SB Nation User Blog: North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan

State of the Pitching

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:01 -0000

Speaking of the rotation: a lot of people around here were talking about how great our pitching was before the season started. As others pointed out, we really had Lincecum, Cain, a maybe in unproven Sanchez, and a shaky pen. Now, we're finally getting guys who are moving up from the low minors.

Next year, we are looking at Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez as being safe bets for the rotation. We are likely to have Zito as well, unless he becomes history's highest paid mop-up man. That leaves the following guys as possibilities for the rotation within a year or two:

Correia (RHP, 27) - decent 5th starter, but quality in the pen. Going back to the pen would immediately improve it.
Misch (LHP, 26) - better than he has looked this year. His WHIP is better than last year, but the HR have killed him - even a normal high HR rate would make him fine.
Lowry (LHP, 27) - can he make it back from injury? I doubt it, but I had to list him.

Bumgarner (LHP, 18!) - see above. The real deal, it looks like.
Sosa (RHP, 22) - quality. Needs to be in AA at this point.
English (LHP, 23) - only Bumgarner has a better K rate. Needs to be in AA as well.
Alderson (RHP, 19!) - pretty good K rate, ok K/BB for such a youngster. At 19, already pushed a bit in high A.
Snyder (LHP, 22) - decent to good K rate, excellent K/BB.
Pucetas (RHP, 23) - ok K rate, good K/BB.
Martinez (RHP, 25) - a bit old, but at least in AA. Excellent ERA but weak K rate.

Correia and Misch could be 5th starters anywhere, and Correia has already proven himself a fine reliever. Lowry looks done, but maybe he comes back from injury and can strike guys out. Maybe. Probably not. Why didn't we trade him earlier?

The remaining 7 are guys that seem to have a legitimate chance to make the majors. Bumgarner has more than a chance - as the top 2007 draft pick, he will get a shot as a major league starter if he isn't injured. I'm not saying that all 7 will make it. I would be happy to see Bumgarner as a #3 or better starter and one other guy from the list being a legitimate #3 or #4 starter. After that, maybe a swingman/#5 starter or two and those guys with the rest going into the bullpen pool, with maybe a couple making it.

To get three legitimate starters out of that group would be a haul; to get four or five that look like they could be legitimate starters out of that group into AA or AAA would be sweet trade bait. For the guys that don't make it as starters, you have a nice pool of potential relievers that 1) keep you from having to create a waiver wire/FA bullpen, 2) provides more trade bait, and 3) possibly improves our shaky pen - not to mention having depth at AAA that beats Messenger and Munter.

If that group turns out better, then you have REAL options. What would Cain bring in trade? What would Sanchez bring? What would Bumgarner or Alderson - even cheaper and under the team's control for more years - bring in a year or two? These are guys who will bring you bats.

I think that Sosa, English, Pucetas, and Snyder all need to be pushed, though. At 22 or 23 years of age, they aren't going to look like real prospects for long in A ball. You can't just put any 20 year old in AA and pretend that he's a star prospect when he's overmatched (I'm looking at you, Mets and Yankees), but these guys need to be promoted a level to make them look better as trade bait.

Your thoughts? And also, a poll!

Poll

Leaving aside Bumgarner and Alderson, which of these Giants minor-league pitchers do you think has the best chance to make it in the majors?

Henry Sosa

150 votes

Kevin Pucetas

5 votes

Jesse English

24 votes

Ben Snyder

13 votes

Adam "I'm not looking so good in AA, am I" Cowart

3 votes

Clayton "How did I not get mentioned in this entire post? Oh yeah, my stats suck" Tanner

8 votes

Joe "I'm listed under those guys?" Martinez

2 votes

205 votes | Poll has closed

State of the Giants (Outfield)

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:34:21 -0000

Continuing from my other diary, here's the OF:

Left Field

Barry Bonds
07: $15.8m plus bonuses (probably will end up with $19.3m)
2007 Line: .280/.497/.590
Since ASB: .234/.451/.594

