SB Nation Arizona Editor's Pick

From a Giants fan - congrats

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 4, 2011 7:45 PM EDT

Full disclosure: I never thought you guys could do it. Going into the season, I didn't even consider the Diamondbacks a threat - I was worried about the Rockies way more. I didn't think you had the starting pitching and I certainly didn't think you had the relief pitching to contend. Even in May and June, I thought you guys would eventually pull a 2010 Padres and fade down the stretch.

Well, that was silly. After all, Kevin Towers is your GM - the man knows bullpens. As for your pitching, that three team trade a while back seems to have worked out pretty well, eh? And, of course, you guys have Justin Upton and a very solid offense besides him. At this point, it would take a 2007 Mets-like collapse for you guys to not win the division, and I can't see that in the cards.

The Giants, well, we certainly can blame the injuries to a certain extent, but we also have some veteran problems as well - our manager and GM are addicted to them. Perhaps things would be different if we started Brandon Belt, perhaps things would be different if Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez don't go down - whatever. They aren't. You were the better team this year, and for that, congratulations.

I've been commenting on both MCC and AZ Snake Pit for the last few days, though I couldn't make it today, and let me just say that you guys are a classy group. When people from other fanbases come to our blog, I'll admit that a lot of our guys attack them - I saw none of that here (well, except for a bit of screen name bashing, but what can I say, I picked an awkward screen name). Also, it's not like you guys are the Dodgers or the Rockies - I'm OK with the Diamondbacks in general. I'll certainly be rooting for you guys if/when you play the Phillies, and if you and they get that far, I'll be rooting for you against the Red Sox and Yankees for sure (and the Angels - 2002 still stings).

As for us, I think we'll be back and better than ever next year. We'll have Posey back, Sanchez might finally be healthy (though I doubt it - his shoulder is made of swiss cheese), perhaps Bochy and Sabean will catch a whiff of common sense and start Brandon Belt every day, and even if not, maybe Aubrey Huff will do his 'every other year' thing. Maybe we'll use the money we got from selling out every game of the season (I'm serious, we have not missed a sellout yet) and sign a cool new free agent, though that strategy hasn't worked out so well in the past for us (I'd rather we just lock up our pitching and our young hitters). At some point, maybe we'll even see superprospect Gary Brown (currently tearing up High-A).

And finally, there's right now. Football season is starting. I wouldn't have given up DRC and a second round pick for Kevin Kolb, but what's done is done. I'm a huge Stanford fan, so that's nice, but as for my 49ers... well... anyone know any good books?

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Comments

Very impressive to read this coming from SF

You were the better team this year, and for that, congratulations.

THANK YOU !!

Baseball Weirdo

by AZDBACKR on Sep 4, 2011 7:55 PM EDT reply actions

it's actually very nice to see a fan of an opposing team not being a troll on the opposing fan-site

it seems to be a rarity, especially as seasons progress.
you sir, have my respect.

by since_98 on Sep 4, 2011 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Thanks

I never got why people troll. Where’s the fun in it? I have much more fun being respectful and having good conversation.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Some people are just natural jerks

They like to cause others problems and just be a total horse’s ass just to rile people up. The THRIVE on it.

"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 5, 2011 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I have more respect for people like you

I still hate Dodger fans- they’re the worst

Trevor Bauer: 14-4, 2.00 ERA, 162 IP, 246 K in UCLA, Visalia (Hi-A), and Mobile (AA)

by freeland1787 on Sep 4, 2011 9:22 PM EDT reply actions

Yes, thank you token Giants fan who is reasonable and deferential. Every last Dodgers fan is still a POS though.

Sports fandom is the last acceptable reservoir of blind prejudice and that’s one of the things I love about it.

by UofAZGrad on Sep 15, 2011 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks Timmeh's Bong

And you’re welcome back any and every time you want, as far as I’m concerned!

