Showing posts with label Hunter Pence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hunter Pence. Show all posts

Monday, October 19, 2015

#SFGiantsMadness down to the Sweet 16

Jeremy Affeldt & Ryan Vogelsong are both still alive in #SFGiantsMadness


After a week of voting on Twitter, we are down to the Sweet 16, and this year we had some incredible upsets. Top seeds went down as fans clearly voted for this current group of Giants over past legends. Last year, the voting was pretty consistent and many top seeds advanced. There were some upsets last year as well, as fan favorites such as Mike Krukow and Hunter Pence made it to the sweet 16 last year. This year, they were joined by some other unlikely winners.







#16 seed Jeremy Affeldt and #2 seed Ryan Vogelsong took out Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda respectively. Affeldt announced his retirement this season, and Vogelsong may have also thrown his last pitch in orange and black, so fans certainly wanted to show these men some love in the voting. However, it is still a shocker to see them dethrone legends like Marichal and Cepeda. Not only are they Hall of Famers, but they also are well known to the fan base as the Giants consistently have them be a part of every ceremony and championship parade and event. Current fans know who these legends are, even if they were too young to see them play. It just goes to show that voting is always going to be based on fan preference and sometimes that means upsets happen.

Also in the 2nd round, Sergio Romo defeated Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in a #10 vs #2 matchup. Romo took an early lead and never relinquished it, despite a last ditch effort by fans to send more votes to Perry.


In 2014, Krukow and Pence won in the 1st round despite being #11 and #14 seeds. Only Pence made it to the 2nd round, however, because they just so happen to be in the same bracket.


This season, both were #11 seeds and both are cruising into the Sweet 16 with 2nd round victories. Krukow taking down former teammate Robby Thompson and Pence taking down Matt Williams.





Three #1 seeds remain, with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds. Only two #2 seeds remain, with Will Clark and Buster Posey. Matt Cain is also the only #3 seed left standing, as #6 seed J.T. Snow took down Bobby Bonds, along with Krukow and Pence.

The champion may still end up being the defending champion Mays, and it's possible that 7 of the 8 winners in round 3 could be a top 3 seed. However, if the previous two rounds are any indication, this is going to be madness.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Giants will win in 2016 because: Even Year Magic...and talent.



The San Francisco Giants have had an interesting last 6 seasons. Three World Series championships. Three seasons without a playoff appearance. Every even season they win it all. Every odd year, they don't even make it to the dance. How can we explain this? It's very simple. Even year magic. Also, baseball is very hard and making the post-season is never easy. In pro basketball or hockey, more teams make the post-season than stay at home. In Major League baseball, only 10 of the 30 teams reach the playoffs, and two of the 10 only get guaranteed 9 innings.

There are some obvious reasons 2011, 2013 and 2015 ended without October baseball. For one, the team suffered some back breaking injuries, both literally and figuratively in each of those seasons. From Buster Posey's broken leg and Freddy Sanchez broken back in '11, to Angel Pagan's hamstring and Marco Scutaro's broken back in '13, to Hunter Pence's various injuries and Joe Panik's broken back in '15. If there was one thing we knew was going to happen in odd years, it was a critical member of the lineup was going down for several months and the team's second baseman was going to injure their back.

Fans wanted the "odd year curse" to be over this season, and had high hopes that the Giants could get back to the post-season in back to back years for the 1st time since 2002-03. There was reason to be hopeful too. Hunter Pence did play some games this season and the Giants were 34-18 in those games. That .653 winning percentage would translate to 105 wins. That doesn't mean the Giants were going to win 105 games, or even 95 games, but since the Dodgers won 92 games to win the National League West, a healthy Pence could have made a huge difference.

Also, there were those pesky 1 run games. The Giants won 19 1 run games in 2015, which is more than the 15 the Blue Jays won, but it was there 2-15 record in 1 run games down the stretch that made all the difference. The Giants had several starters out during those 17 games, including Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Gregor Blanco and Nori Aoki and several key pitchers out, including Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, Mike Leake and Jeremy Affeldt.

Looking ahead in 2016, there is room for much optimism. First and foremost, the Giants still have 3 of the best players in baseball in the prime of their careers. Madison Bumgarner will not win the Cy Young this year, primarily because of some of the greatest pitching seasons we've seen in the National League in a decade. However, Bumgarner had an incredible season that proves he is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. His 8.9 Wins Above Replacement over the past two seasons is 13th best in baseball. And compared to those other 12 pitchers, his ERA of 2.95 is tied for 10th best, while his FIP is 8th. He also hit 5 home runs this season and has become a legitimate threat to the lineup when he bats. His pinch hit at bats have become epic performances. His .468 Slugging percentage was higher than Evan Gattis and Prince Fielder, among others.

When healthy, Pence has been incredible for the Giants, as the 34-18 record and World Series victory in 2014 has showed in recent seasons. If Pence can get back to being an everyday player that can play 150 games, the Giants will be much improved without making any upgrades. Buster Posey is still the team's primary catcher, despite fans and media members questioning when he'll move to first base.  However, one of the main reasons he is the team's primary backstop is because he is an elite catcher. He may very well be a finalist for the Gold Glove this season, and could win it for his ability to throw out runners, call a game and frame pitches. His offense was once again MVP caliber, as he narrowly missed a 2nd batting title. If it wasn't for Bryce Harper's otherworldly season, Posey could make a case for his second MVP.

