Blanco doesn't mean blank

[Rog]

Around the All-Star break, we were talking here about replacing Gregor Blanco in the starting lineup with Tyler Colvin.  We even went so far as to call Blanco a .220 hitter.

With his homer in his first at bat, Gregor is now hitting .309 in the second half, with a .797 OPS.  Patience usually pays off.  We tend to use the "what have you done for me lately" approach to player evaluation, when we usually should take a longer view.  Who knows?  Maybe Gregor will stink it up the rest of the season. But hasn't he already bounced back far more than we expected?

[rxmeister]

I think we all knew Gregor Blanco was better than he was showing, so his bounce back isn't that surprising. I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but here's the thing with Gregor. He's a streaky player, and his worst streaks have come the last two years with Pagan out, which is exactly when they've needed him most. He's a good fourth outfielder, but that's all that he'll ever be, which leads to an interesting question for next year. This year he made 2.5 million and he will probably want a raise next year. Do they pay a backup outfielder three million dollars? Sabean has a big decision to make, especially in the light of how much whining he's already done about next year's payroll. I think if I was him I would cut both Morse and Blanco loose and use that approximately 9 million to use on a real left fielder who could play every day and not have to be pulled for defense or a pinch hitter. A few names out there. Aoki, Melky Cabrera, Cuddyer, Alex Rios.

[klaiggeb]

Mark:

Except for Rios, I like your idea and your list. We NEED to get a steady, everyday guy out there.

Aoki, Cabrera (whom I think the Giants will NEVER re acquire) and Cuddyer, have always been known as "team" guys.

That can't be said of Rios, and thus, not a guy I want.

boly

[Rog]

I suspect the Giants will need to trade for an outfielder, as they did for Pagan, Cabrera and Pence. Given the Giants' budget and AT&T's reputation as a pitchers' park, it may be tough to acquire much more than a bargain-basement outfielder via free agency.

To make matters worse, what the Giants truly need is two more outfielders -- especially if one of them involves the return of Morse. Morse has had a very healthy season thus far, but both he and Pagan have been injury-prone over their careers.

The high cost of doing trade deadline business this season may make it more likely that Brian Sabean will fully address this problem over the winter. The Giants lack depth this season, but it's primarily outfield depth.

For next season, I think the Giants have plenty of infielder is they re-sign Pablo. They would seem to have catching depth in Susac and Sanchez. But in closer to an ideal world, they would sign two outfielders and have Blanco as their 5th outfielder.

In reality, neither Blanco nor Arias might be back next season. That would seem to be especially true of Arias, who could be replaced by Adrianza, Duffy and in a more perfect world, Scutaro.

As for what the Giants have to trade -- well, Blanco and Arias should the Giants re-sign them. Perhaps one of the other infielders. One of the catchers. Adam Duvall. A reliever or two, assuming Tim Lincecum stays in the bullpen next season. Another one or two of their minor league pitchers, which is their deepest minor league position.

The Giants need to be able to count on either Lincecum or Petit in next year's rotation. Then they could re-sign either Jake Peavy or the cheaper Ryan Vogelsong and, with a healthy return from Matt Cain, have a solid rotation again.

As of right now, the Giants need a starting pitcher (possibly two), a third baseman and two outfielders for next season. A closer or set-up man, since they will need to re-sign or replace Sergio Romo.

A lot of opening exist for next season, and the Giants should attempt to start becoming younger if possible. Their stars are in their primes, but that won't be the case forever.

The Giants will have a fair amount of financial flexibility after the 2015 season, with Lincecum, Hudson and a couple of relievers coming off the books. Of course, those guys may also need to be replaced, as could be the case with Sandoval and/or Romo this year. Unless the Giants decide to move Posey to third base, there really wouldn't be much available to replace Sandoval. A year from now, one or more of the young pitchers might be ready for slots.

For this winter, here is my prediction:

Romo will command too much for the Giants to match.

They will somehow find a way to re-sign Pablo. Hopefully a four-year contract will be enough, although once again an American League team could offer him more given the fall-back position of designated hitter. If the Giants are to re-sign Pablo, they'd better do so before he hits the open market.

They will trade for one outfielder and sign another. How much they need to spend and the quality of the outfielders they acquire will determine if Blanco returns.

