Despite having the worst offense in terms of on base percentage, the 2009 San Francisco Giants are leading the Wildcard heading into August.
The pitching staff leads baseball with a 3.51 era, but that may not be enough for the players if the Giants don't start getting on base and scoring more runs.
The Giants added Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko in two trades to do improve the offense. Both players are upgrades in on base percentage from the previous starters (Juan Uribe and Travis Ishikawa).
But, the question remains: Did the Giants do enough before the trade deadline to bolster their offense?
San Francisco is 27th in runs scored, and 29th in OPS and homers (out of 30 major league teams).
With that type of offensive anemia, I would say the Giants needed to do a lot more before the trade deadline passed. But still, the Giants lead the wildcard and Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are probably the top two Cy Young candidates in the NL.
Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito have both found a rhythm after the all star break. The Giants need a fifth starter with Ryan Sadowski falling apart, and if the Giants are really serious about contending this year, that starter has got to be Madison Bumgarner.
After selling off two top prospects, it is time to go for it all. I'm not just talking about the the wilcard, I'm talking about the World Series. That's what the Giants need to win to make these trades worth anything.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Golden State Warriors Summer Update
In case you missed it, the Warriors drafted Stephen Curry with their first round draft pick and then played some Summer League Basketball.
Curry is not a big guard who can offset Monta Ellis' poor defensive abilities. Instead, he is a Monta Ellis clone, at least on defense. On offense, Curry could be an explosive three-point shooter. In time, he may also become a great distributor.
But, the Warriors took the best player available and I can't complain. The best big man available was Jordan Hill, who has all the tools to become the next Hakim Warrick, which is pretty underwhelming. The Warriors front line will once again be a little thin, but the Warriors need to find out if Anthony Randolph and/or Brandan Wright can be effective NBA players.
Stephen Curry has the tools to be a Richard Hamilton/Reggie Miller scorer. He is more likely to morph into his dad Del Curry, a prolific shooter with not much else to boast. But the potential is there, and that is worth drafting.
Anthony Randolph participated in this year's Summer League, and all signs say that he was one of the best players in Las Vegas. I can't wait to see Randolph play a full season next year. Many NBA scouts have compared Randolph to Lamar Odom.
Anthony Morrow also tore up Summer League, scoring an NBA Summer League record 47 points in a game. He may be the best catch and shoot player in the NBA. Not bad for the 2008 undrafted free agent.
Curry is not a big guard who can offset Monta Ellis' poor defensive abilities. Instead, he is a Monta Ellis clone, at least on defense. On offense, Curry could be an explosive three-point shooter. In time, he may also become a great distributor.
But, the Warriors took the best player available and I can't complain. The best big man available was Jordan Hill, who has all the tools to become the next Hakim Warrick, which is pretty underwhelming. The Warriors front line will once again be a little thin, but the Warriors need to find out if Anthony Randolph and/or Brandan Wright can be effective NBA players.
Stephen Curry has the tools to be a Richard Hamilton/Reggie Miller scorer. He is more likely to morph into his dad Del Curry, a prolific shooter with not much else to boast. But the potential is there, and that is worth drafting.
Anthony Randolph participated in this year's Summer League, and all signs say that he was one of the best players in Las Vegas. I can't wait to see Randolph play a full season next year. Many NBA scouts have compared Randolph to Lamar Odom.
Anthony Morrow also tore up Summer League, scoring an NBA Summer League record 47 points in a game. He may be the best catch and shoot player in the NBA. Not bad for the 2008 undrafted free agent.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Giants trades "disgraceful"
Here were the Giants three options before the trade deadline in a nutshell.
Option 1: To stand pat with the team or to trade for small upgrades without giving up any top prospects.
Option 2: To go after Matt Holiday, Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez with a package of prospects including Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes.
Option 3: To trade Scott Barnes and Tim Alderson for two miniscule upgrades.
We chose option 3, which is undoubtedly the worst possible scenario.
Ryan Garko is 22nd in first baseman OPS and he has no speed or defense whatsoever. With the Indians in super sell mode and not one contending team desperate for a first baseman, Garko could have been had for Kevin Frandsen. We certainly did not have to give up Scott Barnes, a flame throwing lefty who is arguably the third best pitching prospect in the Giants farm system.
