photo: Keith Srakocic, Associated Press
by
Greek Giant
Brandon Belt is back. So are the Giants. Smarge was solid as usual and I think it might be safe to call him a rotation stalwart, which bodes well for the giants considering the questions marks surrounding Matt Moore. Brandon Belt hit a two-run moonshot that proved to be the difference in a tense and nervy game. The Giants played excellent defense with scintillating catches by Pence, Hwang and Belt.
This game had a strange playoff intensity to it for the Giants even though Clint Hurdle trotted out his AAA line up.
This is the team we thought we were getting this season. It feels good.
Slater made a great catch, too!
This past week has certainly been more fun. Yesterday we had a strong starter, a team that didn’t mind falling behind 0-2 in the score, batters that systematically took a 3-2 lead, then Belt made sure that a leadoff double didn’t die on 2nd base, and the bullpen went three innings with only one run bled away. Just about all of that is different from how the Giants played in the first half.
I believe CC would say the team was “grinding”.
MyGuy™ scouting
Slater … AHS, Anti-Lasorda, Crawnik, DrLefty, Matthew, PandaPuffs, Sarcastic
Twins are looking for a SS but they have no stellar prospects.
How about trading Nunez for their 2018 First Round pick?
Not allowed to do that, and they had Nunez last year, he is not a good defensive SS, doubt they want him back .
I did not know that … so how about getting one of their picks from this past draft? http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/draft/draft.jsp#
Returning to your former team that you represented in the ASG might be an angle for the trade? As I said, they are looking for a SS; just signed a Vet into their system.
twins are a young team, they would not be looking to get a guy that is older and isn’t really a great defensive SS. They would be better off getting a young / high defense type while they figure out their SS situation.
Their top prospect is a SS in AA right now; they had the #1 pick in the draft and took a SS. So you are right that they are aiming at this. Nunez is a “rental” to try and win their division this year. Don’t you think that has appeal to them?
I think its a “been there done that” situation, and if they are serious about winning in the PO they need the best defensive SS they can find in a trade. That is not Nunez.
Yes please!
The face of the Giants, and Major League Baseball. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4a45d4f8cb4de96ff3fd64985f4f486077084bf30bce5ff3ca4e9ecdb74033a1.png
30 or 40 years from now, when the kids are grown up, they will be speaking of this man in the same tones you and I reserve for Willie Mays. Franchise player.
True that.
excellent picture, thanks for posting it.
Posey has had an excellent career, but should never be compared to Willie Mays.
Were you around for Mays in his prime? And, if Posey is spoken of (which is all 610nm states) in revered tones, much like Mays is, there is merit. Mays is often spoken of as one of the greatest players ever. So, Posey won’t be spoken of as one of the greatest ever. But, his career has already had accomplishments and accolades that place him among the elite…
Not sure why you tend to have such issue when folks say things like 610nm just did…but you jump in awfully quick to do your thing. I wish, for all of our sake, you have the ability to admire and appreciate the best, rather than your constant need to try to correct other folks opinions when they do.
The “kids” aren’t going to know who Willie Mays is – not just graceful at all aspects of the game, but capable of turning a midwestern kid like me into a life long Giants fan. Buster is making a new generation!
My own granddad always said that Babe Ruth was the best player he ever saw. Doesn’t mean anything to me, nor does Ted Williams, but Willie and Hank are sure on my list.
Exactly. My kids are Buster’s age. They grew up watching Barry and Buster and Timmy and this generation of Giants like i did Juan and Tito and the tail ends of Willie and Willie. So, when i wax poetic about Jaun, they listen politely and nod…when they tell their kids about the greatest players they ever saw, it will be about Buster and Barry and this great generation of players
Please don’t ever change your avatar away from Juan! I dig it.
If Timmy’s career had been longer, he’d certainly be in the conversation. But the present generation’s pitcher of legend is now a certain Mr. Bumgarner.
You mean like you’re correcting my opinion? I thought differing opinions were what a blog is all about?
I didn’t try to correct yours. Rather, I’m giving mine right back.
Ok. I guess that’s much different than what I was doing.
To be honest, I do so back at you because you use an interesting tone often to people who – in my opinion – deserve more respect than you give. I’m sure you’ll claim that you’re just “giving an opinion” in an innocent way, but you know full well that you do so to instigate. Maybe you vehemently disagree, but I’m far from alone in that take.
What are your exact reasons for feeling the way you do about what 620nm said? It would be more enlightening if you decided to discuss it openly and allow for others opinions
My “interesting tone” is certainly much worse than your outright name calling. My reason for feeling the way I do is that I don’t think anyone in the future will be speaking of Posey in the same they speak of Willie Mays now, or even they way they’ll still speak of Willie Mays then.
I’m so much more mean than you
Well, it is because he’s not a chronic downer.
I did see Willie in his prime.
Your first phone number was “8”
No, but it was only 5 numbers
I agree in the basis that Willie is always in the “best player ever” or “best 3 players ever” with the likes of Ruth.
Buster is a once in a generation player but will never be in the best player ever debate, not even in the best catcher ever debate. Top 10 perhaps.
But he’s damn good.
My thoughts exactly. He’s better than Del Crandall, though.
Nor could you compare Willie Mays to Bill Dickey.
Yes you would as in “compared to Willie Mays, Bill Dickey is a mediocre player”
HOF – best catcher of his era – .313 lifetime BA. Mediocre. Ayup.
Please. I love Buster, but he is not Willie Mays
The face of Major League Baseball?
Yes. He was voted that by fans and media a couple years ago.
Take it easy on him. It’s been a tough stretch with all the wins and good play by The Face and some others
Who’s the face of bay area sports…Steph or Buster?
Bob Fouts?
Wow, a blast from the WAAY-back machine! I remember him well. Mid 60s, KCBS–“and now here’s sports, with Bob Fouts.”
And on KGO with Van Amburg
Wow, they have to be living….or is he?
I think the son is. Or is he.
Joanie Weston
LOL! Bay Area Bombers. The blond bombshell!
Right now I’d go with Steph. Over the long haul, probably still Buster.
Buster is a good choice for baseball, but now that Giants + winning are not on the horizon I’d say Harper is the new face of MLB.
Similar to the LeBron / Curry debate. LeBron is the main player in the NBA but as long as he losses, Curry gets a nod from marketers and the younger generation.
And America! Sorry, got carried away.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/64176000/jpg/_64176050_chiefjoeseph,edwards.curtis,courtesyofcardozofineart.jpg
How about the entire human race? Wait…face of the the galaxy.
The “last guy in” all-star ballot is out, awaiting your vote. I find the selections to be rather desultory. Almost find myself eliminating guys I wouldn’t vote for, leaving me with one or two options:
AL:
Elvis Andrus, Texas
Xander Bogaerts, Boston
Didi Gregorius, NYY
Logan Morrison, TBay
Mike Moustakas, KC
NL:
Justin Bour, Miami
Kris Bryant, Chicago
Anthony Rendon, Wash.
Mark Reynolds, Colorado
Justin Turner, LAD
I went with Bogaerts and Rendon.
I went with both those too, but many good choices. Boagearts is really good and Reynolds deserves recognition for his year.
Bogaerts and Bryant
But Rendon is a fine choice. Excellent ballplayer. And Reynolds is a great story. And Turner is one heck of a hitter, MVP of Dodgers lineup when in it.
Yep, see above.
Turner deserves it. If he was on our team we’d be outraged he’s not already in.
Who does Bachmann play for? And is he in overdrive like Turner?
We need a guy like Turner – sorry, can’t have him, but JD Martinez is the next best thing. Sorry, chances of our farm guys being this good isn’t great, and that’s just a Coors Lite cold hard fact.
Argree.
Turner has a decent argument to be starting the game. He definitely deserves to be ON it. Bryant deserves it too, though.
I’m 20% surprised no one is talking about Barry’s Wall of Fame induction that will take place this month. It’s not a statue or the HOF, but still.
he’ll be in the HOF in about 5 years.
Now that Selig is in I say Bonds and Clemens get in – in three and a half years.
So,allright, Buster Posey will be a catcher until his dying day. No need to hunt for proteges, no 50:50 nonsense, no shipping Brandon Belt to somewhere in Texas. If he gets ground down or injured, so be it, but at least the Posey rule is in tact, the only risk is those pesky foul tips. But maybe some new mask technology will come into play someday.
So, the future, I still think they need to get that awesome bat to take the pressure off Posey as being the sole premium hitter in the lineup. Give him some support and also take pressure off of Belt so he can continue to launch mistakes.
