SB Nation User Blog: HarbirD

2010 Giants First Base Option: Glaus Anyone?

HarbirD — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:39:03 -0000

Well I think we all agree that the Giants are going to have to do something this year to maintain pace in the race for the playoffs in the NL West. I'm going to lay out a few options that we have for first base next year on the FA market. Unfortunately Sabean had to be an idiot and dealt Barnes and Alderson for two pieces that had no impact whatso ever at the end of last year. Those pieces would have been much better used this offseason to acquire a middle of the order guy (Uggla, Cantu, etc.). So I have three guys on the FA market who I think would be able to help the 2010 Giants compete.

1. Nick Johnson: This guy's name has been thrown around a lot. I like him. He gives you a .400+ OBP and decent .400 slugging for an OPS well over .800. He also plays slightly above average defense at first which is good. Of course his inherent flaw is that he just can't stay healthy. He's had over 500 plate appearances in only three of his nine seasons. (Also I don't trust the Giants medical staff at all- Freddy Sanchez, Noah Lowry)

My Offer would be about 2 years, $15 million.

2. Adam Laroche: Laroche would seem like an alright add. He typically hits about 25 homers a year (would be decreased in AT&T) and has an OBP around .340 and an OPS around .840. So basically he's a good hitter. His problem is that his defense is below average (career UZR/150= -4.3). He'll also come a bit more expensive.

My Offer: 3 years, $25 million

3. Troy Glaus: This is a name that I haven't heard much around here. Troy Glaus, if healthy, would be an ideal add to this team. A right handed power hitter who typically hits 25-30 homers in 600 PA. His average is typically around .250-.270 and his OBP is .360 for his career. His career defense at third is below average (UZR/150= -5.4), so in light of his shoulder injuries and the presence of Sandoval, I would move him to first where he would be average I think. In conclusion, I think Troy Glaus would be the best choice as long as he's completely healthy, to provide power and RBI ability in the middle of our order.

My Offer: 1 Year at $7 million base ($3 million more in incentives based on PA) with a second year $8 million ($ 2 million more in PA incentive) vesting option with 500 PA.

So what do you guys think? Who would you want and for what price? Any trade targets? Please Vote and Discuss.

Poll

Who do you want a first base for the Giants in 2010?

Troy Glaus

27 votes

Nick Johnson

73 votes

Adam Laroche

15 votes

Other (Trade, Ishikawa, Garko)

48 votes

163 votes | Poll has closed

2010 Giant's Second Base Options

HarbirD — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:40:24 -0000

Well it was a very fun and exiting year for us Giants fans. Although it has become tough now to accept defeat, I think we should accept it and start thinking of next year. An important position that's going to need an upgrade in my opinion is second base. I've heard talk that the Giants won't want to look bad for the Sanchez trade, but also are not willing to pick up Freddy's option of $8 million. Talk of a two year deal for about $10 million has ensued and it wouldn't be a bad idea. However, I think the Giants shouldn't just have tunel vision and be completely bent on signing Sanchez. The market for second baseman is very strong this year and the Giants should accept their horrible midseason trade and make the best choice for the future of our second base position. Since we don't really have any prospect options, I'm going to look at the second base market with an eye not only for 2010 but for a couple more years.

Freddy Sanchez (32 in 2010): Sanchez started out with a great year this year, but got really slowed down with shoulder and knee injuries. He's going to have surgery and expects to be completely healthy by spring training. However, due to his track record, I think that he should be avoided. He'll put up good BA and decent power numbers but doesn't take walks and I don't think the Giants really need a player like this. On the other hand, a two year 10 million dollar deal seems fair and I might do if none of the other options I mention work out.

Offer: 2 years at $10 million

Felipe Lopez (30): Lopez is a solid player that the Giants should have traded for earlier in the year. He's a solid player who can is a bit unpredictable. Some years he'll be great and other years, he'll suck it up. He's very BABIP dependent, a bit like Juan Uribe , but that is a discussion for another post. Lopez would be a good buy since he has a solid bat and glove. (Draft pick endangered here.)

Offer: 2 years @ $17 million w/ third year $7 Million vesting option

Mark Derosa(35): Derosa would be a perfect player for us to add because he has HR ability and can draw walks. He plays decent defense and could really help drive in runs at a five or six spot. Howver he won't come very cheap and we likely give up a draft pick. Yet again Giants should explore and I have a price frame(he is a bit on the old side)

Offer: 2 years @ $18 million w/ third year vest for $7 million.

