SB Nation - Eric Patterson

On Cunningham, Patterson, And My Lying Eyes

Nico — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:21:10 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Aaron Cunningham gets ready to show Bobby Crosby what it means to make contact.

The trouble with "eyeball scouting" is that sometimes you see things but that doesn't mean you can explain them. I'm curious to get the community's take on two especially puzzling major league samples, those turned in by Aaron Cunningham and Eric Patterson, both of whose callups have shared the same phenomena: Swinging through fastballs.

In Cunningham, you have a hitter who has raked at every minor league level and who, as a result, projects to be a pretty good major league hitter. In Patterson, you have a hitter capable of turning AAA into his own "Hey look, I'm Curtis Granderson!"fest. Yet in both, you have players who have not only failed to turn in good major league numbers overall in their cups of coffee (still adding up to small samples, aka "decaf"), but more surprisingly who have looked positively Jack Hannahan in swinging right through fastballs.

Of all things. In the minors, you have plenty of pitchers who can't command their offspeed stuff or throw enough fastballs for strikes. The one thing you generally get, though, is pitchers who can throw a fastball reasonably hard -- so if the thing you can't do as a hitter is make contact with a good single-A fastball, that's going to catch up to you faster than if you can't recognize a major league slider.

So then maybe you argue that major league breaking pitches and changeups are so much better than those of AAA that the Cunninghams and Pattersons are forced to wait longer and can no longer catch up to the good fastball. Yet we know (because they say so and we believe them) that hitters almost all "look fastball and adjust to offspeed pitches."

This is where my lying eyes come in. The stat-savvy part of me knows that Cunningham's track record and age suggest he will in fact hit big league pitching, so then I'm stuck trying to reconcile the scouting report I would have had if I just saw him play but didn't know his age or track record with the one I actually believe: That somehow, for some reason, he will probably come back up at some point soon and start connecting with the same fastballs he missed in earlier stints. Why?

Let me know your thoughts on Cunningham and Patterson, and why sometimes a good hitting prospect can't connect with a basic major league fastball for a while when they actually can. And share your thoughts about other "lying eyes" scouting that confounds your sensibilities. And have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A's Attempt To Sweep Angels Is A Fundamental Failure

Nico — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:31:08 -0000

For all the hoopla over hits and diving catches, baseball often comes down to the details in between. In the bottom of the 1st, Mark Ellis had a Bobby Abreu ground ball glance off his glove into short CF. Both he and Pennington went to 2B to cover, while Rajai Davis just stood there like he thought he was Jack Cust getting a 2-strike fastball down the middle. 3 players, all of whom could easily have gone after the ball and held Abreu at 1B, none did. This became even more important when Torii Hunter hit a crisp DP ball to Pennington, but with Abreu at 2B, not at 1B. Singles by Vlad Guerrero and Kendry Morales would give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the 3rd, a single by Eric Patterson and a double by Cliff Pennington put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Rajai Davis hit a bouncer to 3B. If both Patterson and Pennington both hold, it's 2nd & 3rd with one out, and Daric Barton's subsequent grounder to 1B scores a run. If they both go, then Figgins has to concede Pennington going to 3B in order to cut down Patterson at the plate -- or he can tag Pennington out and allow a run to score. But the A's played it all wrong: Patterson came to the plate, cut down pretty easily, while Pennington held at 2nd. Suddenly, the A's didn't even have a runner at 3B with less two out, nor a run on the board, and they would come up empty in the inning.

Even in the 7th, when the A's, now trailing 5-0, put the first 5 men on base to chase Joe Saunders, with 3 runs in Oakland had 1st & 3rd with nobody out but for the second time in the game, could not get that runner at 3rd home. That's partly because Eric Patterson thought he'd try to bunt on Darren Oliver, but he popped the bunt up to Figgins. After 5 hitters in a row have reached base, you can't hand the other team an out by popping a bunt up. Especially not when you're Eric Patterson, and don't exactly have your defensive skills, your terrific eye, or your HR power to fall back on. Rajai Davis bounced into a DP to end that frame, and would later bounce out to end the game -- and end his hitting streak at 14 games.

