3.20.2007
A Few Bits of Tid
* One question the Giants must answer is whether to start the season with 11 pitchers or 12. The latter seems more likely, what with only two days off in April. Food for thought, however: the LA Times reports the Dodgers will open with 11 pitchers, and they have three days off. What's the big diff? It may come down to confidence in the starters' ability to go deep into games right out of the gate. So far, no Giant starter has gone five innings in a spring game.
* Unless Russ Ortiz goes splat in the next two weeks, he's the fifth starter.
* If you're following the Armando Benitez trade rumors, you've probably heard the name Yusmeiro Petit. A thumbnail profile: A Venezuelan in the Mets organization, Petit baffled scouts by dominating hitters with average stuff and landed on many top-100 prospect lists in 2003-2004. He was traded to Florida in 2005 as part of the Carlos Delgado trade and hasn't fared well since, either at AAA or in a short 26-inning stint last year with the Marlins. Hitters at the highest levels seem to have caught up to his stuff, but he turned 22 in November and has time to make adjustments. He's not an elite prospect anymore, but if the Giants land him for Benitez, it would be significant.
* Bob Eucker has a stalker.
* Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus thinks Freddie got a raw deal:
Frederick Lewis was demoted by the Giants. This decision, while not surprising, reflects choosing yet another dance with Todd Linden instead of a player who can run, who plays defense, and who gets on base at a better clip. Maybe Linden, who reached Triple-A back in 2002, really has turned the corner. The Giants would still be better off with a fourth outfielder who can cover for the three old guys and both hit and run for Bengie Molina. Jason Ellison will be the fourth outfielder, and he’s basically an inferior version of Lewis. Spring performance doesn’t change that. Lewis should be in the majors.
That's confusing. If Sheehan thinks Ellison will be the fourth outfielder, what is Linden? The third-and-a-half outfielder? Ellison is no lock to make the team. With his second-half work last year, Linden has indeed earned a chance to go north in April. Besides, he's out of options, and Lewis isn't. Sloppy work, Joe.
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* Unless Russ Ortiz goes splat in the next two weeks, he's the fifth starter.
* If you're following the Armando Benitez trade rumors, you've probably heard the name Yusmeiro Petit. A thumbnail profile: A Venezuelan in the Mets organization, Petit baffled scouts by dominating hitters with average stuff and landed on many top-100 prospect lists in 2003-2004. He was traded to Florida in 2005 as part of the Carlos Delgado trade and hasn't fared well since, either at AAA or in a short 26-inning stint last year with the Marlins. Hitters at the highest levels seem to have caught up to his stuff, but he turned 22 in November and has time to make adjustments. He's not an elite prospect anymore, but if the Giants land him for Benitez, it would be significant.
* Bob Eucker has a stalker.
* Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus thinks Freddie got a raw deal:
Frederick Lewis was demoted by the Giants. This decision, while not surprising, reflects choosing yet another dance with Todd Linden instead of a player who can run, who plays defense, and who gets on base at a better clip. Maybe Linden, who reached Triple-A back in 2002, really has turned the corner. The Giants would still be better off with a fourth outfielder who can cover for the three old guys and both hit and run for Bengie Molina. Jason Ellison will be the fourth outfielder, and he’s basically an inferior version of Lewis. Spring performance doesn’t change that. Lewis should be in the majors.
That's confusing. If Sheehan thinks Ellison will be the fourth outfielder, what is Linden? The third-and-a-half outfielder? Ellison is no lock to make the team. With his second-half work last year, Linden has indeed earned a chance to go north in April. Besides, he's out of options, and Lewis isn't. Sloppy work, Joe.
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