Where in the world is Marco Scutaro?

It appears as if we are about to find out. No surprise given the comments from the brass, it appears very likely that where in the world Marco Scutaro will not be in 2015, is anywhere near San Francisco.

from HardballTalk:
Giants’ training staff preparing an update on Marco Scutaro | HardballTalk:

In his column for the San Francisco Chronicle, John Shea reports that the Giants’ training staff is preparing an update on second baseman Marco Scutaro, and adds that it likely isn’t a good sign.  Scutaro was only able to play in five games during the 2014 season due to recurring back problems. The Giants owe him $6 million in 2015, the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the club back in December 2012. The 39-year-old veteran was productive for the Giants in 2013, posting a .726 OPS. Shea notes that the Giants never considered him as a potential replacement at third base once Pablo Sandoval left.

'via Blog this'

To my knowledge, he never appeared on the bench this season during his rehab, as did Cain, Pagan, Morse, etc. Sabean's cryptic comment along the lines of "we have his phone number around here somewhere" was telling, as was the "we have no viable internal options to replace Pablo at 3B".

We know they don't want to play Posey at 3B,  but it's not much of a stretch to suggest that Scutaro, a former major league SS, could make the switch if healthy.

Combine those two statements and you get the impression that Scutaro will not be ready, willing and able to play anywhere for SF in 2015. Another $6M in salary flushed down the toilet.

We know Pablo felt disrespected. Now we may be learning that apparently somebody also pissed in Scutaro's Wheaties. Maybe spend some of the savings for not chasing / finishing in second place chasing James Shields for some sensitivity training for all Giants front office personnel and staff. Or start signing emotionally tougher players. Sheesh!!

Concussions Derail Batting Performance for MLB Players -- University of Rochester Medical Center

At least now I will feel like I'm in good company when I feel the need to repeat myself. Before I read this I felt like I was just banging my head against a proverbial wall in some perverse way hoping that I would feel better when I stopped. 

Ben Carlson, CFA, who writes for A Wealth of Common Sense, referenced a financial advice quote from Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal that sums up what investors should be thinking in these volatile times.

"I was once asked, at a journalism conference, how I defined my job. I said: My job is to write the exact same thing between 50 and 100 times a year in such a way that neither my editors nor my readers will ever think I am repeating myself."

"That's because good advice rarely changes, while markets change constantly. The temptation to pander is almost irresistible. And while people need good advice, what they want is advice that sounds good."

Now I feel more like a professional journalist. Perhaps I should start getting paid for this. 

• The following study demonstrates why you will continue to see the "Buster Posey moves to 3B" conversation continue to be pervasive among Giants fans and bloggers regardless of what Brian Sabean says.

• The following study demonstrates why you will continue to see the "Buster Posey moves to 3B" conversation continue to be pervasive among Giants fans and bloggers regardless of what Brian Sabean says.

Concussions Derail Batting Performance for MLB Players - News Room - University of Rochester Medical Center:

"The message, “when in doubt, sit it out” flashed on video boards throughout the World Series, with good timing: A new analysis of Major League Baseball statistics shows that concussed players may not be fully recovered when they’re cleared to return to the batting lineup.

A University of Rochester study looked at MLB players who suffered a concussion between 2007 and 2013. Researchers found that during their first two weeks back, the concussed players’ batting performances were significantly worse than another group of players who were rusty because of being away for paternity or bereavement leave during the same period.

Lead author Erin Wasserman presented the data at the 142nd annual meeting of the American Public Health Association on Nov. 19, 2014, in New Orleans. Wasserman is an epidemiology doctoral student in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UR specializing in concussion research.

Brain injuries are most often associated with contact sports, but they are prevalent in baseball, too. During the World Series last month, head injuries affected two San Francisco players, one of whom was not able to play due to his concussion. At the high school and college levels, baseball concussions are rising at a rate of about 14 percent a year, researchers said.

In the MLB study, players returning after a concussion had lower batting averages (.234 versus .264); lower slugging percentages (.359 versus .420); and lower on-base plus slugging percentages (.654 versus .747) compared to players returning from bereavement or paternity leave, researchers reported.

“Although players who sustain a concussion may be symptom-free and cleared by MLB protocol to return to play, the residual effects of concussion on the complex motor skills required for batting may still be a problem,” said Principal Investigator Jeffrey J. Bazarian, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of Emergency Medicine at the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a national expert in sports head injuries.

When a batter is at the plate, the brain and its neural networks must be in top form to master hand-eye coordination, intense visual acuity, fast reaction time, postural stability and balance, and swing control in just 400 milliseconds – the estimated time it takes most balls to pass from pitcher to batter, Bazarian said.

After a concussion, brain function can be impaired for weeks or months resulting in symptoms such as slowed thinking or response speed, and poor concentration. Understanding the impact of concussions on batting performance can help to inform decisions about when to return to the lineup, the study said.

Concussions account for about 2 percent of all injuries that result in loss of playing time, behind strains and contusions as the most common MLB injuries.