The Giants defense has always been a source of strength during their successful runs to the post-season and to the World Series, and the two main players in the greatest double play in World Series history are coming off tremendous seasons. Crawford and Panik are both going to be finalists for Gold Gloves in their own right, and Crawford also ended up leading the Giants in home runs with 21. He is the first shortstop to lead the Giants in home runs in over 100 seasons. Panik, despite a back injury that ended his season, had a tremendous sophomore year and will certainly be one of the anchors of the team going forward.

Third base was the biggest hole from last season with the departure of Pablo Sandoval, and not just because of his weight. Sandoval was a member of all three championship seasons and his absence was evident immediately. Casey McGahee, brought in to replace the "Panda" did so poorly in the first five weeks of the season, that rookie utility player Matt Duffy replaced him in the starting lineup. Duffy, who had never played third base regularly in his professional career, became an instant success, ended up winning the team's prestigious Willie Mac Award, and will be a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award. Like Posey, who will lose out to Harper, Duffy will probably lose out to Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. However, Duffy has made fans, teammates and front office people forget about Sandoval and completes a homegrown infield with Posey, Crawford, Panik and Belt.

Injuries were the story all season in the outfield. Not only did the team miss Pence, but Pagan, Blanco, Aoki and Juan Perez all missed significant time. The team tried several players from outside the organization, from Justin Maxwell, who made the team out of spring, to Marlon Byrd and Alejandro De Aza, who the team traded for during the season. Byrd and Aoki could both be options to return in 2016. Blanco and Pagan are signed for next season, but will both be free agents in 2017. Pence is the only lock to be with the team in 2016, and he ended the season on the disabled list. Needless to say, the outfield has huge question marks.

The outfield isn't a huge concern for fans because they are too busy being worried about the starting rotation. For all the superlatives fans can say and make about Bumgarner, there isn't another pitcher in the rotation that is a lock to have a strong 2016. Jake Peavy is the most likely, after ending both 2014 and 2015 strong. However, there is no guarantee that Peavy will stay as effective as is the case with any pitcher in their mid-30's. Same goes for Matt Cain, a "horse" for the Giants for nearly a decade, Cain has struggled the last three seasons to stay healthy. Cain, who showed flashes of being his old self in the season finale, will need to be healthy if the team wants to battle in the National League next season. The team wants to re-sign Mike Leake, who will be a free agent this winter, but even if the Giants sign Leake, they may want to try to bring in another starter in case Cain struggles or in case some of their young pitchers, like Chris Heston, struggle. Heston, who had a very strong 1st half that included no hitting the New York Mets, struggled in the 2nd half and now his roster spot on the 25 man roster is in doubt. With Lincecum, Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong all free agents and Yusmeiro Petit due a raise in arbitration, the starting staff could look vastly different in 2016.

The bullpen and the bench are always in flux every season for every team. They are the two hardest areas of a baseball team to have consistency because of the nature of the job descriptions. The bench, in particular, because one of the hardest things to do in sports is to perform consistently when you play inconsistently. Same goes for the bullpen, where pitchers may go several day without pitching at all and other days where they pitch many days in a row. That being said, one of the strengths of the Giants these last six seasons has been the consistency of their bullpen. The "core four" as they have been named, each have three World Series rings. Affeldt is retiring, so the team will no longer have all four members of the core. Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez will all be back, but all will be in the final year of their contracts. So even if they all perform well in 2016, this could be the final year for the remaining three members of the core four. Josh Osich, another rookie who was brought up due to all the team's injuries, will look to replace Affeldt in the 'pen. Hunter Strickland, another rookie pitcher, will be asked to take on a more prominent role in 2016. George Kontos had a career year in 2015, and should be another lock for the bullpen next year.

The bench could include Byrd or Aoki or Blanco or Perez but it also could be rookies Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson, two of the young players promoted in September. Parker and Williamson may be long shots because they have the option of returning to Sacramento and start the year in Triple-A. The team has expressed interest in bringing Byrd and Aoki back. They may platoon in LF, or they may both begin the year on the bench. The team will only start the year with five outfielders, so if Pagan isn't traded, the team will have a numbers crunch. Andrew Susac should be back healthy and his play at catcher has been encouraging. One of the bright spots of 2015 was the late emergence of Kelby Tomlinson. Tomlinson is primarily a second baseman, so the team has suggested he spend time this winter in center field. Much like Duffy in 2014, Tomlinson was initially an afterthought in 2015, but now looks like he could be a key contributor in 2016. That may be the one positive to all the injuries is the opportunities it gave Tomlinson, Osich and others.

