FUTURES GAME
by caincecum on Jul 12, 2009 9:58 AM PDT
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PrintHello all, I wanted to make a futures game thread so we could talk about Bumgarner, Villalona among Giants reps' I'm very excited to see a hand full of other prospects though mainly Heyward(whom I wanted the Giants to pick), Stanton (power/hype) The U.S squad also has a very number of interesting arms I'm probably most curious to see Kyle Drabek since I wanted the Giants to pick him in 06 before Lincecum fell. In my opinion the world teams talent is underwhelming compared to the U.S team I'm only curious to see hand full of players mainly the backstops Carlos Santana and Jesus Montero and yes Villalona. Other than that the roster seems pretty pedestrian. heres the rosters.....
| U.S. ROSTER | |||
| Player | Pos. | Team | Affiliation |
| Jason Castro | C | Double-A Corpus Christi | Astros |
| Tyler Flowers |
C | Double-A Birmingham |
White Sox |
| Chris Carter | 1B | Double-A Midland | Athletics |
| Scott Sizemore |
2B | Triple-A Toledo |
Tigers |
| Jemile Weeks |
2B | High Class A Stockton |
Athletics |
| Eric Young |
2B | Triple-A Colorado Springs |
Rockies |
| Danny Espinosa |
SS | High Class A Potomac |
Nationals |
| Pedro Alvarez |
3B | Double-A Altoona |
Pirates |
| Josh Vitters |
3B | Low Class A Peoria |
Cubs |
| Brett Wallace |
3B | Triple-A Memphis |
Cardinals |
| Jason Heyward |
OF | High Class A Myrtle Beach |
Braves |
| Chris Heisey |
OF | Double-A Carolina |
Reds |
| Desmond Jennings |
OF | Double-A Montgomery | Rays |
| Daryl Jones |
OF |
Double-A Springfield |
Cardinals |
| Mike Stanton |
OF |
Double-A Jacksonville |
Marlins |
| Madison Bumgarner |
LHP |
Double-A Connecticut | Giants |
| Kyle Drabek |
RHP | Double-A Reading |
Phillies |
| Danny Duffy |
LHP | High Class A Wilmington |
Royals |
| Casey Kelly |
RHP | High Class A Salem |
Red Sox |
| Mat Latos |
RHP | Double-A San Antonio |
Padres |
| Brad Lincoln |
RHP | Triple-A Indianapolis |
Pirates |
| Brian Matusz |
LHP |
Double-A Bowie |
Orioles |
| Jarrod Parker | RHP |
Double-A Mobile |
Diamondbacks |
| Trevor Reckling |
RHP |
Double-A Arkansas |
Angels |
| Chris Tillman | RHP |
Triple-A Norfolk |
Orioles |
| WORLD ROSTER | |||
| Player | Pos. | Team | Affiliation |
| Jesus Montero |
C | Double-A Trenton |
Yankees |
| Carlos Santana |
C | Double-A Akron |
Indians |
| Angel Villalona |
1B | High Class A San Jose |
Giants |
| Brett Lawrie |
2B | Low Class A Wisconsin |
Brewers |
| Starlin Castro |
SS | High Class A Daytona |
Cubs |
| Alcides Escobar |
SS | Triple-A Nashville |
Brewers |
| Wilmer Flores |
SS | Low Class A Savannah |
Mets |
| Pedro Baez |
3B | High Class A Inland Empire |
Dodgers |
| Alex Liddi |
3B | High Class A High Desert |
Mariners |
| Dayan Viciedo |
3B | Double-A Birmingham |
White Sox |
| Luis Durango |
OF | Double-A San Antonio |
Padres |
| Tyson Gillies |
OF | High Class A High Desert |
Mariners |
| Kyeong Kang |
OF | Low Class A Bowling Green |
Rays |
| Rene Tosoni |
OF |
Double-A New Britain |
Twins |
| Nick Weglarz |
OF | Double-A Akron |
Indians |
| Manny Banuelos |
LHP | Low Class A Charleston |
Yankees |
| Jhoulys Chacin |
RHP | Double-A Tulsa | Rockies |
| Neftali Feliz |
RHP | Triple-A Frisco |
Rangers |
| Yohan Flande |
LHP |
High Class A Clearwater |
Phillies |
| Chia-Jen Lo |
RHP |
Double-A Corpus Christi |
Astros |
| Jenrry Mejia |
RHP | Double-A Binghamton |
Mets |
| Luis Perez |
LHP |
Double-A New Hampshire |
Blue Jays |
| Leyson Septimo |
LHP |
High Class A Visalia |
Diamondbacks |
| Juan Carlos Sulbaran |
RHP | Low Class A Dayton |
Reds |
| Junichi Tazawa |
RHP | Double-A Portland |
Red Sox |
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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Comments
Also, you aren’t going to see Villalona, as he’s injured.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
PABLO SANDOVAL AM STEAL DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS.