'via Blog this'

Chicago White Sox prevent Giants from doing something stupid

(USA TODAY Sports)

Now if someone will just step up and overpay for Chase Headley's services allowing the Giants to focus on signing James Shields, I would be grateful. From the White Sox standpoint, at least they didn't give him five years, which some were projecting Cabrera would get. That would have made the risk even greater. He can hit and he would plug a hole in the Giants lineup left by Sandoval, but he comes with even worse baggage than Sandoval's occasional struggles with weight watching. For that reason, I would have shied away from a Melky Returns to SF sequel.

The shopping list still includes a starting pitcher, left fielder and third baseman and will grow to include a set-up man if/when Romo sign elsewhere, so Sabean will have start shopping for pre-Christmas bargains (aka dumpster dives), which is his niche. It's still not too late to salvage the holiday season and bring good cheer to Giants fans, but the shelves are starting to look a little more bare.

from Yahoo Sports:
Chicago White Sox agree to three-year deal with Melky Cabrera | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports:

If it wasn't official before, it's official now: The Chicago White Sox mean business.
After taking the Winter Meetings by storm, acquiring Jeff Samardzija in a six-player trade with the Oakland A's and signing free-agent reliever David Robertson to a massive four-year, $46 million deal, general manager Rick Hahn has struck again, agreeing to a three-year deal with outfielder Melky Cabrera. 

'via Blog this'

The final nail in the "Posey to 3B" coffin is struck by Sabean ( for now )

Well I guess this settles the "Posey to 3B" issue. HOWEVER!!!. There is a difference between can / can't play 3B and should / shouldn't.  Sabean's initial comments were more along the lines of  "Posey can't play 3B, so it's not even a consideration". That is a patently absurd comment, but I understand why he said it. If Posey goes the way of Hector Sanchez / Brandon Belt and misses significant time due to concussion symptoms, there might be less 20/20 hindsight. Less of a public furor along the lines of "See, we told you he was going to get hurt". Now we no longer have that problem.

from MLB Trade Rumors:
NL Notes: Giants, Braves, Mets, Andrus, Nationals – MLB Trade Rumors:

GM Brian Sabean says the Giants won’t have Buster Posey replace Pablo Sandoval at third base, and they continue to view him as a backstop, MLB.com’s Chris Haft writes. “He’s a franchise player, a franchise catcher,” Sabean says, adding that Sandoval, who recently signed with the Red Sox, was a key presence in the Giants’ clubhouse. “He brought a lot of energy. He loved playing the game. He’ll be missed on and off the field,” Sabean says. The Giants will continue to look for a third baseman and left fielder, but Sabean expects they might do so through trades and not through free agent signings. Here are more notes from the National League.

'via Blog this'

We joke about the odd / even year effect because it's played itself out three times in a row (inverse gambler's fallacy?), but remember one of those odd year failures was at least partially due to the loss of Posey in the lineup due to injury.

Good to see Sabean own the decision. I'm OK with saying, "he's too valuable to us at the C position to move out of there. We'll have to look elsewhere for an answer at 3B". I'm not comfortable with the GM of my team making statements that seem to imply that he either doesn't have a working set of eyeballs in his head or he doesn't believe his fan base has a sufficient working knowledge of baseball that they would accept the first statement at face value. Maybe fans /bloggers don't have enough knowledge (opportunity) to be an actual GM, but at least some have a basic understanding of the game.

I can't say it loud enough or often enough.

Pablo Sandoval was a C who was converted to 3B and we just finished a season where folks lauded his athleticism and abilities enough at 3B to consider him for a Gold Glove. You can't tell me that with the level of athleticism and background that Posey brings to the table, that he couldn't make a similar transition if asked and lead the team from 3B, as many other major-league stars have before him. There is no baseball law or law of nature that says leadership always emanates from the catcher position. You have to protect one of the most valuable assets the franchise holds.

We're just going to have to hold our collective breaths for the time being as long as Posey toils behind the dish. Later in his career when they are looking to get the final ounce productivity out of his bat, the math may shift and the issue may resurface.

But for now, get used to hearing the sound of  ".....now batting, your catcher, Buster Posey!!" Hopefully, for a long, long time.

Buster Posey Contract Announced at Press Conference

http://youtu.be/jf2oLHMI2GY

Giants' 'state of the franchise' stat pack | CSN Bay Area

Brian Sabean is MLB's longest tenured GM; Bruce Bochy is the second longest tenured manager. (AP)

Now matter how you parse the data, a pretty good team that is in a pretty good state. The lions share of the credit lies in the continuity of the Sabean / Bochy team. Both could ride the wave of euphoria right into Cooperstown. Interesting to note that Sabean and Billy Beane both arrived in the Bay Area within one year of each other. The results and the accolades are still just a tad bit out of line between those two GM's.


from CSN Bay Area:
Giants' 'state of the franchise' stat pack | CSN Bay Area:

Giants Opening Day payrolls
2010 $96.3m
2011 $118.2m
2012 $132.4m
2013 $136.9m
2014 $149.1m

Brian Sabean
Named GM in Septempter 1996
Signed through 2016

Bruce Bochy
Hired in October 2006
Signed through 2016

Current Giants free agents
Pablo Sandoval
Michael Morse
Jake Peavy
Sergio Romo
Ryan Vogelsong

