Wow, great playoff action! A-Rod punks Joe Nathan, the Angels pitchers shut down the Red Sox, the Rockies make the Phils nervous heading into a frigid Coors Field weekend, and Matt Holliday...thanks a lot, pal. If this comes down to Dodgers-Rockies for the N.L. pennant, IT'S...ALL...YOUR...FAULT.
Wait a second. Weren't we supposed to know for sure by now about the return of Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy? It's been four days since their post-season press conference, and still no word on their status. Is anyone else getting a little suspicious? If they don't end up getting re-upped, it'll look bad for our local ink-stained heroes, Baggs and Hank, who both reported from anonymous sources that Boch and Sabes would be back. It also makes you wonder -- who were those anonymous sources? Was it a leak from the Neukom camp? Why would Neukom or someone close to him whisper that info? What kind of negotiating leverage would it give the Giant ownership?
If the leak were from the Bochy/Sabean side, what would be their advantage? Perhaps to put the pressure on Neukom. Either way, these are the questions journalists need to ask when someone whispers in their ears. Why are you telling me this, and how bad will I look if I publish it and it doesn't come true?
That said, my bet is it's all moot in a few days.
I have a few other thoughts on the post-season press conference. Sabean went out of his way to tout a possible leadoff platoon of Eugenio Velez and Andres Torres. Torres against lefties? Sure. The guy earned a spot as a backup outfielder with his work this year, worth $8.6 million even in abbreviated stints. Love his D, love his baserunning, love his ability to hit the ball hard and run like hell. Even though he's just had his career year and won't likely approach a .270/.343/.533 line ever again, pencil him in for a roster spot.
Velez? His UZR in LF was surprisingly high this year, but the small sample size makes me leery. (His defensive numbers at 2B were not surprising. And terrible.) Problem is, he wasn't that good at the plate against anyone this year. He had a hot few games upon recall in July, and that's about it. There is nothing in his game to justify making him the leadoff man in two-thirds of the team's starts. Can he improve? Will Congress see the light and work on a bipartisan basis to make America a better country? Both scenarios are theoretically possible.
The other player who got a lot of air time in the press conference was Freddie Sanchez. Based on Sabean's comments, it will be shocking if Sanchez isn't starting at 2B on Opening Day 2010. Based on his injury history, it will be shocking if he plays more than 120 games in 2010. The Giants probably know this, too, which means Velez has an even wider opening on next year's roster. All of which means that until the front office makes a blockbuster trade or overspends for a big free agent, the 2010 team will rely on improvement from Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz, a Joe Mauer-like arrival from Buster Posey, a rebound from Aaron Rowand, a miraculously healthy Edgar Renteria, a lot more of the same from Pablo Sandoval, and most importantly, another injury-free campaign from its awesome young pitchers. Now that is optimism.
