I can't figure out if the linkend week dump makes more sense, or if a premature GameThread makes more sense. So I'll combine them? Dunno.
All the links that are fit to link:
The unmistakably incredible tale of Brock Bond | CSN Bay Area
Brock Bond would be in the majors if he had even Brandon Crawford power, as he's a .313 hitter over his minor-league career, with a .410 on-base percentage. Alas, his career high in home runs is one, which he's reached four different times.
Naturally he has two this spring in eight at-bats. It's either a small-sample fluke or he's in the best shape of his life or some combination of the two. It would be pretty cool to see him on a major-league bench, and Andrew Baggarly digs into the story of Brock Bond.
Crick emerging as Giants' next gem | MiLB.com News | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
Q&A with Kyle Crick, who has only to live up to the standards set by top Giants pitching prospects in the past. No pressure.
Adding Defensive Adjustments to ERA+ - Beyond the Box Score
I have no idea what any of this means, but the conclusion suggests that Rick Reuschel was a badass, so it's almost certainly accurate.
Baseball Prospectus | Pebble Hunting: The 30-Second Story of the San Francisco Giants
You're aware that Sam Miller is just about the best baseball writer alive, right? So when he writes about the Giants, he gets a link, paywall or not.
Take one dime every day, set it aside, and by the time next year rolls around, you'll have enough for a yearly subscription, you cheap bastard.
(I also just noticed that BP has their top-prospects list out for the Giants. Also worth a read.)
Baseball Prospectus | Sobsequy: Notable NL Minor-League Free Agent Signees
Last one from BP, but it's kind of newsy. I tried to hit all of the minor-league free agents this offseason, but I missed one. And it's one of the more interesting ones.
Every year we all scan the winter ball numbers to see which fringe guys were climbing back up the Tower of David down in Venezuela, and this year one of those guys was Jon Meloan. Meloan put up a 1.31 ERA over 19 appearances for the Caribes de Anzoategui, with 23 strikeouts and five walks in 20+ innings. (A more gung-ho number-cruncher than I will someday investigate whether Venezuelan performance has any correlation with subsequent major-league results.) Of course, the depth chart lists plenty of other righty options out of the bullpen for San Francisco, but ultimately the perceived potential of these minor-league free agents persists as much in the memory as it does in the numbers.
This is a gross picture
That is a gross picture. You were too comfortable over there.
One Day, Joe Pettini Will Show Them All | NotGraphs Baseball
I'd link to a Gawker article if it had a 1981 Topps Pettini in it. Heck, I'd even link to a NotGraphs article. So here you are.
Men's Health features Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey
The April issue of Men's Health magazine will focus on baseball's wave of electrifying young talent by putting Giants catcher Buster Posey, Angels left fielder Mike Trout and Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper on the cover. The issue goes on sale nationwide and on iTunes on March 12. There is no centerfold in the magazine, you sick freak.
Confessions of a Bad News Bear | The Hollywood Interview
If you grew up watching the Bad News Bears, you might find this interview as interesting as I did. In retrospect, that movie isn't exactly as kid-friendly as I remembered it.
In which Hunter Pence approves of my dietary choices | HardballTalk
Hunter Pence eats twigs, grubs, and berries, and so does Craig Calcaterra, so here they are talking about it together.
To be honest, I'm curious about the paleo diet, but it's not like I have the discipline to try it. I'll stick with the try-real-hard-to-watch-what-I-eat-but-fall-off-the-wagon-every-third-day-and-have-two-bowls-of-Cocoa-Pebbles-before-bed diet because it's easy and familiar.
Rush singer Geddy Lee expecting big year for Blue Jays
Geddy Lee probably reads the blogs you read. He's always watching. Always.
Duck Bonds Minor League Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com
I don't know why I find this amusing. But I do. I want to track his family down and write the Oral History of Duck Bonds. I just like typing the name. Duck Bonds. Duck Bonds. Duck Bonds.
Duck Bonds.
This is a Google Image Search result for Duck Bonds. It's probably a good place to end the link dump.