S(O)S
by Grant Brisbee on Aug 4, 2008 12:59 PM PDT
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PrintFrom Andrew Baggarly’s blog:
Got it. So for future second base options, the organization has:
- A 23-year-old in Fresno who has a little pop, and who currently has a .400 on-base percentage in AAA
- A 26-year-old, currently on the DL, who sports a career .327/.391/.458 minor league line even though he was moved quickly through the high minors
- A 27-year-old with game-changing speed and atheism-inducing defense who responded to a much-deserved demotion by putting up the best numbers of his minor league career
And the future options at shortstop:
- A 25-year-old minor league free agent with a career minor league line of .255/.331/.325, who was so far off the Giants’ organizational depth chart at the beginning of the year that the club preferred to rush two shortstops from A-ball rather than play him
- Approximately 28 players who have never hit at any level of professional baseball
Obviously, the Giants’ first priority should be to test Burriss out at second base. Really, I can’t see anything wrong with that idea. Why have three question marks vying for the second base job when you can have four? Why have minimal depth at shortstop when you can have no depth? My revised depth chart for 2009:
Kevin Frandsen, vice-second base
Eugenio Velez, lieutenant second base
Travis Denker, center-right second base
Emmanuel Burriss, second base general
Jose Castillo, trans-positional infield specialist
Ivan Ochoa, back-up shortstop
Orlando Cabrera, starting shortstop (4 yr./$30M)
Wait, no. Maybe Vizquel comes back. Wait, no. Maybe Ochoa hits .270 for the rest of this season and is handed the job next year. Wait, no. Maybe it’s David Eckstein who gets the big money deal. Wait, no. Maybe the Giants trade a top-ten prospect for Edgar Renteria after the Tigers pick up his option.
When you look at it like that, you can see why the Giants are reluctant to try Burriss out at short for the rest of the year. There are just too many good options for the shortstop position next year. The good options are just leaking out of the organization. Here’s a popular joke going around the Giants’ front office:
Person B: Who’s there?
A: A good option for the shortstop job in 2009!
B: Aiiiiieeeee! Not another one! Oh god, no!
A: I’ve become one of them! Barricade the doors! Save yourself, youafargengggrrrreeaackccccckkkk (note: Person A’s skull was crushed when was overrun by a stampede of good shortstop options)
B: I’ll never forget you, Person A. I’ll nevafurrggggrrrrraaaall (note: several good shortstop options came in through the front window and killed Person B for sustenance, as there are just too many of them to feed using typical resources)
It’s all in the timing, that joke. So I, for one, whole-heartedly approve with the Giants’ plan for Emmanuel Burriss:
- Bring Burriss up after 62 at-bats above A-ball, and sit him on the bench for most of the entire season.
- Make him learn a new position at the major league level, just to make sure he doesn’t get a whole lot of defensive innings at shortstop. Make sure the new position is crowded, too, just so he doesn't really play a whole lot.
- Order red, white, and blue bunting for playoffs.
I’m in. The handling of Emmanuel Burriss proves that the Giants have a plan, and it all fills me with just gallons of liquid confidence.
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I thought so too...
isn’t he?
Fairley odd parent to Wendell
by WTF on Aug 4, 2008 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Burriss only really works at SS, not a fan of him trying to be a 2B, even with his good D.
So, yeah, the Giants have plan. It’s bad.
This
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Clearly, now that we’ve adequately filled the major league roster with center fielders, they’re now working on second base. Shortstop has to wait its turn.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
So
does that go on record as the most sarcastic piece of journalistic work of all time?
Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!
Teen 1: Are you being ironic?
Teen 2: I don’t even know anymore.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
Since they don't have
confidence in anyone from within for SS, doesn’t this confirm they’re going the FA route in the offseason to do this?
Meet my three little friends: Timmy, Dirty, and Cain
You're joking, right?
The big offseason FA signing will be another center fielder.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
PROVEN SET-UP MAN
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 4, 2008 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Ivan Ochoa
The other thing that baffled me from that article:
Bochy also said Friday’s alignment makes the Giants the best possible defensive team.
In other words, the team considers Ochoa a better defensive SS than Burriss. Which makes it all the more inexplicable that they didn’t bring him up either at the start of the season (instead of Bocock) or after Bocock flailed (instead of Burriss).
The All-Father is now a Giant!