In short, we got ripped off. But Garko is a clear upgrade to this offense, and I would not have even wrote a Brian Sabean hate blog if the Giants ended here. Instead he did the unthinkable. He traded highly coveted Tim Alderson, the second best Giants' pitching prospect and a certain big league arm for a three-time all-star and career .300 hitter named Freddy Sanchez.
On the surface it sounds pretty fair. But apparently the Giants only look on the surface.
Sanchez' On base percentage is .334 and a career .336. His OPS last year was .669, 2nd worst in major league baseball for second basemen.
Sanchez is a small upgrade over Juan Uribe at second, but overall he gives the Giants another hitter who struggles with plate discipline and hitting for power.
And we traded Tim Alderson for him. We could have traded for Marco Scutaro, whose on base percentage is 50 points higher, for a prospect worse than Scott Barnes, let alone Tim Alderson.
We may have been able to trade Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes to land Victor Martinez or Matt Holliday. Instead, we got two below average major league starters.
Did the 2009 Giants starting lineup improve... Yes...
Did the organization improve... Not even close...
Option 1: To stand pat with the team or to trade for small upgrades without giving up any top prospects.
Option 2: To go after Matt Holiday, Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez with a package of prospects including Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes.
Option 3: To trade Scott Barnes and Tim Alderson for two miniscule upgrades.
We chose option 3, which is undoubtedly the worst possible scenario.
Ryan Garko is 22nd in first baseman OPS and he has no speed or defense whatsoever. With the Indians in super sell mode and not one contending team desperate for a first baseman, Garko could have been had for Kevin Frandsen. We certainly did not have to give up Scott Barnes, a flame throwing lefty who is arguably the third best pitching prospect in the Giants farm system.
In short, we got ripped off. But Garko is a clear upgrade to this offense, and I would not have even wrote a Brian Sabean hate blog if the Giants ended here. Instead he did the unthinkable. He traded highly coveted Tim Alderson, the second best Giants' pitching prospect and a certain big league arm for a three-time all-star and career .300 hitter named Freddy Sanchez.
On the surface it sounds pretty fair. But apparently the Giants only look on the surface.
Sanchez' On base percentage is .334 and a career .336. His OPS last year was .669, 2nd worst in major league baseball for second basemen.
Sanchez is a small upgrade over Juan Uribe at second, but overall he gives the Giants another hitter who struggles with plate discipline and hitting for power.
And we traded Tim Alderson for him. We could have traded for Marco Scutaro, whose on base percentage is 50 points higher, for a prospect worse than Scott Barnes, let alone Tim Alderson.
We may have been able to trade Tim Alderson and Scott Barnes to land Victor Martinez or Matt Holliday. Instead, we got two below average major league starters.
Did the 2009 Giants starting lineup improve... Yes...
Did the organization improve... Not even close...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Giants lead Wild Card
Aaron Rowand (.304 average) is getting hits in bunches.
Pablo Sandoval (11 walks) is working the count.
Matt Cain (8-1) is winning games... with run support...
OK. OK. I must be dreaming. In 2008, these Giants players (.271 average for Rowand, 4 walks in 2008 for Sandoval, 8 wins in 22 more starts for Cain) weren't this good, and the Giants were never close to contending.
Times have changed.
61 games into the season, the San Francisco Giants lead the Wild Card race. Spearheaded by the second best team ERA in baseball (3.65), the Giants are now five games over .500 for the first time since 2004 with a 33-28 record.
After starting the year 2-7, I thought the Giants were in rebuilding mode. I thought wrong.
Rowand, Sandoval and Cain have been key contributors to the Giants surge.
And it gets better. Brian Wilson had a save without going to a three-ball count, striking out the side June 10th at Arizona. Wilson has now successfully saved his last 8 games, and has not walked a batter in his last four appearances.
Barry Zito's ERA has dropped a full point (5.15 in '08 4.09 in '09). Zito has pitched better than his ERA indicates, or his record (3-6), with his two best starts being wasted by the Giants quite bats.
Tim Lincecum threw a shutout Friday, the second of his career. Randy Johnson followed with a dominate outing (7 innings 4 hits 2 earned 1 walk 3 strikeouts), and Matt Cain could secure a sweep for the Giants tonight against the A's.
The question is -- can the Giants keep it going?
The bullpen currently looks great, with Sergio Romo pitching the big moments instead of Bob Howry. Jeremy Affeldt has been solid and the aforementioned Wilson has never looked so comfortable on the mound.
