Congrats to Tim Lincecum!

Cy Young baby!

Back and ready to attack!

Actually I’m still getting back into the swing of things. The last two weeks without internet have been surprisingly undull– I got a lot of reading done– and with the Giants decidedly out of the playoffs, I haven’t felt the need to follow the games online. But now that I’ve got ole lappy back from the shop, its back to feeding my baseball obsession.

One thing I am thinking about now that the minor league season is over. Would you consider the past year a successful one for the minor league system? The explosion of Bumgarner and Sandoval onto the scene have to be the highlights of the year. Burriss, Alderson and Ishikawa were also pleasant surprises. But what about Villalona, Noonan and Fairley? Has Schierholtz’s stock fallen?

I will say this: even though it’s early yet. I’m willing to count the 2008 draft as a success. I’m not sure Gillaspie is better than Noonan (or even better than Frandsen) and there’s no indication yet that Crawford or Kieschnick will ever make it to the Bigs, but I like the philosophy behind the picks. For the first time in a long while, I feel that the Giants are (competently) addressing their positional needs.  Couple that with their prowess in selecting and developing pitchers, and the future for the Giants looks quite bright.

Update

Sadly, still no working laptop.  Also to compound that, my office computer is communal (I am a graduate student… this is your education taxes at work) and I haven’t had the time to post or even peruse the lines.  One bright note, I did recieve a call from Kevin Pucetas asking me to buy playoff tickets.  Hopefully everything will be resolved tomorrow.

Some Bad News

Sorry for the delay in posting,.  My laptop’s power source went kaput, so it’s in the shop for the next couple of days.  This means I’ll have to post from my office, which has no windows.  Alas.

Wednesday Web Whosit

• This article from Project Prospect is almost a month old, but it ranks pitchers in the minor leagues by a metric they call a “Dominance Factor”. Not surprisingly Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner are high on their respective lists (I imagine Bumgarner would be first now after his hot August) and Clayton Tanner makes an appearance. Former Giants prospect Shairon Martis is also doing well.
• It’s time for the end of the season awards and two Giants pitchers nabbed themselves some hardware. Kevin Pucetas was named the California League’s Pitcher of the Year and Madison Bumgarner was named the Sally League’s Most Outstanding pitcher. Matt Downs and Tim Alderson also made the Cal League All-Star team.
• According the BallparkDigest (the article is a couple of days old so you may have to scroll down) the Defenders may be moving to Bowie next year. This would mean the Defenders would be 4 hours closer to me (but still 10 hours away), which would actually make me consider taking a weekend trip. That is if the Giants decide to re-up with the Defenders. Joe Perez, however, says its all just a rumor. Thanks to Greg for the original link to the news. Also in a personal note, a team in the Sally League is moving to Bowling Green, KY which means the Greenjackets could be only 4 hours away from. That’s a drive I might make.
• Not minor related, but Chris from Bay City Ball has a nice article analyzing the Giants’ propensity to walk batters. It’s a question that has plagued me, that’s for sure.
• This week’s BA’s prospect hot sheet chat features a discussion on The Giants’ catching situation, and an update on Bumgarner’s stuff (still great fastball, still questionable breaking stuff). One comment by Ben Badler that made me raise my eyebrows was that he considered Bumgarner the fifth best prospect in the system. I don’t know about that. I have him in the running for #1 with Posey.
• Also Matt Palmer is down and Osiris Matos is up. They might call Pat Misch up for the next spot start.
• That’s all for now. Till next week sportsfans.

Prospect Watch 8/26/08

San Jose and Augusta had the day off.  Pat Misch had his third good start in a row and Buster Posey had a monster game as he fell one single short of a cycle.  For those of you who are interested in the minor league playoffs, all of the teams in the lower minors are currently in first place, with the AZL Giants holding the slimmest lead with a one game cushion over the AZL Padres with three more games to go (including a game against the Padres to finish the season).  Connecticut hasn’t been the same since losing Pablo and Rohlinger to the Giants, as they are currently in a seven game skid (including today’s game).

Fresno

2B Travis Denker: 2 for 4, 2B, K

1B John Bowker: 0 for 4, SB (2)

CF Ben Copeland: 0 for 3

SP Brad Hennessey: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

RP Pat Misch: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K

Connecticut

CF Antoan Richardson: 1 for 3, 2B, BB, K, SB (32)

LF Eddy Martinez-Esteve: 1 for 3, BB, K

RP Ronnie Ray: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

RP Kelvin Pichardo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Salem-Keizer

3B Conor Gillaspie: 3 for 5, 2B

DH Michael Ambort: 2B, K

C Johnny Monell: 2 for 4, K

SP Ari Ronick: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR

AZL Giants

CF Wendell Fairley: 1 for 5

C Buster Posey: 3 for 3, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB

1B Craig Ziegler: 2 for 2, 2B, 2 BB

3B Josh Mazzola: 3 for 5, 3B

SP Jorge Bucardo: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K

RP Ryan Verdugo: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 6 K

Notes

LHP Ryan Verdugo

Verdugo was drafted in the 9th round this year out of LSU.  He was also drafted by the Giants last year in the 47th round but did not sign.  He throws in the high 80s, touching 91.  He has a tick higher velocity than the typical soft-tossing lefty, but he’ll need to refine his command in order to succeed at higher levels.  In 12 2/3 innings in AZL, he has walked 6 batters.  He profiles as a starting pitcher, but the Giants have him appearing in long relief.  I wouldn’t include him in any prospect lists just yet, but his left-handedness makes him valuable.

Posey Sighting!

Buster’s DHing tonight in the AZ heat.

“Wednesday” Web Watch

• All Bumgarner, all the time. Madison’s been putting up ridiculous stats, and the baseball world is noticing. Here are write-ups from MiLB.com, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus. What’s your guess on where he’ll end up on the end of season prospect lists? I would venture somewhere in the 15-20 range.

Prospect Watch 8/17/08

Connecticut snapped its three game losing streak with a defeat over Erie. Unfortunately the losing streak dropped them to four games behind second place. It was also a day of position changes as Erick Threets started a game and catcher Elio Sarmiento played at second base.

Why do they call it a bullpen?

As a general rule I try to avoid writing about players on the major league club, but with so many rookies finding their way onto the roster this year, it’s become unavoidable. First, the pitchers: