There Are Some Who Call Him...Tim

Tim Lincecum is being called up. That makes me very happy. DO you know why? If not, let me throw the number .29 at you. That was his ERA at AAA.

At Municipal Stadium

I was at Municipal Stadium today for the SJ Giants game, courtesy of the miracle of free tickets at Costco. While there, I noticed two things.

1. They raised ticket prices. Not that that matters, seeing as though they're still cheap and my tickets were free anyway.
2. Antoan Richardson is amazing. With his speed, he created a run singlehandedly in the 5th inning. I have seen personally why he is such a great prospect, and now I have been converted to the Richardson side.

Postponed, Part Deux, and Other Thoughts

Another two games rained out. That gives one game in four days. When the equivalent of this happened last year (the first Houston series), I was in a state of panic. This time around, though, I'm fairly nonchalant. I guess the blog is helping me kick my baseball addiction by overexposing me to baseball.

The Giants caould possibly trade Eddy Martinez-Esteve to the Orioles for Billy Rowell. EME won't ever help the Giants, being the prototypical AL player, and Rowell would give the Giants a young, versatile prospect with big upside.

Today was Jackie Robinson Day in baseball. Do you know what I think about Robinson, his day, and Barry Bonds' unsuccessful attempt to wear #42? #*@^!!! For details, read my previous post on the topic.

Tim the Enchanter

Lincecum struck out 9 in 7 innings for Fresno today. Already I have friends who tell me he should be up right now as the closer.

Masters in Augusta

[Insert name of golfer here] may have won the green jacket in Augusta last year (I don't follw golf, but the real masters are the GreenJackets, who are now 6-0. I don't knw how they're doing it, but it may have to do with the fact that they are a virtual reincarnation of last year's Northwest League champion Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. The GreenJackets aren't the only Giants farm team doing great, because they all are: San Jose is 5-0, Connecticut is 2-0, and Fresno is 4-1, with the only loss of any minor-league affiliate of the Giants. Do you know the way to San Jose? The future is looking up...

Who is Travis Blackley?

Yesterday, the Giants traded Jason Ellison to the Mariners for Travis Blackley, who they promptly shipped to Fresno. Now some questions:

1. Who exactly is this pitcher?
   Blackley is a native of Melbourne. (Shouldn't he be playing cricket, then?) A few years back (2000, to be exact) he was signed by Seattle. He dominated his first two years, and slowed down a little after that, but still was able to make the big club by 2004. He also played in the 2003 Futures Game. The Futures Game displays the best young prospects. Liriano was one of the Giants farmhands who played in the game in recent years. However, Blackley blew out his shoulder. He missed all of 2005 due to the injury, and spent last season in AA.
2. Do I think he can rebound from the injury?
   Yes. Comebacks from injuries are much more common than 20 years ago. The injury derailed his career, but with a new team, he can get back on the right track.
3. Do I think it was a good trade?
To an extent. Jason Ellison wasn't going anywhere, simply taking a spot that can now be saved for Fred Lewis, and he now plays for his hometown team, where he can start anew. However, though Blackley shows promise, I think the Giants would have been better served getting an infielder. I fear Blackley will end up as just another talented pitcher hanging around in Fresno because the Giants don't have room for him in San Francisco. It happens a lot.

Adam Cowart

Cowart was the best 35th round pick the Giants could have possibly made in last year's draft. The stats don't lie: 10-1, 1.08 ERA, 0.71 WHIP. His complete dominance was probably the reason the Volcanoes won the Northwest League title last year. The closest comparison I can think of is a Juan Marichal in a league full of Damian Mosses. I wonder why he didn't get the call up to San Jose and he's not the non-roster invitee to spring training, when he's done far more than Tim Lincecum. I hope it's not a fluke—the big promotion he's sure to get this year may tell us if it is. If not, he could be really, really good. As Casey Stengel may have once said about Billy Martin (I don't remember whether it was him), "I don't care if he did it in Timbuktu, he's a real ballplayer."

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 4

SS: Shortstop is the trickiest position of all. Even though my gut tells me it should be Eugenio Velez, just because of his great season for Augusta last year (.315/.369/.557). However, it has been pointed out, and rightfully so, that at 24, he is old for Class A. Another concern is the fact that he has played 4 seasons in the minor leagues, but had never played more than 67 games in a season until last year. These concerns will all probably be answered next year, though. Seeing as that he is on San Francisco's 40-man roster, he is likely in for a big promotion for 2007, which he desperately needs. If he has a good season in AA for Connecticut or another huge season in A+ for San Jose, he will be on the fast track to the big leagues. If he has anything less, though, his age will hold him back and he will become just another Eliezer Alfonzo drifting around the minors.

A safer bet is Tim Hutting. Splitting time between A+ San Jose and AAA Fresno, he put up a mostly average line (.266/.338/.353). Howver, he is the same age as Velez and playing at a higher level then Velez. The Baseball Cube tells us that he is a great fielder and has power, even though he only hit 5 home runs last year.

So, who will it be: Velez, Hutting, or someone else? The coming years will tell.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 3

3B: Do you know who Villalona is? If not, you need to get your Gigantory system checked. However, I'll run it down foir you.

1. He is the biggest sign out of Latin America for the Giants since Orlando Cepeda. I would say that Cepeda turned out fairly well for the Giants, wouldn't you?
2. He turned down more money (more than $2.1 million?) to sign with the Giants. That's devotion.
3. In front of scouts, he hit a 400-foot shot at the age of 13. How many 13-year-olds have scouts looking at them?
4. He's 16. He's great already, and he won't hit his prime for 10 more years. Behold the wonder.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 2

2B: Are you kidding? The guy at the keystone sack for the future in Kevin Frandsen. Just look at his stats and tell me he's not worthy. He may not be a star, but he'll always be the guy to help with the little things, making that one nice catch, the heads-up defensive play, just like his childhood idol, Robbie Thompson. He also has a strange penchant for getting hit by pitches: he missed a significant amount of time near the tail end of the season after getting hit by a pitch in Fresno the day before being called up, and in his first five big league games, he was hit by four pitches.

What the Giants Infield Should Look Like in 10 Years, Part 1

Note: Judging from Brian Sabean's previous policies regarding bringing up minor-league position players, the chances of this actually occuring are so small they do not need to be discussed.

This is the first part in a four-part weekly series about who should be where, coming out of the Giants' talented but ludicrously underused farm system.

1B: Ishikawa is the way for the Giants to go. With the Aurilia signing, the Giants have proved their noncommitance at the first sack, which means good news for Travis. He hit 22 home runs for San Jose in 2005, if you want to know if he has power. I know the California League is the greatest hitter's league this side of the 8-year-old division of the local Little League, but still, 22 home runs anywhere in professional baseball is nothing to sneeze at, the home-run totals of Major League stars over the past 10 years notwithstanding. Can he field, you ask? You bet. I have compiled a nice little chart out of what I could find in the way of fielding off the link above, which you can find here.