Posts Tagged ‘Henry Sosa’

« Older Entries

MLB Trade Rumors: Indians’ Austin Kearns to the San Francisco Giants?

June 29th, 2010

Austin Kearns has been a popular name in trading circles these days. It makes sense that he would be, seeing as how he went from a baseball player that most had written off into a good piece for any team looking for a bit of pop in their lineup.

It was just a few months ago that Kearns was signed to a minor league contract by the Tribe and he was not in their season plans originally. Yet, thanks to his determination and the Tribe's lack of offense, he has become a solid hitter, currently hitting .276 with seven home runs and 34 RBI.

His numbers—combined with his one-year, six-figure contract—means that the Indians will trade him at some point before the deadline. Many different clubs have been factored in to trade discussions. In particular the Boston Red Sox are looking for outfield help due to injuries, but they would likely choose David DeJesus over any other players.

Another team that hasn't been brought up much, but who I think would fit very well, is the San Francisco Giants. The NL West is quite competitive, and they fall into the same block as the Padres: great pitching, but lackluster hitting. Putting Kearns in left field and having Andres Torres help out Aaron Rowand would help out big time. His HR and RBI totals would easily lead all outfielders on that team.

That being said, who would the Giants give up to get him, and who would the Tribe want? The Indians could take Triple-A prospect Brett Pill (if Buster Posey remains a first baseman then there's nowhere for Pill on the team) and a pitcher, since the Tribe desperately needs pitching. Likely candidates for that part of the trade are probably Triple-A prospects Eric Hacker, Henry Sosa, or maybe Double-A prospect Daryl Maday.

It remains to be seen if Kearns will continue to play well through July, but if he does, and the Giants are willing to give up a couple Triple-A guys who aren't in their plans, then it will work out for both sides. The Indians want to rebuild and the Giants want to win, so I would like to see this trade happen. Maybe the Giants don't want Kearns, but I still think that he would be a fine addition to their team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Comments Off »

Posted in Best Slideshows - Team, MLB, Opinion, SFGate, San Francisco Giants, austin kearns, cleveland indians

Tags:

Why Brandon Medders Is Expendable for the San Fransisco Giants Bullpen

April 7th, 2010

I'm not bashing Brandon Medders and his performance in 2009 by any means. I thought he was a surprising reliever in 2009. He had a great May where he posted a FIP of 2.85, and a solid September/October where he had a FIP of 3.16, and proved to be an integral part of the Giants' success last year.

What made Medders such a great signing was that he happened to be an unknown, bargain-bin acquisition (he signed a Minor League contract prior to Spring Training last season), and provided great bang for the buck as a middle-to-late innings reliever (his WAR converted to dollars in 2009 was $1.4 million; his contract last year was $475,000).

He wasn't Jeremy Affeldt or Brian Wilson, but he certainly wasn't Bob Howry or Merkin Valdez either.

Yet, after three games into the 2010 season, it is terribly obvious: the Giants do not need Medders in their bullpen.

Like I said before, that is not to downgrade Medders as a pitcher. He may still be a slightly above-average right-handed reliever that would be useful on any Major League team, especially one that may be lacking in effective bullpen arms.

The Giants, though, do not have that problem.

Already as we have seen in the Houston sweep, the Giants have gotten great contributions from their bullpen.

Waldis Joaquin and Dan Runzler showed that they are promising young arms with incredible stuff.

Sergio Romo proved that he's the Giants' right-handed eighth-inning specialist, and Jeremy Affeldt illustrated in today's win why he's Romo's left-handed counterpart.

And as for Brian Wilson? Two saves in two opportunities, two strikeouts, no walks. I think those numbers show why he has his spot in this bullpen.

Medders, though? He hasn't exactly impressed, as evidenced by his three hits, two runs allowed in one-third of an inning performance in the season-opener.

Granted it's only one game, and I'm not saying the Giants should release Medders based on that outing alone. However, when it comes to defining what Medders's role is in the bullpen, well...that becomes tricky.

