TC's Fake Baseball Mailbag (Part 2) - Giants
Written by Big Poppa TC, Thursday May 28 2009
Hopefully you read Part One of my Fake Baseball Mailbag, and know that most of these questions aren’t…uhh… yeah. Well this is the more Giants -ocused edition, and we actually have a REAL QUESTION included as well.
Tim Lincecum is really only in his third full year at the Major League level, and has already won a CY Young Award, how much better can he get?
Brian S. – Marin, CA
Tim Lincecum is very young and very accomplished with having won the CY Young Award. But truly great pitchers are defined by greatness over an extended period of time, and more importantly, by greatness in the playoffs. Because the Giants haven’t been competitive for the last two years, Lincecum hasn’t been tested in high pressure starts or situations, like in a playoff race or playoff start. I very much hope that he has the chance to be tested in this way, and that he proves to be great. But consistently great pitching and playoff pitching are challenges that are still in front of Tim Lincecum.
As far as the Giants go, does Brian Sabian have the stones to go out and get Matt Holliday before the trade deadline?
Heegos – CA (***REAL QUESTION from REAL READER***)
I am surprisingly in favor of this. Matt Holiday has been a disappointment this year to the A’s, but I feel that if he comes back to the NL West he’ll be more comfortable playing in familiar parks against familiar pitchers. I think this would be a great move for the Giants as they could get him for a discount (as he’s been subpar but improving), but wouldn’t be tied to a large contract forever. In the meantime, it would be great to have another hitter in the lineup, especially one that brings a more patient, professional style to hitting that currently isn’t on the Giants. You could put him in left field for the increasingly disappointing Fred Lewis, who is terrible in the field and the clutch. (Ideally I’d package him as part of the trade, although he does have potential to get better.). So because this makes sense, I’m pretty sure Brian Sabean will do it never. Hideki Matsui will get injured in mid-June and the Yankees will trade for him. It’s really hard to trade between Bay Area teams because management doesn’t want to hear about it from their fans who will live with the outcome everyday if it doesn’t work out from their perspective. Soooo... not enough stones.
The Giants have a meager offense. The Giants have a super-prospect in Buster Posey in the minors. Yes I know that he is a catcher like Bengie Molina, the best Giants hitter, but wouldn’t it be better to have him back-up Bengie and catch Zito every fifth day? He can also pinch-hit late in games for any of the other offensive-deficient Giant batters or pinch-run for Bengie in certain situations. I mean, we really need the run support.
Matt C. – San Francisco, Ca.
Honestly, I don’t think the Giants intend on competing this year. Management hasn’t made an effort to build a major league lineup, and they’re hording young pitching, and playing lots of young prospects in the majors. I think the Giants feel that getting Buster everyday development in the minors will be more beneficial to his development than riding the bench in the majors, or trying to switch positions. Great catching prospects are extremely rare for most teams, and the Giants are planning more for the future (ironically the Giants seem to have good catching prospects consistently, but can’t develop any other position properly). So barring a Bengie Molina injury, I don’t think we’ll see Buster Posey in the majors until maybe September when rosters are expanded.
Your boys Ishikawa and Rowand have been on a tear lately. You’ve ripped the offensive abilities of both in recent columns. Have they turned the corner?
Larry B. – Sausalito, CA
For some reason, moving Aaron Rowand to the leadoff spot in the lineup has magically turned him into Manny Ramirez. He’s hitting everything, he’s clutch, he’s somehow running faster. He’s 14 for 38 since moving on May 19 with seven extra-base hits. I don’t know if he’ll be this hot for the rest of the year, but he’s been at least a solid player in the past, leading me to at least believe it’s possible for him to keep it up.
Travis Ishikawa has actually been decent at home in SF all year long, it was just hard to notice as he was soooooo terrible on the road and in the clutch. But he absolutely murdered the Braves during the series sweep, going 7 for 11 scoring five runs and hitting his first homer of the year. Travis is young, so I’m less convinced. He will likely continue to be terrible on the road with his .077 avg and good at home with his .368 avg. That’s gotta be one of the bigger disparities in history right? Probably should see a therapist or hypnotist. I wonder if athletes use hypnotists. I think it would work right? “Pablo, if a pitch is above your shoulders, don’t swing.” “Brian, don’t walk the bases full before striking out the last batter for the save.”
