Orange Black and Blue | The Purgatory of Lost Giants Fans

Stupid Yeti Humor

2008-09-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

A ten run inning by the 2008 San Francisco Giants is like getting a ridiculously hot girl's number - sure, you'd like to think it's a sign of things to come, but you know you're far too unattractive to expect a repeat performance anytime soon.

My jackassery notwithstanding, nice job, kids. I fall in love with the Pablominable Snowmandoval a little more every day.

Sabean: Burriss Likely to Replace Vizquel at Short

2008-09-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

There must have been something in the Colorado River Compact, because Brian Sabean came back from Denver displaying a bit more chutzpah than his usual listless self in his fireside chat on KNBR last night.

Among the revelations in Sabes's brief flirtation with candor:

- Manny Burriss is penciled in to start at shortstop next year and all indications are that he will be given every opportunity to be there long-term. Omar Vizquel will not be back.

Ivan Ochoa will compete to be the primary middle infield backup, but, in a miraculous moment of clarity, Sabean now does not view him as an everyday player.

- Pablo Sandoval is likely an everyday player next year. What position that may be at is anyone's guess, although, given that he seems to be unaffected by the position carousel he's riding thus far, the current setup may continue through 2009.

- Regarding the position prospects, Sabean seemed to be strikingly emboldened by the success of the youngsters this year, and said he's not constrained by anything but the player's ability to play at the big league level to promote him.

Taking into account the past production and polish of '08 draftees Buster Posey, who was just promoted again, and Conor Gillaspie, those guys should be in San Francisco in less than two years and maybe even in one.

- With respect to 18 year old wunderkind Angel Villalona's arrival at Pac Bell: "anything's possible."

- As for offseason plans, Brian sees third base as the position most likely to be upgraded with a power bat, given the current free agent landscape, although I'm not sure what landscape he's looking at. Suffice it to say, his past flirtations with the likes of Hank Blalock and Joe Crede renders this poseur beat writer nervous.

- Sabean said he's looking to move pitching for hitting help, and his third base evaluation may make more sense if you include possible trade targets, with names like Beltre, Atkins, and Kouzmanoff potentially available.

Other names I would throw out at third would include Brandon Wood, Jorge Cantu, and Dallas McPherson.

But despite reports of Tigers owner Mike Ilitch ordering an offseason slash in payroll, my personal white whale (no pun intended) Miguel Cabrera probably isn't going anywhere.

- Other nuggets Sabean peddled: Fred Lewis and his toe may be heading to surgery given the recent leveling off of his play, giving Nate Schierholtz an extended look; absent an outside addition, Kevin Frandsen and Eugenio Velez would compete for the job at second (no mention of Travis Denker, although I hope it's an oversight); and an extension for Randy Winn will be discussed this offseason.

Comment! You can make one move this offseason: what do you do?

Yipee Ki-Yay

2008-09-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

What a day for Scott McClain, who's 363rd career homer in the pros is the first of a big league variety. Our very own Crash Davis had two more RBIs by way of run-scoring singles en route to a nice 3 hit debut as the Giants throttled the Rockies.

And JLev would kill me if there wasn't a serious shoutout to Nate Schierholtz for his four hit outing.

Cy Go Cy Go Cy Go with Cy Go

2008-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Don't feel too bad, Tim, you'll have plenty of chances for more.

And, despite the heartbreaker, big ups to Nate Schierholtz, who backed up his Olympic medal with a nice debut.

Good Takeaways From A Bad Long Weekend

2008-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

- Dirty returns and puts together a nice quality start; San Francisc still loses.

- Manny Burriss at shortstop. I'm not sure if Sabchy is grossly inept, doesn't care, or is pulling an Andy Kaufman on the Lunatic Fringe, but I guess it's better to have a completely obvious good idea later rather than never.

If Manny can hold down the position, and all indications are that he can, it frees up second base for a spring training competition between Kevin Frandsen (who's rehab from an Achilles rupture seems to be progressing), Travis Denker (who has put together a nice stat line since his demotion to Fresno), and Eugenio Velez.

- Yippee ki-yay, Scott McClain got called up!

