Willie asks San Francisco Giants’ Pitcher Barry Zito about his awareness of #RallyZito, the fan support during the playoffs (Twitter is still not for Zito), and how the hell he got a hit off of Justin Verlander in the World Series.
Tag Archives: giants
As a Kid, Brandon Crawford Imagined being a Long-haired Shortstop for the Giants
Chad and Willie talk to San Francisco Giants shortstop, Brandon Crawford at Giants’ “Media Day” about growing up a Giants fan and imagining winning the World Series as their shortstop, how he celebrated the Super Bowl, and more.
February 9, 2013 · 10:02 AM
Timmy now looks like Harry; Hates In-N-Out now
Chad talks to San Francisco Giants’ 2 time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum about his off-season training regimen, if the Giants have a target on their back, timing differential between his fastball and changeup, his new haircut, and why he’s not eating In-N-Out burgers anymore.
February 9, 2013 · 1:01 AM
Sergio Romo has a “rubber band” arm…or so he says
Up first is my interview with Sergio Romo, asking him about the 49ers Super Bowl loss, the similarities and differences between football and baseball, Hunter Pence’s speeches and how they helped in the 2012 playoffs, his off-season training regimen, his rubber-band arm, and he likes to crack his knuckles.
Chad
February 9, 2013 · 12:57 AM
SF Giants Media Day
We had unprecedented access (well, at least for us amateurs) to the Giants players today for “Media Day” at AT&T Park. Willie and I were able to make it up to the park for the 2 hour speed-dating session with the players and had more access than we could have imagined.
Currently, I’m editing videos of the players that I interviewed, and they’ll be posted throughout the wee hours of the night, as you sleep, or at least, after you drank yourself to sleep, still bitter of the 49ers Super Bowl loss.
I keed.
We have video interviews of Sergio Romo, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelson, Bruce Bochy, Buster Posey, Barry Zito, Brian Sabean, and maybe even the custodian.
We hope you enjoy the onslaught, we did.
Chad
Filed under Articles
Giants Not “Pence”-ive as a Free Agent “Hunter”
Right park, different uni (manginphotography.net)
First of all, I apologize for the title, but I was in the NY Post spirit with the Mets in town.
Hunter Pence is the player that many Giants fans have been drooling over for quite some time, and in all honesty, the Giants didn’t give up as prized of a prospect as they did last year as they jettisoned Zach Wheeler for a Beltran rental (btw, can we have him back, now?)
It’s not generally recommended to react to trades completed by your divisional rival, but in this case the Giants had to put at least one more bullet in the chamber as the Dodgers put a few (Ramirez, Victorino, and almost Dempster). Alas, the gaping bleeding hole in their lineup is a right handed bat, and much as I like him, Brett Pill ain’t the medicine for that ailment. Pence is a nice fit, an energetic player with pop and speed. He reminds me a little of Eric Byrnes; very awkward in the field, not majestic in his mechanics, but god damn if he doesn’t just get the job done, he does it better than most.
Shierholtz had a nice tenure with the Giants; a player that always aspired to do more, yet was solid in his contributions, despite not getting as many opportunities as he’d hoped for. His comments in the Chronicle a few weeks ago essentially put an “X” on his back regarding trade bait. His comments may not have been detrimental to the clubhouse, but perhaps you want to change the scenery for that player in the interests of both parties. Heck, he’s even reuniting with one of his best buds, Kevin Frandsen, who was recently promoted from AAA. Frandsen was even in Shierholtz’s wedding. Tommy Joseph is a promising talent, but the Giants are flush at catcher, a position that teams generally have a paucity. San Francisco still has Hector Sanchez, Andrew Susac, and some guy wearing number 28.
Unfortunately, the Giants will have to deal with arbitration with Pence this offseason, and if Beltran is any indication of how he feels that AT&T Park is a black hole that just sucks power numbers away from any bat that lingers near its center, Pence may come to find that the next 30 odd games played in this pitcher’s haven are not kind to the stat sheet. Nonetheless, if they get into October, he could smell the allure of a triples record next year?
-Chad King, @chadk21
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How Much Are Lincecum Bobbleheads Going For?
photo by: Lenny Ignelzi
Here at TortureCast, we’ve heard some early rumblings about Tim Lincecum’s ineffectiveness in spring training this year, and concerns that he’s lost his zip, or his slot, or that “je ne sais quoi.” I know most of you probably aren’t putting your Lincecum bobbleheads on eBay, but for those of you worried about his potential decline, let the numbers put you at ease.
