Post by Rog on Jul 8, 2017 8:12:28 GMT -5
I must be getting old, because I remember July 7, 1963 -- the day Jim Ray Hart broke in -- like it was yesterday. They mentioned that Jimmy Ray played only five games after having his shoulder blade broken by a Bob Gibson fastball in the second game of the double header that day. What they didn't have time to mention was that Hart's season was once again cut short when he was beaned by Curt Simmons. Hart's first season consisted of two long injuries on pitches by Cardinals pitchers.
I'm not getting old though when I see Brandon Belt thrown out at second base in a game in which the Giants trailed 5-0 because he briefly watched his bloop hit down the left field line instead of just breaking out of the box thinking double. That's negligent baseball. I have defended Brandon, who is greatly underrated here, but there is no defense or that.
He probably should have been thinking a little more about where Joe Panik was positioned on Dee Gordon's game-opening hit too.
I have no idea what has gone wrong with Matt Moore. Last season he gave up just 8.3 hits per nine -- 7.8 with the Giants. This season he's yielding 10.7 hits. His WHIP is 1.62. His fastball speed is virtually the same as when he went 17-4 in 2013. Inexplicable from where I sit. The biggest unexplained decline since Tim Lincecum in 2012.
It's hard to win games when your 5/6/7 hitters are hitting just .237, .226 and .223, only Brandon Belt with power. Austin Slater has been a revelation and is hitting .299. Not that it matters this season, but I'm not sure what he's doing batting 8th. Surely would be nice if he drew more walks though. And could use his excellent speed to steal bases. Then he'd be a lead off hitter in the making.
Speaking of which, Denard Span is showing unprecedented power in the lead off spot, slugging .440 -- which is third on the Giants behind only Posey and Belt. If the Giants wish to trade him to open up the outfield for the crop of youngsters on the way (led by Slater), he should now be tradeable. If the Giants could somehow trade Pence, which now looks only unlikely compared to virtually impossible, they should jump all over it. Despite all he's contributed to the team.
To put Hart into perspective, Jim Ray's averages are similar to Hunter's, beating Hunter out by just a bit overall. Hart's high was 31 homers in 1965.
Sadly, Hunter's arm -- never overly strong for right field -- seems shot. One would think his plate discipline is shot too, but he's right at his career average on swinging at bad balls. In fact, it's not that he swings at so many pitches off the plate as that he looks so bad doing so. I wouldn't be throwing him a lot of fastballs if I were a pitcher.
It would be nice if Eduardo Nunez could get healthy prior to the trade deadline. With his stolen bases and hitting just a point below .300, he should be quite tradeable. Speaking of which, a lot of Giants are having down seasons, but they don't look like a team in only a one-year slump, do they?
Assuming Cueto is gone, the only starters they can count on next season are Bumgarner and the baffling Samardzija, right? Ty Blach is quite a story, but he appears to be this year's Chris Heston. The bullpen has been an enigma. Corey Gearrin and Hunter Strickland have extremely nice ERA's at 2.04 and 2.08, but their true performances are perhaps better illustrated by their 1.34 and 1.45.
I would trade George Kontos if I could get any kind of return. His ERA is in his usual area at 2.90, but his 1.26 WHIP is his highest since 2012. The Giants have an intriguing stable of young relievers, but none of them has truly pitched well this season. The Giants' 1.41 team WHIP is awful.
The outfield has been in disarray since the Giants decided last winter not to sign a left fielder, and the infield is showing it's not as good offensively as we thought. Buster has had a nice offensive season, but he too is slumping now. Brandon Belt is hitting for power, but he can't hit for average. Incredibly, Brandon has the lowest OPS of his career since his rookie season. Eduardo Nunez hasn't hit for power, his fielding is down and his biggest problem has been staying in the lineup. He's been an asset when he's been able to play though. He's shown some versatility.
I'm just not seeing this as a one-year aberration. And there are few if any stars in the minor leagues. Finally a few outfielders, but now little pitching. The infielders don't knock my socks off.
Incidentally, the Giants say they're not worried, but Bumgarner has been HORRIBLE in his minor league rehab starts. 9.82 ERA for Sacramento and 20.25 in San Jose. WHIP's of 2.18 and 2.50. Twice as many runs as strikeouts. They call baseball a kids' game, and this year Madison has fit right in.
