***Official World Champion SF Giants 2011 Thread (1 Viewer)

[Eephus]

So now what?

FAs: Huff, Uribe, Renteria, Burrell, Guillen, Willis

Huff and Uribe are the priorities. Huff deserves to get paid after a strong 2010 campaign. He's one of the spiritual leaders of the clubhouse. The risks aren't so much in overpaying but in over-committing to too many years at the right end of the defensive spectrum. Uribe is one of the better options in what's unfortunately a weak SS crop. Renteria appears interesting in passing up a perfect ending for one more payday. Burrell may be irrelevant if Mark DeRosa can return. Guillen has been buried following the latest PED revelations.

On the horizon:

Brandon Belt followed up a great 2010 A/AA season with a dominant AFL run. Hopefully, he'll be able to contribute at the big league level in 2011.

Thomas Neal could be another year away.

Other than that, the cupboard looks pretty bare for the short term.

Other issues:

Pablo Sandoval has eaten himself out of two positions. Management is talking tough with him this off-season. If he can get back somewhere near his 2009 production, he could create a logjam at 1B. Given the teams' problems there over the past 20 years, that's not a bad problem to have.

Mark DeRosa contributed very little this year. He could help at 3B or LF if healthy.

Shortstop is the biggest need area. It's hard to get too excited about guys like JJ Hardy, but there's nobody currently on the roster who's a major league SS.

The bullpen was incredible down the stretch but bullpens have a way of regressing to the mean. Fortunately, there's depth if a couple of arms run into problems.

The starters all pitched a lot of innings this year. There's not a lot of depth behind the front five.

I'm only going to say positive things about Brian Sabean for as long as I possibly can. So, he's put together a hell of a pitching staff and he has a hot wife.

Boch is alright in my book.

 

[Eephus]

Top 10 prospects according to John Sickels

San Francisco Giants Top 20 Prospects for 2011

1) Brandon Belt, 1B, Grade A-: Totally legitimate in my opinion, and second-only to Eric Hosmer among first base prospects.

2) Gary Brown, OF, Grade B: I admit some trepidation here. I love the speed, athleticism, and defense, but I admit I'm enough of a stathead to be concerned about the extremely low walk rate in college. I'll project him as a regular with this rating, but the shape that regular status takes is still uncertain in my mind, if his offense will really be as good as people expect. We'll see.

3) Zack Wheeler, RHP, Grade B: Not a great season, but the strikeouts and grounders are promising and I'll cut him some grade slack for another year.

4) Francisco Peguero, OF, Grade B-: Hit .329 in the Cal League with 40 steals and good gap power. But he doesn't draw walks, and needs to be more efficient about stealing bases. If he doesn't hit .300+ at higher levels he'll have a problem, although his tools will get him to the majors and keep him there for some time.

5) Thomas Neal, OF, Grade B-: I know his season in the Eastern League may look a bit disappointing, but I think he could put up some huge numbers in the PCL in '11, and I still think he has a chance to be a non-star regular player.

6) Jose Casilla, RHP, Grade B-: Power sinker could make him a future closer.

7) Jarrett Parker, OF, Grade B-: No professional data. Very toolsy outfielder with some questions about his bat.

8) Ehire Adrianza, SS, Grade C+: Love the glove, but not sure he'll hit enough to get beyond a utility spot.

9) Jorge Bucardo, RHP, Grade C+: Strong sinker, but I'd like to see a higher strikeout rate.

10) Charlie Culberson, 2B, Grade C+: Good rebound season, bat looks interesting although Double-A Richmond will test it. Glove gets mixed reviews

The rest of the list is here along with discussion.FWIW, Belt wasn't among last year's top 20 prospects.

 

[thecatch]

Jayson Stark quoted a scout today as comparing Belt to Larry Walker

 

[Eephus]

Aubrey Huff resigned for a rumored 2 yrs/$22M.

ETA: The salary assumes he performs near his 2010 levels. Hopefully, he'll be able to do it. If not, I can justify it by including his bargain 2010 year for a combined 3/$25M. The two-year length of the new deal is good though; I'm much better w/ 2/$22M than something like 3/$27M going forward.

The annual salary is pretty comparable to what he was making in his last pre-SF contract.

 

[commisholio]

Aubrey Huff resigned for a rumored 2 yrs/$22M.ETA: The salary assumes he performs near his 2010 levels. Hopefully, he'll be able to do it. If not, I can justify it by including his bargain 2010 year for a combined 3/$25M. The two-year length of the new deal is good though; I'm much better w/ 2/$22M than something like 3/$27M going forward.The annual salary is pretty comparable to what he was making in his last pre-SF contract.

