Posts Tagged ‘Ray Durham’
A Look at The Giants Future: 2011 and Beyond
April 2nd, 2010With 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.
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Peguero or Ford: Which CF Prospect Has a Brighter Future for the Giants?
March 9th, 2010The fact of the matter is this for Giants fans: Aaron Rowand is going to be the Giants center fielder on Opening Day, and he most likely is going to bat leadoff unless one of three things happen:
1. Mark DeRosa gets hurt again this Spring Training and is unable to play on Opening Day, which forces manager Bruce Bochy to play either Eugenio Velez or Andres Torres in left field (who would be slotted in at leadoff because of their speed).
2. Velez goes nuts this Spring Training (entirely possible) and Bochy somehow is convinced that despite his negative UZR at the position, Velez can start second base. So, Bochy plugs in Velez at second over Uribe (because Freddy Sanchez, the "$12 Million Man" will miss Opening Day) and consequently at leadoff despite his .308 OBP last season.
3. Rowand gets hurt sometime during Spring Training and Torres, Rowand's backup, gets the nod on Opening Day. Because of Torres' speed, Bochy gives him the leadoff spot.
Overall, only one of the options I like, and even then, I don't like it all that much (I don't think it's very hard to guess which option it is). That being said, when talking about Rowand, a very important notion does come up concerning the center fielder:
Who do the Giants have in the farm system to replace him or succeed him?
Right now, there basically are two candidates:
Francisco Peguero and Darren Ford .
Both center fielder prospects are on the 40-man roster heading into the 2010 season and are currently playing in Spring Training games down in Scottsdale with the Major League team at this moment. There is a lot of promise and hype surrounding the two speedy center fielders, especially after their solid 2009 campaigns in the minor leagues.
Yet, as we know, two players can't play the same position. So, which prospect is better? Which prospect should Giants fans be expecting to start in center field when Rowand (and his ridiculous contract) finally leave San Francisco?
Let's take a more in-depth look at the two young outfielders.
Why Giants Fans Should Expect Big Things from Peguero:
Peguero, a Top 10 prospect in the Giants system according to some experts , is being touted as a "Pablo Sandoval without the Power but More Speed"-esque hitter, and you know what? It makes a lot of sense. Peguero, who will be only 22 in June, is a heck of a hitter and he sure proved last season in Salem-Keizer and Augusta.
In 17 games with the Volcanoes last year, Peguero hit .394, and posted a .421 OBP, a .435 wOBA, and an .886 OPS. Furthermore, he also stole seven bases and didn't get caught once. In Augusta, Peguero also performed admirably. In 58 games, he hit .340, and posted a .359 OBP, a .367 wOBA, and a .796 OPS (not bad considering he only had a .437 slugging percentage).
Peguero is an accomplished base stealer who has shown promise on the basepaths since his rookie season. In 2008, the then 20-year-old stole a combined 25 bases (10 in the Arizona Rookie League and 15 in Single-A Augusta) while only getting caught four times (an 86.2 percent success rate).
In addition to being a solid base stealer, Peguero is also a tough out at the plate. Last season in the Northwest League, pitchers were only able to strike Peguero out 12.7 percent of the time, and in Single-A, he only struck out 16.7 percent of the time.
While the numbers aren't extraordinary, they are an improvement from his rookie season. In 2008 in Arizona and Augusta, he struck out 21.3 and 23.9 percent of the time, respectively. Thus, 2009 showed that Peguero made strides in terms of honing his plate discipline.
Peguero also proved to be a solid defender in 2009. In both levels, he averaged a 2.43 RF/G. His RF/G was 11 points higher than Ford's RF/G in San Jose in 2009 (and Peguero also made one less error and one more double play than Ford as well).
