by
Greek Giant
Matt Cain faces Jake Arrieta in Mesa as the Giants complete their Cactus League schedule. Roster decisions loom for Bochy and his staff.
Help me Ty Blach. You’re my only hope!
Game time is 1:05 Barry Bonds time.
Yesterday, the Giants scored 14 runs in a winning effort with the possible opening day line up. MadBum was awesome. I am feeling fine.
Breckeroni is happy for Belt Olive Garden is looking up.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-28/olive-garden-chain-builds-comeback-on-less-artery-busting-fare
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e5/3a/7b/e53a7bec994cdce05f0014f05b996346.jpg
Giants/Cubs on MLB Network. Sure hope Cain doesn’t embarrass us.
Spanorama! I’m doing a Footy dance!
I’ve been telling everyone all along not to give up on that guy …
I love Mr. March!
He must’ve hit a fastball right down heart of plate. Let’s get this game over by 2:45.
I’m changing my name to valleydancefloorryan
I’m seriously thinking of picking him for MyGuy™ this year. With his low WAR last year, he’s primed to give me a competitive edge…I mean, give the GIANTS a competitive edge.
ROAR
I used that same strategy with Pagan and Cain last year. Really worked great for me.
NOT
I believe Dalkowski is The Oracle’s guy – at least that was where I first heard the name, and a few times after the first. He appeared in Fastball, right? Or was that another fastball documentary?
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/28/the-sasquatch-of-the-fastball-white-lightning-remains-part-of-baseball-mythology/
A lot of people who saw him thought he was the hardest thrower ever.
It has taken me a while to come to grips with the fact that there have been throwers and pitchers that threw signicantly harder than 100 mph. And Nolan Ryan and Bob Feller may very well have thrown 108 and 106 respectively. From there, it seems just as likely that some freakish guy could throw 110-115 mph.
Did you agree with the calculations they used in the documentary? I think the possible question mark would be whether the distances they attributed to the prior measurements were accurate.
And, of course, whether the methods used to measure the fastballs of Ryan and Feller actually yielded accurate results.
even though it was under the guise of being scientific, I had a nagging skeptical feeling.
Loved the Pence Glare out at that certified douchebag on that brushback
I wonder if he remembers that it was a Cubs’ pitcher who broke his wrist in spring training and knocked him out for months two years ago?
Was it? Thought it was a A’s guy…
Nope, Cubs. They even mentioned it on the Cubs’ broadcast when Pence was hitting.
Gotcha. Another endearing fact
You have a great memory for detail (unless you looked it up just now)
No, I remembered. It was a AA guy who felt awful and apologized to Pence on Twitter. Later that season, Arrieta beaned Aoki and gave him the concussion that ultimately ended his season.
I also remember it was Dodger pitchers who broke Belt’s thumb and Aoki’s leg.
I remembered it was a stupid Cub, and Google knows the rest:
2015 camp, the Cub was Corey Black who went to AA level in 2015, reached Iowa (AAA) briefly last year, was sent back to AA to end last season.
People say the WBC is “dangerous” but honestly, at least there the pitchers are better experienced than Mr. Black.
I’ve noticed that since that happened to Pence, Bochy’s never had one of his starters play deep enough into a spring game to face some AA wild thing again. When we were there a couple weeks ago, the opposing reliever was so wild I thought he might kill someone. But at that point it was all NRIs and minor leaguers hitting for the Giants.
Very disappointed they never exacted revenge. Today would be as good a day as any
I hate Len Kasper.
And the hate grows with each ashwipe comment
DeShaies loves Gillaspie’s large knob. Good to know
Greetings from Mesa! I got my Pence-on-the-fence signed by Pence!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/45c60d163b0854c2b8e156768248aacc4d033185325a809390ebc6221589d8b4.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ff3a71af5ee8549f5451de67e2dd189f8a42a3eb8a41c215d4e8599d6d03d002.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/70bda62563e7fc682362c54b6ce2314a3dd988a3a749121d5ffe86b6d579d4c5.jpg
Some kid spilled ice cream on me so I got free beer from their dad. Score!
Season performance predicted from ST metrics. It’s surprising on how well the Giants performed, being best in ST baseball on some like Defense.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/spring-training-divisional-outlook-national-league-west/
Is that the cleanest inning Cain has had all Spring?
No.
He is your #5 starter, glad to know that, never know with you , you talk from both sides of your mouth, and love to talk down to others, that have honest opinions that disagree with yours .
PJPOTD
ROLF
LOL. Don’t call for a vote.
Footy! I’ve seen the light! And, it illuminates Leadoff Magic!!!!!
SpaaaaaaaaAAaaaan
We ain’t scared of youse, Err-ieta.
Sorry…mine was tad over the top
LOL
A tad?
HOW IS THAT YOGA TREATING YOU, ANALFACE McUGLY????
Is this one you had left over from 6th grade?
I’m still in the 6th grade on the Maturity Scale
Cainer dealing!
Do you know what velocity he is getting today?
About 63…. but it’s darting all over
(Actually looks mid 80’s or so, but he’s changing speeds and hitting spots)
88ish, but hit 90 on a couple
Pretty good imitation of a lead-off hitter today.
2nd, 3rd time through test upcoming. I wonder what his pitch count target is , 80ish?
Sorry, even if he does nothing the rest of the game, it’s already a plus day for him.
Maybe, if he gets through 6, it’ll be a plus plus day.
My comment was about Span.
Span’s doing well. I wonder if he’ll have the slow start this year, or pick it up from the get go?
I’m talking about today. As far as what he might do once the regular season starts, we don’t know that about any of the players. I have stuff to do now, later.
Have a good one.
They need to call more swings on check swings, honestly.
Nope
Pitchers win the battle 7 out of 10 times vs hitters trying to hit a round ball and square it up
Right because there is too offense in baseball.
You never know, you just might get to see…
Anybody listening to either the Cubs/mlb.com or the Giants mlb.com announcers – should now build a shrine to Kruke – Kuip – Jon and Flemm.
🙂
It was Joe Ritzo on mlb.com yesterday…I thought he did a great job.
My error = mlb.com for the Cubs currently RE the shrine. Joe did a great job yesterday and is doing same now. I had not been able to “change the feed” until now 🙂
That is beyond dispute, Mr Lon.
That is how the Matt Cain games go – a lead off bad hopper with the Horse now in the stretch ….
We HAVE seen this before ….
….aaaaaand, we’re back where we always are–can’t put a guy away, grooves one.
Yep, and that is a “in the stretch gizmo”
A lot of people have said he needs to learn to work down in the zone because the fastball lacks life … dont know if it’s true, but he’s not doing it
He didn’t so much groove it, as it just moved back over the plate. He and pitching from the stretch haven’t been good friends for sure.
Pitches Best Friend Right here ……
Dammit. I really liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand.
And the hitters seem to enjoy the way it comes out of the park.
Well that’s right Lon, Russ and I were just discussing that with Bill Thompson
Nice that Cain took something off the ball and got Heyward on his front foot ….for an out
Made him look bad the first time, too. I still think he’s figuring it out, but who the hell knows
Everybody makes Heyward look bad .
Yeah, but a minor leaguer went deep, so …
Yea, PJ – that’s why he’s one of only 750 players in the Show
Dunno. Looks like his fastball is really moving today, “outta here.”
Guess with a name like Chesny – you can either be a ball player or country western singer. Ritzo tweated me that Cain felt sorry for Chesny – since he’s going to AAA – and Cainer coughed up a gofer ball.
(Cain trying not to go WITH Chesny )
No Jersey, No Cleats, No Service
Beede gets a thrill in the Bridge to Bridge with the start on Saturday. Moore is gonna stay in ARZ
90mph in the eyes for that K (above the hands)
Always thought Montero had a relatively big hole … then again, most guys have one there!
Be a good name for a song, “90 mph In The Eyes”.
Got a good beat, you can dance to it, I’ll give it about a 79.
Didn’t Hall & Oates have one like that?
Might be, I remember Jefferson Airplane on their second album had one called 3/5 of a Mile In Ten Seconds. I think.
Grady Span https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/23ebdf1dfa9c4ccd6d56186b020334e2d5b143b53d5b8a5b9d0a784b364be098.jpg
He’s capable of doing this http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/69972428/v1250665083/?query=Denard%2Bspan
That’s terrible. I would have gone with “Cutty” from ‘The Wire’, but you know what say about saying so and so looks like so and so…
Wait, is that BRETT Anderson who’s going to be the fifth starter for the Cubs? Yeeeesshhh.
Spluey!
Why is this game only in the fifth? And if Arrieta throwing strikes and batters are swinging early in the count, why does Belt have a hat trick and why have Pence and Tommy K’d twice?
How is the cause-for-concern-meter with Hunter Pence?
Very high on Pence, and Belt just being Belt !
74 TP through 4. Baseball ‘bible’ says 60 = +14. He may need the bullpen soon…..or not….
And by the way Mrs. Lincoln, how does Matt Cain look today?
Great as long as nobody gets on base .
Good report. I can understand that.
Madduxian! … dukey, lots of movement, even ratcheted up some heat a few times. Looks much improved on hitting his spots today. He’s no Blach, but he certainly looks good
Well, when Ty Blach logs close to 2000 IP in the Bigs with 100+ wins and 3.57 ERA, plus some postseason magic, he too can have a feather in his cap
It doesn’t work that way….it’s a heartless job environment, floorian
I”m not all in on Blach until I see him handle a righty-laden lineup. If that has to happen in SD, then fine
most strong clubs have plenty of both lefties and righties.
I believe that once big league hitters pick up his release, they will hit him around a bit. He relies on contact, mostly the airborne variety. We’ll know a lot more after he logs another 50 IP.
I believe it’s gonna be Beede by July or so…
He may be in a for a AAA surprise. Beede was the beneficiary of his home yard last year. His road splits were not that impressive. A lot of baserunners. Sacramento is a favorable environment, but the rest of the division will be quite a test. Command is his biggest bugaboo and that doesn’t necessarily mean walking guys.
I can’t fingered your analysis consistency out.
Who you like for the 5?
I like the way the ball comes out of his hand.
Now if it just stays in the park..
He’s made one bad pitch.
Someone was at the front of the “looks challenged” line and someone was at the very back of the same line.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/685e0074ca853931eb2ebbf4e8068d717da0a6f3456dd8bd284085f1c4a69d58.jpg
Hit with the Cain Stick
That’s your #5 starter right there!!
In truth throwing that PG may have been his buggaboo …
It wasn’t that many pitches, was it? Why would that game have changed things?
Ultimate expectations ….. and LOL —- it brought out the 20M contract
Heard at the ballpark: “wait did Cain just double?”
Well…..that does it…..batting 8th your #5 “Chucker” – err….”Hurler”. Matthew Thomas Big Sugar Cain
Cain can hit a bit, no?
Cain is having a good day today, pitching and now hitting.
That was a pitiful White Guys Can’t Dance exhibition
Bull pen game as of now – if – this were the regular season
He’s at 95 pitches…they looking to get him to the century?
Good outing for Cain, against a very good hitting team.
Osich looks ready
Ready for AAA?
He wasn’t on my ODR list and neither was Ruggiano
Ruggiano looks ready, too
There’s a reason los Gs found him in the dumpster.
Osich missing spots again…keep the ball down, Beaver
Grrr
Lestella hit a grooved 4 seam.
Osich doing his best imitation of Dan Runzler
Runzler…Kickham…and a lefty version of Mazzaro
I am officially done with Josh Osich.
#Bookmark-March-28th-2017-Tuesday
I’m glad I initially had 21 pitchers on my ODR. It was easy for me to cut him.
From the spring in Bochy’s step, he might be too.
I always like how the boomer comes on the first pitch after the coach shares his wisdom. What would have happened if he didn’t go out?
And……….they all score ….
Not the guy on first. Ground-rule double–Osich lucked out.
That was a routine fly ball, though
Until it wasn’t
LOL. Like Jonah.
Arenado?
Whale.
bad baseball rule
……..well….he hit the ball….usually when Miller uses his “they all score” its like a bases clearing double where the bags were full
Usually when the announcer says “They all score,” it’s because they all score. If one runner has to stop at third, they don’t all score.
I will throw it out to the crowd but then the only way your way works is a inside the park home run…..
Scenario: Bases loaded….Hitter hits a single up the gap that the OF boots and then as he throws it back in it is botched again and they all score.
The “They all score” should not include the batter runner
110 on the video = http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v36806879/?c_id=mlb
He looked like David Ross on Dancing With The Stars
Double grrr
More Beer + More SPF
That will not go in the right fielding defense hall of fame.
OK, Kasper Fack You, you blot of feces
“Wasn’t it 5-2 Giants going to the ninth last October…?”
Yeah, I didn’t like that, either.
Stop holding back.
In respect to easily offended TWG readers, I’ll continue to leave the governor on my commentary
That has MASH unit written all over it with Hot Lips Houlihan having the shower hot water turned off by Corporal Max Klinger
Between Cain’s start and Osich’s meltdown is there any doubt that Cain will be in the rotation with Blach in the bullpen?
Nope. Seems locked
Osich’s meltdown might be more the issue than what Cain did. But Baggs was signaling that he might have been going down to AAA, anyway.
He mooned the pen???
(Future Broadcast)
Tonight on KCRA News…an unidentified woman was escorted out of Raley’s Field for…what sources are telling us…yelling less-than-positive comments at the Rivercats’ Josh Osich…as he was warming up in the bullpen. When asked what the problem was, the unidentified woman was heard saying, “I’m done with Josh Osich! He can’t get a Lefty (hmmmm) out, if his life depended on it! He sucks!!!” :-))
Later, she reflected: “Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped for those Moscow Mules before heading to the game.”
LOL
I hope my preseason prediction about Cain holds true. I think Lefty’s right, Osich has been destined for weeks to live in Sacto.
….in his RV motor home. Big fan of Rod Beck – Osich is and he likes nothing more than parking it in some desolate spot – getting out his Huntin’ Rifle and a pinch between cheek and gum …and ….
If he gets back to the show, he and Strick9 should bunk with their 30.06s.