Think big, think bold, think JD Martinez!
Span/Slater CF
Panik 2B
Posey C
Martinez LF
Belt 1B
Pence/Slater RF
Arroyo/Hwang 3B
Crawford SS
Score some runs, consistently, in 2018! And beyond!
They should’ve gotten Martinez last winter. Reckon we’ll get a closeup of what we missed this week!
Tigers were really selling over the winter – but now they are! But now the Giants aren’t buying. Wonder where Martinez and his 167 wRC+ will provide playoff push this year and where he’ll send next year. I bet the team that trades for him re-signs him for the big bucks.
*not really selling
When applicable, like the remainder of this summer, the Giants should make a point to rest Posey – give more reps at 1B. I think he’s on a 105-110 GS behind the plate rate, that seems fine, better than 130 game pace. Maybe that’s the kind of pace they can have when they are in it next year and the backup option isn’t all that great.
Wait… so you’re all in on him catching? Or partially in? Do we have a stud in the pipeline that he can ObiWan the hell out of??
MyGuySays™ … Shaw is the bat you are looking for. 8 HRs in 33 games at Sac. / .301 average. Give big money to a FA and Shaw becomes useless.
Promote him in September and take a long hard look.
Right. I agree that good AAA numbers have to be confirmed so I am more up for the August/September test, Spring Training follow-up and if that is all good, start him in LF in 2018 but be ready to rent a LF’er if Shaw is a dud by July.
But then I would have done that with Mac this year but it did not happen.
If there is a significant free agent signing by us–and I hope there isn’t–it should be a pitcher. All of a sudden we seem to have some rising young OF potential: Slater, Shaw, Duggar–others as well. I’m holding out hope that young Heliot Ramos arrives in 2020!
They are nice young talents and they may become MLB regulars as Slater appears to be able to do. But I wouldn’t count on them to be the type of middle of order, premier hitters which the Giants desperately need. No, I wouldn’t count on that at all. Hope for league average to league average plus.
That remains to be seen, but they’re probably not going to find that kind of hitter in free agency or a trade, either. But wasn’t that also your prediction for Duvall, even after last season?
Have you ever analyzed what Duvall did to improve his overall performance at the plate? It’s actually a pretty interesting story and illustrates what about his game he’s figured out. Go look at his splits, good coaching or talent, what he’s done is impressive, and not because of power really.
His last 2 years in the PCL, look a lot like his year and a half with the Reds, so he did not have to do much !
It’s not that complicated. How about the pretty basic idea that talented players improve as they gain experience? It made perfect sense that he would be better this year than he was last year. Anyone who didn’t see that coming just doesn’t have a very good understanding of talent. You’ve always struck me as the classic “can’t see the forest for,the trees” type of person, and this was just another example.
So you don’t know, and haven’t looked. You’d have thought you would have?
What would be the point? Hitting 30 HRs and driving in 100 in your first full season is an obvious indication of true talent. Of course he was going to improve. You love minutiae. I prefer the big picture.
I love facts and data, and the reasons why a player excels. IMO, now, it’s Duvall’s intelligence that’s driving his career, not his talent. Go look, you might even learn something.
The Data shows a very successful hitter in the Minor leagues, so no need for big changes !
I already knew he was talented. Maybe you’ve learned something.
Oh, I have, about him and you. I thought you recognized something in Duvall early that was revealing, but it was a wild ass guess. Duvall seems to have adapted to his weaknesses and accommodated to them. You might also look at Duvall’s areas of improvement, because they’re also telling about his weaknesses. As it plays out, it will be interesting.
Lucky guess, I guess. Those lucky guesses happen more often if you don’t focus too closely on the fine print.
Yeah, I would have thought Duvall would have kept choogling along around .230-.240/.300/.500ish. Shows what I know. Last I checked, he was hitting around .280.
They could find that kind of hitter in JD Martinez, but they probably won’t be able to spend what it will take to lure him to SF.
Slater may be a .280/.330/.430 guy. OPS probably in the same ballpark as Arroyo, or maybe considerably more.
Shaw me be a .250/.300/.475 guy. Could be. I don’t know.
A guy like Duggar could be a .270/.330/.370 guy. Again, I just don’t know 🙂
None of us knows for sure, but I think what Shaw has done so far shows a bigger potential upside than you’re giving him credit for.
.775 OPS ain’t nothing to sneeze at. But sure, he could put it all together and have a .900 OPS. Right now, he seems to have a swing first tendency which can be easily exploited in MLB, which seems to be the case for Arroyo who was hitting about .450 in first couple weeks of AAA season. I think we’ll find out how Shaw fares vs. MLB stuff by September.
You have not figured out what type a player Ryan likes , all the years on this blog yet ?
SLAPPPPY! I like GAPPPY too. And psssst, don’t tell anybody, but I did the long ball!
I’m not sure any of us have. Footy throws out a lot of data, but holds his cards close on outright opinions.
???? I throw shit against the wall and see what sticks ! 🙂
THAT may be the most credible offering you’ve ever put up here.
He likes speed guys, Duvall is not fast .
Where could Giants go with Shaw headlining a trade package? Would he help bring back a highly desirable piece mostly on his own? Is he a Top 100 prospect in MLB? Top 50?
They keep him and have 6 years of cheap Power !
BOOM!
I have no idea, but I don’t see any point in trading him.
Duvall hit .298 and .281 has last 2 years in the Giants system, why would you think he could not hit over . 240, You just have no clue I guess !
In AAA? But you’re probably right.
I like production over upside potential .
JD Martinez!! Not slappy !!!!
Bad fit for AT&T Park, most of his HRs the last 3 years to Right Center are Right field, short porch in Detroit not in AT&T Park .
Pretty good for AAA – what does that look like in the pros? Probably less. Besides, Span and Pence gone after next year and no guarantee they will stay on the field.
#plentyofopportunityforSlater,Shaw,Duggar,etc
Yes yes yes.
Lets’ take over this front office, Lon!
Alright. But to quote Bob Newhart, ” ..uh yer the navigator, you oughta be able to figure out where the hell we’re at.” A good routine, if you’ve not heard it. Try “Grace L Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company.”
I said all that to acknowledge, you’d be in charge. I’ll take the money, you get the blame..
One thing I’d do is get an organ in the stadium. I hate to get all gushy about the Dodgers, but having a real live organ player makes for a much better baseball vibe. Doesn’t have to be a Hammond B-3, just something you can play Innagoddadavita on.
For all his excellence, Buster gets to wear these yucky uniforms at the ASG. These are the HR derby/workout uniforms, can’t wait to see the actual game ones:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ee493a95f12a2c747e600cd12d32633cdc23989807088bf05fbb6382ee54596.jpg
At least it’s black-and-orange. And not nearly as atrocious as what we saw this weekend – that was a clown show.
I think for the actual game the players will wear their team unis. NL home whites, AL visiting grays/other. I hope so…
Thanks for that info, I think you’re right because I couldn’t find any pictures of game uniforms. I like it that way, it’s old school. In recent years MLB has come up with special ASG uniforms ( $$$ ).
Yeah, all this alternate uniform stuff is offensive to me because it’s nothing more than a cash grab. Furthermore, I think it cheapens the classic uniform, especially for teams like us who have had the same colors forever.
Then there’s the D-Backs. Twenty years old, and on at least their third version of colors and designs. I would hate that if I was a fan of that team.
It’s glossy barf.
Diamondbacks 2017 uniforms look like they’re wearing wet sweatpants.
Circus time. Whoever thought of this ridiculous show of commercialized, corporate “patriotism” – is no patriot. The endless parade of of jingoistic, flag oriented costumes (and that’s what they are, not uniforms) really grates on the sensibilities of those with a mind for the sport of baseball. It’s The Barnum and Bailey John Birch Society Blues. More than a bit unnerving. To be blunt, I’d posit that this sort of infinite loop de loop show your colors to prop up your bonafides strikes me as the product of a very insecure mind. They should be run out of town on a railroad.
Couldn’t have said it any better, Street. You know, ‘the last refuge of scoundrels,’ and all that.
And while we’re at it – dump that ‘God Bless America’ 7th inning bullshit. God doesn’t give a shit about America, any more than s/he does about any other country.
You make a lot of common sense. But that hurts some folks’ pride. Well the truth hurts, and yes it does set you free. Feliz holiday, hermano!
Yes. I do believe we are hermanos, Hermano.
