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Post by reedonly on Mar 20, 2022 11:25:54 GMT -5
Giants are one of four teams in on Trevor Story according the Heymann. One other team is Boston and two other mystery teams. Story to Boston at 7yrs/$140mm. That's surprising because Chaim Bloom has the same economic mindset as Zaidi. After the Giants signed Pedersen, I was surprised they were in on Story at all. However, giving $140mm to a guy who hit .203 outside of Coors last year is not a good idea. The price was expected to go up when news broke yesterday that the Yankees were in on Story, also. Zaidi has mentioned Brock Holt as the rover so I'm expecting Holt. Also, La Stella has been reported to be recovering faster than anticipated, which likely means he will be re-injured faster than anticipated. More importantly, a player like Story blocks farmhands because Giants have a lot of shortstops in the pipeline.
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Mar 20, 2022 17:20:48 GMT -5
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Post by Islandboagie on Mar 20, 2022 17:20:48 GMT -5
Outside of his rookie year Story hasn't impressed me that much. I suppose the interest from the Giants was the possibility of moving him to 3rd.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 20, 2022 17:45:25 GMT -5
Outside of his rookie year Story hasn't impressed me that much. I suppose the interest from the Giants was the possibility of moving him to 3rd. They were going to use Story at 2B and move La Stella to reserve. Supposedly, Story's arm got a lot weaker last season. However, he would have been slotted in to 3B if Longoria needed time off.
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Mar 20, 2022 19:29:47 GMT -5
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Post by Islandboagie on Mar 20, 2022 19:29:47 GMT -5
I'm not sold on La Stella, but they invested in him for 3 years. It's surprising they would change their mind so quickly on him when they talked him up so much last season.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 20, 2022 20:36:18 GMT -5
We saw a lot of La Stella in 2020 because Giants had to play AL West teams. My impression of him was that he was slightly better than average. Unfortunately his contract goes from $2mm in 2021 to $5.5mm in 2022 and $11.5mm in 2023. I didn't realize he was due $11.5mm in 2023 or else he would have been gone. I was hoping he would be a pest type player in the mode of David Eckstein or Craig Counsell but we now see he is very injury prone. One poster kept posting that La Stella should have been saved for the last AB in game 5 against Scherzer instead of Wilmer Flores but to be honest, the result would likely have been the same, especially since other lefties (Crawford and Wade Jr) made outs earlier in the inning. Last season BABIP was a little low so he might have been a little bit unlucky. Three different soft tissue injuries last season were extremely annoying and hinted that there may have been a lack of proper conditioning during the pandemic. Zaidi likes this guy but when you consider his 2023 salary, I feel its a Zaidi misjudgement and its worse than the Tauchman error because they cannot simply release the guy without eating salary.
Projection for 2022 is about .260 and 8 homers but I fear he's going to add to his litany of injuries in the next two years.
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 21, 2022 10:08:33 GMT -5
We saw a lot of La Stella in 2020 because Giants had to play AL West teams. My impression of him was that he was slightly better than average. Unfortunately his contract goes from $2mm in 2021 to $5.5mm in 2022 and $11.5mm in 2023. I didn't realize he was due $11.5mm in 2023 or else he would have been gone. I was hoping he would be a pest type player in the mode of David Eckstein or Craig Counsell but we now see he is very injury prone. One poster kept posting that La Stella should have been saved for the last AB in game 5 against Scherzer instead of Wilmer Flores but to be honest, the result would likely have been the same, especially since other lefties (Crawford and Wade Jr) made outs earlier in the inning. Last season BABIP was a little low so he might have been a little bit unlucky. Three different soft tissue injuries last season were extremely annoying and hinted that there may have been a lack of proper conditioning during the pandemic. Zaidi likes this guy but when you consider his 2023 salary, I feel its a Zaidi misjudgement and its worse than the Tauchman error because they cannot simply release the guy without eating salary. Projection for 2022 is about .260 and 8 homers but I fear he's going to add to his litany of injuries in the next two years. I've followed La Stella for about 5 years now, and, until last year, he had gotten better each season.