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 4, 2011 9:26 PM EDT reply actions

coming from a MCC troll:)

jk hungry, I’m sure they’ve forgiven you…

by Gildo on Sep 6, 2011 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm sure they've

forgotten. :-)

Reading: It's highly overrated!
I <3 Vuvuzelas!!!

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 8, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Salute to you sir

And what’s wrong with the 49ers? Having awesome receivers and no QB is nothing. It’s like having awesome pitching and no offense ;)

Best of luck (but not too much :P) next season.

Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3
"I'm like if it fits in the oven, play ball." - soco
Promised Colin Cowgill fifteen sandwiches on 7/6/2011

by Clefo on Sep 4, 2011 9:55 PM EDT reply actions

Niners have no QB, a growing offensive line, and bad pass defense

Don’t get me wrong, there’s loads of talent on this team, and if things fall the right way I could see us contending for the super bowl in 3 or 4 years. But it would be silly, especially with a new head coach (despite him being completely AWESOME), to think that this will be anything but a rebuilding year for the Niners. I think the NFC West is a toss-up between the Cardinals (if Kolb pans out) and the Rams (if he doesn’t).

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 3:03 AM EDT up reply actions

personally, I think every NFC West team actually improved...

Thought the the most important position on the field is a question mark yet again for SF, I do think that the roster improved. It seemed like it was going to be a disaster with all of the FA losses and little to no movement. However, I think they made some decent moves towards the end and there is no doubt that Harbaugh is putting his stamp on the team… Yes, things will take time and this will no doubt be a different kind of year for SF, but I will still bite off all of my nails throughout the two games they play the Cards. No matter who goes out for SF, even if it were a HS JV team, they would still somehow play the Cardinals really tough.

by Gildo on Sep 6, 2011 7:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think

Seattle improved, and actually predict them being pretty bad this year

Goldy Watch: 28 games, ..258/.327/.506

by Jdub220 on Sep 9, 2011 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions

I was way wrong too...

Before the season began – If you told me AZ was going to be 7 games up with 22 games to play – i would have told you to pound sand.

Injuries happen – we have had some too (drew, nady, blum, etc), but not as bad as SF, and i think the loss of Posey REALLY hurt that offense.

I have long held a belief that teams that go deep into the playoffs, often comeback tired the next year – especially pitching on teams that depend on thier starters. I think we have seen some of that here as well… Timmy (and Bong), and Cain – while still very good – dont look as sharp as they did last year… you agree?

Anyway – thanks for the classy post… best of luck to you…

by qudjy1 on Sep 4, 2011 10:17 PM EDT reply actions

The only pitcher who I really think had fatigue issues

was Jonathan Sanchez. He was brilliant last year, particularly in September. Then, he started to fall apart in the playoffs, and everyone thought he was too tired, and he was never as effective again.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 3:01 AM EDT up reply actions

cool of you to do this

I hope for another epic battle next season

☣ "I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy." ☣
DO IT FOR DREW

by hotclaws on Sep 4, 2011 10:38 PM EDT reply actions

TLB

You are a classy fan…thank you for being friendly with us here at the ‘Pit and for your awesome congratulatory post here. It’s been a really fun having you interact with us and please, feel free to come in here any time, no matter what. You are welcome :)

"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 4, 2011 10:50 PM EDT reply actions

+1!

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 4, 2011 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions

respeck

Banzai!

by Suns' Sensei on Sep 5, 2011 1:11 AM EDT reply actions

Guys, it's a trap

he’s playing possum so we’d coast through the rest of the year and the Giants can then take advantage!

And yes, if you’re asking, us fans totally have bearing on how the actual teams play!

"If you find a man or woman who sticks around after you tell them "I may be a demented horse, but I know CPR," you marry them. No questions asked." - kishi

by CaptainCanuck on Sep 5, 2011 1:36 AM EDT reply actions

If I had that type of power

I’d be in Vegas making trillions, and the Giants would never lose again.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for the congrats

and for being a cool Giants fan. You are good people.

