Gary Brown: What He Could Bring to the Giants

Gary Brown was the Giants' first round pick in the 2010 Amateur Player Draft, coming out of Cal State Fullerton. He's a very good defensive center fielder, and hits for average as well. He was named Class A Advanced Best Hitter in 2011, hitting .336 with an OPB of .407. His speed is what seperates him from the other prospects, though. He stole 53 bases and had 13 triples. He also has a knack for stretching singles into doubles. He projects to be the Giants' leadoff hitter and the future, and will help them tremendously with his hitting ability and speed, which the Giants currently lack.

He was selected to participate in the 2011 Futures Game, and was the starting center fielder. He hit ninth in the order and got a base hit, a stolen base, and scored a run.

Here is the link to Gary Brown's pregame interview with Mychael Urban and Oakland prospect (as well as one of Gary's friends) Grant Green.

Along with his talent, Gary Brown will add to the clubhouse chemistry. He has tons of energy and loves to have fun with what he's doing. While having fun, though, he takes his work seriously. He comes from a humble background and appreciates every opportunity he gets, knowing that he's fortunate to be in the situation that he's in. During the All-Star break, he was interviewed by MLB and he also filmed his All-Star experience for them. The video shows his serious, hard-working side as well as his fun-loving, playful demeanor. The video also includes footage from the MLB All-Star festivites, as well.

Giants' All-Star Video

Brown will most certaintly recieve an invitation to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Arizona, as he recieved one last year. If the Giants struggle during the season, Brown may be the answer to their woes. Until then, he waits patiently down on the farm. But watch out, Major League Baseball, because his day will come. And this kid has a lot to offer.

Dream Team of Young Men

My brother decided to have the two of us put together a "dream team" of sorts. The players have to have five or less years of service in the major leagues. We also have to include at least two minor league players. We're putting our teams together in confidentiality, and then comparing. Sabean may want to take a look at this to get an idea of what the word "young" means.

Catcher- Buster Posey

Age: 24

Team: San Francisco Giants

First Base- Eric Hosmer

Age: 22

Team: Kansas City Royals

Second Base- Danny Espinosa

Age: 24

Team: Washington Nationals

Third Base- Brett Lawrie

Age: 21

Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Shortstop- Starlin Castro

Age: 21

Team: Chicago Cubs

Left Field- Ryan Braun

Age: 27

Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Center Field- Gary Brown

Age: 23

Team: San Francisco Giants

Right Field: Mike Trout

Age: 20

Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Starting Rotation

1. Tim Lincecum

Age: 27

Team: San Francisco Giants

2. Clayton Kershaw

Age: 23

Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Madison Bumgarner

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

4. Stephen Strasburg

Age: 23

Team: Washington Nationals

5. David Price

Age: 26

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Bullpen

Closer- Craig Kimbrel

Age: 23

Team: Atlanta Braves

Setup- Sergio Romo

Age: 28

Team: San Francisco Giants

Others-

Tyler Clippard

Age: 26

Team: Washington Nationals

Chris Perez

Age: 26

Team: Cleavland Indians

Heath Hembree

Age: 22

Team: San Francisco Giants

It's getting kind of late and I'm really tired. Sorry if Chris Perez seems a little weird, but he was an All-Star. I was just pulling pitchers a relievers off the top off my head. I'd say it's a pretty decent bullpen. The rotation is exceptional, with the best pitcher in baseball heading the staff and the 2011 NL Cy Young following him. You can't get much better than that, even if I had to put a Dodger on here. It is a Cardinal-free zone, though! (Yes, Perez was drafted by the Cardinals, but he's not with them anymore!)

2012 25-Man Roster- My Version

As talked about in the previous post, I was extremely bored after my heath exam so I came up with the procedure on how to handle Zito when he starts. I also composed what I thought the Giants' 25-Man roster should look like next year. The picture was just a rough draft, so I'll fix everything up below.

*                   = Free Agent

Starting Lineup

1. Angel Pagan- CF- S

2. Freddy Sanchez- 2B- R

3. Pablo Sandoval- 3B- S

4. Buster Posey- C- R

5. Melky Cabrera- LF- S

6. Brandon Belt- 1B- L

7. Nate Schierholtz- RF- L

8. Brandon Crawford- SS- L

Starting Rotation

1. Tim Lincecum- R

2. Matt Cain- R

3. Madison Bumgarner-L

4. Ryan Vogelsong-R

5. Paul Maholm- L

Bullpen

Brian Wilson- R

Sergio Romo- R

Javier Lopez- L

Jeremy Affeldt- L

Guillermo Mota- R

Barry Zito- L

Santiago Casilla- R

Bench

Aubrey Huff- 1B/OF- L

Mike Fontenot- INF- L

Emmanuel Burriss- UTL- S

Chris Stewart- C- R

Options for the 25th Man

There's only one spot left on the roster. The bullpen is pretty full, but if they wanted to add to the depth they could bring lefty Dan Runzler or righty Steve Edlefsen up. Or they could add one more bench player. And there is only one person that I feel could fit the role that Bochy and Sabean want. They want a veteran righty to be a part-time platoon with Crawford. Now I know this is Sabean and Bochy, but there is one guy that could fill this role perfectly. He wouldn't play that much but he would be a good mentor for Crawford, and I personally think it would be cool to see him back in a Giants uniform.