Hey, down 5-0 in the 7th, the A's battled again and got as close as 5-4 and that's good. But just with some fundamental play -- the ability to, you know, go get a ball that's rolling nearby, the ability to get runners home from 3rd with nobody out -- we might be celebrating a series sweep right about now. Instead, it's onto Seattle for the A's last off-day tomorrow...and then Felix Hernandez on Tuesday night.

Do It Like a Gio! Gonzalez K's 7 as A's Shut Down Halos, 3-0

emperor nobody — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:11:31 -0000

6 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 24, 5'11", 185 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes. Holla.

The Athletics' train kept a-rollin' as Gio "Long Time" Gonzalez turned in a most masterful performance, with Michael Wuertz striking out the side in the 8th for an even 100 Ks on the season. Andrew "The Old" Bailey lowered the gavel on the punchless Angels in the 9th for his 26th (and 21st consecutive!!!!) save, so an ongoing A's rookie record, well, goes on. Rajai Davis continued hotter than the temperature of the core of the sun, squared, with a double to extend his career-high hit streak to a lucky 13.

Image resized to accommodate how small Jeff Mathis must feel.

This was a game that seemed to turn, at least in terms of scoring, on a pair of consecutive errors in the 7th. With Eric Patterson (who continued to tear it up with another couple of hits) on third after he singled, stole second, and took 3rd when catcher Jeff "Chances Are" Mathis' throw went into center field, Mathis attempted to atone with a snap pickoff attempt. Proving once again that two wrongs do not indeed make a right, it sailed down the LF line... Patterson scored for a 3-0 A's lead which they would not relinquish, drawing Oakland one step closer to the (now 7-1) finish we need to end at .500 for the tumultuous 2009 season, which I think we'd all agree would fookin' rawk.

Can't possibly say enough about Gio tonight, who showed a tasty slice of the promise that he has flashed throughout the year, and IMO assured himself of a mighty serious look for next year's rotation with this evening's activities. The A's are officially the hottest team in baseball now, with a 16-7 September mark and a brisk 15 out of 19 and 10 out of the last 12.
So I guess this means we'll see you all tomorrow night? I thought as much. Go !!!!!

Great Scott! Hairston Slams Mariners As Much As We've Slammed Him

Nico — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:47:10 -0000

The recap itself is pretty simple: Scott Hairston, AN's favorite whipping boy lately, endeared himself to the faithful with a towering grand slam in the 7th inning that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 win. The grand slam came off a right-hander, reliever Shawn Kelley, and made a winner out of Gio Gonzalez, who had just finished 7 IP and left the game trailing -- only to be returned the winning pitcher. Other observations on the game:

* It was nice to see a classy move on the part of A's fans, standing and applauding in acknowledgment when Ichiro doubled (on the game's second pitch) for his 2,000th career hit in the U.S. The fans were aware of the hit's significance, and were gracious enough to cheer -- fans are not always knowledgeable or magnanimous, and I'm glad our fans were both.

* SCOTT HAIRSTON HIT A GRAND SLAM!!!!!

* Gio Gonzalez had a good outing from two points of view: He walked only 2 batters and he allowed only 2 runs. However, one pitch was all too familiar and that was Adrian Beltre's RBI single, off a Gio curve, to break a 1-1 tie in the 6th. Gio is incredibly predictable in throwing the curve as soon as he gets two-strikes on a hitter in a strikeout situation, and hitters know it. I was sitting on the curve there, and so was Beltre. Otherwise, though, we saw a lot of "good Gio" today.

* SCOTT HAIRSTON HIT A GRAND SLAM!!!!!

* Eric Patterson cannot catch up to a fastball, nor does he generally swing where it is anyway. Exactly how many at bats do fans want him to get before accepting this? This is a process issue, not a stat based one. I don't care what Eric Patterson is hitting, or what the sample is, because every single time he gets a bunch of at bats, the fact remains: Jack Hannahan can catch up to a major league fastball far better than Eric Patterson can. This is going to change because the sample grows? He will be Eric Patterson after 50 at bats, he will be Eric Patterson after 150 at bats, and he will be Eric Patterson after 500 at bats. Give it up, folks: The guy can run fast, but he can't field or hit. But who cares, because...