Not a power guy, and not the guy I want starting over Estrada, but he can hit.
Not happy with his arm at all, and he's only average with the glove, but defensively he was/is SO much better than Solano on defense!
His best role, IMHO, is as a utility guy as he can play 1B, 2B and 3B. and I love him, too, as a pinch hitter.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 21, 2022 10:23:14 GMT -5
Outside of his rookie year Story hasn't impressed me that much. I suppose the interest from the Giants was the possibility of moving him to 3rd. I am not impressed, either and definitely not $140 million impressed. That .203 batting average outside of Coors Field is a genuine red flag. That the Giants showed any interest at all in Story should convey to La Stella that management is not happy with him.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 21, 2022 10:27:08 GMT -5
We saw a lot of La Stella in 2020 because Giants had to play AL West teams. My impression of him was that he was slightly better than average. Unfortunately his contract goes from $2mm in 2021 to $5.5mm in 2022 and $11.5mm in 2023. I didn't realize he was due $11.5mm in 2023 or else he would have been gone. I was hoping he would be a pest type player in the mode of David Eckstein or Craig Counsell but we now see he is very injury prone. One poster kept posting that La Stella should have been saved for the last AB in game 5 against Scherzer instead of Wilmer Flores but to be honest, the result would likely have been the same, especially since other lefties (Crawford and Wade Jr) made outs earlier in the inning. Last season BABIP was a little low so he might have been a little bit unlucky. Three different soft tissue injuries last season were extremely annoying and hinted that there may have been a lack of proper conditioning during the pandemic. Zaidi likes this guy but when you consider his 2023 salary, I feel its a Zaidi misjudgement and its worse than the Tauchman error because they cannot simply release the guy without eating salary. Projection for 2022 is about .260 and 8 homers but I fear he's going to add to his litany of injuries in the next two years. I've followed La Stella for about 5 years now, and, until last year, he had gotten better each season.
Not a power guy, and not the guy I want starting over Estrada, but he can hit.
Not happy with his arm at all, and he's only average with the glove, but defensively he was/is SO much better than Solano on defense!
His best role, IMHO, is as a utility guy as he can play 1B, 2B and 3B. and I love him, too, as a pinch hitter.Estrada is projecting to hit about .250 and oddly, hits righthanders better than lefties.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 21, 2022 10:43:23 GMT -5
I'm hearing the next thing on the agenda is finding the second base-outfield-infield piece (a la Max Muncy and Chris Taylor) to use as a rover. Brock Holt is a FA and made near the major league minimum last season so it might be someone like that according to Farhan I'm mentioning Brock Holt only because its time for the Farhan Dumpster Dive but unless he is considered as a project, I'm not sure if he would offer any platoon advantages. Last year he sucked against both left handers and right handers.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 21, 2022 15:25:04 GMT -5
Krukow was comparing Pederson to Dickerson on his show this morning. I think one of us (Rxmeister or Boagie?) said he was the same guy. Its true the two have similar batting averages, not good fielders, similar power. Krukow said that the difference between the two is that Pederson has a better history in pressure situations. Also, Pederson being friends with Crawford is going to bring a good clubhouse presence. Furthermore, Pederson is a Zaidi guy. He's close to Farhan and in the 80th percentile in terms of exit velocity and likes to work his at bats. I don't think that .260/20HR is out of the question. Krukow also said that since he is coming home, he could be focusing on doing better. $6mm for one year of Pederson is far better than doling out $17Xmultiple years for the same production in Conforto or some other guy. Let whomever signs Castellanos or Conforto have buyer's remorse. Conforto really screwed up. He turned down a contract extension worth from $100 to 120 mm and also turned down the QO from he Mets. The Mets are one of he few teams that would take him because he is a Citi Field fan favorite. Boras is the agent and possibly raked over Conforto although its salvageable if Conforto receives a 1 year pillow contract and puts up good numbers in 2022.