Oh, did I mention Bumgarner and Samardzija as the two starters the Giants can count on next season? Bumgarner's self-induced injury has seemingly placed him slightly in doubt, and while Samardzija is as good as it gets in strikeouts to walks, just over a hit per inning and 17 homers given up on the season have left his ERA at 4.54 despite a 1.14 WHIP. Expect much better from Jeff going forward. Unless his pitches are simply the kind that hit more bats with today's elevated launch angles.
I'm not getting old though when I see Brandon Belt thrown out at second base in a game in which the Giants trailed 5-0 because he briefly watched his bloop hit down the left field line instead of just breaking out of the box thinking double. That's negligent baseball. I have defended Brandon, who is greatly underrated here, but there is no defense or that.
He probably should have been thinking a little more about where Joe Panik was positioned on Dee Gordon's game-opening hit too.
I have no idea what has gone wrong with Matt Moore. Last season he gave up just 8.3 hits per nine -- 7.8 with the Giants. This season he's yielding 10.7 hits. His WHIP is 1.62. His fastball speed is virtually the same as when he went 17-4 in 2013. Inexplicable from where I sit. The biggest unexplained decline since Tim Lincecum in 2012.
It's hard to win games when your 5/6/7 hitters are hitting just .237, .226 and .223, only Brandon Belt with power. Austin Slater has been a revelation and is hitting .299. Not that it matters this season, but I'm not sure what he's doing batting 8th. Surely would be nice if he drew more walks though. And could use his excellent speed to steal bases. Then he'd be a lead off hitter in the making.
Speaking of which, Denard Span is showing unprecedented power in the lead off spot, slugging .440 -- which is third on the Giants behind only Posey and Belt. If the Giants wish to trade him to open up the outfield for the crop of youngsters on the way (led by Slater), he should now be tradeable. If the Giants could somehow trade Pence, which now looks only unlikely compared to virtually impossible, they should jump all over it. Despite all he's contributed to the team.
To put Hart into perspective, Jim Ray's averages are similar to Hunter's, beating Hunter out by just a bit overall. Hart's high was 31 homers in 1965.
Sadly, Hunter's arm -- never overly strong for right field -- seems shot. One would think his plate discipline is shot too, but he's right at his career average on swinging at bad balls. In fact, it's not that he swings at so many pitches off the plate as that he looks so bad doing so. I wouldn't be throwing him a lot of fastballs if I were a pitcher.
It would be nice if Eduardo Nunez could get healthy prior to the trade deadline. With his stolen bases and hitting just a point below .300, he should be quite tradeable. Speaking of which, a lot of Giants are having down seasons, but they don't look like a team in only a one-year slump, do they?
Assuming Cueto is gone, the only starters they can count on next season are Bumgarner and the baffling Samardzija, right? Ty Blach is quite a story, but he appears to be this year's Chris Heston. The bullpen has been an enigma. Corey Gearrin and Hunter Strickland have extremely nice ERA's at 2.04 and 2.08, but their true performances are perhaps better illustrated by their 1.34 and 1.45.
I would trade George Kontos if I could get any kind of return. His ERA is in his usual area at 2.90, but his 1.26 WHIP is his highest since 2012. The Giants have an intriguing stable of young relievers, but none of them has truly pitched well this season. The Giants' 1.41 team WHIP is awful.
The outfield has been in disarray since the Giants decided last winter not to sign a left fielder, and the infield is showing it's not as good offensively as we thought. Buster has had a nice offensive season, but he too is slumping now. Brandon Belt is hitting for power, but he can't hit for average. Incredibly, Brandon has the lowest OPS of his career since his rookie season. Eduardo Nunez hasn't hit for power, his fielding is down and his biggest problem has been staying in the lineup. He's been an asset when he's been able to play though. He's shown some versatility.
I'm just not seeing this as a one-year aberration. And there are few if any stars in the minor leagues. Finally a few outfielders, but now little pitching. The infielders don't knock my socks off.
Incidentally, the Giants say they're not worried, but Bumgarner has been HORRIBLE in his minor league rehab starts. 9.82 ERA for Sacramento and 20.25 in San Jose. WHIP's of 2.18 and 2.50. Twice as many runs as strikeouts. They call baseball a kids' game, and this year Madison has fit right in.
Oh, did I mention Bumgarner and Samardzija as the two starters the Giants can count on next season? Bumgarner's self-induced injury has seemingly placed him slightly in doubt, and while Samardzija is as good as it gets in strikeouts to walks, just over a hit per inning and 17 homers given up on the season have left his ERA at 4.54 despite a 1.14 WHIP. Expect much better from Jeff going forward. Unless his pitches are simply the kind that hit more bats with today's elevated launch angles.
