Giants' Joe Panik homers off Kenley Jansen (and Kershaw)

The historic first two games (and the entire series) had so many good things to like, especially since they happened to the Dodgers. 

Positives:

• Panik 2 HR's in the first two games to propel the good guys to a 2-0 record.
• Ty Blach working the magic againt Kershaw yet again.
• Cueto looking like an ace in his first start
• Strickland making Melancon's boo-boo look like addition by subtraction
• The bullpen overall looking pretty stout
• Would have rather seen Stratton than Holland in 3rd game, but 3 LHP vs. Dodgers is OK

Negatives:

1. Giants continue to prove, like many sabermetricians, that clutch hitting doesn't exist.
2. Two runs in three games is a recipe for a repeat of last year. 
3. Posey and Longoria where are you?

OTOH, they did win two out of three with the negatives and are the negatives likely to recur or do they regress UPWARDS to the mean? We'll see. It's the first series and I'm very happy with 2-3 on the road against the Dodgers.  

from mlb.com

https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-joe-panik-homers-off-kenley-jansen/c-270230822

2 games, 2 Panik HRs, 2 1-0 wins for Giants

4:06 AM ETLOS ANGELES -- Joe Panik won't hit 162 home runs that account for the scoring in each game. He doesn't have to. His accomplishments in two such games are rare enough.
For the second game in a row, Panik was the only player on either team to touch home plate without kicking it in frustration. His ninth-inning home run Friday off Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers' formidable closer, gave the Giants a 1-0 victory that was nothing short of precedent-setting.
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According to STATS, Panik, who went deep off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in Tuesday's season opener, is the first Major Leaguer to hit back-to-back solo homers at any juncture of the season to win 1-0 games for his team. The Giants are also the first team since the 1943 Reds to open a season with consecutive 1-0 victories.
"It's a good feeling to be in the situation to make those hits happen," said Panik, who made sure to add, "It all stems from pitching. I said it yesterday -- without [them], I wouldn't be standing here."
This game cornered the early-season market on drama. Giants starter Johnny Cueto retired the first 18 batters he faced before Chris Taylor punched a soft single to right field. That would be the Dodgers' lone hit for the entire game.
• Cueto flirts with perfection in first startThe Giants mustered only two hits as pitching continued to dominate this season-opening series. San Francisco is batting .154 (10-for-65); Los Angeles is batting .121 (7-for-58). Only Panik has provided meaningful offense with his power.
"That's not his game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "But the guys he's hit 'em off, that's pretty remarkable. Couldn't have come at a better time."
Teaming with relievers Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland, who recorded his second consecutive save, Cueto helped San Francisco doom the Dodgers to their second shutout defeat in the season's first two games for the first time in 50 years and second time in history.
Dodgers starter Alex Wood lost his perfect game on the first of three Logan Forsythe errors in the top of the fourth inning. Wood lost the no-hitter on an infield single by Brandon Crawford to fellow shortstop Corey Seager with two out in the top of the fifth inning. Wood struck out five and made 90 pitches.
MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDCan't cash in: The Giants had their best early chance after Forsythe's fourth-inning error. Panik bunted Austin Jackson to second base, but Andrew McCutchen struck out and Buster Posey grounded to shortstop.
Still got it: Left fielder Matt Kemp, whose defense has been the Dodgers' biggest area of concern, made a long run to flag down Jackson's towering fly on the warning track in the corner to end the top of the eighth inning.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDSJansen's pickoff of McCutchen at first base in the ninth inning, which required a Dodgers challenge and video review to overturn the original safe call, was the first one of Jansen's career.
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAYThe Giants achieved what for them was nearly impossible -- creating a baserunner against Wood -- with the help of replay. With one out in the fifth inning, Hunter Pence tapped a grounder to Dodgers third baseman Forsythe, who briefly lost control of the ball. As usual, Pence hustled to first base. He initially was called out, but replays demonstrated otherwise, and the call was overturned.
WHAT'S NEXTLeft-hander Derek Holland will make his first National League appearance Saturday when he starts for the Giants in a 6:10 p.m. PT contest at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles will counter with righty Kenta Maeda in its effort to secure its first victory of the season.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.
Chris Haft has covered the Giants since 2005, and for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter at @sfgiantsbeat and listen to his podcast.
Read more: Johnny Cueto, Kenley Jansen, Joe Panik, Alex Wood