* SCOTT HAIRSTON HIT A GRAND SLAM!!!!!

Could it be...? No, it can't be... OMG it really is! It's a Minor League Update!!!

grover — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Hello again.

Work called me away for a while and it’s been tough getting back into the groove of things. For those who don’t know, I’m a wildland fire fighter and August got a little busy for those in my career field. So when I disappear again for a couple weeks just remember… I envy your access to in-door plumbing.

Anyways, I want to focus this week’s minor league update on the 40 man roster and the options that are going to have to be decided upon in the coming months. Why do this now instead of waiting until September 1st? The topic tickles my fancy, that’s why. As I seem to have (once again) misplaced my Cap o’ Omnipotence I’m forced to resort to basic logic and common sense reckoning to try and deduce the future roster.

That’s right… none of what I’m about to tell you is guaranteed!

The way I see it, there are 28-29 spots on the future 40 man roster all but guaranteed. On the pitching side, Brett Anderson, Andrew Bailey, Jerry Blevins, Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Trevor Cahill, Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Gray, Jay Marshall, Vin Mazzaro, Clayton Mortensen, Josh Outman, Henry Rodriguez, Michael Wuertz and Brad Ziegler all seem certain to have jobs in the Oakland organization next year. That’s 16 pitchers of varying combinations of success/cheapness/options that aren’t going to be released just to make room on the roster. (There’s a pretty good chance that Outman will open next season on the 60-day DL, opening up an additional spot on the 40 man.) Santiago Casilla and Edgar Gonzalez are both arbitration eligible next season but neither pitched so well that the A’s are going to be eager to give them big pay raises, which could mean either or both players could end up as trade fodder or possibly even released. Dana Eveland is still on the 40 man roster as well, but his poor performance led to a demotion that will keep him from seeing any arby money next season. Unfortunately, Mr. Eveland’s suckitude forced the A’s to use his last option this season; meaning he can’t be stashed on Sacramento’s roster next season without first passing through waivers. Chances are Eveland isn’t going to be one of the 5 best SP candidates for the A’s come Opening Day 2010 and as a lefty with a pulse he’d probably get snapped up by some other team desperate for pitching. Therefore, I think this is good-bye to Mr. Eveland.

As it just so happens, it looks as if the A’s are going to need maybe 3 openings on the 40 man roster just to protect some arms that should attract a lot of interest in the Rule 5 draft. Pedro Figueroa hasn’t advanced past High-A ball but he’s a lefty with a low-90’s fastball. Brad Kilby is another lefty who’s put up back-to-back quality campaigns in Sacramento’s bullpen. Fautino De Los Santos is still trying to bounce back from 2008 TJ surgery but he wouldn’t last long if the A’s made him available for the Rule 5 draft. Jason Ray is in the same boat but I don’t think there’s much risk of someone grabbing him and keeping him on a 25 man roster all season.

There’s also a chance the A’s might be interested in bringing back Brett Tomko or Justin Duchscherer next season. Dan Giese should be fully recovered in time for next season; maybe the A’s are still interested in him as a swing man type. Plus, guys like Sam Demel and James Simmons could be knocking on the door next season and they’d need a spot on the 40 man to do so. Like I said, I could see 3-4 spots going to the guys I just listed and we haven’t even looked outside the organization to find help.

The hitting side of things is even more in flux.

Kurt Suzuki, Landon Powell, Eric Chavez (who?) Mark Ellis, Daric Barton, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis, Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Cust, Tommy Everidge, Cliff Pennington and Gregorio Petit have spots on the 40 man roster. (Although I’m not sure if Petit has another minor league option available to him in 2010… if someone has a conclusive answer I’d appreciate hearing it.) C Anthony Recker is the most prominent bat in the A’s system that would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and I’m not sure if the A’s would consider his departure to be a great loss. So any Recker fans out there can protect him on their 40 man lists, but I’m thinking the A’s leave him off the protected roster. Chris Denorfia and Eric Patterson are both out of options, so if they aren’t in Oakland come Opening Day there’s a good chance they’ll be playing for another organization in 2010. I can maybe see Patterson as a back-up at 2B and in the outfield but I’ve got to squint and angle my head to one side to see it. I think it’s more likely that the A’s will try to bring back Adam Kennedy to serve as a deluxe back-up option/veteran mentor type.

