When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

07.17.2007
Tuesday Notes

* In yesterday’s BP Radio Rundown podcast, cohosts Joe Sheehan and Will Carroll were chatting about the A’s and whether GM Billy Beane would be a seller. Piazza, Stewart, Kielty: those names came up as trade bait, but Jason Kendall, said Sheehan, had zero trade value. Go figure.

* Good on ya, Boch, for giving Kevin Frandsen some playing time this week. Apparently the G’s prefer to give Frandsen the outfield starts against the Cubs’ left-handed pitchers, such as versus Rich Hill last night, rather than call up Dan Ortmeier. (Frandsen v. Hill: 0 for 2 with a sac bunt.) But the situation spotlights the huge hole the Giants face next year, assuming Bonds leaves: they have little to no outfield power, and they’ll be anemic against lefties. As I’ve written before, a young right-handed power bat should be on the top of their shopping list as the trade deadline approaches.

* The Giants desperately need to find out what Frandsen can do playing every day — and not in the outfield. A few days ago I recommended trading Pedro Feliz for anyone or anything to free a spot for Justin Leone. I’m going to amend that slightly: dump Feliz, bring up Leone, but give Frandsen the majority of starts at third base. Never mind for now that 3B should be a power position. Just get him in there every day through the end of September. The Giants need more information about his career path: Is it Joe McEwingish, Chone Figginsian, or Bill Muelleresque? As for Leone, give him a first baseman’s glove and groom him to be a better version of what Pedro Feliz should have been all these years: a cheap 1B/3B/OF utility guy with good RH power, a decent eye, and the ability to steal a bag.  

* Reader GiantsRainMan’s persistence is paying off. Both here and at the McChronic, he’s been hammering away at a Matt Morris-for-Adam Jones (or Wladimir Balentien) trade. Jones and Balentien are Seattle’s top outfield prospects, both ripping up the PCL this year. Jones turns 22 August 1; Balentien just turned 23. As I’ve noted in the comments, I don’t think a straight-up swap will happen, but with the Giants’ desperate lack of right-handed OF power, perhaps Sabean should do whatever’s necessary to get either Jones or Balentien. Jones is rated more highly and might be out of reach. But this is Balentien’s first season putting power and plate discipline together, so the M’s may be open to negotiate on him.
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[July 17, 2007 4:50 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cyrus said

Would Morris for Milledge be totally out of the question as well? The Mets strike me as a contender that could really use some starting pitching and could easily afford Morris. They have a couple of other good OF prospects... could you envision something happening with them?

[July 17, 2007 5:31 PM]  |  link  |  reply
BawLa said

As usual I agree with just about everything you say.

In Frandsen's defense he hasn't seen much action recently, let alone have a start, let alone have more than one start in a row. Hopefully we will get to see Kevin with regular playing time after the trade deadline.

The real question on Bochy yesterday is what the hell Roberts was doing in there agianst a lefty? As you say, we should've found a way to bring up Ortmeier, or let Lewis start. I know Lewis isn't good against lefties either, but at least he has the potential to grow. Or move Feliz to LF and put Aurilia at third and Klesko at first. But then again, we might not have seen those flashy defnsive plays of Aruilia at first.

[July 17, 2007 6:26 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Cyrus said

Yeah, seriously. I think it's a little early to peg Lewis as a guy who can't hit lefties (although I haven't looked at his minor league splits, so maybe it's not). Either way, he's still pretty raw so like BawLa is saying he should definitely get his shots in. Either way, he can't be worse than Roberts.

[July 17, 2007 7:53 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ogc said

If we trade with the Mets, I would rather get Carlos Gomez, BP's prospect guy said that some view him as being "Jose Reyes" like potential. Milledge seems to be a headcase, do you really want to deal with that?

According to reports I've heard before either here or MCC, Lewis does not hit LHP well. His splits for this year and last verified that.

However, the prospect book I like to read thinks he is potentially a starting CF still; the book also includes platoons in his forecast, as Ortmeier, Schierholtz and Ishikawa current projected position is platoon players. So he thinks Lewis can learn. Then again, Ortmeier only last year was considered a starting corner OF potential, but blew that being unable to hit RHP. Lewis was unable to hit LHP much in 2006 or 2007, either AAA or Majors.

So, yeah, it probably would have been nice to play Lewis instead, but I should note here that Roberts has been hot in July and yesterday got a hit to extend his hit streak to a career high 10 games.