Why Peguero May Not Be the Answer for Giants Fans:
As good a hitter as Peguero is in terms of making contact, there are some serious plate discipline issues for the Dominican outfielder. Basically, Peguero can't draw a walk to save his life. In 328 plate appearances last season between Salem Keizer and Augusta, Peguero drew eight walks. (Eight! That's it!) His walk percentage ended up being 3.9 percent for the Volcanoes and 2.0 percent for the Greenjackets, and his BB/K ratios were 0.33 and 0.13 for the Volcanoes and Greenjackets, respectively.
It is understandable that Peguero may not be the best at taking a walk, and if Sandoval has shown Giants fans anything, that isn't necessarily a bad thing (the "Panda" illustrated that you can achieve Minor and Major League success despite low walk numbers ). Yet Peguero doesn't really offer any power, unlike Sandoval, who at least showed a modicum of power in the minors (and a lot more in the Majors).
In 2009, Peguero had a .070 and .097 ISO in Salem Keizer and Augusta, respectively, and he has only had an ISO over .100 once in his minor league career (during his stint in the Arizona Rookie League where it was .124). Thus, without much power to compensate, Peguero needs to get on base to maximize his speed and his meager walk numbers certainly don't make bode well in terms of keeping a solid OBP as he rises through the farm system.
Another sketchy statistic concerning Peguero's 2009 were his high BABIP numbers. In Salem Keizer, Peguero posted a .444 BABIP. In Augusta, he posted a .396 BABIP. Chances are, as he begins the year in Double-A or higher in 2010, he won't be able to post BABIP numbers that high again. They simply are too high to sustain, especially while advancing through the minor leagues.
Thus, the question is this: can Peguero continue to find gaps on balls he puts in play and if he can't (which is inevitable at some point), can he improve his walk numbers enough so he can continue to get on base despite the drop on BABIP?
It could happen, but after a stint this winter in the Dominican Winter League where he hit .284, Peguero did not show much progress in terms of plate patience. In 67 at-bats this winter, Peguero only drew three walks (with one being intentional).
Why Giants Fans Should Expect Big Things from Ford:
Darren Ford is a speed demon on the basepaths. Plain and simple.
In 2006, his first season in Single A, Ford stole 69 bases for the West Virginia Power (the Milwaukee Brewers' Single-A organization). In 2007, in a combined stint with West Virginia and Brevard County (the Brewers' Advanced Single-A organization) he stole 67 bases. In 2008, while playing for Brevard County and San Jose (he was traded to Giants in the Ray Durham deal), he stole 62 bases. And, last season, he stole 35 bases in 101 games for San Jose.
As you can see, Ford has some serious base-stealing potential, not a bad quality considering the Giants' stolen base leader, Randy Winn (who stole 16 bases in 2009) signed with the New York Yankees this offseason.
And yet, stealing bases may not be the only thing Ford does well. Last season, Ford showed that he may be a solid hitter in addition to being a solid baserunner.
In San Jose last season, Ford had a breakout party of sorts at the dish. In 441 plate appearances, Ford hit .300 with a .386 OBP, a .384 wOBA, and an .849 OPS. Furthermore, Ford scored 81 runs (the most he's had at any stint since his 2006 seasons in West Virginia) and added nine home runs, nine triples, and 17 doubles to his offensive resume in 2009. He also continued his solid, patient approach at the plate, as he posted an 11.1 percent walk rate (he hasn't posted a walk rate underneath nine in his professional career) and a 0.51 BB/K ratio.
For fans who miss Rajai Davis but still like what Fred Lewis has to offer to the Giants "free-swinging" offense, Ford may be a combo of both. He is a player that has the speed of Davis but the plate patience of Lewis. He also proved to be solid defensively in 2009, as evidenced by his 2.32 RF/G.
Ford definitely has something to offer for Giants fans of all tastes.
Why Ford May Not Be the Answer for Giants Fans:
Ford killed in Advanced Single-A last year. That being said, he was also 23 at the time, and it was his fourth go-around in Advanced Single-A to boot. So in many ways, Ford was almost an old man beating up on the competition of sorts in 2009, so a lot of his stats (especially his hitting stats) may have to be taken with a grain of salt, especially considering he didn't post a wOBA over .317 in his three previous stints in Advanced Single-A.