That said, we can’t all be classy and take the high road. WOOOHOOO PLAYOFFS

/sorry, no shame

Goldy Watch: 15 games, ..253/.309/.493

by Jdub220 on Sep 5, 2011 5:00 AM EDT reply actions

Appreciate you stopping by

And in particular, for being here both for your team’s victories and losses. That’s the mark of a true guest. It’s nice to be reminded that Giants fans are people too! [something I’ve occasionally had serious reason to doubt this year]

I never thought you guys could do it. Going into the season, I didn’t even consider the Diamondbacks a threat.

You weren’t the only one. Few people did. Kirk Gibson and Kevin Towers have, if not quite spun straw into gold, turned gold-plate into a good enough facsimile of bullion to pass muster. I wasn’t here for the great 98-99 turnaround (a 35 win-improvement is likely beyond even this team), but that seemed to involve a much larger bump in payroll than here.

Next year will be interesting, but from our point of view, we’ll be looking to improve some way ourselves, and this season has shown how possible (if not necessarily easy) it is to turn a team around quickly, with a mix of good luck and smart judgment. There’s no doubt the Giants suffered in both those areas this year: the miraculous avoidance of injuries that characterized 2010 ran out, and some of the moves made were baffling – though I never quite got the seething hatred relentlessly expressed on McC, for a GM and manager who won you guys your first world series in half a century.

Should be fun: see you in 2012, though there’s still room on the D-backs bandwagon this season! :-)

Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."

by Jim McLennan on Sep 5, 2011 11:46 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Don't look now, but if you guys face the Phillies in the first round,

I might just be jumping on that bandwagon…

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

There's plenty of room

Especially since it’s more of a bandTARDIS, and is therefore bigger on the inside!

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 5, 2011 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I approve of this metaphor

Since I guess that makes me the Doctor.

“I wear a SnakePit T-shirt now. SnakePit T-shirts are cool…”
</sonicscrewdrivers>

Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."

by Jim McLennan on Sep 5, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Just as long

as I’m not the tin dog, I’m fine with you being the Doctor

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 5, 2011 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I just

had someone ask me at breakfast what the hell is going on with the Diamondbacks. I answered: “space magic.”

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Sep 5, 2011 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Giants and D-Backs

I don’t think either team is that good, to be honest. SF has outrageously good pitching and outrageously poor offense. We have had good pitching this year (although I think Saunders has pitched above his talent level, and Putz has been outstanding, but is an injury waiting to happen) and an above average offense.

SF next year? Posey will help your offense. Don’t know about Belt – he hasn’t shown me anything yet, but I haven’t watched him in the minors. I don’t see why your pitching won’t be just as good, so I imagine y’all will be in the mix next year.

D-Backs next year? If half of our hot pitching prospects in the minors can carry through in the majors, we should be at least as good next year as this (even if IPK doesn’t pitch as well next year). But we certainly have issues – Drew coming off a broken ankle, Roberts, Parra, and Montero (defensively) are having career years, we have no 2nd baseman, Goldschmidt is not a proven commodity. After 5 years, I still don’t know if CY can hit major league pitching.

Should be interesting…

by Craig from Az on Sep 5, 2011 3:44 PM EDT reply actions

I think both teams are pretty good actually

The Giants don’t have Posey and Sanchez, and most of the black hole on offense has come from 3 positions – SS, 2B, and C. Getting those guys healthy and potentially adding a new FA should bring us up to something resembling a league average offense, which should be plenty good enough with our pitching. After all, that’s more than we had in 2010 and that ended pretty well. Also, regarding Belt, a lot of the average problems he’s had could be attributed to irregular playing time, which should end next year.

As for you guys, you have a star in the making in Justin Upton, and I see no reason why the rest of the offense should decline. Parra and Roberts are young guys, so having career years at this point is not as surprising as someone like Huff having one. Montero isn’t that old either.