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Blach deals, Williamson rakes - Good news for the future

Good news for the Giants out of Sacramento!! From Blach or Blackburn or Crick, or whoever steps forward and pulls a Chris Heston, will come the bottom half of the Giants starting rotation of the future. It appears that Hudson, Lincecum, and perhaps Vogelsong and Peavy are on their last legs as Giants, If the Giants fall off the pace, maybe we see a start or two from one of the future starters late-September, but don't expect that to happen. One of these guys will have to come into spring training with guns blazing and grab a spot ( or two, if Mike Leake is not retained ).

Not bad to see Williamson hitting at this level as well. He is one of the few potential impact bats the Giants have, assuming that Kelby Tomlinson doesn't disappear into a phone booth and morph into......Matt Duffy 2.0. I bet you thought I was going to say Superman, right? We'll settle for a Duff-Man sidekick for now. The kid looks good in thew batters box but perhaps a little lost in the field for right now. You can see how important chemistry is between SS and 2B men recently since Panik has been on the shelf. Crawford looks like he's trying to do too much and at times Tomlinosn looks like he's either in the way or lost..

Blach deals, Williamson rakes for River Cats

Giants' No. 20 prospect goes distance; roommate mashes grand slam

By Tyler Maun / MiLB.com

Tuesday, Aug. 18 2:51 AM

Ty Blach had gone just five innings in each of his previous three starts before Monday. (Ralph Thompson/Sacramento River Cats)

Sacramento's Ty Blach silenced hitters on the mound and his roommate wrecked Round Rock pitching at the plate.

The Giants' No. 20 prospect tossed the first nine-inning complete game of his career, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out six as the Triple-A River Cats crushed the visiting Express, 11-0, at Raley Field.

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WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise - Giants Extra

Some good news for the Giants out of the Winter Meetings, hopefully they hold on to Blach and fellow prospect Clayton Blackburn. They could help solidify the back end of the starting rotation beginning as early as 2015. Kyle Crick still worries me a bit with his wildness, I don't seem to recall the same issue with Zack Wheeler at the same point in his development. If Crick comes around, he has top of the rotation stuff. No other Giants pitching prospect brings a higher ceiling to the table than Kyle Crick.

from Giants Extra:
WINTER MEETINGS NOTES: Giants chase Shields; Panda's move was no surprise; #ThreeBelt; Giants add two minor leaguers - Giants Extra:

"— On a brighter note, here’s another thing I heard all week: The Giants think Ty Blach is very underrated on prospect lists. The 24-year-old left-hander has had two good seasons since getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, posting a 3.02 ERA over 47 appearances. Blach has pulled away from some of the other pitching prospects in that vaunted 2013 San Jose Giants class, and there are people in the front office who believe he can contribute to the back end of the rotation at some point next season."

'via Blog this'

As far as chances to be a major league contributor, I still like Blach the best although he fell a little bit off last years performance mainly due to his hitting too many bats. He is a pitch to contact guy, but the thinking is that guys are getting too much hard contact which will only get greater as he advances. Blackburn has no such worries attached to him that I have seen. He seems to be able to grind through lineups and get outs efficiently. LHP prospect Adalberto Mejia throws up a red flag with his PED suspension.