Arias will be back, as the Giants will trade an infielder. They will also trade a reliever and Adam Duvall. Ryan Vogelsong will return; Jake Peavy will not.

Brandon Belt will be their breakout player.

[klaiggeb]

Rog--For this winter, here is my prediction:

Romo will command too much for the Giants to match.

They will somehow find a way to re-sign Pablo. Hopefully a four-year contract will be enough, although once again an American League team could offer him more given the fall-back position of designated hitter. If the Giants are to re-sign Pablo, they'd better do so before he hits the open market.

They will trade for one outfielder and sign another. How much they need to spend and the quality of the outfielders they acquire will determine if Blanco returns.

Arias will be back, as the Giants will trade an infielder. They will also trade a reliever and Adam Duvall. Ryan Vogelsong will return; Jake Peavy will not.

Brandon Belt will be their breakout player.

---boly says--

Interesting thoughts, Rog, and though I disagree with 2 of your predictions, your logic is hard to argue with.

My thoughts;

Pablo will NOT be back. Giants are afraid of his the weight he'd gain AFTER signing a big deal... and he will DEMAND a deal equal to Pence which I would NOT GIVE HIM.\

He's not like Romo who has A REAL appreciation for all the Giants have done for him.

Romo WILL be back; I think Romo likes where he is. Not that he's happy not being the closer, but he's always impressed me as a guy who really appreciated his good fortune.
Thus, though he COULD demand a much bigger salary... 2 world series, and maybe 3 playoff shots in 5 years I think mean a lot to him.

I think he'll take less money than he could get elsewhere and stay.

boly

[Rog]

Boly -- Pablo will NOT be back. Giants are afraid of his the weight he'd gain AFTER signing a big deal... and he will DEMAND a deal equal to Pence which I would NOT GIVE HIM.\

Rog -- Your argument is a very good one, Boly, and one which I almost went with. The Giants clearly need Pablo, and to a lesser extent, I think he needs them. I think the two will settle for something like 5/$75, although I would much prefer it if they could get him on a four-year contract.

The Giants' thoughts for Buster in the future could enter into the discussion as well. If there are bona fide outfield candidates, I would be tempted to forgo Pablo and put the money into what I perceive as a need for TWO outfielders. But Buster and the Giants seem to prefer his staying behind the plate as long as feasible, and we don't know for sure how well his talents would translate to the hot corner. Seems like a good fit though.

Here's a thought regarding the outfield. A simple and potentially effective solution to that problem might be to re-sign Morse, have Belt play both first and the outfield, have Buster both catch and play first base. Heck, if the Giants also taught Buster to back up at third base, they would have a lot of flexibility and depth.

Might not be all bad to pick four players each day from among Buster, Belt, Morse, Pablo and Susac. That wouldn't provide a backup should Pagan go down, but with Blanco as a defensive sub, the Giants might be OK if they could get a solid right-hand hitting backup center fielder who could platoon with Blanco if Pagan went down. I'm not optimistic, but wouldn't it be great if Gary Brown could fill that role?

Regarding Brown, I think he's played well enough this season to remain a prospect rather than a suspect, but his lack of plate control still seems to be a big issue. He's been decent this year, but in his second year in the Pacific Coast League, he should be better than decent.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank#ixzz3BuNspvqN

[Rog]

Boly -- Romo WILL be back; I think Romo likes where he is. Not that he's happy not being the closer, but he's always impressed me as a guy who really appreciated his good fortune.
Thus, though he COULD demand a much bigger salary... 2 world series, and maybe 3 playoff shots in 5 years I think mean a lot to him.

I think he'll take less money than he could get elsewhere and stay.

Rog -- Again, a fine argument, and one that was almost persuasive to me even before you brought it up. I mentioned that the one blessing to Sergio's struggle this year might be that it would make him more affordable. And one has to be rather impressed with his fine bounce back from what was basically a home run problem.

I think it comes down to how much Sergio can command on the open market. I fear it will be so much more than the Giants can truly offer that Sergio will feel he almost HAS to take one of the other offers.

You could be absolutely right though about either Pablo or Sergio or both.

Here's a thought: Since each player will be expensive for his position, maybe their fates will be oppositely related.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank?page=1&scrollTo=22020#ixzz3BuRmhYnV

[klaiggeb]

I just don't think I see Sergio's upside as much as you do, Rog.

