The Front-Row Johnson

Up Those Trade Values, Gentlemen

2008-07-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in response to a post over at OBnB. The comment turned out longer than I expected, so I decided to refine it and use it as today's discussion point.

Bengie Molina, C
- Yankees: With Jorge Posada out for the season and Hideki injured, the Yankees could use another catcher and added offense, just in case Richie Sexson doesn't pan out. However, the Yankees hope that Posada can retrun after the start of the 2009 season, and Bengie's contract is not fitting as an injury-replacement player.

- Marlins: Lots of murmuring that they want a backstop. Only problem is, would they take on Bengie's salary?

- Angels: Jeff Mathis has been a wreck offensively: .228/.304/.389. Bengie would be a huge upgrade.

Randy Winn, OF
- Braves: I wrote a piece discussing the Winn-to-Braves rumor floating around in June. Winn would be an upgrade over Francoeur, whose slash stats (.231/.286/.369) have dropped even lower since June. Kotsay's been hitting well, only problem, as always, has been his health. There haven't been any rumblings about a trade since then, but it's best to leave open possibilities.

- White Sox: Again, Winn would be an upgrade of Swisher, who's batting to the tune of .235/.357/.411. Swisher has more pop, but Winn is more consistent and plays a better CF.

Taschner/Walker, RP
- He wouldn't net much, if anyone, by himself, but the Giants could package him with another vet. Now that we have a cluster of minor league relief pitchers, I'm a bit hesitant about trading Walker and Taschner. They're the oldest guys in the bullpen now that Yabu is on the DL, and it would be better for the Giants to keep them both for "mentoring" purposes until they receive more value in return when T/W are packaged in a bigger deal.

Open Matt Cain Admiration Thread

2008-07-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

What a brilliantly pitched game.

Happy Birthday, Barry

2008-07-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much goes down in the space of only a year.

A Win!

2008-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

What do the Giants-Nationals games and Halley's Comet have in common? They both make for rare and exciting displays at night. For one of the few times this season at Mays Field, the Giants put together a complete game--Zito pitched decently, Lewis and Molina filled the home run quota with one and two, respectively, and the defense, namely Bowker and Burriss, picked a clean game.

With the trade deadline approaching, the Giants are in full clearance sale mode. Bochy plans to start Dave Roberts in left tonight, though his lengthy stint on the DL most likely depressed his trade value. Unless a contender wants a game-winning base-stealer handy for the World Series, Roberts will remain with the Giants. The upside is that he can mentor Velez, Burriss, and Lewis on base-stealing and come off the bench late in the game as a speedy pinch hitter, but his contract somewhat sours the value he brings.

Omar, Taschner, and other vets are also being showcased. Bochy told Omar that once the trade deadline passes, he will no longer be the starter at SS (haven't we heard this before?). Taschner now gets an inning of relief a game--unless he walks two consecutive batters--instead of his usual role as lefty specialist.

In related news, Alfonzo is being sent down to Fresno in favor of Steve Holm. Baggarly speculates that the Giants could also call up Pablo Sandoval, who is mashing at AA, once they move Rich Aurilia. I'm not entirely in favor of the move if it happens, because the last thing I want to see is Sandoval sitting on the bench five days a week.

Some Headdesking and Good News

2008-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

First off, apologies for not writing over the past weekend. I've been run off my feet and couldn't get the time to sit down.

Headdesk

Anyways, Gameday decided to take Sunday off, meaning I have no slider numbers to draw out. Bochy's brain apparently decided to take Sunday off, too. What the heck was he thinking, especially with the comments he made about "backing off" Lincecum's workload? It was clear that Lincecum was struggling through 6 innings and wasn't fully recovered from the flu, but Bochy pushed him to 121 pitches while, get this, Hinshaw was already warmed up in the bullpen.

Tim now has 135 innings under his belt and about 9-10 starts left. If Bochy's not being a thickhead, he would limit Tim's starts to 5 innings max to prevent any potential arm injuries. Or shut him down 3 weeks early.