Akinori Iwamura (31): Iwamura would be a good add as well. He plays solid defense, he takes some walks, and he can hit for about a .280 average. The Rays have an option and we could make a trade if they exercise (maybe a good relief prospect). No draft payment if we sign him either.

Offer: 2 years @ $12 million

Adam Kennedy (34): Kennedy is also enticing considering his year. He's a good leadoff guy who can hit for some average, steal some bases, and play decent defense. He could be decent add as well.

Offer: 2 years @ $11 million

Orlando Hudson (32): Hudson started this year extremely hot, but cooled down considerably and now is losing time to Belliard. He seems decent with a .750 OBP, but i don't know if he's a great add because his defense has been declining and he's cooling off.

Offer: 2years @ $11 million

Placido Polanco (34): Polanco is probably the best bet of this group to put up another solid season next year. His defense has been consistently above average for many years now. His BA this year is .290 and has a .750 ops which is solid as always. He will be expensive and could cost us a first rounder

Offer: 3 years @ $26 million

*We could trade for Uggla but I really don't think our farm has the depth to deal for him without Posey, Bumgarner, or Neal so I don't recommend that. If Sabean wasn't an idiot we could've dealt Barnes and Aldeson (+ some relievers for him), but alas Sabean made a hasty move to try and push this team over the top but it failed miserably and might haunt us later.

So what do you guys think? Who would you take? Are the salaries too high or too low? (by the way, I just like 2 year deals- not too long or too short) Please Vote and Discuss.

Poll

Which second baseman would you sign for 2010 and 2011?

Freddy Sanchez

114 votes

Mark Derosa

8 votes

Felip Lopez

13 votes

Orlando Hudson

20 votes

Akinori Iwamura

36 votes

Placido Polanco

4 votes

Adam Kennedy

5 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

Why hasn't Neal Been Promoted?!

HarbirD — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:05:08 -0000

I know this is a bit off topic with all the Deadline talk but I think it's something that needs to be discussed. Why haven't the Giants promoted Neal to AA? I will provide reasons and analysis to support this below...

1. Neal is tearing up the CAL League like Crawford was during the beginning of the year. His current line is .344/.430/.617 with 17 homers.

2. Some of you may say the power and average is aided by the CAL league. This is true but let me remind you that Neal put up a .800 OPS in Low A Augusta with 15 homers, so he's always had this power and he hit for a .276 average.

3. Posey who had .326/.428/.540 line was promoted all the way to AAA before him despite having slightly worse numbers. They are the same age and Posey actually has to learn a harder position. I don't know much of of Neal Defense, but Left Field isn't that tough of a position to learn and play.

4. Neal has improved his discipline from last year despite playing in a tougher league. He lowered his strikeout rate from 24% to 19% and kept his walk rate at 11%. Both of these are encouraging.

5. Also isn't a right handed powerful and patient outfielder what we need since we have Fred (no power) and Shierholtz (no patience) ? He is perfect for us and we need to move him up a level and see how he does so we know if we should sign Holliday or Bay this offseason. I think his promotion is long overdo and really can't understand the Giants reasoning behind not moving him up. Please discuss and thanks for reading.

Kings Are Trading For Rubio?

HarbirD — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:31:07 -0000

Get this Quote From Hoopsworld: (link http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12865 )

"Rubio And The Kings?: It seems the Kings might end up with their man after all, word is the Kings are working on a deal with Memphis to land Ricky Rubio at #2, league sources say a lot is still up in the air and a deal is far from done, but should the two teams make a deal it is not going to include Jason Thompson as some have speculated. Any deal between the Kings and Grizzlies might include future draft picks but unlikely will include a roster player of subtsance. League sources contend that Memphis really does not have a lot of leverage in this situation as Rubio will not play for the Grizzlies. The Kings are willing to deal for Rubio and unless Oklahoma City gets in the mix, moving down to #4 still fits Memphis' game plan. The Kings are preparing a contingent plan that could include grabbing Jordan Hill at #4, which would be a solid "win-now" move if the Grizzlies hold out for more compensation. League sources say if the Grizzlies move down to #4, Tyreke Evans would be their man on draft night, which makes sense, considering Evans can play both point guard and shooting guard, backing up OJ Mayo and Mike Conley and would be immensely popular with the Memphis fan base. "

