San Francisco Giants Link Dump, 3/25

It was a slow day in Giantsland, so let's look around the league and see what's going on that I can make two jokes about and then move on to the next thing.

Peavy hopes new pitch helps him throw 'kitchen sink' at lineups
Sure, this could be just another "THIS GUY WHO WAS BAD WILL ACTUALLY BE GOOD THIS YEAR JUST YOU WATCH" article, but if there is a time for Jake Peavy to mess around and learn a new pitch, it's right now. Furthermore, since Peavy will give up a certain number of runs this year, it makes sense to give them up in Spring Training. That's how the Giants keep winning – by outthinking the rest of baseball.

Pitchers Who Play Poker: The In-Game Edge That Mixing Pitches Truly Offers
And hey, speaking of Jake Peavy learning to throw a new pitch, here's a cool article from Grantland about how starting pitchers tend to fade during games, and one of the ways they compensate is by throwing pitchers during the second or third time through the order that they didn't throw earlier. So, the more pitchers the better, I guess. Righetti better be teaching every man on staff the forkball, or I'm going to write a sternly-worded letter to him about how I know better than him because I read an article on the Internet. Seems reasonable, right?

Astros Triple-A team planning delightfully arrogant promotion
Oh hey, here's something that Grant wrote. Do you know about Grant? Grant is often found in foreign countries such as Uganda or Malawi.  If Grant persists for more than four hours, call a doctor.

It turns out that one of the Fresno Grizzlies' giveaways this year will be 2017 World Series rings, and if you're wondering why they'd pick an odd year, it's because they're an Astros affiliate now and therefore not subject to Even Year Bullshit.  Still, you would think the baseball gods would frown on this display of Shakespearean hubris. See what happens when you're not associated with the Giants anymore? You start making bad decisions. Take THAT, sports team that wanted to stay with the Giants but couldn't. Take that.

Votto, Phillips: Same team, different approaches
Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips talked about their plate approaches, and – Surprise! – they're different. I think the easiest way to tell them apart is that Votto is better at hitting and Phillips really doesn't want to consider new forms of data. The two of them are otherwise twins, so I hope that helps you keep track of who's who.

BP Unfiltered: Which Position Would Win A Tournament of Positions
It is, of course, Stupid Tournament Season in the sports world (not including the MCC bracket, which is fun and delightful and tell your friends), and so here's a Stupid Tournament about making teams of guys playing at not their primary positions and seeing which team is best. It's science, and science is just what the people want!