Has anyone thought this too
Aubrey Huff already is an average hitting first baseman. He has declined a lot, and is likely to decline a lot more this year. I will tell you why to. Obviously, for one he is on the wrong side of 33. Also, he is making the transition to the national league. For almost all of Huff's career he has been an AL hitter. Hitting in the National league is a lot different from hitting in the American league. Look what happened to Ryan Garko. Garko was a pretty good hitting first basemen before coming to the Giants. He struggled a lot in the national league because of his limited experience in it. He said that was one big reason for his decline. Huff is not was not a good hitter last year. Right now he is not a good hitter. I do think he will be a .220 hitter, maybe .230-.235 if he can get used to the national league after a couple months. The Orioles and Tigers' stadiums are a lot easier to hit in than the pitchers' park of AT&T . Huff had better hitting support around him in Detroit and Baltimore as well.Huff's average is likely to drop at least 10 points. I think we should have not signed him, let Ishikawa start and just let Posey and Bowker get at bats there and share. They could hit better than Huff. If he could not hit well with better hitting around him and in a smaller stadium, how can he hit well with worse hitting around him, a pitcher's park, and limited experience hitting in the national league. Geez, if you thought Garko was bad.
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I don’t think Aubrey Huff is an average hitting first baseman tbh
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
But AT&T is not a pitcher’s park.
Matt Cain: He'll save children, but not the Dodger children.
"Out, out, Fred Lewis!" - JCTillam Gamerspeare
AL HITTER
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 8:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Do you think he is better than average or worse?
by fantastical on Mar 15, 2010 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Worse. The median OPS last year for all qualified 1B was around .900. Huff was below .700, and has been above .900 (.912 two years ago) one time in the last 6 years. He’s projected to be at .769 by CHONE this season.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions
two to one he’s parked by june. he is done, cooked, finito benito…. the party is over.
by E Ticket on Mar 16, 2010 5:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with you
Honestly I’d prefer Guzman at the league minimum than Huff at 3 Mil
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
If Huff fails
That’s a position they can fall back to: Huff/Ishi platoon
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
a lefty/lefty platoon?
That would be pretty epic.
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 17, 2010 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions
That would be a decent* platoon
*=decent for the Giants, terrible for everyone else
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
Context
Since Huff was a one-year deal, it doesn’t bother me as much as others here.
Two things:
- Regardless of how he performed last year in relationion to other 1Bs, he absolutely has the potential to be an improvement over our 1B situation last year
- It’s not like Huff was the team’s 1st choice
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Regardless of how he performed last year in relationion to other 1Bs, he absolutely has the potential to be an improvement over our 1B situation last year
But the better question is – will it be an improvement over our 1B situation without him this year? I’m not sure it will.
It’s not like Huff was the team’s 1st choice
True, but it’s not like we tried very hard to get the better options, and given what the other guys on the market got compared to what we gave Huff….well, it doesn’t look like a very good move.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 7:36 AM PDT up reply actions
OK
Huff gives them a shot at decent production and they have a fall back option in Ishi/Guzman* or Bowker/Guzman
I kinda like the idea of having a Plan A and an oprion of a Plan B, rahter than just putting all the eggs in the Plan B basket.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I’d rather we made more of an effort to spend the money in a better way on players that actually are upgrades, like Johnson or LaRoche, and if we’re not interested in spending much money and just want to put a little bit in to give us some upside, I think Branyan would have been a much better value, even despite his injury.
In a vacuum, spending $3M on anyone for one year is hardly something worth complaining about, I recognize that. The problem is in Sabean’s case, those small expenditures, overpays, and flat out bad signings are all over the place, and it’s just adding to the ridiculous amounts of money we waste. So that’s my biggest problem with Huff, that’s he adds to the waste and is the most egregious example of “not an upgrade”. At least Renteria, despite being a terrible signing, IS better than our other options, same with Sanchez and DeRosa, and even Molina has some redeeming quality (that we leave Buster in the minors for a bit, which I fully support). Huff doesn’t even have a redeeming quality.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
While I don’t know that Huff will be able to justify the signing – short and forgettable though it is – I can certainly appreciate the sense in having enough players on the roster to keep from having to repeat the Bocock Experiment with a bunch of underdeveloped “first basemen”. Maybe we could have done better than Huff. Maybe we were already in a better position when we still controlled Garko. But at least, for now, with free agency and Garko behind us, we’re not paddling the creek with an unexpectedly bum-toed Ishikawa and no plan B.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Which is to say that there is a lot to find fault with as the Huff signing goes, but I also understand the impulse to see the current roster for its positives.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 9:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Howie: Thats like getting transferred from Pelican Bay to San Quentin and calling it social climbing just because death row has a view of the Bay.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh, I understand that. Being better than a worst-case scenario isn’t being good. But I also don’t know why you wouldn’t be at least a little happy about having a view of the bay.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
That’s a funny way to say it.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Death Row is still Death Row
Maybe we can rename the walkway behind the right field wall to “The Green Mile”
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t think Pelican Bay has a death row. But it is a higher prestige prison.