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 21, 2022 16:15:26 GMT -5
I've followed La Stella for about 5 years now, and, until last year, he had gotten better each season.
Not a power guy, and not the guy I want starting over Estrada, but he can hit.
Not happy with his arm at all, and he's only average with the glove, but defensively he was/is SO much better than Solano on defense!
His best role, IMHO, is as a utility guy as he can play 1B, 2B and 3B. and I love him, too, as a pinch hitter. Estrada is projecting to hit about .250 and oddly, hits righthanders better than lefties. There are so many things I like about Estrada over and above his versatility.
Nothing seemed to big for him last year, I like the simple mechanics of his swing, and his ability to get the bat head on the ball.
I see him only getting better and better
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 21, 2022 16:19:46 GMT -5
I'm hearing the next thing on the agenda is finding the second base-outfield-infield piece (a la Max Muncy and Chris Taylor) to use as a rover. Brock Holt is a FA and made near the major league minimum last season so it might be someone like that according to Farhan I'm mentioning Brock Holt only because its time for the Farhan Dumpster Dive but unless he is considered as a project, I'm not sure if he would offer any platoon advantages. Last year he sucked against both left handers and right handers. I don't know what to think about Brock...last year he GOT the at bats he needed, 200+, and basically squandered them away with a poor offensive season.
Plus, he's another LH bat which we do not need.
Personally, I'd rather go with Dubon and Thairo. We already have way too many LH bats.
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Mar 22, 2022 9:44:59 GMT -5
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Post by Islandboagie on Mar 22, 2022 9:44:59 GMT -5
I think I'm with you on this one, Boly. I think Reed just mentioned Holt as an example of someone Farhan might have interest in (mainly for his versatility) but we already have that kind of versatility in Estrada and Dubon. Out of Estrada, La Stella and Dubon I think we have good depth there and I believe we'll find someone who can stick. If we were still interested in adding a few more players my focus would be depth at catcher and middle relief.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 22, 2022 10:07:49 GMT -5
I think I'm with you on this one, Boly. I think Reed just mentioned Holt as an example of someone Farhan might have interest in (mainly for his versatility) but we already have that kind of versatility in Estrada and Dubon. Out of Estrada, La Stella and Dubon I think we have good depth there and I believe we'll find someone who can stick. If we were still interested in adding a few more players my focus would be depth at catcher and middle relief. As far as right handed bat, KNBR says Susan Slusser thinks Heliot Ramos might finally be ready. I mentioned Holt only because Farhan mentioned him by name. If he can no longer hit, I'd prefer going with Estrada and Dubon. Today, Krukow was talking about Trevor Story and said he would have been a good add if the deal was for a couple years but when it hit 6 years/$140mm, he was glad that they didn't sign him. Flemming's comment was "sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make". Krukow felt that Story's production was not significantly better than Estrada/Dubon for that much money and Story would have blocked our prospects. For catcher depth, they are looking at Brett Auerbach, who has supposedly surpassed Patrick Bailey. In middle relief, Castro is going to have a much bigger role going forward. Baregar was waived and they also lost Godoy. The biggest trap, in my opinion, is feeling like they have to respond to the Freeman signing. There is no one on the board left to match Freeman and spending simply because they can is not good business. Remember when some of us were talking about getting Starling Marte last year? He's already hurt! As a result, the Mets might be forced to sign Conforto to a prove-it deal. Again, sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make.
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 22, 2022 16:25:22 GMT -5
You bring up a good point, about responding to the Freeman move, Reed, but so far, Farhan has never done that. Be nice if Ramos IS ready!
Maybe not for a full time role this year, but Ruf isn't getting any younger, and is a detriment on defense.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 22, 2022 18:26:59 GMT -5
You bring up a good point, about responding to the Freeman move, Reed, but so far, Farhan has never done that. Be nice if Ramos IS ready!