Ok so to dissect this we have some key words and phrases here: "word is" "league sources" "contingent plan". I don't know how reliable these "sources" are, but it seems like this post seemed pretty logical until the point where it got to the Kings selecting Jordan Hill as a "contingent plan." I am quite confident that the Kings will not chose Hill and instead wil opt for Holiday or Evans. However I really hope this is true and it could be because Petrie is interested in Rubio on account of two trips to go watch him. His skills of passing and anticipation and foul drawing are very near and dear to Petrie. Another key part of this is that it says that Jason Thompson and no "player of substance" will be included in this deal which is really good because I'm not giving up Thompson to go up two spots and neither is Petrie (I think). They are saying though the deal might include future draft picks though that doesn't seem very Petrie-esk. Anyway keeping this all in mind I'll propose a couple deals and you all can discuss this post and my deal\s (too much or too little)

Deal 1:

Sacramento gives: #4 pick, Kenny Thomas, #23 pick and $3 million

Memphis gives: #2 pick, Marko Jaric

Deal 2:

Sacramento gives: #4 pick, Kenny Thomas, Donte Greene, and next year first round draft pick (top ten protected next year and top five protected in 2011) (THIS IS ONLY ONE FUTURE PICK!)

Memphis gives: #2 pick, Marko Jaric

Discuss!

The Attempt To Acquire Justin Smoak- Sabean Read Please

HarbirD — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:18:52 -0000

First of all I'd like to thank Brian Sabean for a very good offseason. Three awesome signing and one solid signing (Renteria) amke for a very good signing. All these contracts will not effect 2010 when we plan to finally start making our runs at the championship. These moves will make us solid and semi-competitive for the present to keep the fans entertained and keep the young players' moral up as well as maybe have them learn a few things and get better. I have the last piece to the puzzle in my post below. Happy Hollidays!

Okay to start off, we need a middle of the order at bat. This bat can come at first base because we have a vacancy there (I do believe Sandoval will become at least average at third- plus arm, soft hands). Thinking about this situation for a few weeks and it finally hit me. (I'm surprised I didn't think of it before). Remember who many of us wanted in the 2008 mlb draft? Oh yeah, Justin Smoak.

The Rangers already have Chris Davis at first base. What they really need is some pitching. What seems to be the only way to get Smoak? Sorry guys, but we need to finally part with Matt Cain. However this is not a one for one swap. I propose a deal something like this:

Rangers get Matt Cain.

Giants get Justin Smoak, Julio Bourbon, Max Ramirez, and Kason Gabbard (or anther 4/5 starter type)

I think this trade would finally address many of our needs and we would be set. You say: the Giants don't have that much pitching depth except at the minor level and that always a huge risk to depend on them. Very true, but the Giants have tons of depth in the low minors and some of them are bound to contribute in the MLB: Bumgarner, Alderson, Henry Sosa, kevin Pucetas, Waldis Joaquin, Clayton Tanner, jesse English, Scott Barnes, Joseph Martinez, Aaron King, etc.

That's a ton of depth, period. However I will take it a step farther, we draft a pitcher with the sixth pick in the 2009 MLB draft. It is loaded with pitchers. We have our choice from Aaron Crow, Tyler Matzek, Matt Purke, Kyle Gibson, Alex White, and my personal favorite, Zach Wheeler ( Lincecum like- mid 90s heat, good curve, avg. change- all the way to awesome mechanics- amazing hip rotation). This will make up for Matt Cain's loss and we potentially get a better pitcher than him. Sure this will weaken our team for the present, but we are then set for the future. Let me show you what I mean:

The Future (2011 and beyond)

Rotation:

Lincecum - Bumgarner - Wheeler (or other draftee) - Alderson - Sanchez (other)

Bullpen:

Wilson - Romo- Hinshaw - Matos - Casilla - (Other power arms from the system who don't get to be starters)

Batting Order:

1. Julio Bourbon (CF)

2. Buster Posey (C)

3. Pablo Sandoval (3B)

4. Jason Bay (LF)

5. Justin Smoak (1B)

6. Nate Shierholtz (RF)

7. Kevin Frandsen/ Nick Noonan (2B)

8. Emmanuel Burriss (SS)

9. Pitcher

Yes I do think this lineup can win a championship. Yes I think we should replace Lewis with Bay (lewis isn't good enough to bat at a corner outfield spot). Zito will be a spot starter to keep everyone fresh and a part time bullpen arm (his curve will be useful there).

I think this one trade and one signing would set us for contention in 2010. With this amazing rotation and solid batting order, do you think we're set? Do you like the Smoak move? Please do discuss.

