San Francisco Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland watches as Kansas City Royals Omar Infante runs around the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Back on the roller coaster, I guess. What a difference a day makes. This is your 2014 Giants season.
Not second guessing one little bit, I had mentioned previously that Bochy was over-exposing Strickland based on some faded memory of him coming in and blowing three fastballs by notoriously big fastball hitting Ian Desmond, while simultaneously ignoring the subsequent BIG BOMBS he has given up?
Phew!! That was a mouthful.
from Yahoo Sports:
Hunter Strickland's meltdown, on the mound and off, has Giants looking for help - Yahoo Sports:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Hunter Strickland, the 26-year-old right-hander from Georgia who could throw a fastball through a barn door, found himself in his catcher's arms, in the World Series, which, by itself, sounds pretty good. But, and, well, here's the thing, the folks around him were not jubilant, unless you count the crowd at Kauffman Stadium, which by then technically was a mix of thrilled to be pounding the heck out of Strickland and ticked that their guy was being yelled at by Strickland. Who stared at whom first, and who said what, and why any of that really mattered would be detailed (and shaded blue or orange) later.'via Blog this'
So can we PLEASE put a hold on marching Bochy into the Hall of Fame for just a moment and concentrate on winning a Series please?
Strickland's fastball is plenty fast. That passes the eyeball test and the radar gun test. However, it is plenty straight and generally poorly located. He hasn't been able to establish his breaking ball as a second pitch worthy of respect, so guys are just sitting on the A-Train and pounding it. It's that simple. I don't think he's tipping anything except that he can't throw anything for strikes except the fastball and he can't paint with that pitch. So sit back, wait for him to put 97 or 98 on a tee and let it rip!!!
In the minors, as Strickland's strikeout rates ballooned (post TJ-surgery BTW), his walk rates also seemed to drop. This is where scouts come in handy. The stats alone would woo you into thinking, "WOW!! The light-bulb has turned on for this guy!!!" The scouts and development guys should have been able to step in and say "Not so fast boys!! He's throwing stuff right down Broadway against guys ill-equipped to handle it. When he gets to The Show, guys are able to turn that stuff around."
Where were those guys back then in this organization and where are they now? Maybe the future closer title for Strickland needs to be dialed back a little bit.
So let's review:
- Delay Bochy's HOF coronation
- Delay Strickland's role as closer of the future
- Delay order on the even-year Giants 2014 World Championship rings, pennants and other assorted paraphernalia
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