N
O
N
E
There is still a good deal of doubt. If they keep both Cain and Blach, they’ll have to cut either Gearrin or Ramirez, and per Baggs on Sunday, they may not want to do that. He suggested Blach might play dual roles–lefty reliever and fifth starter–with Cain in AAA, either on the DL or optioned. If they keep Cain, then have Blach either in the bullpen or the minors, that means either (a) they only have one bullpen lefty (Blach in AAA) or (b) that Gearrin or Ramirez gets the ax. It’s a math problem.
I have no idea what they’ll decide to do, but Cain is far from a sure thing to make the team out of camp.
I think today was a Rolaids day for Boch and Evie concerning Cain.
Soon, when Cain pitches Boch will wear that one hat with straws attached directly into his mouth with Malox
I am more than willing to risk Gearrin or Ramirez and think Ramirez the better of the two now.
I like the thought of Blach as LH (long) RP and occasionally used 5th starter to open the season and Cain at AAA or DLed.
Gearrin will be gobbled up in a heartbeat.
So would Ramirez.
Maybe 13 pitchers WILL happen.
I never had Osich making the opening day line up so Blach may well be another left hand in the bullpen.
Sort of a better Cain start but probably the Giants have several young starters to cycle through to find with better results (including Bach).
Whose this ‘Blister’ ? Diane Cannon?
Since they are breaking camp today, I suppose we will see some cuts later?
no.
Maybe not until O.co.
They said they’re taking everyone north, but I think they also said they’ll announce who’s made the team today(?).
Why would they do that? Extra seats on the charter??
They don’t want to overwork anyone in exhibition games. They usually bring some minor leaguers who’ve already been cut, too–e.g., Beede’s starting on Saturday in Oakland.
Yeah, already thinking that Saturday game vs Oakland will be a bench game. Pretty ridiculous really that they’re playing in Oakland a day before opening the season in AZ.
$$$$$
I get it. They always end ST with this Thurs, Fri in SF and Sat in Oak format, but I hate that we go straight to AZ for a 1pm start Sunday.
It might be appropriate for an all AAA lineup against the AAAs.
Can we fly all the regulars to AZ Friday night?
It’s gotta be funny–spend seven weeks there, leave for four days, fly back for five.
Do you remember the old qualifier? Funny Peculiar, not Funny HaHa
Yes. At least they know where to go eat (again).
How’s Matt Duffy’s latest injury?
Won’t be ready for Opening Day. From what I read, the problem is not his Achilles itself, but the muscles and ligaments above it that atrophied after the surgery. Poor guy. Things were going great and then he just got derailed (and moved).
Whoa. I thought there were complaints about the attachment point in the foot, not atrophy. That’s too bad, but it is less troublesome in the long run than the former.
Baseball shouldn’t ever be played on a parking lot.
That was Osich-like
Yep. Two bad appearances in a row for him now. We are so screwed without Will Smith. Huge bummer.
Let’s trade Trevor Brown for Zach Britton
You need a cold wash rag on your brow
Ball-peen.
Ouch.
No, Sir, you won’t feel a thing.
Well, that makes it way better!
Won’t remember it either.
They will miss Smith, but they have him overrated. He’s no lockdown 8th inning guy either.
He’s not over-rated if you ask the other 29 managers in ML baseball
That’s bait fish.
and a true statement as well ….
Smith threw 18 1/3 innings with the Giants last season, allowing only 13 hits while striking out 26. He didn’t give up any home runs. He didn’t allow a run over his last 18 appearances. Of all the relievers who saw significant time with the Giants last season, he was the hardest to hit and had, by far, the highest Ks per innings pitched. His injury is a big loss for the team.
I’ve struggled with this, but I have to agree.
We need to put an end to this disturbing trend of agreement. Don’t force me to make a political statement.
And Will Smith was met with a wishy-washing type welcome here when he arrived last year….
A 10+ ERA will do that.
When was that? He was solid down the stretch
He arrived here with a 10.8 ERA from the Brewers, and Bochy changed the way he was used completely.
I thought it was in the low 4’s??
Smith having a 10+ ERA with Milwaukee and then Bochy miraculously turning him around with his brilliance was likely part of one of CC’s amorous Bochy dreams. He just got confused.
You own the graph. LOL.
Really…where did that Smith statement come from? Why would the Giants have traded for a pitcher with an ERA of 10?
If anything, Bochy misused Smith, often using him like a loogy, when in reality he has reverse splits for his career. His effectiveness against RHB was likely one of the reasons they traded for him, and Bochy mostly ignored it.
For someone who presents themselves as an analytical fan, with all the graphs and everything, you sometimes say things that have no basis in reality. Smith’s ERA with Milwaukee last season was 3.68. How much effort would it have taken to look that up before spouting off and being so wrong?
Not from me. I always thought it was a good deal. Less good now that they won’t have him for a year-plus, though. 🙁
Me either. A lot of folks dogged him after a couple of mediocre early outings, but I knew he had the goods. Bochy got down on him early, end of story.
Okert, Osichlike, hardly.
After walking the dog – these – are good reads
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2017/03/books/nonfic/arts-humanities/diamond-legacies-legendary-moments-in-baseball-past-and-present/
Marrero is ridiculous
This guy has to make the club or else what’s the use of spring training?
Right. Hill has to not make the team or ….
This name must be uttered yet again- Randy Elliott
Two walk-offs…another ninth-inning come-from-behind homer–eight total, if you count the exhibition against PR.
I WANT THAT ON OUR BENCH.
It’s possible.
Skweez is absolutely correct. If Morse was a lock, how do you leave this guy off the roster?
He’s not ready yet. You make him better by letting him play and time to learn the culture.
That’s exactly what Sabean said about Joe Panik and Adam Duvall.
In this case it’s more a cultural “not ready” than a skill not ready. But some of it is getting settled with this kind of baseball, i.e. US v. Japan.
Bap – I think you’re referring to Hwang – and I’m referring to Marrero…
You’re correct
Wow
I’m fully on board the PJ train … Home runs are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-FcxlEMaw
Nah, who needs them?
YEAH!!!! All the Cubs fans around me (who didn’t leave early) are not happy
Don’t pet the little bears.
Are you on the grass?
I think they only allow beer drinking there.
I’m on the pot.
Don’t forget to Bidet.
Yes to the literal grass. Was sitting behind Giants’ bullpen
Caught a ball from Whiteside. Sorry kids! Hahaha.
Can’t wait for the viral video!
Any pics?
Of Whiteside or the ball? I have a pic of the ball- https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4bb9c24b2dfa02f5f67d2e9f17bcbe5bcc20ac98119f5511132e3acbcae12e62.jpg
Here’s some more pics
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/92bd1c7b022ae3bb50e513e7a1c4dd823ee0b57414ae02d10e58888b0cc3e9c5.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6f0dba07ff78ceb66a6d5ab1b908d25060aa5f61328cbb2a3449d9754e2eabfe.jpg
Wait to bring it home, Peachy! Atta Babe!!
You’re welcome! 😎
Johnson had his Osich moment.
Disdained the time-honored curve after the homerun routine and it cost him
This is just peachy!!!!!!
I know right? 😁
Best. Inning. Ever.
–Peter Johnson, “Together We’re Giants.”
LOL at the Giants fans taking over the Cubs’ park.
Well now… Wasn’t that display of power fun. Who’da thunk it possible. Giants! Go!!
Think of the mound opposition though. Nice, but no isle dancing.
Yeah, sure, there is that… but no matter the specifics, ya gotta like a 3-run homer in the ninth, right?That’s always fun, from Babe Ruth to MLB, go-ahead homers in the ninth are the stuff of baseball dreams.
Oh, I do. But I’m not going to come to expect it.
Good baseball should prevail most of the time.
Hwang is some serious DH material
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01kxYy4-wOw
I see what I see
I see he’s not ready.
Die, Kasper
I loved Jim Deshaies as one of my 1986 Astros stalwarts, but I despise his smugness as a Cubs announcer with the power of a thousand suns: “That was the rally they were looking for five months ago.” STFU, Jim!
They’re never going to mistake Hwang for a late inning defensive replacement.
Here ya go, another look at some of his defensive capabilities:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01kxYy4-wOw
I guess the years weighed on him hugely.
Nah. It helps to have a comfort zone and to be relaxed on D. His glove will come around.
He’ll get a chance, but I don’t think as a defensive sub.
It’s ironic that the two most exciting bats for the Giants this spring are unlikely to make the team.
Maybe to start the season, but they’ll be back up almost certainly. April is going to be ugly, I fear, anyway.
Turning Stone To Leather – The Jae-Gyun Hwang Story
Not long for this world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv2pBYiS-04
Prediction week !
Grant Brisbee writes the national piece for SB Nation.
Would you believe he has the Dodgers winning the West and the Giants losing to the Mets in the Wild Card game?
Blasphemy!
http://www.sbnation.com/a/mlb-2017-season-preview
Sometimes, I can’t take that guy seriously so it’s hard to read his pieces.
The SI article said the same thing, down to the Giants losing to the Mets in the Wild Card game. Considering that the WC game is practically a coin flip, how can you possibly say in March who’s going to win that ONE game?
Well, it looks like my guy picks would be nearly all right if it was for who is going to Sac.
Sounds like me, and my picks last year. This year I just folded during the shuffle before the hand was dealt..
The Giants finished the Arizona portion of their spring schedule at 16-16 in the Cactus League and 17-16 if you count the win over PR, which I certainly do. That’s pretty good for a team that had an early 8-game tailspin, two of their best players gone for three weeks, one of their aces three weeks late to camp, and most of their regulars not hitting.
I know the W-L record in spring doesn’t matter much, but getting in the habit of winning–especially come-from-behind wins–is good for a team. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Problem is most of the beg his were from guys that should make the team , but probably will not .
Alex’s story makes it sound like Marrero has a chance. If they were going to put Morse on the team, they should put Marrero on instead. They’re basically the same guy in terms of skill set and position.
Morse is ahead only on intangibles: big 2014 contributions and being Pence’s BFF and great in the clubhouse. Marrero is younger (28 v 35), so I hope he gets a chance with the big club! 🙂
Well, and Morse has a much more extensive major league track record…but not lately.
That’s actually kind of “tangibles” when it’s 2014 contributions
Hill, Gorkys, and Ruggiano, and Tomlinson, will be extra players, Giants will take Ruggiano over Marrero, because can stash Marrero in AAA , not Ruggiano
They can stash Kelby in AAA too–they might go that way.
They need a backup SS, Nunez is iffy.
I agree. Some other brilliant poster does too (below).
Whaddya mean doesn’t matter much? Are you kidding? These have been the most important games of the season. Every pitch matters. Not as much as the WBC maybe, but these games are massively important and someone besides the Giants are taking home the Spring Training Trophy!
Nothing matters anymore. I burnt dinner because of this dumb blog.
Learn to delegate to the microwave, and a timer.
A microwave? That’s like signing a consent form to be spied on!
I don’t think Mike is a blond.
* Josh might have put Ramirez AND Gearrin on the roster. Or maybe Suarez.
* IMO, as of now the bench would be- I dunno
*Fed-Ex- sorry guy, no room up here.
* Span-Rod- seems to like the 2nd half of anything
* Vietnamese Sticky Chicken tonight
*Matt? Hey, he was decent.
Marrero, probably not making the team, has June deadline to be on MLB roster, so Giants will stash him in AAA, best clutch hitter by far in Spring what a joke !
He makes it on my roster … use him like Morse in 2014?
They would lose Ruggiano, and they like his glove better, and his experience, Giants do not like to lose assets if they can avoid it, Marrero is signed until June, and can go to AAA.
I guess that is what makes it interesting but Ruggiano is hitting .487 SLG while Marrero is .672. I do not think Rugg would be in demand.
I don’t either. He’s bounced around, and even if he goes elsewhere, they’ll still have Mac, Morse, Slater, Duggar, and Hwang in AAA. Plenty of other options with varying skill sets if they need reinforcements for the bench or the outfield.
By that you mean he wore pants and his fly was closed. He IS getting closer, though.
“By that you mean he wore pants and his fly was closed”.
Yes, that is what I meant.
From Schulman re Cain/fifth starter:
Manager Bruce Bochy did not tip his hand and was not effusive about Cain’s start. The adjective he used was “improvement.”
“He did a good job out there,” Bochy said. “He went through a tough lineup. He used his changeup today and he used his fastball effectively. He got his pitch count up. He’s healthy. Now it’s something we’ve got to discuss, what we’re going to do with the whole staff.”
Also, the beat writers’ comments indicate that Jimmy Rollins has been told he isn’t making the team.
Boch is absolutely correct in his appraisal.
“Now it’s something we’ve got to discuss, what we’re going to do with the whole staff.”
According to The Oracle, that’s Bochy throwing his staff under the bus.
The disingenuous part of that quote is that it makes it sound like they’re just now going to discuss it–like it hasn’t been THE biggest topic of conversation all spring, with the possible exception of Will Smith’s injury.
I’d rather they keep it in the clubhouse and not tell us until they have to…that plays way better in there with the players
Oh, I’m sure the team would like to hear what we have to say. You know how they care what we have to say every year. We’re very important and deserve to be heeded.
They have decisions to make. I really don’t see how that quote is disingenuous.
I don’t think they’re hard decisions or that there’s any new information. One decent start by Cain (and he was charged with four runs in under six innings) does not erase the last three years. So either they’re going with Cain regardless–because of the contract and the history–or they’ve decided enough is enough and they’re going with Blach. Nothing has really changed since last fall.
Nothing that you have said makes his statement disingenuous, IMO. He was not being dishonest, as far as I can tell.
I think that Ty deserves the spot but I’m not as down on Cain as many are.
The quote made it sound like they were just going to start discussing the matter, future tense, on March 28. Since I’m certain they’ve been discussing this very thing, almost nonstop, for weeks if not months, that is why I called it disingenuous.
I think that there is more to it than just who gets the 5. A lot more . And no matter who gets it, it affects 1 or 2 pen jobs. And it may be FO decision, not Bochy’s.
I think they only just now realized there are more candidates than there are rotation spots. They were blindsided.
Didn’t see the game, but seems like Cain had some good with some bad. Considering his spring I guess this would be considered a solid start? 5.1 IP, 4ER does lower his ERA (sadly).
It was better than some of his other ones. It still would be nice to see him pitch one or two games where he goes 5-6 innings and gives up zero runs or maybe just one.