Glimmer Of Hope: 2009 NBA draft and our future PG

HarbirD — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:57:13 -0000

Well its hard being a Sacramento Kings fan these days. With all the mounting losses and staggering injuries, it's tough to compete in this league. However, there is hope in the form of the 2009 NBA draft. Kings are currently in position to recieve teh fourth pick and they have an 11.9% chance of getting the first overall pick. This is one of the highest pick they'll ever get and tell you the truth I want the Kings to keep losing so they can keep their pick postion. Here why:

The goal of every NBA team is to win a championship. Currently the Kings future starting lineup looks kind of like this: Udrih, Martin, Garcia, Thompson, and Hawes with a bench including Donte Greene and Bobby Brown. You look at that lineup and even if you factor in some improvement and good coaching, that team is absolutely nothing against some of the other elite teams in the NBA who are looking to win the championship this year. Obviously we need to pair Kevin Martin with another star to get this team into serious contention. Some of you point to the 2010 free agent pool. However do you really thing one of the major stars: Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, etc. is going to sign with us. I mean come on. You guys are putting way to much hope on that draft class. With around 15 teams that are going to have good cap space, how is Sacramento going to compete. The only way we have been successful here in the Petrie Era is by making shrewd trades (Webber and Bibby) and good drafts not free agency. So I want to bring all of our attention to the 2009 NBA Draft. Okay now lets get to the good stuff:

Alright from the first look at the pool of draftees I see the answer to many of our problems : point guards. Unless we get the first overall pick (10%) in which case we pick Blake Griffin, I think we would be best off getting a point. Here's the main list: Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holliday, and Brandon Jennings. I will go into some depth about each player and offer our team outlook.

Ricky Rubio: A very young player, 18, who has some truly special point guard skills. He lacks good athleticism or elite quickness, but he has a special feel for the game and really knows how to command and set up his teammates and make them better. He can drive well and is a pain in the ass on the defensive end with his activity level and good hands. He has excellent vision, good body control, can get to the FT line, and always gives his best. A truly special point guard in the mold of Steve Nash.

Stephen Curry: An amazing shooter who shoots almost 60% of his shots from three point range. He can get his shot off anywhere and can consistently drill despite huge pressure. He has good vision and can make the good pass to get his teammate a good look. With other teams purely focusing on him, he has played the point well this season averaging almost 7 assists a game. However, Curry doesn't possess the athleticism or quickness of good point guard and really will struggle to lead an NBA team at the point position and really doesn't have the size to play the 2 position. His lack of explosiveness or athleticism makes him a subpar finisher. Comparison: Mike Bibby.

Jrue Holliday: This guy can do a little bit of everything: he can score, pass, and rebound. He plays good defense. He's quick, athletic, and explosive which allows him to get to the basket at will and knows how to finish well because of elite body control. Can pull up well off the dribble. Has an overall smooth game and is a good decision maker. Plays under control and with good effort. Needs to improve his point guard skills, but has the potential to become a good floor general. Has the mold of a Randy Foye/Westbrook/ Stuckey*.

Brandon Jennings: "Tremendous lefty point guard with a scary package of speed, athleticism, point guard skills and tenacity". That basically sums up this guy. So far he has struggled in Europe as his shot just hasn't fallen and his decision making has been pretty awful, turnover and bad shots. Defensively he is weak and doesn't do a great job defending. He is a natural point guard and can penetrate and set up his teammates with his good vision. He has a solid jumpshot, but has struggled in Europe with it. He has an explosive first step, has elite quickness and is very athletic, but he is also weak and struggles in the aggressive play of Europe. He can't absorb contact well. However, there have been flashes of brilliance in Europe and overall he has a very high upside. Comparison: Kenny Anderson

Team Outlook

Well I think we have a star in Martin already. We have two big men: Hawes and Thompson who I think will end up making a very good big man pairing that is of championship caliber (cross your fingers and knock on wood). I think with the right point guard our of this group we could dominate. I think we need a pure point guard who can lead this team and make everyone better. My preference in order is: Rubio, Jennings, Holliday, and Curry. What do you guys think? Which guard would you chose? Do you think getting one of these guards would make us a championship caliber team in a few years? Would you select anyone else in this draft? Please do share.

*A note on Stuckey: would you have chosen him instead of Hawes the 2007 draft? Is he better than hawes especially after his 40 point outburst? Why did he fall so low?