If I read 1 more sentence that has the words “Jose Castillo” and “2nd base” again I’m a’goin on a tri-state murder spree…
Or “Jose Castillo” and “3rd base”...
Or just “Jose Castillo”.
What was the topic again?
Patron saint of pesky hitters.
Can you make it 3 of the sucky states?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 4, 2008 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
wow
that’s incredibly accurate, although one could extend the texas color into the pinkish area.
Proud pappa of....STEVE HOLM!!
by UnleashTheGore on Aug 4, 2008 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions
What's on second...
and I Don’t Know is on 3rd.
I’m concerned about Frandsen even coming back from that injury. Everything I’ve heard / read about recovery is “you’re never the same again.” Now granted, the few people I know personally who have had this injury were soccer players and I’m sure the Achilles takes a bigger beating running around a soccer field, but having to pivot, turn, and jump at 2nd base might present quite a challenge.
Then again KF is probably getting much better care and therapy than what my weekend warrior friends get at Kaiser.
Actually, I interviewed Will Carroll before the season started and asked him about the achilles. Here’s his response.
Bay City Ball: The news is out that 2B Kevin Frandsen has ruptured his achillies and could miss the entire season. Now, I’m not a doctor but that sounds extremely painful. Anytime I hear the word "rupture" I squirm. What are the implications of such an injury? Both in a recovery time frame and how it effects a player’s ability to play the game — field, run, hit, etc.? Any good historical precedents for a baseball player rupturing his achilles and making a successful comeback?Will Carroll: He’s done for the year, sadly. "Rupture" just means that it’s a complete tear. It will be surgically reattached and he’ll be fine. Most come back normally, a bit less speed. I can name a lot more football players, but Gabe Kapler comes to mind.
It sounds recoverable, but I worry about his age and how missing an entire year will affect his development. The Giants have had a pretty good medical staff over the past few years, too.
Javon Walker
Came back with the Broncos and had a career year, but now he’s trash…
by KTJ on Aug 4, 2008 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Speaking of foot issues
Can anyone tell me why they don’t just take Freddie out right now and get him his foot surgery? They talk about how painful it is for him all the time, and it can’t help playing on it. Apparently, there’s something like an 8-month recovery time, and they’ve got a) nothing to play for this year, and b) any number of folks who could take his place while he heals.
Isn’t a healthy Fred Lewis at the start of ‘09 a higher priority than any potential ‘08 production?
¿Julio is tourist in San Francisco? Harper's Bizarre!
Agree
He has proven himself as a MLer this season. Get the surgery and rehab. In the meantime an OF spot could be opened up for Bowker and then promote Ishikawa to play 1b.
Trade Winn
Outfield spots for Bowker AND Schierholtz.
¿Julio is tourist in San Francisco? Harper's Bizarre!
Question:
If Winn is claimed on waivers and if the claiming team and Giants cannot agree on a deal should the Giants just let the claiming team assume the contract?
Even if Frandsen comes back 100% healthy
I’m not convinced he’s the answer either. I are skeptical.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
sarcasm aside
velez isnt that good, and i cant see him being that good and frandsen and denker could always be tried out at 3rd until we find some pop to go there
proud father of the newly acquired Brandon Crawford..
Anagram of "Who should play shortstop?"
SHHH! SLOPPY, DOLOROUS TWAT
No, we are not bringing back Neifi Perez.
Anagram of "Giants pitcher Matt Cain" = TRAGIC MAN, ISN'T PATHETIC
by Stuttering John Tamargo on Aug 4, 2008 1:38 PM PDT reply actions
So, Dolorous Ed gets the job, then?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 4, 2008 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
I would expect a lesser sarchastic piece the day after a weekend where we 1) win 2 of 3 on the road and 2) Barry Zito actually pitches like he deserves the contract he got. There is no pleasing some people
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.
by WilliamVanLandingham on Aug 4, 2008 1:39 PM PDT reply actions
Re:
1) they’re the padres.
2) they’re the padres.
If my head is full of white hairs by the end of this season.. I blame Brian Wilson. (I'm only 22, dammit!)
Yay! We won a series! The season is all better now!
Sorry, but those two things you bring up don’t make this season less worth being sarcastic about. Even in the short-term.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 4, 2008 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
But but but
the post is undeniably right on the mark.
Maybe you’re the one who can’t be pleased?
