Monday, November 07, 2011

It's Begun: Giants Trade Dirty for Melky Cabrera

Just read the news, oh boy:  Hank Schulman blogged that the KC writer tweeted that Jonathan Sanchez has been traded for CF Melky Cabrera.  He was able to confirm it.  There is also an article on Yahoo on it as well, which reported that Ryan Verdugo was also included in the trade.

Giants Thoughts

Not too surprising because Sabean in recent interviews noted that the Giants might have to trade a starting pitcher.  That leaves the rotation at Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, and Barry Zito, with Eric Surkamp as the first guy up in case of need.  I also didn't think that Zito would end up in the bullpen as some had suggested, no way that would happen.  His greatest value is as a starter, particularly if he can return to his 2009-10 form, which was pretty good.

This also made sense because Sanchez was the most obvious to trade, in terms of value in return as well as lack of future value, because of his agent, Scott Boras.  Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner look like keepers, if at all possible, while Vogelsong and Zito would not yield much in trade, if anything in Zito's case.

This is a great trade assuming the Melky continues hitting the way he did in 2011, a breakout offensive season for him.  He plays CF, his OBP is decent enough for leadoff, and he has some speed judging by his SB, he just needs to hone his skill down to achieve a higher success stealing rate, which the Giants appear capable of doing, they were able to improve Randy Winn's  percentage in his time here.

His agent is NOT Scott Boras, so we might even be able to sign him long-term, and his hitting is good enough to move to the corners if necessary.  As much as I love Nate Schierholtz and believe in Brandon Belt, they both still need to prove themselves.  As do Melky as well, for that matter.  And his defense could be below average in CF while above average on the corners, according to Baseball-Reference.com, so that fits with him holding CF until Gary Brown is ready.

Another nice thing about him is that 2012 will be his 27 YO season, so he is headed into his prime years, potentially with us, if we end up signing him to a longer term contract, maybe an extension into his first or second year of free agency, which would still leave him at around 30 for his first big free agent contract, two good seasons won't necessarily get him that kind of big money.

Verdugo I think is thrown in because of the injuries that Sanchez had in 2011 that reduced his value a bit, as that leaves a question mark on his 2012 season.  Also, Sanchez is 29 next season, so he is a bit older then Melky, so that also justifies giving up another player.  I can live with that.  Verdugo struck out a lot but also walked a lot, and was a bit old for AA.  And the Giants have been very good in deciding which pitchers to give up in trades so far.

I like this trade a lot.  Clears up the CF situation, he's a pretty good player in exchange for a pretty good pitcher, he's a good hitter, and can play all OF positions, which gives Bochy a lot of flexibility in setting the lineup, depending on who is hitting and who is not (or injured).  Don't really see any need to sign any other OF now, OF appears to be set at Belt/Torres, Cabrera, Schierholtz, unless, of course, they somehow sign Carlos Beltran.
Opined by ogc/ at
Labels: , , ,

25 comments:

  1. marcMonday, November 07, 2011 1:34:00 PM

    I have always liked Melky Cabrera. And I think that Sanchez' peak is not much higher (if at all) than we've seen.

    This is good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ShankboneMonday, November 07, 2011 1:50:00 PM

    Its a new wrinkle on a classic Sabean move - get your moves in early, and keep your position flex for further moves. I like it, because it avoids mediocre Oakland A's OFs for the moment, its a one year deal, and Cabrera is going to be 27 on April 1 2012. We always want more for our players and prospects, but Sanchez 2011 really hurt his value. I wish he could have avoided giving up Verdugo as a throw in, but like OGC says, its not the end of the world either.

    During the press conference they made the point about Cabrera working out and taking conditioning seriously before last year. That sounds good. He did drink his way off the Yanks, and he was rushed up by them. Overall I like this move, as long as they don't cut Torres off the roster.

    So OGC - after I have railed on Sabean for impatient moves in the past - I like both his moves so far this offseason. Just please don't get cocky and sign Betancourt or something silly like that eh Sabes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 2:58:00 PM

    Thanks for the comments guys (and for the one you left on my last post, Shankbone).