Remember when it was unclear whether Bonds had enough in the tank to come back, play a full season, and break the record? Well he did, he does, and when he is in the lineup, he is the best hitter in baseball. Still. At age 43. Now Barry isn't the most valuable hitter in baseball, as he needs a fair bit of time off, but by rate, he is still the best, whether by OPS, OPS+, Runs Created - pick one. Is he worth $19.3m? Well, probably by the end of the season, but his pecuniary value to the Giants is so much greater. Say what you will about the circus, about needing to get younger, etc, but Bonds should be back next year. There is no impact bat this side of Alex Rodriguez with which the team could replace Bonds. He is a force, and there aren't enough FA bats to make up for it. Even if the team were to get equivalent production out of multiple players, it would cost more than Bonds! The fan in me wants Barry back, but the analyst in me confirms that it is a good idea.

Center Field

Dave Roberts
07:$5M, 08:$6.5M, 09:$6.5M
2007 Line: .266/.333/.364
Since ASB: .344/.406/.417

Speed ages well, but was Dave Roberts so integral to the success of this ballclub that he was worth signing through 2009? Granted, Roberts has been injured this year, hurting his performance, but then again, old players get injured. Also, Roberts's entire game is speed, so one bad hammy and he's done. Dave's strong second half is inching him back to his career line, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him above his career numbers before the season is done. Unfortunately, he is exactly the kind of player this team doesn't need. His defense is about average, he is blocking young players, and at the very least he keeps Winn's better defense and CF bat stuck in RF. Dave's contract is fine IF he is a starter, but he is overpaid as a backup. He has to go. Or Winn has to go. Or both have to go.

Rajai Davis
Minimum Salary
2007 Line: .271/.357/.354
Since ASB: .429/.524/.600
With SFG.: .440/.548/.640 (!!11!!1!11!! ok in 31 PA)

Rajai's best attribute is his speed. Actually, for the Giants, his best attribute is that he hits righthanded and can play CF. In his age 26 season, Davis will turn 27 in October, and his career minor-league line is .305/.375/.407. He can take a walk, he can hit for a little average, and he can FLY. What he doesn't have is power. The reviews on his defense are mixed, but he certainly has the speed to make up for bad routes. What we have to hope for here is that the Pirates are stupid and didn't know what they had, but don't be fooled by the crazy post ASB small sample numbers. He isn't that good. He will likely stick around as a backup OFer because Lewis and Roberts can't hit lefties.

Right Field

Randy Winn
07:$4M, 08:$8M, 09:$8.25M
2007 Line: .292/.346/.414
Since ASB: .325/.384/.447

Randy Winn is awesome. OK, Randy Winn is average. OK, so maybe I just like Randy Winn. Winn's RF defense is above-average, but no so much that you like his bat in RF. Winn should be playing CF, where his bat would be fine. Winn is about a league-average hitter - maybe better because his OPS is OBP-heavy - but you don't want him in RF. Basically, here's the problem: we talk about a hypothetical team of 9 Randy Winns putting up 5.2 runs per game (yes, his RC/27 is 5.2). The issue is not that a team of 9 Randy Winns wouldn't average 5.2 runs per game. The issue is that the real team has a pitcher batting ninth, Pedro Feliz, Ray Durham, Omar Vizquel, Dave Roberts, and Bengie Molina in it. Because you aren't going to get Randy Winn production from all of the other positions, you need someone much better than Randy Winn to make up for the crappy parts of the lineup. Winn is earning his salary this year, but again, he blocks young guys, and his contract is a waste on the bench. We can't trade Randy Winn, you say? He has a no-trade clause? See how fast he waives it when you tell him he will be sitting on the bench. Winn would be perfect for the Reds. I like Randy Winn, but Dave Roberts and Randy Winn should not be starters on the same team. At minimum, one needs to go. Preferably, both need to go.