Looks like it's 20 million/2 years with an option for a 3rd year at 10 million or a 2 million buyout. I like it, but Sabes is saying that it's more than he planned to spend on Huff so he'll have to cut a corner somewhere else to make ends meet.

 

[thecatch]

Aubrey Huff resigned for a rumored 2 yrs/$22M.ETA: The salary assumes he performs near his 2010 levels. Hopefully, he'll be able to do it. If not, I can justify it by including his bargain 2010 year for a combined 3/$25M. The two-year length of the new deal is good though; I'm much better w/ 2/$22M than something like 3/$27M going forward.The annual salary is pretty comparable to what he was making in his last pre-SF contract.

Looks like it's 20 million/2 years with an option for a 3rd year at 10 million or a 2 million buyout. I like it, but Sabes is saying that it's more than he planned to spend on Huff so he'll have to cut a corner somewhere else to make ends meet.

I was a little concerned by his comment that the Giants and Uribe are not in the same ballpark in terms of contract $$ value. I think he did comment that he spent more than he wanted to on Huff, but that it wouldn't affect the rest of their offseason.

 

[Eephus]

Aubrey Huff resigned for a rumored 2 yrs/$22M.ETA: The salary assumes he performs near his 2010 levels. Hopefully, he'll be able to do it. If not, I can justify it by including his bargain 2010 year for a combined 3/$25M. The two-year length of the new deal is good though; I'm much better w/ 2/$22M than something like 3/$27M going forward.The annual salary is pretty comparable to what he was making in his last pre-SF contract.

Looks like it's 20 million/2 years with an option for a 3rd year at 10 million or a 2 million buyout. I like it, but Sabes is saying that it's more than he planned to spend on Huff so he'll have to cut a corner somewhere else to make ends meet.

I was a little concerned by his comment that the Giants and Uribe are not in the same ballpark in terms of contract $$ value. I think he did comment that he spent more than he wanted to on Huff, but that it wouldn't affect the rest of their offseason.

Sabean and I are still honeymooning

 

[commisholio]

Sabean and I are still honeymooning

He and Bochy both have a "get out of second guessing free" card for the next couple of years.

 

[Eephus]

Juan Uribe to the Dodgers for 3/$21M

I can't really complain about passing on this contract but it's tough to lose a postseason hero to your rivals.

 

[commisholio]

Juan Uribe to the Dodgers for 3/$21MI can't really complain about passing on this contract but it's tough to lose a postseason hero to your rivals.

I'll miss his lovely jazz hands. I just wish it was anyone but the Dodgers.

 

[Eephus]

Miguel Tejada 1 yr/$6.5M. One year rent a player deal to fill a huge need. Born Again Genius Sabean doesn't overpay for savvy vets, not anymore uh uh.

I don't know if he can field the SS position every day but he's probably no worse than Uribe there. His wOBA is slightly better than Uribe but with less power. Hopefully Brandon Crawford or Emmanuel Burriss will push Tejada but I wouldn't criticize a one-year deal even if I could.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Juan Uribe to the Dodgers for 3/$21MI can't really complain about passing on this contract but it's tough to lose a postseason hero to your rivals.

I'll miss his lovely jazz hands. I just wish it was anyone but the Dodgers.

I heard on Ralph and Tom that at the last minute, the Giants matched the offer, and Boooo-Ribe still signed with Los Doyers.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Pat the Bat is back for another year. Don't know the financial end of it yet.

 

[Eephus]

Pat the Bat is back for another year. Don't know the financial end of it yet.

The Burrell deal is very team-friendly It was originally reported as $1M plus incentives, but today the Mercury is saying there aren't any incentives.

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

Pat the Bat is back for another year. Don't know the financial end of it yet.

The Burrell deal is very team-friendly It was originally reported as $1M plus incentives, but today the Mercury is saying there aren't any incentives.

Under these terms I'll welcome the machine back.

 

[Eephus]

The San Francisco Giants and right-handed reliever Guillermo Mota have agreed to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training.The Giants confirmed Monday that Mota was staying with the World Series champions. He made the opening day roster in 2010 after signing a minor league contract last February.Mota, 37, went 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 56 appearances over 54 innings for San Francisco in his 12th major league season. He pitched twice in the World Series against Texas

 

[Regular Crust Pizza]

THE GIANTS WON THE ####### WORLD SERIES!!!!

I still have random freak out moments.

 

[badmojo1006]

THE GIANTS WON THE ####### WORLD SERIES!!!!I still have random freak out moments.

I still will say this to my friends and post it on other boards. We are allowed to do this until at least spring training

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

THE GIANTS WON THE ####### WORLD SERIES!!!!I still have random freak out moments.