    Yes, that's a good point, Melky has potential that he could still tap into, like turning all those doubles into homers, though obviously that won't happen as much in SF (and he is a natural LHB). But he has good speed, so double-digit triples look possible for him. His bat discipline is very good, as he does not strike out that much, plus has walked at an OK rate previously (though not 2011).

    The big difference for him in 2011 is that he got to play a full season for the first time since 2007. He did not play as much in the seasons in-between, though still a good amount (roughly 500 PA per season).

    Also, he has had a good three year stretch against LHP, and had his best year against RHP in 2011. Another nice point is that he hit really well on the road vs. at home, for his career. And he has hit well in SF, even though SF's pitching has been so good.

    One worrying point is that his BABIP in 2011 was high for his career, .332 vs. career .299. The good news is that he had a career .330 BABIP in the minors, so this could be a sign that he has finally caught up in maturity to the rest of the players in the major league.

    Meanwhile, it would not be surprising if 2010 was Sanchez's peak. Though I still have hopes that he will finally figure it out and put it all together. He would be untouchable if he could do that.

    Yes, a new wrinkle on a classic Sabean move, though I would note that he really didn't have many off-seasons where he had a player like Dirty to trade. And they could still make a move for either a CF, LF, or SS still.

    ReplyDelete
  4. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 3:35:00 PM

    Thanks for passing on info from the press conference.

    Here are the scribes blogs on that presser:

    http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2011/11/07/sabean-answers-a-lot-of-questions-surrounding-todays-deal-for-melky-cabrera-but-a-lot-of-answers-will-have-to-wait/

    http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2011/11/07/giants-news-and-notes-on-melky-cabreras-new-role-pablo-sandovals-winter-plans-and-how-todays-trade-sets-up-the-rest-of-the-offseason/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ExtraBaggs+%28Extra+Baggs%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

    One interesting fact is that despite all the media/fan rumors about Sanchez being on the trading block in the past, the club was never close to trading him until now.

    There was no way to trade him before, anyway IMO, as trading him would have created a hole in the rotation that they would have been unable to fill. Vogelsong's emergence, though, gave them that opportunity.

    Amazingly, the Giants aren't ready to commit to where he will play or hit, though they are comfortable with him in CF. Suggests that they might still look to get a CF-type, lead-off type, hitter. They could leave Cabrera in the #2 spot where he did well in 2011 and move Franchez to #3, where they have hit him before. Then Posey and Sandoval.

    To Shankbone's point about his conditioning, Melky, who was at the press conference, said that 2011 was a result of his weight training last off-season, which he will do again.

    Sandoval, despite some media claims that he gained weight, sweared to Bochy that he has not gained any since the season ended, that the uni in Taiwan made him look bigger, and swears to come to camp even lighter than last season. His strained shoulder appears to be fully healed now, as well.

    The way Bochy talked about Cabrera, sounds like they might make him the #3 hitter in the lineup, as he noted that Melky is "a run producer. He scores runs and also has the ability to knock in runs. He's 27 years old and it looks like he's coming into his own. He can hit at the top of the order. He can steal a base. he's athletic and can play anywhere in the outfield. It's hard to say where he will hit in the order and maybe even where he's going to play in the outfield..."

    About SS, Sabean said that Crawford "has done nothing to hurt his chances (in AFL)", but the decision on whether to get another shortstop hasn't been made. I agree with Andy's prediction: "As I mentioned earlier, the strong leaning is to give Crawford the job if the Giants get enough offense from other sources. My prediction: if they re-sign Beltran, Crawford will be at short."

    Gary Brown was noted, both that this move does not block him, plus that he was given a break in the AFL because of that illness I reported on previously, which Sabean noted was not Valley Fever, which I guess is a pretty bad thing that can be caught down there.

    Sabean did note that Dirty's value was down because of his health problems and inability to come back after the ankle sprain, but I would note that this is still pretty good value in return.