Fred Lewis
Minimum Salary
2007 Line: .275/.356/.401
Since ASB: .257/.350/.286 (40 PA)

Free Fred Lewis! Fred Lewis may not be better than Randy Winn, but he is cheaper. Plus, according to UZR, his defense is 4-5 runs better. Yeah, he looks bad, but he is very fast, and speed makes up for bad routes. Unfortunately, Lewis can't hit LHP - not in the minors, not in the majors. Lewis and Rajai Davis could make a fine platoon. Lewis and Winn could make a fine platoon as well - Winn, despite being a lefty-masher, is pretty crappy against RHP. I should have mentioned that in Winn's section. Between his minor league numbers and his major league numbers, Lewis has proven that he can play. In the absence of a star RF acquisition, Lewis should be playing, and even then, Lewis should probably be in CF with Davis.

Nate Schierholtz
Minimum Salary
2007 Line: .325/.349/.400
2007 AAA.: .322/.358/.531

Schierholtz doesn't walk much, so his OBP is low for his AVG. He also doesn't hit for a ton of power, and what is there is mostly in the form of doubles. His advantages: unlike our other OF prospects, he is actually a prospect - age 23, compared to Lewis and Davis at 27 and 26. Also, unlike most of our other OFers, he doesn't show much platoon split, so he shouldn't be a liability against LHP. That said, I am not high on Schierholtz. He can't really play CF and he doesn't have the power for RF. Sure, a .531 SLG is nothing to sneeze at, but that is going to be a sub-.500 SLG in the majors. I say leave him in AAA and try to develop some power, because without it, he isn't going to be a long-term answer in RF.

Other Minor League help:

Dan Ortmeier: sure, he is in the majors, but why? He is a bit of a lefty-masher, solid in the field, and has a little speed. Decent backup, I suppose.

Clay Timpner, John Bowker, Eddy Martinez-Esteve, Eugenio Velez: read Steve's Minor Lines. Actually, Timpner kills RHP but can't hit LHP at all. We have a lot of bad platoon splits in the system.

Poll

Which of the young Giants OFers would you most like to see start in 2008?

Fred Lewis

34 votes

Rajai Davis

55 votes

Nate Schierholtz

48 votes

Clay Timpner

2 votes

Dan Ortmeier

3 votes

142 votes | Poll has closed

State of the Giants (Infield)

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:12:24 -0000

Well, watching the team isn't very fun right now, so I decided to run down the roster and take a look at performance and contracts. I am on record as saying that Sabean didn't put together a horrible team this year. Not a great team, but certainly not horrible. The team's actual record is 49-66, but its pythagorean record based on Runs Scored and Runs allowed is 55-60, even with the poor performances. Unfortunately for Sabean and for us, no one has had a career year, and every one of the vets save Randy Winn has completely tanked. It was foreseeable that the team wouldn't win 90 games, but it wasn't exactly reasonable to think they would be this bad. With that in mind, on to the players, by position:

Catcher

Bengie Molina
07:$4M, 08:$6M, 09:$6M (plus some bonuses)
2007 Line: .272/.294/.416
Since ASB: .244/.269/.400

Oh my. Catcher is not a position that ages well, and yet, Sabean signed Molina through 2009 despite having little competition. Bengie's early season heroics aside, he hasn't hit well, and it isn't his home park (.739 home OPS, .680 road OPS). This is ugly and unlikely to get better as Bengie goes into his age 33 and 34 seasons. Awful signing, and the team will either have to eat the $6m Bengie is owed each of the next two seasons or just have a catcher who sucks. That would be easier to do if the team didn't suck at many other positions.

Eliezer Alfonzo, Guillermo Rodriguez
Minimum salary or close to it for both.

Serviceable backups. Nothing to see here. This is Alfonzo's job when he returns.

Minor League Help: Justin Knoedler. Nothing to indicate he will be much better or worse than Alfonzo and Rodriguez.

First Base

Ryan Klesko
07: $1.5M, with additional $0.25M donated to Klesko's foundation
2007 Line: .266/.355/.415
Since ASB: .202/.290/.281

The good news is that Klesko is a FA at the end of the season. It seems as if opposing teams has figured out that Klesko no longer has HR power, so they go right after him, and he can't do anything with the pitches. He was a nice FA flyer, but Lance Niekro might be a better choice at this point, especially against LHP. Klesko will be gone after this season, so look forward to a FA signing of... uhhh... Kevin Millar? Ok, maybe not. 1B for the Giants next year will either be manned by a converted OFer or someone acquired by trade, or both. I would like to see the Giants get the Phillies to eat a chunk of Pat Burrell's salary and put him at 1B. If not, just pay Pat the Bat's $14m for next year and clear the $$ for 2009.