According to Loopiusfloorfootyryan, a certain Dodger pitcher who finally threw as many as 5 innings yeasterday (giving up 3 runs) was doing “quite well.”
He was talking about Ryu, right? Ryu hasn’t thrown a pitch in a major league game since 2014. With him I think you’re just hoping his arm doesn’t fly off at the shoulder when he throws a pitch.
Yup
However, for fans of the zombie genre, that might be quite a treat
Shake everything you’ve got!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bama-5WXVQ
Boom boom boom boom….
I’m for Blach at the 5, but I honestly thought he threw the ball very well today
I can go “better,” but I can’t go “threw very well” when he has four runs charged to him. (And yes, I know about Osich. I watched the game. Still.)
So much for Osich taking the bull by the horns
He left with 2 runners on and Osich let them in. All in all, he looked good but if life was fair, Blach would the 5th starter. But life isn’t fair.
He had already let in 3 runs when he left – Osich let in the fourth run. It was a typical Cain — okay for a few innings but don’t try and get him through the 6th inning. He is a bullpen killer.
So your comment was just to correct me on one run? I wasn’t endorsing him for the 5 spot, just noting that he actually pitched pretty well. Thanks for your input.
You’re welcome.
Baggarly says the decision about the fifth starter “is in the cards.” I have no idea what the hell that means.
I’m getting bored with them being coy about this. The parameters are clear. Blach wins on style points, both for spring and last September/October. Cain wins on paycheck and nostalgia. Then there’s Will Smith’s injury, making Blach possibly needed out of the bullpen. None of this has changed in the last few weeks. What are they waiting for?
Im starting to get tired of the Gs coy ways!
Believe it or not, I’m self-conscious about posting too many videos with older white dudes picking away on their axes. Now that the Cactus League is closed and the Giants are heading home and opening day is oh so close, it’s time to shake everything you’ve got!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABLwmYI09Lw
I can believe it.
What, noCharlie Pride?
Thanks for sharing a video with some black talent my goodness! Im tired of looking at old white cats lmao!
Shake everything you got !!
These referees are ridiculous. 20 free throws to 2 in the first half? All the late whistles? Curry constantly held but called for a foul if he breathes in Harden’s direction?
NBA officials are the worst.
Remember Tim Donaghy? He has a lot to say about how NBA officials work and how crooked they are.
I certainly do. He was involved in that infamous Kings-Lakers Western Conference Final and also was on the crew when the “We Believe” Dubs were in the playoffs in ’07.
just ridiculous — and still the Warriors win!! That was a pretty gutty win, start to finish. They got frustrated but never lost their poise. Even with all the breaks they got, HOU got a technical, not the Dubs. Regardless, great win!
That was a great win. McAdoo goes down with a nasty fall, Draymond scares us to death with his ankle, refs terrible, and still they win, pretty much controlling the game from tip to final buzzer. The Warriors are on a nice roll right now. Will be interesting to see how they do in SA tonight, but again–the schedule. I read that this is the sixth straight time the Warriors have come to SA on the back end of a back-to-back.
The NBA certainly must know by now that it has to reconsider this ridiculous scheduling. They’ve been embarrassed twice on their “showcase” games by teams resting their stars. Coaches and players get measured by championships, not by ratings two months before the playoffs.
I blame the Warriors for not complaining all the time for opponents holding onto Curry! Complain til youre blue in the face with footage my goodness. L:ast nights video of Beverly holding Curry was so crazy.
Apparently Kerr has taken it up with league before, with video footage. And yet.
Ive heard that before yes but they should do it even more because it’s out of control Dr! If u stare at Harden to long they’ll call a foul on ya
How about predicting the Sacramento Rivercats roster?? Now we’re talking degree of difficult and huge prizes. These prizes are so huge they are going to make your head spin…
Orlando Calixte SS/2B/CF
Christian Arroyo 2B/3B/SS
Austin Slater LF/CF/???
Chris Marrero 1B/LF/DH
Jae-Gyun Hwang 3B/LF
Justin Ruggiano RF/CF/LF
Ryder Jones DH/3B/1B
Wynton Bernard CF
Trevor Brown C
Tyler Beede, Clayton Blackburn, Chris Stratton, Joan Gregorio, Albert Suarez, Matt Gage
bench and pen???
can’t forget Hunter Cole in there somewhere as well. OF Log Jam!
or Rando Moreno!
And where’s Ricky Oropesa? I think he finished last season in AAA.
1B/DH
Possibly studying to take the test to be able to sell insurance.
Not a real good hit tool
They might be able to compete against many big league teams
I’m still convinced Duggar is going to be the everyday CF in AAA. He’s one of their top prospects now. He raked during his half-season in AA–nothing more to prove there. The Giants apparently love him, and he had a nice camp.
They’re not going to block Duggar’s progress to give playing time to Wynton Bernard.
Pen will include Kyle Crick, Reyes Moronta (both already assigned to AAA), probably Osich. Curious to see where Tyler Cyr lands this season. He’s one of their more intriguing bullpen arms in the lower minors.
Morse will be in AAA when his hammy permits. I assume Fed-Ex will be the other catcher.
Duggar will start 2017 in Richmond. I know he’s your guy, but that where he’s most likely headed to get everyday ABs, everyday CF, and to build upon his 60 game AA exposure. Hunter Cole, has also done well for himself in AA, He’s up over 180 games at that level. So maybe 40-80 more games for Duggar with Richmond. As for center in Sacramento, I assume fair run will be given to the likes of Slater, Ruggiano, Calixte, and Bernard, and maybe somebody else.
We’ll see. If Duggar is their top CF prospect–and he absolutely is–he’s more important than any of those guys you mentioned, and Slater’s not a CF, anyway. We’re all hoping for a great bounceback year from Span, but what if he gets injured? Gorkys Hernandez, everyday CF for the Giants? Calixte, Ruggiano, and Bernard are filler, not competition.
I’d agree with you if Duggar had “meh” AA stats like Arroyo did and Panik before him. But he had Duffy-like stats–and Duffy played half a year in AA and jumped right to the majors.
Matt Duffy with 97 games at AA
Austin Slater with 95.
So perhaps that is some sort of promotional guideline. But there’s always the case of necessity forcing advancement. And if Duggar picks ups right where left off with a high average showcase, then he could move quickly.
As for Slater, no he’s not a CF, but it’s an OF spot for OFers to get ABs, which was the case for him last year, and probably some this year. Ruggiano will be interesting. Seems he’s on the cusp to get first call-up. Curious about how well he actually plays CF. Calixte is a wild card. I guess he’s a gifted athlete with a strong arm and could be an interesting super-utility piece. Bernard is career minor leaguer material.
I have to agree with foots. Sacramento is where guys go to tread water while waiting for a mlb injury (see all the AAAA talent there, guys old for the level). Development occurs in AA, especially for hitters in this organization. Some pitchers come here to prove they are ready for West coast climate and others to be showcased for trading.
There are exceptions but if a young prospect spends more a year in AAA, it’s not a real good sign.
Beede and Arroyo, the Giants’ two top prospects, are going to be in AAA this year. So how is that “treading water”? Panik spent a half year there. Belt and Crawford spent some time there, and so did Posey, LIncecum, and Bumgarner back in the day. I agree that a lot of the AAA roster has been God’s Waiting Room, but this year, the Giants’ top prospects are in the upper, not lower minors, so why wouldn’t they be at the top level if there isn’t room for them in the majors yet?
Duggar is the Giants’ #4 prospect. I still haven’t heard an argument as to why he shouldn’t be in AAA, just down the road in case there’s an emergency, not on the East Coast. The Giants have zero depth in CF other than Duggar. Ruggiano is not “depth”–he’s “desperation.” The other guys are dumpster dives.
or 10th or 13th or 14th best prospect … B- prospect.
If needed, because no other body can go the job, no reason he can’t skip AAA. It’s just that like the majority of prospects seasoning at the appropriate level is an important part of development. If he is at AAA, there’s going to be something like a dog fight for playing time among OFers.
Hopefully Span and Hernandez don’t collide and break all at once. That would create an emergency. We need a CF! Who do we got? Shall we call up Duggar? Lemme think about it and weigh our options, don’t want to rush him, but if we have to, I guess we will…
ps – don’t sleep on Ronnie Jebavy. Chances are that he’s a better defensive CF than Duggar. It’s hitting that was his problem last year. Maybe he figures some things out and leaps onto the prospect map.
Longenhagen Scouting Report:
“A well manicured approach at the plate and excellent bat-to-ball skills have yielded excellent results at the plate for Duggar since his freshman season at Clemson. He was a career .299 hitter for the Tigers and has posted an identical mark as a pro while maintaining a high walk rate despite little game power. Duggar has good breaking ball recognition, strike-zone awareness and grinds out quality at-bats. He has a mature, all-fields approach to hitting and projects as a plus hitter at maturity. He’s a plus runner underway, but his speed doesn’t play that well on the bases nor in the field where not all evaluators are sold on him as a center fielder. Duggar only projects for 30 game power, and if he can’t stay in center field then a lot of pressure is going to be put on his hit tool and ability to reach base. Hitters without power are often pitched more aggressively at upper levels and it’s possible some of Duggar’s approach will be rendered moot as he continues to ascend. He has a plus arm and split time evenly between center and right field this year.
I think Duggar’s band of potential outcomes is relatively narrow, something between a below-average regular and fourth outfielder. The bat-to-ball skills and approach are going to be of major-league quality while the arm and wheels should also be situational assets.”
“A well manicured approach at the plate” – what a pile of crap.
That guy’said other job is as a wine reviewer.
What did the Longenhagen Report say about Matt Duffy before 2014 or 2015? Just saying.
Got ya. Many outcomes are possible, including successful every day CF.
Guessing he didn’t predict 12 HRs, Gold Glove caliber defense at third, and Rookie of the Year runner-up. :-). Duffy was so fun to watch–hope things go gently and well with him. Great kid.
any pre-2015 Duffy predictions were tempered in the utility department. He probably should have been a B- prospect but was mostly acknowledged as a C+. His hitting to was late-emergent and carried over into 2015. I think most of the concerns were related to his build. What he did in 2016 was probably more in line with previous expectations:
.258/.310/.357
What will a healthy Duffy do in 2017? Will he get healthy? Will he recover his stroke that led to ROY runner-up?
When we were at the SJ Giants game last year, Jebavy was in CF and Duggar was in RF. But that’s the first time I’ve heard Jebavy’s name all spring, and I saw Duggar playing for the Giants in Scottsdale.
That’s right. Jebavy played CF over Duggar at SJ. The Giants drafted Jebavy one round ahead of Duggar. However, Jebavy has demonstrated limited patience at the plate and a high K rate. He’s got a little bit of pop. It’s possible he starts at San Jose and has to earn promotion to Richmond. Perhaps he replaces Duggar at Richmond when that happens.
better speed too, swiped 24 bags last year.
So is Ruggiano. Did you see him in RF today? (I know you did.)
He hit a HR, though. That was nice.
The vets are needed, there are NEVER enough prospects to fill out a AAA roster. And they can help the kids. They are not trash.
Duffman: .322. Won the BA crown and jumped to a ring.
I think that Ruggiano will be on the 25-man.
My impression is that Hill is taking his gig. Unless Ruggiano is taking Gorkys spot, which is totally possible.
So who is your 5th OFer? Or don’t you have one?
If Gorkys is 4th, then the 5th would be who they felt like throwing out in LF on a given day between Hill and Tomlinson.
Maybe.
Is Nunez a maybe? He’s sort of a lynch pin for some of this jazz.
We’ll see who gets cut. Lots of maybes right now.
So- give me your picks for the bench and pen. No trash.
They steal stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0-PDJBUdnM
The talking heads on Baseball Tonight are discussing Grienke’s diminished velocity. Hmmm.
He pitched today and averaged 88-89..hit 90 a couple times, and that’s it.
Getting Cained?
So…I may have missed it below here, but Alex said it’s official that Hill is in and Rollins is out
It is safe to yes, that is correct.
Unreal. They need offense. Hard to see what he did to make them think the guy with the sub 300 OBP and sub 370 SLG the last 3 seasons was not the guy they were getting.
They would have signed the guy with the .400 OBP and .500 SLG, but he was busy getting paid $20M per year.
I get your point … but there were in house cheap options which much higher upside than 650 OPS. Hill has shown nothing over a very long time, and his spring was not good. Just wondering what’s up
Where are those in house cheap options now?
Tomlinson Marrero Hwang all have the potential to out perform Hill.
Hill is who he is at this point — below replacement level.
And all are in the organization, yes?
Hill being in doesn’t bode well for Hwang or Kelby. Indications from the beats suggest Hwang is on the outside. I think that’s a mistake.
Does everybody left get to go to San Francisco or do they throw some of them off the plane en route? Before dinner.
Sharks back-in to a playoff spot. Edmonton beat L.A.
When do hockey playoffs start? I just know they last until June when it’s real hard to find ice on a pond.
Around mid-April.
There aren’t seasons anymore. It’s an eternity.
There are old, thin, and fragile. Forget stats, Marleau us terrible. Ward is old. Jumbo is slowing down. Braun is terrible. Martin is old…not close to last years level, and fading fast
You forgot that they have no sense of urgency either.
Marleau never has… they’ve always been too passive for my taste.
As much as I enjoy watching the Sharks, it is still unbelievable that they got to the Finals last year. They got lapped by Pittsburgh.
HATER!!
That’s a convincing argument!
500 Goals, record amount of Game winning goals, I think he is having a great year, Thorton is overrated, very slow makes lots of bad passes, turnovers, aged badly, Marleau as still fast .
When is the last time you ever saw Marleau get physical and fight for a puck, or for a teammate…he floats around and cherry picks goals. That sport demands toughness and energy. Guys that only show energy for glory goals divide teams…he’s the Carmelo Anthony of hockey
I used to play Backgammon with Gordie Howe; does that impress anyone?
Regular season doesn’t matter for shit in the NHL.
Marrero has had a monster spring.
Lots of guys have had monster springs in the desert.
One tied Harper for the lead in Spring HRs.
I wasn’t just talking about this spring. As to Marrero, he is a AAA hitter.