Wilson is the closer (obviously). Romo and Affeldt are the right-handed and left-handed setup men, respectively. Runzler and Joaquin are the young, left-handed and right-handed stoppers (come in when behind before the eighth to stop damage) or seventh-inning setup relievers. Guillermo Mota, at this point, seems to be the mop-up man (guy to clean things up when the leads are big).

The only role Medders could possibly fill in this Giants bullpen would be as a "Justin Miller-esque" long reliever.

Considering Medders has never started a game at the Major League level and has only thrown 50 or more innings twice (2006 with Arizona and last season) in his Major League career, I don't think that role bodes well for him.

When you add in the fact that the Giants have two younger, cheaper options available to fill that role waiting in Fresno (Joe Martinez and Kevin Pucetas), Medders seems even less likely to be a fit as the Giants long middle reliever as the season progresses.

Now, I understand many Giants fans will be inclined to believe that Medders can bounce back from his first bad outing on Opening Day. However, while he undoubtedly will bounce back in some form, to think that Medders will duplicate his 2009 numbers in 2010 might be a stretch.

Medders's high FIP (4.07) and lackluster K/BB ratio (1.81) and WHIP (1.38) prove that his 2009 wasn't as good as his 3.01 ERA or 5-1 record indicates. Medders is a flyball pitcher (0.88 GB/FB ratio last season) who doesn't strike a tremendous amount of guys out (7.60 K/9 in 2009; good for a starter, mediocre for a flyball reliever).

Those are not good qualities to have, and though Medders got away with it for the most part last year (thanks mostly to AT&T Park's spacious environment), sooner or later the BABIP will rise and the fly balls that were long outs will turn into home runs.

I can say it's safe to say that no Giants fan wants to see that happen, especially when it will affect the win-loss column.

Considering Medders's age (he's 30 years old) and contract (he signed a one-year, $820,000 extension this offseason ), he just doesn't seem to be an efficient arm to have in the Giants' bullpen. There are so many quality young arms, not just in the Giants' bullpen, but in Fresno as well, in addition to Pucetas and Martinez.

Henry Sosa and Alex Hinshaw had great Spring Trainings, and Hinshaw actually had a very successful stint in 2008 (If Hinshaw can ever solve his walk problems, he'll be dangerous because he posts very high strikeout numbers).

They are currently with the Grizzlies, but don't expect them to be there for long. They're chomping at the bit to get a shot in the Majors.

Steve Edlefsen is a 24-year-old right-hander with the Grizzlies who made a meteoric "Dan Runzler-esque" rise from High Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Fresno last year.

His combined numbers? In 69.2 IP, he earned eight wins, allowed only 43 hits, posted an ERA of 1.95 and sported a K/9 rate of 9.3 (he did have a BB/9 of 4.8 and 1.95 K/BB ratio, not exactly impressive, but considering his rise, the high walk numbers are to be expected).

With a little tuning in the Pacific Coast League, it isn't far-fetched to think that Edlefsen could be contributing to the Giants in a couple of months.

As you can see, the options in Fresno and on this Giants roster are plentiful, and I'm not even counting castoffs such as Denny Bautista or Horacio Ramirez (who are in Fresno as well), who could break out after being ignored by other teams this offseason (similar to Medders' situation in 2009).

I'm still willing to give Medders a chance for a short period of time. He deserves one after the contract extension Brian Sabean signed him to this offseason and his performance last year.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to see Medders fail to live up to the bar this bullpen and its relievers have set this season so far.

His performance last year in high leverage situations (xFIP of 5.17; 1.29 K/BB ratio; 0.19 GB/FB ratio in high leverage situations last year) and questionable stuff (he had negative runs above average values on three of his five pitches last year) don't project well for repeated success.

The Giants' bullpen may be the key to their playoff hopes in 2010, and could be their second-strongest asset as a team, slightly behind the starting pitching (and considering they had two NL All-Star starting pitchers last year, that is saying something). While that is a great thing for the Giants and their fans, it's unfortunate for Medders.

Because, as of now, he's the odd man out.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com



Comments Off »

Posted in Baseball, MLB, NL West, Opinion, San Francisco Giants

Tags:

A Look at The Giants Future: 2011 and Beyond

April 2nd, 2010

With the 2010 season upon us, perhaps it's time to, look ahead to next year. 