Rich Aurilia
07:$3.5M, 08:$4.5M
2007 Line: .253/.299/.273
Since ASB: .262/.326/.381 (in 46 PA)

Aurilia at 3B was one thing. Aurilia at 1B is entirely another. Also, why did Sabean sign Aurilia for two years? At any rate, it isn't just his home park that is killing him, as Aurilia is worse on the road than at home. FWIW, Aurilia has battled injuries this year. At any rate, the team hasn't exactly missed him, and now they get to pay him $4.5m next year for no apparent reason. Trade Aurilia? Heh. Good luck.

Minor League Help: Lance Niekro. I know, Niekro isn't much "help," but have you seen the numbers for the other guys? Maybe he can mash some lefties.

Second Base

Ray Durham
07:$7M, 08:$7.5M
2007 Line: .230/.306/.365
Since ASB: .167/.261/.250 (!!)

Congratulations, Ray, you are the 2007 San Francisco Giants LVP! Remember the 2006, 127 OPS+ bundle of power-hitting awesome that was the Sugahman? The sweetness is gone. Ray sucks at home, on the road, as a LHB, as a RHB - complete suck. His defense is subpar, he no longer has speed, he no longer has power. Is he hurt? Let's hope so, because his $7.5m salary means that nobody will want him. He could get traded in the offseason, but the team may have to eat some salary.

Kevin Frandsen
Minimum Salary
2007 Line: .219/.280/.281
Since ASB: .127/.155/.127

In case you are wondering why Durham is still in the lineup, Frandsen's line provides some clues. Still, Free Kevin Frandsen! With the season lost, it is long past time to give Frandsen a chance to get regular ABs at a regular position. His minor league numbers say that he is better than this and he lacks the alarming K rates of Todd Linden. Frandsen may not be the answer, but no one else in the organization is either. Pencil him in at 2B every day, Bochy.

Minor League Help: None. (Come on - Bergolla and Ochoa? That isn't "help")

Third Base

Pedro Feliz
07: $5.1m plus some bonuses for PA
2007 Line: .254/.293/.425
Since ASB: .311/.357/.481 (!)

Is Pedro Feliz the most predictable guy in baseball? His line is basically the same every year. Don't be fooled by the second half numbers. Pedro is 32 years old, and although he may put up a career year, he isn't going to be substantially a different player than he is now. He won't learn to hit the slider. He won't learn patience. That doesn't mean he isn't a useful player, as he is a great fielder - no - an EXCELLENT fielder. The best in baseball at 3B, Feliz actually saves countless runs. OK, we can count them, actually. Given that the going rate for marginal wins in MLB is about $2.5m per, Feliz has outperformed his salary (3.2 WARP so far!). Does this mean that Feliz should get a $9-$10m contract for next year? Probably not on this offense-challenged team, but keeping Feliz in his old supersub backup role would be a good move - brilliant 3B, great 1B, passable OF, SS in a pinch? Why not? His numbers against LHP are pretty decent too. Mike Lowell would be a fine replacement, but not for 3 years, ok Sabean?

Backups: see Aurilia and Frandsen

Minor League Help: Justin Leone. Leone isn't very good, but he probably isn't much worse than Feliz. Remember, we need upgrades.

Shortstop

Omar Vizquel
07:$4M ($0.1m bonus for Gold Glove)
2007 Line: .256/.310/.315
Since ASB: .314/.381/.373

Nearly at the end of a brilliant career, Omar looked for all the world like he had tumbled straight off the cliff this season. Fortunately for Omar, the team has no viable alternative at SS. Let's say that again: the Giants have no viable alternative for a 40-year-old SS. Dreamy will be a reasonable defensive SS until age 60, but his defense would need to be at Adam Everett-type levels to justify having his bat in the lineup. Sure, if the team gets two big bats to go with Bonds next year then maybe Omar would be ok, but when you realize that one of the OF spots is probably going to be Winn, Lewis, or Schierholtz, that there is no top offensive 2Bman available, that Feliz may be back, that 1B may not be that great... what's the point? Unfortunately, David Eckstein is probably the top SS FA after this season. We're going to suck next year.

