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

09.08.2008
Found a Job

BurrissBrian Sabean gabbed it up this weekend about Emmanuel Burriss, saying next year’s shortstop gig is the 23–year-old rookie’s to lose.

I recently opined that Ivan Ochoa was better suited to start next year because of his stellar D, and that it wouldn’t hurt to give Burriss another year at AAA. Since then, however, Burriss has gotten most of the reps at short and maintained his respectable OBP — it currently stands at .353 — while Ochoa’s bat has quieted to a whisper.

Apparently that’s enough to elevate Burriss, even though he still has major holes in his offensive game. With his speed, he should be a better basestealer. Since Aug. 1, when he basically became an everyday player, he’s only swiped 4 of 7. The Giants should ask Dave Roberts to work with the kid as much as possible, just as Maury Wills once worked with Roberts to turn him into a base stealing force.

The Giants also want Burriss to add power. He doesn’t have to hit home runs, but he needs the muscle to shoot balls into the gaps now and then. Hitting coach Carney Lansford identified this problem early in the year, but the added power hasn’t yet appeared. Since Aug. 1, Burriss has had three extra base hits in 111 at-bats. Keep that up, and it’s likely his OBP will start to drop. Pitchers who don’t fear a batter’s power will simply throw balls down the middle. The outfielders will play in, taking away bloops and a few line drive hits, and the player’s walk rate will plummet.

I like Burriss’s skills. I would love to see him “plug that position,” as Sabean said yesterday. But first I’d love to see him hit a few balls up the alley this month, not to mention make all the easy plays on defense and a lot of the tough ones, too.  

Before we take Sabean’s word for it and write Burriss’s name into the 2009 opening day lineup, let’s not forget Dan Ortmeier, who was anointed starting first baseman in spring training this year. The Giants don’t have a stellar track record of keeping the faith on these types of promises.

But wait, there’s more! Sabean also told the Chron that Pablo Sandoval “will be on the field somewhere next year as a starting player.” The nutty Sandoval experiment, rotating him between catcher, first base, and third base, despite nearly zero pro experience at the latter position, has been a huge hit — or 28 hits, eight of them for extra bases, and most of them line drives. Sandoval hits the ball hard and to all fields.

The sample size is too small to judge defensive acumen, but at least he hasn’t done anything embarrassing with leather strapped to his hand. (For what it’s worth, Baseball Prospectus’s “Rate 2” defensive metric has him below average at first base, way below average as a catcher, and slightly above at third. As a catcher he’s only caught one of eight base stealers.)

At this rate, all of next year’s roster slots will be spoken for by mid-October. And if he keeps hitting 96–MPH fastballs into the right-center field arcade seats, a destination few lefties can reach, Nate Schierholtz might be the next to receive a vote of confidence from Sabes.



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7 Comments

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trilljester | September 8, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply

Nate's first ever was a thing of beauty. Bonds-esque if you will. He isn't going to see that many "gift" fastballs at the MLB level but if he can turn on them like he did, he's going to stay in the bigs.

Pablo Sandoval is my newest favorite Giant. The guy can hit (small sample size, yes, but there's potential there). He's HUGE too! Is that fat or all muscle?

ELM replied to comment from trilljester | September 8, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply

I wouldn't say that was a gift fastball. 96 MPH across the letters isn't an easy pitch to handle. He handled it well. Schierholtz has been impressive; I also liked how he smoked line drives down the left and right field lines in the same game at Coors Field last week.

obsessivegiantscompulsive | September 8, 2008 5:49 PM | Reply

I guess you didn't recall but Ortmeier was never promised 1B, only that he would get plenty of chances there. That was the thing I noticed during the offseason, both he and Frandsen didn't get promised a starting spot, only that they will be strongly in contention for a starting spot.

Of course, if he doesn't hit for much and there is an alternative, of course, he's not going to get much of a chance. That's true for any of the prospects who were promised the chance to start, Niekro, Ellison, Linden, they were promised but then they not only didn't deliver, but they couldn't even be marginally good, they were terrible then lost their job. That happens to major leaguers as well as prospects.

And the Giants have been good in their promises to their pitchers, which has been overlooked, they have given chances to a lot of people, it is just that not a lot of position players actually had enough talent to hold a starting position.

From what I can tell, Carney only started work with Fred maybe a month ago or so, not "early in the year."

Here is the article I saw that Lansford noted Burriss hitting for more power: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10181602?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

This article was published on August 12, less than a month ago. It also notes that they will work with him to overhaul his batting stance "early next spring", meaning 2009. In addition, Lansford noted in the article that Burriss has the muscle NOW "to drive the ball better" in order to develop gap power.

And while still in need of improvement, his SLG has gone up about 80-100 points during the past 28 days, over what he was doing before in the season.

In addition, Sandoval spent the whole 2005 season playing 3B, plus also played there in 2006, so I would not say that he has nearly "zero" pro experience there.

Schierholtz can't get a starting spot until Winn is trade, but he's gotten a vote of confidence from Sabean since last off-season, when Brian said basically that in a perfect world, Schierholtz should be in the majors, that he had nothing else to learn in the minors.

As I've been noting, Schierholtz has a habit of focusing on making contact when he makes a new level, resulting in very poor power, particularly HR power, but then once he has decided that he knows the league well enough, he starts letting go and going after the homers and hits them in bunches. If he can start knocking homers regularly here, I don't see how the Giants cannot move heaven and earth to trade Winn and let Schierholtz take over RF.

giantsrainman replied to comment from obsessivegiantscompulsive | September 9, 2008 1:45 AM | Reply

Until Lewis's foot problem is resolved I don't see the Giants trading Randy Winn. It is very much starting to look like surgery will be necessary. If that is the case we are talking a year to recover and thus we will not have Freddie for any of 2009.

ELM replied to comment from giantsrainman | September 9, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply

Good point. It's hard to get a read on how bad his bunion is. Anyone out there ever had one? Is it something that goes away with a couple months of rest?

Mark O'Connor | September 8, 2008 7:12 PM | Reply

Ochoa has never been a hitter in the minors until these last two seasons, and he's now 25. I wonder if that's why they seem willing to work with Burriss but not Ochoa--Ivan is pegged as AAAA at best. They even "promoted" Bocock when it seemed they had a ready replacement for Vizquel. I don't know, is our youth plan really "throw 'em at the wall and see who sticks?" I've been screaming for Schierholz all along, he's finally getting his deserved shot. I agree with OGC--we have to move Winn (or Roberts) to open a spot. Schierholz might be another Linden, but we'll never find out if he doesn't get some playing time.

DRH | September 9, 2008 10:24 AM | Reply

Sabean can make all sorts of pronouncements but who's to say he will even be gm after Bow Tie Bill takes over.

However, the Giants simply have no other internal option at ss. Burriss is it.

I am expecting the usual sickening overpay for an aging free agent like Furcal It's what we do afterall.

Schierholtz had a nice season in a hitter's league but 25 other players in the PCL put up better numbers. Nate is yet another Linden like myth.

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