The Giants Cove - A San Francisco Giants blog
One of the most common infobites about the 2010 Giants was their luck at keeping the starting pitching and bullpen off the disabled list. Flash forward to 2011 and, other than Barry Zito's sprained ankle, San Francisco's pitching staff could be featured on the cover of Healthy Pro Athletes Monthly.It's the rest of the team that now has permanent reservations in the local emergency room. While the San Francisco Giants' offense is 29th out of 30 MLB teams in runs scored with 230 (3.48 runs per game), the hitters now lead the Majors in the following categories: MRIs taken, fractured/broken bones re-screwed and set, groins and obliques strained, and ankles and knees battered and swollen the size of a Volkswagen.
When Freddy Sanchez separated his shoulder during the weekend series with Cincinnati, the Giants received a warning letter from the Obama White House about the team's impact on the rising cost of national heath care. I mean, dude, this is serious.
We are approaching the mid-point of the second 50 games of 2011. What do the Giants need to do to adjust, retool and move forward? To stay at the top of the National League West and be prepared to excell in the 2011 playoffs, these are the issues facing the Giants front office :
1. Improve the everyday line-up with the addition of an impact hitter in the outfield.
With all the infield injuries and DL stints this team has suffered, you might think this is where overall run production could be best improved. But it's in the outfield where this team desperately needs to improve offensively. The current outfield line-up is not close to contributing the runs the Giants need to stay on top:
| 2011 | OPS | RBI | OBP | AVG |
| Cody Ross | .768 | 19 | .343 | .261 |
| Pat Burrell | .732 | 15 | .339 | .221 |
| Andres Torres | .762 | 12 | .356 | .254 |
| Nate Schierholtz | .722 | 19 | .306 | .263 |
| Aaron Rowand | .666 | 11 | .297 | .246 |
his name in the line-up every day. Ross has averaged 24 home runs
each of the past three years and has excellent defensive skills.
At this point in their careers Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand are at
best pinch hitters and back-ups. It is only the $24m the Giants owe
Rowand for 2011 and 2012 that makes him untradable and keeps
him on this team.
Nate Schierholtz has had some clutch hits this year and has always been an outstanding fielder but he is not an everyday player, which is how the Giants are currently using him. Lifetime he has a .715 OPS and a .269 BA. When you look at Schierholtz's stats averaged over 162 games, he hits 6 HRs and plates 35 RBIs a year.
At this point in their careers Rowand, Schierholtz and Burrell are not going to magically turn their games around and be the offensive force this teams requires.
The San Francisco Giants need to revamp their outfield by: 1) playing Brandon Belt in right or left field when he returns from the DL after the All Star break; and, 2) deal for an outfielder who is a game changer, who can produce extra base hits and runs, and who will lead by example.
2. Keep the left side of the infield in tact the rest of the season with Pablo Sandoval at third and Brandon Crawford at shortstop.
With the disturbing injuries to Freddy Sanchez, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Pablo Sandoval, Mark DeRosa, and others Sandoval's return tomorrow provides the promise of increased run production. The best support Giants starters can have for the remainder of the 2011 season is Sandoval's offense and Crawford's defense. This is the foundation on which San Francisco can solidify its winning season and charge into the playoffs.
Miguel Tejada no longer has the capability to consistently contribute at the plate or on the field. Tejada recently had two productive games in a row and fans can get mesmorzied when a sub-performing player shows some spark. Here's a reality check: Tejada is batting .227 with an amazingly dismal .258 on base percentage. He also leads the team with 6 errors and no longer has the range to play the infield every day.
The addition of Bill Hall is an understandable reaction to the Freddy Sanchez injury. It is smart to immediately bring in an older veteran guy to provide stability and calm when something like this happens. But Hall has been cut from four different teams since 2009 and has a lifetime batting average of .249; his career is winding down. The team needs the speed of Manny Burriss in the line-up and he has the range to play an above average second base. Keep Hall as a safety net (or let a healthy Mike Fontenot be the safety net).
3. The catching issue needs to be addressed.
As important as Eli Whiteside has been to the World Championship Giants, the team will be forced to confront the loss of catcher Buster Posey sooner or later. The efforts of Whiteside and backup Chris Stewart have so far been exemplary, but the defensive and offensive production behind the plate needs to be upgraded by an experienced everyday catcher who has the ability to work with the pitching staff.