This winter will have a lot of Hot Stove talk about the Giants going after the top pitchers on the market, such as David Price, Zach Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and others. However, the Giants have proven over the last six seasons that they don't always need to find the best free agents. Sometimes they just need to find the right fits for their ballpark and their clubhouse. Leake and Byrd could be two of those fits.  Will those moves be enough? Will the Giants buck recent trends and overpay for the top tier free agents? Will they stick to their blueprint and try to be more strategic about who they sign? Should be a fun winter.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart (4/21/15 Edition)

2015 San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart
Put together by @CandlestickWill & @CoveChatter

C Buster Posey (MLB)
C Hector Sanchez (MLB)
C Andrew Susac (MLB)
C Guillermo Quiroz (Triple-A)
C Trevor Brown  (Triple-A)
C Jeff Arnold (Double-A)
C Jackson Williams (Double-A)
C Eliezer Zambrano (Double-A)
C Ben Turner (Single-A)
C Matt Pare (Single-A)
C Ty Ross (Single-A)
C Geno Escalante (Single-A)
C Brad Moss (Low-A)
C Aramis Garcia (Low-A)
C Jared Deacon (Low-A)
C John Riley (Low-A)

1B Brandon Belt (MLB)
1B Travis Ishikawa (MLB)
1B John Bowker (Triple-A)
1B Ricky Oropesa (Double-A)
1B Angel Villalona (Double-A)
1B Brian Ragira (Single-A)
1B Skyler Ewing (Low-A)
2B Joe Panik (MLB)
2B Matt Duffy (MLB)
2B Ehire Adrianza (Triple-A)
2B Brandon Hicks (Triple-A)
2B Ronny Cedeno (Triple-A)
2B Blake Miller (Double-A)
2B Kelby Tomlinson (Double-A)
2B Austin Slater (Single-A)
2B John Polonius (Single-A)
2B Jeremy Sy (Low-A)

SS Brandon Crawford (MLB)
SS Carlos Triunfel (Triple-A)
SS Juan Ciriaco (Triple-A)
SS Randy Moreno (Double-A)
SS Christian Arroyo (Single-A) 
SS Ydwin Villegas (Single-A)
SS Travious Relaford (Low-A)

3B Casey McGehee (MLB)
3B Joaquin Arias (MLB)
3B Adam Duvall (40 Man/Triple-A)
3B Mitch Delfino (Double-A)
3B Ryder Jones (Single-A)
3B Brandon Bednar (Single-A)
3B Jonah Arenado (Low-A)
3B Will Callaway (Low-A)

LF Nori Aoki (MLB)
LF Gregor Blanco (MLB)
LF Juan Perez (Triple-A)
LF Darren Ford (Triple-A)
LF Elliott Blair (Double-A)
LF Devin Harris (Double-A)
LF Ryan Lollis (Single-A)
LF Rafael Rodriguez (Single-A)
LF Brennan Metzger (Single-A)
LF Shawn Payne (Single-A)
LF Cristian Paulino (Low-A)

CF Angel Pagan (MLB)
CF Brett Jackson (Triple-A)
CF Daniel Carbonell (40 Man/Double-A)
CF Jesus Galindo (Single-A)
CF Randy Ortiz (Low-A)
CF Johneshwy Fargas (Low-A)
RF Hunter Pence (MLB)
RF Justin Maxwell (MLB)
RF Jarrett Parker (40 Man/Triple-A)
RF Javier Herrera (Double-A)
RF Mac Williamson (Double-A)

RF Tyler Horan (Single-A)
RF Chuckie Jones (Single-A) *Suspended
RF Hunter Cole (Low-A) 
RF Andrew Cain (Low-A)
RF Gustavo Cabrera (INJ)

SP Madison Bumgarner (MLB)
SP Matt Cain (MLB)
SP Jake Peavy (MLB)
SP Tim Hudson (MLB)
SP Tim Lincecum (MLB)
SP Chris Heston (MLB)
SP Ryan Vogelsong (MLB)
SP Yusmeiro Petit (MLB)
SP Ty Blach (Triple-A) 
SP Jake Dunning (Triple-A)
SP Austin Fleet (Triple-A)
SP Robert Coello (Triple-A)
SP Braulio Lara (Triple-A)
SP Nik Turley (Triple-A)
SP Kevin Correia (Triple-A)
SP Kyle Crick (Double-A)
SP Clayton Blackburn (Double-A)
SP Chris Stratton (Double-A)
SP Adalberto Mejia (Double-A) * Restricted List
SP Matt Lujan (Double-A)
SP Joe Biagini (Double-A)
SP Jack Snodgrass (Double-A)
SP Tyler Beede (Single-A)
SP Keury Mella (Single-A)
SP Luis Ysla (Single-A)
SP Nick Vander Tuig (Single-A)
SP Martin Agosta (Single-A)SP D.J. Snelten (Single-A)
SP Chase Johnson (Single-A)
SP Matt Gage (Low-A)
SP Mark Reyes (Low-A)
SP Samuel Coonrod (Low-A)
SP Nathanial Santiago (Low-A)
SP Jose Reyes (Low-A)
SP Nicholas Gonzalez (Low-A)
SP Michael Santos (Low-A)

