Yessssss.
The baseball offseason always feels really long and that’s because it is. The period between the usual trade stuff and Spring Training feels like forever. And then, the excitement of Spring Training arrives but by the 2nd week of play, you’re ready for the real thing. Does Andres Torres belong on this team? Will Fred Lewis’ new ‘aggressive approach’ actually mean anything? Will Bengie Molina comically split his pants reaching for a ball in the dirt? How many inanimate objects will Rowand slam his face into? We’ll find out starting today when Tim Lincecum makes his Opening Day start against the Brewers*.
* I’m already thankful that I didn’t have to write the phrase: “Opening Day starter, Barry Zito….”
Unfortunately, the weather in San Francisco doesn’t look very conducive to baseball today. Weather.com has a 100% chance of precipitation starting from 10 am onward. A rained out Opening Day? Ugh. Bad omen. Despite the weather, even if the game is rained out today, baseball is back and that feels great.
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Other news:
- Brandon Medders has made the team over Rule 5 Draft Pick, Luis Perdomo. Medders pitched well in camp and he has more experience but he’s just not that good. He’s a replacement level reliever for a position that plus-talent is easy to find. I hope for the Giants sake they keep him out of higher-leveraged situations and aren’t afraid to replace him with Justin Miller. Ideally, if Sergio Romo can recover within the next month, he should bounce Medders out of the pen.
- I was emailed the Fresno Grizzlies Opening Day roster yesterday. A few surprises. Kevin Pucetas is going to start the year in AAA after pitching at the A+ level last season. Mike McBryde is getting an aggressive promotion. McBryde might be the best defensive CF in the system and he’s definitely one of the fastest players. He’ll start the year in Fresno after playing at San Jose last season. He’s a career .283/.348/.388 hitter in the minor leagues.
So… what’s the deal with Perdomo? Is this another Sabean screw-up on par with T-Denk, or is he really not worth a roster spot?
I’d probably take Perdomo over Medders — that’s because Medders isn’t good — but Rule 5 picks usually don’t stay with the team that drafts them. The Giants can attempt to work out a trade with St. Louis if they wish. It’s possible that they might be able to reach some agreement. If not, Perdomo goes back.
I was going to analyze his melt down appearance with the A’s, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Perdomo throws hard but he’s never had superb control. I wouldn’t consider it a big deal if we lose him but I’d rather use Justin Miller over Brandon Medders.
The Giants seem to be weighing Perdomo’s last appearance against the A’s pretty heavily.