The best part of the Jason Giambi signing? It wasn't with the Giants.
No worries, though. I'm sure we'll find some aging has-been who could never recapture his steroid glory days to sign before the season starts.
(Yes, I know this blog has been woefully ignored for many many many months. I hope to remedy that. I'm almost over my denial at the underwhelming off-season so far, and get back to writing a bit here and there about the team I love.)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gamer Defense
The way Aaron Rowand plays defense reminds me of some career advice my father-in-law dispenses. He said that if you do your job competently, you don’t typically get noticed. What gets you noticed is when you fix a problem. So, says he, sometimes you might need to make it look like there’s a problem that you’re solving, and you can get noticed and given credit for your “great work.”
Rowand is generally competent out in CF (problems with the accuracy of his throws to home aside). To me it seems that he’ll sometimes make something look so much harder than it really is, so that when he makes the play it looks great (flopping on a dive, running into the wall, general Gamer! stuff). He makes it look like there’s a real problem, which he takes care of.
I’m sure it’s not a calculated move on his part, but his approach sometimes gives the impression of great defense, when really it’s just regular defense, sometimes done to look really good.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Castillo vs. Feliz, the final round
End of summer has been busy for me - I haven't been able to dutifully tend my blarg. So I'm a few days late with my final comparison between the Giants' now-former third baseman Jose Castillo and his predecessor Pedro Feliz. I've compared both fellas twice before (most recently on June 1), and with Castillo being DFA'd on August 13, now is the time for the final head-to-head.
Note that Feliz has been on the 15-day DL since July 26-ish, so the games played and such won't be equal, but I think the more general stats will still be instructive to compare.
Let's start with offense. In 112 games through August 12, Castillo had 96 hits and 150 total bases (including 28 doubles, 4 triples and 6 homers). He also grounded into 16 double plays (it seems like soooo many more). Feliz, in his 99 games through July 25, had 87 hits and 144 total bases (almost as many as Castillo had in 13 more games), which included 17 doubles, 2 triples, and 12 homeruns. His GIDP number was 12 (it seems like soooo many more). Feliz was sporting a .256 batting average when he went on the DL (he's actually been fairly consistent with the bat); Castillo's BA dropped to .244 when he was DFA'd (his production suffered greatly since the break).
The last time I compared the two, their OBP/SLG/OPS numbers were actually pretty similar, with a slight edge to Castillo. This time around, however, we can see how Castillo has been struggling - his .290/.381/.671 is a pretty big drop, while Feliz stayed pretty steady at .304/.424/.728.
And although Feliz had far fewer games, his RBI total still far exceeds Castillo's, at 46 to 35. Castillo's strike out total of 71(!) was far more than Feliz's 42. Castillo had become even more of an offensive liability since the break.
On to defense. The number of games each started at 3B was still similar - 103 for Castillo, 97 for Feliz. Yet Castillo recorded 15 errors to Feliz' 8. Comparing FPCT/RF/ZR, Castillo sits at .934/2.34/.774 (which is yet another drop from his numbers on June 1, which were .950/2.65/.806); Feliz is much better defensively at .968/2.79/.828 (again, consistent with his June 1 numbers).
I was getting very nervous with the front office talk of keeping Castillo around this year and next to see if he could be a productive member of the team. His numbers are worse than mediocre - and he's not going to get any better. So I was relieved when he was DFA'd - that meant that management had wised up and determined that his offensive and defensive futility were not going to be a part of the necessary rebuilding.
Rich Aurilia is currently doing respectably at 3B, while rookie Ryan Rohlinger gets an accelerated promotion and a chance to impress management. So far he seems overwhelmed at the plate, and he's already made a couple of errors, but I'll enjoy watching him play much more than I ever could stand to watch Castillo (who, in turn, was less stomach-turning than Feliz - go figure). At least I'll have the eternal optimism that youth can improve and contribute before cynicism and disappointment creep in.
Note that Feliz has been on the 15-day DL since July 26-ish, so the games played and such won't be equal, but I think the more general stats will still be instructive to compare.
Let's start with offense. In 112 games through August 12, Castillo had 96 hits and 150 total bases (including 28 doubles, 4 triples and 6 homers). He also grounded into 16 double plays (it seems like soooo many more). Feliz, in his 99 games through July 25, had 87 hits and 144 total bases (almost as many as Castillo had in 13 more games), which included 17 doubles, 2 triples, and 12 homeruns. His GIDP number was 12 (it seems like soooo many more). Feliz was sporting a .256 batting average when he went on the DL (he's actually been fairly consistent with the bat); Castillo's BA dropped to .244 when he was DFA'd (his production suffered greatly since the break).
