Youth movement
So, as well know Sabean has pledged to "get younger" in the off-season. The rotation isn't all figured out yet, but the lineup appears pretty set, so we can get a good look at what he means.
Here's a list of the players who lead the Giants in PA at each position in '06 and their Opening Day ages (which I calculated myself so might be a few days off).
C: Eliezer Alfonzo (27 years, 55 days)
1B: Shea Hillenbrand (30 years, 249 days)
2B: Ray Durham (34 years, 122 days)
3B: Pedro Feliz (30 years, 339 days)
SS: Omar Vizquel (38 years, 343 days)
OF: Barry Bonds (41 years, 252 days)
OF: Steve Finley (41 years, 21 days)
OF: Randy Winn (31 years, 297 days)
That gives us an average lineup age (discounting the pitcher) of 34 years, 164 days.
In 2007, our Opening Day lineup will most likely be
C: Bengie Molina (32 years, 256 days)
1B: Rich Aurilia (35 years, 214 days)
2B: Ray Durham (35 years, 122 days)
3B: Pedro Feliz (31 years, 339 days)
SS: Omar Vizquel (39 years, 343 days)
OF: Barry Bonds (42 years, 252 days)
OF: Dave Roberts (34 years, 306 days)
OF: Randy Winn (32 years, 297 days)
Giving us an average lineup age of * drumroll * 35 years, 266 days, or more than a full year older.
KUTGW Brian Sabean!
This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.
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Re: Youth movement
Re: Youth movement
Re: Youth movement
Tradeable short term players
Re: Youth movement
by Ghost11 on Dec 7, 2006 8:35 PM PST reply actions
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But if any of you really believed that he was going to do that, all I can say is "how?" There was no young players to get on the free agent market and we had 11 free agents, odds were that any reduction of age would be minimal, even if we, miracle of miracles, traded for a Vernon Wells, as rumored somewhere, because that would have took away our young pitchers and force us to spend on older pitching.
I always thought he was talking more philosophically, for long range plans. If you noticed, the contracts are relatively short, 2 1-year, 2 2-years, 2 3-years.
They will have at least $21M available from Bonds and Feliz going free agent, plus Vizquel, Matheny, Sweeney, and Worrell will be off the books, for another $12M or so, unless they resign Vizquel, who asked for an extension recently when interviewed about Durham, plus some uptick on salaries for some of the backloaded contracts. That should be good enough to pick up a young stud or two, if available, on the free market. And we'll see how many more of our prospects develop and contribute.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on Dec 7, 2006 9:10 PM PST reply actions
Re: Youth movement
The more holes the team can fill for next season - without mortgaging the future - this year, the better. Sabean is doing just that by signing people that may be useful beyond this season to reasonable deals while there isn't a huge penalty for it and filling other needs with only one-year contracts.
I'm glad to see the big guy back. My favorite Giant ever may just end his career a Giant, rather than end up somewhere else. I wasn't even born yet at the time, but it must have sucked when the team shipped Mays out.
Don't Say It
If someone gives their word, or even more so puts it on their company letterhead their brand name is on the line. Their credibility is on the line.
If you are not going to do it, if you do not believe it or can not do it then do not say it. You will lose integrity and credibility.
Re: Don't Say It
This team could have gotten younger a number of ways.
We could have given freddy lewis a chance in center instead of aging dave roberts. Sure we would have got less steal, but it would have been exciting to see what he could do. He turned in a very fine season last year in fresno and played well once he was brought up.
Frandsen at 2B. I love Durham, im happy we got him. But then again, i would have loved to see frandsen there.
Bonds in LF Lewis in CF Winn in RF and Linden with Finleys role of last year. I think this team would be comprable to our current team, and it would be a lot of fun to watch.
It wouldn't be a winning season, but at least Sabean wouldn't have beeen a liar.
by April3rdLifeBegins on Dec 7, 2006 10:39 PM PST up reply actions
Re: Don't Say It
Re: Don't Say It
The team how it is is boring and familiar. All i can really get excited for is Bonds, Cain, and when Lincecum gets brought up.
by April3rdLifeBegins on Dec 7, 2006 11:12 PM PST up reply actions
Re: Don't Say It
Re: Don't Say It
Lewis has to do a few things before earning that:
* Have a better than decent season in a hitter's league and park like Fresno.
* Show he can make use of (by far) his best tool: his speed. Part of this past season was definitely the lingering effects of an early hamstring injury, but he needs to show he can be healthy.