Backup: Frandsen, who can't really play SS. Aurilia can't play SS anymore either.

Minor League Help: heh. Bergolla? Ochoa? De la Rosa? That other guy? So none. We are a good two-three years away from Burriss or Bocock.

Poll

Which current Giants infielder would you most like to see start next year?

Pedro Feliz

36 votes

Omar Vizquel

41 votes

Ray Durham

2 votes

Kevin Frandsen

35 votes

Rich Aurilia

1 votes

Ryan Klesko

3 votes

118 votes | Poll has closed

Bud Selig will attend Bonds's Games

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:53:12 -0000

From foxsports.com

"Throughout this season, I have watched Barry Bonds' pursuit of the home run record. Now that he is on the verge of tying the record, the time has come to announce that I will make every attempt to attend the record-setting moment," Selig said in a statement Tuesday.

"Out of respect for the tradition of this game, the magnitude of the record, and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, I will attend Barry Bonds' next games to observe his potential tying and breaking of the home run record, subject to my commitments to the Hall of Fame this weekend."

Bud will be in Cooperstown for the HOF induction ceremony on Sunday. If Bonds hasn't broken the record by then, I expect him to be off on Sunday.

Everybody Hates Cammy

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:21:23 -0000

During a recent game, I got pissed off about having to see Cammy Blackstone yet again on an FSN broadcast, so I dashed off a lawyerly-like email to FSN complaining about her. And hey, I actually received a response:

Dear Mr. Stamm:

Thank you for your recent comments regarding our station in general and our coverage of San Francisco Giants games in particular.

A decision was made in the off-season to try a roving reporter at a select number (12) of San Francisco Giants home games. The idea is to show some of the sights and sounds of the ballpark and interview some fans having fun at the game. We selected lifelong Giants fan and local (KFRC) radio personalty Cammy Blackstone. Some fans have enjoyed Cammy's reports, many other - like yourself - have not.

We appreciate your feedback and will take your comments in mind when we re-evaluate our game coverage strategy at the All-Star break and at the end of the season.

Again, thank you for taking the time to tell us what you think about our broadcasts of San Francisco Giants baseball. Your opinion is very important to us.

Regards

So... who are these people who enjoyed Cammy? I think they are made up. Anyway, the line that caught my attention was the one about the decision to "re-evaluate our game coverage strategy" at the All-Star break. Important stuff, because now, more than ever, you guys need to send your complaint emails to FSN to ensure that Cammy goes away for good.

I just went to FSN Bay Area's website and clicked on "Contact Us" to send my email. They read them, so barrage their inbox with complaints. You owe it to yourself and to every Giants fan to get rid of Cammy. Go to it.

Poll

Do You Hate Cammie?

Yes, with the passion of a thousand burning suns!

59 votes

Yes.

24 votes

No, Cammie is my sister.

16 votes

Yes, even though Cammie is my sister.

27 votes

126 votes | Poll has closed

Grant is Very Funny, ESPN.com Notices

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:27:10 -0000

I don't know if this has been posted or noticed, but ESPN.com's Jonah Keri has an article on the site's Page 2 that links to Grant's Onion parody.

Here's the link

Some Giants Draft History

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 13:58:44 -0000

With the draft coming up, I thought I would take a look at the draft history of the Giants from 1985-2003 through three general managers: Al Rosen, Bob Quinn, and Brian Sabean.