I'm not suggesting it is time for Giants nation to jump off the proverbial bandwagon in droves just yet, far from it in fact. The Giants are starting to show true promise so I think it is time to look at the future of a burgeoning contender.

Here is a projected lineup for 2011

C: Buster Posey (above)

1B: Adrian Gonzalez

2B: Freddy Sanchez

3B: Pablo Sandoval

SS: Brandon Crawford

LF: Mark DeRosa/Tom Neal

CF: Aaron Rowand/Darren Ford

RF: Roger Kieschnick

Now, one name may be jumping out at you is Adrian Gonzalez. 

As I look over the Giants minor league system, I see a great deal of promise and talent, but not at the first baseman position. With the incarceration of Angel Villalona and his status for the future in doubt, the Giants have very little available to occupy the first sacker spot.

I say it is time to make a deal. 

Gonzalez brings a very good glove, a patient approach and elite power to the Giants, all of those things are an improvement over what is already on roster.

At the end of this season we will be freed of the monumental disaster that was Edgar Renteria's contract and the Giants are giving Brandon Crawford a long, hard look already this year as he travelled north with the team.

Crawford is a serviceable defenseman but has a good bat, evidenced by his .282 BA, 10 HR and 48 RBI's through both Class A San Jose and AA Richmond.

He is a local kid as well, and would be a good PR move for the Giants, plus he is very talented, albeit young.

Now we move to the outfield.

The Giants will be saddled with Rowand's contract for a few more years and DeRosa is on a two year deal.

The nice thing DeRosa brings is a super utility skill set much like Juan Uribe, so if a player in the minors makes his push to the majors, DeRosa would not necessarily stand in his way.

Enter Tom Neal, Darren Ford and Roger Kieschnick. Ford, acquired in the Ray Durham deal has elite speed, very elite. The Giants have been severely lacking in the speed department for many years. Ford also has a decent glove and great range. He has minimal power but a good contact swing. In short, this guy has lead-off hitter written all over him.

Tom Neal and Roger Kieschnick may as well be put in the same sentence. They are very similar players and very high level prospects.

Kieschnick projects to have more power and Neal projects to have the better bat. By all accounts, both are good defensive players with good arms. Both are big kids, and both will turn 23 this year. These are potential outfield corner stones and project as middle of the order bats.

The pitching staff, which is the team's strength, already is nearly set, though it is likely that journeyman pitcher, Todd Wellemeyer, will not be back for next year and that Uber-prospect Madison Bumgarner will step into the fifth starter spot next season.

A trade for Adrian Gonzalez would need to include some major league ready talent as well as, prospects and if Jonathon Sanchez continues to improve, it is more than likely he would need to be included in any package for the big lefty.

The fact that Sanchez no-hitter came against the Padres last season, may only help to entice San Diego into taking him, a deal for Gonzalez. If we lose Johnny, how do we replace him?

Well as per usual the Giants minor league system is filled with pitching talent and Henry Sosa and Kevin Pucetas appear to be ready for the big show.

Sosa did not surrender a run through the entire preseason and Pucetas, who projects to possibly make the club this season as a long reliever, is a career starter in the minors.

There is more talent than can be mentioned in the Giants farm system. Kids like Ehire Adrianza, Nick Noonan, Connor Gillaspie and Brock Bond are potential major league talents and pitchers like Zach Wheeler are up and coming as well.

The Giants future is bright so long as they remember that they themselves, have preached the youth movement to the fans for years now, and soon enough they will have to honor those words.

Or else they could just open a retirement facility.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Comments Off »

Posted in Baseball, MLB, Preview/Prediction, San Francisco Giants

Tags:

Giants 2010 Preseason: Light at The End Of The Tunnel Or Total Anomaly?

April 1st, 2010

As the smell of Grapefruit and Cactus exits the collective nostrils of Baseball fans across America it can only mean one thing: Time to play ball. And as the San Francisco Giants break camp and head north to the city by the bay they do so with the best record in the Majors through spring training and more wins than any other team.