The starting staff, dare I say it, should only get better. You can expect much of the same from Lincecum and Cain, but its Zito (4.09 ERA), Johnson (4.89 ERA) and Sanchez (4.84 ERA) who have room for improvement.
The big question mark is the offense as a whole.
Pablo Sandoval (11 walks) is working the count.
Matt Cain (8-1) is winning games... with run support...
OK. OK. I must be dreaming. In 2008, these Giants players (.271 average for Rowand, 4 walks in 2008 for Sandoval, 8 wins in 22 more starts for Cain) weren't this good, and the Giants were never close to contending.
Times have changed.
61 games into the season, the San Francisco Giants lead the Wild Card race. Spearheaded by the second best team ERA in baseball (3.65), the Giants are now five games over .500 for the first time since 2004 with a 33-28 record.
After starting the year 2-7, I thought the Giants were in rebuilding mode. I thought wrong.
Rowand, Sandoval and Cain have been key contributors to the Giants surge.
And it gets better. Brian Wilson had a save without going to a three-ball count, striking out the side June 10th at Arizona. Wilson has now successfully saved his last 8 games, and has not walked a batter in his last four appearances.
Barry Zito's ERA has dropped a full point (5.15 in '08 4.09 in '09). Zito has pitched better than his ERA indicates, or his record (3-6), with his two best starts being wasted by the Giants quite bats.
Tim Lincecum threw a shutout Friday, the second of his career. Randy Johnson followed with a dominate outing (7 innings 4 hits 2 earned 1 walk 3 strikeouts), and Matt Cain could secure a sweep for the Giants tonight against the A's.
The question is -- can the Giants keep it going?
The bullpen currently looks great, with Sergio Romo pitching the big moments instead of Bob Howry. Jeremy Affeldt has been solid and the aforementioned Wilson has never looked so comfortable on the mound.
The starting staff, dare I say it, should only get better. You can expect much of the same from Lincecum and Cain, but its Zito (4.09 ERA), Johnson (4.89 ERA) and Sanchez (4.84 ERA) who have room for improvement.
The big question mark is the offense as a whole.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Giants take series in LA
Rich Aurilia called it a "Huge Win". I will call it "the biggest win in years."
The Giants scratched and clawed their way to a 7-5, 13-inning win against the Dodgers on Sunday, taking the series from their inner-state rivals.
Tim Lincecum allowed four runs to the Dodgers in six innings, yet the Giants hitters, particulary Randy Winn and Emmanuel Burriss, picked up the Cy Young Award winner in come-from-behind fashion.
With the Giants down one in the eigth, Winn, Aaron Rowand and Burriss hit back-to-back-back singles, and Nate Schierholz's sac fly tied the game at 4.
In a similar 12th inning, Burriss slapped a single to left advancing Winn, who singled earlier, to third. Rich Aurilia knocked in Winn with a sac fly and the Giants had the lead.
Brian Wilson served up a home run to Casey Blake in the bottom of 12th, and I began to think that we were going to lose another heartbreaker to the dodgers.
But, the Giants had luck on their side in the 13th. After an infield single by Edgar Renteria and a walk, I repeat, a walk to Pablo Sandoval, Steve Holm hit a grounder to Furcal. Furcal could have turned two, but he misplayed the ball, and the official scoring was an infield hit for Holm.
Winn followed with a two-run single down the left field line, and lo and behold, the Giants were victorious.
Burriss, who I criticized a week ago for poor hitting, is now hitting .287, four points lower than the team leader Bengie Molina. He had four hits in the win and two of the Giants four hits in Saturday's 8-0 loss to the Dodgers.
Winn also had four hits, but he scored four runs and had two RBIs. Essentially, he accounted for six of the Giants seven runs in a game the team had to have.
On Friday, Barry Zito pitched out of numerous jams and recorded a solid 6 innings and one run allowed. The Giants would score three against Dodgers ace Chad Billingsley, and the bullpen held on for a key 3-1 win.
The Giants pitching, sans Sanchez, looks great, but the offense still needs some type of upgrade. The Giants are one of two teams in baseball without a home run from the first base position. Any one is an upgrade to what they have now.
As for the team, well, they are last in baseball in runs scored. Rowand needs to bat higher than .227, Renteria needs to be a steady .300 hitter and the first base position has to help out the offense.
When that happens, the Giants could be very dangerous.
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