As for Goldschmidt, anyone with that kind of power has a future in the MLB. He hit a home run to what we like to call ‘Barry Bonds territory’ – meaning really only Barry Bonds could hit it out there – off a pitcher who allows very few home runs, and he’s a RIGHTY. He seems to me to be at worst Mark Reynolds with more power, and that is a scary, scary prospect. Your pitching should be fine as well – with Parker, Skaggs, and Bauer, as well as IPK and Hudson back, I see no reason it won’t be a major plus in the future, even if only one of those guys pan out.

Both of these teams could be 90-95 win teams for quite a while.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I am closer with your opinion, TLB than Craig's

To Craig’s points:
Saunders is due for a regression: true, but with Bauer, Miley, Skaggs, and Parker knocking on the door, he shouldn’t be in the rotation next year. And if he is it shouldn’t be for long.
Putz is due for an injury: Putz has had some injuries throughout his career, but he hasn’t been overtaxed this year and I know of no one who thinks he has a mechanical flaw. I don’t see any reason to believe he’s any more likely to get an injury than any other mid-thirty year old.

SF: the addition of Posey is a significant addition. Granted, they need more than just Posey to turn their offense around, but Posey is without a question a legitimate middle of the order hitter.
Belt: SF fans are probably higher on Belt than he deserves, but he is unquestionably an upgrade over Huff and he should be at least an MLB average 1B.

Drew: I don’t see why you see Drew as area of concern. Obviously after a below average first half we can’t see his addition as the return of a middle of the order type guy. But he’ll likely be healthy by October/November and should have the whole offseason to get back into playing shape. It’s difficult to imagine Drew as anything but an upgrade over Bloomquist.
Roberts: some regression will certainly happen, but I don’t think it will be a cliff-like dive (TLB: note, Roberts is 30, so he isn’t a ‘young guy’ any longer).
Parra: I don’t think there’s any reason to see Parra’s progress as anything but that — progress. He’s 24 years old and I think what we’re seeing is his growing into the player he will be at his peak.
Montero: no reason his defense (or offense) will regress in his age 28 season.
Goldschmidt: it’s very true he isn’t a proven commodity, but as we’ve seen even over his first two months, he is an incredibly intelligent and hard working player with a steep learning curve. Like TLB, I see good things going forward (I agree with the Mark Reynolds comparison — I see him as an Adam Dunn type with better defense).
CY: you’re right, Craig — perhaps one of the most difficult players to assess going forward. But one thing we can count on is excellent defense in center and some pop.

Both teams are unlikely to be quiet in the off-season. The D-Backs have a very strong pen, very strong (and cheap) rotation, and only one glaring hole (2B or 3B (SS if something dramatically wrong happens with Drew). KT can (should) throw every dollar he has at a top tier FA (or trade for one of those pieces) and that addition should significantly improve the team. The Giants have a more difficult situation in putting together an offense that can compete in the off-season, but they’ve also got a lot of good cost control and have deeper pockets than the D-Backs. They should be able to bring in at least one big bat in the OF and an above average MI bat.

I don’t see the rest of the division being able to close the gap next year, although I actually think the entire division should improve, especially if the Dodgers fall into the hands of a capable owner with deep pockets.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 5, 2011 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't disagree

that the D-Backs have a chance to be very good next year – I just think that it’s far from a sure thing.

I also think that the playoffs are a complete crap shoot, and the fact that the Giants won last year does not (IMO) mean they are a great team – they have great pitching and their mediocre to poor offense got hot at the right time.

by Craig from Az on Sep 5, 2011 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, of course

It’ll never be a sure thing. An injury to J-Up, Montero, IPK or Huddy would be devastating. A player tanking for no apparent reason. Or Colorado or the Dodgers all of the sudden putting things together. You never know.

I agree that even last year the Giants weren’t a great team. That doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve the WS championship. It just means that things fell into place for them offensively just enough to assist that incredible pitching staff to a WS.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 5, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

further comments

Saunders: yeah I’d like to believe we make the smart economic move and trade Saunders away during winter…..but let’s face it…..this is KT we’re talking about. i dunno if he’d actually do that.