The real twist comes when you consider the minor league bats that the A’s have in AA or higher that aren’t yet on the 40 man roster. Sean Doolittle, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, Corey Brown, Chris Carter and Brett Wallace highlight the next wave of Oakland offense… which could be much more refreshing than the current ripple in the still waters we’ve experienced as of late. Yet again we haven’t looked outside the current organization to determine if maybe there’s another bat to be had.

So bring back Kennedy, add the newbies and you’re looking at 38-39 players on the 40 man roster before the Rule 5 draft. Does anyone see any glaring omissions?

Until the next time...

The Projectability Problem

Nico — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:29:18 -0000

Like most fans, I enjoy watching young players and trying to figure out whether they will get better, never progress, get worse. Some guys, like Brett Anderson, will make big strides, some guys, like Travis Buck, will suddenly stall, some guys, like Eric Patterson, will keep getting new chances with old results, and some guys, like Trevor Cahill, and Vin Mazzaro, and Aaron Cunningham, will...?

Here's what I think makes projecting future performance so especially tricky. I had Dallas Braden pegged as a 4th starter because while I liked his demeanor, fastball command, and changeup, I also saw that his fastball lacked great movement, and that his only other weapon, a curve, was primarily effective against lefties but that did he didn't have a lot of weapons against right-handed batters other than to spot the fastball and pull the string with the changeup.

And on this one, I don't think I was exactly wrong. The Braden I projected was a different Braden than the one who has taken the mound in 2009. He learned to add and subtract on the fastball and then he learned a cutter, and I think this pitcher has a chance to be more than a 4th starter. So how do you look at a drafted player, or a young player you see in the big leagues, and project whether or not they will able to add new skills that might elevate their game in important ways?

Will Cahill be able to repeat his delivery better, in which case the pitches he has right now could make him a #2 starter, or does he not have that particular potential, in which case he'll likely stall? Are we only seeing 2/3 of what Mazzaro's arsenal will be as a 24 year old starter, or is he stuck trying to make it with a good fastball, decent slider, and "show me" changeup? Will Cunningham take his excellent swing and minor league numbers to match, and converge them at the big league level due to one of Jim Skaaaaaaalan's famous "timing devices," or will Mark McGwire get to him first and Cunningham won't hit .474 until he joins the Cardinals?

My question for this discussion is: When trying to project a player's future, how do you factor in the additions and changes they might be able to make? Not everyone can learn how to add and subtract on the fastball, or can adjust their hands to suddenly stay back better on offspeed pitches, no matter how good the tutelage may be. Yet a player with poor results now may be a star in the making, if you just imagine the changes they are capable of making between now and when you want to count on them to be good.

I didn't see it coming with Braden, but maybe I should have. Maybe I should have seen a guy with the perfect competitive makeup, excellent fastball command, the intelligence and resolve to learn new things, and realized that he would, and could, learn whatever he needed to learn to get a lot better. What should I see about Trevor Cahill, Vin Mazzaro, Aaron Cunningham, Gio Gonzalez, Tommy Everidge, Cliff Pennington, that I can't see now because it hasn't actually happened yet?

It's a Strickout-fest in Beantown; A's go down swinging (and looking)

Flashfire — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:45:13 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Adam Kennedy is caught in the act of trying to trip Orlando Cabrera. It was about as successful as the team's efforts to win tonight.

Browse more photos »

Josh Beckett threw 33 of his first 40 pitches for strikes. There was no way he could keep that pace up but he didn't need to. Trevor Cahill's rough outing guaranteed that as the Boston Red Sox took the first game of the series by a count of 8-3.

Beckett had very little trouble with the A's offense, tying a season high with 10 strikeouts. He went 7+ innings and wound up allowing 8 hits, 3 runs and a walk, but that doesn't tell how dominant he was early in the game as he only allowed a pair of hits over the first five innings. Beckett threw 77 of his 103 pitches for strikes (74.8%) and that's, um, pretty good.