wait really?
whoose taking his place? when did this come about shoot also I forgot to add the world team has a number of good arms that could be their comming out party
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
Barbaro Canizares replace Villalona, Strained his quad Wednesday night trying to beat out a play at 1B, as you can see here.
John Manual’s pre-game blog has this to say about Villalona’s situation:
Canizares replaced the injured Angel Villalona (Giants) on the roster on Friday, a disappointing development. No offense to Canizares, 30, a Cuban who made his big league debut this season and who’s having an outstanding year for Triple-A Gwinnett. But he’s 11 years older than Villalona, and having Villalona on the roster kept the Giants from sending other representatives, such as catcher Buster Posey or righthander Tim Alderson, as in the selection process, we’re limited to two players per organization in the selection process. It’s disappointing to not have Big V (or AnVil, if you prefer) here for that reason alone.
In the BA podcast on the Future’s Game, they said specifically that the most difficult part of putting together the roster this year was “only 2 Giants.”
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
shoot
i knew he was removed from the game didnt know he was missing the futures game let alone 4-6 months and yea i listened to that podcast 2 i wish they put montero at 1st instead had santana behind the plate and posey behind the dish instead of flowers
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
Good that scared me
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jul 12, 2009 4:34 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Is it on TV?
I believe it starts at 11 am West Coast. Is it being broadcast at all?
I looked at the rosters last night and came to the same conclusion – the US squad seems stacked in comparison to the World.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
GAMETIME
Tillman starting for US
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
Bumgarner coming in 2nd
I’m pretty sure that means second inning, unless the first guy struggles.
Insanity is just a state of mind.
the things i wanna see about bumgarner.....
his constant fastball velocity there are a lot of conflicting reports, and his slider
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
Its on espn360.com as well
if you don’t have a tv
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 11:15 AM PDT reply actions
jesus
montero has unreal stats for a 19 year old. in AA
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 11:20 AM PDT reply actions
Madbum
warming up in the pen
Rafael Rodriguez: #8 on our list, n/a on a stat sheet.
BBk supports Sleepy's Law: "As a hoops discussion grows longer, the probability of an absurd trade proposal involving LeBron James approaches 1."
they’ll replay this game several times as well, over the next week or so.
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Jul 12, 2009 11:23 AM PDT reply actions
yay, rain!
Neal before Zod!
Official Sponsor of the 1997 San Francisco Giants
by nostocksjustbonds on Jul 12, 2009 11:24 AM PDT reply actions
i thought tillman was 90-93
he looked 88-91
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
he looked wild and overmatched
Matt Cain's right hand beats a Royal Flush.
by Viva Gigantes on Jul 12, 2009 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
he was overthrowing.
Prospective parent of new pick, Zack Wheeler. Projectable Righty stolen from the braves. Of course, I stalk my son's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/zackwheelerbaseball
"Obviously I’m not doing things like going toe-to-toe with a ninja. Find me a ninja, for one."--Brian Wilson
by haverecords on Jul 12, 2009 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions
for what its worth...............
Apparently the stadium gun is a lot slower than MLB’s pitch f/x readings. The stadium gun showed Tillman topping out at 92, MLB at 96. (Jim)
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
i meant to say thats jim callis on twitter
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
lol nice now we get to actually see anvil!
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 11:25 AM PDT reply actions
they're saying theres a decent to good chance the game will be rained out
rain is coming in from miles and miles away
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 11:34 AM PDT reply actions
Has Madbum pitched yet? I didnt even know this was today?
Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)
This isn’t on MLB.TV. Is there a way to watch it on the internet?
Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.
:-(
15 Minutes
till go time
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
Netali Feliz.....
“Feliz is really bringing heat. He threw five fastballs to Eric Young Jr.: 97, 97, 97, 98, 100. Can’t be easy after a 4-hour delay. (Jim)” he’s mowing over batters right now the gun on tv is slow tillman was topping out 96 not 92 so its about 4 mph slower
http://caincecum.blogspot.com/
he was warming up before the delay so I guess hes just not gonna pitch
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Looks like no MadBum. He was suppose to pitch the 2nd but since he warmed up and then the long delay he’s not going to pitch. Unfortunate but better safe than sorry.
by AngelWillSaveUs on Jul 12, 2009 3:43 PM PDT reply actions
Its really too bad since he was our only rep
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
there goes all motivation for me to watch
what shitty baseball day
Damn it.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions
damn..heyward’s got a nice stroke..albeit a bit loopy
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 3:53 PM PDT reply actions
The Giants All star curse continues....
Timmy with the flu last year,
Cain with the line drive off his arm this year
Bumgarner doesn’t get to pitch with the rain
Angel injured
Sir Alex Omar Hinshaw: It's not right if it's not left.
by The Enchanter on Jul 12, 2009 4:17 PM PDT up reply actions
wow Pedro Alvarez is playing in the game?
Hasn’t he sucked?
.241 / .325 / .478
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that pie > cake, that Bochy is endowed by his creator with certain undeniable traits, that among these are veteran man-love, a gigantic skull, and the pursuit of the double switch.
Adopted Giant: Fred Lewis, who can still draw a walk.
They promoted him to AA recently despite him not doing that well at High A, and he has a sub-.700 OPS in his first 15 games there.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that pie > cake, that Bochy is endowed by his creator with certain undeniable traits, that among these are veteran man-love, a gigantic skull, and the pursuit of the double switch.
Adopted Giant: Fred Lewis, who can still draw a walk.
yea I just looked up his stats
K rate at 36%, and his walk rate declined with the promotion. And I know some scouting reports say that he may have to move to first base. It’s only year one but wow this does not look good.
If I remember correctly, sharksrog deserves some credit. Everyone loved Alvarez, but he noticed his high K rates in college and said he’ll never hit over .260.
Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.
:-(
definitely a nice call
he’d be lucky to hit .260 at this point
Towards the draft Alvarez’s stock fell for a reason. There were legit concerns about his ability to hit consistently and his high K rate in college.
Nah
The concerns were mainly about the wrist injury, or maybe about his weight and defense, but no one in the scouting community really doubted his hitting skills.
Baseball America ranked him as the best prospect in the draft, and even after he was drafted, in a very elaborate scouting report (subscribers only), said nothing about contact issues/concerns.
Baseball Prospectus ranked him second in the draft, behind five-tooler Tim Beckham, which means that they also thought that he’s the best hitter in the draft.
MLB.com said that he’s “About as safe a bet as there is…a polished and poised hitter and should hit for average in the big leagues.”
SaberScouting wrote that “Alvarez has…an advanced approach that has scouts projecting a .280 to .300 average.”
Not many doubted his contact skills, and the ones who did were all outsiders/statsy people.
Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.
:-(
I think Keith Law qualifies as a statsy outsider. Basically I’m saying that pretty much every single scout who saw Alvarez loved his swing and thought that he’ll have no problem making contact. Those who had concerns were basing them on his stats, and so far it looks like they were right
Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.
:-(
Damnit!
Mat Letos!?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:27 PM PDT reply actions
Canadian!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:28 PM PDT reply actions
How is a hearing impediment a positive thing?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:29 PM PDT reply actions
I could see him taking it as motivation; sure the kids picked on him and made him feel like shit about myself, but look where he is now. Look what he’s doing. I believe sometimes you need to get knocked down to get up. Challenges such as Gillies’ deafness can be huge motivators and make a person do tremendous things.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Zing!
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jul 12, 2009 4:35 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I laughed
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Tyson Gillies is my new favorite.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:30 PM PDT reply actions
Ya
I like him
Alderson for Gillies!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions
I love that Drabek is in the futures game while Lincecum has a Cy Young. Heh.