Also – I love your music. Music sets me free.
:o) paulito
Just who got the MLB sock contract? The July 4th ones look like a cross between patriotism and wicked witch of the West.
When do you suppose MLB will sell a lingerie line for their more erotic fans?
Probably not officially licensed merch, but I’m sure there are items to fulfill Giants fantasies.
Go Giants! I had no idea.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d5e3569cc321629c6e0ef0bb38e38b5a48d66c13f108228f4d81830dd2c6d9d5.jpg
I have a couple pairs of Giants undies! Victoria’s Secret and the MLB have teamed up for a few years now – plenty of Giants themed underwear. That frou frou crap above looks like someone’s Etsy creation though. Those boobs look painfully bolted on.
You mean they don’t look real to you? I never understood the motivation to have something that fake-looking.
A.P. has a tweet link of Ramos – comparing him to a 17-yr. old Cespedes!
I’ll take THAT comp!
I’m keeping it closer to “home”, and hoping he’s the second coming of Orlando Cepeda.
Nice! (fits right into ’60s nostalgia day)
Here’s some (weird) off-day history about the evangelical preacher Billy Sunday:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sundabi01.shtml
Stole 84 bases in his last year, just coming into his prime!
How about the BrewCrew? Can they win the Central? Can the Giants help them in exchange for prospects? Would they go for Johnny C. and go for the Cubs’ jugular? Braun is back, that lineup ain’t no joke.
Lefty posted the KNBR LOL BB9 quote yesterday and here at around 110 on the dial is Kuiper talking about Belt and his football confidence
https://audioboom.com/posts/6070706-7-2-postgame-wrap-giants-5-pirates-3?t=0
I had to go check out some video on this guy. Impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAq0LFz-pA4
As he continues to put up good numbers in AAA, some points of reference to keep in mind:
Shaw currently has a 118 wRC+, or 18% above league average offensive production.
Jarrett Parker recorded wRC+’s of 113,135, and 148 in AAA.
Mac Williamson 120, 107, and 95 (this year).
Our old friend, Adam Duvall: 144 and 125
and older friend, Roger Kieschnick: 147, 115.
Just something to keep in mind. The thing holding back Shaw’s wRC+ in AAA is a low walk rate (2.9%)
………………
what happened to your compact powerful stroke?
It was in the wrong spot.
He had a slow start in Richmond last year, than the last Month of 2016 hit great , and hit well in Richmond this year, was promoted To Sacramento and had a slow start again, now he has figured it out and is hitting great .
The very important point of reference that you left out is his age:
he is putting up these AAA numbers in his age 23 season
Parker did not play significant time in AAA until his age 26 season.
Duvall was 25 when he got to AAA and he has been a good pro in Cincy — the Giants would gladly take that out of Shaw.
Kieschnick was also 25 when he got to AAA.
Shaw is -3.3 years for AAA which is very relevant.
Girardi/Cashman are gonna fleece Billy for Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle.
Not if Mike Rizzo gets in on the bidding, than David Forst can bring home some nice rashers of prospect bacon.
Interesting point someone had. The helmet jaw guard may be come commonplace even with hitters without an injury history. It might be an edge that gives the hitter more confidence hanging on tough inside pitches.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e5dc13e0694f9a380c36da1d164c80fbae26ed359df385134b5d3e16dcd28c3.jpg
See some guys looking pretty confident at the plate with this gear…
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/75/67/83/7567830451bff54618546944ed922c33–medieval-knight-armor-knight-in-armor.jpg
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/sports/how-charlie-blackmon-aka-chuck-nazty-bluffed-his-way-into-a-career.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
The Rockies star was a college pitcher with little potential when he started pretending he could hit. Now he’s one of the best in the majors.
Chuck Nazty! Love the nick and the beard.
Great player. ClutchUp and I both have commented extensively in the past about wanting Blackmon on the Giants. Dudes a ballplayer!
But also a typical Rockie. His career splits:
Home…. .340/.395/.544/.939
Road… .261/.305/.420/.725
And the difference is even more pronounced this season.
Some Giants hit better at home than on the road. I think Belt is one of them. I’m pretty sure Sandoval hit a lot better at home.
But sigh and alas – the dude is a ball player. Stats aside.
I wish we’d traded for him in 2010 when i suggested it would be a nice move.
should have drafted him in the first place, but you know what they say about hindsight.
Maybe it was the 2012 season I liked him. You know the “age” deal with some of us.
The face of the Bay Area doesn’t need dividing … but Buster (once deemed soft by TO) is the Giants guy. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/713eea96cf7acf21a3d486f8caf63c7aecd34b6dd6e5de99040f2cf0c79a43ef.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9def5aeaf05a5338c617fa489e78361c29b325a4d17089fc19b023fbf8c910fb.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/533755df32dd894996bee1514b6834f08218d72a95379d9d4fac8d4e33a97a3a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/075c8929a0a938ef8a3287bfa1436cbbc847ee80223d6b0f6f37553b6c98512c.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fb80a4c27da370b172df9c8cfdb653863ded6c77c9eb49c18a698fdcf4bd216a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c39c39853fc029d857bd1f3cfea6fee4a639c921aac20e2c7c0cf871d7fc124b.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ad740fb1e0a0d872d977619d7fa111bdbbbfafd1d03c5d13f01f7b2c3dfb7e97.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3da10308e940422b5a6418d84532695c2aca804609f78940193aa6a120606f76.jpg
Next to last picture is awesome.
I wouldn’t quite say soft, but there’s a limit to what he’s willing to do. For me, it was summed up on 9/22/15. The Giants were 79-71, 6.5 behind the Dodgers with 12 games left to play. Posey sat. Sure, the odds weren’t good, but play until there’s no reason left to play. He was less than two weeks away from a few months of rest. He’s a great talent, but I just don’t admire that.
Out of context, and typical Oracle.
Can you explain that? What is the proper context?
You’ve always thought he was soft. Context is plain to see.
But apparently not plain to state. What I saw was the team’s best player sitting out when they needed all hands on deck.
How many consecutive games had he played before that one? Was he injured? Dinged up from shots he took behind the plate or in the batters box? Maybe Bochy asked him to sit so that Boch could get a look at another player.
You don’t know the details. Until you do, your suppositions mean nothing.
None of that matters. He played the next game. They couldn’t afford any more losses, but he still sat out. I’m not saying anyone else needs to feel the same way, but that’s an example of why Posey is not my favorite player.
I hear what you’re saying. But just one year earlier he caught literally every single game of the 2014 postseason. 18 games worth! 160 innings out of the 162 innings played, only being removed after 7 in a game SF lost 10-0. His bat died after he caught the entire 18 innings game, his legs must have been mostly useless. But he never stopped catching nearly every single pitch of that postseason. For one game to undo all of the respect 2014 should have earned? I don’t understand that.
But isn’t that what he, or any top catcher, is supposed to do in the post season? And those 18 games also involved 12 days off. Yadier Molina has caught nearly every inning for the Cardinals while starting 85 consecutive post season games, including 18 games in 2011. As I said, Posey is an outstanding player and I don’t dislike him, but my favorite isn’t going to be a guy who sits out in a situation like that.
The trouble is that you’ve gone out of your way since 2011-12 to actually say and or infer that he is soft. Can’t go backwards.
Unlike you, most people have no issues with subordination and the days off or day off for Giant baseball players are governed by Dave Groeschner – Dr. Anthony Saglimbeni,
Dr. Robert Murray, Dr. Ken Akizuki, Dr. Tim McAdams, Trainer Anthony Reyes, Trainer Eric Ortega, Coach Carl Kochan, Sports Science Specialist Geoff Head, Therapist Tony Reale,
Massage Therapist Haro Ogawa and Coordinator of Medical Admin Chrissy Yuen. They tell the assistant coaches 2-3 hours before the game and the assistant coaches inform Bochy.
Other days off are completely built in week to week and month to month.
And I mean your daughter loves to get Posey photos on her phone. She most likely does not think he is soft.
The one with Willie brought tears to my eyes.
For me it was the one on crutches.
This a serious question. Did those photos really bring tears to your eyes, or was that just an expression?
Yes
The one where he hits his face on the bag brought a winced expression to my face. But the eyes remain dry.
This is serious question: do you really care about the answer, or are you mocking?
No, I’m really interested in the answer. I’m interested in knowing the extent to which emotion becomes involved with fandom.