The last time I compared the two, their OBP/SLG/OPS numbers were actually pretty similar, with a slight edge to Castillo. This time around, however, we can see how Castillo has been struggling - his .290/.381/.671 is a pretty big drop, while Feliz stayed pretty steady at .304/.424/.728.
And although Feliz had far fewer games, his RBI total still far exceeds Castillo's, at 46 to 35. Castillo's strike out total of 71(!) was far more than Feliz's 42. Castillo had become even more of an offensive liability since the break.
On to defense. The number of games each started at 3B was still similar - 103 for Castillo, 97 for Feliz. Yet Castillo recorded 15 errors to Feliz' 8. Comparing FPCT/RF/ZR, Castillo sits at .934/2.34/.774 (which is yet another drop from his numbers on June 1, which were .950/2.65/.806); Feliz is much better defensively at .968/2.79/.828 (again, consistent with his June 1 numbers).
I was getting very nervous with the front office talk of keeping Castillo around this year and next to see if he could be a productive member of the team. His numbers are worse than mediocre - and he's not going to get any better. So I was relieved when he was DFA'd - that meant that management had wised up and determined that his offensive and defensive futility were not going to be a part of the necessary rebuilding.
Rich Aurilia is currently doing respectably at 3B, while rookie Ryan Rohlinger gets an accelerated promotion and a chance to impress management. So far he seems overwhelmed at the plate, and he's already made a couple of errors, but I'll enjoy watching him play much more than I ever could stand to watch Castillo (who, in turn, was less stomach-turning than Feliz - go figure). At least I'll have the eternal optimism that youth can improve and contribute before cynicism and disappointment creep in.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
All too familiar
Conversation I had with my fella while watching the game last night after the Braves scored their 11th run in the 9th inning:
me: We can turn this off now.
him: You've already watched this game before?
me: Yeah, about 100 times this season.
me: We can turn this off now.
him: You've already watched this game before?
me: Yeah, about 100 times this season.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Just speechless
So the non-waiver trade deadline came and went today. And the Giants look just like they did yesterday.
Aargh.
This is sad for so many reasons (in no particular order): the team sucks so bad nobody wants any of the players; now we have to keep watching the players that are NOT the future play, while the players that ARE the future sit on their asses on the bench; and, perhaps most of all, we get to watch the same shyte for the rest of the season.
I'm left pretty much speechless. And sad.
(For a brief recap of Brian Sabean's conference call after the deadline today, check out Andrew Baggarly's blog today.)
Aargh.
This is sad for so many reasons (in no particular order): the team sucks so bad nobody wants any of the players; now we have to keep watching the players that are NOT the future play, while the players that ARE the future sit on their asses on the bench; and, perhaps most of all, we get to watch the same shyte for the rest of the season.
I'm left pretty much speechless. And sad.
(For a brief recap of Brian Sabean's conference call after the deadline today, check out Andrew Baggarly's blog today.)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I love you, but. . .
It's no secret that I love Omar Vizquel. He's amazing in the field (even having lost a quarter step at the age of 41), and shows great hustle and dedication to the game. But this season, he's been the suck at the plate. We can blame it on his pre-season knee surgery or the fact that he's a hundred years old, but it's a fact that he cannot hit the ball much.
I'll never suggest that we trade or DFA him, though. I agree with those who say that his career has been far too distinguished for him to be unceremoniously dumped in what is likely his last season.
Nonetheless, he should be sitting on the bench a lot more.
I bring this up because of the latest comments from Big Head Bochy about Vizquel's play after the All-Star Break.
But first, a little background. Back at the end of June, Omar was hitting .156. Bochy met with Vizquel, and Vizquel told Bochy that it was okay to bench him to play Manny Burriss more often. The idea was that Burriss would not just start against LHPs, but he'd get some starts against righties, too. The result? Omar plays 9 of the next 12 games, leading into the All Star break. Manny starts in 3 games. Hmmm. It doesn't look like Omar was sitting much. His BA dropped as low as .148 during that time, and leveled back "up" to .159 by the break.
Now we come back from the All-Star break. Omar starts in 2 of the first 3 games after the break. On July 22, both Bochy and Sabean sit down with Vizquel to tell him that he really really really will be playing less in the second half, so that Burriss can play more. Said Bochy at the time "In a week or so, Burriss will get more playing time." (Presumably the one week time frame referred to the approaching non-waiver trade deadline.)