Call me a sap, but I want this guy to get one good year in the majors. I can't think of a better team for him to do it than this rudderless ship. Do you have any better ideas for acquiring a dirt cheap power-hitting corner infielder?

- Speaking of power-hitting corner infielders, The One just had the best month of his pro career.

- The Franchise goes tonight. For those of you haven't noticed, NL Cy Young frontrunner Brandon Webb hasn't been all that in his past two starts.

Another dominant outing by Timmy and, at the outset of September, he could be in control of his Cy Young destiny.

Comment! Why will you watch the Giants this September? Or, perhaps, why won't you (you bandwagon fan)?

Terrifying Thought Of The Day

2008-08-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

From today's Baggarly piece on last year's embarrassment of then-rook Timmy after missing a team charter:

The next day, Bonds couldn't turn down the opportunity to undress a rookie in front of his teammates.

"Bonds showed us something," Zito said. "He calls a meeting and he's like, 'Are you kidding me, Timmy? This is ridiculous.' He gave him the itinerary and said, 'Dude I don't want this thing to leave your sight the entire trip.'

Video Game Good

2008-08-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand...

Yeah, he's pretty good.

Huge congrats to a huge man-child on his first (huge) major league dinger.

Comment! Your case for Tim Lincecum, Cy Young Award Winner.

Reports of My Demise Exaggerated, Giants Are Different Matter

2008-08-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Despite the large amount of revenue OBnB generates, a few other (theoretically) necessary responsibilities reared their ugly heads at once, putting me out of commission.

Luckily, the break absolves me of the false sense of jubilation that may have come with a five game winning streak for this plucky but ultimately doomed young team. With their second straight loss to the defending NL champion (remember that?) Rockies, the boys in black and orange showed this bunch is still a work in progress.

Happy trails, Matt Palmer. And welcome back, Osiris.

And now, with apologies to The Rock, I give you my Wednesday Rundown:

- Pablo Sandoval is good. I read this article about how Class A San Jose was completely galvanized by his arrival, only to fall back to the pack when he was promoted to Double A Connecticut, at which point the Defenders surged. It would have been good to link and relate to the recent improvement of the Giants.

But I couldn't find it, so take my word for it. To make up for my eroding search engine eagle eye, check out this interview Sandoval did with Defenders beat reporter Joe Perez upon his promotion to Connecticut in June.

Hope this kid sticks - he loves the game, and not in a creepy 'phile Favre way.

- A pleasant byproduct of Sandoval's callup has been the recent rebirth of Big Money's bat. Since Sandoval's arrival on August 14, Molina's batting .333 with 11 RBIs, his most productive stretch since early July.

Though it's been easy to be tough on the big guy after his ridiculously hot start, it's easy to forget he's played the most demanding position on the diamond without much respite, on 34 year old knees to boot. Baggarly did a piece on Molina couple days back:

For now, the focus with Sandoval is short-term. But Molina knows that teams seldom let their best offensive prospects stay behind the plate. Their production inevitably suffers because of the grueling nature of the position.

"You should see Bengie when he takes his shirt off," a teammate said. "He has bruises all over."

Molina acknowledged that because of numerous foul tips, there have been times this season when he could barely grip a bat.

"Yeah, but I don't have any excuses," Molina said. "I want to be out there every day and I do the best with what I have."

Molina is committed to guiding Sandoval behind the plate. He'll do the same for Buster Posey when the No. 1 draft pick (fifth overall) arrives in major league camp next spring.

But Molina wouldn't be surprised if Posey eventually moves, too.

As you may have noticed, the Giants have no shortage of good guys behind the plate.

- And speaking of Posey, who I seriously just this moment realize has a name ripe for nicknames should he flameout (God forbid), his professional career has begun in a smashing fashion. In 4 games in the Arizona Rookie League, Posey's hitting a Sandovalian .438 with a dinger and 3 RBIs.

Turns out there's no shortage of talent behind the plate either.

Are we sure Brian Sabean's still the GM?

- Finally, everyone (and by everyone, I mean the media) needs to shut up about this CC Sabathia nonsense. Hey, I love that the Giants can still be a preferred landing spot for any blue chip free agent, but the organizational pitching budget would appeared to be tied up in, well, not CC Sabathia.