Good News

Now for the good news. The Giants sent Ray Durham to Milwaukee in exchange for two minor league players. Steve Hammond is a 26 year old lefty who excelled at AA ball(7-4, 3.45 ERA), but imploded once the Brewers promoted him to AAA (0-4, 7.41 ERA). At his age, he doesn't have much upside, but he projects as a long reliever or an emergency 5th starter a la Pat Misch.

Darren Ford is yet another centerfielder with no home run power. Baseball America ranked him as the fastest player in the Brewers' organization and a plus defender. The only thing standing between him and a starting role is his bat. He batted only .230/.322/.303 in High-A Brevard County and has a strikeout rate of 26% throughout his minor league career. His speed could make him a valuable leadoff hitter, but right now, he just blends into the scrap heap of light-hitting CFs in the Giants' organization.

Overall, Hammond and Ford for Durham is a good deal for the Giants. It frees up $1.5 million in the books and forces Bochy to start playing Burriss, Velez, Ochoa, and Denker, though the latter is currently playing in Fresno. If I were Bochy, I would give the nod to Denker at second base because his bat has more pop--more doubles power than home run power, but still--than the other three's.

If you want more info on the Giants' two new players, Chris at BCB has an in-depth post about their minor league stats and the implications.

And now for the second whammy of good news. With the August 15 signing deadline approaching, many Giants fans, including myself, are worried about the draftees who are still unsigned, among them top picks Buster Posey and Conor Gillaspie. According to Rivals, they should be signed come the deadline.

When Posey was drafted by the Orioles (Ed. note: Ahem, Giants) in June, he made several statements to me alluding to the fact that he might return to school for his senior season. That, of course, was immediately after the College World Series. With much having changed since that point, Posey has gone from having an open mind about returning to school to being quoted in newspaper articles as if he's already with the Giants. Though Posey hasn't signed the dotted line, every indication has him signing with the Giants. Posey's stock will never be higher and he's already proven to be the nation's best college player. Now it's time to take that label to professional baseball.

Gillaspie had a sensational junior campaign for the Shockers, and was drafted by the Giants in the supplemental first round. As with first-round pick Buster Posey, Gillaspie has yet to sign with the Giants. Still, that might not mean much. According to a source we spoke with at Wichita State, it would come as a huge surprise if Gillaspie decides to return to school for his senior season. After an outstanding season at the plate, Gillaspie's stock is at an all-time high and probably can't improve much. As a result, I'd expect to see Gillaspie sign before the August deadline.

Crazy Crab Bobblehead Night

2008-07-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

Per SFGate:

75 percent of fans polled in 1984 said they'd boo any mascot.

Los Angeles Clippers Warriors

2008-07-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Per ESPN:

The Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday identified the latest target in their recovery from the free-agent loss of Elton Brand by signing restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike of the Golden State Warriors to an offer sheet.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers -- using their estimated $3 million in salary-cap space left over after completing a trade Tuesday with the Denver Nuggets to acquire center Marcus Camby as their primary Brand replacement -- have awarded Azubuike a three-year deal worth an estimated $9 million.

And the game of musical chairs between the north and south continues...

ESPN's point of contention is that Azubuike would not receive playing time thanks to the logjam created by Monta, Maggette, Jackson, and Belinelli. Yes, Belinelli, of all people, is considered higher on the totem pole than Azubuike.

The truth of the matter is, the Warriors are not as deep as they would like to pretend. If Nellie sticks to his declaration, Monta will play the majority of his minutes as point guard, with Jackson and Maggette occupying the 2 and 3 spots, respectively. Belinelli's performance in the summer league doesn't merit the first backup position for either of the latter two.

Azubuike is a great story: kid who leaves college early to help his family, doesn't find immediate success, but works his way into a regular role on an NBA team. He rebounds well for a guard and still has room to improve. The only problem is that he has a similar skill set to Maggette's, though in a reserve role.

