No, the headline
doesn’t refer to the Cubs. For a change, it’s the San Francisco Giants. After four consecutive years of
not making the playoffs, and three years of not being close, management has
finally realized they are going to have to revamp the club.
As I prepare to visit
my father-in-law in the Bay Area, which gives me a great excuse to go to a
Giants game (front row, close to the dugout, baby!), I do so knowing that it’s
likely it will be the last time that I’ll see several of my favorite Giants in
a San Francisco jersey.
There are certainly,
as any member of the Giants faithful can tell you, many changes that need to be
made. But is it as far away as it seems? Perhaps not. I think that you can
break down the Giants into four areas…and two of them need dire work. The other
two? Maybe not so much.
STARTING PITCHING
First and
foremost…what the Giants need to do here is: EXACTLY NOTHING! Don’t touch a
thing. This club has, in my mind, a chance to have one of the strongest
starting rotations in baseball. I’m not talking just now, either…perhaps one of
the strongest rotations ever. Yes, I’m talking ’71 Orioles, ’95 Braves…they
could be that good.
Before you scoff…do
you really think Barry Zito will be as bad as he has been this year? Look at
former A’s teammate Tim Hudson. His ERA jumped his second year in the National
League, and now it’s back to just above 3.00. I can’t see why Zito won’t do the
same. Once Barry starts to relax, and not press trying to justify his contract,
he should settle back into the Barry Zito that the Giants thought they were
signing to a multi-year contract.
If you haven’t heard
already, Tim Lincecum has some very scary stuff. He’s still learning to pitch
at the major league level…but he’s proving to be a quick study. Once seasoned,
he’s going to be something very special.
When you look at
stats for Matt Cain, forget the won-loss record. He’s received god-awful run
support, and can’t count on the bullpen to hold a lead for him on the rare
occasions he leaves with a lead. Cain is a quality starter, period. He’s even
younger than Lincecum, and throws wicked heat. Once Cain can relax because he
can count on the offense to score some runs, he’ll be excellent.
All Noah Lowry has
done is quietly posted one of the best ERAs in the National League this year.
I’m looking forward to watching him pitch on Friday. I’ll give you a post-game
report about Mr. Lowry when I return.
BULLPEN
Okay, here it is…even
more than working over the offense, HERE is the area the Giants need to concentrate
on the most. The bullpen has been dismal this season. The club needs to beg,
borrow, or steal relievers, and spare no expense. As admirably as Brad
Hennessey has performed, he is not a closer. He’s a good long reliever,
possibly a fifth starter…but a closer he is not. Kevin Correa might be worth
keeping around, but not building around. Vinnie Chulk is the Giants version of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde…you never know which one you’re going to see on the
mound. Steve Kline may be a fun guy to have around, but his best days are
behind him. You get my drift…the Giants need to rebuild a bullpen in the worst
way, instead of having a bullpen that pitches in the worst way.
INFIELD
The first part of my
infield analysis may surprise some. I say, leave the left side of the infield
alone! I know, Omar Vizquel is old and not hitting like he used to, and Pedro
Feliz has still not been the monster at the plate he’s been touted to be for
several years. But, I do think that in terms of defense alone, those two are
worth keeping. Everyone knows about Vizquel…arguably, the best defensive
shortstop to ever play the game. But few outside of San Francisco realize what a highlight reel season Feliz
has put together at third base. Night after night he makes ridiculously hard
plays look easy. And his plate discipline HAS improved a bit…not to the extent
everyone would like to see, but he is putting up decent enough numbers to keep
him around.
Where the Giants need
to drastically improve is on the right side of the infield. As much as I like
and respect Ray Durham, Rich Aurilia, and Ryan Klesko, they are clearly not the
answer. The Giants need to be younger and stronger at both positions. Kevin
Frandsen is NOT the answer. Frandsen has been getting a ton of at bats this
year, with the hope that he’d be ready to step into a full time starting role.
