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When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby | |
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When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby | |
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Giants 40-Man Roster
(w/2010 Salary, if known) PITCHERS
Affeldt (4.5 M)Bumgarner Cain (4.5 M) Hinshaw Joaquin S. Johnson Lincecum (9 M) J. Martinez Medders (.85 M) Pucetas Romo Runzler J. Sanchez (2.1 M) H. Sosa B. Wilson (4.4 M) Zito (18.5 M) CATCHERS
Molina (4.5 M)
PoseyWhiteside INFIELDERS
BurrissDeRosa (6 M) Downs Frandsen Gillaspie Huff (3 M) Ishikawa Pill Renteria (10 M) Rohlinger F. Sanchez (6 M) Sandoval Uribe (3.25 M) Velez OUTFIELDERS
BowkerFord Lewis Peguero Rowand (13.6 M) Schierholtz Torres OTHER
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Yeah, good point, I hope Lincecum shamed the rest of the lineup - the rest of his team! - with his great 6 pitch first AB where he struck out, but at least made the pitcher throw many pitches. The batters in the 2nd inning only took up 6 pitches altogether! If each batter could at least take 6 pitches, even with a no-hitter, the starter would be up to 90 pitches after 5 IP. Sprinkle in a few hits and walks and we're talking easily over 100 by the 5 Inning.
Sorry, but even the best fielders ever need to hit something to make up for their offense. He is hitting only .249/.306/.280/.586, a -10 runs performance thus far, and, in fact, even his fielding is below average, according to UZR, so he's a double negative contributor right now, both offense and defense. He obviously can be a spectacular fielder - eventually - but right now he cannot consistently hit nor field like even a replacement level player, and thus is costing the team almost a win, according to Fangraphs Value analysis.
This was the perfect time to send Burriss down and work on his hitting and fielding while giving Frandsen a chance for a while to show what he can do. Burriss has gotten his chance and flubbed it away, how can a hitter have a SLG under his OBP, and his OBP is nothing to write about either. The Giants blew it by not doing that.
We're rebuilding, right?
So give Burriss a break, fellow fans. He was in Single A last year around this time. There is something called "the intangibles," and Burriss has that special quality.
I like Frandsen. He went to my Alma Mater, SJSU, but he's not even close to be as good as Burriss. Minor League stats are only a partial indicator of a player's potenital. As with all empirical data, it should be evaluated in terms of the whole picture.
The part of the whole picture is that Frandsen's average is a result of hitting off of cast-off, life-long minor leaguers or young and unpolished albeit talented pitchers. He's 27 or 28. He surely can hit those types of pitchers. The G-men don't give young players a lot of rope, and he hasn't made the most of his opportunities in the majors. At least when Shierholtz makes an out, he hits the ball hard somewhere, which means that so or later the laws of averages will catch up.
That said, Aurilia, not Frandsen should have been cut from the team. Frandsen is a better late inning defensive replacement at more positions than my friend Richie.
dProf,
Even if it is granted that Burriss has more upside (which is not a given, but I'll readily grant the point), why not let him attain most of that upside in the minors. There is zero metrical rational for Burriss over Frandsen. What sort of intangibles do you have in mind that aren't covered by stats? Frandsen's major league equivalents have him at a .722 OPS which is about what he actually hit in 2007 over 109 games with the Giants. Burriss is below .600. That's a huge difference. Sorry, but there is really no good reason for Burriss over Frandsen right now given that the former has minor league options. Maybe when Burriss can put up something close to the numbers which Frandsen has put up in the minors he should get a call up.
Didn't you read about Lincecum's reaction to the throw Manny Burriss made on the rely to the plate? He said that was the "turning point." What exactly is a turning point per the metrics? There are qualities that one cannot measure.
I understand that folks are upset about Kevin Frandsen. He was designated heir apparent to 2B and had some terrible luck last year. Just when it looked like it was his time, our 2006 No.1 draft choice takes "his" position. However, disparaging Burriss's abilities and his greater upside does not persuade many fans and apparently the not Giants organization as well that Frandsen should be the starting 2B.