In my case, not actual tears, but certainly some emotion. It really bothers me to see Mays in a wheel chair, but time catches up to us all. That was sad, but there was some feeling of tenderness in seeing those two together. Buster is sharp, and no doubt has asked Willie what being the team legend is like, and knows he’s headed there himself.
There was also a thought in my mind that I hoped you’d see it too (the next to last one, that is) and maybe get where I was coming from this morning. It is OK to be a little soft, you know!
Thank you for the answer.
I don’t believe you.
There’s not much I can do about that.
You daughters could give you insights into that question
When I watched Brian Wilson raise the WS flag, I was bawling like a happy child.
Me too
That’s interesting. I’m certainly not at all claiming my way is better, but I don’t think I’d want to be that emotional about sports.
I didn’t have a choice. I bawled. I had watched them from those seats 50+ times the year before, so I had made a serious investment in time and energy.
Fandom. My 50+ years of following my Giants means far more to me than “fandom”. Willie Mays and Buster Posey. We may not have Willie much longer, and pictures like that mean the world to me.
No it isn’t and nobody else will think it is either.
Some did. Shockingly, I guess you don’t speak for everyone.
How inciteful
Yes, you heartless and arrogant ass, the picture I discussed choked me up and brought tears to my eyes.
You are some piece of work.
I guess you must think you occupy the moral high ground, which apparently allows you to say the kinds of things you criticize Peter for saying.
Bookends of two eras.
Now that the Giants have benefited in the replay during the KC WS with the Panik and Crawford double play I say return the game to its natural state. They took FOUR min. to decide on this play yesterday. http://www.closecallsports.com/2017/07/replays-overturns-slide-rule-violation.html
And the SHIFT. There should be parameters to what the infielders can do in their shift but the sheer absurdity of it when they leave the SS only on the left side and put the third baseman in short right-field and he in fact makes the play by fielding a ground ball and throwing to first – he gets it ruled 5-3.
A dugout could never use that inning later in the game to adjust because a quick glance says 5-3 but it was “short-right-field-to first base.”
Leave the human element in the field. It EVENS out anyway.
Dabble in electronic balls and strikes. Get RID of exaggerated shifts. Hire younger umpires. Make the veteran umpires take a fitness for duty test every 3 months.
‘Framing’ numbers among elite catchers have plummeted the last couple of years. The most likely explanations are the slight rise in the strike zone (the low zone being where framing a pitch seems to work best) and umps may be reacting to the notice catchers like Posey , Molina, and Lucroy have gotten by essentially fooling them.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jonathan-lucroys-mysterious-decline/
Yeah I think Lucroy started experiencing this last season. He was the first framing “darling” and it’s as if the word got around, and umps swung the other direction on him. Posey’s frames are way down from last year, and I have to assume that’s the umps overcorrecting (though he robbed a high strike 3 yesterday for Samardzija). There are a lot of new names that are good framers and unknown to the league (Hedges, Maldanado, Flowers), they’ll be the new kings until umps catch on
FOX Sports head of programming fired for sexual harassment. http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-fox-sports-jamie-horowitz-sex-harassment-20170703-story.html
Okay, so Buster is face of Baseball. Face of the human race?
http://humanorigins.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/images/square/africanus_JG_Recon_head_CC_f_sq.jpg?itok=M31Iahzs
Hit the dentist and barber, and she’s looking pretty good for an old broad.
I think I went to High School with that dude!
I’ve seen worse in Walmart
POTD
That’s my cousin (long lost!).
What’s in the drinking water in Cincinnati? We know Joey Votto can hit, always has been top hitter. But something is going on with the hitting philosophy, and maybe the ballpark and division, that is enabling guys to bust out or the woodwork. Cinci should perhaps sell high on some of these guys for pitching, or maybe just build a winner around an offensive juggernaut.
some wRC+ of their best hitters:
Votto 166
Zack “don’t call me all-glove” Cozart 148
Scooter “Bam Bam” Gennett 136
Adam “The Big Regret” Duvall 126
Scott “Who?” Schebler 117
Eugenio “don’t call me Velez” Suarez 114
Devin “2016 Duvall” Mesoraco 106
What about your crush Billy Hamilton, water not helping him that much !
you know what’s funny? He’s the worst hitter of the bunch but teams would still trade a lot for him because of what his speed can do on defense and on the bases – there’s still hope he can learn to get on base bettter.
What the Giants wouldn’t give up for Hamilton and have a stellar defender in CF!
I’d love to see Hamilton playing CF for the Giants.
For some reason the Giants can not get him out, every other team in MLB seems to have no problem getting him out, and a sure out as a lead off hitter is a no to me, I do not care how good his defense is .
He is good but occasionally has issues getting on base like all hitters do.
Would you trade Shaw for Hamilton? Wouldn’t Cincy want much more than that?
Cincy has all the Power they need, they need Pitching, and as a Giant fan I know another guy that can not hit with little power, is not a good fit for a team close to last in runs scored and last in SLG% and HRs the last time I looked .
#$#% NO!
Meeeeee tooooooo
The worst hitting team just got worse .
Hey, his BA is .016 better than Gorkys. Huge upgrade.
The problem is Crawford’s average, if you have a great hitting team a couple bad hitters with great gloves is ok, but the Giants are not a great hitting team .
True, Peter.
Crawford has had a rough season at the plate, and a rough season off the field. I’m betting he will improve the 2nd half.
But would you love to see Hamilton on Broadway?
Nope.
I know you think you’d hate it because it’s “liberal politics,” but it’s really not and you might actually like it. It’s a fascinating look at early American history and at a polarizing, enigmatic figure who was incredibly influential in how the government and Constitution were shaped. It also looks at the politics of the early stages of the nation and the different forces and influences and alliances during a very pivotal period of time.
If you hate history, you wouldn’t like it, but I don’t think you hate history, do you? I found that it made early American history come to life in ways I’d never appreciated when studying it in school or reading about it.
As for the music, it’s half rap, half real Broadway singing. I’m no particular fan of rap, but the music was clever and creative. Lin-Manuel Miranda really went out of the box, and it’s amazing how well he pulled it off. I actually really enjoy it when artists push genre boundaries. Again, it makes me see things in new ways, and that’s always good.
Who knows. Maybe I would. I do like musicals, but more the classics like The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, The King and I and West Side Story…the kind with actual songs. Please don’t tell anyone this.
Just read the article that Kevin Durant is going to take less than we all thought, good on him a real pay cut , not that 20% raise, fake pay cut, that is a team player !
He RULES and is The Man on that team. The go-to.
Here’s an interview with Heliot Ramos from just last Thursday. He’s sure is confident:
Q: When you look back on your baseball career [after he’s retired], what do you want to accomplish?
A: I want to be a Hall of Famer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgPUw_SiCWo
Cal Ripkens son https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/880617176947982337
Most likely a repost – Alex and his podcast – Ryder Jones http://www.csnbayarea.com/page/giants-insider-podcast-alex-pavlovic
Happy 4th tomorrow for Allen and all his buddies in the BIG park in the sky. These are for you Allen.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7998635b6d6ed00fcbe1ead0fdd51d3ce4e1f347e0cadcb00291a21e83a4930a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ac63576767a08b069885370d9695ca3167605c4b5544cd60c2a8e6e51613d35d.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fad7df1804a9cd59f9cac48f0718c59c8d7d148463b46475d522be16f360593e.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/56c856ec905ecb94445018187c44aba1be8a178f35aa473f5a1d58eed7420f98.jpg
When there is no Giants, I have to defer to reruns of Chip and Joanna…now, don’t get me wrong…Joanna is classy hot. But I’m on shiplap overload after only 30 minutes.
“classy hot”?? Where are you from? Modesto?
Waco sophisticated, maybe. I’m not even sure she handles all of the design elements herself.
Had to look it up. Can’t argue one man’s hot, though.
I’m not saying she isn’t hot. What I objected to was the “classy” part.
You never fail to be a snob !
Unfortunately, I think you confuse snobbish with discriminating taste.
nevermind
Decided I’d better research her … turns out she is another of the infinite things I don’t understand. “The Kardashian of HGTV” https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2017/04/16/joanna-gaines-is-the-kim-kardashian-of-hgtv/22042173/
Classy lady. You ought to watch her for a show.
Sincerely,
Modesto
I’ve seen them all.
You should take a shot every time she says shiplap. You’d be comatose by the second commercial break.
Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge side by side yesterday.
https://i.imgur.com/mKDBEVj.png
The “indicator” is the number of stars, not their height.
