Monday, September 29, 2008

BA on Sandoval

Wanted to note Baseball America's take on Sandoval, that's freely available here. Here are some tidbits on Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval:
  • "Sandoval is equally adept from either side of the plate, and he can pull the ball to hit for power or take pitches the other way. He shows a willingness to take what pitchers give him, and though he swings hard he shows good plate discipline."
  • "Though he has arm strength and threw out 46 percent of basestealers with San Jose, his hands and lack of agility work against him at catcher. San Francisco also played him at both infield corners, but his squat body and limited athleticism don't profile well there either."
  • "The Giants have liked Sandoval's swing for years.... With a strong, compact frame and a powerful, short stroke from both sides of the plate, he produced at all three stops."
  • "He can really, really hit," an AL scout said. "I saw him again at the Futures Game, and he fit right in with the better hitters there."
  • "He has a strong arm, but the scouts contacted for this list who had seen Sandoval catch didn't believe he could play there regularly in the major leagues. Two managers said Sandoval had problems just physically squatting behind the plate, while two AL scouts both used the same cliché: "He can't catch a cold.""
  • "Interestingly, Sandoval is an ambidextrous thrower with nearly as much arm strength throwing lefthanded as he has righthanded. He would profile better defensively at first base if he moved there and focused on throwing with his left hand. He has seen time at both corner infield positions."

Giants Thoughts

This should temper fans expectations on Sandoval, though I should note that BA has to keep a hard line on him, they didn't list him on their Giants prospects list for two years running, even after his good season in 2007, so they had their reasons for not putting him on their Top 30 list (luckily I didn't listen to them and drafted him in my Fantasy League) and are probably still holding to them.

One thing I found odd is the mention that has "limited athleticism" and "lack of agility". Most of the stuff I've heard this year was that he is more athletic than his body would lead people to assume. And anyone who has seen his two scores in the past week, dodging around the catcher to score critical runs, would have to say that his body belies his athleticism, it almost makes me think that whoever saw him saw him in limited play, because I would describe his scoring as almost balletic.

Particularly the one I posted on where he slide perfectly, PERFECTLY, to the foul side of the plate, dodging the catcher and then deftly reaching his hand out to touch home plate. Then again, the one where he scored and injured his quad (which would be understandable if you saw it), he lept in the air to avoid the catcher's tag then scrambled to touch homeplate and score and that was pretty good in itself. I don't say this to be mean, but it reminded me of Disney's Fantasia where there were dancing hippos who were extremely graceful. He was just that good.

There are not a lot of plays in baseball where I would call them a thing of baseball beauty but I would count both of Sandoval's slides among the top in my memory of Giants players, up there with Willie Mays' World Series catch and throw against the Indians, Shinjo's amazing throw (from a blown catch by the RF), much like Mays, he just grabs the ball and hurls it blindly with his back to home plate, to home plate (I still wish I kept the Tivo newscast for that play), any of Vizquel's numerous beauties, Snow's great plays at 1B, plus his score and snatch of Darren Baker. Call me an oddball, but I almost felt a tear coming to my eye watching Sandoval score, he couldn't have made a more perfect slide to score, the margin was that slim, and I was in awe.

Thus, I wonder how apt their suggestion that he stick to 1B is, as perhaps he is athletic enough to still handle 3B. Plus, if he's as good a hitter as he is, we could play him at 3B (though the times he did play there, his range was woefully poor in the majors, 1.42 Range Factor vs. 2.23 Range Factor for the league) in 2009 while the Giants try out Bowker and/or Ishikawa at 1B, then if they don't pan out, he could move to 1B (range factor poor there as well, but much closer to league average) for 2010, or even could be a roving utility player, getting regular starts at C, 1B, and 3B, much like we had envisioned for Velez.

If he's as good a hitter as he has shown, then even if we don't have a regular position for him, as long as we can play him regularly, there will be an AL team willing to trade good talent for Sandoval to be their DH at some point in the future. But I'm more hoping he can settle into one position and play a while for us.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the additional info on Sandoval. I think that you are right when you note that the scouts have perhaps under-estimated Sandoval's athleticism. He caught a few games for the Giants (perhaps 7 or so -- I wish it had been more) and his defense looked adequate to me. Regarding his athleticism, did you see that play where he jumped about 2 1/2 feet straight in the air to knock down an errant throw when he was playing 1B. It was incredibly impressive and the Rockies (or was it D-backs?) broadcasters kept showing it over and over again because they were in disbelief that a guy who looks like a cross between a bowling ball and bull could jump that high. I think Sandoval will be fine at catcher with his natural athleticism despite what the pundits say. I am surprised that there has not been more buzz in Giants circles for Molina to be traded given the Giants emerging depth at catcher (Sandoval, Posey) and urgent needs at 1B and 3B. I still contend that moving Sandoval to 1B is a big mistake since 1B (or 3B) since it creates offensive mediocrity across the board for the Giants. Even if his defense if a bit below average at catcher he should be kept there if adequate. I say trade Molina in order to save money and help sign people at positions the Giants need to fill, give Sandoval the starting job, and if Posey proves ready in the next year or two, trade Sandoval to a non-rival at that time. Sandoval will have hopefully thoroughly established himself by the time Posey is ready, and can you imagine what a young catcher with his kind of offense would fetch in a trade? A lot more than Sandoval could fetch if he was at 1B. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I understand your enthusiasm, and it all makes sense IF (and that's a big IF) Sandoval can handle C.