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jul 12, 2009 4:30 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
this
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Chacin
Challenged Bumgarner for his triple crown in the Sally League last year. He was incredible.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:33 PM PDT reply actions
MadBum Time!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:39 PM PDT reply actions
Quick! Get Ozzie Smith some Just for Men so he can get chicks!
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:42 PM PDT reply actions
are these bases like 60ft apart or something?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:44 PM PDT reply actions
Jason Castro had a great first half in the Cal League. He needed it after the 07 draft.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:46 PM PDT reply actions
Yeah. Hitting well in AA Corpus Christi as well.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions
07 draft? isn’t he an 08 pick?
Prospective parent of new pick, Zack Wheeler. Projectable Righty stolen from the braves. Of course, I stalk my son's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/zackwheelerbaseball
"Obviously I’m not doing things like going toe-to-toe with a ninja. Find me a ninja, for one."--Brian Wilson
08 I mean.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Seven innings due to rain
No Mad Bum.
The Futures Game is like my Christmas but I’m still disappointed.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:47 PM PDT reply actions
maybe MadBum
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Jarrod Parker is great too. Visalia advanced like three starting pitchers before the first half, and he was one of them. He has 21 K in 19 innings in four appearances for the Rawhide.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 4:50 PM PDT reply actions
Is Scott related to Grady?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:56 PM PDT reply actions
I see
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Jason Castro
MVP
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:01 PM PDT reply actions
Mad Bum Time!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:01 PM PDT reply actions
Damnit!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:03 PM PDT reply actions
redsox pitcher
Peter Gammons is having a serious orgasm
Lo had a really good year for Lancaster before he moved up to Corpus Christi, pitching as a middle reliever. Probably the best JetHawks pitcher while he was there.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:12 PM PDT reply actions
7 I think
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Mad Bum Time!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:20 PM PDT reply actions
damnit!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:24 PM PDT reply actions
No Bumgarner
Fail
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:24 PM PDT reply actions
thats stupid
they had a hard time deciding which Giants to pick, so they dont play any of them
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions
he was warming up during the rain delay
no way they put him in after that
oh, that makes sense, but still
damn
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah. Just disappointing that we don’t get to see him.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions
i would still like to see him hit
He’s a pretty good hitter from what I’ve heard on the radio
really?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions
weren't you the one saying not to question management during the draft?
I think they know what they’re doing when it comes to pitching
They had him start to warm up toooo early.
Sir Alex Omar Hinshaw: It's not right if it's not left.
by The Enchanter on Jul 12, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Not being able to pick another Giant after Villalona was hurt = epic fail
by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jul 12, 2009 5:45 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
seriuosly
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions
oooooooh
the plot thickens
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:30 PM PDT reply actions
Its been a couple hours
he couldnt warm up again?
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:32 PM PDT reply actions
All I’m sayin’…this is what happens when you don’t let the Giants representative start your meaningless exhibition game. Take notice, Manuel.
he wont
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Brad Lincoln was picked ahead of Lincecum, yes?
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:35 PM PDT reply actions
yep
4th overall in 2006
Lincecum went 10th
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I am Jack’s well-deserved smugness.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions
The defense in this game is ugly
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:36 PM PDT reply actions
bring in mad Bum!
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:39 PM PDT reply actions
Sulbaran from the Oranje!
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:45 PM PDT reply actions
Gammons has a massive dripping boner for Mike Stanton. Stanton’s great and all, but yeesh, keep it in your pants there Pete.
Supporting San Francisco Dugout since 2005 and Manny Burriss since 2006, and bringing you all your California League needs since 2009.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Jul 12, 2009 5:50 PM PDT reply actions
he just likes mike because he’ll be traded to the Red Sox in 5 years
Prospective parent of new pick, Zack Wheeler. Projectable Righty stolen from the braves. Of course, I stalk my son's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/zackwheelerbaseball
"Obviously I’m not doing things like going toe-to-toe with a ninja. Find me a ninja, for one."--Brian Wilson
Damn
no Giants= fail
MadBum wouldnt have given up like 10 runs
Congratulations and Thank you Jonathan Sanchez.
by GrahamCrakalaka on Jul 12, 2009 5:55 PM PDT reply actions
The baseball gods dont want any Giants to participate in The All Star festivites.
Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)
It’s implied that Charlie Manuel is a baseball god!
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions
The A's reps sucked
Weeks was hitless (2 LOB) and made that stupid play on the ground ball up the middle in the 7th – instead of just holding onto the ball and having runners on the corners, he allowed the run to score and tie it at 7. It wasn’t like they had any chance of getting the runner at first even if the backhand flip to the SS was perfect.
I was even more unimpressed with Carter. I can’t believe that he got to play the whole game. He looked clueless at the plate, and his D was horrible. He has no clue how to stretch for throws at 1B. For the first batter of the game he should have come off the bag to stop the throw from the catcher from going into RF. In the pivitol top of the 7th he had 2 bad plays. He failed to stretch out for the throw on the infield topper by Starlin Castro – a good stretch would have gotten the out. Instead of 1 out and a runner on 3rd, it ended up no outs and runners at the corner. Then he failed to catch a ground ball that ended up being a double down the line, and allowed the tieing run to score – it was hard hit, but at a minimum he should have knocked it down to hold him to a single and keep the run from scoring.
I thought that Carter and Espinosa (0 for 3 with 2Ks and 2 LOB) were the 2 least impressive players today. Honorable mention goes to Brad Lincoln for coming in and pouring oil on the fire that was the World’s 7th-inning rally and Luis Perez for giving up 3 hits and 3 runs in his one inning of work – they didn’t fool anybody.
I would have loved to see MadBum, but the gods were against him today. Neftali Feliz was the most impressive – it makes me wonder why his stats in AAA this year are only above average (I don’t mean his W/L record – that’s doesn’t tell much – it’s his ERA, BAA, Ks and Hits Allowed that don’t scream elite prospect).
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
ESPN coverage was horrible
No surprise here, but ESPN’s broadcast sucked the big one.
First, there was Gary Thorne coming in every 15 minutes or so during the rain delay, and telling us that it was a fast-moving storm that would be over very quickly. If he calls a near 4 hour rain delay a fast-moving front, I’d hate to see what he considers slow-moving.
Secondly, when the broadcast returned there was no explanation why MadBum and Junichi were shelved. Most knowledgeable viewers were able to figure out that they didn’t want to risk arm damage by having both of them ready to go in the next 2 half innings and then having to wait out the rain delay. With all the inane dugout interviews and in-game chatter, you would think somebody would say that it was too bad that 2 such highly-touted pitchers had gotten the shaft because of the rain.
Finally, the play-by-play and color announcers (Thorne, Sutcliffe, and Gammons) were so positive about everything that there was almost no worthwhile analysis. No play or player was criticised. It reminded me of the MLB.com feed of the first round of the draft back in June. Every pick was lauded by the analysts as great, every player was predicted to be a future star, and no team was accused of reaching – it made me yearn for the insufferable Mel Kiper to run onto the set and start taking potshots at GMs and other analysts.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Was Phillips there as well?
I remember hearing him ramble on about something. They are so bad; please ESPN, get new announcers.
Insanity is just a state of mind.
No Phillips
But it seemed like he was there because he was the only analyst in the booth for the broadcast last year – that they replyed in its entirity during the rain delay.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
That's what it was
I knew my brain had suffered from hearing him today. What an idiot… They make a sham out of the whole game, and ruin it. I was especially amazed watching the re-run of last year. They did a terrible job. Let MLBN take it next year.
Insanity is just a state of mind.
Interestingly, in the most recent BA Podcast they talked a little bit about MLB’s coverage of the draft this year and one of Jim Callis’ comments was that ESPN did it the past few years because MLB pushed them to do it — not because they wanted to, and that showed in a lot of their coverage, their lack of intereviews, they’re lack of knowledge, their lack of preparation. I think you could extend that to their Future’s Game coverage as well.
If you think of what the audience for the Future’s Game is, it’s virtually impossible to conceive that most of the audience watching didn’t know more about the players than the crew did — or at least more than the crew communicated.
