweak is that the team losing the free agent only gets a compensatory pick if the free agent signs a deal for more than $50 million. There have been a few guys over the years who’ve turned down QOs and signed for much less than that–Stephen Drew comes to mind, and Kendrys Morales and Ian Desmond.
Thanks. I guess it is kind of amazing that these agreements were reached before deadline. Way to go millionaires!
More off days and day games before long flights will help out the Giants quite a bit. Have to give our aging outfield more time to rest/recover.
Any hints at shortening the season / playoff plan?
No. On the contrary, they’re starting the season a few days earlier to give more off days and more humane travel schedules.
What was the reason that MLB gave for cutting the A’s share of the revenue sharing? I read a couple weeks ago that some other owners were complaining that the A’s were getting a full share of revenue sharing while not pulling their weight like the other owners. Were any other teams penalized in this manner in the new CBA? Wow, a team is operating pretty poorly if the league has to penalize them.
The A’s are in a major market but were grandfathered into the revenue-sharing because of their lousy stadium. The other teams are done being patient with all that, and also feel that the A’s haven’t operated in good faith with their payroll and roster.
..and lower the the number of DL days for non-concussions from 15 to 10 days.
Do you mean that the ASG outcome no longer determines the W/S home team?!? If so, hallelujah!!!
One story pointed out that if the Dodgers don’t get their payroll under $235 mil this year, under the new CBA, they’ll have to pay a 92% (!!!) penalty.
Per Cot’s contracts, they have payroll obligations for 2017 totaling just under $172 mil to 15 players, but only 8 of those might actually play for the Dodgers next year (Kershaw, Kazmir, Maeda, Ryu, McCarthy, Gonzalez, Puig, Ethier). They have a bunch of arb-eligible guys, but it looks like only two of them (Grandal and van Slyke) are likely to be tendered contracts. Let’s say $5 mil for the two of them. Now you have 10 players at $177 mil. They can still do some damage with trades and free agents, but they may not want to go all the way up to $235 mil, since they’ve got that debt limit issue next year to consider, too.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12Fdcz-v1dHv7WUA6N73JhLNL7cZ-JCaUSRyh8LQvG7A/pubhtml
Lefty — Is that 92 percent potential Dodger penalty 92 percent of $235 mil, or just 92 percent of the excess over $235 mil.?
I think it’s the excess over the luxury tax line, which is currently $189 mil.
Oh, another thing–the 15-day DL is now a 10-day DL. This should help the Giants make better decisions.
Whoa. Game changers.
Makes it valuable to have optionable guys on your 40 who can come up as injury replacements and then be sent back down.
Inside GM info … thanks for that.
I might get a ST trip in but it would be later March. You have dates already I think?
How about SJ again for us?
Yes, March 10-13 this time. I’m off at a couple conferences later in March. SJ? We can take a look at the calendar. You should make a roadie up here and we’ll host you to a River Cats game!
Have you ever been to Tea List in Davis?Owned by Juan’s friend’s mother – from Iran. Sound very unique. Check it out.
OK, I’m going to take a big stand in favor of tea before Bapah and CU come along. Assuming Tea List is about tea, I’m gonna advertise something similar in Boulder. They serve food too, in a tea house built in Tajikistan, disassembled, and brought to Boulder to house the business:
http://www.boulderteahouse.com
That’s not very nice. I just don’t appreciate boiled sticks.
No, I haven’t, but thanks for the heads-up.
I didn’t see anything about if the CBA wanted to change the 7-day concussion protocol to just changing it to being a 10-day DL stint. Or am I missing something?
Wow, that’s going to be a really big influence on strategies.
I totally don’t understand why international players would not just be in the pool of potential draftees in the regular one. We all live on the same planet.
Didnt know that wow thats big news!
With that they could keep Angel 😇.
I can’t tell if the sweet smiley face with the halo is for Pagan or for you, Sgbssfg, for making such an innocent observation!
It’s for our Angel. And my comment was part serious, part silly. With a 10 day DL in past years, the Giants could have managed his injuries more effectively. And no, I don’t suppose Angel will be back in either case. I like the go young, cheap and resign Gregor, approach, as he will be content to be used however he is needed.
Or more of them
Well, I guess the Giants really weren’t going to make any big moves before December 1st new CBA after all. Can we expect a big announcement this afternoon?
I dont know if Evans is the right cat for the job. I know others give him the go ahead but he just doesnt do it for me.
Nevermind i see my answer
It is December (bet you feel it more than the rest of us?) and I think we can expect that back-up catcher and then Melancon.
The winter weather has been mild. Highs in the mid-30s. Lows in the mid-20s. Scattered snow showers. Sunny most days. I worked in the yard yesterday.
We use wood heat and have kept the stove going lately but it is mostly becasue we are on a north slope with a creek below us. Our stretch of road is the first to ice up [but mild so far like you].
