SB Nation User Blog: allfrank

Ishi-K

allfrank — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:04:23 -0000

Ishi-K is quoted in the Chron (Shea's article tomorrow):

"I'm just maturing as a hitter," said Ishikawa, whose approach is noticeably improved from his first go-round with the Giants. "When I came up two years ago, even though I had some good at-bats, I felt like a deer in the headlights. I just hoped the ball would find the bat."

Interesting and encouraging. Wouldn't it be fantastic if this guy is really ready???

F#%$K

allfrank — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:28:25 -0000

No, this is not my rant that Sabean didn't trade Omar for Manny, David Wright, CC Sabathia, AND Evan Longoria.

I was going to drive down to S D to see the G I A N T S - but you know who is pitching... Let's see, 150 mi RT + 300 mi @ 20 MPG = 15 gal @ $4 / gal + parking + tickets = $200/250 to see a rerun of "The Nibbler strikes for the 43rd time." I can't, I just can't.

Velez (Reportedly) on way back to SF

allfrank — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:12:33 -0000

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=22

He will be taking all 75, that is, yes, 75 ABs from Horwitz. 75 ABs, whether including walks or not or maybe it is 75 ABs and 75 chances in the field. At any rate, he is, reportedly, on his way back to town. Well, that is untrue in 75 ways; he is actually on his way to New 75 York. 75 New York 75.

Zito to Start Wednesday

allfrank — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:59:04 -0000

Hot off the press. Hot off the press. Well, accord ing to SF Gate - and no follow -up story. Maybe, with only 4 star ters and Zi to taking up space it becomes nece ssary to start him since it is too cum ber some to bring up some one from Fre sno.

This 75 word thing is a ch a ll e ng e.

Hott off the press. According to SFGate, Zito to start Wed nes day.

The Franchise

allfrank — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:40:47 -0000

I know it wasn't conventional, but I'm not too committed one way or the other on Timmy's coming out to pitch the 5th inning.

There WAS something I did notice last night. To go back to last year, I thought Tim was kind of scared, kind of uncertain, and kind of in shock that major league hitters were hitting him.

Last night was a complete turn around. It is like he matured 6 years over the Winter. He was much more confident, much more focused and had none of the whining when a call went against him. I was really impressed and pleased. 'Gamer' is bullshit, but attitude, especially on the mound, is critical (see, Tomko, B). I think this is a fantiastic development.

Giants' Salary Totals for '08

allfrank — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:01:08 -0000

I discovered this by accident while reading Lefty Malo's site. Using his contract numbers (which he posts at the far right on his page), and adding .5 mil for the rookies who have yet to make the team, I calculate that the Gmen will spend $77.5 mil (and I admit, every time I add it up I come up with a different number). Thus, they are roughly $25 mil below their budget. This can only be good. It gives them flexibility to: a) eat Durhams salary, b) spend more on the draft (ie, draft Boras' clients), spend more in Latin Am and Asia.

PITCHERS
Cain (.7 M)
Lincecum
Zito (14.5 M)
Lowry (2.25 M)
Correia
Total: 17.45 + $1.5 mil for Lincecum & Correia

Walker (.75 M)
Wilson
Hennessey (1.6 M)
Kline (1.75 M)
Chulk
Misch
Capellan
Messenger
Total: 4.1 + $2.5 mil (.5 mil for each remaining roster spot)
Total: $25.5 mil

Taschner
Matos
Pichardo
Sadler
Sanchez
Threets
Valdez

CATCHERS
B. Molina (6 M)
El. Alfonzo
G. Rodriguez
Total: 6 + .5

INFIELDERS
Aurilia (4.5 M)
Durham (7.5 M)
Vizquel (5 M)
Ortmeier
Frandsen
Total: 17 + .5 + .5

Ishikawa
Velez
Denker

OUTFIELDERS
Roberts (6.5 M)
Rowand (12 M)
Winn (8 M)
Lewis
Davis

Schierholtz
Timpner

Total: 26.5 + 1

OTHER Bonds ($5 M deferred from '03 + interest)
Matheny ($2 M club buyout)

Lunatic Fringe = Broken Record

allfrank — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:36:53 -0000

The following comment comment is lifted from the Tony Clark diary:

Re: Seriously, why all the hatin' on Tony Clark?
He's thirty F*ing five years old...that's why all the hatin'. One more season of Sabean's LIES! about going with youth. One more season of patching a team together with people that will be out of baseball in '10. One more season of not finding someone under thirty to man one GODDAMN position on this team. Clark might help the Giants go 72-90 instead of 70-92. F*ing typical Sabean.

While, perhaps, overstating the position of the 'Fringe,' it still seems to typify the Fringe response to anything and everything Sabean does. This response is not only tired, but it is inaccurate and, George Bush-like, ignores all the inconvenient facts and trots out as truth the same tired assumptions and conclusions. So, some facts are in order:

1) The team has cut ties with at least 5 older players in less than a year: Feliz (33), Klesko (37), Benitez (34), Bonds (dirt), Atchison (32)
2) Less precise (because of 25 man vs 40 man issues), the team has added several young players within the last year: Frandsen (27), Rowand (30), Davis (27), Ort (27), Lewis (27), Schierholtz (24).
3) Neither Sabean nor Magowan have ever said the team was going to get "young." They have said they are going to get younger and healthier. On its face, looking at no's 1 & 2 above, that statement is happening. We have a young pitching staff, 2b (or is it 3b) in Frandsen, 1b in Ort, and backups in the OF who have a chance to play themselves into the lineup.