Putz: i agree with what you said. problem is….mid-thirty year olds have a reasonable probability of getting injured or becoming ineffective. add on that to the natural volatility from being a reliever…..and…….

SF: love Posey. dude is a beast. there will be some question though, as there always is, when a player comes back from injury.

Belt: i like Belt. he’s got some of the same problems as what Goldy has, in that there are holes in his swing. though scouts probably think his bat speed is better than Goldy. the bigger issue is of course, Belt’s a left hander. that combined with his raw talent makes him probably a slightly above average guy at 1B next year.

Drew: ankle injuries to middle infielders scare the bejeebus out of me. that being said….still expect him to be an upgrade of Bloomquist. but i mean…that’s not saying much

Roberts: we’ve talked about this. i think we can bank on him being a 2 WAR guy, but i’d be skeptical of much more than that.

Parra: love what he’s shown this year, in particular his pull power. still a bit skeptical about the OBP, because a ton of his walks are intentional, and just from the scouting perspective, i’ve seen him swing at tons of terrible pitches, from both righties and lefties.

Montero: this guy is a beast. been saying it for a long time now.

Goldy: the intelligence and plus makeup are going to be the potential difference maker with him. his strikeout rate is absurdly bad, and has to come down. Mark Reynolds at 1B has barely any value at all.

CY: don’t think he’s going to be an issue next year. yeah, the popups are still up and a bit annoying. but like you said, as long as he’s got pop and excellent defense and takes his fair share of walks, he’ll be fine. a lot of the bad offensive performance this year was due to injury.

Offseason Dbacks: would love for the Dbacks to go after Reyes or Zimmerman in the offseason. if we could just land one of those guys…….*drools. that being said, a lot of it will depend on ownership, as well as KT not wasting $10 million on useless players.

Offseason Giants: i would be INCREDIBLY surprised if the Giants make a splash in the offseason. they have a ton of arbitration eligibles that require hefty raises, and their current commitments are nothing to joke about either. yeah they’ve got deeper pockets, but their commitments are really insane. seriously. don’t see them improving much through free agency. any improvement is going to have to be internal/getting healthy.

Dodgers will be the scariest to challenge the Dbacks next year. they have talent on that roster and some talent in the minors. and if their finances get sorted out they will be dangerous. Padres won’t be scary until some of that young talent they’ve amassed in the minors get called up. that’s still at least a year or two away. Rockies are so overrated. i said that at the beginning of the year, and i feel so vindicated now. and they are going to continue to be a nonfactor, as they have no real way of improving their pitching or their lineup through the farm. and as Cargo and Tuloo’s extensions start kicking in down the road…..let’s just say the future doesn’t look bright for the Rockies right now

by blue bulldog on Sep 5, 2011 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I hope we KEEP Saunders!

"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 6, 2011 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????

Do you love Saunders and think he can continue to outperform his xFIP? Or do you just not like our prospects?

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I like our prospects

Nowhere have I ever said I didn’t like them…

Joe is young enough that he can still turn things around. After all, he’s not the oldest guy on our team or anything to that effect. I believe he’s had some tough outings this year and he can turn his fortune (or lack thereof) the other way.

The prospect guys WILL have their time too. Why rush them though and risk serious injury or burnout?

"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 6, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions

How do

they risk serious injury any more in the majors than the minors? Pitching is pitching.

If they can pitch in the majors, they should be there. Since Saunders is probably the weakest link in the rotation going forward, he should be out. Especially at that price.

Goldy Watch: 28 games, ..258/.327/.506

by Jdub220 on Sep 6, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

It's not up to US to decide anyway

That’s KT’s call. I would rather give the prospects more time to develop than to bring them up too quick and have them regress too

"I didn't mean to hit the umpire with the dirt, but I did mean to hit that bastard in the stands." -Babe Ruth

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 7, 2011 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Right,

I know it’s not our call, but isn’t that at least partially what this site is about? Discussing our opinions? It’s not much of a stretch at all to say Skaggs or Parker would outperform Saunders, and don’t you want the best possible version of this team?