MyGuy™ results are going to be published here this weekend. You finished about dead center … Bickford [#2] was your star, Blackburn [#30] dragged you down.
Long gone Bickford. Middle of the road sounds like me.
I appreciate you trying it … part of a select group that puts their money where their blog posts are.
Thanks Haak! for all your work on My Guy. Stay warm this winter.
You’re so close geographically and yet so far microclime. What a difference a zip code makes (-30 here).
For readers … -30 refers to our Zip Code, not the temperature.
I suspect the big move will come in the first day or two of the Winter Meetings.
I hope not. Why give the Rockies more time to talk with Melancon?
Was roster expansion discussed?
Yes. It’s complicated and could be talked about again. Ken Rosenthal explained players’ and owners’ concerns in two tweets:
“On 26th roster spot: Players were divided, sources said. Pace of game a concern, as was potential manipulation of service time in September.”
“Owners also had concerns about creating problems with extra spot from April-Aug. in order to fix problem in Sept. Topic could be revisited.”
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/209864780/will-clark-considered-in-hall-of-fame-vote/
They make a pretty good case for my guy Will Clark to get into the Hall. Its an outside shot but I hope he makes it. That swing deserves to be in the Hall
And then #Retire22 of course.
I agree and one of my favorite Giants ever but I still think he will miss out because he needed a couple more years of sustained production to get him over the hump.
I have posted this before, and the article confirms, he had a 5 year period, 1987- 1991, where he was Hall of fame worthy, after that just average or slightly better the average seasons, 100 of players have done that, ex Giants like, Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark, Matt Williams, Jim Ray Hart, Felipe Alou, have had 5 great years , but Hall of Famers need at least 10 great seasons .
similar to the Tim Lincecum argument his super fans make. Yes, for a 3/4 period he was lights out one of the 2 or 3 best pitchers in the game but you could say same for a bunch of guys. Just not enough for a HOF play.
But for 5 years Clark was the man, loved his style.
There are only a couple of pitchers with a 10 year career or less in the hall. All of them are from the early years of MLB except for the exception of Satchel Page who was in the negro leagues for years.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof_pitching.shtml
Very thorough report/story by Chris Haft. Good advocacy for Clark. Let’s hope the panel reads this.
p.s. Vote Will Clark in. Keep Mark McGwire out.
“Fun Fact-O-Meter” and/or someone has way too much time on their hands…;)
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/this-barry-bondsbobby-bonds-fun-fact-will-blow-your-mind-184014376.html
Sounds like the Nats are getting McCutchen…
Wow, if the Nats land him and move Turner to SS then look out, especially if Strasburg can stay healthy.
That’s the plan, and they’ll probably nontender or trade Espinosa. They’ve been rumored to be going after big starting pitcher trade prospects like Sale and Archer, too. I guess with just two more years of Harper and Scherzer being such a stud, it’s now or never.
I was thinking the exact same thing. To me, this move signals they are very doubtful they’ll be able to keep Harper once he hits the market. And they’re probably wise to plan accordingly.
I think the Yankees already have his inseam measurements.
We say look out about the Nats every year…
This is a whole different story. If they land an MVP caliber player to play CF (although he had a down year last year and defensive metrics are not kind to his CF defense) then replace a terrible SS with one of the best young players in baseball that’s a whole new “look out” level. With Strasburg healthy the Nats were loaded. Adding McCutchen to the mix, essentially replacing the inept Espinoza in the lineup, takes them to a new level. NL should be exciting next year with the Giants, Cubs, Nats and the Dodgers.
We’ll see. MLB Radio guys were talking about the trade and if the Nats are unwilling to part with their top guys…and there’s a feeling that the Pirates FO are trying to make up getting somewhat fleeced in the Melancon deal…then it’ll open up talks to other teams. The Pirates have already let the “we’re trading McCutchen” train leave the station…and there’s still plenty of FA OFers out there…so this just might get interesting.
Yup. Can’t wait to see the cost.
@SI_LeeJenkins
The #SISportperson of the Year is @KingJames
Accepting the award will be Kiki Vandeweghe
I would have picked Michael Phelps. That guy wrapped up just a ridiculous Olympics career.
…and he exhibited sportsmanship at the highest level. The other guy? Not so much.
What about the high road? Not.
Kind of funny….Jim Bowden is a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan. So much so, he’s working MLB Radio hours that allows him to be available to watch Cowboys games. His co-workers this morning were openly hoping that a McCutchen trade…or an Encarnacion FA signing…happens right in the middle of the Cowboys’ game tonight.
Mariners are signing Marc Rzquyzpnkszjhbi (sp?).
The Giants passed on him in deference to Duane Kuiper and possible OSHA claims.
Hey … glad to see you among the Living. So sorry for the long pain for such a short mistake. Are you mobile and anticipating a good holiday time?
I am…still sore. Walking like Abe Vigoda in his golden years, but forging ahead. Thanks!