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 17, 2010 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions
I was referencing Quentin, with its beautiful view of the Larkspur estuary, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the rest of the Bay.
Pelican Bay is in that otherwise thriving metropolis known as Crescent City whose other main socialization center is the hospital on the buttes overlooking the Pacific and the local Walmart.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Luckily though, you can never see Crescent city due to the ever present fog.
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 17, 2010 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
You’re right. Huff was not Sabean’s first choice. Either was Travis Ishikawa, Rich Aurillia, Ryan Klesko, Shea Hillenbrand, Mark Sweeney, Lance Niekro, or any other scrotum scratching scrubini that Sabean has been throwing out there for the last 5 years.
That the Giants cannot field a decent hitting first baseman since Will Clark had hair, probably says as much about Sabean’s ineptness as anything else
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 8:04 AM PDT up reply actions
JT Snow says "hi"
…and would like to remind you he had a couple of good years.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Nope. I said 5 years. JT’s last was 2005, 5 season’s ago. He was washed up and retired after about 3 minutes in a Red Sox uniform in 2006. (You ever notice how many “savvy vets” manage to play their last games here? Just look at the above short list of six 1b in the prior 5 years. Only Ishikawa is still active for krissakes.)
Sabean isn’t just incompetent, he is a fraud in the shadow of Bernie Madoff if one didn’t know better. His transactions at the MLB level are borderline felonious
Here. Lets look at 1b by team for the last 5 years.
2009 Giants OPS .733 Rank 26
2008 Giants OPS .684 Rank 28
2007 Giants OPS .734 Rank 28
2006 Giants OPS .717 Rank 28
2005 Giants OPS .716 Rank 28
And this year he goes and signs an Oriole castoff who OPS .567 at Detroit last year after getting run out of Baltimore.
The easiest position in all of MLB to fill and this is what Sabean comes up with? . With the exception of Zito, his pitching staff has been virtually minimum wage with Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez, Wilson, Hennesy, Correa, etc starting and middle relievers. So Sabean had almost $60+million to play with on position players and he shows up after 5 years of this bullshit with Rowand, Renteria, Sanchez, Huff, DeRosa, Velez, and Molina to surround Sandoval with?
Are you kidding me?
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
2008 Giants OPS .684 Rank 28
2007 Giants OPS .734 Rank 28
2006 Giants OPS .717 Rank 28
2005 Giants OPS .716 Rank 28
If that’s not consistency, I don’t know what is!
+1 and rec, byt he way.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Exactly. This is systemic incompetence and it has already set this franchise back 6 years going on 7. The further and longer a team goes bouncing around being bad and being average, the longer it is going to take to resurrect the franchise.
The Royals started going downhill after their WS Championship 1985 season. They got pissed off at Dick Howser half-way through the 86 season, and have gone through 15 managers since then. They have had a couple of winning seasons since, but no playoff appearances, despite playing in the weak-suck AL Central. Even with Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria they are a disaster with similar problems to SF. A bad reputation with players. A black hole of losing and incompetency in the front office.
Pittsburgh is in the same boat. They walked away from Bonds and haven’t sniffed a winning record since.
The Giants Real Estate Company is to addicted to bottom line profits that the large crowds bring to follow the Marlin model that Larry Beinfest and his operation have built. (trivia: Orrin Freeman, Special Asst to the GM, who does nothing but scout current major league rosters for acquistion and trade purposes is the former head baseball coach at San Francisco State; so there is one more little poke in the eye that nobody appreciates I’m sure.
The fact we even mention the Giants front office and roster issues in the same breath as the Mets, Royals, and Pirates is telling in itself.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
And you can soon take the Pirates out of that list. I truly believe Huntington is doing a good job there and will have them turned around into a respectable franchise in 2-3 years. I cannot say the same about the Giants.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions
As big an idiot as Drayton McLane is, they still made the playoffs as recently as 2006, despite Phil Garner mispositioning players and Brad Lige giving up a mountainous bomb to Pujols.
Can’t possibly expect to keep up will all the idiocy running rampant in front offices these days. Just the first few that pop into mind. And yes Missing Barry is correctemundo… Huntington seems to be on the right path and he did a great job of ridding himself of wilson and sanchez.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I did some graphs once for the Giants between 1999-2009 using sOPS+ for positions, the Giants cumulative 1B production, or lackof, was depressing.
#1 FanShot Champion

Here it is. A score of 100 for any position means league average production for just that position, and not league average overall.
#1 FanShot Champion
Giants’ first basemen (as a group) have tended to produce about %20 under league average for their position.
#1 FanShot Champion
I’m noticing a trend in that graph…
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 17, 2010 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, in 3 years our third baseman production went up almost 60%, so 10 years from now, we’re guaranteed to get an sOPS+ of ~320 from that position!
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Anyone else look at this graph then miss Jeff Kent?