Giants LOB one to Rockies

2008-08-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

Cold (or even mild, temperate) summer nights at Pac Bell are no fun unless the Giants are scoring, and these days, the faithful along with the Lunatic Fringe know: that scoring is not going to come from home runs. So when these scrappy, fast, aggresive young kids go out and get hits - EIGHT of them - we hope that some of those baserunners come around on consecutive hits, sacrifices, and seeing-eye ground balls. For one inning last night it seemed that would be the case, but then the bats - and the luck - fizzled. Despite yet another 3-for-4 performance from "Win, Win, Win, with" Randy Winn and another 2 hits from Fred Lewis in the 2 hole, the offense never came alive in a manner worthy of the word RALLY.

Matt Cain is back to his losing ways, giving up an astronomical 3 ER in 6 IP, succumbing to the ever-Giant-killing Yorvit Torrealba (2-run HR) and failing to score from third (or even cause a collision) on a fielder's choice by Aaron Rowand.

Venite Adoremus tonight, though, as The Kid looks to stop the losing. Matt Palmer, that is, looks to stop the losing, at 1 loss. Why, who did you think this blogger was referring to?

A Tale of Two Yetis

2008-08-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bengie "Sas-Squat" Molina lifted a three-run blast and drove in five runs, while up-and-coming catcher/possible third base solution Pablominable Snowmandoval added two hits and one RBI to come from behind and beat the more-miserable-than-ever Padres.

Randy Winn also notched three hits and was on base four times, raising his batting average to a team-leading .306 for the season.

Kevin Correia worked a solid six innings lasting long enough to get himself and the team one more W in a nice stretch of baseball.

Having won five in a row, the Giants now seem poised to make a run at Colorado for the third spot in the NL West. The pennant it ain't, but at least it's something to shoot for.

Walk/Run-Off Wonders; The Posey-Sandoval Question

2008-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Another walkoff win for the Little Giants, who have taken to playing at home in a way their much older predecessors did not.

In typical San Francisc (the omission of O is intentional) Giants fashion, the fateful ninth inning run was scored without a hit - praise be to Manny Burriss's batting eye and feet as well as Kevin Gregg's wayward accuracy.

And give credit to big Matt Palmer, who bounced back from a horrific debut to go 6 and 2.

Also, I've noticed I've been remiss in lauding Dandy Randy Winn for hitting in a manner so hot, Paris Hilton's thinking of suing.

Future Ruminations: While watching Pablo "Runaway Beer Truck" Sandoval motor around in one of his frequent trips to the basepaths, I thought to myself, this 22 year old could be really the future at catcher.

Then I realized we just signed him.

But, with apologies to Ivan Ochoa, our situation at shortstop is a little less rosy. However, do we already have a solution?

Many of you heard about Buster Posey playing all nine positions in a game this past season at FSU. His prowess at all nine positions was due in part to the fact that he was recruited as a shortstop, playing there his freshman year before transitioning to catching.

Now although the Giants just made a huge investment in Posey, it's not as if shortstop is a position of far less scarcity, particularly given the fact that Posey's bat would play just as well there. In addition, Posey, who's game has been compared to Craig Biggio's, might have a longer career by playing a less physically demanding position.

With his mid-90s fastball and leadership skills, heck, we may even get our own Derek Jeter out of it.

Bear in mind, my sole impetus for the idea is due to the absurdly small sample size of Sandoval's major league career, notwithstanding his sublime year in the minors. But Sandoval is producing at the major league level and looks to have a lot of potential at the position, having thrown out 44% (30 for 68) of basestealers in the minors - and he can do it with both hands, too! Sandoval, already looking like he belongs in The Show, is only seven months older than Posey.

The case that Sandoval could shift to first to make room for Posey is a little bit of a tougher pill to swallow, mostly because of the continued ease at which you can either find or develop power hitting first basemen, Brian Sabean's struggles aside. It would be a waste of Sandoval's skills behind the dish to have him at first, anyhow.

So I leave it to you: is this a terrible idea? How do you envision the 2011 infield?

24 and Out

2008-08-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Turns out that even when Brian Wilson blows a save, the luck of the Irish bails him out.

Give the guy credit for the third longest save streak in Giants history, as well as the manner in which he handled blowing the save drew a happy contrast with one of his celebrated predecessors.

