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

01.23.2008
Wednesday Tit-Bits

That’s British for “tidbits,” kids. Don’t get too excited. 

* The good folks at Bay City Ball have used MLB’s new f/x pitch data — computerized thingamabobbies that track every single pitch thrown during the season — to break down Barry Zito’s 2007 performance. Check it out here.

* Baseball Prospectus tells us that Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla set the record last year for most extra-base hits by a double-play combination. The top five combos all played together this decade. Third place: Rich Aurilia and Jeff Kent in 2001. Kent has continued to mash the ball and is likely headed to the Hall of Fame, while Aurilia’s 37–homer performance that year is just a few steps below Brady Anderson’s 50–HR season in unlikeliness. Take that however you wish.  

* The Giants signed Noah Lowry to a 5 year, $17 M contract (including a club-option year) after one and half years in the bigs. The team signed Matt Cain to a 5 year, $15 M deal (including a club-option year) after one year in the bigs. Should the Giants sign Tim Lincecum to a long-term contract this spring? If so, how much?



Also on the Network:



[January 23, 2008 1:04 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Lars said

I'd wait until after this season to talk to Tim about buying out his arb years. Years and dollar amount similar to the Cain/Lowry deals. Maybe a bit more depending on his numbers this year. 5/20 perhaps?

[January 23, 2008 1:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
JR said

I agree, wait till the end of the season. Now that the first season jitters are gone, we'll get a chance to see if he's gonna make it in the bogs, not to mention head off any of those nagging "will his body let him down" thoughts.

[January 23, 2008 2:39 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM replied to JR

If you wait til the end of '08 and he has pitched the full year without missing a start, Lincecum's service clock (57 starts) will be past both Lowry (47 starts) and Cain (38 starts) at the time of their contracts.

[January 23, 2008 2:15 PM]  |  link  |  reply
someguynamedg said

I think its a good idea to do now. Not only does it buy out some arb years but it also turns a young kid out of college into a millionare overnight. That buys a lot of good will when/if he turns into an ace and we want him to sign till he is 35.

[January 24, 2008 12:02 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive replied to someguynamedg

He's already a millionaire, he got $2.05M for signing last year (though, unfortunately :^), I don't konw what the tax consequences are or how much of a cut his agents got).

[January 23, 2008 3:20 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Chris said

Thanks for the linkage, Lefty!

[January 23, 2008 4:03 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Anonymous said

sign him.. if we get desperate next off season his trade value will increase.

[January 23, 2008 11:08 PM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

I spoke with M's manager John McLaren last week and he told me the reason they passed on Tim in the draft (nothing new to us though). He called him a "max-effort" guy and at 5'10, 160 lbs it just takes too much toll on the body to continue that. Also said there are no right handers in the game, that size, throwing like that. He said Lefties are different but still none throw like that but instead use more off-speed stuff. So does signing him now make sense or not? I don't know.

[January 24, 2008 12:08 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

If we can sign him to a contract similar to Lowry or Cain, hell yeah!

That contract is basically the free agent price for one year of average pitching. So Lincecum only has to pitch OK (4.50 ERA or so) to have provided the equivalent value to the cost of the contract. Everything else he does is gravy after that (the benefit of having young prospects).

So the question then is: do you think he can pitch more than one year with average performance? If so, then you should sign him.

I think the Mariners GM is all wet. Yes, maximum effort isn't a good thing, but if Lincecum isn't icing his arm, that means that he has his body throwing efficiently without damaging his arm (relative to other pitchers who need to ice their arms). But I'm no doctor. Still, it seems to be common sense to me that if he can go without icing plus long-toss the next day, and been doing that for years now, his arm isn't going to fall off anytime soon.

[January 24, 2008 12:40 AM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

I agree completely with "obsessivegiants
compulsive"concerning the price AND the arm! I do understand though how it would be a concern and be tough to choose between Tim and Marrow.