    But most scouting comments I've seen said that he's not made out to be a catcher, making your argument fall apart.

    As a sign of this, notice how Sandoval got most of his starts at C with Zito starting? I am now thinking that observers had it backwards, it was not Zito's preference to use Sandoval, but rather Bochy's preference that an experience pitcher "handles" Sandoval, who probably don't know how to call a game yet and thus Bochy wanted Zito's experience in shaking off pitches.

    Remember, Sandoval was so bad as a catcher that they would rather hold him back in Advance A-ball in SJ so that he could spend more time with the manager, Steve Decker, a former Giants catcher, rather than advance his bat to AA where he should have been to start this season.

    The main advantage of the Giants is our pitching staff and with their youth, we should have an experience catcher guiding them, hence why we should keep Molina at C, and not trade and supplant with Sandoval. You can't manage the team like a Fantasy Baseball team where you look only at the offense of each player, there are consequences to the defense with each move made.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for your thoughts. Good comments. I do realize that Sandoval's defense is a concern at catcher, but he has to play somewhere, and he will almost certainly be a below average defender at 1B and well below average at 3B given his body type (his height is especially problematic at 1B, although as I noted above, he is athletic so he would probably do better than some think just looking at his body no matter where he is placed). Obviously C is a more important defensive position, but we can't just assume that putting him at 1B is defensively neutral whereas putting him at C is a big liability. Both will involve a liability and this must be factored in. I really wish the Giants would have given him more time behind the dish because I'll bet he would prove to be adequate given his athleticism. I remember him misplaying a block or two in his starts, which any big league catcher will do upon occasion, but nothing looked terribly suspect with his defense. Are you sure the Giants "held him back" in A ball because he defense was really bad or was it rather just because they wanted him to work with the best catching coach in the organization regardless of the level because they could see Sandoval staying at C? I guess I am saying, maybe his defense was okay/progressing so the Giants wanted to ensure that he continued to receive the best training.

    I guess it all boils down to these points:
    (a) Sandoval will be a defensive liability at C.
    (b) Sandoval will be a slight defensive liability at 1B.
    (c) The whole team would probably be a whole lot better offensively if Sandoval stays at C because the Giants can acquire/use a true 1B, which is the usually the most productive offensive position player and retain Sandoval at C, traditionally the least productive offensive position. You get huge improvement in offense, assuming a 1B can be found.

    Based on what I have observed so far.
    I think that (a) < (b) + (c), that is when looking at overall offense and defense, the advantages of Sandavol at C outweigh the disadvantages.

    Also, I would be surprised if Molina did not decline both offensively and defensively next year. His arm is great, but he looks very questionable blocking balls, often attempting to use his glove rather than his body. He is a clutch hitter but his speed is a huge liability in terms of double plays. Will he duplicate this fine offensive season? Will his attitude be a problem if Sandoval or Posey get starting time at C? These are important factors as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Actually, I've read in some places that because catchers mature later than other position players, the better ones tend to peak around their mid-30's (not the great, but the better) offensively.

    I don't think we're going to get each other to agree, but here is what an analyst book has been saying about Sandoval:

    2008: Defense at C and 3B is below average with low agility, but throws well and have soft hands.

    2007: Began career as C but poor agility prompted move to corner infield where he can be average with his soft hands and arm strength.

    2006: Converted catcher making transition to hot corner. Stocky build and low agility was problem behind plate, but has arm strength and soft hands.

    I agree he has to play somewhere. Personally, despite the defensive problems, I would rather try Sandoval at 3B for 2009 because then 1) we don't have to go out and get a 3B (though perhaps they are saving 3B again for Frandsen, like they did this season before he blew out his Achilles Tendon), 2) I think it's a waste of time to play him at C with Posey coming up possibly by 2010, 3) we have Ishikawa and Bowker ready to try to take 1B. It all just fit better, I think, with the prospects we have.