Current Giants contracts
Player -- Signed through -- Years/guaranteed money
Buster Posey -- 2021 with option for 2022 -- 9 years/$167 million
Matt Cain -- 2017 with option for 2018 -- 6 years/$127.5 million
Hunter Pence -- 2018 -- 5 years/$90 million
Madison Bumgarner -- 2017 with options '18 & ’19 -- 5 years/$35 million
Angel Pagan -- 2016 -- 4 years/$40 million
Tim Lincecum -- 2015 2 years/$35 million

Top free agents on the market
Jon Lester P
Max Scherzer P
Victor Martinez 1B/DH
Hanley Ramirez SS/3B
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Nelson Cruz OF
James Shields P
Chase Headley 3B

Giants free agent signings
*Not with team previous season
2013-14
Tim Hudson
Michael Morse
2012-13
Andres Torres
2011-12
Ryan Theriot
Clay Hensley
2010-11
Miguel Tejada
2009-10
Aubrey Huff
Mark DeRosa

Giants 2014 Ranks -- National League
665 runs -- 5th
.255 team batting average -- 4th
132 home runs -- 7th
3.50 team ERA -- 7th
.241 opponents batting average -- 2nd
100 errors -- T-7th

Notable first-round draft picks under Brian Sabean
2022 Matt Cain
2006 Tim Lincecum
2007 Madison Bumgarner
2008 Buster Posey
2011 Joe Panik

Longest-tenured manager with same team
Manager -- Team -- First Year
Mike Scioscia -- Angels -- 2000
Bruce Bochy -- Giants -- 2007
Bud Black -- Padres -- 2007
Joe Girardi -- Yankees -- 2008
Ned Yost -- Royals -- 2010
Buck Showalter -- Orioles -- 2010

Longest-tenured GMs with same team
GM -- Team -- Hired
Brian Sabean -- Giants -- 1996
Billy Beane -- Athletics -- 1997
Brian Cashman -- Yankees -- 1998
Dave Dombrowski -- Tigers -- 2002
Doug Melvin -- Brewers -- 2002

'via Blog this'

Giants, Pablo Sandoval Making Progress Towards A Deal – On-Base Talk

If true, this is great news. Given that Brain Sabean has put all his 3B eggs in Pablo's basket, this becomes an almost must win for the Gigantes in the off-season. I can see where they bring him back in the 5 year/ $80 million range. Anything over that and I think it might hurt the franchise's future more by signing him than by letting him walk.

from On-Base Talk:
Giants, Pablo Sandoval Making Progress Towards A Deal – On-Base Talk:

Contract talks between third baseman Pablo Sandoval and the San Francisco Giants are rising to the point that many other teams are looking to different options at third, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. Olney also reported that, other teams are having trouble convincing Sandoval to sign anywhere other than in San Francisco. It was reported earlier this week that Sandoval wanted a six-year deal and wanted to stay in the Bay Area. 

 The 28-year-old has won three World Series championships, a World Series MVP, a Babe Ruth Award and is a two-time All Star. He also hit three consecutive home runs in his first three at-bats during Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Sandoval was also a huge part of the Giants’ recent World Series victory, as he recorded an MLB record 26 hits in the 2014 postseason.

'via Blog this'

If you can get Sandoval to stay for 5 / $80, I could see the way clear where the Giants could then sign:

• Morse @ 1 years / $7M or 2 years / $15M
• Romo @ 2 years / $12M and he's making noises like he's rather stay in SF
• Vogelsong @ 1 year / $7M or 2 years / $15M

That leaves Peavy as the only loss and I can live with that one.

I still don't understand Sabean's comment to the effect that Pablo is the only option (Pablo or Bust) at 3B next year and they have no others in the organization.

“We don’t have a solution in house,” Sabean said. “It would have to come from the outside.”

Aside from Posey who could -- as an athletic ex-catcher like Sandoval was -- make the transition easier than you think, the Giants could move Marco Scutaro there rather than outside the organization and get some return on the $6.7 million they have him signed for. This say nothing about the efforts that Matt Duffy and Adam Duvall made late this year. What does that tell your prospects except "We have no faith in you. Your early efforts to impress us sucked".

The Gianst have options within the organization at 3B. They might not be as good as Pablo, but Pablo comes with considerable risks for every year over 3 on the long-term deal IMO and every dollar over $15-16M.

The Pence plus notion is for suckers. Let the Red Sox or the Blue Jays or the White Sox play sucker.

Several Giants will ring the cash register shortly - Who stays and who goes?

We're going to find out pretty quickly whether the core of the Giants stays intact or cracks. As I've said before, I think the Giants can be compete for Pablo Sandoval @ about 5 years / $80-$90M. If it goes much higher, he is likely to leave.

from SI.com
After another World Series title, what's coming for Giants in offseason? - MLB - SI.com:

For starters, series MVP Madison Bumgarner isn't going anywhere. While the 25-year-old lefty spent the past month making it clear that he belongs on the short list of the game's elite pitchers, he's not headed for a Clayton Kershaw-like payday anytime soon. Bumgarner just completed the second year of a five-year, $35 million extension signed in April 2012; he made $3.75 million this year, and will make $6.75 million next year, or $23.25 million less than the Dodgers' ace lefty. His contract is guaranteed through 2017, after which the Giants hold $12 million options on his 2018 and '19 seasons. Those options can vest based on innings thresholds, and increase to as much as $16 million if he wins a Cy Young award — still a bargain by the standards of the game's top-tier starters. Bumgarner is one of four Giants under contract through at least 2017, with Hunter Pence, Buster Posey and the injured Matt Cain being the others.

