SF Giants: 2009 Champions! Then what?

[Sparrow]

3/22/2009

Giants win in 10, 2-1. Frandsen goes 0 for 2. Jackson goes 0 for 1, and is still close to being reassigned. Horwitz 0 for 1 as well. Bedard pitched better. Waldis Joaquin is fighting to make this team giving up 0 runs, 1 hit, and 1 walk in 6.2 innings.

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3/23/2009

John Bowker got hurt on a defensive play in today's game. He tore his labrum and is out for 4-5 months. His Spring numbers weren't turning anybody in the organization on, but he was expected to make the team as a back up OF'er, 1B, and left-handed hitter off the bench with power.

With Bowker and Sadler hurt, these are two minor cogs, but cogs nonetheless, that will miss significant time this season. Time to see who steps up. Let's take a look.

Burriss .182
Frandsen .048
Horwitz .091
Jackson .167
Craig .231
Witter .235
Holm .167
Ankiel (day-to-day injury) .208

This was just looking at the guys who got into today's loss. Not the offense I though I built.

Valdez has brought his ERA down to 0.69.

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3/25/2009

Nick Weglarz was the latest casualty, out for 4 weeks. With Bowker down, Horwitz struggling, and Weglarz showing an OPS of 1.035, he looked destined to make the team. Now he will be out through the season opener. Too bad.

The offense continues to be offensive and Wilson blew a 1-0 lead giving up 2 in the 9th, raising his ERA to 5.63. Wilson, and the pitching is not my concern however.

Too many injuries to include them all. I'll start only sharing NL West, or big names. Ian Stewart of the Rockies fractured his hand and is out for 4 weeks.

[Sparrow]

3/26/2009

The offense wakes up scoring 11 runs on 16 hits. Everybody who got into the game contributed. Nice to see.

Dexter Fowler of the Rockies got hurt today and is out for 4 weeks.

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3/27/2009

Nine more ST games to go. Even with a sputtering oiffense I'm ready. 3-0 win today. More great pitching, and 3 runs proved to be enough.

A couple NL West injuries to report. Brian Giles, still with the Padres, is out for 3 weeks. Tim Byrdak of the Dodgers is out 5 months. Byrdak has not been playing well and is probably not a huge loss for the Dodgers.

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3/28/2009

Harden, Hinshaw, Lebron, and Valdez combined for a 1 run 2-hit performance as the pitching staff keeps rolling along. Giants put up 7 and win easy. Frandsen went 2-3 and raised his average closer to the Mendoza line.

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3/29/2009

Today we lost Burriss for 5 weeks. Scherzer hit him with a pitch in the head and broke his cheekbone. Between overly pesty Pat Gillick, and now this, the Diamondbacks are reaching Dodger low. I always liked Scherzer too, being a Mizzou alum and all. Not anymore. We won the game but that's not much consolation.

If I seem overly effected by this news, it's because Burriss may be the toughest guy on the roster to replace. He plays a great SS. Frandsen is a big downgrade defensively, and Maroul is the only guy on the 40 man who has any right playing SS. I have activated Brian Bocock and brought him to ST. He hit well in Fresno last year, plays excellent defense, and runs well. Despite good AAA numbers though I just don't think he can hit. This also forces Ackley to hit in the more pressured lead off spot, when I really hoped to bat him second.

Beltran is out 3 weeks, and will miss the season opener for the Mets. Russell Martin will be out 4-5 months for the Dodgers and he put up gaudy numbers in 2009. I guess the Giants aren't the only ones hurting today.

[NYY #23]

Tough to lose a key position, not to mention a hard to replace one so close to opening day. Hopefully your replacements play well enough.

I sense retaliation the next game against the D'Backs...

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3/30/2009

The pitching gave up 1 run, nobody got hurt, and Bocock went 2-3 and score 3 times.

Henry Sosa has been reassigned to San Jose (high A). He did not look good at all this Spring. Eduardo Morlan and Steve Hammond also struggled through the Spring and were sent to Fresno (AAA).

The Rays lose B.J Upton for 5-6 weeks.

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Originally Posted by NYY #23

I sense retaliation the next game against the D'Backs...

Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Brian Wilson to name a few guys who can really throw gas. I don't think pissing off the Giants is a smart move. In real life, I'm still waiting to see if Wilson seeks a little retribution for getting mocked by Casey Blake earlier in the year.

[Sparrow]

3/31/2009

March is over. Giants scatter a few hits and lose in extra innings. Only 5 more ST games left. I'm going to have some interesting roster decisions to make.