He's being paid as a reserve, roughly $3 million a year for 3 years. The Warriors do have cap space to sign him, as Biedrins and Monta's contract extensions are still undergoing discussion. If the Warriors sign Azubuike and Turiaf in addition to finishing up the extensions for Biedrins and Monta, they'll be hard-pressed to sign a backup point guard, as they're already over the cap.

So these questions remain:
1. Is Watson capable of handling the backup PG position?
2. If not, will the Warriors have enough money and cap space left to entice an FA point guard without hitting luxury tax?
3. If not, will the Warriors trade Al (in a package) for a point guard?

Giants' Midseason Report

2008-07-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of spring training, the SF Chronicle posted 5 questions to consider over the course of the season. Now that we're nearly through with the All Star Break, we've seen enough to answer those questions.

Onward!

1. Is this a 100 loss team?

Mathematically, no. The Giants are currently 40-55, on pace for a 68-94 season. Their Pythagorean winning percentage of 41-54, which estimates a team's winning percentage given runs scored and runs allowed, matches this projection and confirms that the Giants have been playing at an expected level.

Realistically, it depends on what Sabean does at the trade deadline. One hundred losses means that he's jettisoned most of the vets and Bochy pens in a lineup featuring players who are all under 30 years old. If the Giants stay as they're currently constructed, then no, this isn't a 100 loss team. Durham and Aurilia are back from the dead, and Winn is a notorious second-half hitter. Lincecum is already one of the best pitchers in the game, Sanchez is a pleasant and impressive surprise, and Cain has been pitching better since the start of June.

Again, 100 losses hinges on the departure of the veterans. It would be difficult to watch, but encouraging for the future.

2. How good is that rotation?

This one's easy. Do not question the triumvirate of Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez. It's the other two members of the rotation that are disappointing.

In a nutshell, Zito's 2008 campaign hasn't been as hellacious as the first half of 2007. For a long answer, here's a snippet from Lefty Malo's excellent post about the rotation:

Zito is trying new stuff — fewer moving parts in his windup, a lower arm angle — with mixed but encouraging results the past month. Not easy to do mid-season, but if any athlete can re-learn his craft on the fly under this much pressure, it’s Zito. He’s healthy (we think), open-minded and hard-working.

Correia is probably the most disappointing starter. After a sparkly 3-1, 2.54 ERA late season performance last year, he looked like a solid 5th starter. After an oblique injury, he wasn't the same, pitching into the 6th inning only once. It's possible that he still could be suffering from the strained oblique, so once he fully recovers--which shouldn't be too troublesome since the injury is on the opposite side of his pitching arm--he could regain his late 2007 form and string together a few victories.

3. Who is the third baseman?

Jose Castillo is a downgrade defensively from Pedro Feliz, but at least he's significantly cheaper. He's having a career year, if that means anything, and that's as good as it gets.

What's troubling are these splits:

Bases empty: .278/.323/.467
Men on base: .232/.301/.345
RISP: .225/.296/.348

He's been putrid at the plate with runners on, which devalues his seemingly OK slash stats (.258/.313/.413).

Castillo is an OK stopgap, but he is definitely not the answer for 2009 and beyond.

4. Does Ray Durham have one contract drive left?

Why, yes, yes he does. After taking a nosedive last season, Durham has rebounded to an above-career-average of .293/.385/.414 with a 113 OPS+ and his LD% is back up to 21.5%. Not bad for a guy we left for dead.

Now that he's no longer Mendoza-lining, contending teams are reportedly interested in Durham's services. He's been linked with the Brewers, whose Rickie Weeks just isn't cutting it for them at second base (.217/.320/.367). Durham told Andrew Baggarly a few weeks ago that he wouldn't use his 10-and-5 rights to block a trade.

5. Can they close the deal?

Despite a shaky couple of weeks leading up to the break, the Giants' bullpen has pitched well. Yabu is a gem for a guy who was out of a job right until spring training. He also gets style points for inducing the Giants' first triple play in 9 years on one pitch. Opposing teams haven't scored against Walker in 32 of 41 innings, and the number of home runs he's given up are just a blip in his career rate.