RP Santiago Casilla (MLB)
RP Sergio Romo (MLB)
RP Jeremy Affeldt (MLB)
RP Javy Lopez (MLB)
RP Jean Machi (MLB)
RP George Kontos (MLB)
RP Hunter Strickland (40 Man/Triple-A)
RP Erik Cordier (40 Man)
RP Cody Hall (40 Man/Triple-A) 
RP Steven Okert (Triple-A)
RP Brett Bochy (Triple-A)
RP Juan Gutierrez (Triple-A)
RP Curtis Partch (Triple-A)
RP Mike Broadway (Triple-A)
RP Clay Rapada (Triple-A)
RP Derek Law (40 Man)
RP Ray Black (40 Man)
RP Joan Gregorio (40 Man/Double-A)
RP Josh Osich (Double-A)
RP Kelvin Marte (Double-A)
RP Jose Casilla (Double-A)
RP Pedro Rodriguez (Double-A)
RP Stephen Johnson (Double-A)
RP Phil McCormick (Double-A)
RP Tyler Rogers (Double-A)
RP Christian Jones (Single-A)
RP Ian Gardeck (Single-A)
RP Jeff Soptic (Single-A)
RP Mason McVay (Single-A)
RP Daniel Slania (Single-A)
RP Connor Kaden (Low-A)
RP Raymundo Montero (Low-A)
RP E.J. Encinosa (Low-A)
RP Carlos Diaz (Low-A)
RP Rodolfo Martinez (Low-A)
RP Reyes Moronta (Low-A)
RP Ramon Del Orbe (Low-A)
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Giants are 4-10, Let's Keep Calm and Panik

The San Francisco Giants are in last place. Only two teams in baseball, the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers have a worse record than the Giants 4-10 mark. The Giants are next to last to only the Boston Red Sox in hard hit ball percentage.

Buster Posey, the team's cleanup hitter and former league MVP, is currently hitting .229 with two extra base hits. Casey McGehee, who has been the Giants replacement for Pablo Sandoval, is hitting .194 with two extra base hits. And Brandon Belt, who was suppose to be having his breakout season, is hitting .152, with zero extra base hits.  Madison Bumgarner, the Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year, NLCS and World Series MVP and Silver Slugger winner last season, has a 5.29 earned run average and has given up 10 earned runs over 17 innings. In other words, 4 more runs than he gave up in the entire 2014 post season over 52 and 2/3 innings.

Hunter Pence, the life blood of the team, has been on the disabled list and has yet to play an inning in 2015. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy are both currently on the DL as well, with no set timetable for their returns.

The famous World War II poster, Keep Calm and Carry On, has been reshaped and renamed many times over in recent times and the current 2015 Giants new motto has become "Keep Calm and Panik."



This isn't coming from management or from the public relations staff and it has not yet come from the team's official store. Bruce Bochy isn't preaching it to his players either. It's coming from the fanbase. An awkward mix of die hards who have gone through the five decades of struggles and the new generation that believe in odd year curses and demand titles every season.


Fans have raised expectations of this franchise to a level that few organizations have ever felt in the history of baseball. The New York Yankees, arguably the greatest franchise in sports for their unparalleled success, are one of the only franchises to make a run like the Giants have in recent history. The Boston Red Sox have also won three World Series over a ten year span, as well as the Oakland A's and Cincinnati Reds who both had runs in the 1970's. Besides those four franchises, you have to go to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940's or the Yankees again to find a team with the type of success the Giants have had since 2010.

This brief history lesson is to remind all of the new "die hards" that this type of thing we have seen with the Giants is rare in Major League Baseball and that the expectations, ultimately, are unrealistic, from a historical point of view.

However, we live in a day and age where people voice their opinions 140 characters at a time and prefer to shorten their attention span only to what is trending.

The Giants are going to be in a lot of trouble in Matt Cain and Jake Peavy end up sidelined for an extended length of time this season. It is magnified by the fact that every team in the National League West is off to a better start and that is primarily because of them already winning series against the Giants head to head. The hole the Giants have dug for themselves is not due to a tougher schedule. It is due to losing to the teams they will be competing with for a division title.

Ultimately, the Giants will either need to get healthy quickly, or look to make a trade or two to upgrade the starting staff or the middle of their order.  Fans today don't want to wait until July when the trade deadline approaches, so expect more complaints from a fanbase that has watched their favorite team build a dynasty.
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Friday, March 20, 2015

It's March Madness: Time to Re-Visit the #SFGiantsMadness

During the off-season, I decided to purchase a subscription to Baseball Reference and with that subscription, I found out so much more about why Matt Cain is one of the most underrated pitchers of the last 10 years. Their site allows you to organize career stats in many different ways very easily, such as how many games has Matt Cain pitched in his career where he went at least 7 innings and gave up 3 runs or less. (The number is 125 by the way.)

That gave me an idea. Who are the best San Francisco Giants of All-Time? Not in the history of the franchise, but just since 1958. Since WAR (Wins Above Replacement) has been widely viewed as a good barometer of who the best players are, I decided to make an NCAA style bracket of San Francisco Giants based on WAR.

Not surprisingly, the top four were obvious: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal. These four would become the #1 seeds and the names of my brackets. The "Say Hey Kid" bracket, the "GOAT" bracket, the "Stretch" bracket, and the "Dominican Dandy" bracket.