    ReplyDelete
  5. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 4:08:00 PM

    Baggs also has posted an article on the deal: http://www.mercurynews.com/giants/ci_19282394?source=rss

    Neglected to mention above that Baggarly thinks this means that Torres would be non-tendered by the Giants.

    That was likely even without the trade, due to his high salary and poor hitting in 2011.

    Though now I wonder if he will want to come back if he is free to look around. He might have come back before if he knew that he could battle for a job.

    And perhaps that is why the Giants are vague about their plans for Cabrera, maybe that will be their carrot to get Andres back, is letting him compete with Belt for the third OF spot.

    Of course, if they sign Beltran, that would not be a possibility anymore, as that would give us three starters: Beltran, Cabrera, Schierholtz.

    My gut tells me that the odds of signing Beltran is now much higher, for if they had to sign a free agent CF, that would have cost at least $6M per if not $8M, to get Crisp or Sizemore, plus the money for Beltran.

    If anything, the Giants might have saved some money, as Cabrera only got $1.25M last season and Sanchez got $4.8M. I see Sanchez getting $5-6M in arbitration, while I can see the Giants offering Cabrera a 2-3 year contract, fixing in a lower 2012 salary that backloads in to 2013 and 2014.

    So the money works even better now to get Beltran, particularly if we lose Torres ($2.2M last season) and pick up a cheap OF somewhere. Or they could give Justin Christian and Darren Ford a chance to win the 4th OF role.

    The main question now is how many years other teams will offer him. I really can't see another team going beyond 3 years, mainly because of his knee problems. I think that 3 years the Giants can handle, in the $15M-ish range that has been discussed (John Shea wrote that in a column he wrote about the Giants needing to sign Beltran) for him.

    MLB Trade Rumors estimated arbitration awards: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/projected-arbitration-salaries.html

    Sanchez: $5.2M
    Torres: $2.5M
    Cabrera: $4.4M

    Based on this, the Giants save $3.3M by this move (minus whatever they can re-sign Torres back to the team; if so, I would guess around $1M). Savings of roughly $3M if Torres leaves and Giants use someone cheap (like Christian, Ford, cheap free agent)

    Also, don't recall if I had mentioned before, but Beltran changed agents, dumping Boras for Dan Lozano. That has to be a good thing for the Giants because Boras loves to take his time in negotiations, dragging things out.

    However, he might be busy with his other clients, Albert Pujols and Jimmy Rollins, as well.

    With this trade, that should end any rumors about trading off any other starting pitcher, the Giants just do not have the depth to do that right now, or a rising star who looks ready to take the jump up either.

    ReplyDelete
  6. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 4:38:00 PM

    Should also note that this would be in line with what Beltran said that the Giants would need to do if he were to return, get some additional offense. Don't know if that is considered to be enough for his tastes but I like it.

    My lineup calculator has Cabrera, Franchez, Sandoval, Posey, Huff, Belt, Schierholtz, SS (really bad, .632 OPS), and that lineup is expected to produce 4.38 RS per game.

    Huff, FYI, .714 OPS; Belt .722 OPS. So the lineup is assuming middling production out of everyone except Cabrera, Sandoval, and Posey. That plus last season's RA equals 95 wins.

    Beltran should boost the lineup up to average NL team RS range, which should put our team in the 98+ win range, barring any huge injury loss or Sandoval/Posey severe drop in production. Those two adds around 0.4 runs to a mediocre lineup (I tried looking at a lineup of Franchez 1-4, plus rest, and that equals only 3.91 RS; Cabrera is 0.1 run per game above Franchez leading off). Beltran adds about 0.3 runs himself per game.

    An OK Huff would add about 0.1 RS, same with Schierholtz and Crawford.

    Giants could be one of the elite teams with Beltran on-board, but they should still be pretty good even without him.

    ReplyDelete
  7. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 5:01:00 PM

    Saw a comment somewhere that the Giants rotation is weakened greatly by this, partly because Vogelsong won't repeat his great season.