On the other side of the coin, the team does have several players headed for free agency, and they won't keep all of them, even with around $62 million worth of room between their 2015 commitments ($127.3 million, according to Cot's Contracts) and the $189 million luxury tax threshold. Closest to their core is Pablo Sandoval, who probably earned himself a few extra million dollars thanks to a .366/.423/.465 showing in 78 postseason plate appearances, with an OPS above 1.000 in both the NLCS and the World Series, not to mention some dazzling defense.

'via Blog this'

Jake Peavy likely will be too rich for the Giants blood and with Cain back healthy and Petit and option in the rotation, the starting rotation has enough quantity, a return to form by Tim Lincecum would help with the quality.

I think Romo and Vogelsong can both be retained at almost the same salary between the two of them. The Dodgers interest in Romo could be the deciding factor. I would like to see Romo stay in case Machi forgets how to throw the fork-ball and Strickland doesn't figure out how to keep left-handed batters in the park.

Michael Morse is the wild-card. The experts are assuming that AL teams are going to come a knocking for Morse to play a DH heavy role next year. If he's good with that, he may be gone. The problem signing Morse if he is going to want three years minimum and I would feel better with a two year deal in case the Giants need to make room for Mac Williamson or Gary Brown develops into more than a bongo drum for Hunter Pence.

I love the folks who say, well let Sandoval go, let Morse go, we'll just sign Hanley Ramirez or the Cuban free-agent Tomas or God forbid Melky Cabrera. Do they think those guys will cost appreciably less than retaining Sandoval or Morse? At least Jake Peavy is replaced by a returning Matt Cain. It's why he was brought over here.

The ghost of Aubrey Huff still lurks by the Giants cash register, that's for sure. That's creepy!!!

WORST BUSTER HUG EVER!!!

Giants capture 3rd title in 5 years - Dynasty? YES!! YES!! YES!!

It's cool that this is even a discussion. When they have to compare you against the top teams of all time, some of whom played in an entirely different era that was more conducive to building a dynasty ( ie: teams that played before the dissolution of the Reserve Clause ).

from Yahoo Sports:
New dynasty: Giants capture 3rd title in 5 years - Yahoo Sports:

Eight players have been on all three winning World Series teams: Bumgarner, slugging third baseman Sandoval, Posey and relievers Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo and Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain, too, but he was hurt this year.

General manager Brian Sabean, longest-tenured in baseball, can't put a finger on why the mix keeps working. He is proud of the core of players who were drafted and came through the system and played such a huge part this time.

"It's a testament to player development and scouting. That's what we all hope for, that you can plug your holes from within and build your team from within," Sabean said. "That's a surefire way to kind of keep things moving forward. It prevents you from having to go into the market, whether it's free agency or more so the trade market."

'via Blog this'

I'm more concerned with how many of the core guys can be re-signed. I think Pablo can be had for 5 / $90 which would be in the same neighborhood as the Hunter Pence money his neophyte agent was looking for at the beginning of the season. If it gets much higher than that either through Pablo's agent overplaying his hand or another team submitting a crazy bid and Sandoval is gone. Oh, and Pablo, tell your dumb-ass agent that comparing your contract to another teammates is bad form. There are plenty of other comparables he can make a) behind closed doors and b) after the season is over. By the way, I define a crazy bid as one that takes Pablo's number significantly over Pence's numbers and approaching or greater than Buster Posey's number. Let some other team take the chance on that one.  

Romo I think can be had by taking the $5M I believe he was making and the $5M Vogelsong received last year and splitting it $5.5M Romo and $4.5 Vogie or 60/40. You might lose both if Vogelsong gets a nice offer from another team, but Affeldt has the bullpen bar set at $6M and deservedly so. Plus, Casilla will be due a nice raise shortly, to say nothing of Bumgarner. Bumgarner recently signed a team friendly extension that seemed fair to the pre-legendary Bumgarner, but might have to be looked at again quite soon.

World Championships come with a cost, but it's a nice cost to have. WTH it's not my money, pass the hat among the billionaire owners.

Giants as the anti-A's

Hey thanks there, Einstein. I'm glad that the Giants are considere the anti-A's in more ways than one. I'm also glad when any one of the pro-scout, anti-Moneyball teams like the Giants, the Cardinals, the Braves and even the Royals win. These teams still retain a lot of the charm of old-school scouting and player development with a smattering of statistical analysis.

I read somewhere that the amount of statistical analysis in baseball has gone up exponentially by some insane amount or another. I guarantee most of these teams are just gathering data as a CYA exercise and have no idea what they are looking at or what to do with most of it.

from sfgiants.com
Giants' latest title offers questions, answers | sfgiants.com:

Maybe the wrong Bay Area baseball franchise was celebrated in a best-selling book and a feature film that grossed more than $100 million worldwide. Certainly the Oakland A's and general manager Billy Beane offered a compelling story for the world to absorb with "Moneyball."