It was great seeing that current players like Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner were already good enough to make the cut. It was also interesting to see some of the fans most popular former and current players right on the cusp of 64. This made it very easy to include the "Play in Games" just like the NCAA has recently. This included matchups like this:







As we approached the 1st round, their were some interesting match ups and one particular flaw with WAR. Closers. Two of the greatest closers in team history were also two of the fans most loved players. The late Rod Beck and Robb Nen. Both left a mark on the fanbase, yet, because WAR doesn't equate closers in the same way as other pitchers, they had a tough road in the tourney. That being said, the tournament had started and fans on Twitter were having a great time. Some of the highlights from the 1st round:



Hunter Pence's complete beatdown of Jeff Kent.



Pablo Sandoval losing to Ray Durham, mostly because fans were sad Pablo left for Boston. (Sidenote: This was done before Panda's comments about not missing the Giants at all)



An epic battle between Matt Cain and Mike Krukow.



And getting some love from Sports Illustrated photographer Brad Mangin for using his Ed Halicki photo.



As we approached the round of 32, matchups became even tougher and players were pitted against one another making it nearly impossible for Giants fans to decide. Some of highlights included:


Willie Mays barely beating World Series phenom Madison Bumgarner.



Kirk Rueter upsetting Gaylord Perry.



Having to put my childhood favorite, Kevin Mitchell, against my all-time favorite Cain.



Rich Aurilia being a great sport about an impossible battle.



The round of 16 had some matchups that really showed the age of Giants fans. Were they going to fight to keep current players like Cain, Lincecum, Posey and Bumgarner in the tournament? Were they going to fight for Bonds, Mays, McCovey and Marichal. Let's take a look at the two closest match ups:


Willie Mays and Buster Posey receiving 98 total votes, splitting right down the middle. However, at the time I cut off the voting, Mays had a 1 vote lead.


Tim Lincecum's mustache and ability to make baseballs float in mid air beating the greatest pitcher in San Francisco Giants history.




Now it was down to the Elite 8, and there would be no sugarcoating anymore. These were match ups fans were dreading. Time to rip off the band-aid and show you:


Willie Mays defeated Orlando Cepeda in the only blowout.



Tim Lincecum pulling away in the 2nd half to defeat Matt Cain.



J.T. Snow had fan support early, but ultimately was no match for Barry Bonds.



Willie McCovey defeating Will Clark.





So we had reached the Final Four and the #4 seed Tim Lincecum joined #1 seeds Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Willie McCovey. Fans had spoken and it was clear that despite several upsets throughout the tournament, the greatest of all-time couldn't be denied.


Willie Mays defeated Tim Lincecum to reach the championship game.




Barry Bonds squeaked by Willie McCovey at the buzzer to reach the championship game.



I was happy to see that the two greatest Giants of all-time survived to the championship game. Despite the popularity of players such as Pence, Rueter, Snow, Lincecum and others, the Giants fans retweeted and favorited just enough to ensure the championship would be the two greatest living baseball players in team history and maybe baseball history.


And the Winner and STILL champion...The Greatest of All-Time, The Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays




Can't wait until next off-season to do this again and see who upsets who and to see if Willie can defend his title. A huge thank you to all who participated and voted on Twitter back in December.
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Friday, January 30, 2015

San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart (1/29/15 Edition)

2015 San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart
Put together by @CandlestickWill & @CoveChatter

C Buster Posey (MLB)
C Andrew Susac (MLB)
C Hector Sanchez (40 Man)
C Guillermo Quiroz (Triple-A)
C Jeff Arnold (Triple-A)
C Trevor Brown  (Triple-A)
C Brad Moss (Triple-A)
C Eliezer Zambrano (Double-A)
C Myles Schroder (Double-A)
C Ben Turner (Single-A)
C Aramis Garcia (Low-A)
C Jared Deacon (Single-A)
C Geno Escalante (Single-A)
C Matt Pare (Single-A)
C John Riley (Low-A)

1B Brandon Belt (MLB)
1B Travis Ishikawa (MLB)
1B Angel Villalona (Triple-A)
1B Brian Ragira (Double-A)
1B Ricky Oropesa (Double-A)
1B Skylar Ewing (Single-A)

2B Joe Panik (MLB)
2B Matt Duffy (MLB)
2B Brandon Hicks (Triple-A)
2B Blake Miller (Double-A)
2B Kelby Tomlinson (Double-A)
2B Alberto Robles (Single-A)
2B Travious Relaford (Low-A)
2B Trevor Brown (Low-A)

SS Brandon Crawford (MLB)
SS Ehire Adrianza (40 Man)
SS Carlos Triunfel (Triple-A)
SS Ydwin Villegas (Single-A)
SS Christian Arroyo (Single-A)
SS Kelvin Beltre (Low-A)
SS Rando Moreno (Low-A)
SS Jameson Henning (Low-A)

3B Casey McGehee (MLB)
3B Joaquin Arias (MLB)
3B Adam Duvall (40 Man)
3B Chris Dominguez (DFA)
3B Adalberto Santos (Triple-A)
3B Mitch Delfino (Double-A)
3B Brandon Bednar (Single-A)
3B Sam Mende (Single-A)
3B Ryder Jones (Single-A)
3B Jonah Arenado (Low-A)
3B Nathaneal Javier (Low-A)