I put together a list of the notable players taken each year, the Giants' first-round draft picks (including sandwich picks), and some notes about the draft and players that we missed out on. Here we go:

Al Rosen, 1985-1992
1985:
Will Clark (1st Round)
Jeff Brantley (6th)
Trevor Wilson (8th)
Dennis Cook (18th)
First Round: Will Clark (2nd pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Barry Bonds, Pirates (6th pick)
Notes: this was a great draft: Four guys who stayed in the majors, including a superstar.
1986:
Matt Williams (1st)
Kirt Manwaring (2nd)
First Round: Matt Williams (3rd pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Gary Sheffield, Brewers (6th pick)
Note: 6 more guys made the majors from this draft, but none had much of a career. It helps when you draft so high: Williams was the 3rd overall pick after getting Clark 2nd in 1985.
1987:
Mike Remlinger (1st)
Mike Benjamin (3rd)
Gil Heredia (9th)
First Round: Mike Remlinger (16th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Ken Griffey Jr, Mariners (1st overall pick) (Honorable Mention: Craig Biggio, Astros (22nd pick)
Notes: Remlinger was a good pitcher for a long time, Heredia was a serviceable starter for a while. Mike Benjamin wasn't great, but he was in the majors for quite some time, which is something.
1988:
First Round: Royce Clayton (1st, 15th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Robin Ventura, White Sox (10th pick)
Notes: That's it. 6 more guys made the majors, none were any good. To be fair, this wasn't a great draft year.
1989:
Pat Rapp (15th)
First Round: Steve Hosey (14th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Frank Thomas, White Sox (7th pick)
Notes: terrible draft. Pat Rapp wasn't even very good.
1990:
Mike Myers (4th) (later lost in Rule 5 draft)
First Round: Adam Hyzdu (15th pick), Eric Christopherson (19th pick), Marcus Jensen (33rd pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Chipper Jones, Braves (1st overall pick)
Notes: yet another terrible draft. Jeromy Burnitz, Mike Mussina, Steve Karsay, and Rondell White were all taken after Hyzdu, all but Burnitz after Christopherson. You can really see the groundwork being laid for the 1994-1996 struggles.
1991:
William Van Landingham (5th)
First Round: Steve Whitaker (33rd pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Manny Ramirez, Indians (13th pick)
Worst Player Drafted in First Round: Brien Taylor, Yankees (1st overall, total bust)
Notes: with no pick until 33, and no 2nd or 3rd round pick, not much of a chance in this draft. Giant-killer Bobby Jones was taken 3 picks after Whitaker; Scott Hatteberg was 43rd
1992:
Marvin Benard (50th!!)
Aaron Fultz (6th)
Doug Mirabelli (5th)
First Round: Calvin Murray (7th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Derek Jeter, Yankees (6th - one pick before Giants)
Notes: Not bad to get value from lower (and 50th) round picks. Calvin Murray was taken before first-rounders Preston Wilson, Michael Tucker, Shannon Stewart, Rick Helling, Jason Kendall, Charles Johnson, and Johnny Damon.
Notes: The last gasp for Al Rosen - despite getting Will Clark and Matt Williams (as 2nd and 3rd overall picks), Rosen didn't draft particularly well, did he?

Bob Quinn, 1993-1996
1993:
Bill Mueller (15th round)
Chris Singleton (2nd)
First Round: Steve Soderstrom (6th overall pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Alex Rodriguez, Mariners (1st overall)
Notes: not a good draft, with the exception of Bill Mueller. Trot Nixon (7th), Billy Wagner (11th), Derrek Lee (14th), Chris Carpenter (15th), Torii Hunter (20th), Jason Varitek (21st) were all taken after Soderstrom. So was Scott Rolen in the 2nd round, two picks before Singleton.
1994:
Keith Foulke (9th)
Bobby Howry (5th)
JD Drew (did not sign, 20th)
First Round: Dante Powell (22nd pick), Jacob Cruz (32nd pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox (12th)
Notes: Powell and Cruz never panned out, but few players taken after them in the 1st and 2nd round amounted to much. Jay Payton is the best, as Troy Glaus did not sign after being taken with the third pick of the second round.
1995:
Russ Ortiz (4th)
Joe Nathan (6th)
Toby Hall (did not sign, 24th)
Brad Lidge (did not sign, 42nd)
First Round: Joe Fontenot (16th pick, at least was trade bait - Roy Halladay was the very next pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Todd Helton, Rockies (8th pick)
Notes: While Russ Ortiz isn't great now, you can't complain about getting a player like that in the 4th round. Also, to get two quality major-leaguers out of one draft really isn't bad at all. Carlos Beltran went three picks after the Giants' 2nd round pick, Jason Brester, who went nowhere.
1996:
Mike Caruso (2nd, at least was trade bait)
Ryan Jensen (8th)
First Round: Matt White (7th pick, total bust)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Eric Chavez, Athletics (10th pick)
Notes: The Giants got nothing from this draft, really. Also, Quinn did not have a single impact first-round pick while he was GM. A big 0-5 with first rounders. He also missed out on Jimmy Rollins from his own back yard, taken 4 picks after Caruso.