As described by Janie McCauley (AP), "Bochy has said this before, but this time sounded more serious about actually doing it."
In the first four games after that discussion, Omar played in three and went 5 for 10, including 3 hits in Thursday's game. The result? Vizquel was in the line-up again on Friday and Saturday (that's starting in 6 of 8 games since the break). Bochy's comment? "He's swinging the bat well. I just wanted to get him back out here."
Bear in mind, 4 of Vizquel's 8 hits came against the hapless Nationals, so context is important here.
I don't know what it will take to get Burriss some more playing time. It would appear that Bochy and his never-ending love for the veterans will keep predominantly in the line-up, as a result of Omar's small-sample size decent showing over the last few games (mostly against a craptastic team) after a lengthy break.
I guess what it comes down to is the fact that even if a well-rested Vizquel can get a few cheap hits, he is not performing as well as Burriss can at this point. He may be one of my favorite players, but I think it's pretty clear that he's not the player he was. Time to prepare for the future.
Free Manny Burriss!
I'll never suggest that we trade or DFA him, though. I agree with those who say that his career has been far too distinguished for him to be unceremoniously dumped in what is likely his last season.
Nonetheless, he should be sitting on the bench a lot more.
I bring this up because of the latest comments from Big Head Bochy about Vizquel's play after the All-Star Break.
But first, a little background. Back at the end of June, Omar was hitting .156. Bochy met with Vizquel, and Vizquel told Bochy that it was okay to bench him to play Manny Burriss more often. The idea was that Burriss would not just start against LHPs, but he'd get some starts against righties, too. The result? Omar plays 9 of the next 12 games, leading into the All Star break. Manny starts in 3 games. Hmmm. It doesn't look like Omar was sitting much. His BA dropped as low as .148 during that time, and leveled back "up" to .159 by the break.
Now we come back from the All-Star break. Omar starts in 2 of the first 3 games after the break. On July 22, both Bochy and Sabean sit down with Vizquel to tell him that he really really really will be playing less in the second half, so that Burriss can play more. Said Bochy at the time "In a week or so, Burriss will get more playing time." (Presumably the one week time frame referred to the approaching non-waiver trade deadline.)
As described by Janie McCauley (AP), "Bochy has said this before, but this time sounded more serious about actually doing it."
In the first four games after that discussion, Omar played in three and went 5 for 10, including 3 hits in Thursday's game. The result? Vizquel was in the line-up again on Friday and Saturday (that's starting in 6 of 8 games since the break). Bochy's comment? "He's swinging the bat well. I just wanted to get him back out here."
Bear in mind, 4 of Vizquel's 8 hits came against the hapless Nationals, so context is important here.
I don't know what it will take to get Burriss some more playing time. It would appear that Bochy and his never-ending love for the veterans will keep predominantly in the line-up, as a result of Omar's small-sample size decent showing over the last few games (mostly against a craptastic team) after a lengthy break.
I guess what it comes down to is the fact that even if a well-rested Vizquel can get a few cheap hits, he is not performing as well as Burriss can at this point. He may be one of my favorite players, but I think it's pretty clear that he's not the player he was. Time to prepare for the future.
Free Manny Burriss!
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Unemployed Barry Bonds
I'll admit it - I am totally and completely a Joe Posnanski fan. I've referenced his blog a couple of times here, when it looks at Giant-related stuff.
A few days ago he did a bit on "Barry Bonds' fuzzy math" that I enjoyed. Go read it. And read some of his other stuff - he's an excellent writer (I'm trying to figure out a way to rip-off his use of asterisks - I like that device).
If you're too lazy to click, the gist of the piece is that Bonds' agent, Jeff Borriss, had been telling anyone and everyone that he'd offered Bonds to all 30 teams for the pro-rated minimum, and nobody took him up on it. Turns out, Borriss never contacted the KC Royals, for one. It's not like they'd sign him, but it makes for a good blog entry.
Do we suppose that Bonds will remain home in Beverly Hills all season?
A few days ago he did a bit on "Barry Bonds' fuzzy math" that I enjoyed. Go read it. And read some of his other stuff - he's an excellent writer (I'm trying to figure out a way to rip-off his use of asterisks - I like that device).
If you're too lazy to click, the gist of the piece is that Bonds' agent, Jeff Borriss, had been telling anyone and everyone that he'd offered Bonds to all 30 teams for the pro-rated minimum, and nobody took him up on it. Turns out, Borriss never contacted the KC Royals, for one. It's not like they'd sign him, but it makes for a good blog entry.
Do we suppose that Bonds will remain home in Beverly Hills all season?
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