    Sure, we could play Sandoval at C, but he's most probably going to have a pretty poor season as a C anyway, because if he's struggling just to be OK at A-ball, he's going to be pretty bad in the majors. It is not a position you learn at the major league level. So that leaves you at the end of 2009 with a catcher whose defense is so bad that other teams discount that value anyhow, expecting to have to play him elsewhere. Just because you play him at catcher, if other teams don't see him as catcher, they will value him where they expect to play him.

    And him being a young player, I would worry that he would bring his defensive troubles into his ABs, or concentrate so much on his defense that his offense suffers.

    No, I would rather play him at 1B or 3B, and let him concentrate on his hitting. Sure, I would use him as backup to the backup at C, allowing swaps late in the game more frequently, but otherwise let his hitting, his best value, be undeterred by anything.

    Our best bet for getting maximum value in trade for him, if we go that route, is for him to hit very well, well enough to justify playing him at 1B or as DH. With his versatility playing the corner infield and C, plus his potent bat, he should still fetch as much value, if not more, than if you stuck him at catcher and let other teams get turned off by his poor defensive play there.

    I can buy the getting a top 1B hitter angle, but the only one who profiles like that is Teixiera and he's from the Baltimore area and wants to go back, so I'm afraid of another Carlos Lee situation where they use you to push up the bidding until he's satisfied (and remember Boras is his agent, it takes a lot to satisfy him) and he tells you to stop bidding, even though you are willing to go higher.

    But Sabean has already said that he's even willing to get another outfielder to get that potent middle of lineup bat, so there's nothing that says that if he's able to sign Teixiera somehow, he then trades Molina and move Sandoval into the catching position, everyone's position is fluid once again, much like last off-season.

    I just don't think it would happen, Sabean values defense a lot and most consider catching a key defensive position. But if teams could tolerate Piazza at C, perhaps somebody could tolerate Sandoval. But in this case, you are hoping that someone will, whereas I am pretty sure that if he hits at either corner position, he will definitely be valued by teams.

    And personally, I prefer to keep the team defense leaning towards the good side of the ledger because of how much that would affect pitchers, both in terms of hits allowed and errors made. So perhaps I'm biased in that way.

    FYI, SS is traditionally the least productive offensively position, if I remember right, catching a close second.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks again for your well thought out response. However, I guess you are right, we will just have to agree to disagree. Nonetheless, I thought of a great way to settle the dispute. Let's dial up Matt Cain and give him the tie-breaking vote. Let's ask him if he would:
    (1) Rather have Sandoval (C) + "League average offensive/defensive" (1B/3B) (acquired through trade or FA... hopefully better than league average, but let's use league average to be fair) on offense and be required to shake off a few more pitches per game and perhaps have a slightly enhanced risk for a past ball with Sandoval catching but with a better 1B defender... or if he would
    (2) Rather have Sandoval (1B/3B) + Molina (C) on offense and have a presumably stronger defender in Molina at C but the again slight defensive risk of Sandoval at 1B/3B.

    Which plan do you think Matt Cain would vote for? Defense is great, but you have to score at least a few to win. Your right, Piazza was a great example of a bad defensive catcher whose bat could make up for it. However, we don't yet know that Sandoval would actually be bad at C given more time... granted next year he would surely be well below league average.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, since we can make up conversations, lets ask him this:

    Would you feel better losing by pitching a well-pitched game but not scoring enough, or by having a key ball get by Sandoval (which based on Range Factor, is once a game because any ball getting by him is probably a double) and ruining your otherwise well-pitched game?

    I guess, to put this in Giants terms, its the Bob Brenly connundrum: you play Brenly at 3B to get his bat into the lineup, which wins the game for you when he hits a game-winning homerun, but meanwhile he set a new defensive "record" by making four errors at 3B.

    Now, I can see your reaction: see, they won.

    No, the point is that when you compromise, it goes both ways, you may win on offense, but lose on defense, and greatly. And errors is only part of the equation, the balls he doesn't get to can become extra-base hits down the line. That will show up on the pitchers line as an additional hit plus all the runs that would generate.

    To give a rough estimate of that impact, linear weights rate a double as approximately 0.79 runs and a single as 0.49 runs. Thus if Sandoval's range factor is about 1 less than the average, then he's probably missing about one ball a game. Lets call that down the line, half the time its a double, half a single. That adds up to roughly 104 runs per season. That's roughly 10 extra losses per season.

    Lets say the SS is good and is able to get to half of them. That's still 5 extra losses.

    The best hitters gain you 5-10 extra wins, so even if Sandoval was one of the best hitters around in 2009, his defense would negate most of that value, if not all.

    And per the Piazza example, teams did believe that his bat makes up for it, but I think it's debatable whether he did or not, we don't know what his affect on the team's pitching staff is, with his poor throwing out of basestealers, maybe increase in WP or PB (not sure if either is true, throwing out there), whether he recommended fastball and the batter hit a home-run out.