My friends are at the River Cats game today. Sadly I couldn’t go due to work 🙁
You’ll be missing some post-game fireworks and good BBQ:
“Join us for our annual Independence Day Eve celebration at the ballpark, featuring postgame fireworks and specialty jerseys. Also included in this special package is an all-you-can-eat pregame barbeque from 6 – 8 pm in the Sactown Smokehouse. The all-you-can-eat BBQ includes Tri Tip, Hamburgers, Raley Field Hot Dogs, three (3) sides and one (1) drink.
🙁 They got the tickets anyway before they remembered to think to ask me. I’d have been the 5th wheel, so oh well!
I was just saying I’d wish we’d gone out there tonight. The weather’s perfect. The fireworks are always great.
Cat vs. DVD drive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hwHRy-HJ1w
Hey, the Volcanoes augmented their roster…
https://www.milb.com/volcanoes/news/seven-more-ballplayers-join-volcanoes-roster/c-240262342/t-196097402
“The most notable addition from the list is outfielder Bryce Johnson. A center fielder out of Sam Houston State University, Johnson excelled in his junior season with the Bearcats, slashing .350/.453/.433 with a .886 OPS in 67 games. He also racked up 92 hits, 43 runs batted in and 63 runs scored in 2017.
Scouts took note of Johnson’s “plus or better” raw speed and his high IQ on the base paths, as exhibited by his 33 steals this past season and his 83% success rate. Although he possesses little thump, Johnson has superb contact skills. He only struck out 41 times in 263 at-bats while walking 34 times en route to a .350 batting average.
Johnson showed off some of his tools in his first appearance in a Volcano uniform. The 21-year-old switch hitter went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and scored two runs in the team’s 4-2 loss to the Tri-City Dust Devils last night.”
Dude!!! The Giants bought some Herb from Seattle! Let’s burn one! PJ might not join in but…
Oh, wait. My bad. It’s a AA pitcher from the Mariners organization named Herb.
Whoa freaky. I was going to say I know someone named Tyler Herb (he’s an ex’s bff), and it turns out this guy’s first name is Tyler too?!
Tippecanoe?
!!! most excellent.
I found this humorous.
“Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is so frustrated with interference and leaking from White House staffers that he blew his lid last week in a meeting in Chief of Staff Reince Priebus’s office. Four people, familiar with the encounter, then leaked the details. What is at the heart of the matter?” “… Tillerson is insisting on appointing nominees who have certain skills, while the White House wants them to have demonstrated strong loyalty to the President. Apparently, the universe of people who fit in both categories is somewhat limited.”
It’s happened twice actually.
If nothing else, there will be a lot of great quotes coming out of this presidency!
He specifically ripped the WH personnel head, a trumpite named Johnny Santini (or something) – purportedly the crown prince had to step in between them.
Scooter Gennett watch:
3 for 4, HR (13) – .948 OPS
Adam Duvall 0 for 4, 3 K – .884 OPS
This has been the Sports Desk from WKRP.
Tuning in the peninsula…
Ronnie Jebavy 1 for 2, SB (6) …
Where did Steve Duggar go? Got a couple games in last week and he’s out of action since.
Up the Delta…
Andrew Suarez dealing down by the river. Shaw with 2 BBs. Williamson with 2 Ks, Parker a 2B…
Gotta be real hard for Mac and Parker to keep up the grind at times. And Law. They know the difference between where their at and where they wanna be. They really got to tear it up. 1-2 OF positions could open up next year. How extremely hard is it to grind it out day after day in triple A when you’ve been there and eaten the big boy league clubhouse food, rode the team charter busses, where big leaguers do not double up in the seats, flown on that fine chartered plane with the amount of food and beverages on board, your own suite at 5 star hotels, visiting team clubhouses that cater to your needs, and the big gorgeous stadiums full of people and television crews? Very hard. But they grind on day after day.
If they want to get off the bus and back in airborne first class, they better start consistently crushing the baseball. This could be the end of the line for both of them. The 40 man only has so many spots.
How many spots would that be?
Polka spots
I saw Duggar went back on the dl. Guess the wrist wasn’t healed.
Good catch, thanks. That dude is losing a year of development because of lingering injuries.
I watched the first inning of the River Cats game and was amused to see that Gillaspie wears his SF batting helmet. Didn’t stay tuned long enough to see if Parker does, too. (“I’m not really here. I’m just on a rehab assignment!”)
That’s amusing. There’s a tight correlation with the fact that anyone who is called up manages to report to the dugout within 24 hours, but it always takes the better part of a week to find one’s way to Sacramento.
“May the good news be yours.”
Are you Herb Tarlek now?
no one really cares about scooter, he’s in the same league as Seager, therefore he better enjoy the one ASG he will have in the next 5-10 years.
Wrong guy, Cozart is the All Star, Scooter is the 4 HR in 1 Game guy, former Brewer .
So according to Schulman, this Tyler Herb guy IS the PTBNL in the Heston trade. They’d said July 1, so I guess it was about that time.
That’s what I was guessing. Anything intriguing about the guy?
You know what strikes me is that his minor league track record, including a good year in AA this year, reminds me of…Heston.
Yup, and Herb is a starter too, like Heston was. From the NBCS BA article on the acquisition. Sounds decent:
“Herb, a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native, will be assigned to Double-A Richmond.
In 16 starts for the Arkansas Travelers, the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in the Texas League, Herb has a 3.31 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 30 walks in 98 innings.
The 25-year-old Herb was a 29th round pick in 2014 out of Coastal Carolina.”
http://www.csnbayarea.com/giants/giants-acquire-double-pitcher-mariners
Isn’t that same school as Heston? Maybe east Carolina…
Yes. He reminded me of Peaches & Herb, and I hadn’t thought about them for a while.
I immediately thought it was funny that they got a guy named Herb from Seattle.
#LetTimmySmoke
Strange hearing The Natural (Dave Fleming) broadcasting a non Giants game, especially AL game.
Any Heath Hembree regret out there ?
I liked Hembree. Followed him in the minors from the time he was in San Jose. He was MyGuy before we had them.
The one with the 5.something ERA, or is it a different Heath Hembree? Yeah, the team really misses him
He’s around 3.5 ERA, and he just got a 2-inning win in extras. But I don’t regret him because Jake Peavy helped us win a World Series in 2014.
I DO regret Joe Biagini, whom they let go for nothing.
Saw a comment on Twitter that if the Giants traded Strickland somewhere (Texas?), they could expect a return like what they gave up for Will Smith, considering Strickland’s track record, price tag, and controllability.
There are a lot of teams that need bullpen help. Strickland, Kontos, Gearrin…all with big league experience. For that matter, if Dyson keeps pitching well, they could flip him, too.
Sounds fair to me but Smith being a lefty probably elevated his value. Would Evans move hunter because of his poor team concept? At less than market value?
No, but I think he might move him FOR market value. I agree that Smith is worth more because of being a lefty, but Strickland’s pretty good, still in his 20s, and under team control for four more years. He’s been in the big leagues since 2014 and in two postseasons. That’s pretty decent experience for a guy that cheap.
Dyson could be a good guy to trade–stud closer and All-Star just last year–but he could also be a good guy to keep, especially since Melancon’s had trouble staying healthy.
Trade away the veterans for whatever you can get. Keep Melancon and Dyson. Give experience to guys like Crick, Stratton, Osich, Okert, Law, whoever else you want to bring up from AAA and AA like Rogers or Cyr. Next year you have Melancon, Dyson, Law, Smith, Osich/Okert, and whichever young guy(s) have separated themselves from the pack. Or go buy a reliever in the offseason.
Maybe bargain hunt for veteran reliever, 5th/6th starter, & backup catcher. Like 30 mil off books with Cueto and Cain. Maybe room for a big ticket
About $15m more goes to Brando’s
ouch! That’s what I was afraid. Seems everybody makes more money next year. The money coming off the books gets used up right away. And they are probably intent on staying out of luxury tax so as not to incur the higher tax rate.
I looked this up on Cot’s Contracts yesterday. Their commitments for next year are around $158 million already. That does include Cueto’s $21 million and it also includes Cain’s buyout. The Brandons’ raises are already factored in, too.
Drop Cueto and you’re down to the mid-$130s. Drop one more bigger ticket item (Span, Pence, Melancon, Moore, Samardzija, or Belt) and you’re now into the $120s. Not so bad. Drop two and you can really go shopping.
