Question: Barry Zito has just thrown another poor start and he’s talking to the press. Which quote will he give? A. My arm feels like a bag of sand and I can’t hit 84 miles-per-hour anymore. B. I’m rich, bitch. C. I’m not being aggressive enough. I’ve got to start being more aggressive. — You know the answer by now… Read more →
You know what I’m talkin’ about. (10 points to whomever gets the movie reference) After writing a little yesterday on Fred Lewis and his patient approach at the dish, BCB commenter Delorean reminded me of the great plate discipline data you can pull from FanGraphs. I’ve briefly touched on these stats here at BCB but nothing serious. Today, we’ll examine… Read more →
Action returns to major league baseball today but the Giants are still off until Friday when the G’s take on the Brewers. The opening game of the series should be a good one, Matt Cain meet CC — no longer C.C. — Sabathia. The second half of the season will also reveal the Giants new revamped rotation, which looks like… Read more →
Ouch, bad day yesterday to be involved in running a major league team. Seattle Mariners GM, Bill Bavasi, was “relieved of duties” and shown the door. I’ve always enjoyed the Mariners on a basic level. I think everyone grew up a fan of Ken Griffey Jr. but the Mariners also had players like Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner that I… Read more →
The Giants never develop any young hitters. That’s a constant criticism of the Giants and one that’s not entirely unfounded. The Giants haven’t developed hitters — good hitters — at the same rate that they’ve developed good pitchers. Part of this could be that the Giants have always focused on drafting pitching and then attempting — I say attempting —… Read more →
Ladies and gentleman, John Bowker. It’s tough to overshadow a dominant Tim Lincecum start — 11 punch outs over 6, we’ll go into more detail later — but John Bowker has made quite a name for himself in just two games. The Chronicle noted this morning that Bowker has done something that Giants’ legends — Bobby Bonds, McCovey, Cepeda, Clark,… Read more →