Since Posey's injury, Giant catchers are batting .167 with 2 extra base hits. Defensively, teams are increasingly running on the Giants: Buster Posey had a 27-15 steals/caught stealing record; Whiteside and Stewart are a combined 22-7.
On a team that is already offensively-challenged, the catcher's position has to provide better run production. The idea some have floated about Sandoval playing some games behind the plate is a loser on many levels-- there's the transition curve, the increased potential for injury, and weakening an already damaged infield. Why would anyone even think that could work?
No one can replace the talented Posey, but GM Brian Sabean and Manager Bruce Bochy are faced with two choices: pull the trigger on a deal to bring an experienced and productive catcher on board, or cross their fingers and hope for the best. no comments
Each year the dedicated experts who live and breathe Major League Baseball's First Year Player Draft develop an overall consensus of the draft's quality. The 2011 group were judged to be above average overall, with an excellent pitcher-centric group at the top of the pack followed by high talent parity evenly spread out through the rest of the draft.
That profile worked out well for the San Francisco Giants, who took St. Johns University shortstop Joe Panik as their 1st round pick at #29 overall. In the second round they chose RHP Kyle Crick at 49th; Crick is a Texas high school prospect who has committed to attending Texas Christian University.The one downside to this year's draft was a thin field of middle infielders, but among that group Joe Panik was considered the best college shortstop in the country. Panik throws right and bats left, and is described as an excellent hitter with good range. He hit .398 with 10 home runs this year and had a whopping .509 OBP.
Panik, a twenty year old junior, suffered a serious injury in his freshman season which apparently limits his long throw from the hole. For that reason a number of scouts see him moving to second base when he hits the minor leagues.
Kyle Crick is a nineteen year old right hander who bats left. The Giants received the 49th draft pick as compensation for the Dodgers signing free agent former Giant Juan Uribe in the off season. Crick was 7-2 with a 1.11 ERA this year and expected to attend TCU, so it may be several years before he signs with any team.
And the best name in the 2011 Draft? How about Rookie Davis, the North Carolina high school power hitting third baseman who also throws in the early 90s as a starting pitcher. The aptly named Davis apparently picks the ball good at third and matches his fastball with a great curve. The Baseball Draft Report projected Davis to go at #91 in this year's draft. Remember that name.
Additional SF Giants picks in the 2011 First Year Player Draft
#3. Round 2 #86 Andrew Susac - 21 C R/R
A pure slugger who needs to work on mastering the mechanics of catching. Rob Ozga of The Baseball Draft Report listed Oregon State sophmore Sisac as the #1 college catcher in the draft. He has a hamate bone injury (sound familiar?), but apparently it's not serious.
#4. Round 3 #116 Efrin "Ricky" Oropesa - 21 1B L/R
Originally drafted #742 by the Red Sox in the 2008 draft, Oropesa is a product of the University of Arizona. A former third baseman, he has classic first baseman bopper power. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com commented in this article about Oropesa's bat, writing that he has "light-tower power".
June 11, 2011--
Mike Axisa of MLB Trade Rumors reported the Giants have signed first round pick Joe Panik for an estimated $1.1 million.
June 25, 2011--
SF Giants.com reports that outfielder Kentrell Hill has been signed by the team. no comments
The San Francisco Giants clubhouse is beginning to look like the ravaged city of Tokyo in Ishiro Honda's classic 1954 film "Godzilla". In this case the fearsome beast is the DL monster and it's taking Giant players right and left, leaving a trail of empty lockers, lost opportunities, and used towels on the floor.The list of Giants down is postively frightening: Mark DeRosa, torn wrist tendon; Mike Fontenot, left groin strain; speedster Darren Ford, left ankle strain; Barry Zito, right foot strain; offensive leader Pablo Sandoval, broken hamate bone in right hand; and of course Buster Posey, broken left fibula and torn ankle ligaments.
Welcome to the San Francisco Giants' 2011 DL club, Brandon Belt.
Rookie Belt joined the DL ward on June 4th after an MRI showed a hairline fracture in his left wrist four days after being hit by a pitch. Luckily, that pitch was thrown by a St. Louis Cardinal and not a Florida Marlin (somebody, please remind Brian Sabean of that fact). Belt only had time to make two starts after being called back up from Triple-A Fresno on May 26th.