Since they can’t trade Melancon and probably won’t trade Pence (who also will have 10-5 rights within a few weeks), the best way to get additional salary relief would be to trade Span if anyone wants him (that gets $15 mil off the books for 2018-19)…or Belt.
Trading Nunez and a couple of relievers could be good for getting some prospects, but it won’t help with payroll.
none of these guys are part of a winning formula so really doesn’t matter where they go to be honest.
Looking up stuff on Strickland the other night and thought this was cool:
462 pitchers have thrown at least 100 innings since 2014. Of those, Strickland has the 21st lowest HR/9. The guy most casual fans knew him for (before the Harper fight) was for giving up tons of playoff home runs in just a few games. Since then, he’s allowed HR at a lower rate than 96.5% of all pitchers.
Reminds me, the bickford pick not a very good one.
Hard to say. He definitely showed some talent at San Jose last year. He’s still very young.
Hembree looks good. And I’m not talking about his hair. Classic fastball slider reliever
Yes. And he has a gruff resemblance to our Cory Gearrin.
He hasn’t pitched well since April.
If I ruled the Jint’s- next year’s roster. Have at it- Won’t happen, of course
1. Cain CF- FA
2.Panik 2nd
3. Slater LF
4. Posey C
5. Belt 1st
6.Ohboyo 3rd
7. Pence RF
8. Crawford SS
Utility- Hwang
Utility- KT
OF/1st base- Shaw
Blanco LF,CF,RF -FA
Hundley C
Rotation
MadBum
Cueto
Blach
Smarge
Jason Vargas FA
Relievers
Crick
Kontos
Smith
Osich
Dyson
Melancon
Law
Traded- Strickland, Span,Gearrin, Nunez- all for prospects
Moore, team option-gone
Not sure we can get you under budget but ownership may sign off and go for even year run. I guess you have had it with Moore and Span
I like Span a lot.He’d only go this winter- if they can get Cain.
How about Cain and keep Span since he’s not the easiest guy to trade? Span should be amenable to working in the corners with Cain ranging across center.
Great. Replace Slater with Span and make the outfield even older next year.
Slater is in LF and hitting 3rd, on my team.
I agree they should prioritize a good defensive CF next year.
Preferably under 30.
Wow. He’s come along way, baby! In a short time too. That would be something.
Only one more year of Pence and span, then full on youth movement. But will there be one big ticket, middle order fa?
He could still change some minds by 7-31.
Never mind–just saw you had Dyson.
That’s some pretty good fake-GM work, considering how much we are paying you. Nice touch in bringing the White Shark back!
My Version
1. Cain CF- FA – Worry is that Cain at age 31 has only one season of 140 gameas and another of over 130 and has only once had 500 ABs and max of 16 HR in career. Clearly a better CF than Span especially at present. Also more expensive. Probably wants at least a 3 year contract. Solving CF solves most of the Giant’s OF problems. There is not a wealth of CF FA talent available.
2. Panik 2B
3. Slater LF Also Belt when Posey or Shaw at 1B.
4. Posey C
5. Belt 1B. Also Posey and Shaw.
6 Arroyo 3B. Also Hwang.
7. Pence RF
8. Crawford SS
Utility- Nunez for 3B, SS, 2B, LF
Utility- Hwang for 3B, PH, DH
Utility- Shaw for 1B, LF, PH, DH
Utility- Span for CF, LF, RF; gets 400 ABs; four OFs play regularly including Span
Hundley C
Rotation
MadBum
Cueto
Samardzija
Blach
Smarge
FA or Giants homegrown to be determined
Relievers
Crick – Long relief.
Kontos
Smith
Osich
Dyson
Melancon
Law
Traded 2017 – Strickland, Gearrin, Moore for propects
I’m with Lefty – no more over-30s OFers.
Hence my concerns over Cain, the best of a weak lot of 2017 FA CFs.
The scenario where over pay for Cain for too long and then Cain drops in production and playing time plus blocks homegrown potentials (Reynolds, Duggar et al).
2018 will be a transition to a younger OF while Span and Pence play out their contracts unless traded.
Wonder too if Parker and Williamson would vary much from the Dodger’s Pederson in stats if managed to stay injury free and get the opportunity to have 500 ABs. Pederson gets the 25 HRs with low average and lots of Ks but also is several years younger. so more upside.
Like to see another top shelf RP for the 2018 Giants just hard to say who.
Pederson’s rates are looking a lot like Belt’s this year. He’s cut down his K’s.
Joc Pederson gets more BB than Parker and Williamson (like Belt so higher OBP) but is like the erstwhile Giants OFs in Ks.
Pederson has more power but less AVG than Belt. Didn’t make the Belt comparison as looking at OFs.
We are pretty close- do you want to be Sabean or Evans?
All four of us maybe are too conservative regards Giants baseball.
A perfectly acceptable PCL outing for Andrew Suarez tonight: 7 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8K.
They’ve been fast tracking this guy. He could be better than Blach and Beede.
He sure is racking up the K’s. I think he had 8 when we saw him a couple weeks ago.
If they feel he’ll be ready, they could try to trade Moore–save money next year.
Wow.
Carmelo Anthony is such a POS. I hope this trade proposal happens and the Cavs bring in Melo and jettison Love.
Love is easily the better player and at least tries on defense.
So apparently those patriotic socks literally had R and L on them, so everyone would wear the correct sock on the correct leg. In case you can’t figure out what the US flag should look like.
Right side up or upside down, depends on point of view.
Okay Einstien, its all a frame of reference question…
Einstein??? I was going for John Brown.
https://www-tc.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/images/brown1.jpg
I am not sure if it matters much but most Stance socks have a L and R on them, if there is actually a difference I couldn’t tell you what it is.
My socks have R and L on them. They are Under Armor compression socks and stitched differently for each foot.
Clown show sox.
Austin Slater is batting. 418 at home and 263 on the road. He loves home cooking and putting on a show for the SF faithful.
Good night.
Better than average night to you
Hard to imagine that after a 6 game winning streak the Giants would still be in last place by 2 games and 22 games out of first.
well, aren’t you all sweetness and light and the milk of human kindness this morning?
The unbearable sweetness of 2holehitting?
Can you spin a post with that milk of kindness combined with Footy’s unbearable lightness? We’re such an eloquent bunch.
Small steps.
LOL, Angel Hernandez is suing MLB and Rob Manfred over lack of postseason assignments, saying it’s racially motivated.
Or it could just be that YOU SUCK.
On the other hand, Phil Cuzzi gets postseason assignments (not the World Series), so maybe Angel has a point. And that guy Dan Iassogna who kept getting the calls wrong/overturned at first the other day was memorably in the 2012 World Series (called Prince Fielder out at the plate after Blanco/Scutaro threw him out).
https://www.fanragsports.com/news/umpire-angel-hernandez-files-lawsuit-mlb-rob-manfred/
Lefty did you see that your buddy Mark Purdy is retiring next month? He wrote a long see you later in Sunday’s paper, pretty interesting actually, talked about the changing landscape of journalism, the Green blowup, etc. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.
I did read it, thanks, and I thought it was an interesting and well-written (if a bit self-serving) piece. I don’t think he’ll be missed much, but it’s the end of an era.
Hernandez: give me a break. Maybe Bucknor will follow suit. Cuzzi is mediocre. Iassongna has for the most part been a good ump, IMHO. I remember an MLB piece on the “third team” on the field for that 2012 WS, and Iassogna got plaudits and kudos from all.
You know me, so ready for the big trade fireworks this month!
Tigers asking for a big return for Justin Verlander even though he’s still has something like 56 million guaranteed after the 13 mil he’s still owed this season. Does Kate Upton come in that deal? Don’t be sexist. They are said to be willing to include cash to facilitate trade for right prospects. Even though this puts a big name pitcher on the market, maybe it helps Johnny Cueto’s market – you don’t have to pay that much for big Justin Verlander to help your rotation, pay a little less for a better pitcher, that does age defying crafty things, and that may opt out or be a semi-affordable rotation member for four more years.
So who’s kicking tires on Verlander. Perhaps the Cubs, who may also negotiate for catcher Alex Avila. Maybe Los Bumbos down south. Yankees?
I just don’t know. He had a great year in 2016 (I agree with Kate that he should have won the Cy), but he’s not having a very good 2017, and the several years before 2016 weren’t very good, either. He used to be the best pitcher in baseball around 2012 or so, but there are a lot of miles on him, and that’s a lot of money still owed.
