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The Five-Year Itch

By Grant Brisbee

In the comment section of the last trivia post, there was a poll asking if one more trivia contest would be overkill. One person thought it would be. That person can sit on it.

This one's from the 2001 Minor League Scouting Notebook, which was penned by John Sickels for STATS, Inc. The following passages referred to Giants from the present, Giants from the past, and players who might have never made it to the big leagues. I'll put their 2000 stats and level next to the passage.

  1. Hits a few liners, being trained as a utility player. Upside is very limited (.280/.314/.385 - AAA)
  2. Scouts compare him to Dwight Gooden and Bob Gibson, although he doesn't have that kind of velocity yet. (2.94, 115/48 K/BB in 125.2 A+ innings) (Ed. note: Sigh.)
  3. I doubt he will be a star, although if his strike-zone judgment continues to improve, that isn't out of the question. (.298/.337/.571 - AAA)
  4. He might have a Joe Girardi-like career if all goes well. (.286/.350/.374 - AA)
  5. ....was one of the most egregious overdrafts of the past five years. (.214/.332/.307 - A+)
  6. Sneaky finesse lefty, best bet would be out of the bullpen or hanging from a ballot in Florida. (4.32, 41/17 K/BB in 81.1 AAA innings)
  7. I like him a lot, but he's a candidate for Kip Wells Syndrome if the Giants rush him too quickly. (3.30, 130/63 K/BB in 158 AA innings)
  8. Unlike his brother, he knows the difference between a ball, a strike, and the gas giant orbiting Zeta Reticuli. (.290/.394/.537 - AAA)
  9. ....has very good stuff, hand made great progress last year throwing strikes and improving his ability to change speeds. (2.75, 111/51 K/BB in 121 AA innings) (Ed. note: Not in the Giants system at the time of this book.)
  10. If baseball wants to claim it is truly a meritocracy, this guy deserves a chance. (3.81, 116/31 K/BB in 127.2 AAA innings) (Ed. note: I still agree with the sentiment, even if it never happened. One of my favorite non-prospects ever...)
As an aside, Matt Kinney was the #33 overall prospect that year. I didn't know he was so highly regarded.

The winner of the contest will receive a digital picture of a 32-pound cat sitting on a Edgardo Alfonzo bobblehead, if they choose to claim the prize.

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