Brandon Belt will be out a month while the fracture heals, which puts him at about July 4th. The 2011 All Star break follows six games later, so we're realistically looking at a date after July 21, 2011. You can bet the team will be extra careful with their prized left-handed power hitter, so the rehab period for Belt to get his groove back could take him closer to August 1st.
Since the Giants are hoping to start scoring more than their season-to-date average of 3.62 runs per game, let's hope Belt returns sooner. (Note: MLB run scoring leader St. Louis is plating an average of 4.96 runs per game; the average for all National League teams is 4.13 runs per game.) no comments
Check out The Pulse Network's Sports Buzz on line for great sports content from all over the country. I was recently interviewed on TPN's Sports Buzz program about the San Francisco Giants and Buster Posey.
We went live at 8:00AM-- the TPN studios are in Boston, Massachusetts. Sports Buzz host Tyler Pyburn did an outstanding job and TPN is an amazingly professional and high tech organization. They could definitely give ESPN a run for their money.
Go to the Sports Buzz link here and then to the June 2, 2011 content section - "Buster Posey's Injury".
CONVICTED FORMER SLUGGER BARRY BONDS CONTINUES GOOD WORKS TO REHABILITATE IMAGE
Follows Up College Fund For Injured Fan's Kids With Offer To Put Buster Posey's Children Through Summer Camp
ANGRY SF GIANTS GM BRIAN SABEAN VOWS TO HUNT DOWN MARLINS OUTFIELDER SCOTT COUSINS IN RESPONSE TO POSEY INJURY
Sabean In Contract Talks With Navy SEAL Team 6 - "At The End of The Day, We Will Unleash A Special Kind of Hell on This Young Man"
FLORIDA OUTFIELDER COUSINS SPOTTED IN MOUNTAINS AT AFGHAN-PAKISTANI BORDER
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Claims His Government Is Not Assisting Cousins - "We were as surprised as anyone about this and we are cooperating fully with the Giants", stated a shaken Zardari
NEWLY HUMBLE BARRY BONDS INCREASES IMAGE ENHANCING ACTIVITIES
SF Giants Players With Flu-like Symptoms To Receive Expensive Fruit Basket; Tells Nation's Drivers "Send Me All Your Outstanding Parking Tickets"; Arranges For State Lotto Quick-Pick Losers To Receive Encouraging Phone Call From Dali Lama
BASEBALL COMMISSIONER BUD SELIG ANNOUNCES NEW AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION FEATURING THE NEW YORK YANKEES
The Newly Formed "Pinstripes Division" Will Consist Of Three Teams; Selig Says Inclusion of Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros Will Ensure Yankees Make The Post Season "For The Rest Of Eternity"
The buzz over Buster Posey's season-ending injuries as as result of his May 25th collision with Florida's Scott Cousins is everywhere. Debate permeates the sports media and dominates conversations in every MLB clubhouse and in bars, living rooms and little league fields across the country. 
It is a subject is worthy of our attention and passion because losing a player as dynamic and talented Posey is not only a loss for the San Francisco Giants, it diminishes the 2011 baseball season for anyone who cares about the game. The questions remain: should something be done to prevent MLB catchers from being injured in home plate collisions? And if the answer is "yes", what exactly should be done?
A wide range of suggestions and solutions have been offered from the baseball establishment and national sports media. Giants Manager Bruce Bochy has stated several times that he believes MLB rules should be changed to protect catchers; specifically Bochy suggested runners coming down the third base line be restricted to run inside the baseline, while catchers be restricted to positioning themselves outside the line at the plate. Thoughtful but complicated.
St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa is an old-school keeper of baseball tradition, but he believes that the rules affecting 1st base should also be applied to home plate. Reporter Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch posted that in spring training La Russa drills his catchers to always leave a slice of home plate for the runner.
The Cards' Manager believes that a catcher should not be allowed to block home plate any more than a first baseman is allowed to block the first base bag. In that scenario, any runner blocked from the bag at first is safe. Oddly, that couldn't apply to plays at second or third base, where blocking access to a sliding runner with a knee or foot is part of the artistry of defending those bases.
And second base is where I believe the solution to protecting catchers (and runners) at home plate can be found.