Additionally, while his walk rates are promising, his strikeout rates aren't. Ford strikes out a lot, and considering it's only Single-A, that makes a lot of fans wonder how he will fare at the Major League level. Ford has only posted a strikeout rate under 25 percent once in his professional career (24.5 percent in 2007 with Brevard County). And even last year, his breakout year, he still posted a 25.5 percent strikeout rate, and actually posted the lowest BB/K ratio of his four stints in Advanced Single-A.
So how did Ford have such a coming out party? His BABIP greatly increased from his last three stints in Advanced Single-A.
In 2007 and 2008 in Brevard County, Ford posted a .288 and .301 BABIP, respectively. In 2008 in San Jose, his BABIP was .326.
Last year? It was .379, the highest BABIP he's had since 2007, where he had a .427 BABIP with West Virginia.
Thus, with an increase in BABIP, it is predictable that his offensive numbers would improve so dramatically. Yet, like I said about it being his fourth year in Advanced Single-A, Giants fans have to take that BABIP numbers with a grain of salt. The California League (the league San Jose plays in) is notorious for being a "hitter's league," and last year was no exception. A lot of players posted extraordinarily high offensive numbers (especially in BABIP) in their stints for California League teams, only to see their number dip once they advanced to the next level.
One case that doesn't bode well for fans of Ford? Just take a look at Brandon Crawford in 2009 .
In San Jose, Crawford hit like a mad man, posting a .371 average, .445 OBP, .445 wOBA, and a 1.045 OPS. However, his BABIP also happened to be .493 (incredibly high). When he got promoted to Double-A later in the season, his BABIP fell to .334 and his stats feel accordingly. With the Connecticut Defenders, Crawford only hit .258 with a .294 OBP, .299 wOBA, and a .659 OPS.
Does this mean a similar drop off will happen for Ford in 2010 as he advances to Double-A? Maybe, maybe not. Ford is a more disciplined hitter over his career in comparison to Crawford (Crawford only posted BB/K ratios of 0.31 and 0.20 in San Jose and Connecticut, respectively). So that bodes in Ford's favor.
However, while Ford's plate patience is promising, by no means should Giants fans think that Ford will automatically be transitioning his San Jose stats to Double-A and beyond in 2010.
The Verdict?
It's a tough one to call at this point. Right now, I would say it's a dead heat between Peguero and Ford in terms of being the "center fielder of the future" for the Giants, and it will definitely be interesting keeping tabs on these two in Spring Training (go to AZGiants.com for the latest Spring Training bits on the two, as well as Giants Spring Training news in general).
So far, Peguero is better at making contact and hitting for higher average, but Ford is a more patient hitter and a better base stealer. How do you differentiate between the two? It really depends on which qualities you like more from a player as a baseball fan.
Right now, just because I like his Fred Lewis/Rajai Davis hybrid abilities, I am in the Ford camp. However, Peguero is definitely capable of swinging my vote should he be able to improve his walk numbers and keep up his high batting average in 2010.
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Under the Radar: Three Giants Prospects to Pay Attention to in 2010
February 9th, 2010Madison Bumgarner. Buster Posey. Thomas Neal. Zach Wheeler. Dan Runzler. Waldis Joaquin.
When it comes to rookies/prospects currently on the 40-man roster breaking out next season (be it at the Major League or Minor League level), those six are on every Giants fan and baseball expert's list.
However, they shouldn't be the only ones people should be looking forward to this Spring.
Conor Gillaspie, Darren Ford, and Henry Sosa are three guys that could turn some heads in 2010 in the Minors.
At this moment, the three guys are still at least a year or two away from contributing at the Major League level. That being said, they are talented players that should be paid attention to should injury or mediocrity strike the current veterans on the Giants' 40-man roster.
