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Post by Islandboagie on Jan 24, 2017 14:36:26 GMT -5
Since Rog is covering all the Dodgers news here, I figured I'd touch on Giants news. I'm a little surprised nobody has commented on it yet, the Giants signed the sought after international prospect Jae-gyun Hwang yesterday.
I watched some video of this guy, and I'm liking this pickup. He's got a quick bat, power to all fields, speed and seems very capable defensively.
Today they bolstered their roster further by picking up Nick Hundley to backup Posey.
Seems that the Giants are "all in" this season.
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Post by klaiggeb on Jan 24, 2017 17:11:18 GMT -5
Wow!
We picked up Nick Hundley?
THAT is a BIG deal.
That guy can flat out catch!
Now when Buster rests or plays first we have a legit catcher who can actually hit some.
As to Hwang. I liked that move, too.
Interesting article on him on the Giant web page.
The part I liked BEST was that this COULD be the precursor to a bigger move.
My fingers are crossed.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 24, 2017 23:33:24 GMT -5
I wont say they are all in until they get a legit left fielder
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Post by Islandboagie on Jan 25, 2017 0:31:27 GMT -5
If this Korean guy is the real deal Nunez will be in LF. Either way, there's enough depth and versatility that LF will be covered by someone capable. You always miss the big picture and spout negativity until you jump on the bandwagon in October.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 25, 2017 1:27:52 GMT -5
"real deal"s don't sign minor league contracts at 29 years of age
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Post by Rog on Jan 25, 2017 9:13:45 GMT -5
Wow! A lot to digest here.
The Jae-Gyun Hwang (spell THAT six times in a hurry!) thing started here a week or two ago after looking at what was likely the video Boagie commented on. Boagie, I thought your scouting report was excellent. It's tough to stay calm about a guy when we see only his highlights, but those highlights looked really good, didn't they? Just the way you described them. Very nice job.
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Post by Rog on Jan 25, 2017 9:38:50 GMT -5
Video is available showing Hwang hitting a ball off the center field scoreboard that was estimated at 476 feet.
What was also impressive to me is that in 2015 he more than doubled his number of home runs from 12 to 26. He saw his number of strikeouts soar to 122 though, and they dropped his batting average from .321 to .290. Last season though, he duplicated the same 26 home runs while cutting his strikeouts back to 64, contributing to a .330 mark which was the second-highest of his career.
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Post by Rog on Jan 25, 2017 9:43:53 GMT -5
Like fellow countryman Jung Ho Kang, Hwang has played both third base and shortstop. All the highlights I have seen so far have shown him at third base. He might wind up being the primary shortstop backup behind Brandon Crawford now that the Giants have outrighted Ehire Adrianza to Sacramento to make room for Nick Hundley.
He could also become the starter at third base, which might pave the way for Eugenio Nunez in either left or even center field. Or as Boagie alluded, could perhaps open up a deal.
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Post by Rog on Jan 25, 2017 9:49:53 GMT -5
As Randy stated, this was literally a minor move, since Hwang was signed to a minor league contract. But when the Giants signed Juan Uribe to a minor league pact in another move that was recommended here at the time, it worked out pretty well. At the same age Hwang is now, Uribe became an important player in both 2009 and the first World Championship season of 2010. Uribe was also a player who had played shortstop and third base.
I'm not sure if Uribe had hit a ball 476 feet.
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Post by Rog on Jan 25, 2017 9:56:54 GMT -5
Let's suppose the Giants are able to leverage off the acquisition of Hwang to make a trade for a left fielder. Let's suppose that like Eduardo Nunez, he has one season left on his contract, making the trade essentially a position shift. The Giants could be set a year from now to replace the new left fielder with Christian Arroyo. Another possibility would be to trade Arroyo in a package for a proven left fielder.
There are some decent possibilities here.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 25, 2017 12:54:36 GMT -5
It's basically the same as picking someone off the trash heap and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. It could happen, but...odds are it wont
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Post by klaiggeb on Jan 25, 2017 13:31:44 GMT -5
It's still worth a shot though, Randy.
As in the old phrase... "Nothing ventured..."
boly
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 25, 2017 13:54:27 GMT -5
True Boly...Im just not gonna get my hopes up too high
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Post by klaiggeb on Jan 25, 2017 15:55:09 GMT -5
Understand.