Hernandez and Ruggiano have had opportunities and done little over the last few years. I don’t see the point in carrying both. I would take a flyer on Marrero to platoon with Parker.
I also would not take Hill over Tomlinson as a bench player.
Valid points.
How do we know this to be a fact?
Because Mr. Happy says so
Look at his record.
For the record, I have no problem with you disposition.
As for Marrero, he’s probably a more capable hitter than quite a few MLB players, it’s just that he’s limited defensively and not enough of a hitter to play 1B in MLB. But maybe he has a special year in 2017 and earns some big league scratch.
Who said something something about my disposition? Like I have a bad one?That I’m cranky and stuff like that? I’m okay with that.
Marrero? I wouldn’t have a big problem with him making the team but I don’t see anything in his resume that thrills me.
HATER!!!
John Bowker
Marrero.
“Have you met our closer?” ad starring, who else, Mark Melancon.
http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/03/28/221343820/video-mark-melancon-trolls-his-teammates
At first I thought it’s kinda cute. Then I thought “I wonder if they’re unnecessarily putting high expectations on him.” Then I thought “I’m probably over analyzing”.
Good luck to Melancon this season (and the next 3). I REALLY hope he locks down the 9th inning and settles the ‘pen down. I had enough of Bochy constantly walking out to the mound last year already.
They’re necessarily putting high expectations on him. They’re paying him big money to be one of the best closers in the game.
Bochy walking to the mound in late inning games will never stop. The doctor told him he needed more exercise.
Bochy still has the earlier innings to over do the pitching changes, nothing will change there, he likes that part of being the manager.
How well settled the pen will be from innings 6-8 remains to be seen. Losing Smith a tough blow. Hope that Okert is as advertised and that Law stays healthy.
Smith was a lynch pin going into this year. Him and Strick slated to share the 8th with Law eventually taking over for Strick by season’s end. Now Osich and Okert have the stuff, but will one of them get the head to pitch the eighth. My money is on Okert. I saw him close in Sna Jose and I think he has the outlook for it.
Marrero = Duvall ??
A guy that maybe could succeed with a different organization.?
No one’s perfect… even the Giants.
Is the Vitruvian dude perfect?
http://www.davincilife.com/images/vitruvianman.jpg
But… did he exist other than in the mind of
Mike?Er uh Leo.
Hey…I know Mike daVinci. Brilliant guy
A bit overshadowed by family.
He has Crawford’s hair…
Like Sister Kate used to say, the last perfect man she knew of they mounted on the cross and crucified him
Perhaps Marrero can get on base at a higher rate than Duvall while still hitting for power.
Get over it , Hater !
Well, this is his 5th different org.
i never tire of this one..more old white guys for foots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggeab0lKz2c
I miss Duane.
I miss Ludwig.
They’re both jamming with a supergroup called — Ludwig Van Hendrix. Duane says there’s a lot of good players sitting in at any given moment.
This feels like a Wally Pipp moment.
Me too. 46 years gone, the legend remains strong.
Sometimes restraint is the best example of excellence in rock guitar playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5B1Vfdk7W8&ab_channel=GionoYT
Not just a white dude picking…. 😉
Good stuff.
I like Jessica better
I’m a Martha guy.
i’m going to name my next female dog martha, after this beautiful song..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Mse62NFl4&list=RDy9Mse62NFl4
It appears that Hank has his entries for Haak for the 25 man roster.
Seems he has Marrero on the squad. No Tomlinson and no Osich…
You’d think after all the effort to find a RH power guy, they will keep one of Marrero or Ruggiano while Morse rehabs. Ruggiano seems to have an edge D, but if they keep Gorkys, might not be a concern.
Hank’s predicting Marrero. I don’t see how they can not keep him after the spring he’s had, even if he’s a placeholder for Morse.
Marrero’s the most direct replacement of the Morse skill set. It would make sense if Parker starts in left as the tea leaves suggest.
I also have this feeling that they’ll go with Gearrin over Ramirez in the bullpen. Gearrin is out of options. Ramirez is on a minor-league deal despite having the better spring.
Ruggiano’s edge on D was in full display as he played Spin The Bat on that fly ball to RF yesterday
You are an enthusiastic support of the infinitesimally small sample size. What’s his broader track record? Can he play a competent CF?
I’m “an enthusiastic support” of making cute, snide comments.
That is indisputable. Usually a little smarmalade on the toast as well.
Hank’s late. That was due March 25. Fifty points off for each day late.
No, wait, that was my winter quarter grades!
P.S. Also saw on Twitter that Ricky Oropesa is now an ex-Giant. 🙁
up arrow is for “50 points off” part, not the bad news for Oropesa.
This may only work in physical sciences: I used to pass out the correct solutions to problems on the day they were due, so the students would not try to hand in any assignment late. After the first problem set, they knew this policy. But true enough, taking off points is something that gets students’ attention.
Right–it was a writing class, so I assigned papers, and my policy was 10% off for each day (not class meeting) that it was late. So 10% off whatever the assignment was worth. They could also ask for an extension if they had a compelling/documented reason. But in the quarter system, it’s best for students and professor to enforce deadlines and keep things moving, or no one will ever catch up.
Students can sense any weakness, no? Yes, we have to be kind about extenuating circumstances, but University is hard, and they do indeed just have to keep up. It was always a bit depressing that “points” rather than “learning” seems to be their bigger motivator.
My grad school days had quarters, but we went to semesters a long time ago. It is interesting that Davis still has quarters. There was some interesting flexibility there, we just divided year long classes like organic chemistry in three parts instead of two, but could offer some classes for just one quarter on shorter topics. And it wasn’t all bad for finals to come around three times, for keeping students at pace.
That’s the rub. Quarters weren’t/aren’t really quarters, were they? The quarter system was initially devised to have 4 equal sessions to provide more flexibility for students (and teachers) not wanting summers off, but other “quarters”. Hard to shake old ways.
The summer quarter was indeed very different. My inner mathemetician always had trouble thinking about a “year” coming in “three quarters”! There’s more or less no schools in the Midwest running on quarters anymore.
As long as we’re chatting, did you see this?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/science/fusion-power-plant-iter-france.html
The Europeans are still trying the old contain plasma in a “flask” approach, which is kind of why I liked the NIF we talked about a while back, as a new approach. As always, the years when fusion will work are very far in the future.
I thought the tokamak was dead in the water. One thing I learned from that piece is after years of hearing about ITER, I learned (for the first time) it was pronounced, “Eater”. Well, we learn something every day.
me too! I had never heard “eater”. Well, somebody has bought off on the idea that with even more effort, a tokomak might work, because there is serious money in that project. I do feel like energy needs are so important that “invest in everything” is the right approach.
Losing Ricky didn’t ruin my morning.
No surprise there. Another Chris Dominguez. They all can’t make it.
Since March 25 you have a few games but no other moves that would give you any edge on what might happen right? I am glad some of our Experts are taking their shot; but you all were more gutsy to commit earlier.
you gonna link the Hank?
Twitter on the right. Multiple tweets
I am close to Hank’s picks.
I think Nunez starts on the retroactive DL and KT is in.
I probably missed it but I took Osich over Gearrin or Ramirez.
where’s my outreach from a brother/cousin?
OK, fine…I’ll do it myself
Cains good outings go a long way with Bochy and company but the bad outings are just a part of spring! Losing so much respect for my teams management!
Cain gets 5 starts. If it goes like Spring, Beede will be here in May. I have ZERO problem with the organization for all he’s done for the organization for 13 years giving Cain five starts when it really counts to earn or lose the job. That type of loyalty goes a long way in the clubhouse, and goes on to the clubs reputation. In the end the 1 or 2 games it may cost in the early standings will get repaid when the club adds someone in July as it is apt to do.
Like everyone else I am really hoping for a Zito 2012 out of nowhere. We ALL had Z dead and buried before that start in Colorado, and then the next 9 months were magic and allowed one of the worst contracts in club history to be remembered fondly in the glow of two World Championships. I don’t expect a renaissance. Timmeh, Vogey, Peavey are all stark examples what that last 2 mph on a fastball mean to movement; and, Buster for all his skills has always seemed to struggle with resequencing when the pitchers patterns need to change. Maybe they find it this season, maybe Hundley caddies for Cain and the two find something Buster couldn’t….. if it happens I will stand and cheer loudly for one last hurrah for a good Giant. I don’t expect it though.
And after I begrudgingly accept that it is no longer 2012, I stand in the mirror before I shave in the morning and notice the startling amount of grey in my beard. I will realize that father time is undefeated and cheer Tyler Beede and his promise for the rest of the season. I just want to put it off for 6 more months……
Damn I hate feeling old.
~YMMV
The Giants have shown loyalty for the last three years — his time is over. I love how giving up 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings is considered a positive start.
Let’s see what the team’s record is over those five starts is and not to mention the damage he will do to the bullpen. If they go 1-4 in those starts and miss the playoffs by one game I hope we feel great that they gave him a chance when he hasn’t been effective for years.
What If Blach went 1-4 and they missed the playoffs by one game?
The difference is that while there’s no guarantee of how Blach would do, Cain appears certain to fail.
LOL. Interesting logic.
Please tell us more about Smith’s ERA of 10 with the Brewers, and how the genius Bochy turned him around.
Hey, this chart from Fangraphs proves it:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5975f92142e3a128e2619db0946facf81a6002cb82bfaa8d4d793934c1cdb7c6.png
Nice. You can’t argue with a graph.
…or the data it summarizes.
This is a better one.
https://i.imgur.com/t2xGFU5.png
Clever! Put in some noise, and it starts to look like “real data”. I had thought, though, that Mr. Sarcastic’s plot perfectly reflects these days of “fake news”.
My chart was a very, very, beautiful chart. In fact, it was the best chart of all time. Period. It had more “up” votes than any other post in the history of TWG.
To add some appreciation of that beauty, if you’re interested an good read. Moving averages aren’t always either useful or appropriate, but here, IMO, they’re quite appropriate.
www2.esm.vt.edu/~sdross/frontiers/2014/papers/baseball.pdf
Do you really not understand that these rolling graphs are meaningless? All baseball players go through ups and downs.
LOL. That’s a POV. Not a very germaine one, but one nonetheless.
Oh, come on, refer to your library, or Fangraphs. You can do it.
You didn’t really answer the question, but that’s OK. The premise was ridiculous anyway.
I didn’t say it was positive, but between him and Marge wr may have a problem.
The Giants will end up paying Cain 140 Million dollars , this crap about the Giants need to treat him with respect is BS!!
i disagree with you, peter. i rooted for the giants for 55 years before their first championship, and then the 2 more in the next 4 years. all the a$$clown yankee fans here had lots of success, while i waited. even the mets won 2 times.
matt cain was a big reason for those 3 trophies. i also remember staying up late to watch him pitch that perfecto. talk about exciting.
he deserves to be treated with respect, and be given every chance to help the team, imo.
Might want to look at his 2014 season stats again !
Once a Peter, Always a (small) Johnson…
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t spend much time worrying about things that haven’t happened yet.
5 starts and May are unlikely because of the few times the # 5 starter is needed in April, but 5 is the most realistic number I have seen this morning. Y’all must think Evans/Bochy is going to pull the plug way sooner than Sabean and I find that improbable. I’d love to be proven wrong though. I’m game to keep track of everyone’s guess and will be popping in here and advertising the fact. Winner will potentially get a bonus on their MyGuy score (I need to discuss this with the Commissioner).
If he struggles, I’d predict Cain won’t get more than 2 starts. They won’t mess around with Blach Beede ready to go. A 4 game set with Bums April 24-27. I’d bet Blach starts one of those.
I certainly hope it’s not any more than 2 starts. They wanna see what he has? Fine. He’s being paid $20M+ so that’s understandable. But if it gets to a point where the bullpen is getting taxed cause of him again and Bum/Cueto are throwing more innings to save the taxed bullpen and Bochy saying he threw well despite getting shellacked and Cain saying he felt good despite getting pummeled…..etc etc etc
Edit: was Peavy too in taxing the bullpen last year
If?
2 is a magic number I had in mind as well. If he gets lit up in back to back starts, they switch over to Blach. But if he has a QS in just one, then he will have bought himself some time.
My fear is that he won’t get hammered. He’ll be just mediocre enough to lose the game, but not horrific enough to warrant the immediate hook. 4 runs in 5 innings, that kind of thing. “He’s almost there! He’s thiiiiis close to finding it! Just a couple of bad pitches today (with runners on) …”
Ugh.
This won’t be ST. If does as well as Suarez did last year, we should be fine. That goes for Blach as well.
Schulman said this may be the best rotation at the beginning of the season that the Giants have had since the championship run began and the most starting pitcher depth in the Bochy era. Remember when the “depth” in 2012–behind a cratering Barry Zito in spring training–was Eric Surkamp, and then he had TJ surgery? And the “depth” in 2013 was Mike Kickham? Shudderrrrr.
earlytimes point makes me think of yet ANOTHER HaakAway challenge.
MyRope
How many starts does Matt Cain get in 2017???
I hope no more than 3, but it’ll probably be like 10.
6-8.
How many ABs does Parker get before he’s replaced by Mac or Morse or Marrero or Hwang?
Uh…..2…
Many.
Embrace The Twitch
1,785
(I’m optimistic)
I think it depends on his K ratio, which spiked recently. IIRC he’s struck out 50% of his last 20 ABs, mas o menos.
Speaking of MyGuy competition, I can’t say I’m a big fan of the “net improvement” method and the inherent recondite scoring system involved.
Do I just complain without offering a solution?
What about some kind of roto-baseball competition that utilizes an allowance to select your team. For scoring, just statistics matter. For selecting a team, how you decide to use you pool of money is up to you.
For instance, you may have a pool of 50 dollars, and players are worth different amounts (e.g. Buster and MadBum are 20 apiece, Crawford and Cueto 15, Gillaspie and Blach are 2 dollars – and some similar breakdown for prospects according to their ranking).
You can blow your load on the best and hope for the best. Or distribute your wealth. At the end, only the raw stats matter.
Does this fantasy format make sense?
I don’t know what the format should be, but agree the “improvement” is strange. In the entire history of MyGuy, no one has ever picked Madison Bumgarner. Something strange about that, indeed, for he is OurGuyOnAHorse (or with a bull).
