Archive for May, 2010.
Patrick Rishe recently did a study on the worst franchises in pro sports. Since this is a Giants (baseball) blog. I will just inform you on the top 3 worst MLB franchises. The statistical analysis was gathering data from the last 5 years (2005-06 through 2009-10). The criteria was the most money spent on the least amount of victories and postseason appearances. Rishe wanted to identify teams with the highest average payroll cost per win and with no more than 1 post-season appearance in the last 5 years.
The 3 worst MLB franchises (in order) are the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants! I’m sure you knew the Giants had to be on this list right?
The Mets average cost per victory was $1.3 million, with a 20% postseason rate. During that 5 year span the Mets overall league record is 427-383. It doesn’t look bad when you look at the wins and losses, but they only managed to make the playoffs in 2006. That’s not good for a team that’s been over the $100 million mark each year during that 5 year span.
Now the Mariners record the past 5 years is 381-429. Which is an obvious losing record. In 2005 and 2006 they were in the $87 million range, and then bumped it up to over $100 million in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 they were just below the $100 million mark and were around $99 million. That is a lot of money that’s given to players that were not producing for the Mariners.
Yes Giants fans, we are the 3rd worst MLB franchise! I’m sure most Giants fans out there knew we were. At least based on the emails I receive about how Brian Sabean overpays veterans who are passed their prime to come play for the Giants. The Giants record during the same 5 year span is 382-427. Which is just only one more win than the Mariners to put them as the 3rd worse MLB franchise and not tied for 2nd. For those of you that think the games played doesn’t match up. That’s because the Giants only played 161 games in 2006.
Do you think Sabean and the front office are to blame or the players just under performing? Patrick Rishe told me (via email). “When teams make this list, I’d say that it’s a combination of front office people overvaluing talent, managers mismanaging players, and players under performing relative to their true ability.”
~King of Cali
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We all knew coming into this season that our pitching was our strong point, and our hitting was going to struggle again. Here are some stats to show you where the San Francisco Giants are currently at compared to other 30 Major League Baseball teams.
Batting Stats
AVG: .256 (ranked 17th)
Runs: 182 (ranked 24th)
Hits: 389 (ranked 23rd)
Home Runs: 34 (ranked 24th)
Stolen Bases: 18 (ranked 27th)
OBP: .322 (ranked 21st)
SLG: .392 (ranked 21st)
Total Bases: 594 (ranked 23rd)
Pitching Stats
ERA: 3.45 (ranked 4th)
Runs Allowed: 161 (ranked 28th)
Saves: 14 (ranked 6th)
Strikeouts: 360 (ranked 4th)
OpBA: .224 (ranked 1st)
OBP: .311 (ranked 5th)
SLG: .335 (ranked 1st)
Run Support: 4.02 (ranked 24th)
Do any of these numbers surprise you? From the offensive side of things. The Giants have had some key players injured, and haven’t been able to trot out the everyday lineup they envisioned when they completed their roster in the offseason. Freddy Sanchez finally makes his return to the Giants, but Mark DeRosa has been out (wrist). Now Edgar Renteria is back on the shelf. He was placed on the 15-Day DL with a strained right hamstring. If the Giants can get all these guys in the lineup at one time. I have no doubt that they can’t scratch out a few more runs, and get more wins. No, they will not be “Murders Row” (1927 Yankees), but with this kind of pitching staff they don’t need to be. The Giants are currently 23-22 this season. It’s still not time to panic Giants fans. They still have 117 games left to play. Let’s just hope Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy are keeping any eye on these stats as well. Lets hope they can fix the problem areas before it’s to late for this season.
~King of Cali
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Who knew all it would take is a shakeup in the starting lineup to get the San Francisco Giants back in the win column? I know a lot of writers/bloggers/media people tend to always hit the panic button a little early. I must admit I was really getting close to saying get Buster Posey up here immediately! It’s really a catch 22 if you think about it. If our offense is struggling and we have a hot hitter like Posey in Fresno. Yes, we should bring him up to help the team offensively. Now the flip side to that is do you think it’s really fair to Posey?