This is an organization that hasn't been very patient with prospects. I'm sure he realized that he had to do more with the limited opportunities he's gotten. Has it ever occurrred to Frandsen supporters that he WAS doing his best but just isn't that good?
Minor league stats are only a PARTIAL measurement of potential. Todd Linden was the PCL Player of the Year and his power numbers were fanastic. J.R. Phillips was, per his minor league stats, the next Willie McCovey. And....?
Ultimately, what counts is The Show, and Burriss has played well in the majors considering he's still learning how to hit. He was in Single A at the beginning of last year, remember?
Give the kid a break.
Anonymous above is me, the professor. Forgot to insert my name. Mea culpa.
The 109 games were with the MLB club not with the minors and the stats actually achieved in the majors over this period approximately match his minor league equivalents, so your reasoning doesn't hold. He projects a .722 OPS and actually achieved this approximate number in his last MLB opportunity over a meaningful sample size. Regarding intangibles, Burriss has made some flashy plays defensively. So has Frandsen. But overall Burriss has been a substantially below average defender and is dead last by a wide margin offensively among starting 2B in the MLB. It is odd that you would feel that Burriss deserves slack, but that Frandsen and Ishikawa do not deserve any. BTW, Burriss wasn't our number one draft choice, but was a sandwich round pick. I am not a big Frandsen fan, I just think that Burriss over Frandsen was silly at the beginning of the season and at this point is total nonsense given the former's performance. He can and should be learning to hit in the minors.
Okay.
Now, since your analysis is statistically infallible, why is Burriss on the big club and Frandsen in AAA? Is it a conspiracy?
Burriss is here for some other reason other than the metrics, which, I repeat, are a useful but partial evaluator of an athlete's ability.
Burriss does deserve some slack because he's been in pro ball for just under three years. Not every young player out of the college ranks can instantly be a star. Remember Bocock last year? He proved how difficult it is to make the transition to the majors. I'll bet you Posey will go through an adjustment/learning period if the Giants trade Molina soon and bring him up next month.
Based on the decision to keep Burriss over Frandsen, the Giants brass evidently sees something you don't see or don't want to see.
Conversely, I don't see why you can't give Burriss a break but think that Ishikawa, who is being out hit by Uribe, and Frandsen and his .075 batting average deserve our perpetual patience. Neither Frandsen nor Iskikawa would be considered starting material in any other club, and it's embarrassing that so many Giants fans continue to insist otherwise.
Everything you say about young players, like Burriss, needing to learn how to hit is absolutely true. Tell me again why they should learn this at the MLB level? The counterargument against you is powerful. You say Burriss needs slack because he hasn't played much in the minors. I would counter that Frandsen deserves more slack than Burriss because he has proven himself repeatedly in the minors and Burriss has never proven himself ANYWHERE at the pro-level.
Why is Burriss on the MLB club and Frandsen in the minors? Uhhh? Because the Giants made the wrong decision and are still making it? Why does Ishikawa deserve slack? Because unlike the Burriss/Frandsen situation there are no good internal options at 1B unless you think moving Sandoval to 1B (minimizing his value) and keeping Uribe as the starter at 3B is a good idea, and I am pretty sure you aren't that daft. Also Burriss has received way more ABs in general and in a far more consistent manner than Ishikawa and has been given every opportunity to league adjust. Not so much the case with Ishikawa.
Burris is only going to get better.
Not so for Frandsen me thinks.
Yes, but it is not certain that he will ever be as good as Frandsen nor is there any reason why Burriss can't continue to improve in the minors until he is actually better than Frandsen and then replace him.
from wht I've seen of Burris, I just assumed he was moved off SS because of his arm...that throw may change my mind on him.
I think Frandsen will end up being the better overall player. I think he should've remained in SF and played 2B everyday, and Burriss could've worked on his hitting in Fresno.
Do you think Rowand saw that play and said 'Ahhhh, so that's what that guy is standing there for'?