Like Walter Brennan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATAshDSEpos
Abe Vigoda had MAJOR game
I have been spared back/spinal problems but if you get to the PT stage all I can tell you is do not skimp on any of it; that is what makes the difference. My prayers are with you.
The MyGuy final numbers this weekend will not make you feel any better. You got dragged way down by Fox and Forjet both finishing #32 in their groups; Bickford was your salvation [#2].
Racist Spelling will not be tolerated here …
I thought she had a particularly nasty sneeze there.
and i thought she was calling a trump supporter a bad name
Marc Rzepczynski
The best DMV Eye Chart Name this side of Doug Gwosdz
Doug Gwosdz Catcher Born: June 20, 1960 (age 56)
‘Eyechart’, as he was nicknamed, played during four seasons at the major league level for the San Diego Padres. He was drafted by the Padres in the 2nd round of the 1978 amateur draft. Gwosdz played his first professional season with their Class-A (Short Season) Walla Walla Padres in 1978, and his last with the Cincinnati Reds’ Triple-A Nashville Sounds in 1989.
Since the OSU-Michigan refereeing was discussed yesterday, this video sums it up pretty well:
https://www.facebook.com/rsrc.php/v3/y4/r/-PAXP-deijE.gif
You can complain about the officiating all you want, but the fact is Michigan flat out choked. I don’t root for either team but I strongly dislike Meyer, and I still am grateful to Harbaugh for what he did for the Niners (prior to the genius CEO ousting him), so I was very much pulling for Michigan. But that game was an utter choke job. It eerily reminded me of the 2014 NFC Championship Game when the Niners completely outplayed the Seahawks but found a way to lose. Harbaugh seems to have a knack for gut punch losses in the biggest games and this was no different. Michigan dominated that game and still lost. I’m not saying you are directly attributing the loss to the officials, but blaming anybody but the team itself is misplaced.
Felt the same way. Those interceptions were huge plays that were big mistakes. I think they missed a PI call or two which is part of the game and can easily happen on the road in CFB but Mich has themselves to blame for the loss. I am a Harbaugh fan too and I bet on MIchigan in that game and had a terrible gut punch loss because of overtime and I don’t think the officiating was that egregious.
Did you watch the video?
Ya, and the game.
Agree. I watched the whole game and thought Michigan dominated it and should have easily won it in regulation.
OSU also did the same thing by blowing two chip shot field goals. It was a very even game, except for how it was called. In the end, that was the difference.
Ohio St scored 17 points in regulation. 14 of the points were because of the two interceptions…one run back for a TD and the other inside the 20. Other then that they scored 3 points all game
If the game had been called evenly, Michigan would’ve won, despite the turnovers.
Maybe. But very rarely are games officiated perfectly.
Can never put wanting to win in the hands of the officials. Your whining like Jim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_k0dIJRJj4
A blast from the past…. I started following THE blog in 2008
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2008/08/16/posey-signs-the-new-giants-players-and-the-new-owner/
**Off-Topic**
Rob Gronkowski out for 8 weeks…back surgery
Cavs and Clippers play tonight
Clipper are starting to grip.
Cavs coach rips Smith
http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NBA/2016/12/01/Cleveland-Cavaliers-Tyronn-Lue-calls-JR-Smiths-defensive-lapse-embarrassing/4161480572613/
Bobby Evans on KNBR , telling them you need to give your young players a chance, did you hear that Bruce Bochy !
Time for Wotus ….
Wotus is a young player?
Ohhhhh, I see what you mean
I think you hit your head.
Fact!
…and I don’t mean recently.
Landed head first on the floor on your arrival into the planet?
Come on Bobby. Give us all ya got
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGSiPVq0XQQ https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dd0a110ead14855d304cc177e67b03574fb572aadb473aae236b8bb199d98ee2.jpg
Gimme all your lovin’
Don’t let up until we’re through
MLB Trade Rumors Chat. I thought this answer was interesting…
Tim
2:05 Do you think the Giants will end up with Melancon?
Jeffrey Todd
2:06 I’m beginning to think they’ll end up with one of the two bigger names. Just a gut sense. I still think they get one of the three. But I suppose we can’t rule out a trade completely, either.
Jansen! Oh, I’d love to get Jansen. I’m happy with Melancon if that’s how it works out, but…Jansen would be awesome.
Then go get A.J. Ellis as a backup catcher.
AJ Ellis at backup catcher sounds pretty good to me. That would be awesome. I don’t hate Brownie though. I have just always wanted a backup that is experienced and can handle a pitching staff.
I don’t hate Brown, either, but I’d like to see him catching in AAA everyday, getting regular ABs, and working on his receiving skills. Then he’s there for depth if there’s an injury. Two catchers on the 40-man roster makes me really nervous. And I love the idea of Ellis working with our new closer, Jansen, and giving the hitters the skinny on how to beat Kershaw!
There probably isn’t anybody better in baseball to analyze Kershaw than his former personal catcher.
