It’s one of my favorite words, Lithuanian for “Schadenfreude.”
It’s also Hawaiian for reef triggerfish, which is the official state fish. Saying it 10 times fast is also more exciting than the performances to date of Giants’ prospects in the Hawaiian Winter League, which is badly misnamed because games end in mid-November.
The Giants assign their players to the Waikiki Beach Boys, and no, Brian Wilson has never played for them. As noted yesterday, Buster Posey wasn’t getting enough love (or playing time) and transfered back to Arizona (to Instructional League, not the Fall League, according to OGC’s correction). The only other Giant hitter is third-round draft pick Roger Kieschnick, and in 42 at-bats he’s raking. It’s a pitchers’ league, but not according to Kieschnick (.310 / .420 / .571, five extra-base hits). He’s also walked seven times. Early returns: power, patience, and if the two triples aren’t of the outfielders-collided-on-a-pop-up variety, some speed to boot.
The two pitchers, Waldis Joaquin and Steve Edlefsen, have done nothing good of note. Both finished 2008 in high-A San Jose. Univ. of Nebraska grad Edlefsen, 23, spent the year there strictly as a reliever and notched a strikeout per inning. Joaquin, a Dominican who turns 22 on Xmas Day, spent most of the year in Augusta. Both there and in San Jose he kept the ball in the park — only 3 HRs in 71 innings — and struck out a batter an inning.
Roger Kieschnick: Exciting? Got a favorite Hawaii story? Wouldn’t “Moray Eels” or “Big Kahunas” be a better team name than “Beach Boys”? So many things to discuss.