This is his sixth spring training, and he has never had an ERA below 4.00. His overall career ERA in 89.2 innings of spring training is a whopping 5.02. From 2007 through this year, his ERA: 6.43, 4.50, 4.03, 6.94, 4.37, and 6.75 (of course it’s only 8 IP in 2012 so far). His last outing vs Kansas City was stellar, with 1 hit allowed in 4 IP. The numbers also don’t reveal what he’s doing from a mechanical standpoint. He’s only been using his fastball and changeup so far, and just trying to get his mechanics down. Tenured players like him, especially pitchers, as John Kruk said earlier this week, “are always working on stuff,” much to the chagrin of the position players. Many position players acknowledge that spring training is really for the pitchers and then of course, the players on the bubble.
Lincecum is not on the bobble, er, I mean, bubble, of course. He’s just going through the motions, and he’ll be fine.
Chad
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MLB Expanded Playoffs: A “Historical” Perspective
I don’t consider myself a purist, I can handle change in this timeless game of baseball. At least they still wood bats (*cough* DH *cough*). I am a proponent of the current wild card system, even if it did come a year too late for the Giants.
For those of you that may have missed the news, MLB is on the precipice of approving the expansion of the playoffs this year. Each league would add one wild card team, meaning 10 out of the 30 teams would make the playoffs. Okay, that’s still the smallest percentage making the playoffs of any of the 4 major sports, doesn’t sound ground breaking yet. Here’s the catch: each pair of wild card teams in each league would have a one game playoff. One game? Seriously? After 162? If they are tied, fine, go at it. We’ve seen one game playoffs to determine division champs and wildcards before.
To look at the potential variability and inequity of a one game playoff, I looked at the past 17 seasons in which we have had the wild card playoff system (implemented in 1994, but that season was canceled). I added the hypothetical team that would have qualified for the second wild card in each league. I then determined the number of games back the second wild card team would have been that year:
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How the Playoffs Might Have Been – Hypothetical Wild Card Matchup History