Are there red flags with Gillaspie, Ford, and Sosa? Of course, but if you look at their profiles a little closer, they all have potential of being real breakout stars for the Giants in 2011 or beyond.
Here are the down-lows on the three potential "breakout" prospects:
Conor Gillaspie
2009 statistics in San Jose: 126 (G), 469 (AB), 530 (PA), 134 (H), 97 (1B), 31 (2B), 2 (3B), 4 (HR), 62 (R), 67 (RBI), 55 (BB), 2 (IBB), 68 (SO), 3 (HBP), 6 (GDP), 2 (SB), 3 (CS), .286 (AVG), .364 (OBP), .386 (OPS), .750 (OPS).
Last season, the Giants put Gillaspie on the 40-man roster even though he had only 32 games of professional experience prior to the 2009 season (he had played eight games with the Giants in 2008 and 24 games between rookie and short-season Single-A). At the time, it was deemed a questionable decision. Gillaspie certainly wasn't ready to contribute to the Major Leagues last year, and it showed in San Jose.
However, though Gillaspie didn't wow everyone in 2009 like many thought he would when he was the Giants' second pick of the 2008 MLB Draft (behind Buster Posey), he is capable of breaking out in Double-A or even Triple-A in 2010.
Why such optimistic thoughts about a guy deemed a "tumbler" by commenters on Fangraphs? Gillaspie's plate patience numbers are very promising.
Gillaspie posted a 10.4 percent walk rate in 2009 in San Jose and also sported a 0.81 BB/K ratio. Why is that such a big deal? Well, if you look at the Giants roster last year, only two guys sported BB/K ratios above 0.70 (Kevin Frandsen, who had a 0.75 ratio, and Ryan Garko, who had a 0.90).
Furthermore, Gillaspie's strikeout rate wasn't terrible at 14.5 percent last season, and it certainly was an improvement from the 18.3 percent strikeout rate he sported in Salem-Kaizer in 2008.
Now, there are still some red flags with Gillaspie's game. He doesn't hit for ANY power it seems (as evidenced by a .386 slugging and .100 ISO) and his defense at third base is very questionable. Also, he isn't exactly a burner on the basepaths either, so he doesn't maximize his ability to get on base.
That being said, if you watch Gillaspie's swing during this Minor League Spring Training game in 2009, he does have a very good looking swing. You can tell that he will have trouble getting a lot of pop behind balls (it seems very short, compact), but it isn't unfathomable to think that his batting style could mirror a Bill Mueller-esque player (whom many experts have compared him to since he was drafted). That isn't exactly a bad thing, especially considering Mueller had a career batting average of .291 and OBP of .373.
Will Gillaspie reach those heights? Maybe, maybe not. At the very least though, I think Gillaspie could put up very similar batting numbers to a guy like Nate Schierholtz (I think their swings are very similar), only with less power, but more plate patience.
Gillaspie will probably never be a high-ceiling guy. He just doesn't have the power to do so. At the very least though, he is capable of being a solid everyday player in the future, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
If his career path was personified in a woman, it would probably not be as hot as Jessica Alba, and look more like Julia Stiles. It won't be smoking or jaw-dropping, but you won't be able to really complain with the the overall profile in the end.
Darren Ford
2009 statistics with San Jose: 101 (G), 441 (PA), 380 (AB), 81 (R), 114 (H), 17 (2B), 9 (3B), 9 (HR), 50 (RBI), 35 (SB), 12 (CS), 49 (BB), 97 (SO), .300 (AVG), .386 (OBP), .463 (SLG), .849 (OPS).
Ford was one of the centerpieces when the Giants traded Ray Durham to Milwaukee in 2008. So far, there is a lot to like about Ford. He's fast and can steal a base (he stole 69 in Single-A in 2006 and 67 in two levels of Single-A in 2007 and 62 in two levels of Single-A in 2008). Granted, his stolen base numbers went down to 35 in 2009, but still, he shows a great knack on the basepaths, something that is greatly needed on a Giants roster that just lost their leading stolen base man (Randy Winn).