I still will say this to my friends and post it on other boards. We are allowed to do this until at least spring training

Has the Bochy 'stache become a fashion statement in the Bay Area?

 

[Eephus]

THE GIANTS WON THE ####### WORLD SERIES!!!!I still have random freak out moments.

I still will say this to my friends and post it on other boards. We are allowed to do this until at least spring training

Has the Bochy 'stache become a fashion statement in the Bay Area?

the Christmas train at the Fell St. entrance to Golden Gate Park is painted in Giants colors and is driven by Brian Wilson

 

[badmojo1006]

Tomorrow afternoon, I get to go get my picture taken with the trophy!

 

[badmojo1006]

The Trophy

 

[5Rings]

THE GIANTS WON THE ####### WORLD SERIES!!!!I still have random freak out moments.

Did you hear me, neighbor?

 

[Eephus]

this off-season has been so quiet you can hear the pounds dropping off a panda

 

[Sarnoff]

Showtime giving the SF Giants the Hard Knocks behind-the-scenes treatment in a new reality series.

 

[madhatter]

Just saw Bochy in the B concourse in the ATL airport. Tried to give him a high five, he ignored me.

 

[Eephus]

This year's Todd Wellemeyer

The San Francisco Giants have signed right-hand pitcher Jeff Suppan to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, the team announced Thursday.The 36-year-old Suppan struggled at the outset of the 2010 campaign, going 0-2 with a 7.84 earned run average in 15 games -- two as a starter -- for the Milwaukee Brewers before being released and joining the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-June.He went 3-6 with a 3.84 ERA in 13 starts and two relief outings for the Redbirds, for whom he had toiled between 2004-06.Suppan has compiled a 138-143 career mark with a 4.69 ERA in 442 games, 411 as a starter, over 16 big league seasons with the Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Royals, Pirates, Cardinals and Brewers.

Reportedly gets $1M if he makes the club.The "for whom he had toiled" in the wire story is a nice touch.

 

[Eephus]

Sabean and Bochy extended through 2012 season.

 

[Eephus]

Not quite "in the best shape of my life" but the season hasn't started yet

Pablo Sandoval is much thinner than he was at the end of 2010, period. That was evident even through the untucked, loose-fitting shirt he wore to AT&T Park on Friday.How much thinner? Sandoval will not say, just that he dropped "a lot" of pounds. He promised to reveal the number after his first spring-training weigh-in Feb. 19.Never mind the weight. Sandoval had a better secret to share: One of his two workout masters in Arizona this winter was Greg Oliver, one of Barry Bonds' longtime personal trainers. Olympic decathlon champion Dan O'Brien also worked with Sandoval.Not only that, Sandoval has been talking hitting with Bonds himself, which makes sense. If your biggest problem is hacking at every pitch, who better to advise you than baseball's all-time walks leader?Whether Bonds' advice takes hold remains to be seen.

 

[Eephus]

 

[Eephus]

A source close to the team indicated Tuesday that there is "exasperation" with Zito, that his status as the No. 5 starter is "definitely not safe," and that the team would even consider buying out his expensive contract before Opening Day if that's what it takes to say farewell.Zito has the rest of spring to either resurrect his worth to the Giants or show an opposing team that he'd be valuable in a trade, according to others familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, the Giants will take a close look at 16-year veteran Jeff Suppan (three shutout innings against Milwaukee on Monday), Class AA left-hander Clayton Tanner and other options for the No. 5 slot.There is concern that Zito hasn't been properly diligent in maintaining his physical conditioning, and that Monday's performance (five walks in 13 batters) was all too reminiscent of Oct. 2, when he walked home two runs in the first inning against San Diego and took the loss at AT&T Park.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

WTH happened to this guy? I can't recall the last time a pitcher fell off a cliff like he has.

 

[Eephus]

WTH happened to this guy? I can't recall the last time a pitcher fell off a cliff like he has.

The Giants signed Dontrelle Willis to a minor league deal last year. There are a bunch of other pitchers who suddenly began to suck: Hampton, Park, Neagle, Benson. Zito was better than them to start with and hasn't had any apparent injury problems to diminish his effectiveness. But he always had mediocre K/BB ratios for people who care about it as a leading indicator. His stuff was never outstanding so he had very little margin for error as he aged.NSFW

 

[Dr. Awesome]

I knew his ratios were always questionable but I clearly didn't appreciate the stat as much as I do now. I was happy when Oakland didn't resign him but really didn't expect this kind of a drop off. Curious to see who would sign him if he's let go.