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
#2 in Fanshots
No, but I’m pretty sure Nate Schierholtz just looked at the graph and then missed a slider in the dirt.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 19, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
E is also demonstrating
the fail of successive one year contracts. I no longer take solace in “it’s only a one-year deal”. I don’t know that $3M for one year for three different mediocre players is any better than a single 3 year deal for one mediocre player. If anything, it requires them to “evaluate” three different players rather than just get it right once.
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 17, 2010 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions
For me, the benefit of the one year deal is that management should be more likely to cut bait if a guy like Huff fails. I’m convinced Renteria wouldn’t have stayed in the lineup as long as he did if he wasn’t signed for 2010 as well.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Bengie Molina
your 2010 bait, held over by unpopular demand
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 17, 2010 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
I was focusing on the "when Will Clark had hair" comment
Didn’t realize what was only 5 years ago that he lost his hair.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
We all know Snow had a couple of good years. But like that famous American once said in the hallowed halls of Congress:
“I’m not here to talk about the past”
Hmmm. Now that I think about it, Will Clark went bald when he was at Mississippi State. Playing for Ron Polk could do that to a fella ya know. :)
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
And?
In the end, America will be remembered for three things: the Bill of Rights, jazz, and baseball.
I think that Jennifer Keaton was the least purposable everyday character of 80s television. Has anyone thought this too?
The Giants Way™"If anybody deserves credit for this year’s turnaround it’s these two people, Brian and Bruce," Neukom said. "The encouraging thing is we think we’re back to playing baseball the way it ought to be played."
/had to look it up.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions
You will tell why to what?
Utter frustration and futility.
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 15, 2010 8:04 AM PDT reply actions
Why is the "by" in "by say hey nation" showing up as a link
And why is it linking to a weird Mychael Urban tweet? Is this happening for anyone else?
My adopted son is RHP Steve Edlefsen, currently above Gerald Posey on the catching depth chart.
Ragging on Huff is so off-season
Right now he is not a good hitter.
Actually, right now he’s hitting .350/.409./.750
I think giving the dude a chance before we write him off might make sense. Dude’s a career 113 OPS+ hitter. We don’t have many dudes on the team that can say that. Well, they can say that, but they’d be lying.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
by Goofus on Mar 15, 2010 9:19 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Dude’s a career 113 OPS+ hitter. We don’t have many dudes on the team that can say that.
Dude’s also on the wrong side of 30. We don’t have many dudes on the team that can say that. Oh wait, yes we do. :(
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions
I love you Goofus. You can work a dick joke in a way the gods themselves envy.
Yet sighting a 113 OPS+ mainly build from seasons 7 & 8 years ago would be a bit like counting A ball and short season stats from a player under 29 on a one for one bases with any MLB numbers they have. The 2010 Huff will never be the age 25 or age 26 Huff ever again. Even the Age 27 Huff would be miraculous.
That said I agree with the over aching sentiment to not get all down on him now that we have games again. I just figure the key to staying as positive as possible toward the "new" help, as long as possible, is to keep expectations as near to reality as possible.
Threat level that the 2010 Pads finish with more wins than the 2010 Giants is currently at - 25%
It’s a good thing the word joke is in there.
go rowand
by lincypoo i wuv u on Mar 16, 2010 8:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes he won't be 25 or 26 again
My point is that while his 2009 was poor, his previous career, both recent and distant, shows he has the capability to help this team score more runs.
How about if I sight that before last season’s poor production, his previous five season were all north of a 100+ OPS? Again, we don’t have many guys who can say that.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
On this roster
Even the indomitable McPenisbutter has the capability to help this team score more runs…as do 33 1/3 percent of the riff-raff right-field knot holers.
Seems the argument being made is not too dissimilar to the “moral-equivalency” defenses that politicians make all the time; try to point out somebody else’s worse behavior as a defense for their own shortcomings.
Which is part and parcel of the “There’s Magic Inside” promotion this year. “We have shitty players, but the rest of the NL West is shittier!” “Meaningful Games in September!”
Divert attention from the fact that your roster is a recurring disaster no matter how much money you throw around. Sabean has succeeded in getting the Giants so far behind the power curve, I don’t care how much money he dangles out there, attractive free agents aren’t going to come here. So he settles for MLB flotsam. Thats what the offensive production of the last several years so obviously depicts.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 8:18 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree that the offense is a disaster, but doubt I’d trade our pitching for anyone’s. With that in mind, doing anything possible to make the offense less crappy made sense.
I’m not blowing sunshine up my own butt, but I also see scenarios where the team can be better. I thought the same thing last year and sho’ ’nuff, they were infinitely more watchable.