The Giants are perceived as the anti-A's, and yet San Francisco's the team that keeps ordering championship flags and rings.

As the Giants' GM, Sabean has created a culture in which many baseball-operations employees don't want to leave the organization. He asks for unswerving loyalty, but he also reciprocates it. The resulting "collective collaboration," as Sabean called it, helps the Giants act in concert when reaching a baseball-related decision.

'via Blog this'

This article from Tracy Ringolsby tends to support my point. The top NL franchises of the last 19 years ( the length of Brian Sabean's tenure ) have been none other than the Giants, the Cardinals and the Braves. All of these franchises lean more towards scouting and player development than statistical analysis.

from Tracy Ringolsby:
Sabean Doesn’t Want Attention, Just Wins « Write 'em Cowboy:

And under his guidance the Giants, in the last 19 years have:

–Third best winning percentage in the NL (1,556-1,358, .534) behind the Braves (1,651-1,263, .567) and Cardinals (1,545-1,319, .547).

–Played more post-season games (76) than any NL team other than the Cardinals (121) and have a better post-season winning percentage (.605) than any team that has played at least 34 post-season games.

–Have made four World Series appearances, the only NL team other than the Cardinals, who also have made four, to have been in the World Series more than twice, and have won an NL-best three World Series in the last 18 years.

And don’t forget he took advantage of the San Diego Padres decision to fire manager Bruce Bochy by quickly signing Bochy to oversee things at AT&T Park.

Not bad for a franchise being run by an “idiot.’’

'via Blog this'

Giants may have more than a World Series dividend coming their way soon

This is an interesting point and one that could keep the Giants strong for a long time. Another $15-20 million that can be allocated to payroll is another strong bat or a quality pitcher or two to add to the rotation. If they could only find a way to work that number into the 2015-16 budget. Might mean the difference between Panda staying or leaving. It would be tough to let him go if they win a third ring with him, budget concerns or not. And listen, we're not running any bake sales to raise money for Giants ownership. They've won at the cash register every bit as much as the Giants players have won on the field.

The stadium is a crown jewel of the franchise and the atmosphere, the dimensions allows them to attract players that allow them to continue being competitive. One feeds off the other.

from Chicago Sun-Times:
Giants weren’t always the model of baseball success - Chicago Sun-Times:

The $20 million annual debt service on the construction loan comes off the books in two years, and the idea of Sabean with money to spend can’t be comforting to his front-office rivals. But he probably will continue to mix and match — Hunter Pence and Travis Ishikawa were once Ellis Burks and Reggie Sanders — and trust his grossly competent manager, Bruce Bochy, to make it work.

'via Blog this'

Planning, rehab went into Morse’s pinch home run | San Francisco Chronicle

That Bonds guy is going to be a pretty good hitting coach someday.  Good for Morse -- unlike Lincecum who continues to languish -- in that he helped his off-season stock tremendously. So much so, that the Giants may not be able to afford him. And Sandoval. And Romo. And Peavy. Well, maybe Vogie. But enjoy the moments while they last Giants fans because an odd number year soon comes this way. Sabean has some tough decisions with the payroll going forward and a bunch of money tied up in guys who have spent a lot of time in the training room and/or on the bench. ( Looking at Cain, Lincecum, Scutaro and Pagan - $55M or one third of the projected payroll )

from the San Francisco Chronicle:
Planning, rehab went into Morse’s pinch home run - San Francisco Chronicle:

Behind the scenes, not long before his at-bat, in the indoor cage a few steps below the Giants’ dugout, Morse had minor-league instructor Jose Alguacil, called up late in the season to throw batting practice, among other things, emulate Neshek’s delivery. He anticipated Neshek replacing starter Adam Wainwright, who worked seven innings.

So Alguacil dropped his arm slot and threw from the side, allowing Morse to see pitches from the distinctive angle, which he later cited as a reason he successfully saw Neshek’s slider (he also cited a pregame tip from Barry Bonds, who reminded Morse to get his front foot down.). Similarly, Morse had John Yandle, a left-handed batting practice pitcher, copy Randy Choate’s sidearm delivery during Game 4.

'via Blog this'

Jake Peavy defines being a good teammate

Other than the contributions of the kiddie-corps (Panik and Susac) I don't know of anything else that has turned the Giants (once-sinking) ship around more. Replacing Matt Cain was an absolute must. Maybe Petit steps in and gives you the same type of innings and the same record, but he doesn't bring the same presence that Peavy does. His quote below about being a good teammate is classic.

Kudos to Sabean, this is in his GM wheelhouse. Bringing in a veteran and wringing out the last bit of performance out of him. So maybe, this at least partially offsets the Uggla experiment somewhat. Sabean also gets props for bringing back Travis Ishakawa who has been a godsend at first base and as a lefty bat off the bench. I'm sure there was considerable eye-rolling from the assembled Giants bloggers when that move was made (myself included). Ishakawa is almost an offensive weapon now.