If we get Elllis, Kershaw has an opt out in 2018. Jus’ sayin’
KNBR Tweet
Bobby Evans: #SFGiants not targeting free-agent outfielder, ‘comfortable’ with Williamson and Parker in 2017
Some quotes:
“Our focus has never been to go after a multi-year scenario in left field as much as the options are out there,” Evans said. “Our focus has really been to look for depth, give Williamson and Parker a chance to play. We can re-evaluate midseason if we need to do something at the deadline. Again we may find an opportunity on a shorter term basis that can give us some re-enforcement even as the season starts. Presently we’re looking for investment in other areas.”
Evans said that while the team is open to making additions to add depth, that the relatively unproven Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson are likely to begin the season as two of the club’s primary outfielders.
“If we open the season with Parker and Williamson I would be comfortable with that,” Evans said. “That said, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to explore other options to give us additional depth or perhaps a more short term scenario. I just don’t want to be in a long term scenario where they’re backed up for two or three years.”
“You’re not a strong organization if you can’t give your young players a chance to play. You’re going to weaken yourself in the long run. You may get some short term strength but some long term weakness. I’m not saying these guys are going to be handed the job, but what they’ve shown with their potential, and potentially with other reinforcements, we’re gonna give them a shot.”
http://www.knbr.com/2016/12/01/bobby-evans-giants-not-targeting-free-agent-outfielder-comfortable-with-williamson-and-parker-in-2017/
I personally feel this is a mistake, but that’s just me.
That crossed my mind but then when the play guys over 32 or guys acquired like Grady from Sanford and son – then fans bark at that also …
Yep.
It is what it is ☺
Goldstein- Burriss ?
Syd Thrift?
Bad Scout! 🙂
I’m torn: I agree with him philosophically. I really do. But I look at those five guys on the 40, and there are two aging, injury-prone guys and three with barely any major league experience. That’s very, very thin.
I also–and this is not especially meant as a shot at Bochy, just an observation–agree with the comments from yesterday that if there is a veteran, ANY veteran, he will play ahead of Mac and Parker, deservedly or not.
I said it, and I meant it as a shot at Bochy.
OK, good, just so we’re clear. And I guess what I meant is that Bobby Evans probably knows this, too.
I think this is setting up to be a very interesting situation. If they win, there won’t be any problems. If they should struggle, especially after the 2016 Bochy had, I think Evans wouldn’t be opposed to making a change, though probably not mid-season. The question would then be whether he had the power to make that decision.
Some think that Phil Nevin was brought in to be the heir apparent–I think Kuiper even suggested that, which is kind of a burn on Wotus, if true.
I think Wotus is terrific–his work with the infielders speaks for itself. But he’s only about five years younger than Bochy, and MLB managing is becoming a young man’s game. Nevin’s only in his mid-40s.
If everyone else thinks that as well, it could cause a bit of friction. It might not be an accident that no one has hired Wotus, despite the Giants’ success.
I tend to agree with Matthew that the whole coaching staff has gotten too comfortable with each other and a bit stale. Maybe with Nevin and Alguacil on board, there will be some fresh perspectives and even some pushback. We’ll see.
Well, duh. He’s shattered, I’m sure.
Really? I doubt he reads this.
The only thing I’m surprised about is that this statment was made at all. Are they trying to strengthen their hand in some negotiation?
I’m with Lefty. Could be smoke screen for trade or bargain FA.
I am good with that. I think Mac and Parker can hang and its always good to get younger and faster.
I guess young is a relative term. They’re more inexperienced than young.
Good point. Mac is the youngest at 26. Parker will be 28. Gorkys is 29.
Now there are even younger guys in the pipeline, like Austin Slater (almost 24), Steve Duggar (23), Bryan Reynolds (22 in January), and Heath Quinn (21). He may have meant those guys just as much as Mac and Parker. A multi-year deal to a Dexter Fowler (for example) blocks all of them.
I’d McCutchen to the list, according to USA Today.
“You’re not a strong organization if you can’t give your young players a chance to play. You’re going to weaken yourself in the long run.”
Love that perspective.
Also stuck with sticker shock on trade market?
Maybe holding back and waiting for a bargain, either in trade or on the free agent market.
They have to get some additional outfielder. I wonder who qualifies to not block the young bucks.
Well, unless you’re signing Gregor Blanco back, it’s tough to get a free agent to come sit on the bench. So maybe a trade for a guy who’d be a solid CF backup?
Why do they have to get any more outfielders? They value outfield play above only backup catcher. They have 2 starters who were All-Stars, that is all they need to give marketing something to work with. At best this team will get a youngish1 WAR outfielder to make Bochy’s spring training a headache to get through.
I haven’t really seen his arm, but Alex Gordon has proved to my satisfaction that routes, a quick release, and accuracy are as or more important than just arm strength. Even though pegs to home look better in highlights, a LF’er earns his money by stopping runners advancing into scoring position at 2B. We just haven’t seen enough of Williams in that role to know his skill set’s quality.