The thing I like about this year’s team is that if a player here or a player there falls on his face, the team can go in different directions and try different things. My concern is that Bochy won’t given how long it took him to give up on Winn and Renteria last season.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I was more optimistic at the start of last year that we were headed in the right direction. It seemed guys like Renteria were just temporary signings until we were ready to really contend, and it was pretty obvious we were at least going to be better last year than the previous year before that. This past season and offseason drained my optimism, though. The decisions by Bochy/Sabean – from PT, to clearly overvaluing gamerness/veteran attitudes, to trading prospects for garbage, to bringing back Molina and signing Huff and an already injured Sanchez….just so much has happened to make it painfully obvious Renteria really wasn’t different – he really wasn’t a stopgap, he was just part of the same old failing strategy we’ve seen fail too many times in the past. Sabean didn’t really change, I just hoped he had and saw the moves for what I wanted them to be. I can’t deny the truth any longer, though.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Also, unlike last year where it did seem like we were better than the previous year, this year I don’t see the case that we are. We’re a low-to-mid 80’s win team this year, just like last year.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions
+1, as usual
I also had a lot more faith that some Fresno parolees would get to play, and I don’t see that happening again this year. Nate in RF looks like the extent unless “Geno” makes it into LF (which is not what I had in mind at all). Fred and Ishi probably won’t even be on the roster, which is a complete waste of two younger guys that are at least adequate.
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 17, 2010 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Going into this year This Year vs. Last Year
I think:
Huff > Aurlia
Nate > Winn
Sanchez > Burriss
Derosa a liite > Lewis
If the 2010 editions of Renteria & Rowand exceed their 2010 performances, this team looks better to me.
I don’t agree with every move made in the off-season, but can see a sceanrio whre things go right and the team wins more games than last year.
To me, the two most important factors are Renteria and Huff.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Mussolini > Stalin
Chamberlain > Quisling
Diarrhea > Malaria
Bochy > Alou
Sabean > Pee Wee Herman
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Unless the diarrhea is dysentery induced.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions
You could probably use that to qualify each of those things, actually.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t agree with every move made in the off-season, but can see a sceanrio whre things go right and the team wins more games than last year.
And I’m not going to deny we have a chance of overperforming, doing exceptional and/or making the playoffs, things happen, I just think our talent level is that of an 83, 84ish win team, so the chances of making the playoff aren’t good, and are roughly equal to the chances of us winning 75, 76ish games…
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
I think that ignores
The pitching staff’s seeming overachievement last season. Even if we get marginal upgrades at these spots offensively, a small decline in the pitching staff could easily negate it.
Am I the only one who noticed that Tom Zook gave his bank account number to an anonymous person over the phone?
Sabean changed enough to get his extension. Now it’s the same old Brian we all know and …
The Giants Way™"If anybody deserves credit for this year’s turnaround it’s these two people, Brian and Bruce," Neukom said. "The encouraging thing is we think we’re back to playing baseball the way it ought to be played."
I strongly believe that Red Six could have been had for 2 guaranteed years
That was where this offseason train went off the tracks.
WHY IS BENGIE?!
Dearest, Susan - The Patron Saint of Patience
by Lars The Wanderer on Mar 17, 2010 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions
he means Nick Johnson
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 17, 2010 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Nick Johnson aka "Porkins"

WHY IS BENGIE?!
Dearest, Susan - The Patron Saint of Patience
by Lars The Wanderer on Mar 17, 2010 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
That makes me….happy I didn’t get the reference.
I think we could have had either LaRoche or Johnson for not much more than they got – I see no reason to believe otherwise. As we’ve learned more throughout the offseason, it’s become clear to me that NYY’s offer to Johnson was pretty comparable to ours (at least based on what we know right now), and according to LaRoche the Giants basically dropped LaRoche off the radar without listening to his counteroffer…..so yeah, we got Aubrey Huff for 1 year, $3M, when superior guys didn’t get much more than that and could have been had.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions
While I agree if we had thrown Johnson a second year he may have come to us, I thought LaRoche basically spit on the Giants offer, and his counter was kinda stupid, then he ended up taking less from an in-division rival.
It seems he didn’t really want to be a Giant.
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
#2 in Fanshots
I thought LaRoche basically spit on the Giants offer, and his counter was kinda stupid, then he ended up taking less from an in-division rival.
It seems he didn’t really want to be a Giant.
Based on what? LaRoche’s account of what happened really doesn’t back that up, in my opinion. According to him, the Giants made him an offer, he didn’t accept but made a counteroffer, only the Giants stopped negotiations there (didn’t respond to his counteroffer) and moved on. Eventually we signed Huff, his market collapsed, and he took the best offer on the table.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Could be my faulty memory, but I though LaRoche came out and said he preferred to play in a domed stadium and said he would “be ok” with re-entering FA in the next offseason.
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
#2 in Fanshots
Yeah, that’s what he said initially, that’s what I would say too about the team that just signed me. As opposed to saying “Yeah, it sucks that I have to go to AZ on this shitty deal”…..
Later, when asked about the Giants specifically (by a Bay Area reporter I believe), though, LaRoche said they made an offer, he made a counteroffer, and then never heard back. The Giants went and signed Huff while every 1B was still available. LaRoche was still on the market when we signed Huff, and hadn’t rejected us. Considering how much more we were offering than what he ended up taking, I don’t see any reason we couldn’t have gotten him on a good deal. 1 year $7M for instance.
"Richmond, VA. For when West Virginia is too classy"
by Missing Barry on Mar 19, 2010 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Shouldn’t it be NY?