This article adds some of the detail and once again is very classy coming from a Sawks reporter.

from NESN.com:
Jake Peavy Trade With Red Sox Paying Dividends For Giants Down Stretch | MLB | NESN.com:

Peavy, who was 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA through 20 starts at the time of the trade, has rewarded the Giants since landing in the Bay Area. He’s 5-4 with a 2.29 ERA in nine starts with San Francisco, helping the team absorb the loss of Matt Cain. Peavy’s 1.12 ERA since Aug. 9 is tops in the National League.

“Over the past few weeks we’ve found some identity as a team,” Peavy told reporters Thursday after another solid performance. “Playing good team baseball, playing for each other, playing hard.”

The Giants entered Friday with a 22-15 record since the beginning of August. They trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by only two games in the National League West and sat atop the NL Wild Card standings alongside the Pittsburgh Pirates. Obviously, it’s not all Peavy’s doing. But San Francisco looks rejuvenated.

“As you get older, you realize what the word ‘teammate’ is,” Peavy said. “When I walk away from this game, that’s what I want to be said about me. I don’t care about any numbers, any wins and losses. I want my peers, when they get asked about me, to say this guy came in prepared, he got his work done, and he was one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

Peavy’s status as a great teammate never was in question. Now, with a change of scenery, he’s back to being a quality starting pitcher, too.

'via Blog this'

Another Giants loss, another daily affirmation

"I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me."

After the Giants - Rockies game last night, you can only conclude:

• The Giants are not a playoff team
• The Giants are not a .500 team
• And doggone it, they are a team playing for next year

It's the only way to describe their recent play. This team is done, done, done. Their play mirrors that. Excuses, excuses, excuses. 

• We get great pitching, the bats don't come through
• We get a quality start, the bullpen folds like a cheap tent
• We get a couple of runs, the defense give it right back
• A guy comes off the DL, a guy goes on the DL

We just lost to a team that has half of it's Opening Day roster on the DL including it's top two signature everyday players. 

We just lost to a team that hasn't been able to beat ANYBODY (3-23 last 26 games) on the road of late. ANYBODY except the Giants in their yard. 

We just lost to a team by gift-wrapping three runs with a bow of four errors. 

The brain trust signaled to this team that they were not making a push to win this year at the trade deadline. The Peavy deal was a patch for Cain's loss. Anyone who thinks they may not be with the team next year is in shut down mode. Why not, management doesn't care? This team doesn't have squat right now. 

The ball is not running away from the Giants lately as much as the Giants aren't running as hard to the ball. This team gives off the appearance that it is shrouded by malaise. That is only because athletes are very reticent to use a certain four letter word that begins with Q. 

What is quince, Alex? 

When the September roster expands bring the rookies up and play them. At least then you can make some intelligent decisions on the composition of the roster moving forward instead of playing poke and hope. And at least the fans will see a team that plays hard again. And gosh darn it, people will like that. 

They also need to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure out what kind of team they are. 

OBTW: Looks like Mrs. TheSlav has better eyes than I do, I thought the pitch was low and away. She said "No, just low". She wins. Doug Eddings does suck at his job though. In fairness, he sucks both ways in that he called out a Rockies batter on an equally bad (maybe worse) punch out in the next half inning, which just proves that he may be willing to double down on stupid in order to "even things up". 

from Yahoo Sports:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/stupid-giants-lose-stupid-game-060354833.html

Buster Posey was called out on a 2-2 pitch that made him throw up his hands like Leslie Nielsen was behind the plate. It was an instant, honest reaction. And, lookie here, it wasn't that close:

View gallery

.

Updates on Cain, Belt, Pagan, Sanchez and others - Giants Extra

So Cain is now done for 2014, but should be good for 2015 and that is probably as good as we could have hoped for. I like where the Giants are right now regarding Sabean's comment about trying to win and develop at the same time. It's a tricky move to pull off for an organization, ask the White Sox, but the plethora of pitching talent and maybe just enough hitting talent percolating throughout the system may just allow the Giants to thread the needle. Time will tell.

from Giants Extra:
Updates on Cain, Belt, Pagan, Sanchez and others - Giants Extra:

— Sabean on today’s moves: “If you can’t do anything from the outside you have to turn internally, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. There are times when you try to win and develop at the same time.”

'via Blog this'

The Peavy deal looks much better now in hindsight. Peavy looks ready to step in and be the hard luck starter, replacing Cain. Hopefully, he doesn't fall into the Anthony Young Syndrome of pitching just good enough to lose. I like his intensity, but it may have come back to bite him a bit in his epic duel of no-nos with deGrom of the Mets. The youngster kept his poise more than the veteran and that was the difference.

In looking at Peavys stat line you can see the fine line between victory and defeat. In his better years recently Peavy walked 2.7 per 9 innings, that goes up to 3.5 per 9 during the down years. His strikeouts slide from 8.6 to 7.2 per 9 IP and the WHIP goes from 1.19 to 1.425. HR's go from 1.0 to 1.5.  The good news is that in the two starts ( small sample size alert ) Peavy has reduced his walks to 1.4 per 9, K's are at 6.2 per 9, HR's are at zero and WHIP is a dominating 0.923. Adrenaline is a powerful drug, let's hope he can keep up the rush.