A surprise you may think? Maybe, but consider this is a team that finished with an 88-74 record last year showing some of the much promised improvement that Giants management has been dangling for so long in front of the fan base. That being said, none but the most ardent Giants fan were expecting them to win quite so much in the preseason. Nor were many expecting them to win in the fashion they have so far through the month of March: They are scoring runs!

They have scored 166 runs in 33 games (including Split Squad action) which translates into a just over a five runs per game average. They are averaging nearly a run per game better than they did last year, not bad for a team accused in some circles of having the most anemic offense in the national league. Any improvement in the Giants hitting when coupled with their pitching makes them immediate contenders or at least improves their stock by leaps and bounds.

Now I know what you are saying, "It's preseason!"

Believe me, I am saying it too.

Do I think Aaron Rowand has magically turned the corner and became the player we paid $70+ million for?

No.

Do I think this team found its stride with the infusion of such veteran retread blood as Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff?

Nope.

But what I do see is a little swagger surrounding this team, swagger is good. This is a team that seemed to have gotten comfortable with mediocrity. They flashed just enough glimpses of talent and ability to keep the fans interested and the pitchers languished with the worst run support in the league. Could we be seeing the start of something new? I think so. Why? Well, I do not see any one catalyst for this sudden change but there are three factors.

First, the addition of Hensley Muellens as batting coach. Muellens comes in to inherit a free swinging club of extreme hackers, most of whom are veterans so set in their ways you'd have an easier time getting Randy Johnson to be cordial with the media than to get them to take the first two pitches.

Muellens isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here and he knows it. His job is to work with the young players and try to perfect the old ones. And it appears to be paying dividends. Go look at Aaron Rowand and Bengie Molina's spring numbers if you need more proof.

Second, the infusion of young talent. Giants fans have long bemoaned the Giants' practice of bringing in aging veterans and cutting off the path to the majors for many young and seemingly talented players.

This is not to say they are not still guilty of it from time to time but at least they left the right field job open for competition rather than signing Johnny Damon or some other geriatric retread to fill the void left by Randy Winn.

But that isn't the key here.

The key is that the Giants farm system is as loaded as it has been in recent memory. It is filled with young and exciting talents like Buster Posey (No. 4 prospect according to MLB Network) and Madison Bumgarner(No. 10 prospect).

In addition to these blue chippers are the players the casual fan hasn't heard of like Ehire Adrianza, who draws Omar Vizquel comparisons with his glove. He is in addition to Tom Neal and Roger Keischnick, both of whom absolutely raked through Class A San Jose last season and have looked like the belong through the spring.

Now with the exception of Posey these guys aren't looking to make the club, not yet at least, but John Bowker, Henry Sosa, Kevin Pucetas, Darren Ford and Eugenio Velez have made massive statements with their play. They are pushing hard for roster spots and in turn, pushing the veterans for playing time and veterans look to have responded as though these young guys did indeed light a fire under them.

Fire is a good thing for the Giants.

Lastly, is a noticeable difference in the conditioning of certain key players. Brain Wilson and Aaron Rowand no longer look like they each have two tickets to the gun show, but rather look like elite athletes in top condition and sans about 10-15 lbs. And while Sandoval will never be winning any Mr. Universe titles he looks less like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters and more like a Major League Baseball player.

Bengie Molina looks less rotund than Giants fans are accustomed to seeing him, not much but a bit. Jonathon(Beanpole) Sanchez packed on about 15 lbs of muscle that should help his command and control immensely for the coming season. And Matt Cain looks to have dropped about 10 lbs., largely due to the fact that he is now married and no longer eats like I am sure a multi-millionaire 25-year-old bachelor would eat.

We all know that Tim Lincecum is The Freak. He may be the best pitcher in baseball. But he and the rest of the pitching staff cannot continue to carry 12 to 13 other guys on their backs. Everyone must pull their weight for this team to realize its potential. And I think they may finally be coming to realize that.

So what will it be Giants fans: Unbridled Hope or Cautious Optimism? I hope for the former but will stick to the latter. The building blocks are in place for a contender, not just now but for years to come. The McCourt divorce has the Dodgers in a state of upheaval and the division looks to be up for grabs. The Giants should be the favorites, they have all the ingredients of a contender. Will they take advantage and make that last step that puts them back into October? Time will tell.