It’s not going to happen. His average is floundering down around .220. The right side would be an ideal place to pick up a big
name…if the Giants let Bonds go, they need to have another big name to keep
filling the seats. I’m all for keeping Rich Aurilia around as a utility
infielder, however, particularly if they also name his lovely wife Raquel as
the Giants Official Celebrity Spokesbabe.
(Did you honestly think I'd pass up an opportunity to put the lovely Ms. Aurilia in my blog????)
The catching
situation needs no change. Benjie Molina has been the best acquisition of last
offseason. He’s been the Giants most consistent and clutch hitter.
OUTFIELD
The several million
dollar question for the Giants is, what do you do with Bonds? Barry wants to
come back one more year, and I’d love to see him keep hitting balls into
McCovey Cove. But if the Giants are serious about getting younger, all three
outfielders (Bonds, Roberts, and Winn) are likely to be gone. While I’d
personally like to see Randy Winn, one of the most underrated players in
baseball, stay, if they do indeed decide to go younger…it’s already done!
The Giants need to
look no further than their own forty man roster to get younger, and potentially
get really GOOD in the outfield. The trio of Rajai Davis, Dan Ortmeier, and
Freddy Lewis is poised and ready to turn some heads. Ortmeier, while being the
least impressive of the three, also has added versatility in that he can play
first base. Davis and Lewis both display blazing speed, and have shown they can
hit. Lewis (currently at Fresno)
hit for the cycle in a call up earlier this season. Davis was an absolute steal from the Pirates
(acquired in the Matt Morris deal). The Giants future certainly could look
bright in the outfield.
I’ll be away from
regular computer use for a few days. Thanks in advance for reading, and I’ll
get to comments eventually, if not right away.
I couldn't agree more with your comments with one exception, Pedro has to go but the bullpen has been gross, it seems they have blown more games that I can remember, the starting pitching is goina be great!
It pains me to say this as a Dodgers fan but I agree, the Giants have the makings of a VERY special staff. Getting a quality setup man and closer should be a top priority next season. As far as the OFs, the trio of Davis, Ortmeier, and Lewis could be very solid. Lewis, in particular, has some good pop in his bat. I would suggest moving Bonds to 1B but he has the mobility of an oak tree. He can still throw the leather from time to time. Get a good young 2B and the Giants will be competitive next season. I'm actually looking forward to the Giants being good again because when both the Dodgers and Giants are good, the rivalry is that much better.
The Giants should trade for Joe Nathan, B. Bonser, Bob Howry, Franciso Liriano and Jeremy Accardo to fix their pitching. Oh, thats right, they traded these players AWAY. The Giants stink and you forgot to talk about their defense.
Last edited by baseballfan10 on August 23rd at 8:50 AM.
The bullpen has some good arms but due to the closer stituation the last couple of years no one has had a defined role. I would like to see the Giants get serious about grooming Brian Wilson for the closer role. His stuff has been filthy since his return to the big leagues. Hennesey has done an admirable job as a closer but the Giants lose his versatility as a spot starter, long reliver, late inning, and now closer. Correia and Messenger are keepers. They need to find some lefties with more consistency then what they have gotten this year. Vinnie "Choke" Chulk needs to go. I agree that the Giants should retain Pedro Feliz. He is solid defensively and offensively he is a consistent .250 avg., 20 hr, and 75 rbi guy and looks more patient at the plate this year. As much as I like Vizquel they need to get younger at shortstop or sign A-Rod. Frandsen looked pretty good at the plate on the last road trip and needs to play every day so he can be evaluated properly. The Giants will get more out of his .220 average then Ray Durham's who just needs to go somewhere else. At least Frandsen puts the ball in play rather then striking out with runners on base every game. Aurilia stays because he is versatile enough to fill in at any of the infield positions. Ortmeir has looked good lately at first base and needs to be the starter for the rest of the season over Klesko who also needs to go. The Giants also need to look at Schierholtz a little more once the roster expands in September at first or in the outfield.