As for the young arms in the bullpen, they don't throw enough strikes, but they're a promising bunch. Walker, Yabu, and Taschner are still receiving the bulk of high-leverage situations, but Bochy is gently easing in Hinshaw, Matos, and Romo.

And of course, Brian Wilson. He should stop making every save an adventure, but he's the best closer we've seen since Joe Nathan himself.

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Wow, this post turned out longer than I thought it would be.

Lincecum Out of All Star Game

2008-07-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Looks like Tim has finally met his match: the flu. Baggarly reports that Lincecum began feeling sick last night and he definitely will not pitch tonight. Terrible, as he was one of my few reasons to watch the All Star Game.

Get well, Timmy!

Update: Lincecum was hit with what was probably a respiratory illness that was going around the Giants' clubhouse during the road trip. He went to the hospital to get IV fluids and is reportedly feeling better, although he still won't pitch in the All Star Game. Brian Wilson, though, will pitch in the 8th inning to set up Brad Lidge.

It'll be fun watching the AL batters rear back from a 102-mph heater up and in. Not so much fun when Wilson gives up 2 hits (it is a non-save situation, after all).

Update: Mays and McCovey sighting!

Tim Lincecum: Professional Pitcher

2008-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	D. Lee	84	Ball
1	D. Lee	82	Ball
3	R. Theriot	81	Ball
3	M. Fontenot	82	Swinging strike, K
3	D. Lee	82	Ball
4	J. Edmonds	84	Ball in dirt
6	D. Lee	83	Called strike
7	H. Blanco	83	Called strike, K
7	K. Fukudome	84	Foul
8	D. Lee	83	Swinging strike

Once again, Lincecum precludes what could have been a depressing All-Star Break for the Giants with a dazzling performance: 8 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 1 BB, 9 K. He even helped his own cause by driving in the first run of the game with an RBI triple.

Two key points of the game, I think, were Fukudome's at-bat in the 7th and Ramirez's at-bat in the 8th. Fukudome is one of the few hitters that consistently gives Lincecum a workout. Yesterday was no different. The slider was only one pitch of an 11-pitch at-bat before Tim struck him out with changeup.

In the eighth, Tim gave up two infield singles and Aramis Ramirez was at the plate. Given the Giants' tendency to give up 3-run jacks on this road trip, I was nervous. Turned out I didn't need to be, as he got Ramirez to ground into a double-play.

With these two batters, Tim showed that he's matured as a pitcher and can get the timely out in a big situation. He has the patience to grind out an at-bat and not give in to the hitter; he knows when to get quick outs by pitching to contact instead of trying to strike out the hitter. As Krukow says: "He's a pitcher, now. Not a thrower."

The only question now is if Tim will participate in the All-Star Game after throwing 116 pitches. Clint Hurdle chose Ben Sheets as the starter because Brandon Webb pitched yesterday, so it's likely that Tim will be limited to an inning, if he even pitches at all. Good. There's no rush to push him into an All-Star Game with 129.2 IP already under his belt, and I don't want to see one of the Giants' lone bright spots on the DL because of an exhibition game. Besides, he'll have another opportunity, or 8, to start the All-Star Game.

---

Odds and ends to wrap up today:

- The Giants signed 16-year old Rafael Rodriguez from the Dominican Republic over the weekend. He's vaunted as the "next" Vlad Guerrero and Dave Winfield, but Giants scouting director John Barr discouraged those comparisons. They're unfair, considering he just turned 16 and is still raw, but the Giants like what they see in him. Here's what Barr said about Rodriguez:

We felt he was one of the best international players we got a chance to look at. This player is 6-foot-5, 198 pounds. He's shown us really all the tools to play the game. He can run. He can throw. He's shown us power and the ability to take the ball the other way. He's a five-tool player. Adding to that, he has the makeup and work ethic to fulfill his abilities.

- Could Omar Vizquel retire during the break? Not so, says the wiz himself.