LF Nori Aoki (MLB)
LF Gregor Blanco (MLB)
LF Juan Perez (MLB)
LF John Bowker (Triple-A)
LF Juan Ciriaco (Triple-A)
LF Darren Ford (Triple-A)
LF Elliott Blair (Double-A)
LF Devin Harris (Double-A)
LF Tyler Horan (Double-A)
LF Ryan Lollis (Single-A)
LF Shawn Payne (Single-A)

CF  Angel Pagan (MLB)
CF Gary Brown (40 Man)
CF Brett Jackson (Triple-A)
CF Justin Maxwell (Triple-A)
CF Daniel Carbonell (40 Man)

RF Hunter Pence (MLB)
RF Jarrett Parker (40 Man)
RF Javier Herrera (Triple-A)
RF Mac Williamson (Single-A)
RF Austin Slater (Low-A)
RF Mikey Edie (Low-A)
RF Gustavo Cabrera (INJ)

SP Madison Bumgarner (MLB)
SP Matt Cain (MLB)
SP Jake Peavy (MLB)
SP Tim Hudson (MLB)
SP Tim Lincecum (MLB)
SP Ryan Vogelsong (MLB)
SP Yusmeiro Petit (MLB)
SP Chris Heston (40 Man)
SP Joan Gregorio (40 Man)
SP Ty Blach (Triple-A)
SP Kyle Crick (Double-A)
SP Clayton Blackburn (Double-A)
SP Chris Stratton (Double-A)
SP Adalberto Mejia (Double-A) * Restricted List
SP Tyler Beede (Single-A)
SP Keury Mella (Single-A)
SP Luis Ysla (Single-A)

RP Santiago Casilla (MLB)
RP Sergio Romo (MLB)
RP Jeremy Affeldt (MLB)
RP Javy Lopez (MLB)
RP Hunter Strickland (MLB)
RP Jean Machi (MLB)
RP George Kontos (40 Man)
RP Erik Cordier (40 Man)
RP Derek Law (40 Man)
RP Cody Hall (40 Man)
RP Ray Black (40 Man)
RP Steven Okert (Triple-A)
RP Brett Bochy (Triple-A)
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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Top 10 Reasons the Giants are a Dynasty

Top 10 Reasons the Giants are a Dynasty
By Michael Saltzman
On Twitter @CandlestickWill

So many players, coaches, front office people and members of the ownership group have had their hand in the three championships the San Francisco Giants have won over the last five years. But who is the most responsible. Nothing like a top 10 list to debate who had the biggest impact and who is the biggest reason the Giants are being referred to as a dynasty.



Honorable Mentioned:

The 6 Castoffs & Misfits: Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe and Cody Ross


The Giants had never won a World Series in San Francisco until these 6 men became Giants. All 6 had important roles in a Giants patchwork lineup that out hit the Braves, Phillies and Rangers in 2010. What makes these men unique in this historic run of the Giants is that none of them were able to do much for the Giants outside of 2010. Torres, Sanchez and Uribe were members of the Giants in 2009, but played smaller roles. Huff, Burrell and Ross had terrific numbers as Giants in 2010.

Wins Above Replacement in 2010:
Aubrey Huff (5.7)
Andres Torres (5.3)
Pat Burrell (2.1)
Freddy Sanchez (1.8)
Juan Uribe (1.5)

Cody Ross, who only played a month for the Giants before the post-season, made up for it in October, hitting .294 with 15 hits, 10 runs batted in and 5 home runs or a 1.076 OPS. Andres Torres highest WAR after 2010 was a 1.4 he had for the Mets in 2012.

Without these 6 men, the Giants don't win in 2010. Without winning it all in 2010, is there any talk of a dynasty?


Marco Scutaro:
What the misfits were to 2010, Scutaro was to 2012. Injuries plagued his 2013 season that he tried to play through and ultimately his back wouldn't let him play in 2014. He was recently designated for assignment by the Giants. However, his impact on the Giants in 2012 was enormous. He had a 2.1 WAR despite only 268 at bats. He hit .500 in the NLCS alone with 14 hits and a 1.140 OPS. His patience at the plate and his influence in the locker room helped the entire roster play smarter and more efficient. While he doesn't make my top 10, he certainly is one of the most influential figures in this dynasty for the Giants.



The Top 10



#10: Ownership Group
I'm not going to pretend to know all the interworkings of the front office to know who among the group approved the salary raises for our homegrown players or told Brian Sabean he could make a certain trade or sign a certain player.

According to Baseball Prospectus the Giants went from a payroll of $95M at the end of 2009 to a current payroll of $179M in 2014. That kind of financial commitment has as much to do with the success of the franchise as any other factor.

The combination of re-signing homegrown talent and trading or signing players to free agent contracts, wouldn't be possible without the support of the ownership group.


