Post by Rog on Feb 6, 2015 13:38:51 GMT -5
Intriguing article below by Richard Justice, national writer for MLB.com. Nothing new here, but it might be helpful in gaining perspective.
When I saw last season's OBP's of Casey McGehee (.355) and Nori Aoki (.349), I realized they would have been near the top in this category among all Giants last season. Sure enough, that would have been good enough for second and third on the Giants, behind only Buster Posey's .364.
The Giants' motto last season was "keep the line moving." Unless Posey, Pence and Belt improve their home run totals next season and/or there is an uptick in home runs among most of the other players, the Giants won't have the power they showed last season. But they just might "keep the line moving" better.
Aoki might be the Giants' new leadoff man, which would provide a few more runners for Panik, Posey, Pence and Belt. Pagan might provide a tiny bit of pop batting sixth. His best power season was 2012, when he fell short of double digit home runs (8), but hit 15 triples and 38 doubles. That was his last full season.
With just four home runs, McGehee's power last season was almost non-existent. But he has averaged 11 homers in his six full seasons in the majors, so double digits wouldn't be out of the question. Given that Pablo hit only 16, a ten-spot from McGehee would have to be considered a win. Especially since even with just four homers, Casey had three more RBI's than Pablo.
Here is a possible scenario in which the 2016 Giants might keep the homer gap in left field and at each of the two corners from becoming too hard to overcome. Morse, Sandoval and Belt combined for 44 homers last season. If Belt could reach 25 (a fairly reasonable assumption it would seem) and McGehee and Aoki could combine for a dozen, that would total 37, or only 7 fewer than last season.
That's likely pretty close to a best-case scenario, but it's also true that pro-rated over a full season, Belt, McGehee and Aoki combined for a pro-rated 37 homers last season. So it's certainly far from impossible.
Even though Brandon Hicks couldn't hit a lick, he did pop 8 homers last season, so the Giants will lose some power at the keystone. But Pagan could certainly improve his 3 home runs last season, and Brandon Crawford's trend is up (3, 4, 9 and 10 in his four seasons).
All-in-all though, the Giants certainly aren't likely to hit as many home runs, and they were deficient in that department to begin with. But there doesn't seem to be a valid reason why they shouldn't move the line along a little better. And more ducks on the pond mean more runs scored when the homers DO occur.
By Richard Justice / MLB.com | February 4, 2015 + 159 COMMENTS
One of the best parts of any offseason is watching Giants general manager Brian Sabean build a baseball team. He's good at it. No secret there.
Sabean has crafted a Hall of Fame resume during 18 years on the job, and winning the World Series three times in five seasons has validated what a lot of people already knew. His genius may be his relentless patience and vision. Sure, Sabean and his staff -- he has assembled one of the best -- can identify talent. Plenty of others can, too.
Sabean's gift is understanding that roster building is about not just talent, but depth, leadership and chemistry. And it's understanding that the process is ongoing. He may feel one way about his team today and another by the end of Spring Training after he has had a chance to look at his entire system, from the top of the big league roster to the bottom of the Minor Leagues.
But there'll be chances to adjust things both internally and externally as the season unfolds. Sabean has the luxury of knowing his team is good enough to stay in contention through the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline while he considers his options.
Sabean believes no deal is better than a bad one. So when deals are falling through all around him, he long ago learned to take a deep breath and wait for something he's comfortable with.
The Giants were unable to re-sign third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Yes, Sandoval frustrated them a time or two. He also batted .344 in 39 postseason games and was above average defensively.
To replace that kind of production, Sabean would have been forced to gut his Minor League system, and after watching five rookies make it onto the postseason roster last fall, he was unwilling to do that.
When San Francisco lost out in the Jon Lester sweepstakes, Sabean came up with a new game plan. He spread his money around, re-signing pitchers Ryan Vogelsong and Jake Peavy and acquiring third baseman Casey McGehee and left fielder Nori Aoki.
All things considered, Sabean probably isn't at all unhappy about how things ended up. He will again have one of baseball's best bullpens. In fact, that 'pen says plenty about the Giants and their priorities. They have committed $23 million this season to five relievers -- Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Yusmeiro Petit.
Re-signing Peavy and Vogelsong gives San Francisco's rotation depth behind Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson and perhaps Tim Lincecum. It also allows Petit to remain in a sort of utility pitching role as both a spot starter and middle reliever.
Offensively, Sabean filled his two obvious holes with McGehee and Aoki taking over for Sandoval and Michael Morse (who wasn't re-signed). Sandoval and Morse hit 32 home runs. Rather than attempt to find power, Sabean shifted direction and went for overall offense. Aoki had one home run and a .349 OBP for the Royals last season. McGehee had one home run and a .355 OBP for the Marlins.
With Angel Pagan healthy and back in center field, the Giants will score runs a different way. But this three-championship run has been built on pitching, and if Cain and Hudson are healthy, San Francisco likely has enough of it.
Changes aside, this is a team befitting one of baseball's best organizations. Manager Bruce Bochy is one of just 10 managers to win the World Series three times, and he is the gold standard for managing a bullpen and keeping a clubhouse running smoothly.
In Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Bumgarner and others, the Giants have consummate professionals who set the highest of standards for themselves. In a division in which the Dodgers and Padres both believe they're capable of winning the World Series, the path to the postseason has never been more difficult.