P.S. - Although I am partial to LHP's, I like Blackburn / Blach in that order. And before I get crushed by others, I have not seen enough of Tyler Beede outside of Vanderbilt to rank him yet, but he is 1-1A with Crick in terms of ceiling, with a little more consistency it seems in terms of performance. His age helps in that regard. Blackburn, Blach and Beede, the Killer B's of Giants pitching prospects. 

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2267984-giants-prospect-adalberto-mejia-suspended-latest-details-reaction-and-analysis

As Pavlovic mentions, Mejia is regarded as one of San Francisco's best prospects. He was ranked as the Giants' No. 4 prospect coming into the 2014 season by Baseball America and MLB.com, and spent all year playing for Double-A Richmond. 

Just 21 years old, Mejia was signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2011. In the scouting report for him coming into 2014 onMLB.com, the left-hander was described as having the total package of what scouts look for in a young southpaw:

He had no problem handling high Class A hitters at age 19, as the only thing that slowed him down was a strained lat muscle that sidelined him for seven weeks.

Mejia has everything scouts look for in a pitcher -- stuff, size and command -- and as a bonus, he's left-handed. Mejia throws a low-90s two-seam fastball with minimal effort, getting the ball to cut or sink and locating it where he wants.

Losing Mejia for 50 games certainly delays his path to the big leagues next season. He still had work to do, as evidenced by a 4.67 ERA and 119 hits allowed in 108 innings, via MiLB.com, but the ceiling is bright for this young pitcher. This is just a bad speed bump on the road to what will hopefully be a long and prosperous career for a talented hurler. 

So in order, I guess my Giants pitching prospect list would be:

• Clayton Blackburn
• Derek Law
• Kendry Flores
• Keury Mella
• Ty Blach
• Adalberto Mejia
• Steven Okert
• Joan Gregorio
• Kyle Crick
• Chris Stratton
• Martin Agosta

The bottom three could really turn this list around in a hurry. Especially if Crick and Stratton start pitching in a more consistently dominant fashion.  Agosta may start falling from lists in this coming year. A major disappointment given where he was drafted. Flores and Mella are still a couple of years away from contributing.

from mlb.com
http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/100152666/clayton-blackburn-among-giants-prospects-in-arizona-fall-league

For someone who has breezed through pro ball, Giants right-hander Clayton Blackburn has a lengthy to-do list in the Arizona Fall League. He's trying to add two new pitches while replacing innings lost to a rib-cage injury during the season.

"I got hurt a little bit this year and missed about a month, so making up some innings, but also I'm trying to learn more of a true slider," said Blackburn, ranked as the Giants' No. 7 prospect. "I already have a big curveball, so I need a little bit of a true slider. And I'm going from a changeup to a splitter. So working on those, just perfecting my craft and getting better overall."

 In four pro seasons, Blackburn has gone 23-17 with a 2.98 ERA and a 405/76 K/BB ratio in 395 2/3 innings, thanks more to advanced pitchability than overpowering stuff. Though he has a burly 6-foot-2, 260-pound frame, he also has the athleticism to repeat his delivery. Blackburn throws with such little effort that his fastball appears quicker than its 89-93 mph velocity, he has the ability to manipulate the shape of his curveball, and he owns a sinking changeup to keep left-handers in check.

Blackburn went to big league camp with the Giants this spring and saw Hunter Strickland, his roommate at Double-A Richmond this year, become a key part of San Francisco's bullpen during the postseason. As the organization's most advanced starting-pitching prospect, he could make his Major League debut as a 22-year-old next season.

Ty Blach getting noticed

Good to see Ty Blach getting his due. Like Clayton Blackburn, he is not flashy, just effective. That part about not missing the strike zone gets some attention eventually. The Tom Glavine comps are looking better and better. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the bigs this year, except that means the Giants are likely out of the playoff hunt.

