Roster reactions & a look at 2012

I have to say that for all the complaints we Giants fans may have from time to time, I cannot say that management is incompetent. Cheap? Sometimes. Gunshy of big free agents? Yes. But inept? Absolutely not. With the group that reported to Scottsdale this spring, I really believe the best 24 came back to The City with the team.

"But Dodgerhater, isn't it a 25 man roster, not a 24 man one?"

Yes, but you forgot about Zito.

:'-(

Other than that waste of money, management did the best possible things to put the Giants in a position to win (with current talent) and to lock up the future (Cain).



I am a bit surprised that they designated Whiteside for assignment and traded Chris Stewart. Many believe that Hector Sanchez is too raw behind the plate to be counted on to play there 2-3 times a week as Buster does first base duty or gets a day off-- but here we are, for better or for worse.

Hey, I say it's for the better! Based on the way the kid is hitting and the way he skipped through the minors in a Sandovalesque fashion, why in the hell isn't it better? This offense has been too sickly and bitch for too many years. Finally Sabean and Bochy came to an agreement that they needed every single offensive weapon possible on the 25 man roster come Opening Day, and that's what happened.

Eli Whiteside, Mike Fontenot, and Chris Stewart-- you're all good guys and I wish you the best, but the guys that replaced you are just better with the lumber.

In regard to Whiteside, I will miss you the most, with your fitting white hair, your Mississippi Delta accent, and your Led Zeppelin entrance music. You were like a character out of a John Grisham/William Faulker book and I will miss you a little bit. Even if you never play another game in the big leagues, you helped us win a ring, and no one can take that away-- same with Fontenot.

The other surprises to me were that both Brandon Belt AND Brett Pill made the roster. The Giants are now loaded with first basemen, and I don't know how everyone will get ABs.

You'd think Huff is the primary, right? But is on a short leash, so if he sucks, he sucks, and that's the end of him. Grab a significant piece of pine, Meat.

Then there's Belt-- another lefty-- who seemingly has no place to play. Of course then there is Posey, the righty, who we have heard, nearly ad nauseum, will play there about twice a week, probably against lefties, while Belt sits.

But wait! There's more!

Nate Schierholtz can't hit!

That means what I just wrote got simpler and was completely pointless in writing and this article just took you 20 seconds longer to read than it should have!

It's looking like Nate Schierholtz and his cannon are now riding the pine, and HUFF is the one playing the OF. Whoa.

Look, it scares me too, but Huff will be playing LF-- not RF like he embarrassingly attempted to do early last season. He's not going to win any gold gloves out there, but at least against right handers, he adds some badly needed power (hopefully) to a lineup that desperately needs it.

There are three main lineups that Bochy will use:

Lineup #1: Right-handed starter

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval(S)
4) C Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) 1B Brandon Belt (L)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

Note* - When Freddy Sanchez comes back, he hits 7th and Crawford hits 8th. I may be wrong and Crawford hits 8th from the get-go, but does it really matter?

Lineup #2: Left-handed starter w/Posey catching

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval (S)
4) C Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) 1B Brett Pill (L)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

Lineup #3: Left-handed starter w/Posey playing 1B

1) CF Pagan (S)/Blanco (L)
2) RF Melky Cabrera (S)
3) 3B Pablo Sandoval (S)
4) 1B Buster Posey (R)
5) LF Aubrey Huff (L)
6) C Hector Sanchez (S)
7) SS Brandon Crawford (L)
8) 2B Emmanuel Burriss (S)

*Note - Depending how Crawford is hitting lefties (.133 against LHP in '11), don't be surprised to see Ryan Theriot (R) play 2B, and slide the switch-hitting Burriss over to short.

A few notes about all this...

-- Good God, do we have a lot of switch hitters! Five to be exact, but that is still crazy! (Pagan, Cabrera, Sandoval, H. Sanchez, Burriss).

-- Looks like the only time that Schierholtz will start will be to play RF against a righty when Huff is struggling or needs a day off, sliding Melky over to left.

-- Expect Bochy to play late-inning musical outfield every day with Schierholtz. We're used to it by now. The names have changed, the concept hasn't. Nate comes in for Huff, plays right field, and Cabrera moves to left. It will be a daily occurrence.

-- Can Melky play RF at AT&T as well as Nate? Well he's going to get a crash course in weirdness right away, and I hope to God that he's taking line drives off the archways as we speak so that he gets a feel for the caroms that the ball takes. As for the wind and the bullpen mound... well that comes only with trial and error, bud.

As for covering Triples Alley with Pagan or Blanco, yes, he is fast and covers a lot of ground. I don't think Melky will have any trouble chasing down fly balls to the deepest part of the yard.

-- Brandon Crawford is really important to the every day success of this team. We know the kid can field, but can he hit his weight? He's listed as 215 lbs.