    As I noted in a prior post, Vogelsong doesn't need to duplicate his great season. Because he didn't start the season with the Giants, he just needs to match what the Giants got from the #5 starter spot, basically Zito and him. Together, their ERA was 3.41.

    That would be hard to duplicate. However, that is not quite correct, as Zito came back later in the year when Sanchez was out, so together they had more than one starter's starts.

    Combining Vogelsong, Sanchez, Zito, Runzler, and Surkamp, we get a total ERA of 3.91 ERA out of the 4/5 spot in 2011. If Zito can get back to here he was in 2009-10 with a 4.10 ERA (I know, big IF), then Vogelsong only needs to attain a 3.72 ERA in 2012 for the 4/5 spots to deliver what they did in 2011.

    That is still pretty good, but not out of the question if you look at his skill level. His FIP was 3.67, his xFIP was 3.85, SIERA of 3.85, so his skill level exhibited in 2011 suggests that he could continue being that good in 2012.

    Of course, the bigger question then is whether Zito can get back to where he was in 2009-10. I still think that the car accident was a big factor in his lousy 2011. Getting a year off, he should be as fresh as he's ever been going into 2012, plus one would hope that he's working hard on keeping himself in baseball shape.

    This would be a good reason to justify the Giants picking up Beltran, for if Zito does regress, we would have Beltran around to take up that slack and still keep the team in the 95 win range.

    ReplyDelete
  8. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 5:20:00 PM

    Oh, I should also add that when he was a prospect, he was considered to have plus speed. If he can keep himself in good shape, I don't see any reason why he couldn't maintain a higher BABIP, as well as swipe more bases.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ShankboneMonday, November 07, 2011 6:05:00 PM

    Are you telling me Coco Crisp is still in play? I know Torres is definitely on the cusp, and will most likely be given a choice between a reduced salary or dfa, or maybe just dfa... If they go another direction, that's one thing, but if they cut Torres and sign Coco Crisp that is a piss poor move.

    I'm sure most of the hemming about batting order and what field they play Melky in is for Beltran's sake, great. If it is about Coco Crisp, so help me...

    ReplyDelete
  10. marcMonday, November 07, 2011 8:18:00 PM

    I am amused by some reactions on the blogosphere - why do so many Giants' fans sound like an old man shaking a shoe at his computer screen?

    ReplyDelete
  11. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 10:31:00 PM

    Shankbone, what I'm saying is that I can't say that Crisp won't happen. Else why play coy about what position he is going to play? Hank Schulman speculates the same in a later blog post: http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2011/11/07/where-do-the-giants-go-from-here-you-might-want-to-read-this-zeets/

    Though he would get Crisp AND Beltran, which would mean Schierholtz is the 4th OF. I don't see that happening, the Giants announced Nate as the incumbent RF, so it would not make sense then to take him out of that by signing so many OF.

    I can see getting either Crisp or Beltran, but not both.

    I see your point about getting Crisp, I wouldn't be happy about it either, but it's not the end of the world either. I would just prefer getting Beltran rather than Crisp, but sometimes reality don't go the way you want.

    Baggarly in a later post noted that Cody Ross might come back if there is little interest in him in the market. He would return as a 4th OF and platoon partner for Nate. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2011/11/07/jonathan-sanchez-is-gone-but-not-soon-forgotten-thoughts-on-cabreras-breakout-season-etc/

    ReplyDelete
  12. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 10:42:00 PM

    Baggarly made an interesting point in his blog. He noted that Sabean said he began shopping Sanchez immediately after the season ended, meaning that they had decided long ago that Dirty wasn't coming back for 2012.

    So he made the point that the Giants did not break up their rotation since Sanchez was a pitcher they no longer wanted. That's being a bit picky, then technically the Giants broke up the rotation at the point when they decided that they no longer wanted him, but they still did break up the rotation (and I know I'm being picky too :^).

    Either way, the rotation was broken up at some point, whether with the trade or long ago when that decision was made, in my opinion.

