Morning everyone.

So I've been reading Willie Mays' biography, and while it's been a fantastic read overall (I'd recommend it to every and any Giants die-hard), one line in particular piqued my interest.

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Watching the Giants hit is frustrating. And the Grand Canyon is a pothole somewhere in the Western United States.

Frustrating is an understatement. It's depressing. It's baffling. It's sometimes so bad it's funny in a sick, twisted way.

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First off, to give credit where credit is due, this post is inspired by this:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/04/calling-up-buster-posey.html

I'd suggest you go read that. Dates on when Posey could be called up and what it would mean for his free agent/arbitration eligibility.

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It's that time of the year again. Bork is in the air. I can barely sleep at night. I'm on MLBTR and fangraphs at least 12 times a day, and at least twice a class. Hours seem like days. Days seem like years.

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We all know there is no such thing as clutch hitting. It's been proven scientifically, by a million billion studies by a million billion sabermetricians. I know it. You know it. Brian Sabean doesn't know it, but then again there are a lot of things he doesn't know.

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First of all, let me credit the genesis of this post to Satchel Paige of Beyond the Boxscore. In the post-Johnson signing meltdown, I think many people's first instinct was to look for a veteran stopgap who'd likely be available on the cheap... Lyle Overbay, anyone? However, Satchel Paige's post got me thinking about a guy who was just a few years ago one of the top prospects in the KC system, and still shows great potential for the future... Kila Ka'aihue. He's 26 years old, he's basically a career minor leaguer, and he's blocked as hell in KC with Billy Butler, Mike Jacobs, Josh Fields, and possibly Alberto Callaspo gumming up the 1B and DH spots for the forseeable future. Ka'aihue provides the one thing this team is in most dire need of... a guy with a decent bit of power and from all accounts a workable but not fantastic glove at first (looked at scouting reports but I can't find a site for minor league UZRs), but the ability to get on base again and again and again. He's an ok hitter, .250 avg last year with 17 HRs, but where this guy really stands out is in his ability to take a walk. He put up an 18.8 BB% in 441 AAA ab's last year, for an OBP of .392. He's got the skills, he's got the patience, and all he needs is the opportunity. The badass name also has to be worth at least another 1.3 WAR or so. Considering the Royals were willing to trade a productive Leo Nuñez for Mike Jacobs, blocking Ka'aihue entirely, it seems obvious that they don't value him particularly highly, suggesting that he could be had on the semi-cheap. I know it's against Bochy's policy to play anyone without major-league experience, but here's to hoping he could make an exception to put some Pineapple Power in the lineup (hey, it worked for the Phils, didn't it?). So what are your thoughts? What do you think it would take to get him here? Do we (or should we) have any interest in him?

As much as I hate to call it on this season, the Cards have been too good and we've lost too many games we could have and should have won. For me, that means it's time to look toward the offseason, and I'm looking straight at the draft. Right now, with both us and the Panthers at 5-7, we can expect to have two draft picks between 9-14. However, I don't believe this is where those picks will end up.

We've got 2 breezers in the Rams and Lions, as well as two winnable games at home against Arizona and in Philly. I'm gonna split the difference and say we win one of these two to finish up at 8-8, with a pick somewhere in the 13-18ish range.

However, that Panthers pick is looking pretty damn good. They're playing the Pats away next week, one of the toughest 7-5 teams in the league, then the 2-loss Vikes at home, then another tough 7-5 team in the Giants at the Meadowlands, and then the currently undefeated Saints. They might win one of these games, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm guessing they finish up either 5-11 or 6-10, and I'm thinking 5-11 is more likely considering the only real winnable games they have left (the 7-5s) are both on the road.

Those records last year would have garnered a pick between 7th and 9th. So with that in mind, I'll take a look at the guy I've got my eye on: Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung. He's a mammoth 6'6" 305-pound beast on the line who immediately adds a huge presence to our pass protection and run blocking forces. He's almost indisputably the best offensive lineman in this year's class. Mel Kiper has him 6th on his big board this week (insider link) and he was 7th last week, which would put him in the reasonable range for that Carolina pick. Now, maybe it's just wishful thinking, but there's certainly a decent chance we're in a position to fill our biggest need with the best fit for our team in the entire draft class.

As for our pick, I'm looking at a guy who's been dropping a bit this year but in my opinion will end up being a great value pick: USC's Taylor Mays. Shoring up the secondary should be our second priority after improving the offensive line, and Mays is a dynamic and effective safety with the skills to do so. He's big for a safety at 6'3", 235, but doesn't give up speed or explosiveness for this size. Kiper has him at 14 in his latest Big Board, so there's a pretty good chance he'll be there for our second first-rounder. I think this pick will go a long way towards locking down what this year has been a leaky secondary and solidifying a safety position that has certainly been a question mark for us this year.

So those are my picks: Okung and Mays. What do you think? Will either be there for our picks, or is this just wishful thinking? Would you prefer another guy in one or both of these spots? Do you disagree with me that the offensive line and secondary are our two biggest needs to fill this offseason? Would you rather fill one or both of these needs through free agent signings and go a different direction in the draft? Thanks for reading, and GO NINERS!

From the Giants' official website's story on Garko's arrival:

Sabean suggested that another trade could be near fruition.

"We have one particular [Minor League] player who we're willing to trade that at least two teams are trying to make a decision on," he said.

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Long story short, I´m going to a game in 2 weeks as a guest of Larry Baer... sitting in his magical boxseats for one of the games of the Florida series. Not that I have much sway, but I like to think of myself as a somewhat persuasive dude. Anyway, if there was one thing you could tell the Giants front office, what would it be? Something about the second base sitch? Maybe a trade? What to do with Sanchez? Anyway, if there´s something you want me to drop, speak now or forever hold your peace.