#9: Coaching Staff
Again, it's hard to designate one member of the staff as head and shoulders above the others. Dave Righetti, the team's pitching coach, has been tremendous in preparing the staff over the years and specifically during the playoff rounds where the Giants have out pitched some great staffs. But How can we say that his impact on the staff is more valuable than bullpen coach Mark Gardner or bullpen catcher Bill Hayes.  What Henry "Bam Bam" Muelens has done as the hitting coach has been vastly underrated. What Roberto Kelly and Tim Flannery have done at 1st and 3rd base respectively, has been incredible. If you don't think what they've done is valuable, go through the twitter response to Flannery announcing his retirement. And maybe the most influential part of the staff is bench coach Ron Wotus. Kelly and Wotus were in charge of the infield and outfield positioning. But Wotus was also the right hand man of Bruce Bochy. Bochy has said repeatedly how valuable his staff has been and how much responsibility he has given them. Wotus, for example, has been in charge of Spring Training camp for years now.



#8. Pablo Sandoval
Fans owe the Panda a standing ovation the next time Boston comes to San Francisco. For any animosity they may have over him choosing to leave the Bay Area, needs to be trumped by the three championships he was a part of. As the MVP of the World Series in 2012, he became a instant legend with three home runs in Game 1, joining the likes of Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. However, it's his overall playoff performances that are truly outstanding.

In 2010, 2012 and 2014 he slashed a .344/.389/.545/.935 postseason line.  Sandoval also has the 2nd highest WAR among hitters since 2010 among Giants.

For all the weight issues, contract disputes, and slumps, Sandoval was most productive when it mattered most. That can't ever be forgotten. 



#7. Hunter Pence
Despite only being a part of two of the three championships, it's hard not to rank Pence even higher than 7th for what he means to the team on and off the field. He is the heartbeat of the Giants and the team is always better with him in the lineup. The effort Pence gives on ground out to 2nd base is why he leads the Giants every season in infield hits. The passion Pence plays with is why the team always seems to find ways to win.

His speech in Cincinnati with the Giants on the brink of elimination was the stuff of legends, and the fact that it led to winning six elimination games that post-season is tremendous.

His speech to the fans at the end of the 2014 regular season will forever make him a San Francisco icon.  Do the fans believe in value of Hunter Pence? YES! YES! YES!




#6. Core 4
The Giants have looked very different over the years and from the castoffs to Hunter Pence and Angel Pagan to Andres Torres and Gregor Blanco, the team has continually brought in new faces. One of the constants has been the pitching staff, and specifically the bullpen. Javy Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo have each won three World Series as a member of the Giants. While their roles have changed throughout the run, their effectiveness hasn't.

In 2010, Brian Wilson was the closer, while the Core 4 were all used as setup men depending on the matchups.

In 2012, Sergio Romo was the closer, with the Affeldt, Casilla and Lopez each playing critical setup roles again.

In 2014, it was Santiago Casilla's turn to pitch the 9th inning, but again, all four were lights out throughout the playoffs.

The value of Casilla, Romo, Affeldt and Lopez has been one of the most underrated elements of the Giants dynasty. That is why they deserve such a high ranking. That is also why they are all still members of the best bullpen in baseball.


#5. Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain
It's never been easy for me to decide between the value of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain and which pitcher has been more valuable during this dynasty.  Instead of ranking them separately, I've decided to put them together because this team doesn't win championships without both.

Lincecum had won back to back Cy Young Awards in 2008 and 2009, but his 2010 might be the best year of his career when you combine his regular and post-season.  From his 1st ever post-season appearance in 2010 of 8 scoreless innings and 14 strikeouts vs the Braves to his last post-season appearance of 8 innings of 1 run ball and 10 strikeouts vs the Rangers.

Cain had some great seasons as a Giant, but his 2012 was his best. He started the All-Star game, and led the Giants staff by pitching the clinching game of each round of the post-season. When the season was on the line, the Giants went to Cain.

Cain was injured in 2014, and Lincecum was limited to 1.2 innings pitched in the 2014 World Series. However their impact on the pitching staff and their success in 2010 and 2012 was astronomical. The Giants did outhit their opponents in their post-season series, but that was mostly due to the lack of hitting from the other teams. One of the main reasons for that was the starting staff that was led by Lincecum and Cain in 2010 and 2012.


#4. Madison Bumgarner
If 2010 & 2012 were dominated by Lincecum and Cain, 2014 was dominated by Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is the only starting pitcher over the last three post-seasons that has had a dominating performance in all three World Series.

His 2014 post-season was one of the greatest we have ever seen. It was so good that he was awarded the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, despite not being the best pitcher during the regular season.

It wasn't just 2014 that makes Bumgarner ranked so highly on this list. It was his 8 shutout innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series as a 20 year old. It was his 7 shutout innings in Game 2 of the 2012 World Series. And that, combined with his otherworldly 2014 performance, and Bumgarner may go down as the best post-season pitcher of his generation.

Scariest part is he is 25 years old.

If you aren't convinced that Bumgarner is the best pitcher on this staff over the last five years, let's use his bat as the tie breaker.


 
#3. Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow and John Barr
Everyone in baseball knows Brian Sabean, but few realize the all-star front office he has put together. Bobby Evans, the assistant general manager has taken over for Ned Colletti and the transition has been seamless. His ability to work out contracts with the roster and work with the agents and other teams has been masterful. Dick Tidrow is the team's scouting director and the homegrown talent he has amassed over the years is staggering. John Barr has overseen the amateur and international scouting for the team among other responsibilities. These four men have led the Giants from a good organization to an elite one.