* Stop hitting like a platoon outfielder (.225/.336/.363 against left handers, only .291/.386/.481 against RHP)
* But most of all, he needs to actually play in center the vast majority of the time before I'm convinced he's ready to start at such a defensively key position.
I like Lewis' tools, and I think he could be a good player, but he's not a center fielder yet, and he'll have to be to have any hope of reaching his potential.
by BruteSentiment on Dec 8, 2006 2:25 AM PST up reply actions
Re: Don't Say It
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Dec 8, 2006 7:14 AM PST up reply actions
Re: Don't Say It
Missing the Point
See, that's the crux of the matter. People see the one statement and hold the Giants's feet to the fire but missed the main statement of the offseason: the Giants's goal is to be competitive in 2008, and they want to get younger and healthier while doing it. They stressed this over and over again, particularly in context regarding whether Bonds comes back or not. But really, people didn't see that when push comes to shove, winning (in the Giants thinking) comes before younger and healthier?
Frandsen, Linden, Lewis, I would would have been OK with that but it would not be a winning season, as you acknowledge. That's an untenable position regarding their statements to the public to put together a winning team.
Now some may argue that the team as constituted is not a winning team - and I would not argue against that stance, the team has a chance to stink it up again like 2005 and 2006, perhaps in a whole new different way.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on Dec 10, 2006 10:04 PM PST up reply actions
Giants can be good
GiantJim did a nice summary below about the Giants, I wish I had written that. I would add that Bonds, while still the centerpiece of the Giants offense, is no longer the centerpiece of the team. He's not going to hit like he did in 2001-2003, but he'll still be damn good.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on Dec 10, 2006 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
The Giants new centerpiece: Starting Rotation
And how valuable will pitchers like that be? I've written about this long ago before, but the Giants focus on pitching is a true blessing with the free agent market going crazy like this. Pitchers are very fungible commodities, I can trade one for almost any position in the field, but if you have a hitter, then you need to find a team that 1) has the player you need, and 2) need the hitter you have. Pitching is always in need and they can be used in a large variety of ways, they can literally fill one of 5-10 positions on your pitching staff, depending on what you need.
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on Dec 10, 2006 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
Bondsy is the Centerpiece
Re: Don't Say It
I am happy with their general results so far (no contracts over $20M in total value despite the crazy market, and no young pitchers traded). You can't get younger overnight when you have a barren farm system and only one veteran (Vizquel) with significant trade value. The youthiest thing they can do now would be to give 1,000 at-bats to the likes of Linden (400? Roberts doesn't play against lefties, and Bonds will sit a lot), Frandsen (350? Durham, Vizquel, and Aurilia, are, um, old) and Alfonso (250?), but I'm not holding my breath. And if they sign a veteran fourth outfielder (Jay Payton?) or utility guy (Vizcaino is still available), I will be furious.
The fact is, they were very clear about what they were going to do this winter, and they didn't do it, and I can't fault you for being upset about it.
Re: Don't Say It
The last thing we need is Jay Payton or Mark Loretta taking away time from Linden and Frandsen
by April3rdLifeBegins on Dec 7, 2006 11:15 PM PST up reply actions
Re: Don't Say It
While asthetically, and by prinicple, I have a tought time stomaching the Feliz, Molina and Roberts contracts, the future damage will be minimal. And maybe even the Molina and Roberts signings are more pragmatic than I am giving them credit for.
Really, so far, so good, for this off season. The Giants actually appear to be forming a base of young pitching to build around. And so far, none of them have been traded.
With Bonds as the "centerpiece" the offense should be better than bad and, with luck, reasonable. A .500 finish is within sights and hopefully their young pitching matures.
2008 will still be a major work in progress but at least we have the potential to be on the right track.
by GiantJim on Dec 8, 2006 10:30 AM PST up reply actions
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It's started.
As I've said before, I believe that he's done an okay job this off-season; I also believe that he's responsible for the mess that we're in by failing to do his job to diversify the roster over the last X number of years. Ultimately he's responsible for the roster, that I know. I have a lot of problems with Sabean's choices (and they are choices), but this year alone he's done okay.
Hell, even though drafts are notoriously unreliable, he has picked up draft picks this year. That's something that I'd assume most of us want.
Also, as Joebirdie3 wrote, wait 'till July.
We have a good young pitching staff, promise there too, some short term (2 to 3 years) contracts, and one Barry Bonds back. Barry will leave next year and we'll have his $18 million or so to sign our Vernon Wells or Adam Dunn or someone to be the cornerstone for the future.
