Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Bobby Evans told him that he and Pablo Sandoval’s agent are negotiating only a one-year deal for the Panda. The Giants are not ready to buy out any of Sandoval’s future arbitration years.
The Giants use precedent as a guideline for negotiating and setting salaries with their younger players, but there is no recent precedent for the Giants position player hitting .330 with 25 homers and 90 RBI’s in his first full season.
Tim Lincecum (last spring) and the Giants agreed to a $650,000 deal, but he had a few more months of service time than Sandoval. Schulman thinks Sandoval might get less than that for 2010.
King of Cali thoughts: Giants fans have nothing to worry about. Sandoval is in the same boat as Lincecum. Which means he’s not going anywhere for a while. He’s still under the Giants control, and I’m sure the Giants will definitely try to lock him up long term as he gets closer to becoming a free agent.
I did some due diligence of my own today. I wanted to check his (Sandoval) value for his last season’s performance. Sandoval was worth $23.3 million, better than I even expected. I’m sure the Giants are happy to get that kind of production from someone that made less than a million.
Okay since I did the research on Sandoval to see how much his numbers actually should have paid him. I figured I would have to do the same for Barry Zito. Everyone know’s he’s overpaid for the production he’s giving the Giants at this point of his contract. Well with that said. He should have made $10 million last year by going 10-13 wit ha 4.03 ERA. All of his numbers factor in to this, but those are the main stats I wanted to add in this post.
~King of Cali
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B.J. Rains of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat chimes in with some Brad Penny insights. Rains says Penny choose the Cardinals over the San Francisco Giants, wanting to fulfill a life-long goal of playing in St. Louis.
He also picked the Cardinals for another reason.
“I think St. Louis has a better chance of winning to be honest with you,” Penny said. “It should be a lot of fun. That’s the reason I signed here, the reason you put the uniform on – to play in October.”
SIDE NOTES
Emmanuel Burriss X-rays did not reveal a fracture to his foot.
Travis Ishikawa is no longer wearing a walking boot and has started to take batting practice.
Mark DeRosa said his wrist becomes fatigued, but if the season opener were today, he’d be able to play
King of Cali thoughts: It was obvious why Penny didn’t re-sign with the Giants, and opted for St. Louis. They are a team that is on the brink of something great. I would be willing to wager the farm (I do not have a farm) that his numbers will not be as good as when he was in San Francisco. AT&T Park is a pitcher’s park. There is so much space to track down balls that would be homers in other parks.
I never was a Penny fan, and when he came to San Francisco I loved him! He’s a player that you only root for when he’s on your team. At least that’s just my opinion on him.
I’m not sure if anyone cares, but the Giants are looking like they could be the Spring Training Champions, and might not lose a came in Arizona. I’m only kidding, so please save the hate emails.
~King of Cali
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Chris Haft of MLB.com reports that the Giants finally get revenge on Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder. He was plunked in the back by left-hander Barry Zito. This is the first time the Giants have seen the Brewers since Sept. 6, when Fielder upset the Giants with a choreographed home-plate celebration after homering to end a 12-inning, 2-1 Brewers victory at Milwaukee. His teammates fell as if they were bowling pins, as Fielder reached home plate.
King of Cali thoughts: Justice is finally served! I must say, I have a little more respect for Zito now. I honestly didn’t see it coming from him. I’m sure it’s best that it was him, since there was not guarantee that Fielder would still be in the game later when a new Giants pitcher took the mound.
I have been going back and forth on this stunt since it happened in September. I didn’t like it cause it was done to the Giants. I’m sure I would have loved it if the Giants did it to them. I would have probably justified it and said they are just a team that is having fun out there!
I have received emails from Giants fans saying how happy they are that Zito plunked Fielder, and he got what he deserved. Yes, Fielder did get what he deserved. Any guy that pulls a stunt like that is going to get payback sooner or later. I just don’t know if I’m set on saying it should have never happened. These guys are entertainers/athletes and they do whatever is going to keep the money flowing in their pockets. Do you think this stunt was something that should have no place in baseball?
~King of Cali
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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle gave some insights on the game today. Schulman said first baseman Aubrey Huff summed up his entire reputation by hitting a monster homer to right-center on his first pitch as a Giant. Then, in the bottom of the first, he dropped his first throw from an infielder, allowing Ichiro Suzuki to reach on an error.