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4/1/2009

But only for 1 week. It is the shoulder so lets hope it does not become a reoccurring problem. This was going to be his last outing anyway, he'll be ready by opening day. Another day without much offense, another loss.

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4/2/2009

15 hits, 7 runs. This is the kind of stat I'd like to avoid this year. I'm of course happy with the 15 hits, but that should translate to more runs, and I think it will with a regular lineup.

Bocock and Witter had a nice game and I feel like both are making a push to stay on the roster.

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4/3/2009

Frandsen tripled twice and Sanchez gave up his first ER of the season. Through all my concerns about the offense, this was another error-less game, and the Giants have been fantastic on defense.

Joaquin pitched another 2 scoreless innings. I wasn't expecting this from him, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

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4/3/2009

I forgot to mention, Christian Guzman suffered a concussion and his career is over. So close to opening day too.

Angel Guzman tore his labrum and will be out 5-6 months. If you remember I already thought this was a bad deal for the Cardinals. The Cardinals gave up Chris Duncan for him. If there was any uncertainty who won this trade, now there isn't.

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4/4/2009

Sometimes I'm not sure why I post. 1 day to go.

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4/5/2009

Sandoval hit 2 HR's, no one got hurt and the Giants beat the Reds to finish ST 14-10. I have let most of the 40 man play out the entire Spring. Now I will have some tough decisions over the coming days. I thought I would lay out a schedule.

4/6/2009: I plan on discussing the Giants franchise. Looking at some of the career leaders. Some of the stats, for a non-historian, are astounding. I also want to see if any current Giants had an historic season for the franchise, and if any are career watches.

4/7/2009: Minor leagues start on the 8th. This will be a busy day where I will evaluate the 4 full season minor league affiliates. Embedded in this discussion will be the roster moves that impact the active roster.

4/8 and 4/9/2009: I will follow the minor league teams and players

4/10/2009: Give an outlook for the San Francisco Giants. Plus hopefully report on the top prospects in the league and the organization if baseball america has released their lists. And, of course, follow the minor league teams and rosters.

4/11/2009: Let the real fun begin! Opening day!

[Sparrow]

4/6/2009

First off, the Giants have more wins than any other franchise with 10,348! Second is the Cubs 10,154. Of all active franchise the Giants have the second highest winning percentage at .538, trailing only the Yankees and their remarkable career W% of.567.

In 2009 the Giants drew a franchise record 3,439,423 fans.

Batting Stats:
Bill Terry is the only Giant to hit over .400 in a season and he did so in 1930. In 2009, Emmanuel Burriss tied Bobby Bonds for second most AB's in a single season for the Giants with 663. Jo-Jo Moore had 681 in 1935. Also in 2009, Pablo Sandoval tied Jeff Kent for most doubles in a single season by a Giant with 49.

Pitching Stats:
Christy Mathewson, in 1909, had an ERA of 1.14, and a career ERA of 2.12 to lead all Giants. He also won 372 games in his career. However Mickey Welch, in 1885, had 44 wins in 1 season. Currently Tim Lincecum has the highest Winning Percentage of any Giants pitcher with .727. In 2009, Brian Wilson tied Robb Nen for 6th in single season saves with 40, and is currently sitting at 5th in the all time Giants save list with 88. In 1884, Mickey Welch started 65 games, completing 62 of them. Tim Keefe, in 1886, also completed 62 games, though he only started 64.

Tim Lincecum, in 2009, had 9.9 K/9 good for third. The best, 2008 Tim Lincecum with 10.5. His career numbers leads the Giants with 10.0. He is second in his K/BB ratio at 3.09 trailing Juan Marichal and his 3.39. Lincecum has held OAVG to .219 over his career good for 4th best, assuming Schmidt didn't have an OAVG of 0.

This is a storied franchise and it was a nice perspective looking over some of these. It is early, but Lincecum could become one of the all time greats. Wilson is quickly entering a short list of great closers.

[Sparrow]

4/7/2009

Before I get into the Fresno Grizzlies lineup, I made a minor trade with the Royals today. Pat Misch was out of options and didn't fit into the major league roster. So I sent Misch and $100,000 for 2B Kurt Mertins and SS Alberto Callaspo. This adds some depth up the middle at AAA and in case of further major league emergencies. Callaspo was placed on the 40 man, taking up the 39th spot. This is slightly problematic since I have two players on the 60-day DL, who will be back this season.