However, there is one major question mark with Ford: he has spent the last three years in Single-A. That is never a good sign, especially when the guy is 24-years-old and was drafted out of high school.
Still, Ford offers a lot of potential despite a slow start breaking into professional ball. His batting approach has greatly improved since his first year in rookie ball in 2005. While not traditionally a power-hitting player, his OPS was the second-highest of his career in San Jose in 2009 (he posted a .902 OPS in West Virginia in 2007).
Additionally, Ford has maintained an ability to get on base well. Since 2005, he has only had one season where his OPS was below .350 (in 2008, where in two levels of play it was .329).
If anything, if Rajai Davis and Fred Lewis were able to make a baby ("Junior"-style), the player would look a lot like Ford. He has the base-stealing ability of Davis, but has the run-scoring potential of Lewis as evidenced by Ford's OBP numbers. Granted, Ford still has to prove this at higher levels in the Minors. Single-A in all reality is just Single-A.
Nonetheless, if Ford capitalizes on the success he had in San Jose in Double-A or even Triple-A, then it wouldn't be surprising to see Ford get a call-up in August or September.
Henry Sosa
2009 statistics with Connecticut: 6-0 (W-L), 2.36 (ERA), 14 (G), 14 (GS), 72.1 (IP), 298 (BF), 61 (H), 22 (R), 19 (ER), 4 (HR), 25 (BB), 44 (SO).
Sosa is an interesting case because his health is such an issue. He's coming off an arm injury in 2008, and had his season shortened in 2009 because of arm fatigue (e.g. his arm wasn't healthy after surgery in 2008).
So, Sosa's stats are hard to gauge because it's obvious it's not the Sosa that pitched in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium in 2008. His 5.47 strikeout rate and 1.76 BB/K ratio in Double-A last season aren't exactly numbers of a player dubbed one of the most underrated prospects in baseball by Baseball Intellect in 2008.
Then again, maybe the Sosa we saw last year should be one Giants fans should be expecting in the future. After all, arm injuries are incredibly unpredictable things, and we have seen them derail promising pitchers' career (Jesse Foppert comes to mind).
Yet, let's just say Sosa is close to be his 2008 self pre-injury. Let's just say he's recovered fully after shutting it down early in 2009. What can Giants fans expect from Sosa in 2010?
In my mind, with those factors, a lot.
Sosa not only has a good arm, but he looks to have good makeup as well. Unlike some fireballers who come into the league only able to last a few innings, Sosa is a legitimate starting pitcher with gas. He posted incredible WHIP numbers at his first two levels of play (0.99 in rookie ball and 0.89 in Single-A) and even last year, despite battling arm fatigue, his WHIP was very respectable at 1.19.
And, Sosa has also improved gradually with his command and control. Until his arm injury, Sosa was able to strike guys out with great proficiency (he had 11.41, 8.85, 11.03 and 9.27 strikeout rates in various levels from rookie to advanced Single-A from 2006 to 2007), but he still had problems walking guys.
In his first two years of professional ball, he had mediocre walk rate numbers at 3.34 and 3.63 in 2006 rookie level, 2007 Single-A respectively. Then his walk rate skyrocketed in San Jose in 2007 to 5.09, which produced a BB/K ratio of 2.17.
Since 2008, he started to clean up his command issues a little bit. His walk rate was only 2.88, and he had a 3.22 K/BB ratio in 2008. And, though his BB/K ratio was the lowest of his professional career in 2009, his walk rates weren't the problem. In 2009, he posted a 3.11 walk rate, the second-lowest of his career.
With the Giants rotation in solid shape for 2009, Sosa most likely will not be needed unless the most drastic of circumstances happen (think The Simpsons when all of Montgomery Burns' free agents for his company softball team had something happen to them prior to the championship game). However, Sosa will be very interesting to watch in the minors this season.