My son actually subscribes to ESPN Magazine though I’m not sure that he reads any of it. Anyway, you had recommended the issue about Beisbol, too long for me, just don’t have the time, but I did read the section on the Cuba players. I knew I hated the international players get to be free agents deal because it’seems unfair to American players but I didn’t realize that it fuels so much illicit smuggling of human beings and leaves guys stranded and broke and reliant on really bad people. MLB needs to fix that pronto for that reason alone and remove that incentive of huge signing bonuses that drives the smuggling. How awful, you here about guys like Puig and what he went through to get here but who knew there were so many others who didn’t make it and are now stuck in some dive and can’t escape? Wow.
Moving journalism. Here’s the link to the online 50 player interview.
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/19625385/beisbol-experience-mlb-50-man-interview
I read the entire issue (the English portion) and found it to be interesting and informative. I too was appalled at the treatment of these Cuban refugees. MLB has to get involved and correct this.
My brother the doger fan says they want Verlander. ‘Course he could be into his mota again.
they seem to need some sort of side kick for Kershaw. Looking for a Durant though.
I’m trying to remember the times the Giants weren’t buyers at the trade deadline. I remember 2013–they had a losing record and were buried in the NL West–and the rumor was they’d trade guys like Pence, Lopez, and Lincecum, who were all pending free agents. But they didn’t trade anyone, signed them all back, and won a World Series the next year. (Yes, Efrain, Lincecum helped them do that. He won 12 games in 2014, second only to Bumgarner.)
Other than that year, I remember:
2016: Smith, Moore, Nunez
2015: Leake (a trade deadline that will live in more infamy even than 2011)
2014: Peavy
2012: Scutaro and Pence
2011: Beltran, O-Cab, Keppinger (maybe I take back what I said about 2015)
2010: Lopez
2009: Freddy Sanchez
So over the last ten years, only 2013–and even then, they weren’t sellers. I find myself curious and interested about what will happen these next few weeks.
Also in 2010 we got Ramon Ramirez, who was a solid bullpen addition for us. And, while not at the deadline…Cody Ross. Oh yeah, Guillen, too. 😡
Watching Wimbledon and they are interviewing Coco Vandeweghe, and I’m here thinking ” your father is a POS who screwed the Warriors last year and I’ll never forgive him”
I struggle between “two out of three ain’t bad” and “it soooo easily woulda/coulda/shoulda been a three-peat.” On the other hand, as the story goes, Durant wouldn’t have come if they’d won the ‘ship in 2016, so maybe it wouldn’t be.
Speaking of… KD is such a cool, selfless human being.
He’s unbelievable. Just too good to be true. Happy one-year anniversary of when he announced he was going to be a Warrior!
Still waiting for some hater to spin his selfless action into something negative about how “soft” he is.
Told ya!! I’m really happy for KD. He has earned all the glory and accolades.
Anyone for tennis?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB2f6-U72Zk
Spectacular crash in today’s finale. Guys are still down.
Cavendish injured?
Collarbone looks like. Sagan (World Champion) threw an elbow at him into the barriers. There will be controversy when everyone looks at this. Sagan went too far.
I saw a bunch of guys hugging Cavendish like he was done when I flipped it on….eek
Her uncle, actually. I think. Might be wrong.
Close enough for me to dislike-by-association
Yeah I think Uncle. But her grandmom was a Miss America so Coco’s OK with me by association 🙂
A fan’s graph. Are you alarmed by the spike in HRs? 2001 is regarded as he peak of the steroid era. I believe Barry Bonds did something special that year. Here are the HRs per PA from MLB seasons 2001 to present. I mean Mike Moustakas is on pace for 40+ HRs. Never mind the 20 barrier, Brandon Belt is on pace for 30 long balls. Something is up! And deep! OUTTA HERE! Adios pelota!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6caf9a6b6dd3990d5c470a7b5eae682155604269bad1a3766c2f287a0b1732fd.jpg
Yep, guys are back to flipping opposite field homers that in the past would have been doubles or outs.
The guys on MLB Network are convinced it’s the baseballs and that they are manufactured with tighter seams.
Some pitchers think they’re causing a blister epidemic–guys who’ve never had blisters in their lives (Cueto, Price, Stroman) are all of a sudden struggling with them.
Tests are showing the seems are lower and tighter this year.
Lineup. Posey DH’ing. Nunez not back. Shockingly, it turns out that 10 days isn’t enough to fix a hamstring.
https://twitter.com/hankschulman/status/882246459827130369
Three man bench looks very odd.
Maybe they have proven that relief pitchers are getting overworked? Raggs/Bochy on the Leading Edge again?
Bochy preference and no need for double switches in the AL park.
Yes, a different game with the Fake Baseball Player Rule.
I was going to say the same. Also Jones is dinged up (HBP-hand), so it could be bench of Kelby/Gorkys. No PH for P, but still a soft bench, IMHO.
It looks odd, and it’s really stupid. If relievers are overworked, stop using 5 of them per game
Well, that’s partly because they have a DH today. It’s technically a four-man bench, but with Jones limited with a sore hand, it’s more like 2.5 right now.
Yes!! Hwang!! Uh oh, Slater batting 9th, no respect 😉
“Second Lead Off Hitter” is how he was told to think of it. He needs his first MLB SB.
nobody steal bases anymore, except for the true burners.
Exactly what he is in this configuration. Is he healthy enough to run? Got that hip thing still, I think.
You know everyone wants Nuney in there, but better for him and the team if he waits until after the ASB. Eleven additional days to heal, then he has a strong back half of July and becomes imminently tradeable.
Giants are playing well without Nunez right now. If this continues: If it ain’t broke, then don’t try to fix it.
Absolutely. I thought it was nuts that they had him playing rehab games in AA already. He’s had recurrent hamstring problems, and how did it work out last year when they kept trying to push Pence quickly through his?
MyGuyScouting™ Highlights
Rutolo picked by doobieibood, Doughnut
Relief Pitcher at Augusta: 25.1 IP / 35K / WHIP 0.75 / 1.42 ERA
College guy out of UConn
Hitters had a bad July 3 … Shaw 1-2 with a 2B, now hitting .304
Another graph by a fan. Flyballs are not up since 2002, but the rate of flyballs leaving yard has an identical uptick to the HR/PA trend.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e0fe9e4549962b14e091437414088e0e4b54e58570fa7ce9f6d8f816ed510a97.jpg
One more graph! Batting average across the league has declined from .262 in 2001 down to .254 this year. Meanwhile strikeout rates have jumped from 17.3% to 21.6% over the same span. It’s a different ball game, folks, and hitters are using different strokes to rule the world.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a5bca7aa49f7b01b0a2abeb3b29cf384bf77691128942c03277cc5e8964916fd.png
Hitters are like me they prefer SLG% to batting average .
well, if your batting average isn’t that great, your SLG% won’t be as great. Perhaps you prefer ISO which is SLG% – AVG.
Hard to score runs without Extra base hits, rarely do teams get 3 singles in a inning, go through MLB box scores, I would say 90% of runs scored in an inning involve extra base hits. The last Giants game they scored 5 runs, 3 in one inning, a walk, DOUBLE, single, single, SF, 2 in another inning, a Double and a HR .
Pete, you’ll find that most people strongly prefer extra base hits to singles and that they are fully aware that extra base hits are more likely to produce runs than singles, so you don’t need to act like you are the only on aware of this and that everyone is against you.
I like slugging, but I wish baseball would stop making it easier. When all players are one note, it’s a worse game
Yeah, just ask Ryan Zimmerman
bad for ball
direction towards three outcomes is no bueno
Hey, hey, my, my, we get to scout JD Martinez for winter shopping purposes. Cool to see last year’s AL ROY on the bump too.
https://twitter.com/tigers/status/882244805459423232
And another Vandy pitcher.
University of Arkansas? Oh, you’re thinking of Carson Fulmer with the White Sox. He’s kind of struggling in AAA. Walker Buehler has been pretty electric in A+ and AA. Perhaps a big trade chip for Los Bumbos.
My bad. I did think it was Carson.
Man, when you zone in on a guy, we can certainly count on Foots On The Pedal. Welcome to the JD Martinez Series, huh Cuz?
Well, I got me a bad gopher problem. After several years of dead from the drought lawn (I conserved so Matt Cain could use 10,000 gallons a day) it finally looked nice and now it’s getting torn up. I tried one of those sonic emitting gopher repellant spikes but the little jerk just laughs at that, doesn’t seems to bother him at all. I was trying to avoid doing him in but I guess I have no choice. Back to OSH this morning, what’s the best way to get rid of this little Caddyshack wannabe?