Goldy Watch: 28 games, ..258/.327/.506

by Jdub220 on Sep 9, 2011 2:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Of course

All we can do is see what happens next…with KT at the helm, anything is possible!

Baseball fans are junkies, & their heroin is the statistic. ~Robert S. Wieder

by Rockkstarr12 on Sep 11, 2011 4:43 AM EDT up reply actions

KT

I think our collective opinion of KT will be dramatically influenced by this offseason. KT came into a situation this past offseason with a roster with more holes than swiss cheese. He took a shotgun approach to his roster construction and had a lot of success with the bullpen and minimal success with the offense. Next year he comes into as stable a situation as I can remember for the D-Backs (it also will be unquestionably his most stable situation as a GM). It will be interesting to see if he’s able to adapt his methods and go for a more targeted rather than shotgun approach.

Re: CY — good point on the wrist. A lot of folks keep pointing to that and I hope that’s the case. But as there’s rarely been stable offensive performance by CY in his career I’m concerned nonetheless.

Re: the Giants — interesting to see that their payroll was up at $118 this year. That’s a lot higher than I thought. Yes, that puts a serious crimp in their hopes of taking on a lot more. But they are third in the MLB in attendance, so I imagine they will try to add at least one big offensive piece so they can make another serious run at it while they have their amazing rotation intact.

Re: the Dodgers — yes, as I said above, if they bring in the right ownership, I could see them immediately making a run at the division. They have strong young talent and holes (1B especially) that could be easily fixed through free agency.

Re: the Rox and the Padres — I sitll think they’ll be competitive. Neither are losing major pieces. The division is going to be tough. This year, in a down year, the worst run differential in the division is held by the Giants at -22. That’s not bad.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions

Rox

are losing Ubaldo, Jorge, and Nicasio

how are they going to replace that?

apparently Pomeranz is being called up. really interested to see how he does. him and Skaggs are fairly similar….with Skaggs having a bit more upside in my opinion.

by blue bulldog on Sep 6, 2011 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions

You mean

Combined they had around 3 WAR this year. Not bad, but not irreplaceable. Pomeranz alone should be able to make up at least 2 of that.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

er...

i meant in the sense that they’d have to find a whole year’s worth of substitution for what they are capable of

they only combined for 3 WAR this year because they got injured midseason or traded.

notice….the Rockies are a million miles away from the playoffs at this point. not even sure they could have made the playoffs this year with a healthy Ubaldo, Jorge, and Nicasio. how are they going to make the playoffs next year without them?

basically what i’m saying is…..if you think they are 10-15 WAR away from the playoffs this year, how on Earth are they going to make that up and get closer to the playoffs next year? Pomeranz and White (especially White….i still don’t think he’s a more than a back-end starter) aren’t going to make up the difference, and those are the only reinforcements the Rockies can expect.

by blue bulldog on Sep 6, 2011 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

that's fair

Although my point is that even a healthy Ubaldo was only a little above average this year. Losing Nicasio, actually, is probably the more significant challenge. If they had Nicasio and Pomeranz in their starting rotation next year I could see them adding 3 WAR. But with Pomeranz and White they’re probably only going to just replace Jorge, Nicasio, and Ubaldo. Helton will probably take another step backward (although he’s certainly not regressing at the normal rate), Seth Smith should get more ABs and Spillbourghs fewer, which will be good for the club. And Fowler looks like he might finally be taking a step forward.