Tim Lincecum threw 33 pitches in his lone inning and said he is having the same balance issues he has every spring.
“First game, excuses aside, I felt a little more amped up,” he said. “My arm was ahead of my body, I wasn’t using my legs and my front side was leaking out, and the ball was riding into the right-handed box.”
As Lincecum was talking to reporters, Ken Griffey Jr walked in, introduced himself and shook hands with Lincecum, who rooted for Griffey as a kid.
King of Cali thoughts: I know this is just Spring Training, so you can take the games as just practice. It seems like anything a player does in spring is just taken in a positive way. Like if Lincecum doesn’t have a good outing. People may say it’s because he’s working on something. If someone has a good game it’s because they are hot and ready for the season.
In all honesty no one knows what each player is working on when they are playing these games. I know some guys pretend their is a runner on first and try to hit to the right side, so I hope no one takes their favorite players performances to seriously in these games. The players that are trying to win spots on the team are a different story. I’m sure Madison Bumgarner isn’t going to go out there and try to look bad. He’s going to try to dominate and show he should be the 5th man in the rotation.
~King of Cali
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“Nah, I think I’ll just start swinging for the fences, hitting bombs.”
In reality Sanchez doesn’t anticipate picking up a bat for at least another week, perhaps two. A few days ago Sanchez status was changed to doubtful for opening day.
“I’d go with very doubtful,” Bochy said. “As much as he’s moving along, that would be rushing him. We’d have concerns about that. And besides, we’re covered. We have experienced guys to help out there.”
King of Cali thoughts: It would be nice if Sanchez was ready for opening day, but it’s not going to make or break the opening day lineup. The Giants have plenty of options. They can have Juan Uribe play second base, and that can add some pop to the lineup. They can also have Eugenio Velez start and second, and that would add some speed to the lineup.
They can really go with whoever is hot. Mark DeRosa is also capable of playing there as well. That would only happen if the Giants had some hot guys going into the start of the season to play in left and right field. I know, not very likely. Let’s just hope they give Sanchez all the time he needs to full recover, so this doesn’t turn into a nagging injury throughout the season.
~King of Cali
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Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has some Spring Notes on his blog. He has some notes about the intrasquad game. He also has a link to his youtube channel. Looks like he’s starting to add some pretty cool videos. I did see one of Freddy Sanchez taking some ground balls.
King of Cali thoughts: The San Francisco Giants are taking the day off before the Cactus League opener tomorrow. They did have an intrasquad game yesterday. John Bowker hit a ball that hasn’t landed yet (home run) in the first inning off of lefty Clayton Tanner.
It’s really nice to see Bowker get off to a hot start. This is a guy who’s proved he’s got what it takes to make that next step to join the Giants in San Francisco. It’s just when he get’s there. He hasn’t been able to prove that he belongs. Who knows what it really is. Maybe he just like’s the life he has in Fresno better than San Francisco (just kidding). Let’s just hope this is the year he shows the Giants he’s going to be here to stay!
Side Notes
Madison Bumgarner has returned back to Arizona to join the Giants camp. He left the team to go to North Carolina to bury his half-sister. She died suddenly at the age of 36.
“I wanted to be with my family, of course, but I was anxious to get back to work,” Bumgarner said. “Because when I’m on the mound, I don’t think about anything else but the game.”
~King of Cali
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Murph and Mac of KNBR the Giants Flagship Station. Did a phone interview this morning with Pablo Sandoval. He says feels great so far this spring.
Pablo says he’s going to stay a free swinger, but he will take some pitches this year. He’s still going to be aggressive, but when guys are on base and he’s trying to drive in runs. He will look for better pitches to hit.
Sandoval says he will be wearing new prescription glasses this year. He will be using them for defense and at the plate. They are sporty glasses (Oakley’s), so no goggles. He says he can see the ball better now with these glasses.
Brian Murphy asked Sandoval if he’s okay with whatever weight he’s at or if he wants to change his body. Sandoval said he does want to change his body, so he can prolong his career.
When asked about the new (team) socks. Sandoval said he’s going keep his pant legs down, and not sport the high pants to show the socks.
He thinks this year is going to be different. He believes they have a stronger team. They have the good pitching staff and now they have the offense. The Panda says everyone has to be-careful of the Giants this year.