Expect Blach to make some noise in camp next year and possibly be a solid contributor by 2016.

from Bleacher Report:
Ty Blach, LHP:

2014 Season Stats: 18 GS, 7-4, 2.95 ERA, 22 BB, 63 K, 97.2 IP 

 The left-hander pitched another gem for Triple-A Richmond, going a full seven innings and allowing two earned runs.  Blach added seven strikeouts and no walks and was truly dominant on the mound.  It's the first time in 11 starts that Blach has lasted at least seven innings.

Among the Giants' top pitching prospects, Blach possesses the most control, as demonstrated by his last start.  Unlike many minor leaguers, Blach simply doesn't miss the strike zone.

Blach has plenty of competition but plenty of upside.  

Stock: Up

'via Blog this'

A Flying Squirrel is Baseball America's Pitcher of the Day

Richmond's Adalberto Mejia is starting to pick up the pace for the mini-Gigantes. I still like Ty Blach in the short-term, but Mejia will be one to keep tabs on given his age vs. level of competition. The Giants were uncharacteristically aggressive with Mejia and it may be starting to pay dividends. I'm not sure that either one projects as a top of the rotation guy, but that's what Kyle Crick is for (if not trade bait for Samardzija).

Baseball America Prospect Report
Compiled by Baseball America June 16, 2014

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Adalberto Mejia, lhp — Double-A Richmond (Giants)
The Giants aggressively promoted Mejia to Double-A, who was just 20 at the start of the season. Through his first 11 starts (6.36 ERA), it might have seemed a mistake. But Mejia rebounded Sunday with easily his best outing of the season—seven scoreless innings, four hits, one walk, seven strikeouts. The Giants call Mejia a zone-pounder and say his velocity is starting to pick up back to its usual 92-93 range.

'via Blog this'

P.S. - Any excuse to get the best logo in organized baseball into the blog is a good excuse.

 

Giants prospects continue to shine

It will be a great day in Poco_Gigante land when both Andrew Susac and Joe Panik sport their .300 plus averages and prove I don't know anything when I complain that the organization can't produce quality hitters. 

A little further down, two of my favorite pitchers,  Black and Law, continue to shine.  

  
Baseball America Prospect Report
Compiled by Baseball America   May 12, 2014

SF		AAA		Susac, Andrew C		4		1		1		1		.333		HR (4)
SF		AAA		Brown, Gary CF		4		0		2		0		.276		SB (6)
SF		LoA		Jones, Ryder SS		5		1		2		3		.264		HR (1)

SF		AA		Blach, Ty		7		6		3		3		0		3		2.23		W (3-1)
SF		AA		Law, Derek		1		0		0		0		2		3		2.35		Sv (9)

John Sickels ranks six Giants prospects in his top 150 - McCovey Chronicles

from McCovey Chronicles:
John Sickels ranks six Giants prospects in his top 150 - McCovey Chronicles:

Plus, he's kind of bullish on Giants prospects. He gave the Giants six of the top prospects in his 150-player list on Thursday, including four in the top 100. Those players:

#36, Kyle Crick, RHP
#79, Edwin Escobar, LHP
#83, Andrew Susac, C
#97, Clayton Blackburn, RHP
#115, Chris Stratton, RHP
#126 Adalberto Mejia, LHP

'via Blog this'

My list at this point would be somewhat different:

Among the pitchers, as of today, I would rank them :

1. Ty Blach
2. Clayton Blackburn
3. Derek Law
4. Kendry Flores
5. Aldaberto Mejia
6. Kyle Crick
7. Heath Hembree
8. Jose Casilla
9. Joan Gregorio
10. Keury Mella

That's just based on how efficiently they are pitching, based on their level and age.

Edwin Escobar scares me, not so much for anything he has done, but for what it is that people see in him that elevates him up so many of these lists. His stats are decidedly mediocre.

Chris Stratton is an enigma in that some love his stuff, but I can't seem to get past his age and the level he is currently struggling at. His stats are decidedly unimpressive.