"It's going to be a different look, a different type of team," Sabean told reporters last week.
It's also going to be a good one. Nothing new there, either.
When I saw last season's OBP's of Casey McGehee (.355) and Nori Aoki (.349), I realized they would have been near the top in this category among all Giants last season. Sure enough, that would have been good enough for second and third on the Giants, behind only Buster Posey's .364.
The Giants' motto last season was "keep the line moving." Unless Posey, Pence and Belt improve their home run totals next season and/or there is an uptick in home runs among most of the other players, the Giants won't have the power they showed last season. But they just might "keep the line moving" better.
Aoki might be the Giants' new leadoff man, which would provide a few more runners for Panik, Posey, Pence and Belt. Pagan might provide a tiny bit of pop batting sixth. His best power season was 2012, when he fell short of double digit home runs (8), but hit 15 triples and 38 doubles. That was his last full season.
With just four home runs, McGehee's power last season was almost non-existent. But he has averaged 11 homers in his six full seasons in the majors, so double digits wouldn't be out of the question. Given that Pablo hit only 16, a ten-spot from McGehee would have to be considered a win. Especially since even with just four homers, Casey had three more RBI's than Pablo.
Here is a possible scenario in which the 2016 Giants might keep the homer gap in left field and at each of the two corners from becoming too hard to overcome. Morse, Sandoval and Belt combined for 44 homers last season. If Belt could reach 25 (a fairly reasonable assumption it would seem) and McGehee and Aoki could combine for a dozen, that would total 37, or only 7 fewer than last season.
That's likely pretty close to a best-case scenario, but it's also true that pro-rated over a full season, Belt, McGehee and Aoki combined for a pro-rated 37 homers last season. So it's certainly far from impossible.
Even though Brandon Hicks couldn't hit a lick, he did pop 8 homers last season, so the Giants will lose some power at the keystone. But Pagan could certainly improve his 3 home runs last season, and Brandon Crawford's trend is up (3, 4, 9 and 10 in his four seasons).
All-in-all though, the Giants certainly aren't likely to hit as many home runs, and they were deficient in that department to begin with. But there doesn't seem to be a valid reason why they shouldn't move the line along a little better. And more ducks on the pond mean more runs scored when the homers DO occur.
By Richard Justice / MLB.com | February 4, 2015 + 159 COMMENTS
One of the best parts of any offseason is watching Giants general manager Brian Sabean build a baseball team. He's good at it. No secret there.
Sabean has crafted a Hall of Fame resume during 18 years on the job, and winning the World Series three times in five seasons has validated what a lot of people already knew. His genius may be his relentless patience and vision. Sure, Sabean and his staff -- he has assembled one of the best -- can identify talent. Plenty of others can, too.
Sabean's gift is understanding that roster building is about not just talent, but depth, leadership and chemistry. And it's understanding that the process is ongoing. He may feel one way about his team today and another by the end of Spring Training after he has had a chance to look at his entire system, from the top of the big league roster to the bottom of the Minor Leagues.
But there'll be chances to adjust things both internally and externally as the season unfolds. Sabean has the luxury of knowing his team is good enough to stay in contention through the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline while he considers his options.
Sabean believes no deal is better than a bad one. So when deals are falling through all around him, he long ago learned to take a deep breath and wait for something he's comfortable with.
The Giants were unable to re-sign third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Yes, Sandoval frustrated them a time or two. He also batted .344 in 39 postseason games and was above average defensively.
To replace that kind of production, Sabean would have been forced to gut his Minor League system, and after watching five rookies make it onto the postseason roster last fall, he was unwilling to do that.
When San Francisco lost out in the Jon Lester sweepstakes, Sabean came up with a new game plan. He spread his money around, re-signing pitchers Ryan Vogelsong and Jake Peavy and acquiring third baseman Casey McGehee and left fielder Nori Aoki.
All things considered, Sabean probably isn't at all unhappy about how things ended up. He will again have one of baseball's best bullpens. In fact, that 'pen says plenty about the Giants and their priorities. They have committed $23 million this season to five relievers -- Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Yusmeiro Petit.
Re-signing Peavy and Vogelsong gives San Francisco's rotation depth behind Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson and perhaps Tim Lincecum. It also allows Petit to remain in a sort of utility pitching role as both a spot starter and middle reliever.
Offensively, Sabean filled his two obvious holes with McGehee and Aoki taking over for Sandoval and Michael Morse (who wasn't re-signed). Sandoval and Morse hit 32 home runs. Rather than attempt to find power, Sabean shifted direction and went for overall offense. Aoki had one home run and a .349 OBP for the Royals last season. McGehee had one home run and a .355 OBP for the Marlins.
With Angel Pagan healthy and back in center field, the Giants will score runs a different way. But this three-championship run has been built on pitching, and if Cain and Hudson are healthy, San Francisco likely has enough of it.
Changes aside, this is a team befitting one of baseball's best organizations. Manager Bruce Bochy is one of just 10 managers to win the World Series three times, and he is the gold standard for managing a bullpen and keeping a clubhouse running smoothly.
In Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Bumgarner and others, the Giants have consummate professionals who set the highest of standards for themselves. In a division in which the Dodgers and Padres both believe they're capable of winning the World Series, the path to the postseason has never been more difficult.
"It's going to be a different look, a different type of team," Sabean told reporters last week.
It's also going to be a good one. Nothing new there, either.