I know you nerds know NOTHING about the real game of baseball, or any other athletic endeavor requiring teamwork under physical stress.
Mr. F! | comics | art | New Nattowear | Unofficial McImage Directory
The black guy in the back looks like a skinny Cleveland.
The Giants offseason moves - "meh"
Proud father of 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who could do whatever he wants to do.
[Seth MacFarlane character] looks like [Seth MacFarlane character].
I know you nerds know NOTHING about the real game of baseball, or any other athletic endeavor requiring teamwork under physical stress.
Mr. F! | comics | art | New Nattowear | Unofficial McImage Directory
Huff will be the clean up hitter and Bengie wont be, that’s good enough for me…
Kevin Mitchell has a black belt in keeping it real.
You know Bengie outhit Huff last year, right?
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Are you arguing that Bengie is a better hitter than Huff?
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I don’t think that’s what he’s saying.
I know you nerds know NOTHING about the real game of baseball, or any other athletic endeavor requiring teamwork under physical stress.
Mr. F! | comics | art | New Nattowear | Unofficial McImage Directory
All I said was Bengie outhit Huff last year, a fact. If you want to infer anything, infer that Bengie not being the cleanup hitter so Huff can do it is NOT good enough for me.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Hitting in the National league is a lot different from hitting in the American league.
And AP US History is a lot different from 3rd-grade cursive class.
Proud parent of the new dominant pitching sensation out of San Diego State University.
also, did we think Garko was bad? Because we didn’t…
Proud parent of the new dominant pitching sensation out of San Diego State University.
Well, other than not knowing the pitchers, I really don’t understand what’s so different about it. Maybe you see one more reliever per game in the National League thanks to pinch hitting strategiez. The act of hitting hasn’t changed. You’re still swinging at 95 mph fastballs and 87 mph curveballs. You’re not suddenly seeing guys who throw pitches that curve upward or fastballs that accelerate after traveling 47 feet. It’s still hitting. Non-familiarity with the pitchers is really all there is to it, with a little adjustment for talent disparities.
A more appropriate analogy would be to say that taking AP US History at Berkeley High is different from taking AP US History at Richmond High.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions
eh, I don’t buy this argument.
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
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The AL has a 714-546 record in interleague play over the last 5 years. Unless there’s something I’m not seeing here, that seems pretty convincing.
Proud parent of the new dominant pitching sensation out of San Diego State University.
But is that because of the pitching?
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
At least partially
I can’t imagine it’s soley because NL hitters are inferior to their AL counterparts
Calling the stat nerds! Has any analysis been done?
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I tend to think that it has to do with the difference between DH and a bench player being greater than the difference between an AL and NL pitcher, giving the DH league a structural advantage in head to head play… although that is an analysis-free assessment.
Utter frustration and futility.
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 15, 2010 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I do believe that’s a factor, but the talent disparity between the two is real.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
You have to factor in the pincushion Clemens sits on.
"I don’t know why people feel the need to come up with reasons 'why' for everything..." - Missing Barry
by victor frankenstein on Mar 15, 2010 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Calling the stat nerds! Has any analysis been done?
Yep, the talent disparity is real. It seems to reason that the talent disparity comes from both pitching and hitting to some degree.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I think I also recall that the AL spends more money than the NL and that has an impact.
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And the best-run teams are more likely to be in the AL and the worst-run in the NL. I mean, my top-five organizations would be some combo of Yanks, Sawx, Rays, Twins and Phillies. My bottom-five would include the Astros, Royals, Giants, Mets, and Nationals. These are the extremes, sure, but poorly run teams should have less talent than their well-run counterparts.
In the end, America will be remembered for three things: the Bill of Rights, jazz, and baseball.
I meant specifcally how much of the disparity is related to pitching.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Eh, that’s a difficult question to answer, as it’s always fluid and I’m not sure we ever get enough interleague in a given year to truly answer it. I also don’t have a whole lot of interest in reading about those studies, so I dunno what to tell you….
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
I think most of it is related to the NL East generally
Sox and Yankees specifically
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions
That’s one of the aspects of the research I’ve found lacking – it’s all been about leagues without enough research on each division.
by Missing Barry on Mar 17, 2010 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions
with a little adjustment for talent disparities
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Sorry, I didn’t mean to be short with the response. I’ve heard that there’s something like a half-run of ERA adjustment to be expected from league-switching. I’m not completely sure whether that’s a “better pitchers” thing or a “worse hitters” thing or a “park factors” thing exactly, so I tried to be somewhat vague about how to quantify it.
But even with that, I don’t know how a career .289 hitter can suddenly be a .220 hitter for no reason outside of a league switch. It’s a completely unsatisfying explanation – particularly for cases like Garko’s where small sample size and bad luck play such clear roles.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 15, 2010 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Garko
As you said, Garko’s sample size was just too small. More than anything, I think he was just pressing while trying to impress his new team and never was given a decent chance.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Well that and the fact he told Bochy to fuck off. Anybody with an iq higher than an iguana can only take so much Bochy before they explode
by E Ticket on Mar 16, 2010 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Well then Huff should fit in well
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
Well, other than not knowing the pitchers, I really don’t understand what’s so different about it.