Really, there are a LOT of relievers out there, and there shelf life is much shorter than that of a regular player; in general.


Foolishy, and I mean that since skinny Pablo is only hitting .285ish with around 15 HRs... that's SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH production from what he thinks he deserves.

For that money, I'll bet we could do better.

Meaning at another position.

I'm serious, Rog, as this season plays out and we see more and more of Susac AND, assuming Belt comes back healthy next year... AND assuming Pablo runs for the green, I'd march Posey out there at 3B from day 1 of spring training.

Not 1b, 3B.

He's a former ss and I'll bet he could do it at least to an average level.

He'll never be Brooks Robinson, but with his bat, average to above average would really be good enough.

boly

[rxmeister]

I agree with Rog here. The Giants will find a way to bring back Sandoval, even if it involves not signing anybody else and letting all other free agents walk. They'll scare half the teams off by extending a QO and other teams will all see the weight risks involved and tread carefully as well. Romo will be your typical closer and look for a team that guarantees him the closer role. If he doesn't find one, then he may be back. Sabean said he "loves the left fielder" when referring to Morse, but I think financial considerations will force him to let him walk. What I want the Giants to do that I said in my previous post, I do not expect them to do because of financial reasons. I think they will attempt to re-sign both Vogelsong and Peavy, but I think Peavy will be too expensive for them. Vogelsong will return as the fifth starter and the Giants will be pretty much the same team.

[Rog]

Boly -- I just don't think I see Sergio's upside as much as you do, Rog.

Really, there are a LOT of relievers out there, and there shelf life is much shorter than that of a regular player; in general.

Rog -- I think there's upside for Sergio -- but I don't think he'll return to the Giants to show it. Beginning with his second outing after the All-Star game, Sergio has allowed NO earned runs in 12.1 innings over his last 14 games. He's yielded just six hits, walking three while striking out 17. That's vintage Romo. In fact, unless one is Yusmeiro Petit, how much better does it GET?

If the season ended today and Sergio became a free agent, some team would look and say, "Yeah, Sergio's 3.96 ERA isn't very good for a reliever, but his 0.96 WHIP is excellent, as is his 4.33 K/BB ratio. Plus, he outlasted a long slump of 19 runs in 21.1 innings. The rest of his season his ERA was 0.95. He broke out of the slump big-time and hasn't allowed a run in a month and a half. Even with that long slump, his ERA the past five seasons is below 2.40."

Sergio isn't the usual closer, and he relies heavily on placement of his excellent slider. But for five seasons -- seven, really, which encompasses his entire career -- he's gotten the job done as well as all but a few relievers. Unless Sergio falters the rest of the way, he'll almost certainly find a team who will richly reward him.

He's not worth enough to make him a qualifying offer, so teams won't have to worry about losing a draft choice to sign him. Just as Pablo would be one of the very top hitters on the free agent market, Sergio would be one of the very top relievers. On the open market, the two would likely command $25 million or more per season between them.

Supply and demand.


Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank#ixzz3BzgBch6i

[Rog]

Boly -- Foolishy, and I mean that since skinny Pablo is only hitting .285ish with around 15 HRs... that's SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH production from what he thinks he deserves.

For that money, I'll bet we could do better.

Meaning at another position.

Rog -- Let's say the Giants can re-sign Pablo for 5/$75. Which free agent could they sign for that amount who would be better? Let's suppose it's Hunter Pence money. Whom can they sign for 5/$90 who would be better?

How many third basemen are better than Pablo? How many right fielders are better than Hunter? I don't think the former list is longer than the latter. Supply and demand.

Show me the player the Giants could do better with, and I'll go along with you. But the demand is great, and the supply is thin.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank?page=1&scrollTo=22037#ixzz3BzlmCtdO

[Rog]

Boly makes a good point about the possibility of using Buster at the hot corner. All things considered -- including getting a compensatory draft pick for losing Pablo -- that could well be the way to go. But the free agent pickings are slim, and both Buster and the Giants seem committed to leaving him behind the plate as long as possible.

Mark makes a good point that the Giants could be little changed, although I do think they'll make at least one trade this winter.