    Unlike Andy, I'm not scared to think of Barry Zito as our #5 starter. Most teams don't have a very good option in that slot, nor a reliable one, and Zito had been that pitcher in 2009 and 2010. Even if he regressed back to the Zito of 2007 and 2008, that is roughly what other teams face with their #5 starter. But I don't think that Zito will regress that far. Something in the mid-to-high 4 ERA would still be great in the #5 slot.

    Great analysis by Andy about the Sanchez situation, recommend you read it. Really digs deep into why the Giants finally got tired of the Dirty Experience.

    ReplyDelete
  13. obsessivegiantscompulsiveMonday, November 07, 2011 10:46:00 PM

    Marc, um, because a lot of them are old men shaking at shoe at his computer screen? :^)

    At least it would seem that way, there were a lot of these down-trodden people on USENET in the late 1990's, early 2000's, my age and higher (so 50's and 60's), for whom the sky was always falling. It didn't take much to get any of them saying anything negative about the Giants, no matter how good things were (for example, I analyzed the 2003 team and wrote this long post - do I do any other? - about how the team was improved, and I was totally shot down with a condescending, "whoa there young buck, nice, but you are way off, the team is going down the drain.")

    ReplyDelete
  14. ShankboneTuesday, November 08, 2011 7:45:00 AM

    There are a couple of blogs (names aren't important) that love to tool on Sabean for everything. I think the average age is in that demographic described. They are some very negative johnnies who make enraged one sided arguments and don't ever offer any alternate to whatever bad thing Sabean has done. One of them loves Dusty Baker to death. That cracks me up - Dusty is a destroyer of pitching staffs and now has quite a record to back that up in Chicago and Cincy.

    On the other hand, you have Raising Matt Cain, which is the same demographic, obviously a few close friends who love the Giants - cheerful salty dudes. I really like reading those guys. Then you have the new kid Giants Nirvana, put up some good content. And DrB does a great job. Lefty Malo is my favorite Giants blog, hands down. There are some really diverse opinions out there - its very nice to have so much information that ten years ago wasn't available.

    Unfortunately as OGC has chronicled, sometimes politeness takes a backseat to venom. Having differences of opinion make it interesting. Being an internet tough guy is a giant waste of time.

    I read the Baggs stuff - definitely sheds a light on just how bad Sanchez' attitude had become. My biggest problem with him was his conditioning - he really looked awful last year. I still have a soft spot for the dude, but he was not in the long term plans of the Giants, bottom line. And I'd much rather have Melky than Angel Pagan, so I'm cool with that.

    Andres Torres is just too similar to Coco Crisp for my tastes to go sign 2/12 and up with Crisp. Now that they have insurance on the CF front, I hope they pursue LF options to the nth before worrying about CF again. It does take Crisp's leverage away, which I love. Heck, if they can make a gamble on Sizemore now I like it a ton more - thats the beauty of Melky. Still, Torres is a great 4th OF - well worth 2MM or so, just 5 times the minimum and gives you something legit off the bench (as opposed to say Darren Ford), coverage all over the OF, speed and defense.

    On the 5th starter front, I think Zito is done. Jamie Moyer might have got away with the 84 MPH heater, but Zito just doesn't know where his curve ball is going, and it becomes batting practice time. My good buddies nickname for Zito is BPBZ. Batting practice is one of those abbrievs, I'll let you guess another one...

    Here's my suggestion - dip a little into the rainy day and sign Paul Maholm to a one year prove it. That dude has some Roy Holladay style, just turned in a pretty nice season. Put him in our park with our coaches...

    I just think it'll be a PR exercise with Zito. Competing for the 5th starter, then the bullpen, then down to AAA to learn a knuckler. For me, he's just a waste of time at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  15. obsessivegiantscompulsiveTuesday, November 08, 2011 10:20:00 PM

    FYI, I put a lot of thoughts and comments at DrB's site, if you are interested.

    ReplyDelete
  16. DrBGiantsfanWednesday, November 09, 2011 6:42:00 PM

    Thanks for the props, OGC! I appreciate your comments on my site.