I like Wladimir; it would help make up for missing out on Vladimir. :^)

About Kendall, the A's had to give up money in the deal (probably much of the cost), picked up a backup catcher and got a AA pitcher so good that he did not make any of the prospect books I have as reference. As far as either publication was concerned, he (in the pre-season) did not rank among the 30 best prospects on the Cubs. He also didn't make BP anywhere.

Plus Bowen is so good a backup catcher that he didn't rate even a mention in the fantasy baseball book I rely on. Eliezer Alfonzo, another backup did, though. Even Todd Linden and Lance Niekro got a mention.

So the A's, in order to trade Kendall, probably sent millions of dollars to the Cubs, got a backup catcher who wasn't good enough to deserve much mention, got a prospect who wasn't good enough to deserve any mention. Doesn't that sound like not much trade value?

[July 17, 2007 8:03 PM]  |  link  |  reply
rocketdog said

I may be risking wet-blankethood here, but this is the most recent PECOTA comment on Wlad:

Balentien has plus power, good defense, and decent speed, but he`s a big whiffer, with 442 strikeouts in 380 minor league games....It will be interesting to see if his newfound plate discipline--Balentien`s 70 walks at San Antonio last season nearly doubled his career total--holds up in Triple-A.

First guy I thought of after reading that comment: Pedro Feliz. I mean, in 2005 the guy had 33 walks to 160 strikeouts in 539 PA. Is a Feliz-lite the best we can net for Morris? Just throwin' that out there for discussion...

[July 17, 2007 8:04 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ogc said

I would also note (not fact checked but from memory), that Frandsen's batting line has been better when he started games (which I defined as games he got 3 or more PA in).

He certainly hasn't hit well in pinch-hit situations: .278/.316/.278/.594, though 4 RBIs in 19 AB with 1 BB and 5 K's and no extra base hits.

[July 18, 2007 2:04 AM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

>It will be interesting to see if his newfound plate discipline--Balentien`s 70 walks at San Antonio last season nearly doubled his career total--holds up in Triple-A.

So far it has. Check out his numbers this year:

346 ABs
21 HRs
43 BBs
72 Ks
.396 OBP
.587 SLG

The K rate is still high, but certainly acceptable given how solid his patience/power numbers are.

Feliz's 2005 year occurred when he was 30 years old; Balentien is only 23 and still likely to improve. I'm not saying he's a sure thing (there's no such thing), but if the Giants can pry him away from the M's without giving up Cain/Sanchez/Lincecum, they should do it.

[July 18, 2007 2:18 AM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

No way we get Jones for Morris. Maybe, just maybe if we'd be willing to take Sexson (I mean Kingman) and his salary. The M's would also need more offense as they'd miss Sexson's power and rbi numbers while hitting only 203. I went to the game tonight and he looked terrible (again).

[July 18, 2007 5:05 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ogc said

That PECOTA note is basically (actually?) the same they wrote for him in their 2007 annual, so that report probably does not include this season's results thus far.

And as it also notes, it would be good if his new-found discipline stuck: as Lefty showed, it appears to have stuck.

I think getting him with anyone short of Cain/Lincecum/Lowry/Sanchez is best, but I would have to assume that they would want Lowry or Sanchez in the deal.

The good thing about Morris is that not only is his contract covered for 2008 but there is a 2009 option as well for about the same salary. So he is under control for the rest of this season, next season, and, if they so chose, the season after that, almost 2.5 seasons in total. That will get us more in trade.

But not enough for Balentien, I don't think. I think it would have to go to multiple bodies.

Maybe Sexson and Balentien for Morris and Lowry. But then we are out two good starters and weaken it seriously.

And I don't think Sanchez would be enough with Morris for the two but it would definitely be too much if it is Morris and Sanchez for just Balentien.

Hopefully Seattle is that desperate for Morris.

Which is all that I'm hoping for if we trade Morris, that we are dealing with a team who is overpaying. Else, we may as well just keep him, find another team who might be desperate.

But Seattle looks desperate. They currently have garbage in their 4 and 5 spots and mediocre in the 3 spot in Batista. They can certainly use a starter like Morris, and they are only 2.5 games back, gaining 2 games in the standings in the last 10 games.

They paid all that money to Weaver for this season, they can dump him and replace his salary next season with Morris's salary. And Morris would do way better than Weaver ever could.

But desperate enough to trade a good prospect like that? I think we would at least have to throw in Lewis or Schierholtz. Or maybe they would take EME!