A bummer ND for Cainer, who continues his strong second half.

But how about that Pablo Sandoval? Since the kid looks to have some moxie, the Giants are once again having him take grounders at third. Let's hope a late career position switch - Fred Stanley et al tried working him in at third in the minors but it didn't stick - doesn't Bowker his hitting.

Cantu Buy Me Love

2008-08-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there were three third basemen. Each of them had risen through the minors at a steady clip and made their general managers really super excited. Before long, all three of them had been promoted to the major leagues!

Once they got there, the young ballplayers had their ups and downs.

The most powerful one needed a couple of tries, but he started improving, only to hurt his back.

The youngest had one of the better rookie seasons in history, hitting 28 HRs and driving in 114, only to regress in his second year.

The last of them, well, did okay. He was not as shiny a prospect as the other two, but, relative to the players around him, he was pretty good. Of course, when he got to the majors, it only took a couple of years for his GM to figure out that, despite his unyielding belief in magic, his marginally talented third basemen wasn't getting better.

So, only a few short years later, all three were out of job.

If you were Brian Sabean, and had literally no prospects at the position, who would you pick?

The answer, of course, is none. Instead, just wait for a smart GM like Larry Beinfest to sign all three to minimum deals, and pounce on any scraps Beinfest may be so kind to throw back.

Here we are, about a half a year later, and the Marlins are once again defying expectations, partly because of the solid bat of Jorge Cantu (the youngest one), who's having his best season ever. So you can understand that, in leading his Marlins to a victory over the G-Boys, I cursed Sabes with an extra fervor last night.

In case you don't know the rest of the story, Dallas McPherson (the most powerful) is leading the minors in home runs for the Marlins AAA affiliate, ready to replace Cantu at a moment's notice should he get injured. (That's called depth, Brian.)

The marginally okay one, as we all know, was Jose Castillo, who was last seen storming Lord Farquaad's castle with a giant gingerbread man.

Meanwhile, the life cycle of third basemen continues in San Francisco, as the Giants now have their very own marginal prospect's career to ruin.

If you were wondering, said marginal prospect put up another 0-fer last night, bringing his average down to .095.

If You Kent Say Something Nice...

2008-08-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

On the heels of a tough four game sweep at the Big Orange, Barry Zito, he of seven shutout innings, and the kids leading these Giants to a series victory is sweet music to my ears.

Sweeter music to my ears? Down the 5, Giants über villain Jeff Kent is doing his damndest to tarnish the legacy of what I'll grudgingly admit is a Hall of Fame career.

His latest offense? Assailing the virtual patron saint of the Dodgers, a man so revered as a baseball institution, many Giants fans are even able to look past his association with our hated rivals and genuinely appreciate his contribution to the national past time.

Yes, Jeff Kent verbally assaulted Vin Scully.

Evidently, Kent was miffed that Scully (along with most multi-celled organisms) believed there may be a correlation between his hot bat and the presence of Manny Ramirez in the lineup. His message to Scully: you talk too much.

I'm not going to launch into a massive diatribe but simply point out that, for a guy that is probably be a first-ballot inductee, he will most likely have the least fans of anyone else who shares the same honor. Maybe that's not why Kent plays the game, but I hope, once he walks away, he realizes that something ain't right about a superior career that no one besides yourself appreciates.

Sanchez Shut Down?: KNBR reported this morning that management may use Dirty's shoulder strain as an excuse to shut the lefty down for the rest of the season. Smart move, in my opinion: Sanchez has thrown more innings this year already than he has in any one of his other pro seasons.

With any luck, there may be something to play for next year. Sanchez, although he had his ups and downs this season, showed quite a bit in his first year as a starter, consistently ranking near the top of the league in Ks. Hopefully, he'll be back stronger and wiser in 2009.

Comment! With little left to play for this season, should the Giants shut down their other two horses in Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum?

Freak Show

2008-08-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss in recently overlooking some of the great writing of fellow Lunatic Fringe bloggers, an oversight I look to correct with some gusto here and now.

It goes without saying that today's game was an absolutely marvelous way to wash out the taste of poor Matt Palmer's first big league start (and subsequent shellacking).