..and an axe.
Sounds like a guess when you’re playing “Clue.”
LOL. Only sometimes am I ‘clue-less’.
You’re a Colonel Mustard in the Library with a Graph
You should start a new company! ValleyfloorryanDuel! DraftyRyanKings!
He should start growing weed, and chickens.
I thought he already did. 😉
Nope…he only smokes them both now
Smokes chickens? Oh, yeah, right. I was wondering about how the hell he rolls them.
in flour tortillas , i believe
go easy on the salsa, which slows combustion too much.
Feathers provide an accelerant and by the way, tell Matthew to get plucked.
So you want to do an auction style draft? I would be down for something like that
I didn’t think enough in my reply. Of course this has to be something that is easy for Haak and also 22’s swing to keep track of, and score – Haak is the Commissioner!
I have thought of the Fantasy Baseball approach and I suppose some of us could form a league and have it scored by a program that exists. Not any work except getting enough into it to make a league.
It is not what I am interested in though as it would really have nothing to do with Prospects or MLB players that we think are going to have a Comeback Year.
No reason we cannot have both as part of the discussion here and it would not bother me if someone wants to organize and promote that.
The easiest thing would be to go with that year’s WAR–maybe an average of Fangraphs and BB Ref since they measure different things–rather than improvement. For minor leaguers, whatever you use now + bonus for promotion, but for the current year.
That would be simpler for 22SweetSwing …
Minor League: straight wRC+ for this year and no comparing to last year. [No WAR available]
MLB: straight WAR [but that means we all pick Bum and Buster]
I still like forecasting improvement.
I have to land there too.
Improvement makes you look at how the player did last year and forecast this year. That means doing some reading and research [which draws you in to a deeper process … a good thing.]
High Score tends to make you grab the high picks and count on someone else’s thinking [not as engaging]
It rewards a good eye.
and, perhaps, one’s better understanding of professional baseball.
That was the point, find the diamond in the rough of the Giant’s farm system.
There’s an element of risk, though, even if you pick the obvious guys–if someone had picked Buster in 2011…or Lincecum in 2012…
OPS+ or wRC+ for hitters? ERA+ for pitchers?
Maybe 8-16 people with enough interest could form an independent league on one of those sites. I’d be down with that. Wouldn’t have to be all Giants. I’ve never done fantasy baseball, but I’m down to try.
I agree that the current method makes more of Improvement from last year over general potential and therefore allows weaker players to score big in any given year.
Good discussion to have but Fantasy drafting does not help this.
How else can we score this so the best prospects get the best scores?
The way I see it, MyGuy is less a fantasy competition and more a contest to spot up and coming talent. You can play fantasy anywhere — draft your team and off you go — but MyGuy is pretty unique. Who are the young players that will have eye-opening seasons this year? That’s what MyGuy is all about, I think. A better way to score it? Sure, if someone can dream it up.
You talk like this is some sort of game to you.
This is not a GAME.
This is important. This is life and… the other thing.
Where do you get off thinking this is some sort of GAME? Jeez.
You don’t like the game? Don’t play. Thanks for suggesting a different game, but don’t try to change the point of the game – determining who is the best of the of bad lot that is the Giants farm system.
Maybe we shouldn’t be focusing on Cain or Blach,Blach or Cain. Ty wasn’t missing too many bats this spring. Beede could upset the apple cart if he has a good outing on Friday or at least put Matt or Blach on the spot get it done, like NOW.
It’s a good point. I was looking at the ST stats, and as bad as Cain’s are (ERA, WHIP, average against), Blach’s are not that pretty, either. Seeing Beede’s progress and how he might fit into the 2017 picture is one of the most interesting storylines of the upcoming season right now, IMO.
Someone (Ritzo?) said that Beede won the E.L. ERA title last year – is that correct?
Yes, it is. He had a great year.
Hey, I’m here too, you know.
LOL, Pal. Sorry.
You are correct, Ty was only better because he gave up 1/2 as many walks/ 9 innings as Cain. Beede being the number 5 starter on opening day would be akin to Belt making the team the first time (high pick being rewarded against the nature of the manager’s modus operandi). He had less K per 9 innings, almost 4 times as high a walk per nine innings as Blach, but he did have a hit per 9 innings less than the other two. The K rate doesn’t really bother me (he doesn’t have put away stuff) but the walk rate is concerning. Would it be cool? or logical (in the sense that where else but the 5th spot is a guy of his talent going to learn how to pitch in the bigs?). Yes, But this is the SFG, where out of spring training, milb players have to put up better numbers than their mlb teammates to make the OD roster. Is this because the team has to small a margin of making the playoffs and veterans are a safer bet? Probably. Is it the best way to prepare a guy to be a long term success at mlb? That is debatable.
Is there anyone here who thinks that if Matt Cain is in the rotation, it will be because they believe he’s the 5th best starter they have? No? That’s the problem with it.
Of course he’s not. I totally get why that is (somewhat)equal parts absurd and defensible.
The fact that the Giants treat loyalty different is maddening…and has paid huge dividends.
When did it pay huge dividends?
Barry Zito 2012.
Edgar Renteria 2010
That’s just the ones off the top of my head
Zito wasn’t primarily about loyalty. At the beginning of 2012, there truly were no other options–not the case now. In the postseason, he earned the rotation spot over Lincecum.
There are always options. Always.
Look , I get the Cain angst (bordering on hate). I do NOT think he should be the 5th starter…but just going full verklempt every day over it isn’t going to help me…so i choose to hope he performs well. What i saw yesterday, while hoping Blach got the job the whole time, was a guy who was mixing pitches, speeds and locations like a good 5.
Whether we admit it or not, we’re enamored with a kid that has about 3 (I think?) starts under his belt. He seems like a better option…yet WE HAVE NO IDEA.
There was no one other than Barry’s yoga instructor that thought he had ANYTHING left going into 2012. Matt Cain is 32-years-old with a rich history and a terrible recent history. He gets the first shot. I’m resigned to that fact and will actually root for him to succeed, regardless of whether i want Blach or Beede
Don’t get me wrong — I appreciate Matt Cain, and I hope he gets it all together. Veteran pitchers sometimes have experience that makes them very difficult to hit — they’ve learned how to pitch in MLB. Cain appears to be physically fine now, right? So, why isn’t all of his experience rising to the top? Maybe it will, but I hope it gets here soon. He’s down to his last handful of chances, for now at least.
He can’t pitch the same way he always has.
Baggs had a good article the other day about how Cain should model himself after 2011 Vogelsong.
They weren’t going to get rid of Zito with two big money years left on his deal. That was economics, not loyalty. Renteria was a guy who played decently during the season (he hit .276), missed time with injuries, and came up big in the World Series. Again, not the same as giving a guy a job you know he no longer deserves. The best Cain comparison is Lincecum, who they continued to stick with out of loyalty, hoping he would find something, while paying him big money. We know how that turned out.
The Giants’ success didn’t result from loyalty to players who could no longer perform. They succeeded because they had enough good players who did perform.
Glad you were in the War Room so you could share the innermost thoughts
How that worked out, he lead the Giants in ERA through May of 2015, He had a 3.6 ERA at the All Star break of 2014, the year in a half , before he got injured in June 2015, he had a 19-13 record, in half his Starts his ERA was in the 1.s, very bad in the other half, inconsistent yes, as bad as the Haters think , not even close!
What part is defensible? Not just snarking–I honestly can’t think of any good reason to do this. I can’t believe the other players want it, either.
I guess it’s not for us to understand. It has its beginnings in major league baseball and more so with the Giants: Magowan-Baer. If it was Charles Stoneham Cain would have been gone three years ago.
Disagree.
It is potential vs. history and everyone gets to weight those two aspects with their own thinking. Cain is the #5 with the history; Blach/Beede are the #5’s with potential.
Bad history lately, 2012 was 5 years ago !
I don’t know that they will go with Cain, and I hope that they don’t. But there are some realities that come into play- namely 20 million bucks or so. It would make it easier if Blach really forced the issue, but he didn’t. Is this a Hobson’s choice?
Not at all. Butch Hobson was a third baseman.
You get a lot of “Guest” votes.
It’s understandable. Who would want to admit something like that?
Henry was your mentor though.
Listening to Krukow again today: Cain has done enough (ANYTHING even remotely positive, which Krukow defined as setting up his change-up with his fastball, as far as I could tell) and he’s back in the rotation. Parker is on a “very short leash” after winning the LF job. Hoping that Jimmy Rollins will go to AAA as “insurance” in case Crawford goes down (despite the fact that JRoll cannot hit). Hard to keep Marrero off the team (why would anyone not want Marrero on the team?), and Aaron Hill has made the team with his 12 hits this spring. The veteran bias is just mind-blowing. Didn’t we all just see the chart that shows the decline of players over 30? Why wait on Parker, Tomlinson, Blach, Beede, Marrero? So SFG can trot out Cain, Morris, Hill, maybe even Rollins (?) because “they’ve done it before”? This veteran bias makes me crazy.
Mike being Mike
Sometimes I think that since he is employed by SFG that they are using him to break news (or float trial balloons). I wonder how much of this is Mike being the Giants’ mouthpiece and how much of this is Mike being Mike.
They are one in the same.
Good question.
That’s how other veteran pitchers treated Mike when he was at the end of his career. He is just paying it forward.
Is there a pathway to 95 wins? Who does that include? That’s what I would like SFG to be thinking about.
I agree. Preserving inventory instead of rewarding CURRENT merit is conservative. It’s playing defense instead of offense. You need at least some of both.
I’m sure that they are.
There is no pathway to 95 wins unless 4-5 players play better than they ever have. Shark and Moore are going to have to go 7-8 innings (3 runs or less) often to keep the worst relief pitchers off the mound. Parker is going to have to play like Pence at his peak and so is Pence. Finally, Span or his replacement must lead off at a rate equal to or higher than they have in the past. At best this is a second place team and definitely on the bubble as far as making the wildcard.
They are better than last year- way better.
How exactly?
Better pen. Better bench. Moore for the full year, Nunez for the whole year,
With Melancon but without Smith they are only slightly better. Yes, Moore is a better # 4. Nunez for a whole year and a bench we don’t know who is on it? Maybe. They might be better, but not way better. Not 8 games better, at best 3 games better.
I don’t feel much like arguing today. Especially since I’d be arguing with a bunch of peckerheads who are already bitching and throwing in the towel. So- whatever you say.
Heard a comment by Mark Techeirra which I rather liked. You don’t learn to hit major league pitching in the minors.
Give ’em all a shot! Get Ricky back!
Marrero is hardly in the same category as Beede and company. He’s a career minor league player who hasn’t even had a lot of success there. As always,I am happy to be wrong. Give me awhile and I’ll try to remember the last time I was wrong.
People are scared to death he’s what they wish Duvall was.
College Baseball Stadium Time Lapse Oklahoma Sooners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPao4RooAU0
i hate turf
We have Surf Maui as a legitimate resident.
What do you think of “Turf Owie” as an illegitimate resident, or alternate handle?
I know and – but it is here to stay. The latest “generation” of turf is rather different.
I suppose I shouldn’t even try to post any possible positive spin on Cain. People are clearly Full Pitchfork.
Go ahead. Take your best shot. You may be so convincing that people will completely change their outlook.
I don’t think ” changing outlook” is a core attribute in the Book of Oracle
Not usually, but I haven’t yet read your persuasive Matt Cain positive spin.
If my exemplary efforts haven’t tipped the scale, perhaps nothing short of a Cy Young Award coupled with Comeback player of the Century can
I wonder how folks here will face the issue when Bumgarner faces the same issues Cain has in his career?
Well, since many started going Garage Sale on Posey early last year, it’s clear the collective we have generally lost all perspective during this time of unmatched riches for fan experience
It’s funny that folks don’t see a career as a continuum, instead of what did you do for me yesterday. Although most don’t feel that way, I’d have gladly lobbied for the Giants to spend a few million to see a Perfect Game pitched in AT&T on TV. Goodness gracious, for an afternoon, Cain was at the center of the most important event going on in baseball in the world. I saw one in real time, with all the drama and excitement. In terms of that moment in time, and what it brought to me as a fan, it outclassed a World Series win.
My post of the day. Plus Blanco’s catch.
We forget what a WONDERFUL day that was, Blanco being maybe, besides Cain, the source of the miracle.
As RobDeere said yesterday, it will take a shellacking to dislodge Cain from the rotation. It didn’t happen yesterday, so now we’ll have to give away a half-dozen games before it happens. Just like 2016.
p.s. Per Mateo, I hope I’m proven wrong.
I hope you are as well.
Part of me just wants all this Cain drama to be over.
I LOVE the guy, and I hope he wins 15 games this year. I hope he proves us all wrong and shows us that he can still get MLB hitters out any day of the week. He just hasn’t shown us that ability in a long time.
I agree…i just feel too many are rooting against him to prove themselves right
Hey. Not everybody. I dissertated on this quite awhile ago.
I know…I know. A few are exempted
Kind of like the draft? Which I wasn’t.
Weren’t you one of the most vehement anti-Cainites last season?
I’m a Giants fan first and – like most fans, I think – hope he has resurrected…you see, he has now had another off season in which to recover. It was clear last season that he WASN’T ready. Yesterday tells me he’s much closer.
I felt Bochy and staff mismanaged it last season, on full display in Fenway.
I don’t think people are rooting against him to prove themselves right. People just don’t believe he deserves the spot and since it’s not a fair competition vs. Blach it’ll take very bad starts to possibly get him outta there.
Read closely and you will certainly see some who are
Not me. I’m usually right, so I’d be fine with this being one of the very rare occasions when I was wrong.
BSOTD
LOL @ usually right …. that’s what your co-worker in SJPD said about you who lives on my block back home. Says she: “Malloy considers himself to always be correct”.
I thought, absent that one pitch, he threw pretty well yesterday. Easily as well as you expect from a #5. The criteria for a good #5 are what, ERA around 4.5 and 90 pitches/6 innings. Its can he sustain that kind of performance.
And he hasn’t pitch that effectively the last few years. He also hasn’t a single start this Spring where he achieved that level of success.