If Posey had to come up to be the offensive savior for the Giants. Don’t you think that would put a lot of added pressure on the rookie who’s already feeling the pressure of having to be Bengie Molina’s successor? I’m all for waiting to bring Posey up until he’s going to be assured a lot of playing time. There really is no point of bringing him up to spot start here and there. He’s better off down in Triple-A Fresno working on his catching. I mean after all, that was the reason he was starting the season in Fresno right?
Lineup Shakeup
I really liked the lineup that Bruce Bochy decided to go with in last nights game. If Andres Torres is in the lineup. He should always be at the top of the lineup. Let him find a way on base and burn rubber on the base paths. He just plays with a tremendous amount of energy that I think other guys in the lineup really feed off of. The lineup just seemed so balanced from top to bottom last night. Molina finally got to hit lower in the lineup as well as Aaron Rowand. That gives the Giants more ability to drive in runs throughout the lineup. It obviously worked last night, so let’s see if they can keep this Giants train rolling tonight!
~King of Cali
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It’s nice to read some Giants articles today and see that fellow writers are saying Eric Hacker and Madison Bumgarner are ready to take the 5th spot in the rotation from Todd Wellemeyer. Maybe they read yesterdays post “SF Giants Rumors – Not So Wellemeyer, Two Prospects Ready For The Call”, and they are stealing our story? No they are not stealing anything. SF Giants Rumors was just able to do some due diligence, and let fans know about the replacement options first!
If Nostradamus would have told me that the Giants would put up 7 runs in last nights game. I would have chalked that up as a win! Well they got the 7 runs, but Tim Lincecum was struggling with his command. He gave up 5 runs in the fifth inning. Definitely not the Lincecum that Giants fans have come accustom to seeing pitch every fifth day.
The loss was very frustrating, but don’t be worried about the pitching. That was a fluke kind of inning for Lincecum to give up 5 runs. Then the bullpen giving up the other 3 runs. Majority of our games have been low scoring, so in my mind having all those runs scored against our pitching wasn’t anything to write home about. Let’s just hope these guys can step up this weekend in Oakland. Were now sitting in 3rd place, and looking up at the Dodgers and Padres.
Side Notes
Mark DeRosa is eligible to come off the disabled list on Tuesday at home against the Washington Nationals. Larry Baer said on a radio interview with Ralph and Tom (KNBR) that DeRosa may play some rehab games prior to that. He also mention that Edgar Renteria may be in the lineup this weekend against the Oakland A’s. It’s possible that the Giants may finally have all their projected starters (Renteria, DeRosa and Sanchez) in the lineup for the first time on Tuesday against the Nationals.
Pat Burrell is available and the Padres have shown some interest. Any team that signs him will only owe him the pro-rated portion of the minimum salary. He obviously hasn’t been playing good ball, but do you think the Giants should take a stab at him? His defense is a liability and his bat hasn’t been great, but he does still have that right-handed power. I say we pass on signing him but what’s your thoughts on this possible signing?
~King of Cali
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You don’t need 20/20 vision to see how clear it is that Todd Wellemeyer isn’t the answer at the back end of our rotation. Am I the only one that is ready for someone else to get a shot at holding it down? Two guys come to mind when I think of a possible replacement. That’s young phenom Madison Bumgarner and Eric Hacker. These two guys are showing that they are ready to take that next step from Triple-A Fresno to the chilly fog in San Francisco.
Hacker (age 27) is 7-1 with a 2.20 ERA so far this year in Fresno. He was drafted in 2002 by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round. He has been working his way through their minor league system. Hacker signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants on December 18, 2009. He’s proving that he’s more than capable of taking that next step to see if he can be an anchor of a great starting rotation.
Bumgarner (age 20) was drafted in 2007 by the Giants at the 10th overall pick. He was penciled in as the Giants 5th starter in the rotation at the start of Spring Training. He just wasn’t able to hold down the fort. “It’s this simple: He was preoccupied this winter and it cost him,” Brian Sabean said. Bumgarner did get married during this offseason and his half-sister also passed away while he was at spring training with the Giants.
