QUICK PM UPDATE: It’s really starting to bother me how the Giants’ starters flail against the other team’s starting pitcher. Tell me I’m over-reacting.
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Before this Guzmania! gets out of hand, and I plead guilty to aiding and abetting it with yesterday’s post, I must invoke the rule of small sample sizes.
Jesus Guzman looks like a real hitter. He crushed a ball yesterday in Scottsdale where few had seen balls go. He is slugging .932 this spring after tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League and Double-A last year.
I wrote yesterday it would be great to see him slug his way onto the opening day roster, but I should have added caveats beyond his defense. His run of success consists of 35 spring at-bats, 61 games in Venezuela, and roughly half a season in Midland, Texas. The Brewers’ Carlos Villanueva, who gave up the home run yesterday, might well be the best pitcher Guzman has faced in his year-long spree.
What’s missing from this picture? Triple-A. Lots of guys jump from double-A to the majors. Pablo Sandoval is a prime example. Ryan Rohlinger is a subprime example. In Guzman’s case there’s no rush. The Giants have adequate representation for now at the infield corners and second base, the only places Guzman can play. Or “play” — as everyone notes, his fielding needs a lot of work.
I want to see him mash triple-A pitchers and I want to see him learn to field adequately before he bumps someone from the major-league roster. Unless his contract requires either a major-league job or a release, a couple months in Fresno can’t hurt. If by May or June Rich Aurilia or Juan Uribe or whoever ends up as the infield backup is on the DL or not cutting the mustard, and Guzman is wrecking the PCL, by all means call him up. But let’s not get rabid yet.
There’s also the possibility his glove will never let him play full-time, in which case he might be most valuable to the Giants as someone else’s DH. Playing every day in Fresno for a while would serve two purposes: better assessment of his defensive ceiling, and a daily showcase of his bat for American League teams to scout.