Cahill's night was the complete opposite, only getting through 5 innings. Though he struck out 5, he gave up 10 hits, 6 runs, walked a pair and coughed up a home run to Dustin Pedroia in the bottom of the first. Only 61 of his 110 pitches were strikes (55.5%) and he didn't have a single 1-2-3 inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury did what you want any leadoff hitter to do, picking up three hits, scoring after a triple and driving in a run of his own. Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly in addition to his homer while Jed Lowrie pushed his average above .100 with a 2-run double off Edgar Gonzalez on a ball that probably should have been caught down the left field line. Instead it dropped in perfectly and bounced into the seats. Adam LaRoche had a pair of doubles. Yeah, the Red Sox had quite a few offensive highlights tonight.

For the A's, even though the bats woke up a bit later in the game and they got to Beckett a little, it was too late to really threaten at any point. Adam Kennedy and Ryan Sweeney had a pair of hits apiece and Kurt Suzuki had a couple RBI but that's pretty much where the good things begin and end.

The most glaring mistake came early in the game after Eric Patterson singled off Beckett's foot. After a throw over to first, Patterson took off on the first pitch to Kennedy, who swung and popped out. After sliding into second Patterson got up past the base and when he turned to hurry back to first he forgot to step on the bag. It's a mistake that just can't be defended no matter what the circumstances are. I know his first thought is getting back to the base to avoid being doubled off, but it doesn't matter when you forget to touch the one you wound up passing. Maybe you can chalk something like that up to youthful inexperience but it's something that ought to be taught at every level. It may be the only time he ever does it but for someone like Patterson, who's trying to impress the team, it can't help in the long run.

Good News From Fitch Park

Al — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:47:30 -0000

MESA, Arizona -- Stop worrying, everyone.

Rich Harden threw 63 pitches (42 strikes) in throwing four effortless scoreless innings against a team of A's minor leaguers at Fitch Park this afternoon, in front of a crowd of around 100 family members, curious onlookers, beat reporters and other Cubs minor leaguers who stuck around from their earlier workouts and games to see a member of the Cubs' major league rotation.

Harden looked like he was just playing catch in throwing many pitches in the low 90's. All the outs were either strikeouts or fly balls -- typical Harden, who is a fly ball pitcher. He struck out four (two of them being ex-Cub Eric Patterson), including one on a nice breaking pitch for a called third strike, and allowed only three singles. He looks to be on target for resuming major league action; I would expect that he'd be slated to start Monday against the Royals at Surprise, which would also probably put him in the mix for starting one of the games at Yankee Stadium.

The video above gives you a good idea of how easily he was throwing, effortlessly and with absolutely no sign of shoulder trouble. The illness he had earlier this month was likely some sort of food poisoning, which can sap your strength, so the Cubs were smart to keep him out for a while. He appears ready to resume his place in the rotation. Here's a sequence of still photos showing his motion:

Various Cub minor leaguers who were just cut (and others) played in this game, including Jason Dubois, Doug Deeds, Richie Robnett, and Luis Rivas, who was performing this drill with a bat standing on end while in the on-deck circle:

Click on photos to open larger versions in new browser windows. All photos and video by Al

I didn't stay for the rest of the game after Harden was taken out; others who were on that team included Welington Castillo and Rocky Roquet (it was a bit jarring to see him walking by me, wearing the blue "alt" jersey with his name and #34 on the back). Today's catcher was Koyie Hill (who you can see in the photo of Rivas, at bat; Hill batted in every inning to get some extra work in), the Cubs wanting to have one of the guys who might wind up catching Harden during the season, catch him today. Tomorrow night at Scottsdale, Sean Marshall will face the Giants' Barry Zito. According to Bruce Miles, Kosuke Fukudome will take batting practice tomorrow and return to the lineup on Friday, hitting second.

