September 8th, 2009
With all of the talk surrounding Bengie Molina’s contract situation, Juan Uribe is more deserving of a new Giants deal than Molina and Freddy Sanchez, and it’s not just because of Uribe’s recent hot-hitting. Of course, the Giants could re-sign both Sanchez and Uribe, and commit second base to Sanchez and third base to Uribe in 2010. But, if it comes down to one or the other, Uribe seems the more logical commitment.
For starters, Uribe is younger and more healthy. Uribe turned 30 in March, while Sanchez turns 32 in December. In his six weeks as a Giant, Sanchez has had knee and shoulder issues, while Uribe has mostly been pain-free. Health should be the number one concern when it comes to signing players to multi-year deals… even two-year contracts.
Uribe is also more versatile. While Sanchez hasn’t played anywhere other than second since 2006, the Giants can play Uribe at second, short, and third. Versatility is becoming one of those many aspects of baseball that has been undervalued. (In the way that on-base percentage and defense have been undervalued the last several years.) Uribe’s versatility also gives the team some leeway to develop their younger infielders. Uribe can play third to make room for a second baseman, and he play second so someone can play third or first (whichever position Sandoval isn’t playing). He also, of course, is capable of playing shortstop if Edgar Renteria continues to tail off next year.
Uribe does all of this while playing very good defense no matter where he’s playing. He’s only slightly below average at shortstop, but so is Renteria. Sanchez is a good defender at second, but Uribe is just as good in the field.
As for the offense, it may just be that Uribe will be a better hitter over the next couple of seasons. This season, Uribe’s OPS is .816, nearly 100 points better than his career mark (.726). His wOBA is .345 this season compared to a .309 career number. Maybe Uribe is in a salary drive (although I doubt it) but, perhaps more likely, Uribe is becoming a better hitter and one of the many players more successful in the National League. I’m not expecting a .816 OPS in the future, but a .780 OPS in 2010 and 2011 isn’t that unrealistic and still above average.
By comparison, Sanchez is a career .756 OPS hitter, and has a .768 mark this year. He did have an .851 OPS in his best season in 2006 when he hit .332, but that was when Sanchez was still in his 20’s. I’m guessing Sanchez’s 2009 offensive numbers are more reflective of his next few seasons. And, with Sanchez being 32 and 33 the next couple of seasons, the numbers could go down.
In the end, there may not be a huge difference between Uribe and Sanchez offensively in the next few seasons. However, Uribe’s versatility, defense, health, and clubhouse presence (which continues to get talked up) make him the better option to sign for the next few seasons. If you factor in that Uribe may be cheaper because so many people in baseball (Sabean?) are still in love with batting average, then he is a MUCH better option.
More notes:
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: Bengie Molina, Brad Penny, Bruce Bochy, Buster Posey, Edgar Renteria, Eli Whiteside, Eugenio Velez, Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Jason Hammel, John Bowker, Jonathan Sanchez, Jorge De La Rosa, Jose Contreras, Juan Uribe, Matt Cain, Rockies, Tim Lincecum, Ubaldo Jimenez, Willie Mays | No Comments
July 11th, 2009
Not only is he a Cy Young winner, but Tim Lincecum apparently is also Nostradamus. His quote on Chronicle Live last night before Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter:
Someone is going to throw a no-hitter and it might not be the ace of the squad. It could be an unsung hero kind of guy.
“Unlikely”, as Henry Schulman and Andrew Baggarly write, is the word that has been used most frequently to describe Sanchez’s no-hitter. While no one expected this piece of brilliance from a pitcher who has struggled so much this year, we can expect brilliance from pitching coach, Dave Righetti.
Sure, the Giants are fortunate to have a lot of pitchers with great stuff, but they still need a coach to help harness that stuff. And, great stuff doesn’t always mean great results. Righetti obviously worked hard with Sanchez since his demotion to the bullpen. Just as he did when Barry Zito has demoted last year, and came back a better pitcher. From Jeremy Affeldt to Sergio Romo to Ryan Sadowski to Justin Miller to Brandon Medders, and even Lincecum and Matt Cain, can you honestly say that Righetti can get any more production from their pitching staff than they have received to his point? Sanchez has been the one underachiever, and the Giants pitching coach may have righted that ship.
Righetti appeared to be in tears last night as he embraced Sanchez after the final out. It confirmed how close Righetti is to these Giant pitchers and got me thinking about a great baseball book I read from Roger Kahn called The Head Game.
In the book, Kahn spoke at length with former pitching stud, Johnny Sain. Many baseball fans are unaware that Sain was, not only an excellent pitcher, but a very good pitching coach. Jim Bouton once said of Sain, the coach:
Johnny Sain didn’t try to make you pitch like he did. He put himself in your shoes. He had allegiance to you. He made you think. He was the best pitching coach in baseball.
Sain had a number of principles he lived by as a pitching coach, but two have stood out. One, a coach “owes his primary loyalty to his pitchers”. Sain explained that loyalty took precedence over other important loyalties to the boss and to the field manager. Whether you agree with it or not, it helped Sain become closer with his pitching staff and develop trust. One of Sain’s other quotes was, “It’s better for a pitching coach to be unemployed than to be dishonest”.
I don’t know if Righetti follows these same principles or the exact relationship between Rags and the members of the Giants staff, but those tears confirmed that there is a bond that us fans may not completely grasp. A bond that may be developed through loyalty and honesty. Whatever his methods, Righetti is getting great results. It’s time we give him his just due.
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Categories: San Francisco Giants |
Tags: 49ers, A's, Aaron Rowand, Anthony Randolph, Barry Zito, Bengie Molina, Brandon Medders, Buster Posey, Charlie Manuel, Dave Righetti, Eli Whiteside, Giants, Greg Ellis, Jeremy Affeldt, Jim Bouton, Joey Devine, John Montefusco, Johnny Sain, Jon Bryant, Jonathan Sanchez, Juan Uribe, Justin Miller, Kevin Frandsen, Matt Cain, Mike Krukow, Pablo Sandoval, Patty Mills, Raiders, Roger Kahn, Ryan Sadowski, Sergio Romo, Stefan Frei, Stephen Curry, Tim Lincecum, Warriors | No Comments
June 26th, 2009
(Note: Because of travel plans, we are going to take some days off at West Coast Bias, and won’t have a new blog until next Thursday.)
When there is an idiot owner and inept front office in place, it’s easy for all of us to be cynical when it comes to the state of the affairs for the Warrior organization. When Larry Riley was introduced as general manager, nearly all of us were skeptical that he would be the one to turn this franchise around. We assumed that Riley, based on his track record, was just as inept as the rest of the front office, and that he would be acting as a puppet for his friend, Don Nelson. The trade talks involving Amare Stoudemire confirm our fears about Riley.
Despite Riley’s “I am not a puppet” claim, he is acting with Don Nelson’s best interests at heart. That means Riley is looking for a quick-fix to the organization so the Warriors are simply a playoff team, instead of doing what good general manager’s do: Build a championship team. This is why you hear quotes from Riley and Robert Rowell about making the playoffs. I can assure you that the Lakers, Spurs, and a other well-run front offices don’t talk about just simply making the postseason.
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Categories: Golden State Warriors |
Tags: A's, Aaron Rowand, Amare Stoudemire, Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, Corey Maggette, Don Nelson, Eli Whiteside, Giants, Jack Hannahan, Jim Tracy, John Bowker, Kelenna Azubuike, Larry Riley, Marco Belinelli, Matt Holliday, Monta Ellis, Patty Mills, Robert Rowell, Stephen Curry, Stephen Jackson | No Comments
