Across the Seams

Sabean's History

Stall long enough and someone will do your work for you ...

All year long I've meant to dig into Brian Sabean's track record. I wanted to create something that detailed how the current team came to be. I still haven't done it, but MLB Trade Rumors has done something close, with a spreadsheet of all his deals. They've done similar for a few other GMs, with the stated goal of creating these for all of them.

R.I.P., Shooter

Rod Beck died over the weekend, causes undisclosed. He was 38.

I'll always remember him for getting the win in one of the greatest Giants games ever, the Brian Johnson HR game against the Dodgers in 1997. Beck entered in the 10th and gave up three straight hits to load the bases with no one out. It had been a sketchy few weeks for Beck, and the Candlestick crowd started to grumble. Manager Dusty Baker stuck with Beck, and Shooter struck out Todd Zeile then got an excuse-me double play ball out of Eddie Murray to escape the inning. The highlights you always see of that game show Baker pumping his fist at the crowd; I've always thought half of that was excitement, the other half some in-your-face. Beck pitched two more scoreless innings before Johnson ended it in the 12th. Pure Shooter.

That Magowan Letter

See below. I just love how it points out that the Giants are now younger than last year, 30.7 to 32.7, like it is part of some grand youth movement. When you field one of the oldest teams in baseball history, it's pretty hard not to get younger just by accident. As for healthier, I guess not having Alou and Schmidt around will reduce the injury rate. And ironmen like Ray Durham and Ryan Klesko should play a factor.

From the Desk of Peter Magowan

Dear Marty,

This evening, we will announce that Barry Bonds, the 14-year Giants veteran and seven-time National League Most Valuable Player, signed a one-year contract with the Giants.

As you’ve probably heard, the process of negotiating this contract was complex, lengthy and highly unconventional. This decision was not taken lightly and we spent significant time evaluating all of the elements and circumstances surrounding the negotiations before we made a final determination to move forward.

Of particular concern were the allegations against Barry in the New York Daily News on January 12th. We consider any action by one player to unfairly damage the reputation of another player to be a serious matter. Based on the information that we have at hand in this matter and in discussions with both players, all of the facts have not been accurately portrayed. After evaluating the situation and its potential impact on clubhouse chemistry, we came to the conclusion that the Giants’ players will be able to function as a team committed to supporting each other and dedicated to doing everything they can to succeed on the playing field.

Additionally, we felt that with these assurances, signing Barry to a one-year contract helped us pursue a long-term strategy toward getting the club back on track. With his presence in our lineup and only a one-year contractual commitment, we were able to avoid the temptation to trade away some of our valuable young pitching talent and were able to free up long-range funds to acquire a front line pitcher. These decisions enabled us to sign Barry Zito, retain our promising and highly sought-after young pitchers and fill our need for a power hitter in the middle of our lineup. We believe that this combination of moves provides the Giants with a better chance of winning in 2007 and in the years ahead.

You may also be interested to know that even with the signing of the 42-year-old Bonds, the average age of the 2007 Giants will be 30.7 years versus 32.7 in 2006. So we have gotten younger and presumably healthier as we stated we would try to do when the 2006 season ended.

I understand that this has been a particularly controversial and difficult decision and that there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue. I received letters, emails, phone calls and had many conversations with many of our season ticket holders during our Fanfest. I truly appreciate your passion for the Giants as we work through these complex issues. At the end of the day, I believe we have put together an exciting team for the coming season.

Like you, I am pleased that we have been able to complete this process so that we can all turn our attention to the day when pitchers and catchers report to Arizona on February 14. Thank you again for your commitment to the Giants and I look forward to seeing you at Spring Training or when we open our All-Star Season at AT&T Park.


Sincerely,


Peter A. Magowan
President and Managing General Partner
San Francisco Giants

It's Gotta Be the Glove

Russ Ortiz. Right. If the GM was anyone other than Brian Sabean, I might be surprised. I am not. Ortiz is a "proven major leaguer" after all, and he turns 33 this season.

Aaaaaaand he's bad.

Schulman in the Chronicle says "the Diamondbacks cut him while still on the hook for about $22 million, the largest contract a baseball team ever has eaten."

So it was worth millions -- millions! -- to another team to tell Ortiz to get lost, and the Giants are willing to pay him to play for them. OK, so he's cheap, which is probably factor No. 1 in signing him, but I'm willing to gamble that there are at least -- oh -- 50 living pitchers better than Ortiz who can be signed for the minimum.

Maybe a subtle change in Ortiz has Sabean intrigued ...