I’ve always thought that was pretty much the entire argument — especially in the short term (which is what Garko was referring to, the adjustment period).
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.
With free agency what it is, and very little team loyalty, it’s not like one league is all that different from the other anyway. CC Sabathia went AL/NL/AL. Dan Haren, Josh Beckett, Jeremy Affeldt, Barry Zito… The list goes on and on of pitchers who have changed leagues at one point or another.
I'm thinking but nothing's happening.
Sabathia and Haren were traded, but I know what you mean.
I know you nerds know NOTHING about the real game of baseball, or any other athletic endeavor requiring teamwork under physical stress.
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Hitting in the National league is a lot different from hitting in the American league. Look what happened to Ryan Garko. Garko was a pretty good hitting first basemen before coming to the Giants.
Oh good, this again.
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
#2 in Fanshots
You are about 3 months late and a penny short
And no, you can’t take a penny from the penny plate. All the people here already discussed this when Huff was signed; we have analyzed many times over his shortcomings such as his age, the awful 2009 season, his defense and singing skills.
Win the inning.
Okay, so Huff wasn't that great last year
But two years ago, he was third in the league in total bases. Chances are, he won’t do that again, but I’m hoping he can at least be a decent middle of the order guy. And if he sucks, then we cut his ass loose after a few months, and give Ishi another shot. Or move Panda to first and DeRosa to third and give Bowker his shot in left. Or put Bowker at first. Or call up Brett Pill if he’s kicking ass in Fresno. Really, Huff is a low risk option, and if he fails, no big deal – there’s other options, including the dreaded trade deadline deal.
by crazedcrustacean on Mar 15, 2010 12:19 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
If Huff could just split the difference between his 2008 & 2009 seasons...
…he’d have a OPS+ of 109, which would be right in line with what he’d done in his previous 4 seasons and a nice upgrade over what the team got from Ishaurilko last season.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I still think a Garko/Ishi platoon is much better than Garko — offensively and defensively.
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eh, probably better than just Garko, too.
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.
Maybe so
But if that was our 1B, Bengie would still be hitting cleanup.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
This is like the “Hey, DeRosa isn’t a terrific signing (when you consider Fred Lewis is on the team) but at least he kills the idea of Velez starting in LF!” it’s just sad.
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Haven't you heard?
Fred Lewis hit his second home run of the spring. Unlike the other Giants batters, who are trying to learn more discipline at the plate, Lewis is being more aggressive, much to Bochy’s delight. "You want these guys to see a lot of pitches, but Freddy was almost taking it too far,’’ the manager said.
People will undoubtedly joke that Lewis was cheating the game by walking, but I tend to agree that Lewis looked too passive last year, especially with two strikes. Watching him take FBs down the middle was frustrating. Sometimes it looked like he was almost making up his mind whether to swing before the pitch was even thrown.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
This is like a redux of last year’s spring training. Fred is more aggressive, woot! As a hitter, he’s going to strikeout and watch called strikes, it’s just who he is. I wish the Giants would understand that even if he’s watching called strikes, he’s still getting on-base at an above-average rate and that’s, well, a good thing.
He’s always been this player, even in the minors. And at 28-years-old, he’s unlikely to change. There’s little difference between DeRosa and Fred on offense, they just do things differently.
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I don't disagree
But watching all those strikeouts is tough to stomach and it looked like it got worse last year, which I’d be more ok with if it had come with a little more power.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
He’s never really shown a bunch of power. If the Giants are expecting him to hit dingers, then they are in trouble and it smells like wishcasting. I think I remember you comparing him to Eric Davis (maybe in body-type?) once and I thought you were crazy. I’ve heard the argument of “He looks like a power hitter” before or “He looks like he should have more power” when he’s never really been a power hitter. At any level.
I still think the best thing that ever summed up Fred Lewis is this: “He’s a good baseball player that does a lot things well that aren’t necessarily easy to see”
#1 FanShot Champion
It’s certainly possible that he might learn not to take so many fastballs down the middle. But that seems like a matter of thinking through the at-bat and knowing what to look for, not being “aggressive.”
Lewis does have power – his 2008 HR’s are good proof that when he connects, he can hit some monstrous shots, and all his HR’s are long balls (as opposed to just enoughs). So I can kind of see where it’s coming from – watch a couple bombs off his bat and you might assume there’s power potential there. He might even do it more consistently in BP, I dunno. His problem is in game situations he just doesn’t hit those kinds of balls all that often. His gap power is solid, though (but probably aided by AT&T some) – .158 iso in 2008 is solid power.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
A .158 ISO is league average. And he’s never hit for that much power in the minors. Probably the best case scenario for him is 2008, in which he was pretty lucky on flyballs. I’m just not seeing anything other than league average power out of Fred.
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He hit one of those bombs yesterday clear out of Surprise
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
I'm not looking for a "bunch of power"
I was referring to the drop in power last year along with the increase in his SOs. The two don’t go well together as far as I’m concerned.