- Baggs also speculates that the team just isn't that high on Schierholtz. I think they like him enough not to burn up his options with Winn playing the majority of the time in RF, but not enough to promote him regardless of Winn's contract status. Not to mention the cluster of young outfielders, Lewis and Bowker, who are also making a case for regular starts.

Wiki

2008-07-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Summer League 2008: Warriors vs Sixers

2008-07-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

I just remembered that the Warriors' summer league opener started today. We're just starting the 3rd quarter, Warriors ahead 53-48 as I type.

Online streaming of the game and boxscore.

Head on over to Golden State of Mind for an ongoing livethread of the game. Looks like Randolph is having a pretty nice game so far, despite 5 fouls and 4 turnovers.

Update: End 3rd quarter. Slim 1 and Slim 2 (thanks Sleepy Freud) putting up great numbers so far.

Wright: 15 points, 4-6 shooting, 7-8 FTs, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks in 26 minutes
Randolph: 22 points, 8-13 shooting, 6-6 FTs, 5 rebounds, 2 steals in 23 minutes

Update: Marco Belinelli just hit a Baron-esque step-back fadeaway baseline jumper. He was quiet for most of the game, presumably to let other rookies get some burn, and now is starting to heat up, hitting 3 of his last 4 shots.

Update: Warriors win 96-89 on the wings of two great performances by Wright and Randolph, with the latter scoring 30 points in his debut. The totals of the two:

45 points, 17-25 shooting, 13-17 FTs, 15 boards, 5 blocks, 3 steals in about 30 minutes.

Summer league stats, much like spring training, mean absolutely nothing, but it's hard not to get excited about the Warriors' two towers.

Of note: Wright guarded Marreese Speights, the guy I hoped the Warriors would take in the draft, for the majority of the game. Speights scored 22 points in 34 minutes, but it took him 19 shots and 12 free-throw attempts to do so.

Hendrix is listed as DNP on the boxscore. Apparently he's out with a ~~bruised hip, similar to the injury that kept Wright out for the entirety of last year's summer league~~ strained quad. The impending signing of Ronny Turiaf won't help Hendrix's bid for a roster spot, and neither will this event. According to Janny Hu, the Warriors hope that he'll be ready to go on Sunday or Tuesday, though.

More Roster Shuffling

2008-07-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

From Baggs:

Travis Denker, who didn’t look so hot yesterday in New York, was optioned down to Single-A San Jose. Infielder Ivan Ochoa, a Triple-A All-Star, has joined the club. (They purchased his contract and added him to the 40-man roster, which had a vacancy ever since Chulk was outrighted.)

It doesn't make sense to send Denker all the way down to San Jose, but it's probably the only place where he can play everyday. Fresno will have its All-Star break next week and will be off for 4 days.

As for Ochoa, better late than never. I guess Bochy will move Manny over to second base if both he and Ochoa start a game. If.

Matt Cain vs Jason Marquis.

F. Lewis LF
R. Durham 2B
R. Winn RF
B. Molina C
A. Rowand CF
J. Bowker 1B
R. Aurilia 3B
O. Vizquel SS

Welcome to the bigs, Ochoa, here's your spot on the bench.

Statline Flatlining

2008-07-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ick. In a 3-game series against the Mets, the Giants decide to close up shop a week early for the All-Star Break.

In 3 games: 3 R, 9 H, 24 SO, .233 BA

The only positive about the Mets series is that all hope of being 4 GAMES BACK!!!11! during the Dodgers series is effectively stomped out. Meaning: sell, sell, sell.

On the Razor and Mr. T yesterday, Sabean said the team is selling, regardless of how many games out of first they were. The Giants were, at the time, 13 games below .500 and with no realistic shot at the playoffs. The players worth trading include Aurilia, Durham, and possibly Winn and Molina.

