Impressions... Part III

[klaiggeb]

It's a darned good thing we have 3 weeks until the season begins, because right now, we stink.

And I mean.. PEEEEEEE- YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

Jeffy the Stubborn picked right up where he left off last year; fat fastballs. Still early, but I'd LIKE to see that he'd learned SOME lessons from last year.

Like I said, thank God we have 3 weeks left!

Mac Williamson continues to prove all that I've been saying about him on defense as he BOOTED/MISS PLAYED 2 singles in LF, catching another flyball stiff armed and awkwardly.

Every game in which Beckham has a play on defense, he botches at least one of them. Did it again yesterday.

I'm sorry, but he's had his chances... time to send him packing, or simply out right him to AAA. He's taking up time and at bats from others more deserving.

I like Hundley backing up Posey. Nice work back of the plate, and nice bat.

Span seems to be coming out of whatever funk he's been in, hitting the ball harder each game.

Nice to see Panik hitting the ball hard, too.


We NEED all 3 weeks if these clowns plan on competing... because as I said.. they stink.

boly

[Rog]

I think Beckham was signed for Sacramento. He would have to clear waivers, but I suspect he would go there. At this point, he's playing for his career.

Regarding Samardzija, I'm not his biggest fan by any means, but we don't know what he was working on (if anything). Maybe he was working on his fastball command only. I've got to think he realizes he has to mix up his pitches in order to succeed, and even if he doesn't, the catchers do.

[klaiggeb]

What I saw was pitches "up," Rog, and THAT'S where he left off last year.

Regardless of what he was working on... DOWN is where he needs to be.

One start, but still 3 weeks to go.

But I am not encouraged AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

All that can change in 3 weeks, and I'm praying it does

boly

[Rog]

I think the team is Tampa Bay, but whoever they are, they're teaching their pitchers to throw fastballs HIGH and apparently getting decent results. As you know, pitches need to be high or low, not in the middle, and it also makes sense to -- as Mike Krukow puts it -- change sight lines.

The big thing now is throwing balls out of tunnels, or what used to be called a consistent release point. The idea is to throw pitches so that they can't be distinguished until it is too late to adjust the swing. Batters are talking about waiting for pitches in their "tunnels" (areas of the plate).

As you well know, a pitcher can change four things:

. Speed
. Movement
. Up and down
. In and out

A great "pitcher" like Greg Maddux could change each of those and do so with great accuracy. Amazingly, even throwing a breaking ball or change up high can work if it isn't out of a "tunnel" the batter is looking for. Leaving the ball in the middle up and down and/or in and out rarely works. But a pitcher who can accurately and without predictable pattern make changes in the four variations above can be highly successful.

That means a high pitch CAN serve a purpose. But the high pitch must be be unexpected and of a speed that is either fast, slow, or seem fast or slow because it follows a pitch or pitches of the opposite speed.

You're right that Jeff likely wasn't trying to leave his pitches high. But, surprisingly, it's possible he was trying to do just that. Unlikely, but spring training can be deceptive in that regard.

I wish I had more confidence in Jeff. I didn't like the Giants' signing him, although obviously I hope they knew a whole lot more about it than I do. I thought Cueto was the high-priced bargain of the starting pitcher bunch a winter ago. On the other hand, I thought Jon Lester was overpaid the previous winter, when the Giants just missed out on him. Thus far Lester has clearly earned his money. A key with all three contracts will be how well the guys pitch as they age. One would expect the early years of their contracts to go better.

The early part has gone swimmingly for Cueto and Lester, just so-so for Jeff. I like Matt Moore better than Jeff at this point, and Matt is one heck of a better bargain.

[sfgdood]

Ive resigned myself to the reality that Samardzija is what he is...he's going to be great at times and at other times not so great...but he's always going to give us innings.

[klaiggeb]

From the time he's been with us, Randy, it seems that you've accurately pegged him.

Then again, he's the #4 starter... And most teams don't have that potential upside from the # 4 guy that Jeffy the Stubborn gives us.

boly

[Islandboagie]

Great point, Boly. As a #3 he was at best average, as a #4 he's above average.

[klaiggeb]

When Jeffy the Stubborn gets on one of those rolls, as he did mid season last year, he's flat out tough to hit.

But when he reverts to "Jeffy the Stubborn," as he did vs the Cubs in the playoffs... he's basically batting practice for major league hitters.


when Jeffy's "on" between Bum, Cueto, Moore, Jeffy, and Blach... I think we have one of, if not THE best starting 5 in baseball.

When Jeffy's not.. we're still awfully good.

boly

[Rog]

I recently posted something that had the Giants rated with the top duo of starters in the bigs. That's a great start toward a good rotation. Matt Moore has also struggled this spring, but I think he's a find. Even in fantasy baseball, where the competition is higher, he's considered a solid #3 starter with upside.

Matt is now a couple of years off Tommy John surgery, he went 17-4 in 2014, and prior to the 2012 season, he was rated the #2 overall prospect by Baseball America, plus #1 by both MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.

I think we got more excited with the Samardzija signing, but the trade for Matt was the coup, even though the Giants had to give up a fair amount to get him.

All-in-all though, adding Cueto, Moore and Samardzija within eight months was one heck of a buildup of a rotation, especially one that was anchored by Madison Bumgarner. I would have spent Samardzija's money elsewhere (although he was better than decent last season), but the Cueto signing and the Moore trade were both excellent. I hated to see the Giants give up Lucius Fox, but at only 19, he's still likely a long way away and full of the risk of a very young player.

Matt Duffy is proven, but I think 2015 may turn out to be his best season. It will be intriguing to watch how Matt plays his natural position of shortstop for the Rays this campaign.

Kudos to Bobby Evans and company for the acquisitions of Cueto and Moore.

[klaiggeb]

Some guys just don't pitch well in the spring, and Moore is one of those.

I'd like to see his first 5 season starts before I make any comments + or -

boly

[Rog]

If I'm interpreting his spring training stats correctly (and I might not be), his spring training ERA entering this spring was 4.06, or almost identical to his 4.08 of last season. I imagine he pitched his previous spring training innings in Florida, where the pitchers are on more of a level field.

He's pitched very unevenly this spring, but I see no true reason to worry.

Matt threw four ticks faster in 2016 than he did in his top season of 2013. He struck out nearly as many this past season. His walks were well down. His issues continue to be command and consistency.

What I'm seeing is that his 2013 season likely involved a fair amount of luck. His BABIP of .259 was nearly 30 points below his .288 career mark, and his home run per fly ball was clearly below his career norm. His peripherals didn't seem to warrant them.

Matt's only peripheral this past season that could indicate trouble was his 7.9% infield fly ball per fly ball rate. That was well below his career mark and fit rather well with his high home run rate.

With all these factors, I'm looking for a slightly better season from Matt this year. If his velocity ticks up again, it could be nice improvement. He would likely benefit from throwing his cutter more, as he seems to command them better than his other secondary pitches.

More than anything else, it's likely his command that will provide his limits.