Fans are always quick to remember a front office's worst moves. Sabean and his team have had their share of moves that fans have criticized. From re-signing guys like Huff, Lincecum, Scutaro, or from trades like Carlos Beltran for Zach Wheeler or from not signing guys like Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, or Yasmany Tomas.

However, when you look at some of the best moves Sabean has made, it's pretty special.

  • Hunter Pence for Tommy Joseph and Nate Shierholtz
  • Marco Scutaro for Charlie Culberson
  • Angel Pagan for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez (who both came back to the Giants)
  • Pat Burrell for the league minimum
  • Cody Ross for nothing
  • Aubrey Huff for $3M
  • Freddy Sanchez for Tim Alderson
  • Juan Uribe, Torres and Gregor Blanco as a spring training invite
  • Extensions for Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, etc...
  • Drafting Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Bumgarner, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, etc...
Sabean was always hamstrung in the Bonds years because they were always looking to replace young talent with veterans. Now that he has the backing of the ownership group, has brought in a tremendous coaching staff and has the personnel around him in Evans, Tidrow, Barr and others, he has been able to blend young homegrown talent with shrewd trades and signings. This has allowed the Giants to have the best front office in baseball.



#2. Bruce Bochy
Bochy will go down as the greatest manager in San Francisco history when he retires. Not because of what he may still do, but with what he has already done. Three championship rings is three more than any other manager. Bochy has always been known as a players manager, but what makes Bochy stand out among other managers in the game today is his ability to get the most out of the entire 25 man roster by playing all 25 guys on the team.

This isn't commonplace around the league, as some guys may go weeks without seeing the field. For all the frustration fans may have with unproductive guys getting playing time, Bochy will always let a guy on his roster earn what he gets. The guys at the end of the bench or the guys at the end of the bullpen will play. They will play and if they perform, they will continue to play. If they don't perform, they will eventually be replaced. Fans may want guys sent away sooner sometimes, but it is clear that there is a method to Bochy's approach. He wants guys to know they were given a chance to succeed and that gets Bochy's teams to play up to their potential.

Other managers have had more talent in each playoff run, but the 9 straight playoff series wins is not by accident. Being the underdog in nearly every series is because the other teams have usually had more talent on paper. However, winning each and every series is because of Bochy as much as nearly everyone in the organization.



#1. Buster Posey
When all is said in done, Posey might be on the Mount Rushmore of Catchers. Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra are the top tier of catchers in baseball history. Both are hall of famers as much because of their numbers on the field as the World Series trophies they helped win.  Posey now has 3 World Series trophies he has helped win in his four healthy seasons.

Posey has a 23.3 WAR since his debut in 2010, by far the most for any hitter since that first championship season.

His ability to catch the incredible staff the Giants have had throughout the run is another reason he has shown to be the most valuable player in the last five years.

Posey has a Rookie of the Year trophy, Comeback Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player, as well as a batting title, two Silver Slugger awards, The Hank Aaron award, the Willie Mac award and a two time All-Star.

The scary part is that he is only 27 and so he is just entering his prime.

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Friday, January 23, 2015

SI fires all it's photographers. So let's look at their best work the last few years















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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Giant Points on the 2015 Off-Season

Photo Courtesy of @Buelna37 on Twitter

  • Tim Flannery is the biggest loss of the off-season
  • Pablo didn't want to come back.
  • Michael Morse wanted to live in Florida where he's from with his wife and newborn baby.
  • Jon Lester would not have cost us a 1st round pick in June draft.
  • James Shields & Max Sherzer would have cost us our 1st round pick.
  • Jon Lester took richest offer. 
  • Casey McGehee and Nori Aoki are 1 year options that create depth & flexibility
  • If we need to upgrade during the season, McGehee & Aoki could be great bench options too.
  • Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez having better competition than Gary Brown is a good thing.
  • Adam Duvall and Chris Dominguez having more competition to make team is good too.
  • Jake Peavy for an entire year will be great for our staff off the field as well as on.
  • Bringing back a motivated Sergio Romo could make him elite vs RH again.
  • Tim Lincecum motivated to earn another contract can be a great thing.
  • Tim Hudson needs Derek Jeter treatment from the fanbase in final year.
  • That's $30M we can move around and add players with in 2016.
  • Marco Scutaro wants to play, and if he somehow gets healthy, what a bat off the bench.
  • Angel Pagan and Matt Cain coming back is huge.
  • Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford are still getting better.
  • Having Andrew Susac and Hector Sanchez could mean more time at 1st for Buster Posey.
  • Our bullpen will still have Jeremy Affeldt, Javy Lopez and Santiago Casilla
  • We will be getting a full season of Joe Panik
  • We still have Hunter Pence
  • And we still have Madison Bumgarner
  • And we still have Bruce Bochy
  • And we still have Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow and John Barr
  • Oh, and we are the defending Champs! "I know, because I won" ~ Barack Obama
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