Based on his stellar spring (18-54, .333/.410/.556, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 7 BB), I'd say he's capable of hitting at least .250. That seems to be everyone's wish. All I read about is "If Crawford can only hit .250, they'll be okay..."

Based on how awful he was at the dish last year, .250 would be awesome, but let's raise the bar a little bit higher than that.

I believe Crawford's contributions with that bat are the difference between making the playoffs and not. It's that important.

-- Who will replace Zito when he inevitably sucks?

Eventually it will be either Eric Surkamp or Yadsl;fknc,i Petit. Surkamp had his Spring cut short when he strained the flexor tendon in his elbow about a week ago. That sounds like he won't be ready for a minimum of 3 weeks-- probably around the time that Zito has fallen to 0-3 with a 9.00.

Right now, the guy that is first in line is the healthy Yusmeiro Petit. I rather enjoy hitting random keys after the capital 'Y' in his name, but I looked up how to spell it anyway.

Petit, a former Diamondback, last pitched in the bigs in '09 with Arizona, and wound up with a 5.82 ERA. He apparently blew out his shoulder, wound up in Oaxaca pitching in front of donkey carts, then ended up back in Venezuela pitching in front of Socialists and Giants hitting instructor Hensley Meulens. The rest is history. Check out the whole story from Baggs here.

The guy has pitched well in Spring, so bottom line, with Vogelsong on the DL for a few weeks, Surkamp out for a few weeks, and Zito sucking more than usual, Yadlfncamds;' Petit may be making a start for the Gyros sooner rather than later.

-- Also noted in that Andrew Baggarly article at CSNBayArea.com is that one of the guys that Petit pitched against in the Venezuelan Winter League was none other than Gregor Blanco, the speedy outfielding surprise that made the roster.

I don't know much about the left-handed Blanco other than the guy is major steal threat and plays a great OF. Also, apparently his nickname is "Tiburon Blanco". And for the 3 of you that are new to California, that means "White Shark".

Get it together people.

With Angel Pagan sucking big time thus far as a Giant, not getting on base, and making us miss Andres Torres and his Puerto Rican porno walkup music, there is a growing contingent of people that believe Angel Pagan will be overtaken by Blanco sooner rather than later as the starting CF.

The contingent begins with the all-important Me, and also includes KNBR's Larry Krueger and apparently (but subtly) CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly.

Blanco's career stats aren't a lot to go by, but he holds a career .358 on base percentage and has safely stolen 26 out of 35 bases. In the OF, he has 12 outfield assists versus only 4 errors. Hey, I'll take it.

I have minimal rational reasons for why I think Blanco will usurp Pagan's spot. I basically think Pagan sucks and is a 4th OF at best. I also think that Pagan's name is obnoxious. It's like, okay, you're an angel AND a pagan? Pick one or the other dude...


Obviously we can speculate all day about what will happen and who will be awesome or who will suck. We don't have all day. We have TV to watch and work to go to and food to eat. With that said, Opening Day couldn't have come soon enough, and I'm looking forward to another maddeningly amazing year of Giants baseball.

They aren't misfits, they fit perfectly

Andy Baggarly was right when he said, "Isn't this whole torture thing a little played out?"

I for one, am a little sick of it myself. I cannot deny that these Giants have given me more mini heart attacks than any other team I've rooted for, but I'm fed up with the whole mantra. They play close games, that's their style. Do we really need to keep saying "torture" ad nauseum?

I feel the same way about the rest of these terms the Giants are being branded with.

"Misfits", "Bad News Bears", "Dirty Dozen", "Scrap Heap", "Lost & Found", "Motley Crew", bla, bla, frickin, bla.

Enough already.

As the National sports media discovers the World Series-bound 2010 San Francisco Giants for the first time this week, do not expect the tidal wave of ridiculous and unfair monikers to subside.

Yes, as Mat Latos pointed out, this team has gone through a lot of changes. And yes, Brian Sabean has acquired a ton of new players that were unwanted by their previous teams.

Players are always unwanted by their previous teams! This is the age of free agency, waiver wires, and "What have you done for me lately?"

I cannot deny that guys like Pat Burrell and Cody Ross were picked up for nothing, and have been huge this season. But isn't that what being a good GM and a good team is all about?

Why, when a player is bought at an all time low does that then make him a "misfit" or "castoff" or "salvaged"?

In addition, with those noted exceptions above, there is blue chip talent on this team. Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, and Madison Bumgarner are all high 1st round draft picks.

Brian Wilson and Serge Romo are also products of our farm system. Are they misfits because of their beards?

Freddy Sanchez is a former all-star and batting champion. Is he a castoff?

Because Andres Torres was a late bloomer and an undrafted free agent, does that somehow make his story infinitely less intriguing than Josh Hamilton's?

