Look at banner Michael!

he is one of the most under appreciated people on this team

Horse before cart. The contract is a grand total of 5 percent completed. Let’s hold off our long-term judgments for a while, shall we?

I knew he was one of those guys that performed up to contract and “led by example.” I could’ve used one of those bullshit examples about being a warrior and crap like that, but lets be real…I knew the guy was going to hit .300+ and was willing to run through a wall when the game depended on it! He truly is the total opposite strategy of past years where guys preferred to slack off (not running out ground balls, taking lazy routes to fly balls, relying on the home run, etc.) I am not saying that he is the savior of the franchise, but I really think he is a bargain when you consider what he is teaching our current outfielders (and what I hope he teaches Nate and others in the next few years,) what he is bringing to the current offense with no true hitter to protect or be protected by, and he is a potential gold glove center fielder in a park with a gigantic outfield.

Bottom line-we got a solid fielder, a solid hitter in a weak lineup, and a great clubhouse guy for the same money that other teams (Dodgers) are paying for below average bench players in all respects, poor right fielders (Red Sox), and guys that were DFA’d (Tigers>Marlins.) I liked it! And I still like! Keep giving it your all Aaron, some of us aren’t whiney bitches when it comes to the same money Ted Lilly is getting!!!

I like Rowand, by the way, but it’s also fair to point out that this season’s results are more or less pumped up on a totally unsustainable BABIP:

That is, unless we’re assuming that his elevated line drive rate is a function of a change in his skillset, rather than small sample size noise. Obviously I’m hoping for the former, but time will tell.

I never really objected to the Rowand signing in a vacuum… I think he’s technically worth the money he got, I’m just not sure the Giants were the team that needed to be signing him.

I really like him now that he’s on the team though and I am happy to have him.

Rowand is a great signing for a contending team, but the Giants probably need four or five Aaron Rowands. I’m glad we have him, but we can only hope the Giants quickly fill in the pieces around him, or as good as he is the signing will be a waste. I think you can say the same thing about Bengie Molina as well. I really enjoy watching them play, so thanks Giants for bringing them in, but you forgot to put good players around them!!

I quietly liked the signing, even though I’m not sure how good he’ll be deep into his contract.

Most rebuilding teams don’t have their pitching staff already in place, and that’s usually what takes the longest to develop. If the Giants get the best free agent position player each year while developing some of the upper level talent into starters, it’s possible they could go from crap factory to competitive in a couple years.

to the first year of the signing for the money. It’s the last year or two of the contract that had (has) people concerned.

Yes, it’s been 2 months and he’s off to a good start. He also contributed to a special broadcasting moment.

However, the objections to his signing were several. First, he was coming off a career year in a hitter’s park. Second, he plays a position that the Giants have in abundance – outfield. His signing keeps Nate Schierholtz in the minors. Third, the worry is that in the last part of the deal, he won’t be worth the money he’s making.

Everyone pretty much thought the team was going to suck anyway this year, next year and wouldn’t be competitive until 2010 at the soonest. I don’t think that diagnosis has changed. If Rowand starts sucking when the Giants are starting to get good again, he’ll be a major drag on the team. That’s speculation, of course, but we won’t know until then. It’s still way too early to say it was a great signing, though it has worked out for the first 2 months.

I don’t really see the “leadership” other than he’s hitting well and leading the team to more wins than it probably should have. But so are Lincecum and Brian Wilson. But if people who interact with him everyday say its there, I suppose you can’t argue with that. It is certainly not a tangible fact you can objectify.

I certainly understand the argument about the Rowand contract being a mistake because the team is so bad that he doesn’t make a difference, but should the Giants not try to win ANY games?? Should they actually put everything into player development and field a team that’s completely unwatchable?? Even if the Giants aren’t good thoughout the entire Rowand contract, I still like the signing. If I’m going to spend money on the team and stay awake till 2am eastern time watching them every night, they have to give me something!!

I still don’t agree with the notion that as we aren’t going to be competitive this year, there’s no point in signing good players as they aren’t going to do any good. There’s one thing non-competitive teams need in order to be competitive & that’s good quality players. You can’t just sit around & wait until you’re competitive before signing players because, firstly, you’re unlikely to be competitive with purely young players, and in the current climate of free agency, the players you want may never be available. That’s one (of a number) of the reasons, you see teams stuck at the bottom, year after year. The Tigers are probably the most oft-used example of a team rebuilding in that way. There are obvious caveats to make it worthwhile:

a) The player has to be good. There’s no point spending money on a load of average players, that’s the purpose of development. Rowand may not be able to keep his current level up, but he’s an above average player & a valuable player to have.

b) The player isn’t signed to a bad contract. When i first heard we were talking to Rowand, i was disappointed, because i felt we were going to overpay, but his contract is perfectly reasonable, so i was ok with the signing.

c) The player is old. There’s no point in signing mid-late thirties players who aren’t going to be around, or performing when you’re able to compete again. Rowand was 30, he may not be young, free agents never are, but he’s still young enough to be a useful player in a few years, when we should be able to compete.

d) The player isn’t blocking prospects who could perform equally or better in future. This isn’t the case for Rowand, the prospects we have in the outfield (Bowker, Schierholtz, Lewis, Ortmeier) are corner types, not centrefielders. The only prospect Rowand has blocked is Davis, and his ceiling is low, who’s never going to perform at the level of Rowand.

Honestly I thought this diary was about Aaron Rowand’s illegitimate child.

Anyway, topic. I don’t hate Rowand at all, which is a big step up from my initial reaction to the signing. That’s a pretty good deal, to me.

we should sign more centerfielders?