I can totally see his mind just not being focused on baseball during that time. Which is why he found himself in Fresno trying to prove himself again. Bumgarner is currently 3-1 with a 3.64 ERA for the Fresno Grizzlies. Giants fans will get to see him at some point this season back at AT&T Park. Hopefully this time it will be to stay! Here is a question for you. Is Wellemeyer really that bad or are we just that spoiled with our elite starting rotation?
~King of Cali
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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle said when the San Francisco Giants checked into their San Diego hotel, there was a room key with Freddy Sanchez’s name just in case.
Now this has been an ongoing issue. I keep hearing people say Sanchez should step up and should already have joined the team. That he lacks toughness. People have to understand that if you’re coming off an injury. You really want to be sure you’re 100%. You don’t want to rush back and risk injury again. A doctor can tell you when you should be back on the field, but that’s not set in stone. No one really knows how your body is. Only the player coming off the injury really knows when they feel 100%.
Sanchez is expected to join the team tomorrow in Arizona, as the Giants face the Diamondbacks. No, he’s not going to dramatically change the everyday lineup. He will however make an impact in it. He’s a career .299 (avg) hitter. He’s also a 3 time All Star, and has won the National League Batting Title in 2006. He’s no Babe Ruth, but he’s going to get his hits and will be on base for Pablo Sandoval, Aubrey Huff and Bengie Molina.
Side Notes
The Jermaine Dye rumor will never die till he’s signed by a team. It’s not likely the Giants will sign him. They know he had a horrible 2nd half of the season last year. He’s also demanding a hefty asking price and clearly a liability in the outfield. I don’t see the Giants feeling desperate enough to pull the trigger on that deal. They will be waiting for a player to step up, or for everyone to be healthy and on the field at the same time.
Mark DeRosa was quoted as saying “I hope and pray I get back into the lineup within a week, be productive and do what I was brought here to do, which is go to the playoffs and win a World Series.”
The Giants are 0-7 against the San Diego Padres this year. Let’s just chalk up the remaining 11 games with the Padres as losses, and let’s rest all of our players on those days. Who’s with me?
~King of Cali
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Welcome to the new home of the San Diego Padres Rumors! (yeah right) 
The San Francisco Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow joined the Murph & Mac show this morning on KNBR. Krukow thinks the Padres caught the Giants at the right time. With injuries the Giants have three of their best right handed hitters out of the lineup. That’s Edgar Renteria, Freddy Sanchez and Mark DeRosa. Which puts the Giants at a disadvantage when facing good left handers.
DeRosa has taken a cortisone shot to see if he can play through the pain. If he can’t then he’s probably going to have to go on the DL. Krukow says the Giants need DeRosa, but they need him to be at 80-90% to be a good addition to the lineup.
Krukow believes Giants fans are going to like what they see when Freddy Sanchez comes back healthy to the Giants. Sanchez is likely to join the Giants in Arizona on Wednesday. I’m also with Krukow on that one. Sanchez is a great bat to add to any lineup, and with how bad the Giants are struggling offensively. He’s definitely going to be a spark!
Side Notes
The Giants are 18-9 when they are not playing the Padres. (0-6 when facing them)
Freddy Sanchez went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles, 2 walks and a RBI in his 5 AB’s last night for the San Jose Giants. Sanchez is currently hitting .667 (AVG) with 4 RBI’s in his rehab assignment. He’s 6-for-9 so far and 5 of his 6 hits have been doubles.
The Houston Astros come are in town tonight. They are coming in pretty hot after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals, so don’t count on it being a walk in the park for the Giants this weekend. I will be happy with two out of three. I am greedy though, so let’s just go for the sweep!
~King of Cali
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The San Francisco Giants dropped another game to the San Diego Padres, and now are on the verge of getting swept at home. I’m really not sure who owns the Giants right now, cause it seems like the Padres do to me. The Giants really need to get the bats going. You can’t win games if you can’t score runs. It’s the same story as last year right now. They are not able to score and drive in runs when they have men on base.