What do you want, a testimonial? It is what it is, I’m moving on. This entire discussion is sort of a waste of time.
I personally am not rooting for him to do poorly. I’m just expecting him to. I would LOVE for him to prove me wrong. Crow will be a tasty dish if the dessert is a Giants pennant.
Speaking of comeback years, let’s hope that Bruce Bochy has one. Last year was not his best, not up to his HOF standards. Particularly, his handling of the bullpen was less than amazing.
Good call, and I certainly hope he does have a better year. IMO Bochy was certainly one of the problems last year. I just don’t know if I see him able to do things differently. As was dsicussed before, Bochy never seemed to have any issue with any of his moves that didn’t work, never a “maybe I should have done it another way”, it was always “we’re trying to win ballgames, sometimes it doesn’t work out” type of thing.
It depends on your perspective. I’m a glass half full-type person, so I found some of his worst moves to be incredibly entertaining. I was mesmerized and enthralled his continued insistence that Casilla was the right man to face Jake Lamb.
Can I be arrested for yelling “Cain!!” in a blog theater?
I WANT A JOHNNY CUETO BOBBLE BODY!!!!!
So much angst. Maybe ludes will help.
Actually the posters that freely admit to taking Drugs are Cain’s biggest supporters !!
Bapah does drugs?!?!?!
Morphine drip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqpcrpC3P28
Thank you Solomon.
Why thank you, Peter!
Dear Fans, please note this site is going down for some temporary maintenance. I hope to have it back up within an hour or less.
Thank you for your understanding. Blame it on Donald Trump.
or Putin
So, I’m supposed to work this afternoon? Oh, well.
Why? We have Bochy.
His approval ratings are higher than Matt’s
MLB coloring book.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/sports/mlb-2017-season-preview-coloring-book/?hpid=hp_no-name_graphic-story-a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Ryan Braun looks like Gollum
I don’t remember Gollum as being that slimey.
Bazinga.
It’s a coloring book. Lighten up a bit, Bonds could be in the group, you know.
The proportion of African American players in MLB is greater than I thought!
Maybe now you won’t have to feel guilty for linking your favorite music.
Don’t you just want to bang on the drums all day?
Here’s to diversity, brother Oracle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oenlU0KiILc
BO??
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/29/giants-secret-weapon-a-sports-science-program-built-around-sleep-nutrition-hydration-and-the-golden-urinal-trophy/
Mets closer, Familia, gets two week suspension by MLB for domestic violence.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/jeurys-familia-out-15-games-for-domestic-violence-arrest.html
Good decision, Mets.
You don’t hit women, ever.
Kershaw getting hit hard in 1st inning by Seattle .
Iwakuma will level the playing field.
Maybe he’s working on it, but his cutter isn’t fooling anyone. Lots of hard contact.
the dodgers will probably still put him on their OD roster, if i had to guess.
He’s only human. Does he not bleed? He’s due for a mediocre year at some point in his career.
Repost: Barry Lamar Effusive over J=Park
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/29/barry-bonds-tells-the-giants-newest-left-fielder-you-have-unbelievable-talent/
Seeing Barry mellow with age makes me wish he was like this during his playing days. I always find his quotes interesting.
So So True, but I actually think he had to be a prick to find his superstar hot button even though I saw him up close be arrogant to people. Jeff Kent was really no picnic to reporters either (enjoy the game more)
I saw Bonds try to embarrass Bruce Jenkins. He went out of his way. Credit to Jenkins he placed Bonds on his HOF ballot from the first day that he could. Jenkins says the two have nothing to do with each other.
Actually that Barry you watched on video – he acted that way 100% time around family and San Carlos childhood friends. A shame he created that other character.
I’m back in the bay, a little tanner and now I’m watching yesterday’s game (I had hoped the Reds/Giants game was also going to be televised).
I don’t have any wise observations to add, but the bullpen continues to make me nervous. Okert/Osich….blah. I’m glad Strickland was barely used. I was sitting in the lawn area right above the Giants’ bullpen, so it was really nice looking down at them doing their thing (and/or just sitting…) Law always looks so happy.
Hwang was really enjoyable to watch, especially in the Reds/Giants game. He also was one of the very few to spend some time giving autographs, and he was totally digging it, super friendly. I could have gotten Hundley’s autograph because I was super close to him when he was signing stuff, but I was holding out my aggressiveness to get an autograph from Pence, which took some persistence and patience. Totally worth it!
That 30ish-pitches first inning was so much fun, and the second most silent time for the Cubs fans. The most silent being after probably the 2nd home run in the 9th.
You could tell there were lots of bandwagoners, 1, because they left early, and 2, they don’t seem to know much about any of the players except for Bryant/Rizzo/Heyward/Arrieta, or they just suck at cheering loudly enough for everyone. Meanwhile, us Giants fans were super loud in cheering for every player at bat.
Gorkys was fun to watch too and he was pretty consistent. I have to admit I had no idea a Hunter Cole even existed (and he didn’t even have a picture for them to put on the screen), but now I dig him, ha!
Anyway, I told the Cubs fans sitting near me after the game that I feel their pain when it comes to the bullpen completely unraveling and giving up the game. 😉 Honestly, the game was better the way it went than if we had had the lead the whole time. That ninth inning was some temporary aloe relief for the massive burn of last year.
Overall, it was an amazing spring training experience. Winning epically definitely helped. Hoping the momentum continues and looking forward to being back in the park on Friday!
I always felt Cubs fans, while intense and loyal, know next to nothing about baseball. I don’t mean that to ALL of them, there have to be exceptions.
Based on the cheers, their current favorite player is Rizzo. I bet the lap dancing in his undies on SNL helped with his popularity.
LOL. You can ask 2hole when he posts here.
Haha I blocked him back in October, I’ve been too lazy to bother unblocking him now.
Probably worked better than reaching in his pants to pull out a red thong….
In fairness we better reenact that moment starring Peachy and J-Park because some of us missed it.
Word Smith! Thanks for sharing!
Might I encourage you to try a Guest Post sometime?
Oh my stories are nowhere nearly as historically interesting as others who have guest posted. Maybe eventually though. 🙂
Jim Barnett @uograd66
Honestly believe this W’s-Rockets game was the worst officiated game of the year. And the Warriors still won! Go to 60-14.
Yes. It. Was.
Interesting. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19017640/nba-2017-nba-management-rankings-top-bottom
Terrible 😡
Has anyone commented on Dan Brown’sn tweet on Giants’ MVPee award for Best Hydrated Player? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5fa4c34e056a922aef22912a4047b85564f0a14e70224afd19d9d0d79a2de936.jpg
I believe one or two did or it leaked under the radar
That looks like one of those fancy waterless urinals that are all the rage
“I went through the entire 2010 World Series season under the influence.”
– aubrey_huff tells @Buster_ESPN
I’ve always said Aubrey was about Aubrey…and this just re-inforced it IMO.
Of?
Yep he was a tad ego-maniacal but most likely anybody who grew up without a father was gonna be half bent and an introvert. When Huff was 6 his pops was murdered while trying to stop a domestic dispute and his mom was a 28 year old widow.
Story says she spoiled Aubrey rotten and as an adult it showed many times.
I feel bad about his upbringing, but he doesn’t get a pass. Aubrey has made more than enough money to get the “help” he needs and his actions are his actions. Now his grab for attention will impact the SF Giants organization and his fellow 2010 team members. I guess grabbing someone from the scrap heap and giving them an opportunity to succeed isn’t good enough these days.
I think you need to know how they found the scrap heap in the first place.
Yikes I never said he deserved a pass or that I felt sorry for him – I just acknowledged it as a factor. Loads of money has never bought happiness nor has it covered up any demons. One has to look to further than the Hollywood beautiful people whose off spring or spouses or significant others have killed themselves or family members. I have had kids from various backgrounds and I will opt for the stable home-life background versus any other kind.
*That said Babe Ruth was an orphan* 🙂
My bad. I thought you were making excuses for him 🙂
Was it 2011 or 2012 when he showed up out of shape, chain smoking, probably hung over and then went out and had a terrific spring?
Sounds correct for the spring. I do know in ST of his arrival in 10 that he booted the first ground ball hit to him and he had fun with the media after that happened…
Any news where Pagan landed?
Well, back to Better Call Saul, season 2.
After GG’s TWG site update, I no longer see the recent Tweets section in the sidelines. Anyone else?
I don’t see them either, bummer
Some things are still a tad half-cocked…do not see them either. Putin may have hacked the site.
Balanced assessment of Marrero by Brisbee:
“In other words …
DO: Root for Marrero to make the team if you think his right-handed power and general skill set makes him a good complement to Jarrett Parker. I think a reasonable comp would be Brett Pill with more outfield experience, but maybe that’s selling him short. I wasn’t watching Jae-gyun Hwang in outfield drills, so this would be a reasonable choice if the Giants want a proven-ish outfielder until Hwang gets more outfield inning in Sacramento.
DON’T: Root for Marrero because he’s hit a bunch of homers in the Cactus League against pitchers who might combine for 20 major league innings this year when you take Grant Dayton out of the mix. Marrero would pay late in spring games, which means he would face mostly pitchers who aren’t likely to pitch in the majors this year.”
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/3/29/15107408/chris-marrero-sf-giants-bench
He is a WAR guy that thinks his 9 year old sense of humor is funny, and he is a fan of slap hitters, wonder why this blog likes him .
Hey PJ. I wonder how many years old is your sense of humor? It’s so rarely seen, hard to get a read on. Help us out.
I have a great sense humor, I just do not think stupid is funny !
Can you give us a short list of movies and/or TV shows you think are funny?
Not funny, but I just watched “Ordinary People” on my flight. Wow, there’s some great acting. Timothy Hutton is still the youngest ever to win Best Supporting Actor (he was 20). We talked about MTM, and Judd Hirsch also got an Oscar nomination. Donald Sutherland was excellent, too. Also very young Elizabeth McGovern, later to become Lady Cora in Downton Abbey.
Sutherland made that movie work. That and Eye the Needle were pretty darn good.
As was the novel
Obviously, there are many great movies and acting performances, but I’d have a hard time thinking of one where four actors all were so great at the same time. MTM was amazing, and I always wondered after that why she never found another great dramatic role. I thought the best scene was the where Hutton meets Hirsch in the middle of the night, after learning that his friend from the hospital had committed suicide, and has his breakthrough. Everything about that scene was perfect.
I now can really see why “Manchester by the Sea” evoked “Ordinary People” for many viewers. There’s a family tragedy they just can’t get past. The acting is incredible–nominations in three different categories (one win, for Casey Affleck), including another amazing teenage character. And there’s “that scene”–between Affleck and his ex, played by Michelle Williams–that just rips your heart out and stays with you. We saw it in a theater and everyone was crying during that scene. I just rewatched it on demand and cried again.
And also not a bad directorial debut by Robert Redford.
Watched 3 Days of the Condor last night…still pertinent in todays world
Always listed in my top ten.
I saw that when it came out, but it was so depressing. I never wanted to watch it again. You’re indicating that it has stood up well over time. Worth revisiting?
Right, I know that – but how many years old is it?
Scheisskopf.
J, I’m getting so sick and tired of some same-o, same-o posters, I think i want to vomit.
The Baseball Bookies are famous. The Politico Bookies are infamous
http://www.casinonewsdaily.com/2017/03/16/bookmakers-unleash-wave-trump-impeachment-odds/
I’m in Chicago between flights. I’ve been at O’Hare half an hour and am already over the Cubs. However, I did get some popcorn from Nuts on Clark. 🙂
Was that http://wordsmith.org/words/desultory.mp3
Gotta get a dog…
Duffy’s MRI came back clean. http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/rays-matt-duffy-latest-mri-comes-back-clean/
Every one of these stories where political correctness allows a trans “woman” to compete against biological women is a situation where the victims will always be the biological women. We’re never going to see a trans “man” who is able to compete at a high level against biological men. It’s too bad that some people are born into a gender that they don’t feel suits them, but that doesn’t mean that others should be disadvantaged. It’s a matter of fairness.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/34947132/despite-criticism-local-transgender-athlete-eyes-2020-summer-olympics
This is clearly your thing. Thanks for sharing.
Do you agree with it? Should women who have worked hard be disadvantaged so that someone can feel better by being able to compete with a built-in advantage?
seems pretty straightforward about the absurdity of biological men competing against biological women when the intent of the competition is to separate the biological sexes.
here’s one to keep it diverse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nXGPZaTKik
Are you the Footsom fellow of many personalities…aka Rye Grass?
You’ve always been one of my favorite itinerant tennis loving, O.G., member of the community with fluid and fluent borders.
Sybil, is that you?
Nowadays you sound like Matthew.
Its going to be a great season. Lets play too.
tired of fake games and fake news.
Sorry, stupid spell check, meant two
You’ll always be one of my favorites, politics be damned
damn them all to hell!
NUTS!
Have you seen Hillary on TV in the last couple days? If she ran for Mayor of San Francisco, she’d have the BDSM vote locked up, so to speak.
Apologies if Brisbee’s take on the S.I. Belt-bashing was already posted:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/3/28/15096960/brandon-belt-sf-giants-projections
“Over at Sports Illustrated, someone took the time to round up a collection of quotes about every team from anonymous scouts. It was a good idea, and I enjoyed reading it. However, they also sent the initial email to Very Bad Scout, who is bad at his job.
Here is what Very Bad Scout said about Brandon Belt:
‘Brandon Belt is going to have to step up his game. This is a guy they gave $79 million based on what they expected him to do in the future—well, the future is now….’
Brandon Belt finished fifth in the National League in on-base percentage.”
That’s totally unfair. If they expected Belt to bash, say like Freddie Freeman, he would have gotten north of 100 million. While it would be a huge boon to the Giants if Belt became an RBI machine with 25+ HRs, Giants are perfectly content with those walks, doubles, runs scored, and defensive runs saved.
I guess the Brainiacs recognize his true value now, batting him 2nd for OBP instead of down the lineup for RBIs.
That entire SI issue was lazy. Most if the “scout takes” seemed from guys who were way behind the present situations.
VBS then went on to opine that if Belt gets off to a slow start, he’ll get benched and Posey will play more 1B because, well, remember Joe Mauer…
Seriously, there are things to criticize about the Giants. The shaky bullpen. The aging outfield. The offense that went AWOL in the second half of 2016. But Belt-bashing is front-and-center? Weird.