I don't think anyone can complain about our OF. We have two 27 year old starting IFs.

Is it fair to be disappointed in the lack of movenent/improvement at 1b and 3b? Of course. But, while Sabean gets routinely raked, the suggestions offered on here are comical in the breadth and depth of how unrealistic they are. Sure there are certain players some Fringites would like. But where is the indication that any of these players are actually available? And, more importantly, available at the prices you all are proposing? [ie, why in the hell would Cinci give us Encarnacion for Lowry? How is that a good trade for them? Where is there any indication that Cinci is looking to trade this lazy, stone handed, bad attitude?]

Anyway, there are definitely numerous improvements that have been made to the team, just in the past year. Once, of course, is assembling a very young and very good SP staff. Second is the development of several current RP staff pitchers and RPs in the system on the verge of being able to help. Three, is that the team has, while not on a straight, unvariable line, gotten younger and healthier - and amny other contracts are about to run out.

Angels: Were close on Cabrerra

allfrank — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:22:25 -0000

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/content/sports/epaper/2007/11/29/a2c_marlins_1129.html

The World (Giants) According to Frank

allfrank — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:31:48 -0000

Sub Title: We are TWO PLAYERS away from competing.

I am known, generally, as a Sabean supporter. I am not especially fluent in Sabermetrics, although I do respect a number of the principles, so long as they are not applied dogmatically. One idea I do believe is the Pythagoran model, even though I cannot tell you exactly how you calculate it. Maybe someone will tell me how many runs = a win). I do know, based on an '07 Pythagoran evaluation, the Giants (who gave up 720 runs and scored 683) should have been much closer to 500 than they were. So, IMO, to look too closely at just the results of '07 can lead to a faulty understanding. So, here is how I see our prospects for '08 (and I am trying to look at where we start and what is reasonable, as opposed, say, to trading 15 of our guys for the left side of the Mets IF - and keeping in mind Sabean's stated objective of constructing a speed-pitching-defense team):
Last year we gave up 720 runs and scored 683. League average, BTW, would be about 740-750 runs scored. Even last year, with Morris, Benitez, Ortiz, et al, we had very good pitching. I think that SP improves in `08 by about 1 1/2 a runs a week (40 runs on the season from an improved Cain, Lincecum, and Zito and an upgrade over Morris, Ortiz, whether or not that includes Lowry). I hope, with the loss of Benitez, Taschner, and the promotion of some minor league guys, the RP improves by 1/2 run (12,13 runs) a week (altho they are ripe for a much larger improvement. Looking at our projected '08 defense, being rid of Bonds, Aurilia, and Durham improves us another 10 runs on the season. That gets us to an improvement of 62 runs and a projected number of runs scored against us of 655-660.
Even with last year's offense (683 runs scored), we are a few games over 500. What we need is league average offense. (Unfortunately, we are not going to get it. I know this, we all know this).
Still, our OF (see below for line-up and projections) is slightly above average as is catching. What drug us down last year was these IF BAs: 267 (and that was Frandsen), 260, 253, 252, 246, 218. (forgive my almost exclusive use of BA. I am old, raised on BA and much more conversant with it - and won't make outlandish statements based on a number, like OBP, that I am less familiar with).
I think from Frandsen and Omar we get close to league average O. Which means...
WE ARE TWO PLAYERS AWAY FROM COMPETING.
Unfortunately, the chances of finding those 2 league average players lie somewhere between 'slim' and `none.'
I like a lineup of:
Davis/Lewis (BA 280)
Frandsen (275)
Winn (290)
LA 1b (278?)
LA 3b (278?)
Molina (265)
Schierholtz (285)
Omar (265)

I am very pleased we haven't signed any FAs. I was disappointed we re-signed Omar, I would have preferred a battle between Figueroa and Ochoa - w/ the $5 mil difference going to the bull pen.
I am very opposed to signing any FA OFs. WE NEED IFs, we don"t need OFs. Any improvement we would get would be marginal and not worth the multi-millions it would cost. I am quite content with going into `08 as a rebuilding/evaluation year. And certainly one area where we have prospects and can afford to evaluate is the OF. I happen to think a platoon of Davis and Lewis, if they recreate last year, gives us just about as much as an A. Jones (with apologies to Evan, who wrote a nice pro AJones piece) can be expected to give us next year - for $12-18 mil less.
If we could get league average 1b and 3b, I think that lineup scores about league average (740/750 runs). And that team scores 90 runs more than it gives up. What does Pythagorus say about that?
The big unknowns are the names for 1b, 3b, and 3 RPs. I have no problem going with Ort or Ort + RH bat at 1b, even tho that probably is a little below league average. What is true for both 1b and 3b is there are damned few options out there, at 3b more than 1b. We have no options in our system other than the AAAA FA Leone (880 OPS). The minor leagues in general (at the AAA level) are barren of 3b, unless you include the pipe dream Longoria or once failed Marte. The only other prospects are with the Dodgers or Angels (who might be a potential trade partner - if we had anything they wanted). That leaves, basically, the Crede's of the world. 3b is a terrible hole, with nothing to throw into it. Thus, league average O is a dreadful long shot. Still, an improved O, D, and, especially SP gives us a very real shot of finishing over 500, somewhere in the 86-88 win category. Unfortunately, we are likely to stay there until we can solve our IF problems.

Torre Close; May bring A-Rod tp Bums

allfrank — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:36:31 -0000

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers31oct31,1,248298.story?coll=la-headlines-sports