...bastard still should have traded Schmidt. That still irks me.
by Kent @ McCovey Chronicles on Dec 8, 2006 7:12 AM PST reply actions
Re: It's started.
I will be right there complaining with people in July if we are 10 games out and Sabean isn't trading every vet whose contract doesn't expire after 2007 for prospects, but right now, the only way he could have made the team younger was to pay even more for the crap FAs available this year, play non-prospect organizational filler, or trade away our young pitching for young position players. I think Sabean wanted the team to be younger, but we are lucky that he didn't pay even more ridiculous money to guys like Juan Pierre to do it.
Plus, he may not be done.
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Dec 8, 2006 7:24 AM PST up reply actions
Re: It's started.
However, it still comes down to Sabean implementing it. At some point you do have to trust to play unproven guys. Someone above made the point that they decided to go one more year with Barry and surround him with older guys. I think the opposite might be true, with every Rich Aurilia/Dave Roberts signing they took one more step towards forcing themselves to resign Bonds because those older role player guys are only worth signing if you have a Barry in the middle.
So it will be interesting to see if when the time comes, Sabes can take the leap of faith with young talent. His buddy Ned is having a heck of time doing it right now in LA with a whole bushelfull of guys who may be ready.
Re: It's started.
I still see a possability of a Klesko signing, but only to replace Sweeney (who would then be traded) on the roster. He would alternate with Aurilia and spell Bonds some. I'm not saying it's what I want, or tht it would even help much, but it would be very Sabean. He's yet another piece which could be traded by mid-season.
Even the Sexson trade is a possablity, but it would likely cost at least Lowry, so I'm not hoping for it.
But even those deals would be more of the same. Stop-gap proceedures until the rebuilding process, gets to a competitve level, probably at least a few years away.
Right now, we still have Morris, Roberts, Winn, Molina, Aurilia and Durham signed for 2008, so the rebuliding process looks like a multi-year transitonal phase.
by GiantJim on Dec 8, 2006 10:47 AM PST up reply actions
Re: Youth movement
Young pitchers comprise 75% of the staff (everyone except Benitez, Worrell, and Morris). Cain, Lowry, Sanchez, Hennessey, Correia, Wilson, Sadler, Taschner, Misch, Threets, Linecum, etc. will make-or-break the success of the 2007 Giants. In a season that is all about the HR chase, the all star game, and the closing of the Barry window, some young guns will have a chance to launch their MLB careers.
More than 1/2 the Giants opening day roster looks to be young, home grown, cheap talent. True, no young players look to be starting- but do any of them really merit anything other than a bench role to start the season?
Re: Youth movement
this town thinks you're a bastard - Elvis Costello
Re: Youth movement
by GiantJim on Dec 8, 2006 10:48 AM PST up reply actions
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If you want to be really optimistic, you can look at this as a win-win, because if the team is winning, it's a win, and if the team is losing, we win by picking up prospects. I know that's a stretch, but that's what we have at this point. Like last year, though, the danger is that we're very mediocre, but not far enough out of the race in order for them to want to make the trades.
The tough part is that the types of deals Sabean has gotten for veterans like Aurilia just aren't available with pitchers this year, so we're in a more difficult place with pitching. I can't think of much here, except for really scouring the league for guys who have fallen out of favor for trivial reasons, guys who need motivation to get back in shape, and relievers who did well as starters and could do it again.
by Josh from The New Giant Thrill on Dec 8, 2006 9:24 AM PST reply actions
Re: Youth movement
by GiantJim on Dec 8, 2006 10:50 AM PST up reply actions
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I hate to say this, but the Dodgers have at least three guys Kemp, Loney, Ethier(sp)that are more ready than the three that are usually mentioned.
If there is anything that should be overhauled on the Giants its their scouting dept. and their minor league operations. It's shameful that we don't have one or two young guys coming up every year. I also hate to show my age, but when the Giants moved from NYC. Their starting lineup had Orlando Cepeda, rookie, Jimmy Davenport, rookie. I not sure about Spencer, Kirkland, Brandt(59) Then the following years. and I only mean in the next year or two they had Alou, Wagner, Marichal, McCovey and then Hart, Perry, Haller, Bonds, and Tito Fuentes to name a few.
Given the Market I don't know what the Giants were so suppose to do this year. However if they had a farm we wouldn't be asking these questions.
P.S. Fresno for the most part is a disgrace.
Re: Youth movement
Re: Youth movement
by GiantJim on Dec 8, 2006 10:52 AM PST reply actions

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