Did Heyward come up?
Now there’s an exciting experiment that may have boring results. I heard his bat speed was still meh.
not really when you take a deep dive.
The pen and the OF issue are separate from the Belt criticism because the team gave him the money because of upside and potential.
There is nothing wrong with pointing out right now. It’s a very fair assessment.
He get’s paid a great deal of money to bat in a very important run production part of the order. Sure it’s the team’s fault that they have not put better bats around him. But at the same time he is not asked to do what Posey is, manage the pitching staff, play a much more demanding position, control the INF D, etc.
Oh yeah, and one of the reasons Posey has to play 1B about 20 times a year, other than get a “rest” is because Belt can’t hit certain left handers.
POSt
Sounds like the Ws will be all in tonight for the win.
This a somewhat new take on team hazing in sports.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/29/texas-football-players-accused-of-sodomizing-teammates-with-coke-bottles-and-bats.html
Do the Giants have a homeless player in the minor league because salaries are so low? Meet Matt Pare.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/03/matt-pare-san-francisco-giants-homeless-minor-leaguer-salaries-minor-league-baseball-mlb
There is a lid on that basket.
Nice comeback Dubs. Now do that 3rd quarter thing.
They are doing that 3rd quarter thing! Opened with an 8-0 run to take a 5-point lead! Wow.
Predictions week continues.
Results of polling 50 MLB “experts”: How Buster Posey doesn’t “receive votes” is beyond me.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/221317290/mlbcom-mlb-network-predict-2017-awards/
How about Johnny Cueto not getting any love for the Cy? He came in second in 2014 and was fantastic last year.
But yeah–Puig gets MVP votes but not Buster or Craw? Puig, the guy that got demoted to AAA last August?
And Roberts deserved MOY last year, but he’s not going to win it again this year. If the Dodgers win, well, that’s what everyone’s predicting. And if they don’t, he obviously won’t win the award, either.
Puig’s going to have a good year.
I have a sneaking suspicion that he will.
How about Matt Carpenter dark horse for MVP?
But the Cards are fading…that will take a Herculean effort for him to win it..
Like Daniel Murphy, he’s the type of hitter I see as having pretty much put it all together. I think Carp is capable of a .300/.400/.530+ season with 30 big flies. That could do it, would also help push Cards to Wild Card.
If the Giants win the division and Buster carries them to it, then yeah he gets consideration.
Sorry but Crawford may have had a very good first half hitting 0.281 and driving in 61 runs, but when it counts down the stretch he hit .267 with 23 RBI’s and 3 HR’s in the second half. He basically reverted back to his ho hum self.
Buster was not much better hitting a career low last year and .257 in September. He hit a whopping 3HR’s in the second half. Certainly not even close to his MVP season
Buster needs to pick it up offensively to get back in to any MVP ballots. Hopefully he does.
MSBL season starts on Saturday, ready to go, except I’m not sure if I remember how to field a ground ball.
I notice you are posting under two logins; did I miss a story behind that?
Disqus problems. Personal problems? Blame it on the First Lady, Ivanka.
had many practices? got any ringers? are your sons playing in league local to them?
My new team has had about five practices but four of them at an indoor facility; lots of hitting and bullpens but not much fielding. So my arm and bat are good to go. As for ringers, not that I am aware. Mostly regulars in our league who have aged through 35’s, 45’s, and now 55’s (like me).
My younger son who lives with us here in the East Bay joined my league (on a younger team of course) and my older son will play again in MN. My brother, sons, and I will be playing in the Memorial weekend father-son tournament in Vegas. Mom & Dad will be there, I rented a big house through Airbnb, it’s gonna be awesome (assuming we stay healthy and can all play).
To your health. Happy Opening Day x2 !
Foots your funny youre a master at flipping subjects to get the story off of you lmao thats a great skill!
Seen any movies lately 🙂
Good take on one of Buster Onley’s recent podcasts where he mentions Hensley Meulens as being one of the biggest rising stars in the WBC. Many baseball people are talking about his abilities, taking the NL to the semis, his handling of the players and their respective orgs, the number of languages he speaks and the Giants pedigree. Bam should should be in line for some managerial jobs down the line.
I would hope so.
I am truly impressed by his fluency in multiple languages. People talk about Wotus succeeding Bochy, but it should probably be Meulens.
Come on. Really?
Kuiper thinks Phil Nevin is now the heir-apparent.
Every time the Spurs shoot two free throws, the PA guy intones “Twoooo shots.” And the crowd chants back “Twoooo shots.” That’s one of the dumber traditions I’ve ever seen/heard. Why is that meaningful?
Well–it IS Texas.
Yee Haw.
OK, I don’t want to jinx anything, but MAYBE the Warriors will make it out of the first round, after all. As long as that Durant guy doesn’t ruin their chemistry when he comes back. 🙂
But seriously, what an impressive back-to-back. And I’m not scared of the Spurs. They’re not great scorers, and the Dubs are nearly as good defensively.
Of course, the big worry is injuries. With everyone in good health, the Warriors can take them. But it can all change so quickly. Long way to go.
Starting tomorrow, 164 games on TV. I record most of the games and watch after I put Merna to bed. Then it’s my time. She likes baseball and she’ll watch with me sometimes- keeps me from yelling at the TV. Off days suck. If we had a Job Jar, that would when I’d do the big jobs. Once I tried to get a kid to do the windows.I offered 20 bucks- no way. 30- nope. 50- he said he’d ask his little brother if he would do it- a 10 year old- he declined my offer. So it’s true- nobody does windows, even me. So I take a nap.
PLAY BALL!
Happy almost baseball season, Chef! Can’t wait.
Opening Day- Pan Fried Chicken- natch. Shoo Fly Pie. I used to do the whole works, biscuits, pan gravy, mashed potatoes. Merna and I are a perfect fit- she likes the white meat, I love the dark. I might asked about that when we first met. The wrong answer might have doomed the relationship. Now we just have a salad with the the chicken, always from the garden Right now we have red mustard greens ( very spicy), arugula, and baby spinach.
Lemonade.
Always make extra chicken for the next day or a late snack. Or both…
What are you having?
Leftover crockpot BBQ chicken thighs, mac&cheese, mixed vegetables, peach green tea, chocolate chip blondies. Simple, filling, cheap, good! 🙂
I heart mac & cheese. It must be my inner child.
Mac and cheese is one of the best foods ever. But it must have breadcrumbs on top. One of my favorite places to eat is Homeroom- alllll mac&cheese on the menu. Drool.
How ironic, my favorite eatery is After School Detention.
Hmmmm, I’ll have to come up with a plan. (I’m traveling right now but get home Saturday night so should have time to pull something together on Sunday.) Sometimes we do hot dogs–deluxe, grilled with grilled onions and peppers. Maybe pulled pork and coleslaw. I’ll keep you posted!
Hot dogs feels so right. Burgers might be a better bet.
So you have arranged your work schedule around the Baseball schedule? Nice to have your priorities in order.
Radio on the Road to Marysville/Yuba City for us; In-N-Out Burgers [protein style] somewhere on the way.
Yes, it worked out that I’ll be home to watch Opening Day with Mr. L and back from my next trip (to Delaware next week) in time to go to the Giants’ home opener. However, sadly, I’ll miss the River Cats’ home opener. Can hardly wait to get out there for a game.
There’s an In-N-Out pretty close to the freeway in Davis. Take the downtown Davis exit.
We cut north before that in Vacaville on 505 but thanks for the info. Last time I was in Davis I had taken the train there from SJ; a very nice ride along the delta and even a view of Levi Stadium.
I’ve taken that train to/from SJ, and it is a nice ride–very comfortable, with power outlets and Wifi, nice view…only way to go, considering how traffic can be.
Next time you drive past vacaville/ fairfield say hi!
My sis lives and works for the city there and I do stop. I will remember your offer.
Write me at: My SF Giant Guy at Gee Mel dOtt com to exchange phone numbers.
I’m in the same boat – work travel next week so will miss the River Cats opener, but I will see you at AT&T on April 10!
My traditional Opening Day lunch with my best baseball buddy here in ATL (he’s also my wife’s boss!), was moved to Sunday night dinner due to work schedules. Also, he’s a Cardinals fan, and the Sunday night ESPN game is Cards/Cubs opener. We always go to a local pub that has more than 300 beers on tap, and they make a killer Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger. That’s what’s up for this Giants fan!
I have a CardsFanFriend too and he hates the Cubs and Doggers so that helps us bond.
It’s a one o’clock game! Sandwiches? Nachos? Big fan of garden arugula. So easy to grow, and speaking of chicken, they love it too.
Well done, Mr. Spratt. Chicken sounds great, but almost too much work for one. Youngin’s never get mashed potatoes right. Some even think lumps are desirable. Cold fried chicken is why I even bother.
I’ll be stopping at the world famous Corralitos Market and Sausage Company after church to pick up some sausages. Will warm them on the grill and make sandwiches. A nice dill pickle and maybe some chips and salsa, and I’ll be in good shape. That chicken sounds pretty good though!
Very impresseive back to back statement in Texas. The Warriors are great. Kerr is great.
Yes, they’ve certainly quieted a lot of their critics. Nine in a row, all without Durant, wins in OKC, Houston and then winning in SA on a back to back after spotting them a 23-3 lead? That’s a helluva statement. David West was big tonight. They’re special. I want Cleveland so friggin’ bad.
Boston’s gonna have something to say about that….
Last day of going to work before Opening Day. Hail Cesar mañana. So close. Will the Bay Bridge exhibition series be entertaining? Si se puede llegar al dia inaugural!
Remember these two guys, packaged with Matt Duffy in what appears to be the most excellent trade for Matt Moore? Fox and Santos are ranked 8th and 21st respectively in the Tampa organization by Eric Longenhagen. Once a Giant…
Lucius Fox Scouting Report:
Fox was born in the Bahamas and then came to the U.S. to play high-school baseball at American Heritage in Florida. He reclassified as an international amateur ahead of the deadline. (International free agency was, at the time, more lucrative than the wage-suppressing draft. Now, both are disasters created by a selfish and short-sighted player’s union and greedy sect of owners, but I digress.) He got $6 million from San Francisco instead of the 1.4-1.7 million he likely would have gotten in the draft.
The Giants, very aggressively, sent him directly to full-season ball in Augusta and Fox flopped. He fouled a ball off of his foot and suffered a bone bruise, through which he attempted to play, a week or so before he was traded to Tampa in the Matt Moore deal. Tampa wasn’t aware of the issue and there was talk of them receiving additional compensation in that deal but nothing materialized. Fox sat out the rest of the season.
The talent — which led to Fox ranking third on the FanGraphs IFA board and second on my own pref list for ESPN at the time — is all still here. Fox is an exceptional quick-twitch athlete and plus runner, has flashy but inconsistent actions at short, good bat speed, some barrel control, and a frame that should strengthen with age. Fox has the physical capability to one day play a good defensive shortstop and also do some damage with the bat near the top of a lineup. He’s a potential star who had quickly fallen out of favor with his previous org. This is exactly the kind of player Tampa should be trying to acquire via trade, because they have no way to acquire it via free agency.
Michael Santos Scouting Report:
Acquired from San Francisco in the Matt Moore deal, Santos is a projectable righty with a low-90s fastball that I’ve seen up to 95. He has feel for a four-pitch mix in a curveball, slider and changeup, all of which project to average. He fills the strike zone with extreme regularity and has easy plus control projection. Santos’ future ability to miss bats is going to be more reliant upon his ability to locate his secondaries than it is pure development of his stuff. He projects as a future league-average starter for me, but is still quite far away from the majors and has had injury issues. Reports on his makeup are excellent.
catching up on other former Gigantes…
Last I checked, Adalberto Mejia was in the running for 5th starter with the Twins.
Andrew Susac to start the season on the DL for the Brewers.
And our Gregor signed a minor league deal with the DBacks. He’ll be in Reno to rehab.
https://twitter.com/nickpiecoro/status/846836861230170112
Probably well known, but our Vogey released by Twins. As far as I know, Pagan with no offers, and “Magnet” Sanchez is a Padre.
So from last year’s free agents, only Casilla and Romo currently have jobs…well, I guess Blanco now has a minor league job. Lopez retired, Pagan, Peavy, Nathan, and Beckham all still unemployed. Nathan and Beckham were in camps but did not make their respective teams.
It’s interesting how often the Giants are the “last stop” for guys’ careers. Is it (a) because the Giants are overly fond of veterans or (b) the Giants bring out the best in them, and after the Giants, there’s nowhere left to go?
The former. Hospice for fading careers.
Corr: Faded.
The shores of the Golden Gate aren’t the worst place to wash up.
By God, that’s terrible and insensitive.
Thank you.
(a)
Whole interesting question.
I just looked at Renteria on that front. The Giants did not re-sign him for 2011 and the Reds took him for half a season and then he retired.
It seems that guys like Peavy and Hudson and perhaps Pagan too are able to command one more year of contract than they can actually manage to deliver. The starts of the Peavy and Hudson contracts were actually fine.
Nathan and Beckham were never in the long term picture. Nor our favorite Uggla. Sabean does like plugging holes with dumpster findings.
We have a bad habit of giving players an extra year. Renteria, Aurilia, Huff, Timmy, Pagan, Scutaro, Hudson, Peavy…
Pagan to Tigers seems possible as of yesterday. There was talk of the Padres opening with 4 catchers on the roster as one of them is capable of relieving and playing the outfield (Christian Bethancourt).
El Iman! I was always able to overlook Sanchez’s shortcomings, and I *always* loved ECK-tor!
Me too. He’s a tough guy, and I hope with concusssions (etc) behind him, that he finds some success with the Padres.
The way Bickford started, and the fact that Fox was a young, international free agent coveted by other teams, made them the two most intriguing minor leaguers the Giants had in a while. And then they were both gone so quickly.
That is what makes MyGuy™ interesting and I hope you take a shot this year. These young guys are potential Giants that deserve some attention. SJ Giants will be especially strong in top prospects this year. Want to do some scouting there?
Reynolds and Quinn will certainly be exciting. Not sure how interesting the arms will be.