Don’t block them at all, I say. Move Pence to LF to prolong his career. Stick Mac in RF. Back the outfield up with Blanco (maybe), then Parker, Slater, work out Tomlinson in CF, there are lots of “young” options. Bottom line, I believe, is go with Mac. A RH hitting power hitter is among us.
That improves the OF defense, too. Pence is still good enough to play a decent LF for the Giants. Mac is a better defensive OF than Pence is.
But can Mac take ALL the proper routes in every NL park and the few AL parks that Pence has burned in his DNA. Something tells me Pence won’t get asked to play LF.
Well, they have to learn sometime, right?
And Mac will make up for some of his “learning curve” with a rocket arm — something lacking on the present roster. However, trading for Cutch that includes Span is OK by me. What pitcher would have to go along? Osich? OK. Beede? Not OK.
Reminds me of the mom with 8 kids whose doctor was as frustrated as she was because he had her on BC methods for the entire time and he said “tell me again your daily habits…”
So the mom says “All I know is every time I put it in and stand up, it falls out”
Cards and letters please. Booooooo
800-555-1212
Red Herring. Don’t want to seem desperate in negotiations. Can’t let the sharks smell blood on either the free agent or trade markets like they have with the closer.
Buster Olney’s ($) column has a pretty interesting list of “losers” in the new CBA:
1. International free agents from Latin American countries: the new hard cap is $5-6 mil. TOTAL for each team, no exceptions. No more $31 mil. deals like Yoan Moncada got from the Red Sox.
2. Premium free agents, now and in the future: Their salary ceiling may be held down by the luxury tax, which isn’t going up as much or as quickly as expected, and the penalties for exceeding it have gotten worse. Example: In a couple of years, will someone pay Manny Machado $40+ mil. when that might be more than 20% of the luxury tax limit all by itself?
3. Current “second-tier” free agents with qualifying offers: This is the last year teams will have to forfeit first-round draft picks. Will they want to do that for Dexter Fowler, Mark Trumbo, etc.?
4. The relationship between union leaders and players’ agents: Apparently the agents felt very shut out of the process, and they’re not happy about it.
5. The Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox, big payroll teams already paying huge luxury taxes.
6. The Detroit Tigers, with huge contracts that will be very hard to trade and, unlike the Dodgers and Yankees, without a great farm system to build from.
7. Giancarlo Stanton: Hope he likes Miami, because he’s probably there for the rest of his career. Nobody’s trading for that contract, and no one will give him more if he decides to opt out in 2020.
8. The Royals: May have been hoping to get first-round picks when Hosmer, Cain, and Moustakas walk after next season. Might have to make some tough decisions sooner than they wanted to.
Good stuff.
The choice of home field advantage will no longer reside on the AS game winner, apparently.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2016/12/01/mlb-all-star-game-home-field-advantage/94726092/
Hallelujah.
Mary and Joseph found JESUS
Tomorrow is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration (or not) to eligible players.
Here’s the list of the Giants’ arb-eligible guys and their projected salaries:
Eduardo Nunez (5.090) – $4.4MM
Conor Gillaspie (4.028) – $900K
George Kontos (3.171) – $1.7MM
Will Smith (3.155) – $2.3MM
Cory Gearrin (3.136) – $1.1MM
Ehire Adrianza (2.131) – $508K
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/10/projected-arbitration-salaries-2017.html
The top four seem like no-brainers to me. I hope they keep Gearrin. I wouldn’t be stunned if they cut Adrianza loose.
Gearrin is safe 1.1 MM is nothing, MLB Minimum is 535 K, so Adrianza will get at least that.
There are some serious raises there. Gillaspie’s is shocking – I hope he gets it, with another team. Bye bye, EA…
USAToday is saying the Giants are in the front ranks of the hunt for McCutchen. Nationals, Rangers, Mariners, Jays, and Giants makeup the field according to them.
Bobby Evans was pretty clear, that Parker and Williamson will get a shot at LF, so unless Span is traded to the Pirates in the deal , I doubt the Giants trade for McCutchen .
Yes, please. (Sorry, Scout!)
McCutchen might be Evans’ exception.
She means the trade Span part, Scout is a Span fan she is not .
Conjecture is free. Evans has indicated, as reported here, he’s looking at McCutcheon.
Haven’t we heard this before regarding the Giants? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
That’s pretty much the case from the viewpoint of every teams fans.
so you think that’s similar to national broadcaster, anti your team bias perception? it’s just that – perception? Who is the last top rated international or top tier free agent hitter signing the Giants were supposedly in the running for and came up with the prize?
Barry Bonds
Thank you. And when was that?
Winter of 1992.
You’ve made my point
He was the rare Free Agent that was a bargin, name another hitter that was a Free Agent success, most were on downside when signed with new team .