However, Ortiz said a breakthrough came when he was shipped to the Orioles' bullpen last summer and pitching coach Leo Mazzone -- who had worked with Ortiz in Atlanta -- noticed a flaw in the way Ortiz pulled the ball from his glove. Once Ortiz fixed it, he said, "It's amazing how that changed everything."

Yeah, I'll bet it was amazing. Schulman's report didn't bother to check out how amazing the change was or note when it happened.

Adam Kilgore, Aug. 6 Washington Post:

Ortiz and Mazzone discovered a flaw in Ortiz's motion while watching slow-motion film of the pitcher. Mazzone noticed that Ortiz was not pausing ever so slightly between bringing the ball out of his glove and starting his throwing motion, something he likes to do. The hiccup is something only someone like Mazzone -- someone with a keen eye who is familiar with Ortiz -- would have caught, Ortiz said.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo was so desperate for starting pitching that he gave Ortiz a start, based on the discovery of this "hiccup." Hey, it was discovered by Mazzone, it must be good!

Russ Ortiz, Aug. 7 vs. Toronto: 3 IP, 9 hits, 3 walks, 6 ER.

(Jeremy Accardo pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the Blue Jays this game, by the way, with 95/96 mph sinkers.)

That was the last game the Orioles, who went 70-92, let Ortiz start.

Summary:
Pre-glove thing 10 starts, 40 IP, 58 H, 31, 41 ER, 9.23 ERA
Post-glove thing 1 start, 23 IP, 28 H, 9 BB, 16 ER, 6.26 ERA

So Ortiz went from sucking really bad, to sucking just a little less. Was it the glove? Ha. More likely it was tucking him in the bullpen, where his exposure could be controlled. And yet Ortiz supposedly will be competing for the fifth spot in the Giants rotation. Right.

Finley First

I've got Steve Finley on one of my fantasy teams (yeah, what a sap), and the Roto Times says that the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that he took some grounders at first. Apparently this is to get him some more playing time. I can't find that report, and I can't seem to find any mention of it. I'm not looking all that hard, I'll admit.

Let's assume it's true. What's it mean? First, we can guess that the Giants don't like the way Niekro looks againts righties. Versus righties this season he's .224/.286/.276 and he's .200/.250/.400 against lefties. That looks like equal suckage to me. OK, maybe it's just to get Finley more playing time, with his .286/.373/.518 line, but that makes no sense since Bonds and Alou should combine for a missed 100 games this season anyway. Though he is only ninth on the team in total plate appearances.

Maybe it has more to do with the awful way the roster is put together. The Giants are carrying six infielders, but only Vizcaino has any versatility. He's the only backup for every position but first base. What would happen if Frandsen and Vizcaino collided on a popup and had to leave the game? Maybe move Feliz to short, Niekro to third, Vizcaino to second and Sweeney to first, if he hasn't already pinch hit.

Sweeney is the backup first baseman, but that's not what he's really there for. His primary function is the lefty pinch hitter, so using him as the backup first baseman isn't really want you want to do very often.

Well, It's Something

Jose Mesa was suspended four games for intentionally throwing at Omar Vizquel's "head area." Matt Morris and Dave Righetti got fines for what happened the next day. The umpires really should have to cover that.

And Tyler Walker landed with the Devil Rays. The Giants got back Carlos Hines, who Baseball America actually had at No. 25 on the Tampa Bay prospect list. Reading that he projects out to maybe a setup man kind of gives you the idea that the Tampa Bay system isn't all that deep.

Give the Boy Time

In the eighth inning Monday night, Brian Giles busted up a double play by sliding into Pedro Feliz, who took his time making the turn at third.

Now I love Kruk & Kuip, but they must be drinking the Sabean Kool-Aid, at least to start the season.  As the replay ran, the guys said that Feliz will learn to get off the bag quicker, like he was some green rook from Norwich. Now it is true that this is the first season that Feliz has the third base job to himself, and it is true that he is one of the younger Giants, but his baseball age is 31 this season. 31! If he hasn't learned now, he's not going to.

Pedro may be a real smart guy in real life. He may hold multiple doctorates for all I know. But on a ballfield, there seems to be something lacking.

Adios, Alfonzo

Addition by subtraction. But get this: the Giants have gotten still older. Boggles the mind, it really does. Is Minnie Minoso still alive? Hell, get Mays out there.

Morris Arrives

Giants signed Matt Morris today, which is a good thing. The rotation was looking pretty scary up til then. It's still a little dicey, unless you're willing to fully invest in the belief that Matt Cain is the real deal. I hope he is, of course, but it's still too early to tell.

Now if the Giants could just steal a Cardinal named Pujols.