Brian Sabean, 1997-Present
1997:
Jason Grilli (1st)
Scott Linebrink (4th)
First Round: Grilli (4th pick), Dan McKinley (49th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Vernon Wells, Blue Jays (5th pick) or Lance Berkman, Astros (16th pick)
Notes: Thus starts the Sabean era. Grilli ended up being good trade fodder, but Wells was taken one pick later. Berkman and Jon Garland also were taken later. Linebrink was a nice 2nd rounder.
1998:
Uhhh... Ryan Vogelsong (5th)
First Round: Tony Torcato (19th pick), Nate Bump (25th pick), Arturo McDowell (29th pick), Chris Jones (38th pick), Jeff Urban (41st pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: JD Drew, Cardinals (5th overall pick)
Notes: Wow. Five picks out of the first 41, nine of the first 128, and nothing. Seven guys from this made the majors. Unfortunately, those guys were Torcato, Bump, Chris Magruder, Vogelsong, Doug Clark, Cody Ransom, and Erasmo Ramirez. At least Bump and Vogelsong made for decent trade fodder, and Vogelsong might have been something if he had been able to stay healthy. CC Sabathia was taken one pick after Torcato; Brad Wilkerson and Aaron Rowand were taken 33rd and 35th. Adam Dunn and Brandon Inge were taken in the 2nd. Despite the number of picks, though, there wasn't a ton of talent that slipped past Sabean. This wasn't the best draft year.
1999:
Kurt Ainsworth (1st)
Jerome Williams (1st)
Jack Taschner (2nd)
First Round: Ainsworth (24th pick), Williams (39th)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Barry Zito, Athletics (9th pick)
Notes: Not bad. Between Williams and Taschner, Brian Roberts (50th pick), Carl Crawford (52nd), and John Lackey (68th) were chosen. Justin Morneau and Hank Blalock went in the 3rd round; Nate Robertson went in the 5th - a lot of teams missed there.
2000:
Boof Bonser (1st)
Lance Niekro (2nd)
Jason Ellison (22nd)
First Round: Boof Bonser (21st pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Chase Utley, Phillies (15th)
Notes: Waiting for Boof, indeed. Utley, Adrian Gonzalez (1st overall), and, arguably, Rocco Baldelli (6th overall) are the only players better than Boof taken in the 1st round. Adam Wainwright, Aaron Heilman, and Kelly Johnson were taken later. Grady Sizemore and Chris Young (the pitcher) were taken in the 3rd. Ellison may not be that good, but that was a nice 22nd round pick.
2001:
Brad Hennessey (1st)
Noah Lowry (1st)
Todd Linden (1st)
Jesse Foppert (2nd)
Justin Knoedler (5th)
Scott Munter (47th)
First Round: Hennessey (21st pick), Lowry (30th pick), Linden (41st pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Joe Mauer, Twins (1st overall, one pick before Mark Prior)
Notes: Nice draft! OK, so the Giants missed out on David Wright, taken 38th. But the Giants didn't pick until 21st, and they have a #3 type starter on the team, a solid reliever, now closer, on the team, a guy who looked like a real major-league pitcher before his injuries (Foppert) that they were able to trade with Torrealba for Winn, a 5th rounder who could be a backup C in MLB now, and a guy who has at least had a bit of MLB time in the 47th round. Not bad. Linden, unfortunately, looked like a real player. Maybe he can turn it around. Dan Haren was taken two picks before Foppert. Ryan Howard went in the 5th round.
2002:
Matt Cain (1st)
Fred Lewis (2nd)
Dan Ortmeier (3rd)
Kevin Correia (4th)
Clay Hensley (8th)
First Round: Cain (25th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Prince Fielder, Brewers, (7th pick), or Nick Swisher, Athletics (16th pick), or Cole Hamels, Phillies (17th pick). Cain is close.
Notes: Ahh, the famous Moneyball draft. Hands down, a great draft for the Giants. Cain is an amazing pick at #25, Fred Lewis is performing well for the big club, as is Ortmeier. Correia and Hensley were excellent picks. Misses? Curtis Granderson went in the 3rd round, but before Ortmeier. Rich Hill went in the 4th round before Correia.
2003:
David Aardsma (1st)
Nate Schierholtz (3rd)
Billy Sadler (6th)
Pat Misch (7th)
Brian Wilson (24th)
First Round: Aardsma (22nd pick), Roger Whitaker (34th pick)
Best Player Drafted in First Round: Rickie Weeks, Brewers (2nd overall pick)
Notes: We're really getting into "too soon to tell" territory here. Chad Billingsley was taken 2 picks after Aardsma. Carlos Quentin, Matt Murton, and Adam Jones were taken after Aardsma as well. Wilson and Sadler have both been up. Aardsma wasn't traded for much, but he has had some major-league success. Misch is close to a callup, as is Schierholtz, who may be the best of the bunch.