Maybe not for a full time role this year, but Ruf isn't getting any younger, and is a detriment on defense. They like Ruf and they extended him today. They did not extend Yaz and he's now on year to year basis. Sooner or later, they have to take the plunge and trust the youngsters.
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Mar 22, 2022 21:58:46 GMT -5
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 22, 2022 21:58:46 GMT -5
It's my guess, that they aren't sold on Mike yastremsky.
His first two seasons looked so promising, but his strikeout totals last year, and all of a sudden his inability to hit left-handers, again I'm guessing, has them questioning things concerning him.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 8:28:28 GMT -5
It's my guess, that they aren't sold on Mike yastremsky. His first two seasons looked so promising, but his strikeout totals last year, and all of a sudden his inability to hit left-handers, again I'm guessing, has them questioning things concerning him. If the Giants were harping on Yaz and PTSD as boagie said, they may partially be to blame. Even though he hit 25 homers last season, its apparent that he is now lower on the pecking order than Ruf.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 8:39:45 GMT -5
Outside of his rookie year Story hasn't impressed me that much. I suppose the interest from the Giants was the possibility of moving him to 3rd. Chaim Bloom was my choice of director of baseballl operations before the Giants signed Farhan. The Story signing was the first time the Giants and Red Sox (Farhan and Bloom) went head to head over a player in negotiations. I was shocked when I found out what the final contract ended up to be. If Story show he does not hit well outside of Coors Field, this may end up to be a really bad contract. The Boston press said that Bloom has done few major transactions during his tenure and there was a need to make a splash. To me, it feels like the Samardzdija signing where a move was made for the sake of making a move. With Bloom biting on the Story contract and Farhan not doing so says a lot about the two.
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 23, 2022 9:51:18 GMT -5
It's my guess, that they aren't sold on Mike yastremsky. His first two seasons looked so promising, but his strikeout totals last year, and all of a sudden his inability to hit left-handers, again I'm guessing, has them questioning things concerning him. If the Giants were harping on Yaz and PTSD as boagie said, they may partially be to blame. Even though he hit 25 homers last season, its apparent that he is now lower on the pecking order than Ruf. Here's the thing that bothers me about him having traumatic repercussions after being hit. When you've played ball as long as Yaz has, you HAVE to have been PLUNKED multiple times in your career going way back to Little League.
It's not that you get used to being hit. Hey! I've been hit! It freakin' hurts!
Now if he'd been plunked in the head, as Panik was, I understand how that could effect a hitter. IMHO, Joey was never, EVER the same afterwards.
Same with Robby Thompson.
But the hands or wrist?
That just doesn't fly with me. It really doesn't.
And again, a guess, but I'm inclined to believe the Giants are questioning that, too.
I'd LOVE to be wrong! Would love it if Yaz comes back and plays as he did before...
But honestly, I'm concerned he will not.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 10:19:49 GMT -5
If the Giants were harping on Yaz and PTSD as boagie said, they may partially be to blame. Even though he hit 25 homers last season, its apparent that he is now lower on the pecking order than Ruf. Here's the thing that bothers me about him having traumatic repercussions after being hit. When you've played ball as long as Yaz has, you HAVE to have been PLUNKED multiple times in your career going way back to Little League.
It's not that you get used to being hit. Hey! I've been hit! It freakin' hurts!
Now if he'd been plunked in the head, as Panik was, I understand how that could effect a hitter. IMHO, Joey was never, EVER the same afterwards.
Same with Robby Thompson.
But the hands or wrist?
That just doesn't fly with me. It really doesn't.
And again, a guess, but I'm inclined to believe the Giants are questioning that, too.
I'd LOVE to be wrong! Would love it if Yaz comes back and plays as he did before...
But honestly, I'm concerned he will not.I think Yaz had mentioned that when he was hit by the pitch, the ball deflected towards his head and that is where the PTSD thing comes into play. If Yaz is not able to come back or if he gets a lot of little nagging injures, he may well find himself where Dickerson was last season.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 10:39:26 GMT -5
Outside of his rookie year Story hasn't impressed me that much. I suppose the interest from the Giants was the possibility of moving him to 3rd. Chaim Bloom was my choice of director of baseballl operations before the Giants signed Farhan. The Story signing was the first time the Giants and Red Sox (Farhan and Bloom) went head to head over a player in negotiations. I was shocked when I found out what the final contract ended up to be. If Story show he does not hit well outside of Coors Field, this may end up to be a really bad contract. The Boston press said that Bloom has done few major transactions during his tenure and there was a need to make a splash. To me, it feels like the Samardzdija signing where a move was made for the sake of making a move. With Bloom biting on the Story contract and Farhan not doing so says a lot about the two. Boston press also noted that Bloom had a history of making a lot of little moves and still got into the playoffs last season. A "big splash" probably was not necessary and marching orders may have come from owner John Henry. Granted that Bloom was bidding on Story against the Yankees, as well as the Giants but to be honest, signing Story likely does not help the Red Sox or the Yankees. The Farhan move of signing Boyd may actually be a lot more shrewd. On KNBR, they were discussing pitching depth and while the Dodgers have the better 1-2-3 punch, but with the Bauer situation still in limbo, the pitching depth after that is thin. They already lost Jansen due to cap considerations and they are talking closer by committee. Kuiper mentioned today that Rodon is the kind of pitcher that makes hitters uncomfortable, more so than Webb and that signings of Boyd and Martinez give the giants a better starting pitching cushion. It may be more "splashy" to sign a hitter but the other half is defense and pitching. Maybe Farhan has gotten over his middle relief blind spot.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 10:41:53 GMT -5
Story to Boston at 7yrs/$140mm. That's surprising because Chaim Bloom has the same economic mindset as Zaidi. After the Giants signed Pedersen, I was surprised they were in on Story at all. However, giving $140mm to a guy who hit .203 outside of Coors last year is not a good idea. The price was expected to go up when news broke yesterday that the Yankees were in on Story, also. Zaidi has mentioned Brock Holt as the rover so I'm expecting Holt. Also, La Stella has been reported to be recovering faster than anticipated, which likely means he will be re-injured faster than anticipated. More importantly, a player like Story blocks farmhands because Giants have a lot of shortstops in the pipeline. Kuiper said today that this was the case, if the Story signing was for too many years, it blocks the prospects.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 15:19:40 GMT -5
You bring up a good point, about responding to the Freeman move, Reed, but so far, Farhan has never done that. Be nice if Ramos IS ready!
Maybe not for a full time role this year, but Ruf isn't getting any younger, and is a detriment on defense. Ramos is on the 40 man roster to protect him from the rule V draft so if someone goes down during the season, he would be called up. As Baggarly said, it would be nice if his callup is based on merit, not need. Ruf was signed to a two year deal to buy out his arbitration years and there is a team option for a third year.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 23, 2022 15:24:55 GMT -5
If the Giants were harping on Yaz and PTSD as boagie said, they may partially be to blame. Even though he hit 25 homers last season, its apparent that he is now lower on the pecking order than Ruf. Here's the thing that bothers me about him having traumatic repercussions after being hit. When you've played ball as long as Yaz has, you HAVE to have been PLUNKED multiple times in your career going way back to Little League.
It's not that you get used to being hit. Hey! I've been hit! It freakin' hurts!
Now if he'd been plunked in the head, as Panik was, I understand how that could effect a hitter. IMHO, Joey was never, EVER the same afterwards.
Same with Robby Thompson.
But the hands or wrist?
That just doesn't fly with me. It really doesn't.
And again, a guess, but I'm inclined to believe the Giants are questioning that, too.
I'd LOVE to be wrong! Would love it if Yaz comes back and plays as he did before...