Somebody here, probably Bapah, told a story of putting a gas or something like propane into the hole system, and blowing it up. It probably didn’t work but it is a certain kind of fun guy stuff to think about.
I have gas and propane but I think I’ll pass on this one, pretty healthy and want to stay that way. Thanks for the tip though.
Wise! I have a different sort of creature, named ground squirrel. My neighbors use mouse traps on them, and seem to really get frustrated by the constant war. New ones move into the “vacated” holes, it seems. I’ve figured out these critters like to dig a hole near the house, one on each side of it, and that keeps the others away from the established territory. There’s only one or two holes per critter, though, so it is tolerable.
Bait for the squirrels. The garden bunnies are the bane of my garden. Even loud hip hop doesn’t work.
Acetylene
And it did work. Those that didn’t die went deef.
I love the smell of Bapah killing rodents in the morning
aah, your strategy involved a higher temperature flame then!
The concussion deafened residents within a half mile.
If you can afford the water, flood the most recent hole. Wait for next new activity and flood again. I’ve been able to corner them this way and the shovel ends their gopher days.
this may now be illegal in california b/c of the h20 usage
Yep, I shoved the hose down one of the holes and ran it for a hour but a few hours later he had dug it back out.
I live for gopher battles! Gives me an excuse to play with the hose. But I’ve got 6+ this way.
try castor bean product, repel them instead of killing them. give it a try, maybe they’ll move to the neighbors. have to water it in real good after broadcasting. Get some gopher traps and get good at setting them if you want to see them dead.
Yeap. I bought this on Amazon, and worked getting rid of those gophers.
I’m using castor beans. The jury is still out. They reseed themselves like crazy.
I’m not much in to killing, just ants if they come in the house, mosquitos, black widows, that’s about it. I’ll look up the castor bean, I don’t remember seeing that as an option when I was at the store on Sunday.
Try the hose too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ckohQO2mvI
The Rodentator.
Hat probably worked, lol.
Growing up there was neighbor who was SFPD who had an immaculate lawn and when Varmint Cong infiltrated his domain, he would wait patiently with a lit cigar clenched in his teeth, Clint like, and did the little critter in with a confiscated illegal firework like a barrel bomb or M-80.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fIMfir6r1Rc
Or The Rodentator Pro.
In open fields, I have no beef. It’s in nice lawns that we resort to homicide, er, rodentocide.
Us too. Major gopher problems. It’s at the top of my summer to-do list.
Cayenne or ammonia forces them elsewhere for awhile. New activity is the key. Make come up in new places.
That’s how we got ours. AT & T did some work across the street, and they moved to our yard.
Over the last 2 weeks, Austin Slater is batting .286/.324/.429, FWIW.
…and that’s better than the other 12 LFs, put together.
it’s pretty good, above avg with 104 OPS+
For a rookie who wasn’t even on the 40 until a few weeks ago, I’ll take it.
fur schizzle
i told you he’d be better than Mac and Park 🙂
These MyGuyScits™ told us he’d be better …
AHS, Anti-Lasorda, Crawnik, DrLefty, Matthew, PandaPuffs, Sarcastic
I’m not terribly surprised, either. I’ve had my eye on him for a couple years–he was MyExclusiveGuy™ in 2015 when he was in SJ–and I was convinced after his excellent 2016.
I’ve never believed in Parker, but I thought Mac had more potential, with his various tools. Losing any hope in him this year. Watched him take an awful AB last night to end the game; looked badly fooled on a backfoot slider for a swinging strike three. (Another way he reminds me of Nate Schierholtz.)
I don’t get all the love for Lorenzo Cain being part of our OF next year (and beyond…). He’ll be 32 on Opening Day 2018–haven’t we had our fill of 30+ OF? Great defensively *now*, but how great in 2-3 years? (e.g. Pence & Span). Career OPS .753, about the median in MLB. He would be a big FA ticket…I say pass.
If 29 is the new 35 you’re right. He sure is exciting to watch play.
He is now. What about 2-3 years down the road?
If they were in it to win it next year and they had a real void at CF, he would probably be the right guy to push team over top for that tight window of 1-2 years. But since Giants situation complicates matters, he’s not really ideal.
Me too, for the same reasons. Especially the suggestion to install him in CF, put Span in LF, block all the young outfielders, and have all the OFs be well past 30. No thanks. I’m looking forward to a 2019 OF of agile 20-somethings.
It would be nice have a legit middle of order outfield hitter. The FA crop isn’t great his winter.
JD Martinez would offer one of the best bats in the league with minus defense.
Cain would offer CF play and above average defense and a good, not great bat. Excellent baserunning too.
Giants have their core approaching or at 30 too, maybe they’re tempted to push it for one last trophy with the core before doing a rebuild.
But a betting man says the Giants open 2018 with Span in center, Pence in right, and Slater in LF.
Problem is 2017 is a transition year and without a trade or trades Span and Pence are Giants in 2018.
Cain does look to make the Giants better but that is why I offered the Cain cavats.
The young Giants OF don’t look to be full time until 2019 without a major breakout.
Still quality CF solves more than a corner FA like JD Martinez.
OF Patience grasshoppers.
I’m done being patient with the outfield. It’s been awful for years. The last time they had a really good outfield was 2012 (Melky, Pagan with a great year, Blanco/Pence). Good defense, good speed, good extra-base pop (led the league in triples, Pagan broke Mays’s record for triples). They’ve had a revolving door in LF for ten years and counting, consistently put league-worst (or near) CFs out there (Pagan, then Span, now Gorkys as a sub), and Pence has been injury-prone and declining after 2014.
In my happy place, they find a buyer for Span this month. I think Pence stays through the end of his contract, but maybe they move him to LF next year and into a partial platoon with Shaw. Slater can play RF. They trade for a good YOUNG CF or hope like heck that Duggar or Reynolds is ready next year.
I’m with you, but I just don’t in a million years see Pence ever moving to Left Field. He Is what he is, and his reads are rough…I can’t see him trying to learn totally new angles, and it working at all. It may seem like no big deal to flip to left – and some guys can do it well. I don’t see Pence as one of those
You’re probably right, but yeeeeeeesh, is he bad in RF this year (sliding catch on Sunday notwithstanding). I just don’t see how they can go into another full season of that. He and Span together are a major liability. I thought it was interesting that even Flemming was talking the other day about how badly Samardzija had been victimized by his defense. It doesn’t require actual errors to screw up a guy’s ERA.
Matthew, I think he’s with us next year, and I’m OK with that. He’s already played a lot of LF (albeit not in AT&T) in his career, and I think he gets a chance to finish his Giants career on a positive note. We’re better with Slater in RF. We’ll see how it plays out.
We know that Hunter will do whatever the team asks of him, though. Spring training really out to be long enough for him to adjust to LF angles.
Gotta heartily disagree that a spring training can get him there. Yes, he would do anything. But CAN he do anything? His days are dwindling, and him in left would be scary bad
He played LF for Philadelphia in 2011-2012, before coming to us. Less ground to cover should be a plus. He’ll have all spring to figure out the changes from RF. Makes a lot of sense to me.
Two weeks ago S’Marty suggested Span could be trade-worthy and since then he has been even better. I like Span but I also like trading him to a contender that needs him as I too like the crop of OF’ers coming up.
It would be fantastic on every level if they could trade Span–free up payroll, open up CF, better for him, too.
“for him” … that was on my mind too. He would enjoy a Run at a Ring.
Trade him to Huston for their AAA catcher, Stassi. He is a NorCalGuy™ that brings youth and a good ClubHouseFacdtor™. He had two HR’s against Sac last night.
You know Footy’s gig. It’s cool.
If the Giants were truly “one player away,” I’d like Cain in my OF. But we have so many holes in so many places, he’s just not practical!
maybe it’s because he is one of the worst umpires in baseball?
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/07/03/sports/baseball/ap-bbo-umpire-sues-mlb.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
Angel Hernandez, a big league umpire for nearly a quarter-century, sued Major League Baseball on Monday alleging race discrimination.
Whoa! Dodger Killer Brian Johnson in the booth today!
New Post: http://fe0.84e.myftpupload.com/2017-season/game-85-preview-giants-visit-detroit-and-remember-2012/
Why are there comments from 2 months ago in the new post?
That happened the last time I posted one, too. Disqus gremlins.