Eh, druze moj….
bringing you moral turpitude since 1963
The Giants are playing .000 ball over the past one day.
by Grant Brisbee on Aug 4, 2008 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
and that hack Matt Cain starts tonight
about to go 0 for the last 2
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
The handling of Emmanuel Burriss proves that the Giants have a plan, and it all fills me with just gallons of liquid confidence
See also: Brian Bocock, Travis Denker, Nate Schierholtz (2007), Kevin Frandsen (2007), Jonathan Sanchez (2005-2007), etc. ad infinitum.
Only 865 games until the end of Zito's contract
How long has it been
since someone told you that you’re fucking awesome?
It could just be that the Gigantes provide so much material, but I doubt it.
bringing you moral turpitude since 1963
Don't worry...
they’re just showcasing Burriss before the trade deadline!
(That’s my new answer for all the Giants’ frustrating personnel moves.)
Disfrute Los Gigantes every day at www.leftymalo.com
by leftymalo on Aug 4, 2008 1:54 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Thoughts
I too was surprised that the Giants didn’t play Manny Burriss and Ivan Ochoa at the opposite positions of which they have chosen. That said, I DO agree that Manny could become one of the best defensive second basemen in the game (although I also think he could become a very good defensive shortstop). But while Manny intersperses great plays with a few foibles at shortstop, he seems to be a flat-out NATURAL at second, even including the pivot.
Looking at the bigger picture (not that you could pin me down to saying I’m sure the Giants actually do so), if the Giants truly become the very good-to-great team I think they can, Manny likely would become a utility infielder.
Assuming Angel Villalona returns to third base, I like both Conor Gillaspie and Nick Noonan better at second than Manny. There really isn’t anyone I like much better at shortstop than Manny, but perhaps this is an indication that the Giants will either draft a shortstop next season, sign Rafael Furcall as a free agent this winter or trade for a very good shortstop prospect.
Perhaps the move of Manny to second is because the Giants truly do believe he has the potential to become a Gold Glove-type defender there and are just praying that he will be able to bunt, poke and prod his way on base often enough to be an acceptable hitter there (although shortstop is actually the lesser-hitting position).
I guess what I’m saying is that I can see some reasons the Giants might actually be doing the right thing here. Since I don’t really know their thinking but do like the overall direction they are going with their draft choices and other young player acquisitions, I am willing to cut them a little slack with regard to this move.
I think working on Manny’s hitting - especially from the left side - is a higher priority than which middle infield position he plays.
V at Third
Don’t see this is as a good idea. Even if he is young he was still averaging about three errors per week last year and he’s supposed to get bigger. Third base requires excellent footwork. I believe most MLB third baseman are guys who were shortstops when younger.
While anything is possible, I would say that V’s chances of playing 3B as good as a hack like Braun are on the order of 1 in 10. And the chance of being an average 3B is about as likely as Matt Morris winning another Cy Young award.
I think we’re much more likely to see Gillaspie work out at 3rd.
Oh come on!
and he’s supposed to get bigger.
According to what? Sure, he might get taller, but where is it written that you automatically get fatter as you get older? I’m tired of hearing this baseless critique.
Third base requires excellent footwork.
And V has actually received a number of kudos for his footwork.
I would say that V’s chances of playing 3B as good as a hack like Braun are on the order of 1 in 10.
The guy is, like, 7 years younger than Braun. He’s just learning the position. Judging him on errors at this point is silly.
¿Julio is tourist in San Francisco? Harper's Bizarre!
I smell
a Sabean solution to SS that is going to be outside of the farm system currently, and i think it is going to be a FA. Some money is cleared and it looks destined to happen, man i’d prefer to trade for one with some room to grow as opposed to Furcal’s sewn together body for 1-3 games a year.
there don’t seem to be a lot of likely targets, as described, to go get.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
I know
which further confuses me and puts us in a bad position for getting someone at a good price.
by Giant Voodoo on Aug 5, 2008 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
thus i say the team should take the same attitude as smart clubs do towards “run of the mill” free agent middle relieavers. which is to say, ” If it aint Cheep or good I don’t want it.” Then lay down an outlaw Josey Wales spit at the agents feet.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
Grant ruuuules, assist from eliminateme
several of us brought up Ochoa’s name during the Bockock Experimenticock. IvanO, during ST, was told to be a utility IF, put all over the infield, and looked dumb a few times. So his stock kind of dropped. And some Fresno watchers say he is not real consistent in the field. So….Bochy is bringing Ochoa bouquets this wee, let’s see if this Experimentchoa succeeds.
adopter/sponsor of "Go, Antoan" Richardson
this wee?