Before the current park.
The old park was not that HR friendly either .
You’re right, prejuice, Bonds production was about the same in both parks. Now who out there now, prejuice, is even qualified to carry Bonds shoes.
Not true. Bonds topped 30 HRs only twice with the Pirates, with a high of 34 in 1992, the year before he came to the Giants. He hit 46 the next year in San Francisco, and averaged 38 from 93-99.
No, I think every teams fanbase feels left out when they miss on a widely wanted FA.
Well, they end up somewhere do they not? When have they landed in SF?
See above.
Mel Ott!
I dont remember him…Was he any good?
Some thought he was slappy. But, he had a little more pop than Adrianza.
Cueto. Samardzija in the minds of many. Pence, maybe.
Pitchers all…Pence in a trade
So.
So…that’s my point. I’m referring to FA hitters. We dont get and therefore, McCutchen is a wake me when it’s over rumor.
You made the point about USA Today and the Giants in the hunt for McCutchen. I’m saying ,so what?
There is a bit more to baseball than power hitting in a bandbox, IMO.
I’m referring specifically to hitters
Why would any faux power guy, and most are, come to SF. Players were watching when Aaron Rowand pancaked here. It’s only fans here that think a power hitter not juiced to the gills, can prosper here.
Blach, Williamson, Parker, Tomlinson and another minor league pitcher or 2 should get the deal done.
Says who?
Says me. A major league pitching prospect that has shown sucess. An outfielder with power and near MLB ready, a power hitting lefty, a second baseman/utility infielder MLB ready and several minor league prospects would be 6 or 7 players of near caliber quality. That is what the Pirates would be looking for. They do not trade for high priced vets, they unload them.
LOL, as if.
All those players are expendable if McCutchen is available. None of them are a lock on any starting job for the next 1 to 2 years.
Neither is McCutcheon.
McCutchen would be a better ball player than Pence was at the time of the trades and would be around for atleast 2 year. You can bet losing to the Giants and Madbum sticks in his craw.
That’s, at best, pure uninformed speculation. Rather than me comment from it, you should just go read Dave Cameron’s excellent piece on the pros and cons of such a trade. As it is, you are just windy.
I’m lazy. Tell me what he said or give me a link.
those players aren’t good enough
Nonsense. And you know it.
It would yake far less than that. Word is the McC aged 5 years in one season. He was actually rated as the worst defensive centerfielder in baseball last season. Worth a shot for Mac or Parker (not a big fan of either anyway) in a a high risk high reward sfituation of M reverts to his prior skills
I aged 5 years in one season too. Not sure I’ll ever be a 5 tool player again. I am a tool, however
Word. 2HH pulling names out of his a$$. Offseason Cubs arrogance.
Is this what you’re referring to?
“The Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants could be among the interested parties.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/12/01/andrew-mccutchen-pirates-trade/94723924/
One of them.
No, no, PLEASE no! Big Cutch fab, but he *could* be in decline and he’d cost us 2-3 high level prospects. Bad move.
USAT has always been a cartoon passing for a newspaper.
Scott Miller @ScottMillerBbl 14m14 minutes ago
The #SFGiants land 1 free agent: They’re adding Bob Tewksbury as mental performance coach. He was in that role past several ssns for #RedSox
I hope he wasn’t there for the fried chicken incident.
Since there is tweeting and twerking I wonder if there is Tewking?
Selfishly I hope Craw says No to TEAM USA because with FULL on family and how hard he plays the game – he needs all the down time he can find. But I say he says YES.
@jonmorosi
Brandon Crawford (@bcraw35) is on U.S. provisional roster for WBC, submitted today; he will make final decision on participation soon.
I don’t remember anything good coming out of Giants players participating in the WBC in 2013.
Doctor – I think you should make a memorable house call and inform 35 to give it a rest.
Totally. Screw the WBC.
Was this on anybody’s menu when they were that age?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qFxTTi8q0
Absolutely! Exit, stage right…laughing all the way!
Loved Snagglepuss.
Home Sweet home after an interesting trip to Davis. Met an under the radar power couple last night. Saw one of the infamous town turkeys just standing in a parking lot like he was collecting tolls.
My lone baseball inspiration of the day was: if the Giants aren’t going to pay much for outfield help, maybe they really are going make a big offer to “steal” Jansen from the Dodgers.
Do it, Bobby! Jansen’s no wild valley turkey.
Glad you had fun with the First Family of Davis, Cousin.
Hey, what’s with Jung Ho and his Kang Show acts, anyway?
Not a good look. Does your car have a black box too? Kang not Giants material after all.
One turkey has been patrolling my usual parking lot this week. Just one. Large and mean-looking. Where are the coyotes and mountain lions when you need them? It’s nature’s way.
When I was a boy, I carried a homemade slingshot (ala Goliath’s nemesis) for just such occasions of Turkey aggression.