In 2009, the Grizzlies weren't very good, going 65-79. This year the offense looks much improved, though the pitching is still questionable. All-in-all I expect them to be better.

Pitching



I'm hesitant to push Bumgarner to AAA this fast. However, moving him slowly last year did him no favors, as he has not developed as I would have hoped. He is projecting as a #3, no longer the ace he started out as last year. Hopefully he'll fare well in AAA and get some of that mojo back. The rest of the SP'ers are not that inspiring. Hammond pitched very well in a few spot starts at the big league level, but I don't expect him to have much of a career. Joe Martinez has some potential, but at 27, it is unlikely to be realized.

Dan Otero is the only reliever worth mentioning. He may end up on a big league roster at some point, but on the back end of a a bullpen.

Both closers are exciting. Morlan is generally held in higher regard, but Joaquin has dominated over the last year, and was fantastic in ST. He earned the #1 closers role.

Offense



This is a prospect laden lineup.

C- Lou Marson is being groomed to hopefully take over at the MLB level and hold the job until Posey is ready. Jackson Williams is his backup and will get his share of starts.

1B- Logan Morrison looks to have a great bat, and will get his crack at AAA this year. Jesus Guzman will be getting some starts.

2B- Jonathan Malo, Kurt Mertins, and David Maroul will be sharing starts at 2B. As far as MLB talent, not the strongest group.

3B- After only 1 AB in AA, Moustakas is going to start the year at AAA. This is probably overly bull-headed as this makes problems regarding the well paid Viciedo. However, all my personnel say he's ready and let's give him the challenge. Viciedo will be getting a fair amount of starts at third, and Ryan Rohlinger will get some spot starts.

SS- Alberto Callaspo will start at short, backed up by David Maroul and Matt Macri.

LF- Without a well regarded LF'er Viciedo will see starts here. Jesus Guzman will also get some starts in LF. Bobby Felmy will be there if needed.

CF- Austin Jackson will try to have a better campaign in AAA this year than last year. I think he is ready for the jump. Mike McBryde and Clay Timpner will get sporadic starts behind him.

RF- Jason Heyward is an elite prospect, very ready for AAA. Matter of fact one member within the organization publicly criticized the signing of Rick Ankiel. His point was that Heyward is ready now, and Ankiel is signed for at least 3 years?! He is now telling that same story to the people in the unemploment line. Nevertheless, Heyward is a future star, and may force some decisions at some point. Clay Timpner will give Heyward an occasional day off.

Overall

This team has a nice, high-ceiling offense and should generate some runs, and hopefully future stars. Hopefully Bumgarner will bounce back and reassert himself as a premier pitching prospect. Otherwise the rotation and bullpen are not great, and hopefully we can outscore the other team. Leads in the 9th should be pretty well protected though, with Joaquin and Morlan.

Jon Kibler has been promoted to AAA and is placed in as the #3 setup man.

[Sparrow]

4/7/2009

In 2009, the Defenders went 75-67 good enough for a third place finish. Villalona, Brett Wallace, and Buster Posey headline the prospects on offense. Tim Alderson is the best pitching prospect of the bunch. I don't anticipate this team will be competitive, but I'd like to see growth from the top prospects, as well as from Daryl Jones, Francisco Peguero, and Aaron King.

Pitching



Jordan SMith has the highest rated potential, but at 24 he may not get there. Detweiler is also 24 and needs to show progress. Alderson doesn't have as high a ceiling, but he is better now, and only 21. Aaron King, 20, was fantastic in A ball last year.

Lebron is pretty upset at being in AA and deserves better, but I'd like him to develop as a closer.

Offense



C- Buster Posey struggled at the start of last year, but finished well, and some in the organization say he could handle AAA.

1B- Villalona and Wallace will share time here, alternating between 1B and DH. Wallace won't play much first without the DH. Both may be ready for AAA as well.

2B- Boyer gets the start but Downs will get plenty of starts. Organizational depth.

3B- Wallace will hold down 3B when pitchers hit. Otherwise Joel Weeks and Matt Downs will both get time there. I don't expect much from Weeks.

SS- Brandon Crawford hit very well last year. This is a big jump to AA for him. It'll be interesting to see how he does.

LF- Daryl Jones has always been high on my list but if he is going to become good, this would be a good year for him to breakout.

CF- Francisco Peguero hit for great power last year but needs to increase his average. This will be a tough test for him.

RF- Mike Wilson will hold down RF. Organizational depth.

Some interesting players to watch. There could be some surprises. It would be nice to see a couple SP'ers from this group force their way into AAA.