Which (whose?) wee are you talking about here? Does this have anything to do with Goofus and his silly hat?
¿Julio is tourist in San Francisco? Harper's Bizarre!
Regarding
Regarding the plan or lack thereof for Manny, I probably would have started him out in Connecticut this season, based on his good performance in the AzFL. I would have started the season with Ivan Ochoa at shortstop for the Giants, and allowed Brian Burriss a chance to further prove himself in San Jose. I’m not sure exactly whom that would have left to play shortstop for Fresno, but someone would have been able to do so.
Whatever happened to the minor league Rule 5 shortstop the Giants drafted in the minor league portion of last year’s draft?
Ciriaco?
lousy hitter, I don’t know why he was picked up. Now playing both IF and OF in Augusta methinks.
Your plan makes sense, and is a plan. Wald and Haines were available to pick it in Fresno, a slight stretch offensively, tho Wald reached the PCL recently. Julio Cordido came up as a SS, then gained weight.
adopter/sponsor of "Go, Antoan" Richardson
Hmmm.... let's see...
Loud?
Check.
Bloviating?
Check.
Righteous Indignation?
Checkerino.
At least grant knows how to keep his promises. Bochy & Sabes, I’m looking at you.
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Aug 4, 2008 2:06 PM PDT reply actions
Making Manny Comfortable (and Grant Squirm)
My mind might be fried from giving my daughter her first parallel parking lesson, but I read the initial statement as “Manny is a shortstop but he has extra value as a potentially really great defensive 2B so we want to play him there too so he’ll be comfortable and we’ll have more flexibility.” I think they expect Manny to compete with Ochoa and anyone they pick up in free agency and that the second base battle next year is between KFran, Denker, Castillo and Velez with the hope that Noonan begins to make enough noise next year to make it clear he is the obvious long-range solution.
Proud adopted parent of future big league slugger Thomas Neal
by nostocksjustbonds on Aug 4, 2008 3:09 PM PDT reply actions
Statler & Waldorf FTW
actually, i couldn’t pick just one. Chef Bochy would be up there tho, for sure.
Billy Hayes: His job is better than yours.
what about beeker?
"ever so cynical yet whimsical giants related signature"
by The Gene Hackman on Aug 4, 2008 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions
This makes a lot of sense except....
Except that since Burriss was available in the draft – Jonathon May noted, “There’s some question about his ability to play short…” – most observers of the prospect scene that I’ve read said that Burriss had 2B in his future. One prospect book this year said, “may not have arm strength for SS, but has good range and soft hands.” BA noted that he is “likely playing some second base next to Brian Bocock.” They also note his good range and instincts at SS, but then noted that with 30 errors in 123 games in 2007, he needs to be more consistent on defense. Sounds like he’s no sure thing at fielding SS.
In addition, this all comes down to “where are the AB’s available?” Ochoa has been noted for his glove his whole career – and he showed some of his flash the other day with that DP – and only in the past two seasons has he started hitting. If you are going to hold his poor hitting against him, then Vizquel never would have gotten a shot because he wasn’t that good until he was around the same age. And I don’t blame the Giants for not giving him a shot after one – and not even full season as he was injured – good season of offense in 2007, but now after another successful run, he gets his chance: what is wrong with that logic?
But then how do you evaluate Burriss if Ochoa gets a lot of looks at SS? Well, they still want to see how he does at SS but he most probably would make a good fielding 2B, and, what-do-you-know, there’s a spot open at 2B for him to get regular AB. What is wrong with that logic?
And if you start the season with your expected starting SS injured, who you signed solely because you didn’t really have any good options in the farm system yet, got Ochoa with a history of nothing, half a season of maybe something or maybe lucky due to small samples, you then go to the next choices down below, Burriss or Bocock. Basically you go with Burriss if you want some possibility of offense, Bocock if you want good defense. They decided on defense, which shows that the Giants have their head on straight, defense is key because we have young pitchers and we need them to trust their fielders will do their job and not create more headaches for them and get them pushed out of shape.
And they had to go with one of them, else it would have meant trading at a disadvantage with another team for their SS whom they thought so little of that they are willing to give him to you at the start of the season OR though so much of that they want Lincecum or Cain, take your pick. Would you rather the Giants traded for this SS?
The Giants did the best they could between a rock and a hard spot. Blame this on their drafting if you want, but most teams have a few starters on their roster who if they lost, they were up sh*t creek. Did they also screw up their drafting as well? And how many of them have a blockbuster superstar pitching staff set up for the next 4-8 years?
Yeah, they probably shouldn’t have brought Burriss up only to have him sit. Only thing is, that is what managers like Earl Weaver liked to do, he recommends bringing up pitchers as long-relief, spot relief pitchers, because he felt that just getting used to being a major leaguer is a tough enough transition, let alone putting him into a high pressure situation immediately by starting him. He didn’t say this same rule for position players, but what is wrong with bringing Burriss up to get him acclimated to the majors first, then back down for regular AB before bringing him back again? It also gives them a taste of the majors that hopefully will motivate them more when they get sent back down to the minors.
It is not like we are dealing with top grade beef here, Burriss is a supplemental first-rounder who has struggled in the minors, on both offense and defense. The odds are against even that high a pick to make the majors, let alone be useful, let alone be a good player. To pin high hopes on him is foolish; to hope for the best is the best route. If you are going to stress over the usage of a marginal prospect like him, then I suggest a chill pill, as he most likely will disappoint you even if the Giants did everything that you thought they should do in their care and feeding of prospects.
Adoptive parental unit of Kevin "Most Spectacular Pitcher" Pucetas.
"I'm a Giant now... I like watching the ball get up there" - Wendell Fairley
"I'm really proud to be on this team." - Nate Schierholtz
by obsessivegiantscompulsive on Aug 4, 2008 5:00 PM PDT reply actions
Not letting 'em off the Bocock/Ochoa hook that easily
You’ve got two options that will give you solid defense – Bocock or Ochoa – and neither proven with the bat. However, Ochoa (even discounting 2007) had put up numbers at AA comparable to what Bocock did in A ball. If you want to talk about a “history of nothing” for Ochoa, then Bocock’s history was less than zero.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
i think the only way that decision can be defended is to imagine that the Giants didn’t think Bocock had a future as a big leaguer, while they thought that Ochoa might. if that was true, they may have seen a downside to exposing Ochoa to the big leagues too soon, while that same risk wouldn’t have been incurred by calling up Bocock. if that was the case, it was the right move. i don’t think that’s where they were coming from, seeings how it took so long for them to call up Ochoa when they weren’t getting much defensively at second or offensively at short. but it is a possibility.
That doesn't really make sense either...
...considering that Ochoa was 25 and coming off his 3rd season in the upper minors, and considering that he was a minor league FA signing after Cleveland let him go.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
just playing devil's advocate
i don’t believe it, either. i was really grasping at straws trying to think of any reason the giant’s FO might have had for going with bocock.
Yeah, gotcha.
The thing is, the only way I could figure out this move making any sense was if the Giants really felt Ochoa’s defense was suspect. But reading Bochy saying that he’s better than Burriss at SS blows that notion out of the water.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
One point I am not seeing referenced here is Ochoa was a switch hitter up to this season. So a line of logic can be presented the a couple months in AAA playing every day batting just from the right had side would be shrewd thing to do. Especially if the SS opening is only expected to last 2-3 weeks.
Now granted Shrewd and Giants farm management does not seem to happen very often. And Granted Sbean should have never played the tem in that situation in the first place.
Ivan Ochoa - Heir to the legacy of Rob Andrews & Rikkert Faneyte!
Burriss
“Sounds like he’s no sure thing at fielding SS.”
There may be some doubts about whether Burriss can cut it defensively at SS, but I think there is very little doubt that he will never be able to cut it at 2B offensively—I’ll be shocked if he ever slugs .400.
“If you are going to stress over the usage of a marginal prospect like him, then I suggest a chill pill, as he most likely will disappoint you even if the Giants did everything that you thought they should do in their care and feeding of prospects.”