The art of the double play is one of the most graceful and dramatic plays in baseball. Cleveland shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera's double play in the May 19th game against the White Sox will take your breath away. Probably no other defensive act on the field affects the course of a game greater than a double play. Shortstops and second basemen work out every day to become expert at catching the ball to make the out at second, pivot, then get a throw off to first base to complete a twin killing.
An important element in successfully completing a double play is avoiding player-to-player contact; not allowing yourself to be upended or bowled over by the runner who is pounding hard toward second base to do that very thing. This dovetails with Tony La Russa's instructions to his catchers, and it is where managers and catchers should look to avoid a Posey/Cousins-type collision and still successfully defend home plate.
Like middle infielders, MLB catchers can adjust their positioning to be in front, in back, or at the sides of home plate, or to take part of the plate and leave part for the runner. This provides the runner with what he needs: a scoring target. The use of a quick tag or swipe tag on the runner provides the catcher with reasonable protection and the ability to still do his job.
Also part of solving the problem? Stop justifying collisions at home plate in terms of manning up and being tough. NHL hockey-like smash-ups have never been part of baseball tradition and that line of huffery has zero credibility in this argument. If that kind of tedium excites you, switch the TV channel to hockey central.
Apply the rules used at first base and add the infield artistry of making the double play to plays at the plate, and Buster Posey might have been working out this afternoon in St. Louis, preparing to catch Jonathan Sanchez in the last game of the Giants' current road trip.
With Buster Posey's injuries likely putting him out for the remainder of the 2011 season this is what the Giants organization, Posey's team mates, and the Giants fan base have to deal with: the stunning shock of his loss, that feeling of losing your bearings and free-falling, then finding the grit to suck it up and keep moving ahead.
The rest of baseball, and the rest of the country, can't begin to understand what Buster Posey means to the San Francisco Giants and to Giant fans. On the field he is a rock, directing the best pitching in the game the past year; at the plate he is a dangerous hitter who, when he finds his groove, can dominate a game, a series, a season. Posey batted 3rd in the order throughout the 2010 World Series-- the last catcher to do that was Yogi Berra 54 years ago with the New York Yankees.Since Posey was brought up mid-season last year there has been an ongoing public discussion about whether he should be moved to an infield position to avoid the inevitable wear and tear, injuries, and shortened career that faces virtually every MLB catcher. Throughout April and May this season, Posey has taken an inordinate number of foul tips off his mask, leaving games early twice after particularly bad hits.
Forget about the obvious injuries, the threat of concussion is there every time a batter hits a foul tip. The Minnesota Twins have agonized over the future of their own All Star catcher Joe Mauer, one of the best pure hitters in the game. When an organization has hitters the caliber of Mauer or Posey, the decision to extend their careers by moving them from behind the plate will always be part of the ongoing conversation. The pressure, the second-guessing, and the concern will never go away.
How is Joe Mauer doing this year? He has played in only 9 games this season and is currently on the disabled list with bilateral leg weakness. no comments
Posey suffered what will likely be a season ending broken leg when Marlin's outfielder Scott Cousins flattened him in a collision at home plate in the top of the 12th inning of last night's game. Rookie Chris Stewart will now be the back-up catcher behind Eli Whiteside, who has been Posey's back-up for the past year. Stewart hit .321 in 20 2011 Spring Training games with 3 doubles and 1 triple. Stewart is hitting .221 with a .586 OPS in Fresno this year.
In the same game with the Marlins last night, infielder Mike Fontenot suffered a strained left groin. He will go on the DL and be replaced by defensive phenom Brandon Crawford. Crawford was on a rehab assignment at Single A San Jose, where he was hitting .322.
Speedy outfielder Darren Ford sprained his ankle scoring the winning run against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the 11th inning in last Sunday's game, and will be replaced by hard hitting Brandon Belt, who is batting .377 with a .994 OPS at Triple A Fresno.
The loss of Buster Posey confronts the Giants' organization with a tremendous challenge, as they are forced to rely on three rookie players to keep the positive momentum of their 2011 season going strong. The Giants are currently in 1st place in the National League West, 2.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their team-oriented approach to building an offensive in support of the best pitching in baseball will be a huge advantage as they attempt to replace critical missing pieces on their roster. no comments
With Florida leading 6-2 in the 9th, the Giants scored 4 runs to tie the game. The scored remained 6-6 until the top of the 12th inning, when Marlin's outfielder Scott Cousins attempted to score from third base on a Emilio Bonifacio fly.