    So I can recraft that question to Cain as how would you feel if Sandoval got you an extra run with his hitting, but then costed you two runs by asking for a fastball that gets hit out of the park? Or started a rally with two outs by hitting it past Sandoval? Or a 5-4-3 double play ball goes by and instead the other team scores a run or two? Would Cain be happy knowing that his pitching line will look crappier with Sandoval catching, but hey, he's getting an extra hit here and there now and the team is scoring more runs.

    We do know that he is bad at defense at C, scouts say he's bad, the team felt it was bad enough that they held back his bat by keeping him at San Jose instead of promoting him, the question is when if ever will he figure things out at C. Piazza never did, others never did, and we have no backup plan if Sandoval sucked so bad at defense, it would be like SS in 2008, when Bocock was brought up, though I suppose the call could be made mid-season to rush Posey to the majors if Sandoval was that sucky defensively.

    Pitching and defense are the keys to winning it all. Focus on that first, then work on the details of how to score runs.

    ReplyDelete

Labels

1984 Draft (1) 2007 Draft (15) 2007 Giants (52) 2008 Draft (22) 2008 Giants (53) 2008 season (6) 2009 Draft (18) 2009 Giants (87) 2009 season (24) 2010 Decade (12) 2010 Draft (11) 2010 Giants (137) 2010 NL ROY award (1) 2010 season (19) 2010's (3) 2011 Draft (9) 2011 Giants (84) 2011 season (8) 2012 Draft (11) 2012 Giants (93) 2012 season (11) 2013 Draft (3) 2013 Giants (39) 2013 season (5) 2014 (1) 2014 draft (5) 2014 Giants (79) 2014 season (16) 2015 Draft (4) 2015 Giants (50) 2015 season (10) 2016 Draft (1) 2016 Giants (45) 2016 season (6) 2017 Draft (3) 2017 Giants (27) 2018 Draft (8) 2018 Giants (50) 2018 Season (8) 2019 Draft (1) 2019 Giants (27) 2019 season (2) 2020 Decade (1) 2020 Giants (9) 20201 Draft (1) 2021 Giants (3) 2022 Giants (2) 2023 Giants (14) 2023 season (1) 2024 Giants (8) 25 man roster (11) 25th man fallacy (1) 26 man roster (1) 3B (1) 40 Man Roster (11) 49ers (1) 5-day rotation (1) 51/49 decisions (1) 6-man rotation (5) 89 Quake (1) 89 World Series (1) A-Ball (1) A-Gon (1) A-Rod (3) A's (6) AA-Ball (1) Aaron Rowand (25) Abiatal Avelino (1) accomplishments (1) ace pitcher (2) ace starter (4) Adalberto Mejia (6) Adam Duvall (5) AFL (4) aggression (1) Albert Suarez (5) Alen Hanson (3) Alex Cobb (1) Alex Dickerson (2) Alex Hinshaw (3) Alex Pavlovic (1) Alexander Canario (2) All-Star Game (1) almost perfect game (1) Alonzo Powell (1) Amphetamine (3) analysis (24) Andre Torres (14) Andres Torres (2) Andrew Baiiley (1) Andrew Bailey (1) Andrew McCutchen (2) Andrew Suarez (5) Andrew Susac (11) Andy Baggerly (2) Andy Sisco (1) Andy Suarez (9) Angel Joseph (1) Angel Pagan (17) Angel Villalona (30) Anniversary (1) appendicitis (1) Aramis Garcia (2) Arbitration (19) Armando Benitez (5) Armando Gallaraga (1) art of failure (1) Asia-Pacific signing (1) assessment (1) Astros (3) At the Rate They Are Going (1) ATT Park (1) Aubrey Huff (20) Austin Jackson (2) Austin Slater (5) Award (4) BABIP (3) Bam Bam Meulens (1) Barry Bonds (30) Barry Zito (77) baseball (1) Baseball America (3) Baseball Prospectus (6) Baseball Prospectus Bias Against Giants (4) baseball strategy (9) Baseball Study (18) baserunning (2) batting peripherals (1) batting stance analysis (1) batting title champion (1) Beat LA (9) bench players (4) Bengie Molina (14) Benjamin Snyder (1) Bert Blyleven (1) best manager (2) best practices (2) Beyond the Box Score (1) Bias Against Giants (1) Big 6 (9) Big Picture (3) Bill Hall (1) Bill