My comparison to Davis was more body-type/athleticism, but yes I do think a guy like Lewis should be able to hit 20 or so HRs. As Missing Barry notes below, Lewis absolutely mashes the ball on occasion. In that regard, he reminds me of Michael Tucker.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Why should he be able to hit 20 or so homeruns? It’s a number he’s never approached. Yeah, he’ll hit a ball a long way occasionally, but so will 100 other major leaguers.
#1 FanShot Champion
Hitters can change their approach and results
After hitting 3 HRs in 1996, Tony Gwynn (with prodding from Ted Williams) decided to started turning on inside pitches and hit 17 the next season.
It sounds like Lewis is working on his approach with Bam Bam
While it’s a SSS, I find it interesting that the initial results of his more aggressive approach are yielding fewer strikeouts.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Tony Gwynn (with prodding from Ted Williams) decided to started turning on inside pitches and hit 17 the next season.
Cheater cheater steroids eater. :)
by Missing Barry on Mar 16, 2010 7:09 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t see any benefit to eating steroids.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 16, 2010 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions
If you can’t see the benefit of rhyming, then that’s your loss.
by Missing Barry on Mar 16, 2010 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Pshaw.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 16, 2010 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Keith Law
WHY IS BENGIE?!
Dearest, Susan - The Patron Saint of Patience
by Lars The Wanderer on Mar 16, 2010 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Hee-Haw
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 16, 2010 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Rah-Rah?
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 16, 2010 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Sis boom bah?
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 16, 2010 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Ga-Ga Ooh La La?
/shoots self
Bochy: What’s this fancy stat here?
IT Guy: That’s how often they get on base. I do not know why you keep asking me, I am here to fix your server.
#2 in Fanshots
Well, I’m glad you shot yourself for that. Now I don’t have to do it. Dear lord that’s a terrible song.
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
That wasn’t an MC5 reference then?
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 17, 2010 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
A what now?
I don't know about that, to the groin.
by howtheyscored on Mar 17, 2010 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Utter frustration and futility.
Adopted 'nephew' to the ever avuncular and always awesome Jon Miller
by Johnny Disaster on Mar 17, 2010 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions
For the Record
I am a big fan of Fred Lewis.
The way he has been mishandled by Bochy is a disgrace. A manager’s primary role is to put ALL OF HIS PLAYERS (not just his little veteran butt buddies) in the best possible position to succeed as a player.
It is the GMs job to put the best possible players on the roster to help the team win a championship.
Clearly Bochy and Sabean are pathetic failures in this light. Their misuse and inconsistent handling of younger players is a travesty and a disgrace.
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think Lewis makes enough contact to hit 20+ HR
And also won’t get enough playing time to even approach that
/cries
Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all
McFAQ for all you newcomers out there.
The problem (heh) with Fred is that he often only got to hit last year in high pressure pinch hit situations. That’s not fair on a young hitter and is bound to destroy his confidence, but that’s the role he’s been assigned. He was fairly successful at it, too, from what I remember. The thing is, you want your pinch hitters to at least put the ball in play. Striking out looking reflects a hell of a lot more poorly on a pinch hitter than a player who gets three or four at bats in a game.
What’s the matter with Bochy? Hes a bum!
go rowand
by lincypoo i wuv u on Mar 16, 2010 8:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Lewis is being more aggressive, much to Bochy’s delight
God I hate this organization’s lack of knowledge so, so much.
I’ll also theorize that some of Lewis’ struggles last year might have been related to his sporadic PT. I wouldn’t be surprised if consistent PT kept your eye and reflexes sharper – we know it produces better results in general, but it seems reasonable to think it will make a guy identify a pitch quicker (which should produce those better results).
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
he’d have a OPS+ of 109
Which still isn’t good for a 1B, especially one with no glove….
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Really, Huff is a low risk option, and if he fails, no big deal – there’s other options, including the dreaded trade deadline deal.
Sure, on it’s own, you could say that. But when the entire team is hamstrung by crappy veterans who aren’t really giving us an actual upgrade, like the ~$25M we’re spending this season on our offseason acquisitions that add maybe 2, 3 WAR to our team…..yes, yes it is a big deal. It’s the exact reason we aren’t winning our division every year.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
there’s other options, including the dreaded trade deadline deal
Tim Alderson’s just don’t grow on trees
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
why grow them?
Just wait for Brain to harvest them and hand them out.
"I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."- Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti
"What do I want you to do? What are you doing in the National League?"- John McGraw
"117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"- carp (paraphrased)
by natteringnabob on Mar 16, 2010 7:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Everyone has thought this too.
The Bell is not a pitcher’s park and the pitching is tougher overall in the AL, especially the AL East. Huff won’t be good but he’s not going to be a trainwreck either.
"he walked 18; new league record! Struck out 18, another new league record! He also hit the sportswriter, the PA announcer, the bull mascot twice..."
I'm not that worried about his ability to produce at the plate
so much as his ability to field routine plays. People say that 1B defense isn’t that crucial, but considering how many plays he’ll be a part of, he’ll need to be on his game. I’m more worried about that then any problems he might have offensively.