Hello, Corey Maggette

2008-07-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

With the Sixers winning the Elton Brand sweepstakes, the Warriors turned to the second-tier alternative coming out of LA: Corey Maggette. And when I say second-tier, I mean second-tier. From what I've seen of him during Warriors-Clippers games, he gets to foul line and converts at an above-average rate, but every other aspect of his game is lacking. Here's what sideline reporter Matt Steinmetz has to say:

First off, Maggette is injury prone. He’s been in the league nine seasons and has played 70 or more games just four times in his career. Maggette’s body says Iron Man; his stats say Tin Man.

Maggette is a great sub, the kind of aggressive scorer you love coming off the bench. He has a shoot first mentality and is a mediocre defender at best. In other words, as a sixth man he’s great, as a starter he’s not.

Maggette has made it clear he wants to start and be a primary offensive option. But he’s the type of high-maintenance player who doesn’t make teammates better. In fact, because he doesn’t create much, there tends to be a lot of standing around when he’s got the ball on the perimeter.

Maggette has never played for a winner. His teams have missed the playoffs in eight of the nine seasons he’s been in the league. The one year a Maggette team made the playoffs was in 2006, when the Clippers made it to the postseason. That year Maggette played 32 games.

For $50 million over 5 years? Oh boy.

If that figure is correct, then Maggette will make roughly $9 million this season, taking up a decent chunk of cap space. Some numbers to get a wider sense of the Warriors' financial situation:

Cap: $58.69 million
Lux tax: $71.15 million
Warriors' salaries: ~$49 million

Factoring in Foyle's buyout ($6.9 million), Anthony Randolph's rookie contract, and Richard Hendrix's minimum salary, the Warriors have roughly $9 million under the cap to play with. Keep in mind, Monta, Biedrins, and Azubuike can all be signed regardless of the cap. Once that trio is signed, the Warriors will be just under lux tax.

So what to do with that $9 million? That amount won't bring in a solid PG, but it does help in making trades for one. At this time, only max deals can pry the FAs such as Smith and Iggy out from their respective teams.

Comment starter: You're Chris Mullin with $9 million. Whosit gonna be?

UPDATE: The Warriors reportedly offering Ronny Turiaf $17 million over 4 years. Well, that slices down the $9 million to about $5 million to play with. And we still don't have a point-guard.

Time Release Jinx

2008-07-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	C. Beltran	83	Ball
1	D. Easley	81	Ball
2	B. Schneider	82	Ball
3	C. Beltran	83	Ground ball single to RF
5	J. Reyes	82	Foul

Exactly a week after Lincecum graces the pages of SI:

- he loses for the first time since the Gary Darling incident.
- he serves up two home-runs after giving up 5 in the past 3 months.
- the Giants are shutout for the first time since June 14.

There can be only one explanation: the baseball gods feel threatened by Lincecum and his success. They therefore decided to give him a loss and push his HR/9 ratio closer to league average to make him seem mortal.

Au Revoir et Bonne Chance!

2008-07-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

As of today, Mickael Pietrus is a full-fledged member of the Sanctuary for Outcast Warriors, otherwise known as the Orlando Magic.

Details of the deal are not yet confirmed, but he's reportedly getting most of the mid-level exception and a 3-year contract with a player option for the fourth. It's a bit much for what we've seen of him, but he's not a bad fit for the Magic. According to Janny Hu, Pietrus will get the chance to compete for the starting off-guard position, which suits him better than the PF spot Nellie asked him to play here. His rebounding numbers (2007-2008: 3.7/game, 6.6/36 minutes) are good if he plays as the 2-guard.

Pietrus' leaving doesn't mean much for the Warriors, other than his cap hold of $6.9 million coming off the books. I'd surmise that the Warriors pushed offers for Brand assuming Pietrus would be gone. The PR department does have to find a new poster boy for Valentine's Day adverts, though.

Overall, thanks for the laughs, Monsieur Pietrus!

Roster Shuffling

2008-07-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Brian "The Hebrew Hammer" Horwitz down, Eugenio Velez up.

Good move for Horwitz: more playing time for him.

I'm a bit torn about Velez. He's raking in AAA to the tune of .310/.372/.502, but he's been caught stealing 9 times out of 22. As if we haven't seen enough pickoffs already.

