Here’s another feature I will provide on the blog: scouting reports for the minor league games I attend. I went to the San Jose Giants v. Bakersfield Blaze game Monday night. I stayed for six innings as I had to get up early for my day job the next day. Barry Zito made a rehab start for the Giants and… Read more →
Or, an alternate title: If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably already heard this stuff. 1) Getting Jeff Keppinger was/is a solid move for the Giants. With Freddy Sanchez officially opting for surgery, it was a move that the Giants had to make with their current depth at second base. Keppinger has been moderately useful since he donned a… Read more →
The Giants, having already played 108 games, have 54 to go. They currently have a two-game lead on the Arizona Diamondbacks, and that lead will be up for grabs over the next three days as the Snakes come to Third and King to attempt to wrest the divisional grasp from Bochy’s Giants. With Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Ryan Vogelsong… Read more →
There’s some huge pregame news today coming from the Giants: Perhaps Jonathan Sanchez’s problems aren’t all in his head. Or perhaps the Giants found a creative way to give Sanchez a two-week break without compromising their roster. In a surprising move, the Giants just placed Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list with left biceps tendinitis. Barry Zito, who will start… Read more →
Fact #1: Jonathan Sanchez can be an incredibly frustrating pitcher to watch at times. Fact #2: Jonathan Sanchez is an above-average starting pitcher in the National League. These two facts are not irreconcilable. In last night’s game, Sanchez only lasted 4.2 innings against the Indians. In what can be best described as a typical Jonathan Sanchez start, Sanchez issued six… Read more →
Usually, through the beginning of June, a team with exceptional starting pitching — including a two-time Cy Young award winner, a lefty that’s tossed a no-no and… whatever the really good Matt Cain is — isn’t anchored by a sophomore and a journeyman. Usually. Yet it is the case of the Giants, at least so far this year. Win-loss records… Read more →
When Barry Zito went down with a foot injury on April 17th against the Arizona Diamondbacks many wondered how the Giants would replace his steady, if not grossly overpaid, production. Mentioning Barry Zito’s name will likely draw a wide range of responses from fans, but the fact remains that Zito, at his core, is essentially a league average starting pitcher… Read more →
So, Chris wanted to know whether Barry Zito’s pop-up ability is something he’s maintained as a Giant, or whether he’s mostly a product of Oakland’s generous foul territory. So here’s the simple graph of Zito’s pop-ups per flyball over his career.
It being an off-day, I thought it would be interesting to talk about a general baseball point that I’ve been thinking about. That is using career totals to identify the skillishness of certain results, especially as it relates to balls in play for pitchers.
So, the answer to the question of “Who will replace Barry Zito?” is Ryan Vogelsong. I assume that the Giants didn’t want to mess with the development of Clayton Tanner or Eric Surkamp, and just plain didn’t want to watch Henry Sosa pitch.That, plus a little extra wiggle room on the 40-man, probably narrowed it down to the half dozen minor… Read more →