I think you missed the point by quite a bit here. I don’t think anybody’s stressing because they think he’d be destined for stardom if the Giants only used him right. Quite the opposite, I think people are concerned because he’s not much of a prospect - with only an outside shot of filling the SS black hole - yet they are playing him at one of the few spots where they have a couple of interesting prospects. So, while many of us believe either Denker of Frandsen may be a good long-term solution at 2B, we envision Burriss playing there ahead of them and cranking out one or two extra base hits a month while Sabean praises his play by calling him “the next Neifi Perez” without even the slightest hint of irony.
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, they probably shouldn’t have brought Burriss up only to have him sit.
Understatement of the year.
Except that since Burriss was available in the draft – Jonathon May noted, "There’s some question about his ability to play short…" – most observers of the prospect scene that I’ve read said that Burriss had 2B in his future. One prospect book this year said, "may not have arm strength for SS, but has good range and soft hands." BA noted that he is "likely playing some second base next to Brian Bocock." They also note his good range and instincts at SS, but then noted that with 30 errors in 123 games in 2007, he needs to be more consistent on defense. Sounds like he’s no sure thing at fielding SS.
But we’ve seen him play. He most assuredly has the arm strength for short; I had read the same reports, so I was surprised to find that his arm is above average. He turns a double play well, and he can make throws from deep in the hole. Granted, his numbers at Hardball Times put him at the bottom of NL shortstops, but that’s for the equivalent of 27 games. He hasn’t been a Frandsenian disaster at short at all.
And if you start the season with your expected starting SS injured, who you signed solely because you didn’t really have any good options in the farm system yet, got Ochoa with a history of nothing, half a season of maybe something or maybe lucky due to small samples, you then go to the next choices down below, Burriss or Bocock.
The Giants needed a backup shortstop before Vizquel was injured. It was unacceptable to have the ostensible starter at second, who had started a grand total of 25 games at short in the majors, also be the only backup plan for a 41-year-old shortstop. The Giants blew it. And if they didn’t view Ochoa as an option to fill in for an emergency, there was no reason to sign him as a minor league free agent to be the starter in AAA.
Having Brian Bocock start the season at short is still the most mind-boggling display of organizational ineptitude I’ve ever seen. Not only the decision to start Bocock, but all of the roster decisions that led up to that decision. No hyperbole. At least you can chalk Tony Pena, Jr. down to nepotism. Think about what it should take to promote a kid who is less than 15 months out of Stetson, and who hit .220 in A-ball. There should have been four or five options unavailable, at least, before Bocock was even considered. There should have been minor league lifers - the Scott McClains of no-hit, all-field shortstops - who were backing up in AAA and AA. Like, oh, Ivan Ochoa.
The Giants put a player with zero chance of success in a position to fail like few others have ever failed before him, and they did it all because of the “speed and defense” mantra. Surprise! Bocock, as a young player, was prone to booting balls and mental mistakes! His glove, while good, wasn’t magic! And, surprise!, Matt Cain outhit him handily.
It gets me really angry every time I think about it.
by Grant Brisbee on Aug 4, 2008 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions
SF tossed the “speed and defense” mantra when they decided to try Frandsen at SS. At that point the organization was hoping just to get by with what they hoped was average defense and a way to get Frandsen into the lineup until the soon return of Vizquel. The genesis of the SF 2008 SS problem began with the signing of Vizquel and compounded the error every step of the way.
Yeah, what you said. Except the angry part. I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.
The All-Father is now a Giant!
“I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused.”
My wife used this exact same sentence the other day to describe the state of our sex life.
"I been waitin' a long time for this! I been waitin' since the f**kin' amateurs!" --WILL "THE THRILL" CLARK
by Josh from Hollywood on Aug 4, 2008 6:35 PM PDT up reply actions
no
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com and on it I make jokes about things.
Grant Green
If any of you guys know about Cape Cod, the showcase for the next years draft crop, grant Green is a name that’s shreding it over there. A shortstop with the offensive cieling of troy tulowitski and good defense. If the Giants continue to move up in draft and a couple other guys tear it up I think we have a chance to grap a middle of the order shortstop.
Man, I’ve had that damned Police song stuck in my head all day because of this.
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
I know!
Every Breath You Take is really catchy.
Trent Kline: Decentish. Also, my website is called ChatterBalks Dot Com and on it I make jokes about things.
Who knew that Sting was such good friends with Biggy?
My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.
by howtheyscored on Aug 5, 2008 2:22 AM PDT up reply actions
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