BTW, the 1.40 WHIP level is the danger zone that Anthony Young pitched in when he posted a 3-30 record for the Mets in 1992-93. His walks were at a 3.05 BB/9 level as well. So he wasn't getting beat -- 0.65 HR/9 -- as much as he was beating himself. Peavy's misses on a couple of key pitches during the no-no seemed to upset the apple cart a bit and caused the one bad inning (and there's always one bad inning) that got a little more out of control than de Grom's one bad inning.

I like what Peavy adds to the rotation, a Full Throttle, Hunter Pence on the mound, and he seems to be just the adrenaline kick the Giants need. Oh, and good health to first Brandon Belt and hopefully soon Angel Pagan. This team can still get to and make some noise in the playoffs.

On the prospect front, I think Panik should stick around, he just throws good AB's out there and the average is going to follow. Susac looks good at the plate and behind the dish, showing good plate discipline. The bat can certainly use some more AB's in AAA, but what are you going to do? Duvall and Matt Duffy are going to be the odd men out, I think. Duvall looks good as a power hitting prospect, that's going to make the Panda decision a lot tougher. If it's a choice between keeping Panda or Morse instead of Panda and Morse, I think you have to go Panda, and in that instance Duvall likely gets dealt. It looks like pitchers have discovered that Matt Duffy needs more work laying off the slider. It is major league meal money, travel and accommodations, but the flip side is that you will see major league sliders.

Also on a positive note, Gregor Blanco is putting up some really good AB's of late after looking totally lost earlier in the season. Good to see, as his defensive value -- like Crawford -- is indisputable. As we have seen lately with the number of Giants pitchers being labelled hard-luck and the victim of lack of run support, you do need to score some runs here and there.

Giants continue yo-yo / catch as catch can strategy with hitting prospects

I agree 100% with this synopsis of the Giants recent roster moves from When the Giants come to Town.... Let's see, what's new today, Jarrett Parker (??) and Matt Duffy up, and I Don't Know (THIRD BASE?!?) who heading back down.

The young hitters especially have to feel like they are on a yo-yo.

Whether it's Duvall, Panik, Susac or others over the years, the Giants are either not patient enough with the young hitters they develop or worse they know their organizational weakness and just hope to catch lightning in a bottle here and there. That kind of  'catch as catch can' strategy is ridiculous.

When the Giants Come to Town...:

I do have a couple of concerns with the way Sabes has handled this deadline: 

 1.  I disagree with the way he has publicly tied his aggressiveness, or lack of same, in the TRADE MARKET with the recent performance of the team.  If he thinks trading away prospects for a veteran or two is throwing good money after bad, he should keep it to himself.  To tie it to the recent performance of the team, then to do nothing is sending a message to the players that he does not believe in them and has the potential to further demoralize them at at time when they need a boost of confidence.  Even today, he was musing to the media about not liking the feel of the recent homestand.  I don't think anybody liked the feel of it, but I would have preferred that Sabes simply say, "you know, there was nothing on the market that I believe was enough of an upgrade on the guys we have to justify the cost.  We're still in this race despite the recent losing and I believe we can get it done without a trade.  Instead, it looked like the old thin-skinned Sabes getting defensive about his non-activity and throwing his own players under the bus in defending it. 

 2.  The shuffling of prospects in and out has become almost comical.  It seems directionless and based on yesterday's minor league boxscores rather than any development plan for the prospects.  It's trying to catch lightning in a bottle and trying with a different bottle every day!  I mean, the Uggla promotion was ridiculous.  I would have preferred that Abreu get the PT, but Abreu was up for just a few days and got a total of 4 PA's.  Now it's Matt Duffy and Jarrett Parker, both guys who I like, but you have to wonder what the plan is for either of them.  Does this mean Panik gets less PT or is Crawford going to lose PT at SS?  I guess Matt Duffy will be the back up at both SS and 2B and Parker could conceivably  be the regular CF.  We'll see how much PT either of them get.  At this point, I just want them to make a commitment to somebody, for better or worse, and stick with it.

'via Blog this'

Sorry to get all geeky on y'all but I agree with this analysis that pegs the point at which you "know" what you have in a hitter at 650 PA's - -and I think the scouting community goes along with this type of statistical guidelines well.

It seems as if the Giants are smarter than everyone else with regards to hitters and can make a valid determination after 65 PA's. Time to add back the zero guys.