Catching a ball that's thrown to you
is overrated and a luxury we can’t afford. :-)
I predict the panic over Huff being a trainwreck defensively is being overblown.
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
Other than the pitcher and catcher, the 1b handles the ball more than anybody else. He is a clank hands. Thats why Bochy and Sabean floated the idea of moving him to the outfield. To reduce the number of “touches” Mr. Brickmitts has to muff a routine play. A muffed shorthop throw at 1b brings a groan. Twice in a game a smattering of boos. 4 x in a week and the Zito boofest from two years ago will sound like a standing ovation.
Huff is a freaking disaster. You will see.
by E Ticket on Mar 16, 2010 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Thats predicated on the basis that anybody that plays first base in the majors can actually catch misthrows routinely.
And it sure wasn’t me that said that. That is one of those things I think that gets exaggerated and than passed around as gospel when a little common sense will tell you that the more opportunities to touch a ball a player has, the likelihood of him botching a play increases.
The whole 1b defense thing is a kind of paradox in this regard. A good defensive 1b isn’t going to make your season, but a bad one can sure ruin it. Kind of like a long snapper or a field goal kicker. Not an exact analogy, but kind of parallel.
The Giants defense looked good in part on paper because of all the strikeouts and fewer opportunities to mess up plays and positioning. How much is anybody’s guess. UZR while helpful is too subjective, but its a good beginning. UZR tends to quantify what long term subjective observation tries to do vis a vis a defender’s smarts, positioning, break on the ball, pitch placement anticipation, accurate throws and so forth. I’ve no real strong feelings on it one way or another.
I do know when a play is botched and thats what pisses me off.
I also know when a guy makes a great play… great anticipation, great read, great physical movement. None of these in my opinion does Aubrey Huff have. He’s just another pile of below average that Sabean latches onto year in and year out.
by E Ticket on Mar 16, 2010 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I think you missed my sarcasm in my first sentence
…but I still think Huff will suffice at 1B
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
You are the total patron saint of lost causes.
I would want you for a defense attorney if I were on trial for a major felony, but maybe not as a real estate agent.
Kind of the opposite of the Giants ownership. I would let them buy real estate for me, but I wouldn’t trust them to defend me if I were wrongly accused of a crime. They’re the kind of people that would throw their most loyal family member under the bus if it threatened their bottom line by even a nickel.
You on the other hand would probably hold out for a quarter. Which according to humanitarimetrics makes you 5 times a better person than the average partner in the SF Baseball Company.
Which is nice
by E Ticket on Mar 17, 2010 7:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Giants hoping for second coming of Daryl Evans.
Did anyone think that there are 3 options at 33. He can hit worse, hit about the same or hit better. Hard to tell at 33. We do not know if he was hurting a bit last year or not. Also the switch to a different league makes some guys worse, some guys thrive, and some remain about the same. The NL west has some good pitching so MJ5 probably has the odds in support of the posted arguments.
He can hit worse, hit about the same or hit better. Hard to tell at 33.
True, but the more likely scenario is worse (well, maybe not worse than his last year, but worse than you’d expect his “true talent level” to be after last year).
The NL west has some good pitching so MJ5 probably has the odds in support of the posted arguments.
So does the AL East. It’s more likely he does better by moving to the NL West from the AL East than worse – that’s the most talented division. We are not.
by Missing Barry on Mar 15, 2010 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah and he won't have to face some of the best pitching in the NL West :-)
Proudly adopted Aubrey Huff. You can't beat that!
You did not just try and evoke Darrell " Gumpy Shoulders" Evans?
Tell me you are not talking about the guy brought into the Giants in his age 29 season. The man had one OPS+ season under 100 in his first 20 years in the MLB. And if that is what the Giants brass is seeing in Huff they truly need to stop Bogarting whatever it is they are using.
Threat level that the 2010 Pads finish with more wins than the 2010 Giants is currently at - 25%
And if that is what the Giants brass is seeing in Huff they truly need to stop Bogarting whatever it is they are using
Where do you think Timmy got his stuff?
Adopted Giant: Mike Krukow.
Grab Some Pine, Meat
Kevin Frandsen: The best SS on the Giants roster
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
I have not read any of the comments above mine yet.
But I just want to say that I did not think Garko was bad.
My adopted son is RHP Steve Edlefsen, currently above Gerald Posey on the catching depth chart.
Adding "professional hitters"
Professional hitters is a term I heard more last year than I wanted to. Because the Giants didn’t have many. Huff will take pitchers deeper into counts, he’ll walk some and he has power. As for last year, the question is whether it was an aberration. He has solid career numbers.
Personally, I think it was a more than acceptable risk. If he returns to ‘08 level (.302 32 HR 108 RBI) its a tremendous signing. Even in a bad year he hit 15 HRs and drove in 85. Look, he ain’t Willie McCovey. But he’s a better bet to hit at first than Ishikawa. By a long shot.
As for his age – 33 is a prime year.

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