James (1) Bill James Handbook (2) Bill Mueller (1) Bill Neukom (21) Billy Beane (3) biography (1) Blake Riverra (1) Blake Snell (1) blog news (3) Blog Philosophy (3) Bob Howry (2) Bob Mariano (1) Bobby Evans (4) Boston Red Sox (1) Brad Hennessey (5) Brad Penny (2) Brandon Bednar (1) Brandon Belt (50) Brandon Crawford (25) Brandon Hicks (1) Braves (5) breakout (2) Brett Bochy (4) Brett Pill (9) Brewers (1) Brian Anderson (1) Brian Bannister (3) Brian Bocock (2) Brian Cooper (1) Brian Horwitz (3) Brian Ragira (2) Brian Sabean (50) Brian Wilson (14) Bridegrooms (6) Bruce Bochy (36) Bucky Showalter (1) bulllpen (8) Bullpen (33) Business Plan (23) Buster Posey (102) Byran Reynolds (2) Byung-Hyun Kim (1) Cained (4) call-ups (3) Candlestick Park (1) Cards (13) Career Prospects (4) Carl Hubbell (1) Carlos Beltran (4) Carlos Gomez (1) Carney Lansford (2) Carson Whisenhunt (1) Carter Jurica (1) Casey Kelly (1) Casey McGeHee (3) catcher injury (5) catching (3) CBT penalty (1) CC Sabathia (1) censorship (2) CEO (2) Chad Gaudin (5) Charles Culberson (5) Charlie Culberson (3) Chase Johnson (3) cheating (1) Chillax (1) Chris Brown (1) Chris Gloor (1) Chris Heston (19) Chris Lincecum (1) Chris Marrero (1) Chris O'Leary (1) Chris Ray (4) Chris Shaw (4) Chris Stewart (4) Chris Stratton (30) Chris Strattton (1) Christian Arroyo (7) Christmas (1) Christopher Dominguez (4) Christy Mathewson (1) Chuckie Jones (2) Clay Hensley (3) Clayton Blackburn (10) Clayton Tanner (3) Closer (9) closer by committee (3) Coaches (4) coaching changes (1) Cody Hall (2) Cody Ross (8) Col (1) Comeback Award (1) Commissioner (1) comparison (3) competitive advantage (1) Competitive Balance Tax (2) Competitive Cycles (2) competitiveness (2) Conner Menez (1) Connor Joe (3) Connor Nurse (1) Conor Gillaspie (25) contender (1) contract extension (3) contract negotiations (2) contract signing (7) Coordinator (1) core competency (1) Core Rotation (1) Cory Gearrin (5) Cory Guerrin (1) Cory Hart (1) Craig Whitaker (2) Cubs (1) Curt Young (1) cuts (1) Cy Young Award (5) cyber-relief (1) D-backs (16) D-gers (36) D-Rocks (3) D-Rox (17) D.J. Snelten (3) Dallas McPherson (1) Dan Ortmeier (11) Dan Otero (2) Dan Runzler (6) Dan Slania (3) Dan Uggla (1) Daniel Carbonell (1) Daniel Slania (2) Dany Jimenez (1) Darren Ford (1) Dave Righetti (1) Dave Roberts (11) David Aardsma (1) David Bell (1) David Huff (2) David Loewenstein (1) Decade of the Giants (12) decline (1) Defense (11) Deferred Money (1) deleted comment (1) Denard Span (3) depth (1) Dereck Rodriquez (7) Derek Holland (18) Derek Law (11) Detroit Tigers (1) DFA (3) DH (2) Dick Tidrow (2) dictionary (1) direction (1) Dirty (1) DL (3) dodgers (15) Donald Snelten (1) Donovan Solano (1) Draft (11) Draft Analysis (27) Draft Bonus (7) draft list (3) draft philosophy (2) draft signing (3) Draft Strategy (12) Draft Study (9) Draft Success (4) drafting (5) Dres (16) Drew Pomeranz (1) DRS (1) Dynasty (3) Earl Weaver (1) Edgar Renteria (13) Eduardo Nunez (4) Edwin Escobar (5) Ehire Adrianza (26) Eli Whiteside (4) Elimination game (1) EME (2) Emmanuel Burriss (18) end of an era (1) epic season (6) era (1) Eric Byrnes (1) Eric Surkamp (6) Erik Cordier (1) Eugenio Velez (12) evaluation (3) Evan Longoria (3) Evan Longoriia (1) extension (7) fan outrage (10) fan rants (2) fanfest (1) FanGraphs (2) Farhan Zaidi (35) feature reliever (1) felony conviction (1) Fielding (5) Fielding Stats (4) finger injury (3) first post-season press conference (3) Francisco Peguero (4) Fred Lewis (3) Freddie Lewis (17) Freddie Sanchez (4) Freddy Sanchez (7) Free Agency (8) free agent misses (1) Free agent possibilities (28) Free agent signing (22) Free agent signings (21) front office (3) Gabe Kapler (1) Game Score (3) gamer-tude (1) Garrett Williams (1) Gary Brown (26) Geno Espinelli (1) George Kontos (10) Ghosts of Giants Drafts (2) Giants (10) Giants Announcer (1) Giants blogs (3) Giants Chat (4) Giants Classic Rotation (1) Giants Defense (4) Giants Draft (15) Giants Drafts (8) Giants Farm System (34) Giants Franchise record (2) Giants Future (66) Giants GM (12) Giants Greats (3) Giants hitting manual (1) Giants Leadership (1) Giants manager (1) Giants No-Hitter (5) Giants Offense (34) Giants Offseason (24) Giants Pitching (10) Giants President of Baseball Operations (3) Giants Strategy (44) GiDar (1) Gino Espinelli (1) glossary (1) Gold Glove Award (1) good players (4) good will (1) Gorkys Hernandez (2) Graphical Player (1) great players (4) Gregor Blanco (18) Gregor Moscoso (1) Gregory Santos (1) Guillermo Moscoso (2) Guillermo Mota (2) Guillermo Quiroz (1) Gustavo Cabrera (4) Hall of Fame (10) Hall of Shame (4) Hank Aaron (5) Happy Holidays (2) Hate mail (1) Hayden Birdsong (1) healthy (1) heart-warming (1) Heath Hembree (8) Heath Quinn (1) Hector Correa (1) Hector Sanchez (12) Heliot Ramos (11) Henry Sosa (8) HGH (1) Hidden Game (1) high expectations (1) high school focus in draft (1) high velocity hitters (1) high velocity pitchers (1) hiring (2) hiring process (1) Hitter's League (1) Hitting (19) Hitting Coach (1) hitting mechanics (3) hitting pitchers (2) hitting streak (1) Hitting; (1) Home Run Career Record (7) Home Run Hitting Contest (1) Hunter Bishop (4) Hunter Pence (25) Hunter Stickland (1) Hunter Strickland (9) Ian Gardeck (1) Idea (4) IFA (1) improvement (2) Indictment (1) Infield (1) injury (7) instant replay (2) instructor (1) Interesting Question (1) International Free Agent Pursuits (5) International Signings (5) interview (5) Investment (1) Ivan Ochoa (2) J.P. Martinez (1) J2 (1) Jack Taschner (4) Jackson Williams (3) Jacob Dunnington (1) Jacob Gonzalez (2) Jacob Junis (1) Jacob McCasland (1) Jae-gyun Hwang (1) Jake Dunning (2) Jake Peavy (39) Jake Smith (1) Jake Wong (1) Jalen Miller (1) Jandel Gustave (1) Japanese Starters (1) Jarrett Parker (10) Jason Heyward (1) Jason Maxwell (2) Jason Stoffel (1) Javier Lopez (5) JC Gutierrez (3) JD Davis (1) Jean Machi (6) Jeff Kent (1) Jeff Samardzija (28) Jeff Suppan (1) Jeremy Affeldt (12) Jeremy Shelley (2) Jerome Williams (1) Jesse English (2) Jesse Foppert (1) Jesus Guzman (4) Jimmy Rollins (1) Joaquin Arias (14) Joe Panik (18) Joe Torre (1) Joey Bart (6) Joey Martinez (2) Johan Santana (1) John Barr (1) John Bowker (22) John Thorn (1) Johneshwy Fargas (2) Johnny Bench (1) Johnny Cueto (31) Johnny Monell (1) Johnny Rucker (1) Jonah Arenado (1) Jonathan Mayo (1) Jonathan Sanchez (49) Jordan Hicks (1) Jordan Johnson (1) Jorge Soler (1) Jose Canseco (1) Jose Casilla (1) Jose Guillen (3) Jose Mijares (3) Jose Uribe (2) Josh Osich (9) JT Snow (1) Juan Perez (6) Juan Uribe (9) Juggling Monkey (1) Julian Fernandez (7) Julio Urias (1) Jung Hoo Lee (2) jury (1) Just Say No (1) Kelby Tomlinson (5) Kendry Flores (2) Keury Mella (2) Kevin Correia (2) Kevin Frandsen (22) Kevin Gausman (3) Kevin Pillar (2) Kevin Pucetas (10) KNBR (1) Kung Fu Panda (30) Kyle Crick (16) Kyle Harrison (5) laid off (1) Larry Baer (3) Larry Ellison (1) Lead-off (2) leadoff (1) left-handed (1) Lew Wolff (1) LHP (1) Lineup (17) lineup construction (4) Lineup position (1) links (1) Logan Webb (3) Lon Simmons (1) long relief (2) Long-Term Contract (22) long-term planning (3) losing streak (1) Lucius Fox (3) luck (2) Luis Angel Mateo (2) Luis Matos (2) Luis