27 comments
I was going to delete this, but I figured I'd let it go through since it's an amazing comment that deserves to be preserved here, in the comments section.
hah, well thank you for preserving it ... Keep in mind though ... If Belt does well and Pill tanks, I'm stoked (at least someone can hit the ball) If Belt does well and Pill does well, I'm super-stoked (sweet! both of 'em can hit) If Belt tanks and Pill does well, Priceless (let the crow feast begin)
You want to talk about a LOL giants offense? Look no further than Brandon Belt. The overrated crybaby couldn't hit a curveball if his life depended on it. Brett Pill on the other hand comes up and hit's .300 for the month. Pill has been a picture of consistency for the past 6 years whereas Belt had one good year in the minors. I'd take Pill over Belt in a heartbeat.
I would love to point out every stat that shows you are wrong about Pill, but you are entitled to your opinion that is based solely on fiction.
Bruce Bochy sent a form letter to all those who receive San Francisco Giants anouncements. It was pitiful. He was sooo glad to be returning to San Francisco at season's end where he would be accepted and where he could feel the comfort and warmth of the Giants fans. Doesn't sound like a winner to me. In San Francisco the game is an event, not a serious athletic contest. The /Giants need to do nothing and to expend no money to make themselves more competitive. There are only so many seats to be sold out and no matter how mediocre unsold seats cannot be found except through a scalper. End of story; baseball is a business.
I worry that the Giants are squandering a real opportunity here. I promise to offer no new insight, but given some of the statistics that SF compiled as a team in pitching (3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) over an entire year--well-- I can't help but think that even 1-2 more hitters would have made this era a truly remarkable one in giants history. I mean....it's the dynasty that shoulda, coulda, woulda been. We fell short in '11, and were even closer to the postseason in '09, and beautifully took it all in '10....but I really sense a dynasty could have been in the making. Oh well. '12 here we come.
I wish you could also add an image of Bochy leaving in the starter to pitch into the 8th with a one run lead and no letting the bulllpen do their job. Bochy overtaxed his starters and used the bullpen after the damage was done.
eh, bruxb was being funny. i guess he could have said it was a mirror image of a huff at bat this year.
The Giant's Season ended this year, on July 28th, after taking two of three games, at Philadelphia.... They were 17 games over .500, solidly in 1st Place. They had just acquired Carlos Beltran, along with Jeff Keppinger, and frankly it didn't seem fair to the rest of the Western Conference! The Giants then played like Paper Tigers on the field, with a .400 performance from there on out! Between Bochy's roulette-style, pin-the-tail-on-the-Donkey, Lineup Cards, and Bam Bam's encouragement of First-Pitch swinging, especially with men on First-Base (To ensure Double-Plays, which kept the game at a quick tempo), 2011 Giants Fans exposed to this sort of severe and relentless Baseball Torture, experienced more cases of Mental Illness, than did its 2010 fan base, unbelievable as it may seem!
You guys are being too tough on yogi, especially considering he pointed out the key problem with the Giants this season: They were trying to play hockey in the Western Conference instead of playing baseball in the National League.
yogi, I think it's just as simple as the fact that the Giants' injuries finally caught up to them in their W-L record. Also, I pointed out on another blog that the Diamondbacks played .616 ball from the time Posey was hurt. They simply earned their way into the playoffs. I really feel that trying to place the blame on Bochy (or, inexplicably, on Meulens) is to ignore the masterful job that the Diamondbacks did to get there. The fact that Bochy skippered the team to a plus-.500 record after losing Posey and Sanchez is an example of his skill, not his failings. The fact that they still had a winning record despite being outscored for the season means the manager got every last win possible out of his team.
It's an attractive way to think about things: you don't need to replace all the players (which is hard), all you have to do is replace the hitting coach (which is easy). Unfortunately, same players+different coach=same result.
I agree, Levi. Calls for the hitting coach's head are silly. For more, read this decently-written blog about Mickey Hatcher from last season. Pay particularly close attention to myth #3. http://www.halosheaven.com/2010/8/20/1630102/fire...
I think you wildly overestimate a hitting coache's ability to influence a batter's approach.
In order to completely sum up the season someone would have needed to have gotten some sort of freak injury as well.
it would be the whole season if this was cabrera, rowand, or huff. I liked Pill and we needed to put more trust in young guys
I think I might come off a little hard on Pill. I just liked the image because I thought it was funny and our offense was terrible this year. I think it encapsulates it well.
/Bam Bam Muellens and Dunston cheer the aggressiveness. Chris... Brett Pill, 2 walks in 53 plate appearances. I think you're too easy on him.