2011 Rays v Red Sox(1 GB), Cards* v Braves (1GB)
2010 Yankees v Boston (6 GB), Braves v Padres (1GB)
2009 Red Sox v Rangers (8 GB), Rockies v Giants (4 GB)
2008 Red Sox v Yankees (6 GB), Brewers v Mets (1 GB)
2007 Yankees v Tigers/Mariners (6 GB), Rockies v Padres (tied)
2006 Tigers v Angels (6 GB), Dodgers v Phillies (3 GB)
2005 Red Sox v Indians (2 GB), Astros v Phillies (1 GB)
2004 Red Sox* v A’s (7 GB), Astros v Giants (1 GB)
2003 Red Sox v Mariners (2 GB), Marlins* v Astros (4 GB)
2002 Angels* v Red Sox/Mariners (6 GB), Giants v Dodgers (3 GB)
2001 A’s v Twins (17 GB!!), Cards v Giants (3 GB)
2000 Mariners v Indians (1 GB), Mets v Dodgers (8 GB)
1999 Red Sox v A’s (7 GB), Mets v Reds (1 GB)
1998 Red Sox v Angels (7 GB), Cubs v Giants (tied – actual one game playoff)
1997 Yankees v Angels (12 GB), Marlins* v Mets/Dodgers (2 GB)
1996 Orioles v Red Sox/White Sox/Mariners (3 GB), Dodgers v Expos (2 GB)
1995 Yankees v Angels (1 GB), Rockies v Astros (1 GB) shortened season!
“higher” wild card seed listed first
* denotes WS Champ
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Some very interesting things come out in the wash, but frankly, that’s some dirty water coming out, tinged with the joyous tears of Bud Selig at the thought of raking in a few extra bucks for additional playoff stretch drives and the 2 additional do-or-die games. Although the majority of the additional wild card teams were within 3 games of the “first” wild card team (3.9 games back average over both leagues), there are extreme examples of a vast chasm between the two. Let’s start with 2001. The Seattle Mariners tore up the league that year with an MLB -best 116 wins, the most since the 162 game schedule expansion and the best winning percentage by any team since 1954. The A’s fell 14 games short of that mark with a still impressive 102 wins and filled in as the wild card. If this new system was in place then, the A’s would have hosted the Twins in a one game playoff. The Twins had 85 wins…17 GAMES behind the A’s! Do you think the average baseball fan would have bought a Twins victory in that hypothetical situation as dogma that the Twins deserved to go over the A’s after 162? Of course not. This system enables this possibility, and it will happen at some point. This example is the fodder against those who claim they like this system, and if you want to avoid a one game playoff, just “win your division” and stop whining. Clearly division series can match up teams with large gaps in their regular season records, but at least they have 5 games to settle it, not one.
There are more examples of historically large record differences since 1995. The Yanks would have played the Angels in 1997 (12 game difference), 8 games would have separated the Mets and Dodgers in 2000 and the Red Sox and Rangers in 2009. A 7 game differential would have occurred 3 times, 6 games 5 times.
The funny thing is, as a Giants fan, the team would have historically benefited from this new system. Yes, their 2002 NL Championship may have never have happened after facing the Dodgers in a one game playoff, but the Giants would have gained a one game playoff 3 additional times since 2001 (‘01 v Cards, ‘04 v Astros, ‘09 v Rockies; They did play an actual one game playoff for the wildcard vs the Cubs in 1998 after finishing in a tie…I needed quite a few beers after Gaetti’s HR). On paper I would have taken that deal.
Five World Champs have been wild cards, including the 2004 Red Sox. Could you imagine if the Curse was never nixed if they had lost to the A’s in a one game playoff that year (even though they were 7 games better)? The Cardinals may have never won last year, perhaps the Angels in 2002 (actually, that’s fine by me), the Marlins in ‘03 (thanks Pudge) and ‘97.
I’m also not sure why Selig and Co. are pushing to get this in this year, when the end of the regular season and playoff schedules are set, and the leagues are still unbalanced. Why not just wait until 2013 when the Astros move to the AL West and the schedule can accommodate the extra playoff game? I am unequivocally against this new system. Rather, I’m for the extension of the division series to 7 games instead, much like the NBA converted to a while back.
Then again, maybe the Giants will be that lucky second wild card this year?
– Chad
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Romo is better than Wilson
I know, blashphemy, right?
I love Brian Wilson. He is an excellent closer. He carried us through 2009 and 2010. But, I believe Sergio Romo is better.
I can’t speak to Romo’s late inning nerves. He only has 3 career saves. Brian Wilson has done that in 3 nights. However, let’s lo0k at the stats:
Looking at the last 4 years for both players, Romo has the statistical edge by far, even by ERA. Let’s look at the contact and control stats: Both players each have 2 best years for strikeouts per nine innings, Wilson with 9.57 and 11.2 in ’08 and ’10, Romo with 10.9 and 13.1 in ’09 and ’11, but Romo with the better average over that span. However, control is lopsided, which was Wilson’s Achilles. Wilson had the following walks per 9 innings from 2008-2011: 4.0, 3.7, 3.1, 5.1. Romo had: 2.1, 2.9, 2.0, 0.9. Romo put less than HALF the runners on base via the walk than Wilson. Granted, we all know how many times Wilson got out of walk-induced jams over the past few years, but that’s playing with fire. The walk percentage is even more telling. Wilson walks about 10% of batters he faces, Romo about half as much. Batting average against? Well, Romo has the edge 3 out of the last 4 years, and a dominant average. WHIP? Same, 3 out of 4, and that doesn’t even consider the dominant 2011 Romo had, while Wilson had his worst year in 2011. Romo dominates every statistical category (aside from saves, of course).
These are two pitchers heading in opposite directions. Even the speed data, which Wilson relies on more than Romo, shows that Wilson is losing his edge. His average fastball speed for the last 4 years is 95.7, 96.5, 95.9, and a career low 94.2 MPH last year. He’s losing his stuff. Granted, he was hurt last year, and probably played through some of it. However, if Chalupa man can’t regain a 95+ MPH fastball in the beginning of the season, I think we know the trend line is confirmed.
I hope it’s not true, but the Giants made shrewd moves signing Romo, Lopez, and Affeldt to multi-year contracts. I think it’s clear that Wilson is not the Giants’ closer for long.
Chad
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