Toribio (1) lunatic fringe (1) Mac Marshall (1) Mac Williamson (12) Madison Bumgarner (185) Mailbox (1) Malcolm Gladwell (1) management change (3) management issues (5) managerial value (5) Manny (1) Marc Kroon (2) Marco Luciano (3) Marco Scutaro (12) Mark DeRosa (8) Mark Gardner (1) Mark Melancon (4) Marlon Byrd (1) Martin Agosta (7) Marvin Miller (1) Masahiro Tanaka (1) Mason Black (1) Mason McVay (1) Matsuzaka (1) Matt Cain (160) Matt Chapman (1) Matt Daniels (3) Matt Downs (2) Matt Duffy (8) Matt Graham (1) Matt Holliday (1) Matt Krook (2) Matt Moore (15) Matt Morris (2) Mauricio Dubon (2) Mechanics (4) Media (17) Media Bias (17) media hypocrisy (1) Media Trade Idea (3) Medical (1) Mediocy (11) Mediots (6) Melk-Gone (1) Melky Cabrera (14) Melvin Adon (1) memories (1) mental (1) Merkin Valdez (8) Message in a Bottle (1) methodology (2) MI (1) Michael Conforto (1) Michael Main (1) Michael Reed (1) Michael Trout (1) middle infield (2) Miguel Cabrera (2) Miguel Gomez (1) Miguel Tejada (5) Mike Fontenot (3) Mike Ivie (1) Mike Kickham (9) Mike Leake (11) Mike Matheny (1) Mike Morse (10) Mike Yazstremski (2) milestone (1) minor league (1) minor league contract (4) minors (11) mismanagement (1) misnomer (1) mistakes (2) MLB (2) MLB stupidity (2) MLB Success (7) MLB Trade Rumors (1) MLBAM (1) MLBTR (1) MLE (1) Mock Draft analysis (8) Modern Portfolio Theory (1) Modus Operandi (2) MPT (1) MVP (2) Natanael Javier (1) Nate Schierholtz (45) Nathanael Javier (1) Nationals (1) Naysayers (2) Negotiations (1) Neil Ramirez (1) NewPQS (8) Next Gen (1) Nick Hundley (2) Nick Noonan (27) Nick Pereira (1) Nick Vander Tuig (2) Nick Vincent (1) NL Champions (2) NL West (29) NL West Division Title (20) NL West Future (1) NLCS (22) NLCS MVP (2) NLDS (8) Noah Lowry (14) non-roster invitees (2) non-tenders (3) Nori Aoki (4) NPB (1) NRI (1) Oakland A's (4) OBP (1) oddities (1) Offense (4) offensive era (1) ogcPQS (6) Omar Vizquel (3) one-run games (3) Opener (1) openers (1) Opening Day (6) opening day pitcher (3) opening day roster (11) Optimism (1) Osiris Matos (2) Outfield (3) overturned (1) Ownership (7) Pablo Sandoval (97) Padres (1) Panda (6) Pandoval (1) passing (1) Pat Burrell (15) Pat Misch (5) Patrick Bailey (2) Payroll (11) PECOTA (1) Pedro Feliz (12) PEDS (10) Perfect Game (2) perjury trial (1) personal (2) Personal Reminiscence (2) Pessimism (1) Pete Palmer (1) Pete Putila (1) Pete Rose (3) Peter Magowan (2) Phil Bickford (3) Phillies (7) philosophy (1) Phoenix Theory of Rebuilding (1) Pierce Johnson (2) Pitch Count (3) pitch framing (1) pitch value (1) Pitcher hitting 8th (1) pitcher’s health (1) Pitchers League (1) Pitching (27) pitching analysis (4) pitching department (1) pitching development (4) Pitching Rotation (90) pitching staff (6) pitching strategy (2) plate discipline (1) platoon players (2) Play Ball (1) player acquisition (1) player budget (2) player development (7) playoff (2) playoff analysis (2) playoff hopes (37) playoff roster (2) playoff rotation (6) Playoff Success (27) Playoff Win Effective (3) Playoff Win Efficient (2) Playoffs (44) postmortem (2) PQS (109) press conference (2) pressure (2) priorities (1) Projected Record (6) projection (2) projections (2) promotion (2) prospect (3) prospect analysis (7) prospect future (1) prospect handling (1) Prospect of Note (3) prospect promotion (1) prospect study (2) Prospects (46) quality starts (1) questions (1) radio great (1) Rafael Rodriquez (8) Rajai Davis (2) Ralph Barbieri (1) Ramon Ramirez (3) Randy Johnson (10) Randy Messenger (2) Randy Winn (14) Rangers (5) Ranking (4) rant (1) raspberry (1) rationalization (1) Ray Durham (5) re-sign (2) realist (1) Rebuilding (5) Rebuilding Myths series (1) rebuttal (1) Red Sox (1) Reds (5) rehab (1) reliever (3) relievers (1) Relocation Concession (2) Research (2) resource scarcity (1) rest for starters (1) Retired (3) Retirement (3) return (1) Reyes Moronta (3) RHP (1) Ricardo Genoves (1) Rich Aurilia (7) Rick Peterson (1) Rickie Weeks (1) Ricky Oropesa (3) right-handed (1) risk mitigation (2) risk profile (1) Roberto Gomez (1) Rockies (2) Rod Beck (1) Roger Kieschnick (13) Roger Metzger (1) Ron Shandler (2) Ron Wotus (1) Ronnie Jebavy (1) Ronnie Ray (1) rookie debut (1) Rookie of the Year (1) Roster (4) rosterbation (2) Rotation by Committee (1) Rotation Chaos (1) ROY (2) Royals (3) Rule 5 (2) Rule 5 Draft Pick (5) rumors (9) run differential (1) run prevention (1) run production (1) runs support (1) Russ Ortiz (11) Russell Carleton (1) Ryan Garko (2) Ryan Klesko (4) Ryan Rohlinger (2) Ryan Theriot (3) Ryan Vogelsong (93) Ryder Jones (2) Sabean Naysayers (7) Sabermetric Thoughts (6) sabermetrics (5) SABR (1) Salary speculation (3) SALLY (1) Sam Dyson (7) Sam Long (1) Sam Selman (1) Sam Wolff (1) San Jose Giants (1) San Jose Relocation (3) Sandro Fabian (2) Sandy Rosario (1) Santiago Casilla (9) scenarios (1) Scott Boras (1) Scott Harris (2) Scott McClain (2) Scott Shuman (1) Scouting (2) Sean Hjelle (5) season review (1) secret sauce (2) Sergio Romo (17) Seth Corry (6) SF Giants (2) Shilo McCall (1) Shohei Ohtani (3) Shohei Otani (2) Shooter (1) shutouts (1) Signature Song (1) signing (13) Silly-Ball (3) South Atlantic League (1) South Bay Rights (1) SP usage (1) spin rate (1) splits (2) Sports Illustrated (1) Spring Training (16) stabilized stats (1) standings (1) starting CF (1) starting lineup (19) starting pitching (96) starting rotation (4) Statcorner (1) State of the Giants (1) statistics (2) STATS (1) Steamer (1) Stephen Vogt (1) Steroids (7) Steve Edlefsen (4) Steve Johnson (3) Steve Okert (8) Steven Duggar (7) strikeout rate (2) Sue Burns (1) sunk costs (1) superstition (1) tactics (1) talent evaluation (4) Tax (1) team culture (1) Team of the 2010's (2) Team of the 2020's (1) Team of the Decade (4) Team Speed (1) Team Support (1) Thank You (2) The Evil Ones (tm) (1) The Giants Way (2) The Hardball Times (1) The Hey Series (19) The Hey Zaidi Series (4) Thomas Joseph (3) Thomas Neal (9) Tigers (4) Tim Alderson (17) Tim Hudson (39) Tim Lincecum (195) TINSTAAPP (1) Todd Linden (3) Todd Wellemeyer (6) Tommy Joseph (3) Tony Watson (4) Top 100 Prospects (1) Top 14 Roster (1) Top Draft Position (4) top Giants prospects (5) top player list (1) top prospect list (6) Trade (12) Trade Analysis (22) Trade Idea (9) Trade PTBNL (2) Trade Rumors (30) trading (1) training staff (2) Training Tool (1) Travis Blackley (1) Travis Ishikawa (47) Trevor Brown (5) Trevor Gott (1) tribute (1) Tristan Beck (2) turning point (1) Ty Blach (23) Tyler Austin (1) Tyler Beede (10) Tyler Cyr (1) Tyler Horan (1) Tyler McDonald (1) Tyler Rogers (2) Tyler Walker (2) umpire mistake (3) Umpires (3) USA Today (1) utility (1) Voros McCracken (1) Waiver Roulette (1) Waldis Joaquin (5) walks (1) Wall of Fame (1) WAR (4) Warrior Spirit (1) Wendell Fairley (10) What-If Scenario (3) wild card (1) wild card race (1) Will Bednar (1) Will Clark (1) Will Smith (7) Will Wilson (3) Williams Jerez (1) Willie Mac Award (1) Willie Mays (1) winning on the road (1) Winter League (1) winter meetings (3) World Series (28) World Series Champions (13) WS Ring Bling (1) xBABIP (1) xwOBA (1) Yankees (1) Yusmeiro Petit (40) Zack Cozart (2) Zack Wheeler (9) Zaidi MO (2) Zaidi Rotation (3) ZiPS (1) Zito Role (2)