If he shows that his arm problems are a thing of the past this Spring, Sosa will be a very enticing pitching option for the Giants in late-2010 or 2011.
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The Five Songs (and Music Videos) That Describe the Brian Sabean Era
February 4th, 2010My feelings about San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean change all the time.
I think he does a great job developing pitching talent, but I think he drafts and develops position players poorly (either doesn't give them a chance, or throws them in the fire too quickly, only to pull the plug on them right when they start to show some promise). I believe he is great at finding bullpen help off the scrap, but I also believe he has a tendency to overpay guys in free agency.
So, what do I do with these feelings concerning Sabes?
Well, I decided to pick five songs that describe each era for the Giants under the longest-tenured general manager currently in Major League Baseball.
I basically split up Sabes' tenure into five eras: 1997-2001, 2002-2004, 2005-2008, 2009, and 2010-beyond. For each of those eras I have identified a song that describes the general gist of that era under Sabean.
(FYI: these aren't typical, "We all know these!" songs. Yes, I could have gone with "We are the Champions" by Queen for the 1997 team, but where's the fun in that? I wanted to find songs that you may recognize but you haven't heard in a long time because a). They were under-appreciated in their time or b). They were one-hit wonders and probably sucked. Either way, don't expect the usual when it comes to these song choices to describe Sabes' tenure. After all, Sabes is not the "usual" general manager in Major League Baseball.)
1997-2001: "More and More" by Captain Hollywood Project
After 1996 , Giants fans wanted more from our general manager after a last place finish in the NL West in 1996.
Who could blame Giants fans? We had Mark Carreon playing first and Bill Van Landingham was supposedly one of the foundations in our pitching rotation. That was not what Giants fans wanted after Peter Magowan signed Barry Bonds to big bucks in December of 1992 .
So, Magowan brought in Sabean, who promised Giants fans more, and you know what? He delivered.
First, he traded away Matt Williams for Jose Vizcaino, Joe Roa, and Jeff Kent, and it worked. Then, he made Shawn Estes the ace of the rotation, and he won 19 games. Then, he brought in Darryl Hamilton, and we finally had the first decent leadoff guy since Darren Lewis left town.
1997 and 2000 produced NL West championships, and Sabean set a new standard for Giants fans: We got more, and he fostered an attitude of wanting more. And for a while, Sabean delivered, always adding more to the Giants' teams from this timespan, be it free agents or veterans acquired through trades.
At the time, Giants fans all liked the "more" Sabean was delivering. If we only knew what it would produce down the line.
2002-2004: "Sweet Dreams" by La Bouche
These were the pinnacle years of Sabean's tenure as general manager: The Giants won the NL Pennant in 2002, finished with the best regular season record in baseball in 2003 (in the midst of changing managers and revamping the roster with Edgardo Alfonso, Ray Durham, and Jose Cruz Jr.), and won 91 games in 2004 despite not putting any kind of push for Vlad Guerrero and trading Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser away for one-year of A.J. Pierzynski.
The dreams and memories of Giants baseball from 2002-2004 were absolutely great, and Giants fans thought Sabes could do no wrong.
Sure, there were warning signs (the increasing age of the teams, Sabean not signing first round draft picks etc.), but it's safe to say that Giants fans couldn't see them. The wins and the competitiveness of the teams simply overshadowed all the bad, and we at the time, as Giants fans, were fine with it.
2005-2008: "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama
After lucking out by winning 91 games in 2004, the Giants fell off a cliff in 2005, where they built a streak of four straight losing seasons.
Injuries and lackluster play from free agents started to show the weaknesses in the Giants organization in terms of building for the future (e.g. the Giants' crappy farm system was now exposed to the world because we were having scrubs replace our injured veterans), and Sabean, who couldn't do no wrong for a while, was now exposed and rightfully criticized for his lack of a long-term plan.