Here it is: 94-68 NL West Champions.

I can dream, damn it.

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Comments Off »

Posted in Baseball, MLB, Preview/Prediction, San Francisco Giants

Tags:

San Francisco Giants Preview: Henry Sosa Looking to Pitch His Way into Bullpen

March 30th, 2010

The San Francisco Giants competition for pitching roster positions is heading down to the wire as the 2010 season opener approaches. 

GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy have a couple of open relief pitching holes to fill in the next few days.  23-year-old right-handed pitcher Henry Sosa figures to be in the running for one of the available spots.  Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports that they haven’t ruled out keeping Sosa as a starter, but would use him as a RP in the Majors.

San Francisco’s starting five is set for the foreseeable future, so a starting role seems unlikely barring a trade to another club.  Sosa does have experience starting games; in fact his role progressing through the organization has been getting work primarily in that facet. 

Sosa began with the Giants in 2006 at the age of 20, and he displayed decent control, providing a 3.42 K/BB ratio, 0.99 WHIP, and striking out 41-of-131 batters faced in 32.3 innings. 

The El Seybo native split time between Augusta and San Jose the following year where he achieved immensely different results between the two leagues.  Sosa dominated A-ball with a 0.73 earned run average, 0.88 WHIP, and a personal single-A low 8.9 SO/9.  He kept batters from placing good wood on the ball with a .197 batting average on balls in play and only two home runs allowed (.033 HR/FB) in 62.0 innings.  The 90.6 strand percentage was by far the best in his minor league history.

Sosa got tagged for eight bombs in San Jose and his ERA ballooned to 4.38.  Over 14 starts and 63.6 innings pitched, the 6’2’’ right-hander increased both his strikeout (11.0 K/9) and walk rates (5.1 BB/9). However, his K/BB saw a decrease from his Augusta mark (2.44 down to 2.17) and he suffered mightily, posting a 1.60 WHIP. 

His opponents’ batting average soared to .269, giving up more fly balls in the process.

In 2008, Sosa returned to San Jose and faced the same fly ball difficulties with an additional increase in his liner rate.  His batting average against continued to get worse, hiking up 22 points to .281 which is far from great. 

His struggles could be attributed to regaining form after missing significant time recovering from patella tendon knee surgery; however he was able to keep striking out hitters at an excellent pace, setting down roughly one per inning. 

Further bright spots can be found with Sosa’s improved command, as he walked only 18 batters in 56.3 innings pitched.  The trade-off between a career worst BABIP and a career best BB/9 could have been due to him eating off a bigger chunk of the plate. 

Moving on to the AA Eastern League in 2009, Sosa’s ERA took a nice dip to 2.36 and he went unbeaten, winning six games in 14 starts.   Red flags flare up though, when looking at the precipitous decline in his strikeout rate.  Of the 289 batters faced, only 44 met strike three.  Normally above the 9.0 SO/9 stage, his year in Connecticut featured a drop to 5.5.  Also a career worse was his K/BB ratio of 1.76. 

In August of ’09, Sosa went on the 60-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain.  It’s possible that the injury was affecting him during the season and thus the fewer strikeouts.  If that’s the case, it’s impressive he was able to keep his WHIP down to 1.19 with a bunch of infield pop-outs and a sweet 3.5 percent home run per fly. 

The spray chart for that season shows a lot of shallow center field hits, not much getting through the infield, decent batter coverage to all fields, and a few moon shot home runs.

I haven’t seen him pitch, but he hasn’t allowed a Spring Training earned run in 9.3 innings, striking out four and walking five with one game started.  His throws a fastball, curveball, and change up combination and seems to be relying more on his command lately. 

I’m curious as to where Sosa’s velocity is at currently, because if he can regain arm strength to couple with his improved control, he would be an effective addition to the roster. 

The Giants still need to decide how they want to use him, be it as a starter or a reliever, where he may be more valuable considering his bout with the shoulder injury. 

My guess is that he gains experience as a relief pitcher in the minors before being considered for a promotion to the MLB team.    

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Comments Off »

Posted in Baseball, MLB, Opinion, San Francisco Giants

Tags: