If You Kent Say Something Nice...

On the heels of a tough four game sweep at the Big Orange, Barry Zito, he of seven shutout innings, and the kids leading these Giants to a series victory is sweet music to my ears.

Sweeter music to my ears? Down the 5, Giants über villain Jeff Kent is doing his damndest to tarnish the legacy of what I'll grudgingly admit is a Hall of Fame career.

His latest offense? Assailing the virtual patron saint of the Dodgers, a man so revered as a baseball institution, many Giants fans are even able to look past his association with our hated rivals and genuinely appreciate his contribution to the national past time.

Yes, Jeff Kent verbally assaulted Vin Scully.

Evidently, Kent was miffed that Scully (along with most multi-celled organisms) believed there may be a correlation between his hot bat and the presence of Manny Ramirez in the lineup. His message to Scully: you talk too much.

I'm not going to launch into a massive diatribe but simply point out that, for a guy that is probably be a first-ballot inductee, he will most likely have the least fans of anyone else who shares the same honor. Maybe that's not why Kent plays the game, but I hope, once he walks away, he realizes that something ain't right about a superior career that no one besides yourself appreciates.

Sanchez Shut Down?: KNBR reported this morning that management may use Dirty's shoulder strain as an excuse to shut the lefty down for the rest of the season. Smart move, in my opinion: Sanchez has thrown more innings this year already than he has in any one of his other pro seasons.

With any luck, there may be something to play for next year. Sanchez, although he had his ups and downs this season, showed quite a bit in his first year as a starter, consistently ranking near the top of the league in Ks. Hopefully, he'll be back stronger and wiser in 2009.

Comment! With little left to play for this season, should the Giants shut down their other two horses in Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum?

Freak Show

I've been remiss in recently overlooking some of the great writing of fellow Lunatic Fringe bloggers, an oversight I look to correct with some gusto here and now.

It goes without saying that today's game was an absolutely marvelous way to wash out the taste of poor Matt Palmer's first big league start (and subsequent shellacking).

In hitting his first career bomb, the endearingly earnest Travis Ishikawa picked the right starter to back. Yes, it looks like our very own Franchise is no worse for wear following the Ausmus Liner Heard 'Round The Bay, regaining the Major League lead for strikeouts. JC from Raising (Matt) Cain puts what we're witnessing in perspective:

1. 13-3 is the second best start in SF history (5 occurences). Only a couple hacks named Perry and Marichal were better at 14-2. I venture to guess they had better teams playing behind them, ya think?

2. With his sixth double digit strikeout game this year (8 in his career), he ties Marichal (1966) for number 4 on this all time list. Only Schmidt (9 in 2004), Sadecki (8 in 1968), and Montefusco (7 in 1975) are above him. With at least five or so starts left, Tim has a good shot at taking over the lead of that list.

3. The Enchanter has limited opponents to 3 or fewer runs in 40 of his 49 career starts, including 21 of 25 this year. The Giants are 26-14 in those forty games. Tim is 17-0 (29 starts) when the Giants score at least three runs for him.

Simply mind-boggling. Great research, JC.

The bullpen (with the notable exception of the increasingly dominant Brian "Servin' UAK" Wilson) continued their shaky ways. Luckily, erstwhile number-cruncher Chris at Bay City Ball provides us with statistics to back up our daily stream of obscenities at the television.

The bullpen has largely struggled this year. Wilson has emerged as the top arm but with the disintegration of Tyler Walker, Brad Hennessey, Vinnie Chulk and the majority of the younger arms having their expected ups-and-downs, it hasn’t been a pretty sight. (Fielding Independent Pitching) isn’t thrilled with Taschner but he’s having a decent year, he might be pitching over his head right now to some extent. The Giants are last in the National League for bullpen ERA at 4.44.

Ouch.

- A San Francisco Giants Minor League Blog posts it's most excellent daily roundup of minor league notables. While Mad Bum continues to do his thing, note the continued hot hitting of Ben Copeland at AAA. You may remember Copeland as the Giants first pick in 2005 - in the fourth round. But don't worry, throwing away those first few picks were totally worth it.

Anyway, Copeland, after a slow start to his pro career, looks to be breaking out at 24. The speedy slap-hitter may need to change positions, however, to have a shot at making any headway with this club. Still, he's a kid worth keeping an eye on.

- Check out this interesting piece on Buster Posey from one of his hometown rags. It looks like, at the very least, no one can deny the kid's makeup, something that can't hurt at his position.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be dreaming of cerebral pitch-calling and a staff of mentally happy young fireballers, oh, sometime in 2010.

2009 Draft Prospects: An Early Look

The Giants currently boast fourth-worst record in the majors, pretty much vindicating smug prognosticators nationwide. (Hey, whatever takes the attention away from living in their mother's basement, right?)

The silver lining in this giant, black, killer tornado wielding cloud? Assuming the team maintains its current level of putrid play, they stand to pick fourth overall in next year's draft, and quite possibly even higher.

So, having locked up the key cogs of what was, by all accounts, a productive 2008 draft, let's take an early look at five blue-chippers the Giants could select from what will most assuredly be a high slot.