Devine, Casilla Told To Bow Out Of WBC

Nico — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:13:47 -0000

The A's have told relievers Joey Devine and Santiago Casiila "Ix-Nay On The Uhbulewe-Bee-See-Way," because they are recovering from injuries. Now whether it's safer to pitch in competition earlier than usual or to be monitored by the A's training staff is another question, but the idea is that the A's come before the WBC.

As an opponent of "the WBC in March," who would like to see roster filled exclusively with Angels and Yankees, I'm thrilled. However, Devine and Casilla - while saying all the right things publicly - probably aren't. Brad Ziegler (USA) and Chris Denorfia (Italy) become the only two A's who might play in the WBC if they make the final roster cuts.

Should patroitism trump "management" - should a player get to decide if he's ready, willing, and able to participate in the WBC? Or should teams get to interfere in the best interests of the organization, even if it undermines this new and exciting tournament that combines a player's love of baseball and love for his country?

In other news, not satisfied to aim as low as Crosby, Matt Holliday has been working with Eric Patterson on his swing. {Waits for laughter to die down.} I'm envisioning "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego," only with Carmen replaced by the baseball, because Patterson has a nice enough swing - it just never seems to be where the ball is when the ball is passing through the strike zone. (Honestly, anybody can tell you where the ball is when it's in the catcher's glove, which is around when Patterson seems to swing). If Holliday can introduce Patterson's bat to the actual baseball, he's worth two Carlos Gonzali. Don't wait up, though - the wind in Phoenix is blowing out because Eric just took another swing at a letter high fastball.

A Few Words On Cub Trades

Al — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:32:17 -0000

In the midst of the seemingly hourly updates on a possible Jake Peavy trade (they're getting almost as tiresome as the discussion last year of the deal for Brian Roberts that never happened), I thought it would be useful to post a list of some of Jim Hendry's best deals since he became general manager in July 2002:

December 4, 2002: sent Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen to the Dodgers for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros
July 23, 2003: sent Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and Matt Bruback to the Pirates for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez
November 25, 2003: sent Hee Seop Choi and Mike Nannini to the Marlins for Derrek Lee
July 8, 2008: sent Eric Patterson, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton and Josh Donaldson to the A's for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin

Now, answer this question honestly: how many of those deals did we hear a single peep about before they happened?

The correct answer is "None", because they all seemingly happened out of nowhere, unexpected either for the player acquired (did anyone really think D-Lee was coming here? He was rumored to be headed to the Orioles, among others), or for the idea that they'd happen at all (how many of us thought Todd Hundley's deal was dumpable?). My point is this: it seems the more we hear about a potential Cub trade, the less likely it is to happen. And I suspect that's what is going on with the Peavy rumors: all smoke, no fire. Peavy will either become a Brave, or go to some other team that hasn't even meen mentioned, but not become a Cub. I believe Jim Hendry is working hard on potential deals, but this isn't one of them. (Granted, that a couple of the deals mentioned above were salary dumps, but Hendry still had to become aware of them and offer the right players, otherwise they might have gone elsewhere.)

Just before the Hendry era, remember the Fred McGriff deal? That one dragged out for three weeks before McGriff decided -- magnanimous soul that he was -- to drag himself away from his family in Tampa to help the Cubs' push to the NL Central title in 2001, which ultimately failed. McGriff's numbers were decent in Chicago, but his attitude sucked. Fortunately, the Cubs gave up very little for him (infielder Jason Smith, who has played for five teams since leaving the Cubs and has a .221 lifetime BA to show for it).

So be a little patient, at least. The open free agent season doesn't start till Friday. I have faith in Jim Hendry -- who has made many excellent moves in the last two years -- to put the right pieces on the field for 2009.

A couple of things that flew under the radar yesterday:

Geovany Soto says Henry Blanco will be back:
Soto said he talked to Blanco recently and expects the free agent backup to return to the Cubs, who declined their $3 million option on him in hopes of re-signing him for less. "He wants 100 percent to come back and doesn't want to go nowhere [else]," Soto said.
Guess who's interested in Bob Howry? The Giants, who have made a cottage industry out of signing the oldest players they can possibly find. The only criticism Brian Sabean probably has about Howry is that, at 35, he's not old enough for the geriatric Giants.