Giants right fielder Nate Schierholtz caught the ball and rifiled a throw to home plate to nail Cousins. The ball appeared to get to Posey an instant before Cousins barreled into the Giants' catcher to dislodge the ball. The collision bent Posey backwards on his ankles, and he was obviously seriously injured as he was assisted off the field by team trainers.
Cousins' run held up as Florida got three quick outs in the bottom of the 12th to win the game 7-6.
While the Giants scheduled Posey for a series of medical tests Thursday morning, word leaked out from several players and reporters that Posey's left leg was broken and he had also suffered torn ligaments. He will miss the rest of the season and will face a long rehab program to get back to the Major Leagues.
Scott Cousin's decision to charge into Posey brings up an ongoing MLB debate about hard contact plays at home plate. Giants Manager Bruce Bochy had previously called for additional rule protections for catchers who are defenseless as they attempt to catch the ball while a runner is about to administer a full tilt body slam. Giants' broadcaster Duane Kuiper also stated that baseball must change their rules to prevent serious injuries to catchers during violent collisions at home plate.
The National Football League has taken strict action in recent years to stop helmet to helmet hits and unimpeded body slams. Violations include assessments against NFL teams during games and hefty individual fines against violating players.
Posey was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2010, and was considered San Francisco's team leader as they went on to win the 2010 World Series. no comments
But the moment to savor from the weekend was the bottom of the 11th inning in Sunday's contest. Oakland pinch hitter Ryan Sweeney hit for pitcher Craig Breslow to lead off the top of the 11th in a 4-4 tie game. Sweeney rapped a single to right field but was erased when Coco Crisp hit into a fielder's choice and the inning sputtered for the A's. Sweeney then stayed in the game and took over right field in the bottom of the 11th.
The Giants came out hacking in the bottom of the 11th. Lead-off hitter Andres Torres popped out, but Darren Ford pinch hit for Sergio Romo and slapped a single to right center. The amazingly swift Ford immediately stole second base in a blur of cream colored home jersey.
With one out, Oakland intentionally walked Buster Posey because a) Posey is heating up at the plate; and, b) it set up a one out double play scenario.
Emmanuel Burriss was up next. Burriss had been called back up from Fresno on May 19th after Mark DeRosa went down with a reoccurring wrist injury-- this after DeRosa bumped Burriss back to Triple A on May 10th after rejoining the team from the disabled list. Baseball is built on the contradictions defined by opportunity and disappointment; the admirable and determined DeRosa's latest injury setback provides an opening for Manny Burriss. And another chance to play in the big leagues.
With one out and Darren Ford on second base, Burriss hit a line drive single to right field. With Ford thundering to third base, right fielder Sweeney scooped up the baseball and in one smooth movement unleashed his own accurate line drive right back to home plate. Unable to hold back, Pablo Sandoval and several other Giant players climbed the dugout railing as the play unfolded.That's when a breathtaking baseball moment jumped up. Just as Ford was careening around the third base bag with Sweeney's throw slicing through the afternoon air, Giants third base coach Tim Flannery, his left arm spinning like a B-17 propeller at full throttle, started running down the line paralleling Darren Ford's wild dash toward the plate.
For a wonderfully crazy instant the right field camera followed Ford down the line with Flannery running along side just beyond him. And out of nowhere, there was the unstoppable Sandoval, somehow out of the dugout and himself hopping sideways down its length in a line beyond Ford and Flannery as they all made a collective dash to outrun Sweeney's throw to home plate.
Replays seemed to show Sweeney's throw got to Athletic's catcher Kurt Suzuki just as Ford slid across the plate. And if the ball had not popped out of Suzuki's glove when Ford's left leg jarred it loose? Hell, I suppose they could still be playing that game.
The Giants win 5-4 in what the celebrated East Coast philosopher Yogi Berra would have described as "a real cliff dweller". At AT&T Park this season, the San Francisco Giants are 13-5, and 11-0 in one run games at home. This is developing into a season rife with electric moments, and it's only May. no comments