Same with Martin Agosta. His stats are also showing signs of struggle at a low level. Not good. Both Agosta and Stratton should both be competing at the AA level by now, where they would likely be struggling even more, which leads me to believe the Giants are protecting them somewhat. Have to swim in the deep end of the pool at some point or you go from prospect to suspect.

Hembree and Crick are going to determine how well or poorly we talk about this group of prospects. Both are flashing warning signs, mainly in the command and control area. How each one irons out this area determines how high they fly or how quickly they crash. If the Giants go 2 for 2 here, they should be able to paste together a good rotation and bullpen. One for two probably doesn't work, given the organizational emphasis on pitching and the age of both the current starters and some in the bullpen. Oh for two is going to be an unmitigated disaster. 

---

Among the hitters, it's probably Panik and Susac and then not much else. The power hitters were led by Mac Williamson, but now he's down due to Tommy John surgery. It could be worse, TJ surgery does not keep hitters down as long as pitchers, and it could have been one of the pitchers, so I consider the organization fortunate at this point. 

We lose Roger Kieschnick to the D-Backs, but he joins the growing line of ex-Giants fringe OF's patrolling the majors, a la Nate Schierholtz, Francisco Peguero, etc. Ricky Oroposa, Jarrett Parker seem headed down that path. 

I'm still not sure what to make of Adam Duvall at 3B in AA or Chuckie Jones OF in Lo-A. Maybe Duvall gets a shot if Panda's AVG stays lower than his weight and his contract demands don't exceed Scott Boras' wildest imagination. 

We shall see....

Giants pitching prospects giving mixed signals

Clayton Blackburn continues to pitch well at AA. He won't WOW!! anybody, but he is a very efficient pitcher with what he has and does his job better than some of his more highly touted brethren. Edwin Escobar, who both scouts and the "prospect-razzi" seem to love, continues to struggle at the AAA level. Escobar scares me at this point. He seems to be a bit of a tease in terms of display of talent. The kind of guys who pitches just well enough to not win. He may be destined to be a prospect-razzi heart-breaker.



Baseball America Prospect Report

Compiled by Baseball America   April 11, 2014

SF		AA		Blackburn, Clayton		4		6		4		2		0		6		3.00		L (0-1)
SF		AAA		Cordier, Erik		1		0		0		0		0		3		9.00
SF		AAA		Escobar, Edwin		4		5		3		3		2		7		7.27
SF		HiA		Gregorio, Joan		5		6		2		1		2		6		1.00		W (1-0)

We see this divergence throughout the organization as far as the pitchers go. The more highly touted guys, like Kyles Crick and Heath Hembree are flashing the control/command red flag. Martin Agosta and Edwin Escobar seem to give up a bunch of hits, the antithesis of getting guys out, Chris Stratton seems to have a higher propensity for giving up the gopher ball than you would like, plus he's a lower level than you would like to see given his age and experience. 

Now if these things are happening to guys at a higher than average level in the minors, you can only imagine what major league hitters will do to them. 

In contrast, guys like Ty Blach, the aforementioned Clayton Blackburn, Derek Law, Kendry Flores, Aldaberto Mejia and Santiago's little brother Jose Casilla seem to fly under the radar as far as generating ink and / or making prospect lists. However, these guys have demonstrated, at least from an advanced metric standpoint, an ability to pitch, get guys out and keep the ball in the yard. Three major components of and predictors for guys who have long / productive big league careers.  

I like this 2012 write up from scout.com generally and the comp to Derek Lowe specifically. 

http://sfgiants.scout.com/2/1176965.html

We see his skillset comparable to an in-his-prime Derek Lowe. While Blackburn is not as big as Lowe, he has a similar style: he is not overpowering, but is able to induce a lot of ground balls while also posting a good strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Lowe has won 176 major league games over his career.  He looks somewhat like Rick Reuschel. "Big Daddy" won 214 games, 44 of them with the Giants late in his career. I think we would take either comparison and win total from Mr. Blackburn.