As free agent after free agent continued to not pan out, Giants fans were constantly graced with mediocre play from big-name signings (Dave Roberts, Steve Finley, Ryan Klesko etc.) and prospects who were either a). vastly overrated (Lance Niekro, Jason Ellison etc.) or b). weren't meant to contribute at the Major League level (Brian Bocock).
For Giants fans, it was one "Cruel Summer" after the next from 2005 and 2008. Unfortunately, because of the clout Sabean built with then-owner Peter Magowan from 1997-2003, Sabes was always excused for the mess he built through bad, expensive signings and poor drafting.
August 2009-February 2010: "You Can't Count on Me" by Counting Crows
After the mess from 2005-2008, Sabes conceded that he couldn't just buy good teams, but he had to develop them through drafting and development.
So, after Bonds left folllowing the 2007 season, Sabean asked Giants fans for patience. He said he would not be spending big money on talent anymore, and that we would have to go through some growing pains as the talent he drafted and picked up worked to become "MLB-ready." He sold Giant fans on Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Angel Villalona, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Tim Alderson as the cornerstones of the Giants' future.
Well, two of them worked out well, one looks to be a train wreck, one was traded away for an oft-injured, free-hacking second baseman, and the other two could be great, but one wonders if he will be given the proper chances to show what he can do at the MLB level.
And, to make matters worse, Sabean continues to block the "young talent" he harped about "sticking with" back in 2007. He signed Aubrey Huff, despite Huff having a negative WAR with Orioles and Tigers last season. (The Tigers had an equally as pathetic offense as the Giants last season, just to put Huff's negative value in perspective). He signed Mark Derosa, despite Derosa being in his mid-30's and coming off a wrist injury. He signed Bengie Molina, though the Giants have a younger, better option in Posey.
As Giants fans, we thought we could count on him to progress the Giants' future along. That's why we put up with him getting that two-year extension.
San Francisco fans should have known better from Sabes. The Counting Crows would have.
November 2010 or November 2011: "Goodbye to You" by Scandal
I'm not saying that the Giants will do worse than last year. As a fan, I hope that the Giants continue to improve on their 88-win record from a year ago and make the playoffs. Personally, I think the Giants have what it takes. Sure, the Diamondbacks are better (though not as good as everybody thinks) and the Dodgers and Rockies are the teams to beat (though the Dodgers' starting pitching is very questionable in my mind).
That being said, the Giants' Opening Day lineup in 2010 looks a lot better than it did in 2008 and 2009.
However, as a Giants fan, you just can't help but feel that this team doesn't have enough on paper. You feel that Sabean plugged holes with veterans, but didn't exactly upgrade the positions from a year ago. You feel that sooner or later, the horses that carried us in 2009 will break down in some way in 2010. Not completely break down of course, but regress to the point where they will be a lesser version of themselves in 2010.
Who will it be? I don't know. It could be Lincecum. It could be Cain. It could be Wilson. It could be Uribe. It could be Sandoval. It could be Affeldt. It could be Runzler. It could be Molina. It could be anyone. It could be more than one, too.
And what makes it so much more terrifying is the fact that the Giants needed to get some guys as safety this offseason, just in case one or two (or even three, God forbid) of those "studs" from last year regress, and it just really didn't happen. I mean, Derosa and Huff aren't going to pick up the slack should the Panda struggle out of the gate. They'll be good complimentary players when the going is good, but when the going is tough? Well, I just can't see them making an impact.
To me, this offseason just reminded me of the 2008 Seattle Mariners. They made some pickups, but not enough to really compete, and once the regular season started, it all just fell on them because they put too much faith in the wrong kinds of players (e.g. Richie Sexson, Eric Bedard, Brad Wilkerson, etc.)
Maybe I'm just being pessimistic and I hope to God as a Giants fan I'm wrong, but I just have a feeling, after this year or next year, we'll be singing along with Patty Smyth "Goodbye to You" to Brian Sabean's box at AT&T Park.
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