I just like the fact that the team is examining all possibilities.
Huff worked or, Cody worked out, Burrell worked out.
heck, it would be nice if JUST ONCE, we struck gold.
boly
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 25, 2017 16:45:35 GMT -5
One difference...all those guys were legit major leaguers...the Korean dude isn't.
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Post by donk33 on Jan 25, 2017 17:33:00 GMT -5
I like Hundley, but his low % of "caught stealing" worries me...did he hurt his arm?
I don't understand just dropping Adrianza...I thought he showed signs of coming around as a hitter...he was reaching his peak for strength and was getting some flashes of power...I think he was a good fill in for the infield. I would think he could have been traded for someone of value....
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Post by Rog on Jan 26, 2017 10:41:30 GMT -5
It's basically the same as picking someone off the trash heap and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. It could happen, but...odds are it wont Rog -- I think the thing we should all do is look at him on "tape." There's an 18-minute version available online, and there's at least one shorter issue as well. Scout him and see what you think. Boagie and I both liked what we saw. If a guy can hit the ball 476 feet and yet strikes out only 64 times on the season, it's worth looking at. Visually he looks better to me than statistically. Look at the Pirates' Kang's numbers in Korea and then in the US to get an idea of how to discount the Korean numbers. After we do that, his numbers look more average. But he looks better on "film." I'm curious as to what our posters think. Read more: sfgiantsmessageboard.proboards.com/thread/3703/giants-news#ixzz4Wsm3p92Y
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Post by Rog on Jan 26, 2017 10:52:07 GMT -5
I don't understand just dropping Adrianza
Rog -- Back when the Giants signed Adrianza to a "split" contract, it seemed clear that he and the Giants had assessed his value and agreed (much to Ehire's reluctance, I'm sure) that he was something of a Four A player. One who was unlikely to get claimed if outrighted, but who had value as something of a seventh or eighth infielder to be stashed at Sacramento.
The split contract is fairly common in hockey, but I think it's rarer in baseball. What it means is that a player is paid one salary ($600,000 in the case of Adrianza) while in the majors and a lesser salary ($300,000 for Ehire) while in the minors.
Maybe we should name this the Four A contract -- an appropriate allocation (for) Adrianza. Ehire needs to become a common baseball name somehow.
A note: Early in their Giants' careers, Ehire was considered an even better fielder than Brandon Crawford. I agree with Don that he has improved his stroke from the left side. It was really weak when he played at San Jose, kind of like a guy who was learning to switch hit and lacking the proper strength. He has gotten stronger.
I'm glad the Giants have worked out a Four A contract with him, and that here at least, the contract type has been named after him.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 26, 2017 21:50:03 GMT -5
I think the thing we should all do is look at him on "tape." There's an 18-minute version available online, and there's at least one shorter issue as well. Scout him and see what you think. Boagie and I both liked what we saw.
Dood - All 30 teams have scouts that have seen all the tape you and Boly have...and then some. And yet still no Major League contracts were forthcoming. He's a longshot
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Post by Rog on Jan 27, 2017 9:16:58 GMT -5
I understand your point, Randy. How did Hwang look to you?
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 27, 2017 13:58:55 GMT -5
I didn't see much Hwang video...I mean it looks pretty good, even though the competition is far less than MLB. I'm just saying that the tape is available to all 30 teams and there wasn't a huge competition for his services.
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Post by Rog on Jan 27, 2017 15:38:07 GMT -5
We don't know what the level of competition was for Hwang's services (sounds kind of dirty, doesn't it?). Certainly they weren't so high as to afford him even a major league contract, but we don't know what promises the Giants have made. There reportedly was other interest, but we don't know the level of it.
My question though was what we thought based on the video. We're not scouts, but I think we know enough about the game to have at least some shot at making an accurate assumption. (Even the scouts disagree among themselves.) Boagie and I liked what we saw, Randy thought it looked "pretty good," and I would be curious as to what others think. I haven't yet watched all the available video, but what I have seen impressed me. With 26 homers being his peak season (each of the past two years), he isn't a huge power hitter, but he looked pretty powerful when he hit the center field scoreboard with a shot estimated at 476 feet.