Did you think of X-Men counterparts for Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand yet?
Charles X. – Westchester, NY
I wrote an article a few weeks ago about the Giants as the X-Men. Brian Wilson was Wolverine and Tim Lincecum was Jean Grey. I really don’t know who Rowand and Winn would be. I will say that my opinion of Aaron Rowand has changed since then. I might have cast him as some type of double agent before. But now he’s definitely a good guy. Maybe he can be Emma Frost, I’m stuck. Jubilee?
Are there any major league players that get regular playing time who are worse than Rich Aurilia? Seriously, wouldn’t we be just as well off forcing Aurlia to retire and bringing up John Bowker or another prospect? They wouldn’t be worse than Aurilia, and at least they'd have the potential to get better.
John B. – Fresno, CA
Khalil Greene on the Cardinals is the only player in the majors worse than Aurilia. He’s hitting .200 with 2 homers but is a much worse defender. I think Bochy is starting to catch on though and play him even less, and Ishikawa hopefully is coming around. But maybe the constant berating of Aurilia on my part will spark a positive change in Rich Aurilia the way it did for Rowand and Ishikawa (I’m comfortable taking credit for those two.).
No, seriously, will the Giants add a power bat? I…. the Giant pitchers need run support.
Tim L. – AT&T Park, CA.
Well it just became more complicated, because Pablo Sandoval may have an elbow issue preventing him from playing third base, and Travis Ishikawa is heating up. So what was previously a weakness at first base may end up being a logjam. But that leaves a need at third base and shortstop (but we just got Renteria so we’re not getting anyone there) and one of the corner outfield positions, (I’ve really had it with Lewis, although I really do think his skill exists, which makes it more frustrating). The problem is, while the Giants are resolving Pablo’s positional situation, the Giants will fall farther behind in the standings and the likelihood that they’ll make a move as a buyer disappears. So my guess is that they do nothing. If Randy Winn can get hot they would hopefully find a buyer for his 9M salary before the trade deadline. So I say look forward to a year of mediocre baseball, but one much improved from last year, with hope for the future.
What’s your favorite food or drink item to purchase at AT&T Ballpark?
M. Mangino – Lawrence, KS.
The last three games I’ve gone to have been day games on fairly warm days. During the sixth inning of each game I went and bought a cup of cookies & cream ice cream from Hagen Das. It has hit the spot every time and at an almost reasonable price, between $5-$6. The worst deal was like a $13 marguerita. On a side note, I like the foam orange “K’s” (not to eat).
If you have actual questions about anything, feel free to comment or message me and I’ll be happy to answer them publicly in a way that embarrasses you, me, and my parents.
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3 comments
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Can we trade Brian Sabean for a bat? I mean, literally, a maple bat? Think TPX or one of those companies would take him? I sure as hell don't want him, he's useless. Watch, he'll sign Shea Hillenbrand (what a great signing that was... zzzz)again at the trade deadline in a pathetic attempt at satisfying the fans/clubhouse/management... This guy has really got to go, like, yesterday... Great work though TC, love all your pieces so far, mostly the ones on the Giants. Keep it up.
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def agree on Dunn. It was weird how we were worried about getting a guy with power who strikes out a lot. Except everyone else on the Giants has no power but strikes out a lot. Fail.
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Not a huge fan of Holliday. When he's not at Coors, he's not a superstar. Even when he was on the Rockies, he was never great on the road, his home numbers were just that much better. I'd like to see a trade for a guy who we might have a chance to resign, or even better, a guy whose contract doesn't expire at the end of the year because, let's face it, the Giants are going nowhere fast this year. I got no names for ya though... I've heard Nick Johnson, blah. Should've got Crede in the offseason or Dunn.