Stephen Strasburg RHP San Diego State

Now before all of you smack your heads in frustration at a pitcher being atop this list, bear in mind two things:

1. Every other player on this shortlist is of a position variety
2. This guy is ridiculous

There's a lot of buzz about this kid, and rightly so. Strasburg is considered the best pitching prospect to come out since Mark Prior, and, with any luck, this time, Dusty Baker won't get anywhere near him.

The lone collegian on the 2008 Olympic squad, Strasburg has already unleashed the fury of his 100MPH fastball on a helpless Dutch team this past week.

Strasburg, who rounds out his arsenal with a wicked slider and decent change, has been victimizing college hitters at an astounding clip his first two years at SDSU. Most notable: a 23 strikeout(!) game against the University of Utah in April.

His coach, former nemesis but awesomely voiced Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, a guy who knows a thing or two, had this to say:

“I've seen a lot of baseball,” said SDSU coach Tony Gwynn. “I have never seen anything like that.”

Now I know as well as anyone that the Giants pitching cupboard is pretty well-stocked, but this 6'4 right-hander would be difficult to pass up, regardless of need.

Strasburg Scouting Reports:
Baseball America
Baseball Prospectus
Breaking Bats
FanGraphs
VIDEO: Bullpen Session

Dustin Ackley 1B/OF UNC

The 2007 College Freshman of the Year is considered the top returning college hitter. He's held his own in the Cape Cod League, hitting in the middle of the league champ Harwich Mariners lineup.

Ackley's supposed to be a great athlete who most likely projects to the outfield in the pros. He doesn't have huge raw power at this stage, but he's a very polished, selective hitter who has a very predictable ceiling. Think Buster Posey with a little more pop at a position of less scarcity.

Check out this video of Ackley hitting a grand slam despite breaking his aluminum bat.



Ackley Scouting Reports:
Breaking Bats
Metal Bat Baseball
USC Trojans Blog

Grant Green SS USC

The namesake (and ensuing nickname potential) factor aside, Green, who tore up the Cape League, came out of the 2008 college season as the best shortstop outside of Georgia junior Gordon Beckham, who ended up going eighth overall to the White Sox. Although reports indicate he's smooth at short, at 6'3, 180, the big guy might go the Glaus route and move to third in the pros.

If he continues his progression from an impressive soph season (.390, 9 HRs, 46 RBI, 10 SBs) the third team All-America should be squarely in John Barr et al's crosshairs come June.

Green Scouting Reports:
Breaking Bats
Cod Ball

Donovan Tate CF Cartersville HS (GA)

The 6'3 Tate, son of former Bucs running back Lars Tate, is a legitimate five tooler and ranks as one of the top high schoolers in the country. Given his bloodlines, it's no surprise then that he's also a helluva football player - he's already garnered football scholarship offers from every major college program.

If Tate decides to focus on baseball in the fall, however, he'll most likely be in the top of next year's draft. Still, there's a lot of risk in taking a kid that, between football and college baseball, has a lot of other options if he doesn't get the contract he wants.

The reward, however, could be huge. Tate, who's supposed to be a great kid, been compared by coaches to Jeff Francoeur - Francoeur's recent slump notwithstanding, that's a risk worth taking.

Tate Scouting Reports:
Baseball America
Breaking Bats

Mychal Givens SS/RHP Plant HS (FL)

Givens recently won the Jackie Robinson Award as the nation's best high school player, in part because of his tremendous presence on the mound to complement his work as a position player.

But Givens is extremely raw, and although he has all the tools, there's no clear consensus as to what he could end up being. Much of his draft position will be determined by his senior year production, but, if he progresses, he'll be in the mix at the top of the draft.

A true boom or bust candidate. Think Tim Beckham with less raw power.

Givens Scouting Reports:
Aflac All-American Profile
Breaking Bats
Saberscouting
USC Trojans Blog

So as this hapless young Giants team plays out the string, bear in mind that, with each loss, the horizon of a talented young team inches closer.

Comment! Who would you like to see the Giants pick next summer?

Posey Signs for $6.2M

It is not a major league deal, meaning, among other things, the entire bonus is paid up front.

Vets: "Kids Are Alright, We're Good Too"

Part of me wishes that Randy Winn and Bengie Molina spread out their surprisingly sublime nights (maybe retroactive to any game during the Houston debacle) but hey, I'll take it.

The best development? The resurgence of Matt Cain in this second half. And I'm for anything that minimizes the use of the chokepen.

Posey Deal Looks All But Done

In spite of a report to the contrary, the official site confirms that Posey is set to become a Giant.

The moral of the story?

Baggs > Your Next Door Neighbor > Some Guy > SFGate

Minor Leagues, Big Spenders

The Sports Agent Blog notes that, once the Buster Posey signing becomes official, the Giants will have signed both their first-round pick and their third-round pick (Roger Kieschnick) to the highest bonuses awarded to players selected in that round.

Add that to the $2.5M awarded to 16 year old Dominican Rafael Rodriguez, and you start to get a sense why the once-maligned Giants farm system is gaining legitimacy in a big hurry.