Edgar Renteria.

He'd be really cheap, so he wouldn't be a budget buster. And if Sabean still wants to add another reliever, there's ways to do that. They can put Zito on the "DL" like they did at the end of the season in 2011. It keeps Zito away from the rubber and frees up a spot. That's a win-win situation for everybody!

Picture of the Week- 12-18-11

Knowing CPR will be very beneficial to Whiteside. He has to be ready when half the team starts to kick the bucket. Maybe then Sabean will learn what happens when you try to get a bunch of old men to play baseball. This also shows that he really can't do anything right. You're not supposed to lace your fingers together!!!! The lady is even trying to show him that. I guess you really can't fix stupid.

Anger Management Time: Eli Whiteside Contract?!?!?

He kind of looks like an alien... Maybe he should go back to his planet.

I cannot explain how tired I got of seeing this face in 2011.

He can't catch the ball.

I had some trouble finding pictures of him hitting. Because he doesn't.

He can't hit.

He can't slide. He gave himself a concussion trying to slide. It finally kept him out of the lineup.

Wait a minute. "Why would this man be in the lineup?" you ask. He can't hit, catch, slide, throw runners out, or keep an ounce of color in his hair. So why would Bochy play him?

Because Bruce Bochy just loves washed up, untalented old farts. Sure, Whiteside is only 32 years old. But his hair and athletic ability just reek of that old-manish aura that Bochy loves. So Whiteside got playing time after Buster went down. Even though Chris Stewart's catching abilities were far superior to Whiteside's, Whiteside got the majority of the time behind the plate. Even though Chris Stewart was used to the grind of catching every day while Whiteside was used to keeping his buns warm on the bench, Whiteside got the majority of the playing time. Whiteside was so terrible, that after a while, he wasn't even allowed to catch Lincecum anymore. Whenever Lincecum would throw one of his trademark change-ups, the pitch would be beautiful. It would come in right where hitters like it, only to die at the last second as they swung helplessly for it. Then the ball would go careening to the backstop. If there were runners on base, they would advance while Whiteside ran around trying to figure out where the heck the ball went. So Whiteside was kept very far away from Timmy. There was only one time after that where Whiteside was slated to catch on the same day Linceum was starting. It was July 26th. The Giant's first game against the Philles since they clinched to go to the World Series. I was super excited about that game. I wanted to see the Giants give the Phillies what they deserved. The fact that Lincecum was starting also meant that I would get to see him and Bumgarner pitch when I would watch them in Cincinnati.

And then Andrew Baggarly posted the lineup on his blog.

Lincecum was starting, and Whiteside was catching.

Not an hour later, MLB Network was reporting that Lincecum was scratched for that night due to flu-like symptoms. And I totally believed that he was sick. Thinking about having to pitch to Whiteside would make one nauseous. I also have speculations that Obama ruined him too, but that's another story.

Back to the present now. Just last week was the non-tender deadline, and to my great relief, the Giants non-tendered Whiteside. I was so happy. I had a Whiteside-free summer stretching out before me. No more runners stealing second with the throw getting there as they're dusting their pants off. No more dropped third strikes that lead to extra innings because he decides to turn around and argue with the umpire instead of throwing the ball down to first to get the runner out.

And somehow, he gets a NEW CONTRACT?!?!?!? This makes absolutely no sense. Buster will be starting again next year with Stewart as backup. Catching prospect Hector Sanchez will be waiting in AAA if they decide they want to use him if Buster needs frequent catching breaks. So why do they sign back a fourth catcher? They say that Whiteside will be "competing for a job" in spring training. But if he doesn't get a job (which he hopefully won't) that's just money they wasted on a fourth catcher that they are just going to let go.

I've said this a million times, but sometimes I wonder about Brian Sabean. Maybe I should just change that to, "Brian Sabean, you're an idiot."

The one good thing Whiteside did

Picture of the Week: 12-11-11

I've decided to start a picture of the week post, which will be dated by the Sunday of the week that it was posted.

Romo's either super excited about getting his ring or he really likes Neukom's bow tie.

Venturing Out Into the Real World: Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is almost here. People are shopping like crazy, Christmas trees are being put up, and students are studying for semesters. Baseball has been incredibly busy this offseason, as well. Let's take a look at what's been going on.

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

The Angels made a huge splash at the winter meetings by signing slugger Albert Pujols and the 2011 American League Champion's ace, C.J. Wilson, on the same day.

"Theo Is Coming to Town"

Theo Epstein moving to Chicago was what kicked off the offseason. Epstein is making his list of targets this offseason, and you better believe he'll check it twice before making a move. He knows what the Cubs' fans are waiting for.

"All I Want for Christmas Is Yu"

The most recent headlines in baseball are about Yu Darvish, and which team won the negotianting rights to him. The rumors say that there were at least four bidders, those being the Cubs, the Yankees, the Rangers, and the Blue Jays.