In hitting his first career bomb, the endearingly earnest Travis Ishikawa picked the right starter to back. Yes, it looks like our very own Franchise is no worse for wear following the Ausmus Liner Heard 'Round The Bay, regaining the Major League lead for strikeouts. JC from Raising (Matt) Cain puts what we're witnessing in perspective:

1. 13-3 is the second best start in SF history (5 occurences). Only a couple hacks named Perry and Marichal were better at 14-2. I venture to guess they had better teams playing behind them, ya think?

2. With his sixth double digit strikeout game this year (8 in his career), he ties Marichal (1966) for number 4 on this all time list. Only Schmidt (9 in 2004), Sadecki (8 in 1968), and Montefusco (7 in 1975) are above him. With at least five or so starts left, Tim has a good shot at taking over the lead of that list.

3. The Enchanter has limited opponents to 3 or fewer runs in 40 of his 49 career starts, including 21 of 25 this year. The Giants are 26-14 in those forty games. Tim is 17-0 (29 starts) when the Giants score at least three runs for him.

Simply mind-boggling. Great research, JC.

The bullpen (with the notable exception of the increasingly dominant Brian "Servin' UAK" Wilson) continued their shaky ways. Luckily, erstwhile number-cruncher Chris at Bay City Ball provides us with statistics to back up our daily stream of obscenities at the television.

The bullpen has largely struggled this year. Wilson has emerged as the top arm but with the disintegration of Tyler Walker, Brad Hennessey, Vinnie Chulk and the majority of the younger arms having their expected ups-and-downs, it hasn’t been a pretty sight. (Fielding Independent Pitching) isn’t thrilled with Taschner but he’s having a decent year, he might be pitching over his head right now to some extent. The Giants are last in the National League for bullpen ERA at 4.44.

Ouch.

- A San Francisco Giants Minor League Blog posts it's most excellent daily roundup of minor league notables. While Mad Bum continues to do his thing, note the continued hot hitting of Ben Copeland at AAA. You may remember Copeland as the Giants first pick in 2005 - in the fourth round. But don't worry, throwing away those first few picks were totally worth it.

Anyway, Copeland, after a slow start to his pro career, looks to be breaking out at 24. The speedy slap-hitter may need to change positions, however, to have a shot at making any headway with this club. Still, he's a kid worth keeping an eye on.

- Check out this interesting piece on Buster Posey from one of his hometown rags. It looks like, at the very least, no one can deny the kid's makeup, something that can't hurt at his position.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be dreaming of cerebral pitch-calling and a staff of mentally happy young fireballers, oh, sometime in 2010.

2009 Draft Prospects: An Early Look

2008-08-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Giants currently boast fourth-worst record in the majors, pretty much vindicating smug prognosticators nationwide. (Hey, whatever takes the attention away from living in their mother's basement, right?)

The silver lining in this giant, black, killer tornado wielding cloud? Assuming the team maintains its current level of putrid play, they stand to pick fourth overall in next year's draft, and quite possibly even higher.

So, having locked up the key cogs of what was, by all accounts, a productive 2008 draft, let's take an early look at five blue-chippers the Giants could select from what will most assuredly be a high slot.

Stephen Strasburg RHP San Diego State

Now before all of you smack your heads in frustration at a pitcher being atop this list, bear in mind two things:

1. Every other player on this shortlist is of a position variety
2. This guy is ridiculous

There's a lot of buzz about this kid, and rightly so. Strasburg is considered the best pitching prospect to come out since Mark Prior, and, with any luck, this time, Dusty Baker won't get anywhere near him.

The lone collegian on the 2008 Olympic squad, Strasburg has already unleashed the fury of his 100MPH fastball on a helpless Dutch team this past week.

Strasburg, who rounds out his arsenal with a wicked slider and decent change, has been victimizing college hitters at an astounding clip his first two years at SDSU. Most notable: a 23 strikeout(!) game against the University of Utah in April.

His coach, former nemesis but awesomely voiced Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, a guy who knows a thing or two, had this to say:

“I've seen a lot of baseball,” said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn. “I have never seen anything like that.”

Now I know as well as anyone that the Giants pitching cupboard is pretty well-stocked, but this 6'4 right-hander would be difficult to pass up, regardless of need.