Pitchers: I have a secret pick based on listening to Ritzo’s podcast review. Another Tyler is coming: Cyr who finished #3 in MyGuy plus Watson. It is not as rich in top picks as Sac and Richmond but there are some good guys there.
Cyr should be coming out of pen. May jump to AA right away. How about Corey Taylor?
When you are done checking out your ‘Stros [and MyHometownGuy™ Stassi] here is Ritzo on SJ Starting Pitchers. … https://sjgiants.mlblogs.com/2017-san-jose-giants-season-preview-starting-pitchers-e478529b22d0
Gracias. I’ve walked by the booth at Visalia and given Joe the nod on my way to seats behind the plate.
I thought that too. They were my two MyGuys from Augusta last year.
My25ManGuy™
Here is how 29 of us voted:
Parker – 27
Okert – 26
Gorkys – 24
Blach – 23
Cain – 22
KT – 20
Osich – 16
Marrero/Hill – 15 (tie) … even this scientific poll of True Experts is Uncertain
FYI: Seven added Ramirez; 11 put Nunez on the DL [EDIT: and that lets Hill and Marrero both make it]
Speaking of KT, is he really going to be left off the OD roster? With Nunez banged up and Rollins washed up, seems like an iffy proposition.
And from the official depth chart, he’s the only one, other than Nuñez to play all infield positions.
Nunez’s health may ultimately be the deciding factor for KT as you noted. Hill can play Second, Third and E-OF and he is the BochyPetVet I picked.
E-OF, I like that. Emergency outfield. Seems KT can play some E-CF too.
The Giants list of E-OF is long: KT, Belt, Nunez, Hill, Gearrin, Marrero, … EDIT: Barry™
Probably the reason they’ll keep Cory.
Never has, why would you think he can play CF.
“E” is the key.
If Span, Parker and Gorkys are gone then KT is at least the fastest possible OF … close off the Gappers if not catch them all.
Too bad he is not an Outfielder, if he was the Giants would use him more in the Outfield, he has played 3 Career games in the Outfield .
That would be nuts. DL Nuñez for now.
He’s gonna have to get some throws in across the diamond at some time. Of course if he plays, then can’t retro DL him as far back. As long as Crawford doesn’t have to come off the field, can buy some time.
Evans on KNBR now
Evans pretty much said what you posted, if Infield is healthy ( Nunez) makes it easier for Marrero to make the team , so looks like KT or Marrero for last roster spot .
Adalberto Mejia wins the 5th starter job for the Twins. https://t.co/LnMl9Hhm62
Reminds me of another MyGuyOption™ that I have thought of: FormerGiantMyGuy™ … who will do the best?
New food options at AT&T: http://sfgate.com/food/insidescoop/article/AT-T-Park-expands-food-options-11037262.php
Still love me a Crazy Crab Sandwich with a cold beer! Only $30 bucks! LOL
Hmmm…still love me a Polish Dog and a Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae. I’m not as wealthy as you
Waiting in line for those damn Ghirardelli sundaes made me miss Bonds blasting HR # 660 to tie Willie Mays. Grrrrrrrrr
Never bought one since!
That’s more of a Sarcastic Logistical Planning Failure…
I jumped in line immediately after his first at bat, to MAKE SURE I was back in my seat by the time the batting order rolled around again. The line was soooo long. Third inning went by. Fourth inning. I was getting closer and closer to high-caloric bliss, but Barry was getting closer to coming up as well. Fifth inning now. After almost 45 minutes in line I was two people away from reaching the hot fudge covered Holy Grail, when all of a sudden the entire crowd around me erupted. “YEEEESSSSSSS!!! WOOOO HOOOOO!!!” I bolted from the line and ran to the glass windows of the Club Level to see Barry rounding second on his way to third. Now sick to my stomach, I returned to my seat, empty handed and dejected, with only a warm Anchor Steam to comfort me.
Sarcastic Kerouac – The Fudge and the Homer.
An epic story of a man, his desires, his choices, and his regrets
45+ minutes in a food line at the yard!?!? During a game!?!? You missed 2+ innings standing in line!?!? Nearly a third of the game!?!? For food!?!? While ball was being played!?! Some fans I’ll never understand. SMH Priorities man, priorities.
Sorry you missed it. But it wasn’t the ice cream’s fault.
Some life lessons are learned the hard way Captain! LOL
Somehow I have managed to pick up the pieces and move on with my life. (However, my wife, who requested said ice cream at the time, is now my ex-wife. Coincidence? I think not)
A lesson, Indeed.
I surely hope that this is an attempt at humor. Who on earth would miss a Barry Bonds plate appearance (much less one with him on the verge of hitting 660) for ice cream? I don’t care if the sundae was the greatest ice cream in the history of ice cream (which by the way can be had at Kopps in Milwaukee) and came covered in one carat diamonds and $1000 bills. If it really is true, please turn in your Giants fan club card immediately.
Please see below for the sordid details…
I think it may be the sorbet details.
For diamonds and $1000 bills? I’d do it in a heartbeat. BTW I’m an excellent Giants’ fan, just not a Barry one.
We differ on both scores. You would risk miss seeing significant baseball history– no matter who it was– for ice cream? please!
It was history with an asterisk.
It’s freaking ice cream without an asterisk! Forget about the record– who goes to a game and gets up to get ice cream? Pllllluuueeeze!
Well, I probably wouldn’t miss much of anything for ice cream.
Only for the cash and diamonds
I don’t care much about the ice cream, but the one carat diamonds and $1.000 bills would do the trick for me
Cha Cha Bowl, here. That way I can pretend to be healthy so I can have a hot fudge sundae later.
Oh, and since the CF garden opened up–Bloody Marys from the bar there. Lots of produce and veggies!
Cha Cha Bowls are my #1 go-to choice. Love ’em steaming hot on a blustery evening… With an Anchor Steam. The! Best!
Seriously, it’s all about that crab sandwich. I almost always get that when I’m sitting in Club level since the line is so much shorter (plus the same kiosk sells strawberry shortcake), but usually when I’m too lazy to stand in line, I’ll go for Tony’s pizza + watermelon beer from the Garden. I hope the bartender there still remembers me this season, he’s super nice.
Oh and I just love that there’s boba. I’ve had a frozen honeydew boba in the freezing cold before because it’s just that good.
The other trick at the outfield kiosks is that you can order the sandwich from any line, not just the lines beneath the big Crazy Crab sign. People will line up twenty+ deep under the crab sign while the other lines are relatively short.
(But shhhh… don’t tell anyone else)
Oh yes, I do love that secret. I haven’t even shared it with my friends, haha…
Thanks for the link. I read it. It all sounds delicious, as Brian Wison would say.
***Off-Topic***
Kevin Durant was interviewed by ESPN regarding the resting of NBA players. He more or less said “it’s only some players” and also questioned why no one is dogging non-playoff teams for sitting guys out the rest of the year (ex:Tyson Chandler).
As usual, the ESPN comment trolls are out there and they’re bashing Durant left and right.
Here is my $0.02 on the topic:
This on on the league and their scheduling. The players have no say in that.
The Warriors 8 games…in 8 cities…in 13 days was stupid and was just feeding into the league’s TV contracts. Kerr was smart to use the National TV Game…and their visit to San Antonio (a team with a history of resting players)…as the mechanism to give guys rest and make a statement to the league. I also think Iggy’s “master” comments (even though he has a reputation for “yanking the chains” of the press) was directed at the NBA front offices. He said it was an “inside team joke”, so I could easily see the team talking amongst themselves about the NBA (and their cash-cow scheduling) this way.
I get it…some MLB players take no rest and play 160+, but they stay in visiting cities for multiple days/games in a row; which the NBA doesn’t do (except playoffs). I also get the MLB counterpoint where players take rest all through the season, but that’s also embedded in baseball’s culture and fans know the deal when they buy tickets.
I think a fair comparison would be if you bought tickets to see the Eagles (when Glenn Frey was still alive) and Don Henley decided to take a night off. You paid big bucks to see all the Eagles, but Don wasn’t going to play that night. If you were an Eagles fan, you would be greatly upset. The difference here is the Eagles get an opportunity to approve their multi-city tour schedule and you can bet their rest/performance factors are heavily measured in that decision. NBA players get zero say in that regard.
Finally…I get the argument that these NBA players are making millions and they should just suck it up. All of us would love to make that type of money and feel that we would never need to take games off, because that’s part of the deal. Personally…until any of us have experienced what it’s like to play an NBA schedule and travel like they do…we really shouldn’t criticize their need to rest.
Once again, this is on the league and their scheduling.
I also think players are – in many cases – playing harder than ever. I don’t mean the Laimbeer-type harder. I mean 40+ minutes of hard screens, rubs, grabs, etc. On the stars. Jordan never got touched like that. (Cue TO outrage via sarcasm…).
It IS on the league. The Warriors have been on the back of a back-to-back for the last 4 San Antonio visits…that’s lazy scheduling
Excellent perspective, KIR and Matthew. Well said, gents.
And the Warriors absolutely DID get the short end of the scheduling stick. They’re traveling 10K miles more than any other team this year. Take being a West Coast team and add being a big TV draw, and you get what the Warriors got last month. When East Coast teams come west, they usually stay west for a few days, even a week–the Warriors, the Kings, the LA teams, Portland…they don’t go zig-zagging all over the country like the Warriors did. And even Western Conference teams like Memphis or the Texas teams or New Orleans are in the same time zones as many Eastern Conference teams, or close–maybe one hour difference, not three. It’s just built-in unfairness, and the Dubs got the very worst of it.
Wow 5 years ago , no one considered the W’s a big TV draw. My how fortunes change when you win.
The Prospector is BACK!!!
Ryan…you are the TWG version of Sybil. I can’t keep up with all your monikers 🙂
This said…it’s good to have you around.
Seems TWG is either lacking familiarity with the dissociate disorder pages of the DSM manuals, or just likes to follow Matthew’s lead. Or was it the Oracle? I forget.
Anyhow, I prefer “Fletch”. That’s Doctor Rosen-Rosen to you. Hey, it’s all ball-bearings these days. For Opening Day, I’ll have the steak sandwich and the lobster thermador. Put it on the Underhill acount!
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/images/fletch.jpg
I have no doubt you would win the TWG Open Division Women’s Arm Wrestling title if you identified as Rachel
6’9 with the afro. Ah, Fletch. He truly defines grace under pressure.
Yes he does.
I AM familiar with the DD pages and you may fall under a slightly different differential diagnosis, or diff.diff. dx.
DID
Is that Tommy Lasorda?
No, no fucking Tommy
I love that movie. So many funny one-liners.
Sybil? You mean from “Downton Abbey”?
I hope not. It didn’t turn out well for poor Lady Sybil.
TOP TEN GIANTS SHOCKERS
* Matt Cain: “Everybody hates me!”
*Kelby Tomlinson 83 pounds and dying !
*The Bruce Bochy nobody knows!
*Brian Sabean- “I killed JFK!”
*Buster Posey-” Bobby Evans asked me to marry him!”
*Brandon Belt adopts alien baby!
*Ty Blach is now a woman!
*Denard Span’s public sex romp!
*Proof Phil Nevin poisoned Roberto Kelly!
*Hunter Pence-” I wire tapped Joe Panik’s bedroom!”
* Michael Scott- “I’m a retread from Outer Space!”
Waaaay outer space.
Reminds me of that Flintstones band, The Way-Outs.
Reminds me of the road to Escondido.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyS4A1ooJkQ
Awesome. Thx for that.
I often drive that road.
Just three days ago, as a matter of fact.
where’d this rain come from – trying to prune up last of the pistachio variety block and it’s too wet…
Mets news: Steven Matz to open season on DL. Zach Wheeler to start in rotation.
Nats: Dusty names Blake Treinen his closer (he’s no Melancon)
Rangers extend Roogie…
yada yada
The rhythm of baseball:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/sports/baseball/mlb-opening-day.html
Fun fact in it, Ichiro has batted without a hit exactly 9,000 times.
Talk about being in tune, LOL.
It seems to prove the story is worth reading twice!
I try to always read Kepner’s stuff. I like him. I wish the Bay Area had a legitimate paper, he might come here.
We live in strange times. The NY Times and WaPo are the truly national newspapers (some might add WSJ). But no one covers the local politics, or prints what street is closed for repair in your home town, except the local paper. The Giants seem to be blessed by having Shulman, Baggs, and Pavlovic as reporters (not ordered by any algorithm), with the occastional drop by from Steward and Dan Brown. The SJMN seems particularly strong.
On my one visit to San Francisco (seems a very cool city, except for the terrible expense of living there), I had no quarters to buy the Sunday Chronicle from a vending machine. But here comes the guy who puts the papers in the machine. We talk a bit, first about me having no quarters to buy a paper, then about me visiting, and the Giants, and finally he hands me a free copy. So I have a nice memory of the Chronicle. I’m sure I bought the daily paper later that week.
I do always try to buy the local paper on my trips, to learn something about where I am.
That reminds me: we’re gonna miss the Carl Steward guest appearances. Maybe he can do a guest post for GG.
Yea, Carl was a fantastic sub for Baggs, being able to give an overview more than each day’s action. And he seemed to dig interacting with the blog.
I should have said that I found everyone in SF to be able to carry on a coherent discussion about the Giants: bellhops, cab drivers, etc not just the guy driving the Chronicle truck. Here I am buried in Cubs chat, so that was really refreshing.
This is awesome! Ichiro is amazing. Great read on Jarrin. A few more to go.
Even the Joe West section was great. Wonder what he thinks of Mad Bum.
I liked the one about Pujols. That guy was king, and I mean KING, in the Midwest in his Cardinal year. Cubs announcers used to object that he batted every other inning, instead of only once in 9 ABs.
His stats are truly staggering. He walked more than he struck out 10 years in a row, while swatting the cover off the ball. And it wasn’t just because he walked so often, he was striking out at the same rate as Ichiro Suzuki which was usually south of 10% and sometimes in the 7.5% range. Truly phenomenal, both of them.
Slappy PJ Stat Of The Day!!!!!!!!
A new “thing” here? – “PJs infamous SlapStat™ Of the Day”
<Could be promoted on all the major networks.
Oh boy, this could really put us on the map.. the SlapMap.