A Trade for a Young, Elite Power Hitter: Chris Davis

HarbirD — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:53:06 -0000

Over the last few weeks I've heard a lot of talk about guys like Uggla, Fielder, Hardy, and even guys like Konerko and Derek lee. Most of these rumors mention trading away Sanchez or Cain. Some even say we would need to give up Alderson or Bumgarner which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my days.

Ladies and Gentlemen we are rebuilding. REBUILDING. We need to add young power so that it will blossom in two to three years when this team is finally contending for a world series. I've constantly been looking around and sniffing other teams minor leagues and I've finally found my man: Chris Davis.

Who:

Chris Davis is a power hitting third baseman on the Texas Rangers. Chris is a 3B/1B who broke out in the Texas Minor leagues in 2007 when he hit a combined .297/.347/.598 with 36 HR and 35 Doubles in 500 at bats in High A and Double A . He struck out 150 times, but due to his sheer power whenever he made contact with the ball it went places leading to a high average.

This year he continued his amazing breakout this year is Double A and Triple A where he hit a combined .333/.386/.643 with 23 HR and 21 Doubles in just 300 at bats. He walked 26 timems and stuck out 70 times.

Then he finally made the leap to the big show and he hit .285/.331/.549 with 17 HR and 23 Doubles in just 300 at bats. This is a very good debut and I think that in a full season he could hit 35HR and 40 Doubles to go along with a .270-.290 average. This kind of young, elite power doesn't come around very often.

Now to the defense. Chris davis can play a decent third base. According to Espn, he has a .962 fielding %, 2.45 RF, and .754 Zone Rating. This is very close to david Wright's .96, 2.51, 7.65. This show he can be a least average at third base and I think a platoon of Sandoval and Davis at first and third would be good.

Why:

So basically we add a 35Hr and 40 Double powerhouse into our lineup for a total of 6, count them, SIX years. This is why it would be better to add him that Uggla or Fielder. He has his entire prime ahead of him as next year he will only be 23 years old. We will have him cheap for three years and Arbitration for the next three. He will peak as the Giants get ready to contend for a world Series with Lincecum, Sandoval, Shierholtz, Posey, Burriss, Lewis, Alderson, Bumgarner and Others.

The Offer:

I am willing to offer Matt Cain to the constantly pitching starved Rangers who need someone to be their ace for the future. They don't need Davis especially with Smoak coming up and the fact that they have such a strong offense already and really need some good pitching. I would offer Matt Cain for Chris Davis and two MLB ready pitchers (Feldman and Hurley).

I think the Giants can afford to move Matt Cain because of our minor league depth which is headlined by Alderson and Bumgarner followed by Henry Sosa, Kevin Pucetas, Clayton Tanner, Jesse English and others. Also with the sixth pick in next years draft we could add another big time arm as there are many high school and college arms who have high ceilings.

Our 2011 and Beyond Rotation could be Lincecum, Bumgarner, Alderson, Sanchez, and Our 2009 Draftee (Crow, Matt Purke, Zack Wheeler, Tyler Matzek, Alex White, Kyle Gibson). If any of these guys flop we could always add a free agent or look to our minor league pool.

Future Batting Order:

Fred Lewis (LF), Nate Shierholtz (RF), Buster Posey (C), Pablo Sandoval (1B/3B), Chris Davis (1B/3B), Aaron Rowand (CF), Kevin Frandsen/Nick Noonan (2B), and Emmanuel Buriss (SS).

What do you guys think about that? i think that lineup is world series Caliber if all goes right.

Pablo Sandoval Shut Down!

HarbirD — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:19:36 -0000

I have a feeling that the Giants have actually put on their thinking caps and shut down Pablo Sandoval to protect the almighty rookie status so he can get Rookie Of the Year next year. The guy must also be exhausted, he's destroyed three levels of competition: HighA, San Jose then Double A, Connecticut Defenders, and then the MLB with our beloved SF Giants. Pablo has had 128 Plate apperances at this level and to qualify for Rookie status, you need to have less than 130. Personally i think this is a great idea in many respects.

Another thing I wanted to talk about was how Pablo managed to do what he did? What is it about his swing and approach that makes him so good? How does he strike out so little? How can he hit just about anything six inches away fromm the zone? What adjustments did he make from last year?

Here's my guess: Bat speed, batting eye, level swing thorugh the zone, staying back on breaking pitches (which is probably the pitch he like to hit most), and simply the sheer power of his stroke.

What do you guys think?