[Rog]

Through May 24th, Gregor Blanco was just 8 for 56, a .143 average. In the 3+ months since then, he's hit .277/.348/.376/.724. You know, that's not horribly far behind Angel Pagan's .305/.345/.402/.746. In fact, during that time, Gregor has gotten on base slightly more often than Angel. Gregor is 14 out of 18 in steals, compared to Pagan's 13 out of 18.

Frankly, if Pagan can lead off, Blanco can lead off. Pagan has missed about half this period with injury, but over the past 3+ months, Blanco has outplayed Pagan. Fortunately BOTH are hitting pretty well right now, and Pagan was certainly FAR, FAR better than Blanco through May 24th. But since then, Blanco has actually been the better player, as strange as that seems given Angel's career-high .305 average on the season.

Pagan has had the better season overall, but his season was strong early on. Over the past three months, Blanco's has been the stronger.

Right now, Blanco and Arias are hitting, and Panik has won second base. Susac is outhitting Sanchez. If Belt returns to hit well, the Giants should actually have their best hitting of the entire season. They've now hit homers in something like 11 straight games, so even the power is returning.

Early on, the Giants were scoring runs based on home runs and timely hitting. Now they're capable of scoring their runs in a more balanced, sustainable manner. Throw in continued good relief and resurgent pitching, and suddenly the picture is much brighter than three weeks ago, isn't it?

Let's not get overly excited though, and realize who the Giants really are: Not nearly as good as they seemed early, not nearly as bad as they seemed for two months after that, and not as good as they have looked the past three weeks. The closest of the three to the truth though is probably the way they've looked the past three weeks. And that's not bad.

[klaiggeb]

But what they are, Rog, right now, is HOT.

And THAT'S what you need to be this time of year.

we've seen it before; 2010, 2012, and though they were out of it last year, again, in September, they played well!

Good timing.

boly

[rxmeister]

I wouldn't quite close the door on Sergio's Giants' career as yet. Bochy said he'll now close as often as Casilla does, and as I said, being a closer is probably the main thing he'll look for this offseason. Not only that he loves this team, he's used to being here, and he's sort of the unofficial goodwill ambassador of the team. If you see the pregame festivities, he's always out on the field and he always catches the ceremonial first pitch, which usually teams use their starting catcher for. I think he loves his role with the Giants. And most importantly, let's not forget Brian Sabean's propensity to overpay relief pitchers!

[Rog]

The Giants might put their faith in the two young relievers from Richmond, although Derek Law's Tommy John recovery might take a while. The Giants are going to need to save money where they can, and their best opportunity for next year and beyond would seem to be in the area of pitching.

[klaiggeb]

And that's a good point, Rog.

Even though Strickland struggled the other night... he can flat heat it up.

Not like Hembry who was "billed" as having a great heater, Strickland really has one, and also with good movement.

Be nice to see some of Bochy's kid and also the other youngster they brought up.

Not KICKHAM. I just don't see anything in that guy.

Every time out, he struggles with the strike zone, and sooner or later, gets lit up.

Short leash the other day, and rightfully so.

boly

[Rog]

Rog -- Hembree has a 4.50 ERA over 6 innings in three games with the Red Sox this season. He posted a 3.72 ERA over 46 AAA innings before being called up. Hembree did pitch quite well for the Giants in a September call up last season, posting a perfect ERA in 6.2 innings while striking out an impressive 12 batters.

I would think the Giants won't keep Kickham on the 40 man roster unless he shows something this September. Obviously Eric Cordier throws triple digit gas but lacks control and doesn't appear to have any kind of plus secondary pitch.

Brett Bochy looked small warming up, although I see he's listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. I just got a quick look, so probably he's bigger than he appeared to me. 200 pounds isn't small.

[klaiggeb]

Roger, you missed my point about Hembree entirely.

We were TOLD he was high 90's... but he was far from that when he got here.

Strickland was advertised as high 90s... and he was.

That's what I was talking about.


And that other kid I wanted to see? Cordier?

That is THE most EFFORTLESS 100-101 I've seen since Sandy Koufax!

Can he throw consistant strikes?

We'll see.


And I'll tell you what, if I'M BOCHY'S kid? Dad and I are having WORDS when we get in private.

He runs STRICKLAND out there two days in a row, and IGNORES me?

You can kiss my fat fanny, pop, you really can!


That's a slight I do NOT forgoet if I'm his kid.

Not now, not ever!

boly

boly

[Rog]

I was merely updating Hembree's performance this season, not trying to contradict your comment about his decreased speed. He threw hard last September, but as you point out, not THAT hard. On the other hand, I believe he has undergone Tommy John surgery, not that doing so has impeded Strickland much.

If Eric Cordier didn't average 100 mph today, he came within a tenth or two of doing so. He threw quite a few pitches before throwing one not in triple digits. According to the gun on the Giants' telecast, he threw only one pitch as slow as 98 and perhaps five or so at 99. And despite pitching only one inning, I believe he threw over 20 fastballs.

Clearly, control has been his problem. Today he walked one batter and hit another.

I realize you were joking about Bochy's son, but Bruce IS in a tough position with Brett. The more successful Brett is, the less problem it should cause, but Bruce likely has to go out of his way NOT to show favoritism to his son.

[Rog]

The Giants have stated that Strickland will get serious work this month. If he pitches really well, the Giants might even try to put him on their post season roster, as the Angels did in 2002 with Francisco Rodriguez. That clever move by the Angels may have cost the Giants the World Series that season.

[Rog]

Who is the Giants' best lead off hitter RIGHT NOW? Might be Gregor Blanco. RIGHT NOW, not necessarily for the long run. As I mentioned, I like Joe Panik in that role, not that he is likely to fill it. Possibly he would do so when Blanco cools off and if Pagan became injured again.

The injury-plagued Michael Morse has stayed remarkably healthy this season, but he is down now with an oblique injury. As Noah Lowry can tell us, those can be tough.

[klaiggeb]

Rog--I realize you were joking about Bochy's son, but Bruce IS in a tough position with Brett. The more successful Brett is, the less problem it should cause, but Bruce likely has to go out of his way NOT to show favoritism to his

---boly says---

Actually, Rog, I wasn't joking.

I WOULD have had words with my father... loud words.

Loud... LOUD words.


Hey, I appreciate Bochy's 'tight/tough' position. But... NO ONE could have/would have faulted him for using his kid since he'd already used ALL the other kids first.

Bochy's won two world series, and give him his due for that, Rog.

And quite frankly, Rog, I've pretty much had enough of Bochy's lies (Cain and Morse' injuries just 2 examples) and what I consider down right stupid, idiotic lineups.

We've scored all of those runs INSPITE of Bochy, I contend, not necessarily because of him.


I mean, for crying out loud, when Pagan came back hitting and hitting well, and Panik going so well, how long did it take for him to FINALLY move Pence out of the 2 hole?

I can't stand, have no patience for stubbornness, managerial blindness, or down right stupidity (Blanco and/or Panik hitting 4 or 5)

boly

[Rog]

Boly -- Actually, Rog, I wasn't joking.

I WOULD have had words with my father... loud words.

Loud... LOUD words.


Hey, I appreciate Bochy's 'tight/tough' position. But... NO ONE could have/would have faulted him for using his kid since he'd already used ALL the other kids first.

Rog -- Alex Pavolvic indicated the Giants were going to give Strickland quite a look. The Giants must decide whether to offer Sergio Romo this winter what would likely take a LOT of money. Strickland is arguably the key prospect to help them make that decision.

Here's the way I look at it. The guys who were called up right away are the guys the Giants are more concerned with evaluating and/or are counting on more to make contributions down the stretch. The guys who were called up the next day are guys who were called up in part as a courtesy measure, in part to see how they adjust, and with the hope that they can be Plan B-type contributors if needed.

Bruce not only faces a tough situation with his son, he also would likely be going against what the team is trying to accomplish with its young call ups. The Giants now have 35 players active. Some are going to get precedent over others.

[Rog]

By the way, if my dad were the manager of a team I had just been called up to, I would hope I would be wise enough to realize my best comment to him would be "Yes, sir." That might be carrying it a little too far, but I would assume Bruce has told Brett that he has to be careful how he handles him.

[Rog]

As for Bochy taking a long time to bat Panik 2nd on a consistent basis, I agree with you that I would have loved to see him do so sooner. Yet a month and a half ago you were saying that Joe would never bat 2nd this season, since he was a rookie. I agreed with you that I didn't think the Giants WOULD bat him 2nd, but I also felt he was capable of doing so.