Strasburg Scouting Reports:
Baseball America
Baseball Prospectus
Breaking Bats
FanGraphs
VIDEO: Bullpen Session

Dustin Ackley 1B/OF UNC

The 2007 College Freshman of the Year is considered the top returning college hitter. He's held his own in the Cape Cod League, hitting in the middle of the league champ Harwich Mariners lineup.

Ackley's supposed to be a great athlete who most likely projects to the outfield in the pros. He doesn't have huge raw power at this stage, but he's a very polished, selective hitter who has a very predictable ceiling. Think Buster Posey with a little more pop at a position of less scarcity.

Check out this video of Ackley hitting a grand slam despite breaking his aluminum bat.

Ackley Scouting Reports:
Breaking Bats
Metal Bat Baseball
USC Trojans Blog

Grant Green SS USC

The namesake (and ensuing nickname potential) factor aside, Green, who tore up the Cape League, came out of the 2008 college season as the best shortstop outside of Georgia junior Gordon Beckham, who ended up going eighth overall to the White Sox. Although reports indicate he's smooth at short, at 6'3, 180, the big guy might go the Glaus route and move to third in the pros.

If he continues his progression from an impressive soph season (.390, 9 HRs, 46 RBI, 10 SBs) the third team All-America should be squarely in John Barr et al's crosshairs come June.

Green Scouting Reports:
Breaking Bats
Cod Ball

Donovan Tate CF Cartersville HS (GA)

The 6'3 Tate, son of former Bucs running back Lars Tate, is a legitimate five tooler and ranks as one of the top high schoolers in the country. Given his bloodlines, it's no surprise then that he's also a helluva football player - he's already garnered football scholarship offers from every major college program.

If Tate decides to focus on baseball in the fall, however, he'll most likely be in the top of next year's draft. Still, there's a lot of risk in taking a kid that, between football and college baseball, has a lot of other options if he doesn't get the contract he wants.

The reward, however, could be huge. Tate, who's supposed to be a great kid, been compared by coaches to Jeff Francoeur - Francoeur's recent slump notwithstanding, that's a risk worth taking.

Tate Scouting Reports:
Baseball America
Breaking Bats

Mychal Givens SS/RHP Plant HS (FL)

Givens recently won the Jackie Robinson Award as the nation's best high school player, in part because of his tremendous presence on the mound to complement his work as a position player.

But Givens is extremely raw, and although he has all the tools, there's no clear consensus as to what he could end up being. Much of his draft position will be determined by his senior year production, but, if he progresses, he'll be in the mix at the top of the draft.

A true boom or bust candidate. Think Tim Beckham with less raw power.

Givens Scouting Reports:
Aflac All-American Profile
Breaking Bats
Saberscouting
USC Trojans Blog

So as this hapless young Giants team plays out the string, bear in mind that, with each loss, the horizon of a talented young team inches closer.

Comment! Who would you like to see the Giants pick next summer?

Posey Signs for $6.2M

2008-08-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

It is not a major league deal, meaning, among other things, the entire bonus is paid up front.

Vets: "Kids Are Alright, We're Good Too"

2008-08-16T04:19:00.000-07:00

Part of me wishes that Randy Winn and Bengie Molina spread out their surprisingly sublime nights (maybe retroactive to any game during the Houston debacle) but hey, I'll take it.

The best development? The resurgence of Matt Cain in this second half. And I'm for anything that minimizes the use of the chokepen.

Posey Deal Looks All But Done

2008-08-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

In spite of a report to the contrary, the official site confirms that Posey is set to become a Giant.

The moral of the story?

Baggs > Your Next Door Neighbor > Some Guy > SFGate

Minor Leagues, Big Spenders

2008-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Sports Agent Blog notes that, once the Buster Posey signing becomes official, the Giants will have signed both their first-round pick and their third-round pick (Roger Kieschnick) to the highest bonuses awarded to players selected in that round.

Add that to the $2.5M awarded to 16 year old Dominican Rafael Rodriguez, and you start to get a sense why the once-maligned Giants farm system is gaining legitimacy in a big hurry.

