I'm headed out of town for a few days for a much-needed escape, so get ready for a major trade. Brian Sabean has a knack of making moves while I'm not looking. Coincidence? You figure it out.
Though we're not quite at the half-way mark (43%, if you must know), I figure it's a good time to take a Rumsfeldian look at this team. There are known knowns, such as Tim Lincecum and Rich Aurilia on either end of the performance spectrum. We don't need to discuss them right now. There are other known knowns on a more cosmic scale, such as the team's woeful offense, prompting Sabean to say this week that he knows what the Giants need (duh), but it might take a while to get it. (So maybe there won't be a big trade while I'm gone.)
The situations I'm most interested in discussing are the uncertain ones. Travis Ishikawa, for example. He's a whiz in the field, which cuts him some slack on offense. And with that slack, his numbers have recently begun to climb toward respectability. A couple hot weeks, and he could be solidly respectable. Dig this: Say he goes on a 20 for 50 tear, not bloody likely, but hey, let's amuse ourselves. Let's throw in 4 HRs, 4 2Bs, and 5 walks. He'd come out the other end with this line:
.300 / .358 / .494
The .850-ish OPS would put him spitting distance behind Nick Johnson, Derrek Lee and Lance Berkman.
At his current level (.739 OPS), he's in James Loney and Casey Kotchman territory. Even with recent improvement, I can't get too excited. His four home runs this year have come off the following pitchers and pitches (according to MLB Gameday).
Buddy Carlyle - 82 MPH changeup
Matt Palmer - 87 MPH fastball
Darren O'Day - 85 MPH fastball
Trevor Cahill - 89 MPH fastball
What seems like a nice power burst is Ishikawa hitting low-velocity pitches in location mistakes. He's not turning on 90+ MPH fastballs. This could be significant or not, but he still needs to prove to the league he can hit a good fastball. At least he's hitting crappy pitches over the fence now and then, where respectable first basemen should be hitting them.
Another question the first three months has brought up: Andres Torres, keeper? Who knew this guy could do so many things well: Steal a bag. Run like hell, as he showed last night going first-to-home on Panda's double. Hit the ball hard. Bunt. Take a walk. Chase down tough fly balls. I likes! Is good! Where does he fit into the Giants' plans beyond this year? Is he a fourth outfielder, at best, or could he make someone like Fred Lewis expendable? Gripe about Sabes & Co. all you want, but their scrap-heap work this winter was superb. Torres, Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, and Juan Uribe have all been valuable contributors.
In three months, Jonathan Sanchez has backslid from breakout-year candidate to thanks-but-no-thanks. The question whether to let him make his next scheduled start looms large, but the bigger question is whether the Giants should even bother trying to trade him. It would be a ridiculously low sell. Is it better at this point to wait for him to regain confidence and trade value? Part of that equation is whether Sanchez is ultimately better suited for the bullpen. Tempermentally, I think not. The thought of him coming in late with the game close and runners on base....yeesh. But if he never masters the changeup, he's just a two-pitch pitcher, and very few of those become successful starters without at least one of their pitches named "Mr. Snappy."
Next...oh, wait. You want an answer to the Sanchez problem? What do you think this is, Premium Insider Malo? Alright, this time you don't have to pay. The first thing to do is dial back the hand-waving. No more ominous quotes in the press from Darth Sabes or Stern Uncle Boch. Give the kid a short breather, a few extra days between starts, which the upcoming schedule affords. Put him back on the mound, give long man Justin Miller an extra cup of coffee in the third inning, and take it from there. The bullpen is solid enough and rested enough, thanks to Cain, Lincecum and Zito going deep consistently, to absorb a few more early exits from Sanchez. If a nice trade offer comes over the wire, take it seriously.