The only real question I had about Joe was if he was ready this season. I didn't see any reason he wouldn't be, but he did get off to a slow start. Then he began hitting the ball well but in tough luck. Then he began hitting the ball even better and in decent luck.

If you didn't think Joe could hit 2nd at all this season, do you see why it might have taken Bruce a little longer than we would have liked to do so with him?

As for Bruce, you called him a Hall of Fame manager (probably an acknowledgement you didn't totally agree with), and indeed he may become one. I personally don't put him at that level, at least not yet. Even when he was unpopular here -- which pretty much lasted until the 2010 post season -- I thought he was a good manager. But I still don't see him as a great one.

His strong suit, the one I feel is the most important with ANY manager, is motivating his players. With regard to strategy, sometimes it simply comes down to philosophy and information we may not be privy to. Frankly, I believe the motivation can make considerably more difference than the strategy. And I do think Bruce is good at providing a nice environment in which players can succeed.

[donk33]

Sept 4, 2014 18:53:19 GMT -5 Rog said:

dk...they left a few guys on their minor league teams because they had one more game to play...taking a player from Richmond just before the playoffs is what kills minor league fans. With Fresno out of it, the Giants should have been satisfied with the AAA players...in my opinion...I think Richmond was their only team to make the playoffs...

[klaiggeb]

Rog--As for Bochy taking a long time to bat Panik 2nd on a consistent basis, I agree with you that I would have loved to see him do so sooner. Yet a month and a half ago you were saying that Joe would never bat 2nd this season, since he was a rookie. I agreed with you that I didn't think the Giants WOULD bat him 2nd, but I also felt he was capable of doing so.

---boly says--But Rog, my comment had to do with what I thought Bonehead would do... not what I would do.

I really, REALLY didn't think he'd give the chance.

I really didn't.

It's good that Bruce is patient with his veterans, it really is. It adds stability.

But my Lord! That line up with Pence 2 hole was NOT working with Morse NOT hitting, and Belt out.

His FAILURE to react and correct the situation quickly hurt this team in the standings.


I guess I'm not being fair. I EXPECT more and better from not only professional, but a man of Bochy's stature and reputation.

He disappointed me in HIS stubborness.

He let me down, as well as Giant fans.

boly

[Rog]

dk...they left a few guys on their minor league teams because they had one more game to play

Rog -- That one more game to play applied to the players who were brought up the day earlier just as it applied to the players brought up a day later. I think one can make a very strong case that the Giants brought up the players the first day that they considered to be more important for one reason or another.

Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank#ixzz3CQGorSQx

[Rog]

Boly -- But my Lord! That line up with Pence 2 hole was NOT working with Morse NOT hitting, and Belt out.

Rog -- Good point. But Belt was in the lineup for the first five games of August, and Mike Morse began to heat it up the very day Belt played his last game. After the game on August 2nd, Joe was hitting an even .200. Wouldn't you imagine it took a while to gain Bochy's confidence.

Hey, Joe pretty much had my confidence all along. I think I have been his biggest supporter here, mentioning him pretty much ever since he was drafted. I would have had no problem batting him 2nd, although I wouldn't have been certain in doing so.

On August 6th, Joe got his average up to .258. But six games later it was still stuck at .252. I'm not necessarily thinking Joe had still proven he should bat second. When he reached .300, he dipped below it the next game. A game after that, he rose to .313, and I would think a manager would begin to be comfortable with his batting that high in the lineup. His average did dip below .300 for three more days, but certainly by the time it got up to .310 and has stayed above .300 since.

Bruce installed Joe at the #2 hitter on August 28, which is toward the end of the cycle I mentioned above. Ironically, he did so when Joe had just two hits in his last 15 at bats.

My guess is that among you, Bruce and I, I would have been first to move Joe to #2, you would have been second, and Bruce was third. I agree with you he should have done so earlier. But I do understand why he didn't do so.

He did bat Joe #2 for at least one game earlier on. IIRC Joe didn't hit well in that game. That might have entered into Bruce's thinking as well.

I don't disagree with you that Bruce could and probably should have moved Joe up sooner. But I'm not NEARLY as down on Bruce as you are. I pretty much have always had the same opinion of him as a Giants manager -- good but not great.



Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/2424/blanco-mean-blank?page=1&scrollTo=22111#ixzz3CQHRXg4Y