    ReplyDelete
  17. ElThursday, November 10, 2011 5:39:00 AM

    Sandoval sweared to Bochy that he has not gained any since the season ended, that the uni in Taiwan made him look bigger

    Pablo cradling a dozen eclairs in his glove, Does this uniform make my ass look fat?

    Bochy, Don't get that chocolate on the other bats dammit.

    ReplyDelete
  18. ShankboneWednesday, November 16, 2011 11:05:00 AM

    OGC - you have a lot of work on your plate recently?

    ReplyDelete
  19. obsessivegiantscompulsiveWednesday, November 16, 2011 9:12:00 PM

    Yep, got the holiday rush on research, so I've been busy, haven't disappeared.

    ReplyDelete
  20. allfrankThursday, November 17, 2011 1:15:00 PM

    Hello Martin -
    Haven't written in a while, but still reading every post of yours. I have a question about Vogelsong and I address it to you because, if the question interests you, you will look at the stats and not just give an off the cuff response.
    My perception is that he was lights out for the first 2, 2 1/2 months, then sort of came back to earth. It seems his 2nd half numbers, starting, I think, just before the all star game, were not nearly so extraordinary. So I am worried if he is likely to repeat next year or if the league has caught up to him. Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sree Uzzal Kumer ShahaFriday, January 10, 2014 6:13:00 AM

    Here following YouTube video please watch now
    Mike Hobbs

    ReplyDelete
  22. Sree Uzzal Kumer ShahaFriday, January 10, 2014 6:46:00 AM

    At smappsolutions yo uwill find apps from itunes thats are fun and addictive for everyone. Our apps a developed by the best independent developers in the market. visit apps for iphone and download one of our apps on your iphone. heartaroundme app and mobitalent apps coming soon.
    apps for iphone

    ReplyDelete
  23. UnknownFriday, January 10, 2014 7:48:00 PM

    Coupons and Promotional codes to get discount in online stores. Latest internet shopping deals, offers and discount. Please clcik this link below to know detail:
    coupon

    ReplyDelete
  24. UnknownTuesday, December 09, 2014 1:25:00 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sing Your Style StudioSunday, June 14, 2015 7:49:00 AM

    Sing Your Style Studio ,founded by Stephanie Swann, is the place for you! We will assist you to expand your range, smooth out all your breaks, free your voice from strain…and much much more! Learn to sing easily with flexibility and strength and discover and empower whats unique to you!
    Sing Your Style Studio
    online voice instruction
    online voice lessons
    online singing lesson
    voice lessons online
    private voice lessons online

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

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 (18) 2025 Giants (1) 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) AL Playoffs (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) Bryce Eldridge (2) Bucky Showalter (1) bulllpen (8) Bullpen (33) Business Plan (23) Buster Posey (103) 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 (2) 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 (28) 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 (3) Farhan Zaidi (37) 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 (9) 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 (4) 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 (2) healthy (1) heart-warming (1) Heath Hembree (8) Heath Quinn (1) Hector Correa (1) Hector Sanchez (12) Heliot Ramos (13) 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 (2) 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 (4) jury (1) Just Say No (1) Keaton Winn (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 (7) laid off (1) Landen Roupp (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 (4) 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 (2) 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 Yastrzemski (1) 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 Playoffs (1) 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) outfielder curse (1) 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 (8) playoff (2) playoff analysis (6) playoff hopes (39) playoff roster (2) playoff rotation (6) Playoff Success (29) 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 (4) prospect analysis (7) prospect future (2) prospect handling (1) Prospect of Note (3) prospect promotion (1) prospect study (3) 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) Rayner Arias (1) re-sign (2) realist (1) Rebuilding (5) Rebuilding Myths series (1) rebuttal (1) Red Sox (1) Reds (5) Reggie Crawford (1) 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 (5) StatCast (2) 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 (6) 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) transitional season (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 Minasian (1) Zack Wheeler (9) Zaidi Haters (1) Zaidi MO (2) Zaidi Rotation (3) ZiPS (1) Zito Role (2)