Juan Uribe has hit 20+ home runs in a season four times and has a World Series ring from his days with the White Sox. Because he's funny and pudgy, does that make him somehow less of a player than Texas SS Elvis Andrus, whom I expect to be drooled over by the media?

Because 29 other general managers were too stupid to give Aubrey Huff a chance and a contract, does that make him any less worthy than Michael Young to win a World Series?

The answer to all these unasked questions is a resounding "no" from where I'm sitting.

These Giants have exceeded all possible expectations, broken through all barriers, and doggedly persevered all season to get to this moment-- in the face of certain adversity. Padres, Braves, and Phillies fans alike have yet to concede that they could have possibly been beaten by a better team... calling the Giants "lucky".


Well I'll tell you something. You don't get to the World Series on luck. No one does.

This team has played the same style of baseball all season: great pitching, a door-slamming bullpen, scratched out runs, and timely big flies. It's not luck. It's a formula; and it works.

This is a classic example of a team's individual parts coming together to create something too special and valuable to deny.

This may not be the best team to ever put on a Giants uniform, it is definitely not the smoothest, or the prettiest, but each and every one of these guys deserves to be there, and when they hoist that trophy, no one will call them castoffs or misfits ever again.

They will simply be known as World Series Champions.

Juan Uribe, the team's SMVH

Sorry to anyone who's getting this twice. I'm having a big problem with Feedburner. Anyone know any alternatives?


I've been thinking of writing this for a couple weeks now, and of course, the people who actually get paid for this-- Andrew Baggarly of the Merc's Extra Baggs-- beat me to it.

Nonetheless, it's a legitimate take that many of us have had for a couple months now-- that is of course that Juan Uribe has been the team's second most valuable hitter; the SMVH.

Since he worked his way into steady playing time, Uribe has simply been marvelous in so many ways. The guy plays three positions fairly well and can do it at any time. Sure he boots a ball every now and then, but the sheer lineup flexibility he has afforded Bochy and the adhesive properties that he adds to this squad have far outweighed his 9 errors and range issues.

In addition, as Baggarly points out, the guy is a clubhouse delight, much like Sandoval is:

"He keeps the clubhouse loose. He interacts with everyone on the team, not just the Latino players. He has a special brand of humor that you can’t put into words."

So his teammates love him, he helps us out in the field... geez there was one other thing... God what was it? Hitting? Yeah, that sounds right. His hitting.

I remember Juan's days with the White Sox-- particularly 2005 when they won it all. My buddy had Extra Innings for dish and we both delighted in watching Hawk Harrelson, Darin Jackson and the White Sox whenever the Giants weren't on. Say what you will about the homers on the South Side, but they are hilarious and awesome and I won't take that back. I also remember Uribe's play; free swinging, cannon of an arm, flashing a big goofy grin on a fairly consistent basis.

In fact, while playing short for the Sox, Juan put up some sick numbers. From 2004 through 2007, he averaged 20 roundtrippers and 71 ribeye steaks. Not exactly A-Rod territory, but he was no slouch.

In comparison, another shortstop, someone you may have heard of, Edgar Renteria, averaged 11 HR and 67 RBI. Of course, Renteria's .291 average over that period was a full 40 points higher than Juan's, but still. It's ironic, because Renteria is the guy with the 2 year guaranteed deal worth $9MM per, and Uribe got a non-guaranteed deal worth one measly million during spring training.

More tangibly, Uribe has been a godsend in many games this year, especially since mid May. I mean, the guy only had 25 ABs in all of April. Now look at him. He's ranked #9 in Yahoo fantasy leagues in the last month (Bengie #146, Kung Fu #147) putting up gaudy figures (7 HR, 20 RBI, .357 avg, 1.090 OPS). I know fantasy baseball isn't a great indicator team success, but numbers are numbers and he's been keeping the ship afloat almost singlehandedly at times.

Granted, he's only hitting .214 with runners in scoring position this season, but he seems be constantly involved in rallies and random run production. Plus, whenever he hits a home run, I have to hit the replay button on my remote. They are just a thing of beauty.

What I guess I'm really trying to say is... RE-SIGN THIS GUY.

He deserves at least a 2 year deal worth $10MM. In a world where Renteria is making $9MM and Dave Roberts is making nearly that amount for watching TV, a guy like Uribe deserves it. And don't think for a second that other teams haven't noticed what he's done. He's an affordable bottle of glue and lightning that any team would love to have.

It is even more prudent that he returns due to health concerns of Freddy Sanchez. If indeed Sanchez does come back, the Gyros need infield insurance to help us all sleep at night. Plus this continues our lineup flexibility into 2010 and perhaps can give Renteria few days off (or force him more like it).

Plus...

We were able to bring back the ooooooooo! reeee-baaaay! chant.

And you can't put a price tag on that.


PS: BRUTAL WILSON, BRUTAL.