Another little dilemma: where is he going to play? Burriss, Durham, and to a lesser extent, Denker, share time at second already. The outfield, where the Grizzlies have been working out Velez, is filled up, which will be yet another problem when Dave Roberts makes his return.

Update: Andrew Baggarly speculates about a Ray Durham trade in the works.

Congratulations

2008-07-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Off-day fun: Vote in Aaron Rowand to round out the NL's All-Star Team. Or, send incumbent Zito-hater Tim Kawakami some well-deserved ~~hate mail~~ criticism.

Lincecum Slider vs Chicago Cubs

2008-07-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	K. Fukudome	83	Foul
1	K. Fukudome	80	Swinging strike, K
1	D. Lee	84	Line drive single to CF
3	R. Johnson	89	Called strike
3	K. Fukudome	84	Foul
4	G. Soto	81	Swinging strike
4	G. Soto	81	Swinging strike, K

First time all season that Tim threw all his sliders for strikes.

Open Hate LA Thread

2008-07-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

From the TFRJ vaults:

Maggette and Brand and Smith! Oh My!

2008-07-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

If I sat behind Mullin's desk in this time of post-Davis turmoil:

1. Lock up Monta and Biedrins. These next few years should be retooling, not rebuilding, seasons, as we have two solid young starters to match incoming players with.

2. Shop Harrington. Preferably for Javaris Crittenton, who will receive more playing time with the Warriors rather than splitting PG duties with the entirety of the Grizzlies' roster. The Grizzlies would have to throw in a couple players to make the salaries work, but the focus of the swap would be very beneficial for the Warriors.

Or, if the Warriors don't want to deal Harrington, he will be an attractive expiring contract after the 08-09 season. Not to mention another $9 million of cap space to play with.

3. Along the same lines, call up Shaun Livingston. The Clippers probably won't offer him a contract since he's coming off of that horrible injury, so the Warriors could have him for cheap. Low-risk, high-reward.

4. Don't break the bank by offering max deals. Again, we're only in a retooling season, so it doesn't make sense sacrificing cap flexibility for just one player. Down the road, cap space will be even more important as Biedrins, Monta, and Wright would be in their primes and in need of only a few complementary players.

My skeletal vision for this season's roster:

PG: Jaric/Crittenton/Livingston
SG: Ellis/Belinelli
SF: Jackson/Randolph
PF: Wright/Warrick/Hendrix
C: Biedrins/Perovic

I'm Back

2008-07-03T13:44:00.001-07:00

Well, I certainly picked a fine time to go to a 9-day camp at Cal with minimal internet use. Apparently some guy named Baron Davis opted out of his contract to head home for the Clippers and Tim Lincecum graced the cover of SI.

Actual posts in the near future. In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the SI article about Timmy here.

2008 Sharks Draft Wrapup

2008-06-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

A quick look at the guys the Sharks drafted this past weekend.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Previous Affiliation
3rd	62nd	Justin Daniels	Center	Kent High School
4th	92nd	Samuel Groulx	Defenseman	Quebec of QMJHL
4th	106th	Harri Sateri	Goalie	Tappara of Finnish Junior League
5th	146th	Julien Demers	Defenseman	Ottawa 67s
6th	177th	Tommy Wingels	Center	Miami Ohio University
7th	186th	Jason Demers	Defenseman	Victoriaville of QMJHL
7th	194th	Drew Daniels	Right wing	Kent High School

Justin and Drew Daniels - Fun fact: Justin and Drew Daniels are twin brothers. In their sophomore year (2006) at Suffern, they led Section 1 with 91 points and 90 points, respectively, before transferring to Kent High School. Before the draft, Justin was ranked #102 by Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking, Drew at #113.

Justin's assets

He has the combination of hands, speed, and offensive ability. He has a long stride and the ability to take the puck in the defensive zone and quickly turn up ice with it. He cycles the puck very well and showed good hands in tight and ability to play through traffic. When he has the puck, he really can control the play and the pace.