But there’s no doubt they’re a flawed team — 3B and 2B are holes and the rotation has gone from promising to far and away the worst in the division. Can they take a step forward? It’s possible… but I think in the end you’re probably right that they are more likely to regress… and I’ll add, I could see a very legitimate argument having the Pads overtaking them next year.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 8:25 PM EDT up reply actions

super classy dude

When people from other fanbases come to our blog, I’ll admit that a lot of our guys attack them

Sabean's_Folly:(on why we watch Giants baseball)

"Just accept the fact that you are a masochist, like most of us here."

by DudeDontTazeMe on Sep 5, 2011 6:45 PM EDT reply actions

Something interesting about this

I was on MCC for our game today and there actually wasn’t that same spirit of rudeness and meanness. People were much happier than I’ve seen them in a while. I guess it’s just that the pressure of being in a playoff race might have affected us.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 5, 2011 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Of course, scoring seven runs probably helped

I’ve seen the same thing here: people seem to be a lot more tightly wound when the offense isn’t scoring, almost regardless of whether your side is pitching well or not.

Daron "...the D. Baxter fan-club"
Mark: "A non-profit organization."

by Jim McLennan on Sep 5, 2011 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I have no idea

what you could be refering to! You couldn’t be talking about say yesterday’s game when everyone was all doom and gloom because the Giants were beating us 1-0 in the seventh, could it?

In case you've forgotten, it's Row-Bleh-Ski.

by imstillhungry95 on Sep 5, 2011 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Who gets an extension first...

Cain or Timmeh?!?!?!

by Husk on Sep 6, 2011 1:03 AM EDT reply actions

my Giant fan friend

seems to think Cain will be a Giant forever, and that Timmy will leave after his two arb years are up

by blue bulldog on Sep 6, 2011 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions

I think it will be Cain as well

I’m guessing he gets 5/90 this winter. Sabean seems to think there’s too much risk with Lincecum and his windup or whatever. Probably a smart decision, they will have gotten the best from him.

by Husk on Sep 6, 2011 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually,

Timmeh was quoted in the SF Chronicle saying he wanted to be a Giant for life, while Cain said no such thing. It’s probably just semantics, but I’d put my money on Timmy over Cain. Plus, the weed’s better here!

That said, I think if any pitcher is likely to leave it will probably be Sanchez or Bumgarner at some point. I think Sanchez leaves after next year.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 6, 2011 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions

oh

i was already assuming Sanchez would leave. it’s not like he’s that big of an upgrade over the type of prospects SF seems to churn out anyway (i’m pretty high on Surkamp for what it’s worth)

i just don’t think the Giants will be able to keep both Cain and Timmy long-term…something i think we all agree with

by blue bulldog on Sep 6, 2011 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Keeping both of them for the rest of their careers will be impossible

But while the Giants are spending a lot right now, in 2 years Zito’s contract comes off the books and we already swallowed Aaron Rowand’s contract, which adds a lot to our current payroll (so it’s higher than it seems). Also, looking at what Timmy is getting in arb and what Cain is already getting, it won’t be a huge leap to sign them both to extensions at least for now. I might be overvaluing our chances of keeping them both because I’m a huge homer, but I think it’s doable.

I'm just a simple Giants fan trying to make my way in the universe.

by Tim Lincecum's Bong on Sep 6, 2011 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions

2 years?

Sorta… don’t they have to pay him $7M to go away in 2014? That sounds more like 3 years to me.

The big thing is what sort of payroll are the Giants willing to handle. As the third biggest drawing team in the bigs, is the 5 slot they currently hold in terms of payroll actually lower than what they can actually do? Is this a team that can move from $118M up to closer to $150M? If that’s the case, then they just might be able to control Lincecum and Cain for a good chunk of time.

"Baseball fans are junkies, and their heroin is the statistic." Robert S. Wieder

by njjohn on Sep 6, 2011 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I laughed at the last sentence

Classy post. And yeah, I’m sure things would be different if you had Buster Posey, but hey, who knows? Maybe things would be even more different if we still had Stephen Drew.

And feel free to head over to ROTB to debate with us. You can join in on the bitter remembrance of the 2010 season.

by Skii on Sep 6, 2011 9:40 PM EDT reply actions