First!

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&hl=225873&id=3702

Unfortunately, the Giants don't have the 3 elite prospects to get him.  Fun to think about though.

I would trade Sexson for Durham in a heartbeat. . .I'd even throw some $$ in the pot, please? please?

http://www.baycityball.com/2007/10/24/first/

I'm suing you for 1 billion dollars.

Speaking of, Choi's back in Korea, playing in the KBO. He signed with the KIA Tigers in June, IIRC.

Plust doesn't it sound like a name that could lead to the next Cha-cha bowl?  

He Sop Choy with pan fried noodles sounds worth $9.50 to me.  

1.) Lowry and Roberts for Hall (3B).
2.) Durham for Sexson (1B).
3.) Sanchez for C. Gomez (CF).
4.) Winn for Lillibridge (SS).
5.) Avoid free agents and invest in amateur talent.

*Also I was very pleased to see Carney Lansford signed as hitting coach.  Awesome choice.

Looking at the NL, only 5 starters had over 30 HR in the season, out of 16 teams.  Only 3 more had 21-24 HR.  The average 1B had a .797 OPS (that was the league OPS that was compared to Conor Jackson in Baseball-Reference.com for 2007) and had a median HR total of around 19-20 HR.

Dan Ortmeier had an .814 OPS (107 OPS+), albeit in small sampling.  The good news is that he had two separate stints with the team and hit basically the same both times, in terms of OPS, suggesting that his talent was the same both times.  

The better news is that his SLG of .497 is better than the .447 that is the league OPS in Conor Jackson profile, meaning he has better power than the average 1B.  He could have a big drop and still be about average.  

Also, his AB/HR rate is 26 AB/HR, which is approximately a 20-25 HR pace, which is right in there with the average 1B in the league and even if his rate dropped a bit, he would still be average.  And he hit at a 25 AB/HR pace his good year in AA in 2005.

And while he was coming up, most prospect analysts were saying that he had 20-20 potential as a corner OF starter, so it is not like it is crazy talk to say that he finally figured things out and can meet those expectations finally.  And some prospects take longer to develop, that's where the A's have been good at catching those players who blossom relatively late in their careers, like Geronimo Berroa, Matt Stairs, and their latest find, Jack Cust.

The thing I find that some Giants fans have failed to recognize is that a team does not have to have a good hitter at every position in order to win games.  Particularly now that we have a potentially superb, dominating rotation backed by a strong bullpen.

Power at 1B!  Power at 1B!  The sky is falling.  You don't need to have an elite power hitter at 1B to make the World Series.  The Rockies had Todd Helton, who had all of 17 homers playing the whole season, and they made it to the World Series.  On the flip side, Boston had Youkilis, who had 16 homers himself.

I see this every year.  RF stinks.  1B stinks.  3B stinks.  And yes, they do stink compared to the elite players, but are they at least above average?  

Especially with a good pitching rotation, we only need an average, consistent offense to win a lot of games and be in contention for the division title.  So stop looking for a good hitter at every position under the sun, just look for average and above hitters across the board, and our team should win easily.  

The main problem is finding these average players without paying an arm and a leg for them.  But I think Ortmeier, Frandsen, Lewis, and Schierholtz look promising as far as being average players.  With some possible upside, which is all we need to make some nice leaps in scoring.

To anyone crowing about Carlos Pena and saying "I told you so", please explain to me what you would have done at 1B from 2002-2006, when Pena was just a slightly above average 1B who didn't play very much or hit for very much.