On another subject, getting back to Fla’s comment above, Callis also said the one thing he’d do different about the draft coverage is give more commentary and less celebration. If people make reaches, call them reaches, if they make signability picks point it out — and then Callis went on to give a really brilliant critique of the Tony Sanchez pick that pointed out exactly what MLB’s coverage was missing, and what we the audience were forced to miss, too. Insight.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I’m happy to hear that they’ve done some actual critical analysis of their coverage, and not spared themselves. Hopefully it will lead to much better analysis next year. I don’t subscribe to the theory that all analysis of drafts and games have to be critical to be insightful, but when there is absolutely no criticism, like in this year’s draft coverage, you end up with almost no value added. Especially in the MLB draft. Unlike the NFL, it’s very difficult for even the most rabid fans to get much in-depth info about any players outside of the top 15, or so, rated prospects. Why waste 2 + hours watching the 1st round if all the analysts just say, “Great pick,” or, “I really like that guy.” You could pay a bunch of school kids minimum wage to give the same performance we got this year.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
Well, to clarify that was Jim Callis view of the proceedings, and while Callis and BA were invited guests to the program, there’s no reason to think that the MLB Channel shares or seeks out their opinions on MLB’s production.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
People told me you can't have two US roster players
but the A’s have 2 on the US roster. Buster Posey should have been here.
I think the rule is you can only have 2 players total. and originally it was AnVil + Bumgarner, so when AnVil got hurt there was a spot open on the world team, not USA
by i wish we were good on Jul 12, 2009 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions
what a joke… best farm system in baseball doesn’t even have a player take the field. Injuries and rain delays aside, that’s BS, and there’s no excuse for it.
Only when I am eliminated by MIke Krukow will my life's work be complete
it’s pretty hard to put injuries and rain delays aside though, so thats a pretty good excuse for it.
by i wish we were good on Jul 13, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
It’s really just a series of unfortunate events.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
what I meant was that Villalona should have been replaced by another Giant, and there’s no reason Bumgarner couldn’t have come in later in the game. He’s a 19 year old kid, not a fragile 45 year old.
Only when I am eliminated by MIke Krukow will my life's work be complete
by NateisGreat on Jul 13, 2009 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions
But Villalona couldn’t be replaced by another Giant because the Giant’s didn’t have anyone else to fill the World roster’s gaping void at 1B. There were two driving problems, one being the general crappiness of the Astros system, and the other the lack of decent 1B prospects who were foreign born. There were only two guys who could play there and in the end they both got hurt, but in an order that ended up screwing the Giants (which is how a 30 year old ended up starting in the Futures game).
As for Bumgarner’s issue, I’d probably be more likely to return a 45 year old after a 4 hour delay than a 19 year old (I wouldn’t like doing it in either case, but I definitely wouldn’t do it with the 19 year old).
Look, nobody was happy about the situation; certainly the people running the game weren’t happy about it, the people who chose the rosters were very vocal about how unhappy they were about it; but I for one certainly didn’t want Bumgarner coming in 5 hours after he first warmed up. You might want to go back and re-read the Game Thread from the infamous Timmy non-start in LA last year if you think that’s a good idea.
Also, we’re probably not the #1 system in baseball, though we’re certainly up near the top.
My Bucardo is better than yours.
A hot August weekday, before a small crowd, when the only thing at stake is the tissue-thin difference between a thing done well and a thing done ill. Insofar as the clutch hitter is not a sportswriter's myth, it is a vulgarity, like a writer who writes only for money.
I'm satisfied he didn't pitch
No sense risking MadBum getting hurt for 1 inning of a meaningless ASG. This way he’ll be able to step right back in to his normal spot in the Conn. rotation.
As for the Villalona issue. The World team had no other 1B on their roster once AnVil bowed out, so they had to get a foreign-born 1B to replace him. The obvious solution would have been to repalce him with Jesus Guzman. After all, Guzman has good stats and he was the MVP of the most recent Venuzuelan Winter League, when he played against more that a few of the guys on the field Sunday. He would have been a bit older than average, but not the oldest guy in the game. He’s a bad defender, but they had other guys with just as bad D out there. He certainly would have been one of the beter hitters on the World Team. Maybe they have some rule that if you’ve played in an MLB game you’re not eligible? Jesus did play 3 games in Seattle for us this year.
"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner
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