Daily Schad

2008-08-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Crasnick bashes Manny (the Dodgers one):

"I bet he gets $15-20 million a year for three or four years, especially if he keeps his nose clean and helps the Dodgers win it," said another executive who has worked for large, small and middle-market teams. "Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if [Dodgers owner] Frank McCourt would do that. He loves all those Boston guys."

But within seconds of making that prediction, the same executive made it clear how appalled he was by the whole thought that Manny would cash in after all this.

"He wouldn't play for me," the exec said. "I'll tell you that. I might cost my team a chance to go to the World Series. But we work too hard to put a team together to take on a guy like that. As soon as you open the vaults for him, you'll wind up with the same problems Boston had."

Washed Up Major Leaguers Seek Brains

2008-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

A hopeful start by the youth-infused lineup is once again obliterated by a haggard bullpen.

But I'm sure you all are more ticked at something else:

LaTroy Freaking Hawkins.

I can't even believe he has a job. But, of course, he picks up the W, joining the likes of Chan Ho Park, Jason Johnson and Mike Hampton as baseball zombies who have feasted on the collective ineptitude of this meek, meek franchise.

And now, without further ado, your midday roundup.

Snark Alert: I really debated kicking this guy while he's down. But, ultimately, I decided to be the smaller, more petty person.

Jose Castillo (remember him?) had a bit of a reputation as a malcontent on his previous stops on his DFA Tour of the NL. So while John Bowker was nothing but classy in accepting his assignment to Fresno, what did Castillo have to say?

"I'm not happy," he said. "I'm surprised. I think I played good for this team. It was the first year I played third base."

Well, in addition to the fact that Shrekstillo made more than a few of his appearances at third with the Pirates last year, I'd like to pose this question to Jose: what, exactly, is your definition of "good"? Does it include an assessment of a .191 average post-All Star Break?

Add "delusional" to the list of colorful adjectives you may already ascribe to Jose.

Cold-Blooded: The Giants cost Geno Espineli his Olympic dreams by calling him up just ahead of the games in Beijing.

So it makes perfect sense that they would send him down just as Olympic baseball heats up. Matt Palmer is the beneficiary of Sabean's ice cold trigger finger, in a move that presumably covers the Giants if they need long-relief or spot start in the dog days.

Prospect Bonanza Continued: Baggarly (who's on a roll, I must say) reports that the Giants inked intriguing 13th-rounder Juan Carlos Perez. The D2 outfielder slipped because of visa issues, but you can't argue with the numbers. This is what Baseball America had to say:

Perez put up the craziest statistics in the state. Playing at hitter-friendly Western Oklahoma JC, he set Division II junior college records with 37 homers (one short of the overall juco mark) and 102 RBIs while batting .465 with a 1.102 slugging percentage. While his stats might be inflated, the 6-foot, 185-pounder has legitimate tools. He has a sound swing with bat speed and easy power, average speed and arm strength, and a chance to play center field. The bigger issues with Perez are his age (he'll be 22 in November) and his immigration status. A Dominican, he stayed in the United States after his original tourist visa expired, which could prevent him from gaining a work visa to play pro ball. If he gets his paperwork, he could go in the first 10 rounds.

Baggs, meanwhile, makes a comparison with this guy.

From your mouth to God's ears, Andy.

Contract Talk: A quick primer for those of you who are wondering what the difference between a major league contract (which Buster Posey signed) and a minor league contract, the more traditional contract for draftees.

Essentially, a major league contract is guaranteed, and the signee is eligible for the minimum required salary of a major leaguer, which is set at $390K this year.

Perez, for example, will get his bonus money, but will be salaried at a minor league level, which is generally peanuts at the lower levels, and, um, cashews once you work your way up.

Look Out, Earthquakes: James at A Giants Minor League Blog (a nice recent complement to the already excellent Giants blogosphere) proposes a very interesting, and likely, scenario for the Single-A Giants next spring:

Various baseball people have been musing about whether or not Conor Gillaspie should be moved to second. Here’s one reason why it might not happen. It is likely that he will begin next year on the San Jose roster with Nick Noonan who is limited to only second base. There has been some talk that Noonan might be promoted straight to Connecticut but that’s absolutely crazy. Unless Noonan makes huge strides in plate discipline this offseason, sending him to Connecticut is just setting him up to fail. So, it is likely that the San Jose roster next year will consist of Angel Villalona at 1B, Nick Noonan at 2B, Conor Gillaspie at 3B, and Buster Posey at C. That’s a hell of an infield. Madison Bumgarner will also be on that team.