Now it's time for some Giants specials. This is, after all, a blog about the Giants.

"Home for the Holidays"

The Giants are working on getting Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum wrapped up before they have a chance to the unpredictable waters of free agency. Both of them are irreplaceable assets to the team, and are considered the Giants' pair of aces. Brian Sabean, Larry Baer, Bobby Evans, and the rest of the crew need to do everything in their power and more to keep these two right here at home.

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Those that know me know that my personal little name for Andres Torres is Baby. Most likely he will never wear a Giants' uniform again, and when I watch my DVDs of the World Series games, seeing him hit his home run in Game 3 and make stellar defensive plays and run in from the outfield pumping his fist after the last out and hoisting the trophy with Buster and... I could go on and on. But everytime I watch those special moments I get a little chill up my spine because he was such a special player, and the Giants will never be able to replace him. Not his talent, but what he meant to this organization and its fan base. Also, New York winters can be pretty cold. So bundle up, Andres!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

Sabean Says the Giants Are, "Tapped Out": How They Can Still Get That Premium Bat (that's not Buster or Pablo)

Fear the Beard.

It was the Giant's rally cry through the magical season that was 2010. It won them a division on the last day of the season. It lead to a fierce battle for the pennet, where they had to face what was largely considered the best team in the Nation League. And finally, as everybody remembers, it took them to the World Series, where their cry was introduced to the rest of the world as they played on the biggest stage in baseball and took it by storm. Or by beard.

And every single one of those games described above ended with this.

Brian Wilson was undeniably one of the most important contributors to the Giants World Series title in 2010. In the entire postseason, Brian Wilson had 6 saves, and was on the mound for all four of the clinching games (division, NLDS, NLCS, World Series). He had an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.771 with a SO/BB (strikeout-to-walk ratio) of 4. Even though Edgar Renteria won the World Series MVP (and deserved it) Wilson could just have easily won it, too.

He was a huge contributor during the season as well, with 48 saves (the most in baseball that year) and a save percentage of 91%, the best in his entire Major League career. He had an ERA of 1.81, and a SO/BB of 3.58. He was an All-Star, and was 7th on the Cy Young Ballot and 13th on the MVP ballot.

Brian Wilson raises the 2010 World Series Champions flag on their home opener against the Cardinals. Kind of ironic...

And then this happened.

Wilson started the 2011 season on the DL, and almost ended it on the DL.

He blew five saves, the same as in 2010, but he only saved 36 games. His ERA rose to 3.11 and his SO/BB dipped to 1.74. Towards the end of the season, he started having health problems. He went on the DL again with elbow problems, and even had to go Florida to have it examined by Dr. James Andrews to evaluate the seriousness of the situation. He came off the DL right at the end of the season, but didn't look 100%.  He was being criticized because he was appearing in more and more commercials, but wasn't producing like he did in 2010.

Enter Sergio Romo.

Romo was a good reliever in 2010, with an ERA of 2.18,a WHIP of 0.968, and a very, very good SO/BB of 5. He really busted out in 2011, though. He brought his ERA down to 1.50 with a WHIP of 0.708. His SO/BB? It was an absolutely ridiculous 14/1. To show you how ridiculous that is, let's take a look at all-time saves leader, Mariano Rivera. The highest Rivera's SO/BB ever got was in 2008, when it was 12.83. And Romo's was 14. This is how amazing this guy can can be. Romo also had a streak of 21.2 scoreless innings going. He only walked five batters the entire season. And one of those was an intentional walk.

So why couldn't Romo take over the closers role? The market for closers is overrated at the moment, and teams are paying way too much money for a position that has plenty of players that can handle the role. This is a perfect time for the Giants to capitalize. They do have slightly better outfield than last year, but they still are missing the other power bat that they want to compliment Sandoval and Posey. By trading Wilson, they are just getting rid of a position that they are strong in and in return, they can receive a very good player that they need. Would a Brian Wilson for Marlon Byrd be so bad? Or, if the Giants aren't comfortable leaving a spot open in the bullpen, they could trade Brian Wilson and a mediocre prospect for Darwin Barney and Sean Marshall? Would it be so bad for Brian Wilson not to be a Giant? Romo is a great candidate for the closers role, and is putting up better numbers and showing better stuff than Brian Wilson has or is.

Sabean says the Giants are done spending, but trading Wilson could be a way to obtain the extra bat they want without increasing payroll.

To read more on Romo's historic season, click here.

Andres Torres Says Farewell

Andres Torres just has to be one of the nicest guys in baseball. The beat reporter put this article on his blog, with Torres's quote, "I'll put some part of the Giants in my heart."

In Memory of Torres

Andres Torres has just been traded. While I go cry in my bedroom, here are some fond memories we can hold onto for a little while. I'll format the pictures after I finish crying.

Andres Torres bat model at Louisville Slugger Museum

Andres Torres warming up at a game in Cincinnati over by Carlos Beltran

Andres Torres playing center field in Chicago. This was the game where Matt Cain earned his 1000 career strikeout.

This was the name plate that went with the Torres bat above.

Some more of Torres warming up in Cincinnati.