It is really too soon to tell for any draft after 2003, but there are some highlights. Kevin Frandsen has already stuck with the big club after being a 12th round pick in 2004, while Jonathan Sanchez shows great promise after having been taken in the 27th round in the same year. The Giants had no 1st rounder in 2004, so Eddy Martinez-Esteve was the first pick that year in the 2nd round.

2005 is the infamous draft-pick punting year, and the Giants didn't pick until Benj Copeland in the 4th round. Sergio Romo in the 28th round may prove to be the best pick for Sabean that year.

2006:
Tim Lincecum (1st)
Best Player Drafted in the First Round: Tim Lincecum, Giants (10th pick).
Notes: That's all you need to know. Burriss? Tanner? Bocock? When you get a player like Lincecum, anything else is gravy. Great draft.

Thoughts? How does Sabean stack up against our former GMs? Al Rosen did draft Will Clark and Matt Williams, but drafting is usually a lot easier when you are picking #2 and #3 overall in a draft.

Poll

Which Giants' GM has drafted better?

Al Rosen

12 votes

Bob Quinn

3 votes

Brian Sabean

41 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed

Another Lincecum Article

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Sat, 26 May 2007 23:12:56 -0000

Lincecum's dad discusses the development of Tim's mechanics.

MLB.com Draft Preview (First 10 Picks)

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Wed, 16 May 2007 22:30:04 -0000

MLB.com has a piece today predicting the top 10 picks.

Tampa: David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt
Kansas City: Rick Porcello, RHP, Seton Hall Prep (NJ)
Chicago Cubs: Josh Vitters, 3B, Cypress HS (CA)
Pittsburgh: Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson
Baltimore: Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State
Washington: Phillipe Aumont, RHP, Ecole du Versant Gatineau (Quebec) (hey, he would be great on the Expos... oh wait..)
Milwaukee: Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell HS (IN)
Colorado: Matt Dominguez, 3B, Chatsworth HS (CA)
Arizona: Mike Moustakas, SS/3B, Chatsworth HS (CA) (what is going on at Chatworth High?)
San Francisco: Andrew Brackman, RHP, NC State

The player name links are to draft reports for each of these players.

Something Awesome and New from BB-Ref

North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan — Fri, 04 May 2007 22:34:10 -0000

Baseball-Reference.com has added 2007 minor league stats for each organization and each level.

Giants batting

Giants pitching

Stats for the entire organization at your fingertips. Love BB-Ref. Love it.