Youth Movement

The three call-ups in whom I'm most interested:

1. Nate Schierholtz

   He has a real chance to be a part of the 2008 Giants, so the hope is that he flashes some of the power he showed in his Fresno tour of duty. His .364 average is sample-size soft, with at least a third of his 16 hits coming on end-of-the-bat flares, but it beats a string of Lindenian confidence-crushing strikeouts. The Giants could have a four-headed monster in center and right next year, with Schierholtz and Fred Lewis as the lefties, and Rajai Davis and Dan Ortmeier as the righties, but that would assume the Giants would be able to dump both Dave Roberts and Randy Winn. That doesn't seem like something Brian Sabean would do even if he could, but a fella can dream.

2. Eugenio Velez

   Woo hoo! Another fast outfielder! That's...something. Velez is a switch-hitter who had a decent season in AA, especially considering that the Eastern League, and Norwich specifically, hurts offensive numbers. As a middle infielder, he'd be more likely to be auditioning for a 2008 spot, but it's a pretty crowded outfield already. What I'm hoping for, though, is that he proves himself to be a data point for the "Dave Roberts isn't a bad player; he's just redundant on this team"-argument. Roberts is a speedster who can't hit lefties. Velez is a speedster who can't hit lefties, but who could also play the infield in a pinch. If the Giants do decide to go with the four-headed monster, Velez could be a good choice for the utility spot.

3. Dan Giese

   Pro: Fringe fastball, sweet breaking ball, plus command, and a great AAA season. Con: That all also applied to Scott Atchison. To be fair, Atchison's breaking ball has been incredibly inconsistent since coming to the majors, so it isn't right color Giese with the same crayon just because of Atchison's struggles. The Giants might be willing to trade a young reliever for some offensive help, and a lights-out month from Giese could help them make up their mind.

Which call-ups are you most interested in? You can throw Lewis on the pile, or even Jonathan Sanchez if you want to be a lawyer about it.* Are there any players who didn't get called up who you think should have? Bowker backers? Leone lamenters? Knoedler enablers? Horwitz hounds?

_{*Yes, I know that half of you out there are lawyers, were lawyers, or are studying to be lawyers. It's a joke. You jackals.}