In this cases even more than others, where Hwang starts out may be based in part on his performance in Spring Training. I would be surprised though if we don't see him at some point during the season, and it wouldn't surprise me if he opened with the Giants.
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Post by klaiggeb on Jan 28, 2017 10:57:14 GMT -5
I'm curious why he chose to sign with us, too.
One of the things I read was that he was with the .... Giants in Korea.
Maybe he has a thing for the name.
Maybe he wants to stay on the west coast.
Maybe he though his best chance for WINNING a job was with us.
As I said, it would be nice if JUST ONCE we struck gold
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Post by Islandboagie on Jan 28, 2017 12:15:38 GMT -5
I was led to believe the story of the Giants dynasty was largely due to the Giants striking gold.
Uribe, Vogelsong, Blanco were all (if I'm correct) spring training invitee's or at most minor league deals. They turned out to be gold. We struck gold with Pablo Sandoval. We struck gold by drafting Lincecum, Cain, Posey, Bumgarner, Crawford, Belt, Panik, Romo, Wilson...etc etc.
I might be wrong, but it sure seems the Giants have had their fair share of striking gold.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 28, 2017 13:01:56 GMT -5
"striking gold" doesn't count draft picks because you get the chance to develop and observe them closely. I'm pretty sure neither Blanco nor Uribe were NRIs or minor league signings. Burrell and Vogey were, however, and we certainly struck gold with them. I would say Blanco was a decent role player...nothing more really. Uribe was mediocre, although he did get hot at some very opportune moments. He killed the Dodgers often enough that they wildly overpaid him when he became a FA.
Even with the success the Giants had in their title years, they have had many more flops, as do most teams, from their trash heap fliers.
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Post by Islandboagie on Jan 28, 2017 13:35:56 GMT -5
Randy- I'm pretty sure neither Blanco nor Uribe were NRIs or minor league signings.
Boagie- I did a little research, Juan Uribe was a NRI and Blanco signed a minor league deal. Sure, they didn't win an MVP award, but they were both important cogs in winning a Championship.
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sfgdood
Long time member
stats geeks never played the game...that's why they don't get it and never will
Posts: 90
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Post by sfgdood on Jan 28, 2017 13:54:35 GMT -5
my memory must be slipping. My bad
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Post by klaiggeb on Jan 28, 2017 18:53:21 GMT -5
I guess when I say "strike gold," I mean a guy who goes from unknown to REGULAR with us.
A good regular.
One who's with us for a number of years and performs at a high level.
Burrell had a year, Huff had a year, Ross had a year...
Uribe had had a decent career before coming to us.
We've done decently in the pitching area... but not to that level of the 8 starters.
Hwang making it, means a whole lot of options open for Bochy and management.
boly
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Post by Islandboagie on Jan 28, 2017 23:05:02 GMT -5
Boly- I guess when I say "strike gold," I mean a guy who goes from unknown to REGULAR with us.
A good regular.
One who's with us for a number of years and performs at a high level.
Boagie- You're getting much more specific now from your original comment. But, in my opinion, Santiago Casilla meets those requirements. I would say (and Rog would likely agree) Brandon Belt would also. Brandon was drafted in the 5th round, basically an unknown prospect, and was arguably our best hitter last season. Ryan Vogelsong too.
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Post by Rog on Jan 29, 2017 2:24:36 GMT -5
If we use a fairly broad definition of "finding gold," the following might qualify:
2009 -- Juan Uribe, Andres Torres
2010 -- Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Cody Ross, Mike Fontenot, Javier Lopez, Ramon Ramirez, Santiago Casilla
2011 -- Ryan Vogelson, Guillermo Mota
2012 -- Ryan Theriot, Joaquin Arias, Marco Scutaro, Yusmeiro Petit, Jose Mijares, Gregor Blanco, Jean Machi, George Kontos
2013 -- Tony Abreu
2014 -- Travis Ishikawa, Matt Duffy, Jake Peavy
2015 -- Nori Aoki, Kelby Tomlinson, Marlon Bird, Alejandro De Aza, Corey Gearrin
2016 -- Conor Gillaspie, Ramiro Pena, Grant Green
Look at all the gold they found in 2010 and 2012.
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