~King of Cali
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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says reliever Sergio Romo limped briefly after he twisted his right ankle during pitchers fielding drills on Wednesday. It was a minor ankle turn that did not prevent him from continuing with drills or throwing a bullpen session.
Team president Larry Baer said tickets sales are up, and they are one pace to reach 3.1 million.
Bruce Bochy said Freddy Sanchez might take ground-balls as soon as this weekend.
King of Cali thoughts: I’m glad it’s just a minor sprain. I really think Romo is a good piece in our bullpen. He’s got an edge to him when he’s on the mound. He gets the crowd into it when he gets that strike out to end the inning, and runs off the mound. I’m sure his ankle will be better by opening day, and not worse.
I can see why the tickets sales have gone up this year. It seems like a lot more fans are excited going into the start of this season. We know what our pitching staff can do. Now we are starting this season with a more balanced offense than we did a year ago. We just needed to score more runs last year. This year we know we have the potential to score a few more runs.
It’s nice to hear that F-Sanchez is getting close. This guy is going to be a big key to our lineup. He’s going to be on base in-front of our middle of the lineup. He’s a great hitter that Giants fans haven’t really got to see yet. I’m sure he will change a lot of minds of the fans that have been critical of him since the trade.
~King of Cali
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Chris Haft of MLB.com chimes in on John Bowker. Bowker possesses more power than any other Giants with the possible exception of first baseman Aubrey Huff. Bowker has recorded his best numbers in the high Minor Leagues, since he has tended to swing over-anxiously during his stints in San Francisco in the previous two seasons.
Bruce Bochy said “Johnny has the power to this the ball out of any ballpark anywhere, [even] right-center in our ballpark.”
Bowker thrived last year at Triple-A Fresno, where he led the Pacific Coast League in batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.451) and slugging percentage (.596) while amassing 21 homers and 83 RBI’s in just 366 at-bats.
King of Cali thoughts: Bowker doesn’t seem like the same player in San Francisco than he does in Fresno. He starts to press and looks over-matched. He’s only going to get more comfortable in San Francisco with more at-bats. The power is there. It’s just getting him to his comfort zone at the plate. I really do see him turning into a major league player in the near future. He’s only got one option left, so he may not make the opening day roster.
One good thing is he does have the same hitting coach as he did in Fresno. He might be able to keep Bowker’s head in the game at the plate. If he can get hot at the plate and show some power. You better believe Bochy will find ways to get his power bat into the lineup. He can play left, right and first base.
~King of Cali
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Bruce Bochy told the media that the fifth spot in the rotation is more of an open competition now that the Giants have signed Todd Wellemeyer. Bochy also mentioned Kevin Pucetas and Joe Martinez as peripheral candidates.
Bochy also wanted to clear up some comments he made earlier this month. Buster Posey will take some grounders at first base, so the organization can have some options. This will also give him occasional rests from catching to stay fresh while keeping his bat in the lineup every day.
“He’s a catcher,” Bochy said. “We’re not trying to convert him.”
Uniform Number Change
Kevin Frandsen gave back his No.19 to pitching coach Dave Righetti and received No.9 instead. Frandsen said it’s time for a fresh start. Hence, the new number. He’s trying to win a utility job, but he still does have one more minor league option left.
Baggarly said in his article with the San Jose Mercury News that Aaron Rowand has lost 10 pounds. Rowand says he feels stronger and quicker. He’s been cycling since October, long before Bochy called to tell him that he would be the teams leadoff hitter. He averaged four days a week on the cycle and roughly figures he ticked off 2,200 miles.
King of Cali thoughts: I must say I’m really impressed. It’s one thing for players to say they are going to get in better shape during the offseason, and it’s another to do it. Rowand just looked to big and bulky last season. Like he couldn’t move good swinging the bat. I just hope he doesn’t try to hit homers and just makes good contact with the ball. If he does that. Then I’m sure we will see him on base a lot more. Maybe the leadoff spot is the best spot for him, cause he knows he has to get on base. Not try to drive in runs.
I think the open competition for the fifth spot in the rotation is a good thing. Let your pitching speak for itself on the field. I say whoever has the best stuff going into the start of the season. Should be the guy in the fifth spot of the rotation. With that said, I don’t see any of these guys beating out Madison Bumgarner. He’s going to show everyone that age doesn’t matter. When you’re ready… you’re ready!
~King of Cali
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