Drew's assets

A solid all-around player, who is more of a playmaker with his 36 assists on the season. He has a quick shot and showed good poise with the puck and should be a solid contributor at the college level.

Those scouting notes are from Rivals, where you can also read a great interview with both of the brothers.

Sam Groulx - Fun fact: Vlasic is Groulx's favorite NHL player. Ranked #76 by Central Scouting. Not as much information on the interwebs about Groulx as was the Daniels twins, but here's what Chris Edwards from NHL Central Scouting said of him:

Groulx's assets

Samuel was often used on both the power-play and penalty kill units, showing good puck movement from the point and good body position in front of the net to prevent the opposition from gathering rebounds. His at his best when he plays a simple controlled style game, but needs to improve his overall strength and decision making.

Groulx's 2007-2008 stats.

Harri Sateri - In addition to having the coolest name out of all the Sharks' picks, Central Scouting ranked him the second-best European goalie overall. What Goran Stubb, the NHL's Director of European Scouting had to say:

Sateri's assets

Harri is a solid goalie with a low mistake rate. He'll be a key player for the Finns during the upcoming season at the World Juniors in Ottawa. He could go in the third or fourth round of this year's draft.

A scout's observations:

Sateri has the coverage and quickness to make the necessary saves as well as the mental abilities to keep up with the game.

Sateri's stats from 2006-2008.

Julien Demers - Demers went to the 2008 OHL All-Star game as a rep for the Eastern Conference. Central Scouting ranked him #83 overall. Scouting reports from Chris Edwards and Ottawa 67's coach Brian Kilrea.

Demers' assets

Julien is a physically strong defenseman, who is solid on his skates, but he needs to improve his mobility and playmaking ability. He is at his best when he uses his strength to his advantage and keeps his puck handling simple.

Quietly Julien has become a top player in our league and is underrated by many. He is what every NHL team wants, a big, strong defensive defenseman who can move the puck. He is strong in the corners and in front of the net and can back up any challenge.

Demers' stats from 2007-08.

Tommy Wingels - Wingels was named MVP at the 2007 USHL All-Star/Prospects Game. Central Scouting hasn't ranked him, but they listed him as a "B" player in their 2006-07 Players to Watch List. Chicago Sports also has a nice article about his experience as a freshman Miami-Ohio.

Wingels stats from 2007-08.

Jason Demers - No, he's not related to Julien. According to the Sharks' website:

Demers' assets

Jason was first among all QMJHL defensemen in scoring and second on his team. He also participated as a member of San Jose’s rookie tournament squad prior to the 2007-08 season. Demers impressed Burke and his staff enough to be drafted by San Jose after his impressive junior season.

Nice. Demers' stats from Victoriaville.

Wasn't Expecting That

2008-06-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	A. Gordon	87	Ball in Dirt
2	J. Guillen	83	Called strike, K
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	J. Gathright	87	Ball
4	A. Gordon	83	In play, GB single to RF
4	J. Guillen	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	82	Foul
4	J. Buck	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	85	Swinging strike, K
5	M. Aviles	85	Ball

Uncharacteristically rough start for Lincecum, who ran into trouble in the 3rd inning onwards after sitting on the bench for quite a while. He finished a shaky 5th inning with 8 strikeouts but gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, the most runs scored against him since August 11th, though the Giants still led 10-5. The rest of the game is not worth noting, except for this:

Tim hasn't faced much adversity this season, but he wasn't his usual dominant self the past two starts. In the last two games, he pitched 12 innings, giving up 12 hits and 9 runs. Is it possible he might be wearing down, despite his near-perfect mechanics? He's logged 102.7 innings so far--on pace for more than the 146.3 innings he pitched in 2007--a good reason for some fatigue. Or, his shaky starts are just another episode of the big league cat-mouse game: batters adjust, Tim adjusts right back.

Tim's next start will be more interesting than usual. We'll see if today's off-day helps rest his arm, or if he adjusts back into his dominating self.

Comment starter: Is Tim wearing down a bit, or is the league figuring him out?