I may need to get something to spray in self-defense to keep in my purse. Never felt the need in bucolic Davis before…
For those interested, NASA has an Advent calendar this year. First sky shot is up.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/12/2016-hubble-space-telescope-advent-calendar/509306/
So Barkley went on another anti-Warriors rant tonight, saying they play “little girly basketball” and “I don’t like girls’ basketball.” Then he went on to insult college women’s basketball.
Yes, because here in 2016, almost 2017, it’s still great to use calling someone a “girl” as an insult. Not to mention that the Warriors are 16-2. I don’t understand why this idiot still has a job.
I haven’t figured out if he says these things to purposely upset fans, or if he really believes them.
I get that he’s an entertainer and not a journalist. But he’s made this personal for years now, and about one of the top, most interesting teams in the league. It’s unprofessional and it’s tired.
Yes, it is…
He’s ‘indelicate’ but his point about defensive vs offensive focus of a particular team is an interesting one.
Not really. It’s a lazy point. The Dubs got off to a rough start defensively but have settled in and are playing well. They’re now eighth in the league defensively and climbing. Durant’s been a revelation on that side of the ball and Green is absolutely playing like someone who should win Defensive Player of the Year. Anyone who thinks the Warriors don’t play good defense hasn’t paid attention since around Game 6. That was 12 games ago.
16-2? Does that mean they’ve won about 12 straight?
Yes, 12 straight.
Not bad, for a bunch of girls!
Yeah, that “girly basketball” has been amazingly effective.
I’m watching some hoops tight now while Mrs. Hills makes chicken cordon Bleu. I’m pooped. Bright lights of Davis wore me out. Whiskeys played a part too.
“Mrs. Hills.” I like that Ryan.
I like chicken cordon bleu!
And the Mrs. doesn’t mind making it. Sounds fancy, but it’s oh so comfort food.
He’s always been a puerco.
Here you go:
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/the-very-manly-charles-barkley-still-doesnt-like-that-the-warriors-play-girly-basketball-030631699.html
Yep, there it is.
I don’t either.
Cuz he says crazy stuff that gets people riled up.
Former USC/NFL back killed…Senseless.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2016/12/01/joe-mcknight-dies-shooting-jets-chiefs-usc/94760192/
I remember Joe McKnight–excellent RB in the last years of Pete Carroll. Shot dead in broad daylight by a white guy in Louisiana, so I assume nothing will come of it.
Pretty good Con from Pavlovic of G’s and Mccutcheon.
“The fit is an imperfect one in a number of ways. Let’s start with what it would take to actually get McCutchen. The Giants didn’t offer enough to get Melancon, and a McCutchen deal would surely center around top prospects Christian Arroyo or Tyler Beede, plus other players. Joe Panik’s name might come up, too. The Pirates are reportedly asking the Nationals for minor league outfielder Victor Robles, who is a better prospect than any player the Giants have. So any potential deal would clean out a system that’s thin after trades for Nunez, Will Smith and Matt Moore.
The financial cost is not insignificant. The Giants don’t have that much wiggle room in their budget, and a new closer will be expensive. Add a $14 million hitter and you’re looking at about $45 million for an outfield made up of three players on the wrong side of 30. For months, the Giants have signaled that they’re more comfortable giving the open playing time to young players like Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker, who would be hopelessly blocked by a trade for McCutchen.
The idea of losing Matt Duffy and Joe Panik in one year – or any year – makes me puke.
Alex is right. May Alex’s thoughts on the myriad problems of “McCutchen to the Giants” prevail.
I would have to agree with Alex as well. While the interest of players like Cutch, Martinez, and to an extent, Fowler and Lorenzo Cain was there, platooning Mac and Parker will only benefit their continued growth and development by having more playing time. Besides, the money saved by not signing any of the 4 players I mentioned will help if and only if Cueto opts out after 2017; with the hopes of re-signing him.
Looks like Prescott has been tutored by Tony Romo!
Referees are doing their best to show they can control outcomes…the 3rd foul on Steph was as absurd as I have seen all season. And, their continued favoritism to players who run purposely into players for the sole purpose of influencing refs being rewarded hurt the game.
The little white dude ref is butt hurt and has decided he will show who’s boss
This is the worst I’ve seen this year. And I’m not one to whine about officiating, but this is ridiculous.
I have no respect for anything about Harden or his game.
You should read the memoirs of the NBA ref that exposed how things really work.
Buster knows Strike Three.
http://www.knbr.com/2016/12/01/a-compilation-of-buster-posey-walking-away-before-the-umpire-calls-a-strikeout/
Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner and Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford and Johnny Cueto…so many baseball professionals should give us all a warm and fuzzy feeling about the 2017 season.
There’s not much doubt that the 2037 equivalent of this blog will have people talking about Buster memories the way I think of Willie Mays!
BP28 has led the Giants to some Big Moments but that comp puts too much pressure on him. How about so far he is the Will Clark of our day? [Tip of the cap to The Thrills HOF shot].