(continued) Randy Winn should stay and Roberts should go or stay as the fourth infielder since his contract will be hard to move and the base stealing knowledge he learned from Maury Wills would be invaluable to the younger faster Giants. The Giants need to look at Pat Misch and Jonathan Sanchez a little closer to see who can fill the fifth starter role or see if both can join the rotation if the team decides to trade Lowry which I would hate to see happen. They wouldn't need to score a ton of runs if they could fix the bullpen and put together an offense that can score and drives in runs more consistenly. With the younger faster guys in the lineup they would be able to manufacture runs instead of always being stationary like they have this year and put pressure on the opposing teams defense. If they just work on the fundamentals and not shoot themselves in the foot like they have this year the Giants could be right back in the thick of the division quickly.
Great stuff. A very thorough analysis of the team.
Agreed, the starting pitching is definitely the team's strength. Even Zito's been showing signs of life lately. I think the key for him has been spotting his fastball to set up the big curve. Earlier this year, he was throwing a mid-80's fastball and not being particularly sharp with location. Now, he's getting a high 80's-low 90's fastball going with good inside location. In turn, his curve has been much more effective.
The problem with bullpen arms is that they are notoriously inconsistent. One year a middle reliever looks great, the next he's awful. When you're talking about young pitchers the problem gets even worse. So, it's hard to tell who's going to do what in middle relief from season to season. Remember when Scott Munter looked like a world beater?
I think Wilson is the guy as closer. His stuff has been filthy since his call-up. I don't know where he got the cutter, but it's a great out pitch. I think I'd just swap Hennessey to the 8th inning next season and just let Bochy pick the hot hand to do the rest of the relief work. Invite as many arms to camp in the spring and pick the guys who are having the best camp to fill out the pen.
I like Davis and Lewis in the OF. Going with youth and speed in 2 of the 3 OF spots would be fine with me. The opther corner OF needs to be a thumper, though. Who's available on the free agent market? I'll have to take a look.
Barry got the record, and I think it's time to bid him goodbye if he decides to play another year.
I think the team got a lot more out of Barry this year in terms of playing time and production than could have reasonably been expected and if they think the same is going to happen next year, it'll be a huge mistake. They need to spend that money on someone they can count on to play 150 games in the clean-up spot.
In the IF, I agree that Pedro has been stellar defensively at 3B. The problem is that we know what he is as a hitter and that won't change. If the team doesn't get more offense which would afford them to use him lower in the batting order as more of a supporting hitter rather than a key run producer, he's too inconsistent at the plate to be counted on as a middle of the order presence.
I'd like to see Frandsen get regular playing time for the rest of the season to make a better assessment of him. His play hasn't been very inspiring, but it is to be expected with the jagged level of playing time he's gotten. He needs to know he's going to play every day to really have a chance to show what he's all about.
Agreed on Racquel. Wow.
I know things look awful for the team right now, but they can fix this. They just need to get serious about it this off-season.
Management has several directions they could go after this season, let's hope the one they choose leads to success in the near future.
In addition to what you stated for the starting staff, I think the Giants should look at Correia and Sanchez. Correia will be better as a starter than a reliever. Misch has better stats as a reliever than as a starter. Next year's bullpen could also include Wilson as a closer and Threets as one of the left handers.
The key is the other 8 and their backups because the offense has been real bad this season. In the outfield the Giants need to look at Schierholtz, Lewis, Ortmeier, Timpner, Horwitz, Bowker, and Velez. Of the current outfielders of Bonds, Davis, Winn, and Roberts, keep Bonds for 1 more year because he is what the fans come to see and try and trade Winn and Roberts since their contracts have 2 more years to go.
In the infield resign Feliz and Vizquel for 1 more year and try and do something about 1st and 2nd. Unlike the outfield where there are plenty of prospects in the upper minors, the future infielders are in the lower minors and still 2-3 years away.
Most important is for Giants management to not strangle the future of the team by signing free agents to long term contracts. Management should only sign premium type free agents to fill key holes when the team is again ready to compete. Otherwise, keep it to 1 year. The future looks bright but it looks really bright in 2-3 years when guys like Noonan, Fairley, and Burriss are ready to join the Lincecum, Cain, and company.