When Samples Become Reliable | FanGraphs Baseball

				When Samples Become Reliable | FanGraphs Baseball Daily baseball statistical analysis and commentary.
				View on www.fangraphs.com	Preview by Yahoo

Cutter basically searched for the point at which split-half reliability tests produced a 0.70 correlation or higher. A split-half reliability test involves finding the correlations between partitions of one dataset. For instance, taking all of Burrell’s evenly numbered plate appearances and separating them from the odd ones, and then running correlations on both. When both are very similar, the data becomes more reliable. Though a 1.0 correlation indicated a perfect relationship, 0.70 is usually the ultimate benchmark in statistical studies, especially relative to baseball, when DIPS theory was derived from correlations of lesser strength. Without further delay, here are the results of his article as far as when certain statistics stabilize for individual hitters:

50 PA: Swing %
100 PA: Contact Rate
150 PA: Strikeout Rate, Line Drive Rate, Pitches/PA
200 PA: Walk Rate, Groundball Rate, GB/FB
250 PA: Flyball Rate
300 PA: Home Run Rate, HR/FB
500 PA: OBP, SLG, OPS, 1B Rate, Popup Rate
550 PA: ISO

Cutter went to 650 PA as his max, meaning that the exclusion of statistics like BA, BABIP, WPA, and context-neutral WPA indicates that they did not stabilize. So, here you go, I hope this assuages certain small sample misconceptions and provides some insight into when we can discuss a certain metric from a skills standpoint. There are certain red flags with an analysis like this, primarily that playing time is not assigned randomly and by using 650 PA, a chance exists that a selection bias may shine through in that the players given this many plate appearances are the more consistent players. Cutter avoids the brunt of this by comparing players to themselves. Even so, these benchmarks are tremendous estimates at the very least.

In conclusion, to reiterate what was mentioned in When the Giants come to Town....'s blog:

At this point, I just want them to make a commitment to somebody, for better or worse, and stick with it.

Price is right for the Tigers

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

David Price will join a loaded starting rotation with the Tigers, who also have Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

The Giants certainly could have made a more attractive offer than this for Price. Maybe Franklin allows them to turn Zobrist over to the G-men for a song.

Oh wait, we decided to keep Dan Uggla after all instead of the more attractive options out there, my bad. Looks like the Giants waved the white flag every bit as much as the Rays just did. Way to go, Brian.

from ESPN.com:
David Price traded to Detroit Tigers in deal with Tampa Bay Rays - ESPN:

The Detroit Tigers have acquired All-Star left-hander David Price in a blockbuster three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners, a source has confirmed to ESPN's Jayson Stark.

Detroit sent center fielder Austin Jackson to Seattle while Tampa Bay received left-hander Drew Smyly from the Tigers and infielder Nick Franklin from the Mariners, according to multiple reports.

The Rays also received infield prospect Willy Adames from the Tigers, according to reports
'via Blog this'

Are Giants desperate or arrogant?

A's deep, Giants desperate as trade deadline nears

				A's deep, Giants desperate as trade deadline nears The demarcation point of the baseball season arrives Thursday. [...] yes, despite the gloom and doom at AT&T Park over the weekend, the Giants remain ve...
				View on www.sfgate.com	Preview by Yahoo

A pretty fair compare and contrast by Ann Killion, even though she is getting ripped in the comments section of the article by Giants fans for using the word "desperate". I worry more that the operative word is "complacent", but other than that, a pretty fair assessment.

The farm system is still not able to replenish the big club when injuries hit and we've seen that throughout the years with the Giants. They live very hand to mouth and it does seem as if the roster is top heavy with the emphasis on the first 25 men on the roster rather than a more solid 40 man roster. The bottom 15 is generally not major league ready. The complacency that I refer to is demonstrated in some of the Giants fans comments that revolve around the "we've got two rings in the past four year, what do you have?" mentality. Extending this type of hubris to the upper levels of Giants management and you can see why some other Giants fans are frustrated with the predicament the G-men find themselves in. AGAIN.

The two titles bought them some time to deal with this issue and yet, here we go again, same old story.

from SFGate:
http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-deep-Giants-desperate-as-trade-deadline-nears-5652630.php

The Giants, in contrast, are a team built on predictability. The Giants want to trot out the same eight position players every day and pay their players accordingly and, by doing that, don't carry much depth. When injuries happen, like right now, it's a huge problem. The Giants can't overcome the loss of players they were counting on, like Marco Scutaro andAngel Pagan. Throw in the unfortunate Brandon Belt and Hector Sanchez concussions and the team is hanging on by its fingernails. There is no depth on the roster and a huge lag in the farm system, where the best prospects aren't major-league ready.

The Giants' recent troubles have led to accusations that the team is too old, just like in the Barry Bonds days. That's not a completely accurate assessment: In the Bonds days, the Giants let their farm system wither deliberately. They traded draft picks for aging veterans, had no homegrown position players and created a team of older players who could coexist with Bonds.

The current Giants are reliant on homegrown players such as Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Pablo Sandoval and Belt. Those players, along with homegrown pitchers Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner, helped create a winning era that have meant lower draft picks. Over the years, the Giants have missed on some picks - most notablyGary Brown, who was expected to be in the AT&T outfield by now. The pipeline between the farm system and the major-league club operates in scattered bursts rather than a steady flow, the way it does for the A's.

 There are other ways to build a club besides a farm system. Money is not the issue with the Giants, and the fans know it. That's why they will be loudly frustrated if Brian Sabean's only moves are adding Dan Uggla and Jake Peavy. Yes, Utley would be expensive. But the Giants can handle the cost.

What the Giants need most right now is for the players they've been counting on - Posey, Sandoval, Hunter Pence and Michael Morse - to produce. That hasn't happened much in recent weeks.

'via Blog this'