Buster is one heck of a player, and I think he’s got the national awareness drawing fans into the Giants orbit (like Willie did for me). I’m not trying to knock Will Clark who’s got a special place in our hearts, but Buster is the franchise. In particular, I’m still impressed with how quickly he took over as field commander in his first season up.
Agree. We all love Will Clark, and a new, fun era of Giants baseball entered with him and the other “Humm Babies,” but Buster’s the guy whose arrival correlated with the first of three (so far) championships. That sets him (and MadBum) apart.
This club would be the St. Peterburg Giants without Will Clark. PERIOD.
I agree he has done more than Will, gets ranked higher, but there is still a need for a different comp. Minor point on a happy Friday.
MyGuy™ warning for you … Coonrod performed well (#4 in pitchers) but Fox fell to #32 and pushed you down a closely packed standings.
We have a lot of players to admire in the past, I’m especially fond of Robby Thompson. Mom once had a ceramic (generic) Giants doll custom painted with the name “Clark” on the back, and just before giving it to me, asked my favorite Giant at the moment. No doubt the thrill was the best on the team, but I replied “Robby” – I’ve got a special feeling about Joe Panik at the moment, too. Man, WIll Clark’s swing was pretty!
P.S. MyGoal in MyGuy is basically just not to finish in the cellar, as that’s a spot I prefer to reserve for Dodgers.
Fun off-season reminders but also a painful reminder of what might have been huh? Good thing is all the key guys are returning.
MyGuy™ results will show up here this weekend and you did very well. I hope 22’sSweetSwing and I have time to interact and offer more details to any who gave this a try. You already have a good idea on the suprises of Davis, Cyr and Duggar.
That last strikeout by Moore did bring a wince. On the other hand, it makes me happy to think of watching Bum, Cueto, Shark, and Moore again next year.
I’m ready for some baseball news. The NBA is only mildly entertaining this time of year, college football’s about to go on hiatus until the bowls, and I don’t watch NFL. The winter meetings need to spice things up!
Looking forward to the MyGuy™ results! Duggar was MyGuy™, but I do think Davis and especially Cyr may be sleepers we’ll be paying more attention to in 2017.
Hard time getting into the hoops game last night. Three point shooting contests! I’m a Worthy and Rambis kind of guy.
It was a pretty entertaining, if sloppy, game. But I think the Warriors are a work in progress with half the team being new this year. The Rockets have great shooters but no defense. They’re not going anywhere this year.
I re-perused Jeff Passan’s inimitable free agent tracker, and came up with a list of MLB outfielders that may very well qualify for the criteria of the Giants roster needs (don’t block Mac/Park) and the team budget (don’t cost more than 5 mil). Some of these names may be had on some sort of sophisticated minor league deal, and one or two may be in 4-6 mil guaranteed neighborhood.
Former Giant, Rajai Davis may lead this list of potential Evans targets of outfielders with CF experience. He did himself well with some postseason heroics. At 36, he still has good wheels. It feels like a right handed bat is preferable here should a platoon in CF be desired at some point.
Good old Gregor Blanco could be back. Is he almost as old at Davis by now? Nahhh.
Peter Bourjos RHH. File this name in the back of your mind. I think has late winter Giants signing written all over him.
Michael Bourn LHH
Ben Revere LHH.
Austin Jackson RHH.
Drew Stubbs RHH.
Craig Gentry RHH.
And who knows who’s available via trade or become available via DFA later.
Days old produce at Winco, basically
Evans can slide his EBT card at checkout.
THat list you posted seems exactly what the Giants will order for dinner! A bunch of second tier players hell just go with Mac or Jarret theyre just as good together then any 1 of those cats youve posted.
For sure. They just need to add one more guy with big league chops to the roster. Right now it’s Pence, Span, Williamson, Parker, and Gorkys Hernandez. Gorkys is probably as good as the guys listed above, but it’s better to have some competition for him, or to have Gorkys as AAA depth.
Folks that want the Giants to give Williamson his big chance may get their wish because the Giants won’t be able to pick up a LFer with a track record.
A look at the farm system of the American League champs (very strong):
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/11/30/13795534/cleveland-indians-top-20-prospects-for-2017
Cleveland is positioned extremely well to get back to the fall classic. And it’s possible that they may quietly be positioning themselves to make a strike for another top of rotation starter – probably not Sale, but….
Cant understand the relevancy of having Bob Evans on KNBR so frequently!! I never learn anything from that boring man and he says nothing. A bunch of mumbo jumbo then he says thanks for having me lol. Until he does something of significance id stop interviewing his boring behind smh.
Everything close to the vest is how the Giants roll. I was surprised how much they talked about starting pitching in the last off-season. And I think I’m expecting a surprise early in the winter meetings, such as a trade for a significant closer or OF whose name hasn’t really come up on this blog. But they’ll keep us guessing right up to the press conference.
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