What wrong with someone saying best pitching staff ever? Wait until next year when the pressure of signing that big contract doesn't weigh on Zito, Lincecum has had an offseason to workout and prepare for a full season, Cain has his breakout season, Lowry comes back even better, and one of their other young arms whether it's Sanchez, Correia, or Misch fills the fifth spot. This staff could very well be the best pitching staff one through five. All they need is an offense to score enough runs for them and a reliable bullpen. Hennesey, Wilson, and Messenger aren't a bad start in the bullpen. Name another starting rotation with this much youth and talent.
I agree the starters seem solid, Zito seems to be getting super star ace pay to be the 4th starter atm. I like feliz more and more and when Bonds is gone homers have to come from somewhere. I don't want to reward bad plate discipline but it's time to see if he can cut it at clean up again. Durham is just about done, same with vizquel, so I want to see KF at one of those positions next year. Klesko is about the only guy over 35 I want to see even platooning a position next year. If Cain keeps homering see if he can platoon at first lol. Most importantly I share your opinion of Raquel she's pretty hot but not sure if she alone can save her hubby's job, make Aurilia an infielders coach and everybody wins.
Last edited by RHenderson on August 23rd at 3:52 PM.
I agree Giants starters are super. Even the ones in the wings are young Sanchez, Miche, Correia, Hennessy,. Too bad they couldnt find another Accardo I saw the making of super reliever before the trade. Brian Wilson might be the man. He looked good today. I didnt see you mention the catcher. Molina has only one fault, hes slow. But in the clutch outside of Barry, hes the lman. He should have made the Allstar team ahead of McCann. His first half stats were better than McCann's were. They need to get a power hitter. Pedro shows glimpses of being a good player. His defense has been super and he always has RBis. I think they are one or two players away from being a contender. They can put runners on base but cant get the big hit. Zito has looked like Zito in his last two starts. He'll be ok. At 29 he is the senior of the starters. I hope they can fix things thru free agency and not have to deal Lowry. Lowry has been super this year. In a pitching div. they are set if they can find a 300 hitter or two. All the guys they got last winter are below their life time adv. Durham went from being great last year to sucking this year.
Well, Bernalo it is true if you want to read or not. Their is not a team that has 4 better starters and these guys are under 30. The Giants problems have not been their starters. At one point they were no. 2 in quality starts. Cain has received the worst run support in the league. He has a better era than Zambrano who has won 14 games. Their problem is clutch hitting. They can get runners to 2nd by walking Barry, one of their guys stealing but then the batter dies there. Klesko has been a good player for them. He doesnt have the old power\ anymore, but he can still hit over 280. Too bad we cant find another Robb Nenn.
Last edited by Dantheman on August 23rd at 4:35 PM.
I dont understand the Cubs being upset about Lincecum pumping his fist in the air after a strikeout. For Pete sakes, I seen Zambrano do that today after throwing out a runner. I have seen other pitchers do that. I really doubt he was trying to tease the Cubs, it was probably a strikeout at a time when the out was very important to him. Give me a break. I think the Giants should keep Winn. He has some power and produces. Roberts has been a big disappointment.
Last edited by Dantheman on August 23rd at 5:32 PM.
I like there prospects in the OF and their starting pitching looks very solid but zito needs to become his old self. Bullpen needs some serious help they need a power arm to close. There infield needs all new pieces. Pedro Feliz is solid but need upgrades everywhere else.
Thanks for your comments, everyone. Oh, except for you, bernalmh0. You can #### off.
Some of you commented on Brian Wilson. I hope you're right...I know there have been some rumblings about grooming him for the closer role. I haven't been convinced yet, but I hope it can work out.
I do agree they need to come up with a big bopper somewhere. Probably first base or the outfield, if Ortmeier plays first.
I'm really looking forward to Friday's game..it's less that 24 hours away! I'll check again when I can.
It'd be cool to see the young staff on the Giants develop into something like the 1990's Braves. This period they're in right now would be like the late 80's, I suppose.
Hello...I am an educator and musician living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Baseball and poker are my interests here...beyond that, about all I follow is Gonzaga Basketball and whatever tidbits I can pick up to avoid getting totally crushed in my football pool.