There is one hot bat in the line up right now. That’s first baseman Aubrey Huff. Huff is now second on the team in batting average and has passed Pablo Sandoval in that department. Huff is currently hitting .286 (AVG) with 4 homers and 17 RBI’s. I would say he’s definitely starting to feel comfortable in a Giants uniform. Did you think that’s it with Huff’s stats? Nope there’s more! He has the 3rd highest AVG in the NL since April 30th. He’s hit .425 (17-40) since that date. Let’s just hope the Giants can get some guys on base in today’s game, so he can get a chance to do some damage!
Side Notes
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants are expected to decide by Friday whether to place Mark DeRosa on the disabled list.
Now I’m not sure how Giants fans feel about this? Do you think DeRosa should just close up shop and get surgery now, or just play through it and get it during the offseason? Either way this goes. It’s going to be a split decision. I have heard fans say he can play hurt, but is that what we really want? Do we want to see him struggle at the plate or give other guys a chance like John Bowker?
~King of Cali
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Last night didn’t start that way I had hoped it would. Barry Zito just didn’t look like he did in his previous 6 starts. Zito went 5 innings allowing 6 hits, 3 runs and 7 walks. The San Diego Padres had runners all over the place. I’m just shocked that the score was only 3-2 Padres. It’s nice to know there is another team out there that has trouble hitting with runers on base.
Aubrey Huff had a 2-4 night driving in a run and scoring a run. He did however show his frustration in the 7th inning after fouling out. He snapped his bat in half over his leg. Bringing back a memory of when Bo Jackson would break a bat over his knee (Bo Knows Baseball).
Shotgun Cain (Matt Cain) takes the hill tonight to try to even the series. Cain is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA. He’s looking to end this winless streak against the Padres so far this season. The Padres are 4-0 against the Giants thus far in 2010.
Side Notes
Mark DeRosa received some bad news on Tuesday. DeRosa said his wrist is completely ruptured again. He’s currently pondering playing with bum wrist and having surgery during the offseason, or having it now. He’s going to have a few days off before having to make that decision.
Freddy Sanchez looked good in his first rehab game with the San Jose Giants. He went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s at Visalia. I’m really excited to see Sanchez join the San Francisco Giants soon. Giants fans still don’t know what a healthy Sanchez can do for this lineup.
Bruce Bochy said “It is encouraging, it looks like he’s on his way. Hopefully we’ll have him up here pretty soon.”
Todd Wellemeyer may get his next start pushed back a day. He’s listed to star Friday night against the Houston Astros, but the Giants are considering moving Tim Lincecum up a day. Lincecum would still have his usual 4 days rest. Wellemeyer isn’t holding down the fifth spot in the rotation. He’s currently 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA, but would pitch Saturday so the remaining starters can still get their 4 days rest between starts.
If Wellemeyer doesn’t get things turned around fast. We may see the Wellemeyer project end soon. Which means we can possibly be getting closer to seeing Madison Bumgarner sooner rather than later.
~King of Cali
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The National League West showdown starts tonight! The hot San Diego Padres come marching into AT&T Park. Now they might not be marching in. It’s probably more like limping in. Although they are at the top of the NL West. Bill Center of The San Diego Union Tribune says the Padres are playing good baseball, but have key elements of their offense struggling.
He’s noted that since the start of May, five key hitters are struggling. These players are Adrian Gonzalez (3-20), Will Venable (4-21), Jerry Hairston Jr. (4-21), Tony Gwynn (2-19) and Kyle Blanks (2-15). Sounds like a perfect time to me for the Padres to make their way to San Francisco.
We aren’t exactly hitting the cover off of the ball ourselves, but we have some guys that have a nice swing going (Aaron Rowand). We just need Pablo Sandoval to find his stroke, and drive some runs in.
Barry Zito will take the hill tonight and he’s looking like he wants to start the All Star Game, or collect his Cy Young Award now. I know, we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch. It’s just hard not to enjoy this streak that Zito is on right now. He’s fallen from the graces and now it’s nice to see Giants fans get behind this guy. No, he will never live up to his $126 million dollar contract (not really possible for any pitcher). Even though he has started off this season with a 5-0 record and a 1.49 ERA. Do you think Zito can keep up this outstanding pitching all year?
~King of Cali
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