So, come '09, there could very well be a dominant Giants ballclub - you'll just have to head further down 280 to find it.

Comment! Freak excluded, who is your favorite current Giant? Tough, isn't it?

BREAKING: Posey, Kieschnick, Crawford Sign; Giants Grow A Pair

2008-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Baggarly (of course) has the scoop:

The Giants are on the cusp of signing first-round pick Buster Posey to a major league contract worth roughly $7.5 million, industry sources told the Mercury News.

[Snip]

The Giants also went beyond the recommended slot value to sign their third-round pick, Texas Tech outfielder Roger Kieschnick. He received a $525,000 bonus, $40,000 over the recommended amount. The club didn't announce a deal with their fourth-round pick, UCLA shortstop Brandon Crawford, but Bruins officials have been told that he signed for $375,000 — exceeding slot value by $92,000.

Overall, a very encouraging development for the rapidly improving farm system. Assist to the purse-string holders for going well above slot on all the guys to get them delivered.

Ryan Rohlinger: Rookie Roosebumps; RiGetLost

2008-08-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, no one said these kids could make the transition seamlessly. But although Ryan Rohlinger had some miscues in his ML debut, you'd be hard pressed to pin the abhorrent pitching on the kid, unless you were some kind of psycho.

So, before the 11AM kiddie parade pre-empts your regularly schedule rants and raves in this space, let me take this opportunity to use the Giants second consecutive loss to the 'Stros as Exhibit R that Dave Righetti must go?

Some doomed contrarians may ask, "Why is that? Don't you think that Barry Zito sucks independent of coaching?"

My retort? Some thought the Giants would be an excusable team, in spite of their horrific offense, because of their sublimely talented pitching staff, but instead they have proven consistently inconsistent and maddeningly middling. Three-quarters of the way through the season, the Giants are in the bottom half of the league in ERA and rank fourth (in a bad way) in walks allowed.

And although I can't find a stat that proves it (and I encourage all you sabermetrician nose-miners to back me up), the pitching staff is inexcusably charitable to their counterparts, a point that Kruk and Kuip have repeatedly echoed.

Last night, once again, was an example of how this staff is liable to give games away. The Astros would have won if Larry, Moe, and Curly were in their lineup last night.

"But what about Lincecum?" some of the soon-to-be-dealt-with dissenters may point out. Well, I suggest you review last month's SI cover piece on The Franchise. Or just read this:

"His dad obviously did a very good job with Timmy," says Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."

But for the other poor saps that are subject to Righetti (think Cain, Sanchez, and all the other young guns in the pipeline), we risk wasting the sky high potential of these talents because Giants brass are too hardheaded to let a crony go.

A point of optimism? If Sabean could fire his curiously close pal Joe Lefebvre, he could conceivably give the axe to Rags.

Comment! Should Dave Righetti go?

DING DONG, CASTILLO'S DFA'D (And Everyone's Up)

2008-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, how about that for a move? (From Baggs)

Huge, huge shift today. The Giants have a whole new corner infield. John Bowker and Steve Holm were optioned to Fresno and Jose Castillo was designated for assignment. Rohlinger, a third baseman, comes from Double-A Connecticut along with Sandoval, who can catch and play first base. Ishikawa was lighting it up at Triple-A Fresno. He switches spots with Bowker, who was hitting .154 since the All-Star break.

Wow, is it me or did it just get a whole lot less suck in here?

Okay, I'm not going to go overboard, but this is a big day for the youth movement. We could conceivably see this lineup tonight:

RF Winn

2B Burriss

LF Lewis

CF Rowand

1B Ishikawa

C Sandoval

3B Rohlinger

SS Ochoa

What a difference a day makes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go scrub OBnB of any acknowledgment of the existence of Shrekstillo. (Prances off, giggling.)

UPDATE (3:33PM): And, in typical Giants fashion, the only one of the trio to get the start is Rohlinger, who is penciled in at third and batting second tonight. Even Omar, God bless him, is playing.