But honestly, I'm concerned he will not.Robby Thompson actually had PTSD after getting his cheekbone broken by Trevor Hoffman and another beaning from Mike Harkey on the left earflap of his helmet. He said it was on his mind after he was hit by Harkey.
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Mar 24, 2022 8:44:59 GMT -5
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 24, 2022 8:44:59 GMT -5
Totally understandable!
I was hit in the side of the face, on the cheek, when I was real small, and it effected mefor the rest of my playing days
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Post by reedonly on Mar 24, 2022 10:25:10 GMT -5
You bring up a good point, about responding to the Freeman move, Reed, but so far, Farhan has never done that. Be nice if Ramos IS ready!
Maybe not for a full time role this year, but Ruf isn't getting any younger, and is a detriment on defense. Krukow was discussing Ruf this morning and said that at the beginning of last season, he was on "double secret probation", which means he was very much on the bubble. The way the Giants bought out the two arbitration years should be considered a reward. Apparently, before he went to Korea, Ruf was having trouble adjusting to different speeds but in Korea, they do a lot of that so he learned how to hit when he was over there. To get bought out of arbitration years at age 35 usually is not done but they did it for him.
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Post by reedonly on Mar 24, 2022 10:36:58 GMT -5
I'm mentioning Brock Holt only because its time for the Farhan Dumpster Dive but unless he is considered as a project, I'm not sure if he would offer any platoon advantages. Last year he sucked against both left handers and right handers. I don't know what to think about Brock...last year he GOT the at bats he needed, 200+, and basically squandered them away with a poor offensive season.
Plus, he's another LH bat which we do not need.
Personally, I'd rather go with Dubon and Thairo. We already have way too many LH bats.I would also rather go with an internal candidate instead of buying junk on the free agent market. I heard there is a second baseman that is hitting well in camp but I don't recall the name.
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Post by klaiggeb on Mar 25, 2022 9:42:00 GMT -5
You bring up a good point, about responding to the Freeman move, Reed, but so far, Farhan has never done that. Be nice if Ramos IS ready!
Maybe not for a full time role this year, but Ruf isn't getting any younger, and is a detriment on defense. Krukow was discussing Ruf this morning and said that at the beginning of last season, he was on "double secret probation", which means he was very much on the bubble. The way the Giants bought out the two arbitration years should be considered a reward. Apparently, before he went to Korea, Ruf was having trouble adjusting to different speeds but in Korea, they do a lot of that so he learned how to hit when he was over there. To get bought out of arbitration years at age 35 usually is not done but they did it for him. I remember seeing Ruf years back with the Phils.
Big guy... no clue at the plate with off speed pitches.
I was VERY doubtful when we first signed him, but man! The guy went to Korea and LEARNED!
He's become a very, very professional hitter!
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Post by reedonly on Mar 28, 2022 8:29:44 GMT -5
I don't know what to think about Brock...last year he GOT the at bats he needed, 200+, and basically squandered them away with a poor offensive season.
Plus, he's another LH bat which we do not need.
Personally, I'd rather go with Dubon and Thairo. We already have way too many LH bats. I would also rather go with an internal candidate instead of buying junk on the free agent market. I heard there is a second baseman that is hitting well in camp but I don't recall the name. It was Alex Blandino. He might get a chance if LaStella is not ready and Kapler was saying La Stella would be re-evaluated soon for baseball activities. Alex Blandino is a right handed second baseman drafted in the first round by the Reds. Blandino is having a good spring but if he sticks, they will have to clear a roster spot on the 40 man for him. Giants also possibly filled their rover with Luke Williams from the Phillies. Williams is a switch hitter who was let go by the Phillies to make room for Castellanos. Bladino and Williams both hit better than Brock Holt last year so that should put an end to speculation about Holt. Second base is thin right now and the way they were talking on KNBR this morning, La Stella might be used as a DH on the opening roster if he cannot play the field.
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