If you’re like me, then you’ve probably got a soft spot for backup catchers, in particular, you’ve got a soft spot for Eli Whiteside. Today Danny Knobler, CBS Sports, tweeted that everyone’s favorite backup catcher was, once again, on the move. This makes the fourth team that has employed Eli Whiteside in 2012. The Giants, Yankees (very briefly), Blue Jays… Read more →
Today has felt like one of those days where four million individual things were happening with the Giants. Here’s a few key points. 1. Brandon Belt makes the roster Probably one of the more surprising things about the final roster was that, well, Brandon Belt was on it. For now, it’s looking like the Giants are going to shift Aubrey… Read more →
Spring training is happily coming to an end, and the Giants apparently contemplating making some decisions based on spring training performances. “Making decisions influenced by spring training performances” is one of those phrases that summons up a feeling of dread. Like decisions under the influence of NyQuil and Triple Sec, you know that the decision won’t be a good one,… Read more →
You’ve heard “Pitchers and catchers report” roughly one billion times over the last couple of weeks. You won’t here. I don’t care about the other Giants catchers, at least unless we’re talking about their stable of catching prospects on the farm. Over at the SweetSpot, Chris provided his pick for the Giant we are most excited to see in 2012…. Read more →
Back on May 25, I wrote about the Giants’ inability to score via the home run. Unfortunately, you may not have read that piece because something horrible happened that night, something far more unfortunate than you not reading what I’d written. The Giants lost the game and their star catcher. And we lost our innocence. In a nutshell, I explained… Read more →
Today’s batch of links from around the nerdsphere: * Stadium Journey has a new review online featuring AT&T Park. Not surprisingly, the park rates very well in several areas. The Giants’ homepark is one of my favorites in baseball. It’s my personal favorite that rates up there with other greats such as PNC Park and Camden Yards. Giants fans are… Read more →
The rumor: the Giants have contacted the Nationals about Ivan Rodriguez In list format, here’s why they shouldn’t do that. 1. He’s terrible at hitting Over the past three years, in 896 at-bats, Pudge has hit .253/.284/.364, or if you like OPS+, that’s a score of 73. Even if you consider that the bar on offense is lower for catchers… Read more →
Today, Bruce Bochy writes this: CF Aaron Rowand 2B Emmanuel Burriss 1B Aubrey Huff 3B Pablo Sandoval LF Pat Burrell RF Cody Ross SS Mike Fontenot C Eli Whiteside P Ryan Vogelsong And, sadly, I can see no fault in what he’s written. It’s getaway day in a rain-soaked town, to be followed by another weekend of games… Read more →
Eli Whiteside vs Chris Stewart Eli Whiteside got hurt early this spring, and Chris Stewart has taken advantage of his opportunity, thumping out a .318/.400/.545 line in a handful of at-bats. His minor league track record indicates that he might actually be a bit better of a hitter than Whiteside, but not so much that you’d actually notice. Other things equal,… Read more →
Baseball is a funny game. The amount of variations, outcomes, and sheer randomness make almost no two games alike. Enter last night’s game. Roy Halladay’s career doesn’t need much explaining. He’s been a terrific pitcher in the AL for years and he’s off to a white-hot start in the NL. His WAR totals since 2006 – 5.7, 5.6, 7.4, 7.3… Read more →