 

[badmojo1006]

A source close to the team indicated Tuesday that there is "exasperation" with Zito, that his status as the No. 5 starter is "definitely not safe," and that the team would even consider buying out his expensive contract before Opening Day if that's what it takes to say farewell.Zito has the rest of spring to either resurrect his worth to the Giants or show an opposing team that he'd be valuable in a trade, according to others familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, the Giants will take a close look at 16-year veteran Jeff Suppan (three shutout innings against Milwaukee on Monday), Class AA left-hander Clayton Tanner and other options for the No. 5 slot.There is concern that Zito hasn't been properly diligent in maintaining his physical conditioning, and that Monday's performance (five walks in 13 batters) was all too reminiscent of Oct. 2, when he walked home two runs in the first inning against San Diego and took the loss at AT&T Park.

I sure hope so. It would be worth the money to be rid of him

 

[Dr. Awesome]

I'd love to see him in St. Louis. Let's see how good that Duncan really is.

 

[Eephus]

It's not like the Giants have any better options at SP5

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I'd love to see him in St. Louis. Let's see how good that Duncan really is.

On MLB Network, Harold Reynolds said the exact same thing.

 

[Eephus]

Sounds like Brandon Belt will be opening day first baseman in LA. It's good to see the organization not nickel and diming on his arbitration clock. He's still very inexperienced and far from a sure thing but it's the kind of guts move a fan wants his or her team to make every time.

 

[BRONG]

Hi Eephus, last year you were down on your Giants going in. LINK.

But hey, it didn't matter did it? Congrats.

So what do you say bud, 88 1/2 sure seems high this year...can they sniff 90? I'm not seeing it. Especially without Zito.

 

[badmojo1006]

Barry Zito in car crash, details unknown

 

[Eephus]

Hi Eephus, last year you were down on your Giants going in. LINK.

But hey, it didn't matter did it? Congrats.

So what do you say bud, 88 1/2 sure seems high this year...can they sniff 90? I'm not seeing it. Especially without Zito.

88.5 seems like a high number. A lot of things went right last year and SF pitchers threw a lot of innings. There's enough talent here to top 89 (or last year's 92) but I think there are better plays on the board. I tend to shy away from teams with very high numbers because there's less margin for error/injuries/underperformance. I'm also generally pessimistic about the home team but still thoroughly enjoying last year's run.

 

[5Rings]

just got 2nd row tickets to Sat's game, taking my oldest son to his first game (wish it was candelstick, but chavez is a damn nice place for beisbol).

life is good.

 

[Eephus]

just got 2nd row tickets to Sat's game, taking my oldest son to his first game (wish it was candelstick, but chavez is a damn nice place for beisbol).life is good.

You really don't wish it was Candlestick

 

[5Rings]

just got 2nd row tickets to Sat's game, taking my oldest son to his first game (wish it was candelstick, but chavez is a damn nice place for beisbol).life is good.

You really don't wish it was Candlestick

I love Candelstick. I hate the new Phone Park. Yah, I know....

 

[Eephus]

just got 2nd row tickets to Sat's game, taking my oldest son to his first game (wish it was candelstick, but chavez is a damn nice place for beisbol).life is good.

You really don't wish it was Candlestick

I love Candelstick. I hate the new Phone Park. Yah, I know....

I liked being able to walk up and get good cheap seats and the hardcore wind resistent fans who went to games, but the Stick was and is a dump.

 

[badmojo1006]

OK we got to get Huff out of the outfield. He is as bad as Vlad Guerrero was in the WS last year

 

[Leviathan]

 

[sjslacker]

They have Belt practicing RF. About freakin time. Huff looks lost out there. Anyone know why Belt didnt start in OF and let Huff stay at 1B rather than move Huff to OF?

Nice to see Wilson get his first save of the year by striking out the side.

FYI the preview for the Showtime reality show about the Giants airs tonight at 9:30 ET on Showtime. I'm curious to see how crazy Wilson really is.

http://sports.sho.com/#/baseball/videos/501

 

[Eephus]

They have Belt practicing RF. About freakin time. Huff looks lost out there. Anyone know why Belt didnt start in OF and let Huff stay at 1B rather than move Huff to OF?Nice to see Wilson get his first save of the year by striking out the side.FYI the preview for the Showtime reality show about the Giants airs tonight at 9:30 ET on Showtime. I'm curious to see how crazy Wilson really is.http://sports.sho.com/#/baseball/videos/501

Belt needs to hit. I've seen some good looking ABs but ultimately he'll be judged on results, rather than style points. He's primarily been a 1B in the minors so I think moving the more experienced player when Ross was hurt is a defensible move. Backing the organization on everything is getting pretty tiresome. I really miss ripping Brian Sabean. What's the statute of limitations on a World Championship?I don't think Wilson is as crazy as he acts. A lot of it is calculated (but sometimes very funny) schtick.