I do hate to contribute to one more piece to the internet’s glut of Cliff Lee chatter, but I’ve been somewhat baffled by some Giant fans’ response to the Cliff Lee signing. There’s a vocal minority (or perhaps even a majority) that seem to think that even after the Cliff Lee signing the Giants have a better rotation than the… Read more →
Right, so. In the middle of December I have joined a baseball blog devoted to a team that just won the World Series and one that also happens to have most of its players locked into multiyear contracts. Yes, well, no one has ever accused me of having perfect timing. Anyway, there may be fans of other teams reading this… Read more →
As the offseason churns away, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest author (and first ever addition — whoa, prestigious!), Otis Anderson. I’ve you’ve been reading McCovey Chronicles for as long as I have, you might have already noticed Otis’ work, or as he’s known on McC, ‘oldjacket’. Otis is a really smart (I like to refer… Read more →
Tonight, the Giants defeated the reigning NL champions 3-2 to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2002. This was, in large part, a template game for the San Francisco Giants: too many runners left on base, solid bullpen support, a “thrilling” Brian Wilson save in the 9th, a win by one run, and butt loads of… Read more →
Today, I sat down — virtually, through the email machine — and asked Bill Baer, a fellow SweetSpotter and author of Crashburn Alley, a few questions about the Phillies. How good is their defense? Is their rotation as scary as it seems? Why does he irrationally hate Ryan Howard so much? And does Jayson Werth’s beard really house an entire… Read more →
According to a post on MLBTR, the Giants could be in the running to sign 16-year-old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo. ESPN.com’s Jorge Arangure reports (via Twitter) that the Giants may be on the verge of signing 16-year-old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo. A deal could be finalized “within [the] next couple of weeks.” If you’ll remember, Mateo was one of the… Read more →
Run prevention is a hugely important team skill in baseball. Baseball highlights will often be composed of those who can hit the longest home runs, but having a top defensive team can do wonders for a team’s record. For example, take the Giants. Collectively as a team the Giants can’t hit their way out of wet paper bag. Despite Sandoval… Read more →
Yesterday we talked about Lincecum’s changeup being worth +2 wins by FanGraphs’ linear weights for pitch-types. I thought it would be helpful to show some of the other top pitches in the game by their pitch-type values. The following table illustrates the pitches, and the pitchers who throw them, that are worth at least 15 runs above average — or… Read more →
There’s nothing like 2 weeks of work-related training to sweep you away from baseball. Things I missed: The All-Star Game, most of the Pittsburgh series (this wasn’t a bad thing), and a few other odds-and-ends news items. While I’ve been away, I’ve been jotting things down here and there. Here’s a few quick thoughts: Looking through some WAR leaderboards for… Read more →
The Giants have selected RHP Zach Wheeler with the 6th overall pick in the 2009 First Year Players Draft. From SFGiants.com: Wheeler, 19, has a fastball that reaches 95 mph but typically hovers in the 90-93 mph range, according to scouting reports. Experts believe that Wheeler can gain velocity as he adds strength to his 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame. I like… Read more →