.255/.335/.317
That’s Tim Flannery’s career batting line over 11 seasons in the major leagues. .255/.335/.317. Really, it’s not a very good batting line. He was pretty good at drawing walks (277 career walks vs. 293 career strikeouts) and he did have some competent seasons on offense (by OPS+ he was above average in 1984-86 and 1988), but it’s not a slight to say that he wasn’t a very good hitter.
However, if you’ve spent three minutes watching the Giants, you know that Flannery, the team’s current third base coach, does something that I’m not sure I’ve seen any other third base coach do.
He does this…
I have never, ever, seen a more active third base coach in my lifetime. Windmilling like a goof? Flannery. Racing alongside your baserunner as he streaks toward home plate? Flannery.
In today’s win over the Cubs, Flannery made an exceptional call — shown in .gif number two — when he waved in Gregor Blanco on a Melky Cabrera single that was ripped into left field. Cabrera hits an opposite field line drive single into LF and Alfonso Soriano decided to throw the ball into second base instead of hitting the cut-off man, leaving the speedy Gregor Blanco with a direct route to home plate. In a split-second, Flannery noticed that Soriano was going to throw the ball (wrongly) to second base and waved in Blanco. Great hit. Great baserunning. Great call.
I’m not sure you can credit a third base coach with an RBI, but I’d give one to Flannery for that play if I could.
Other brief post-game thoughts:
* If he qualified, Gregor Blanco would currently rank 12th in the NL for OBP. I’ve really, really enjoyed Gregor Blanco this year; he’s been a great find.
* The main story of the game was probably Barry Zito’s 8.1 innings of shutout baseball. Zito’s underlying peripherals still aren’t something to inspire confidence, but he’s been a perfectly cromulent 5th start this year. He’s pitching way better than I could have imagined.
* Collectively, Giants first basemen have posted a 76 wRC+ this season. Somehow, seven teams (PIT, LAD, MIL, MIA, CLE, KCAR and NYM) have done worse.
