2021 roster

[LHG]

I took most of '20 off and our group fell apart on renewing our season seats (which we've held since opening day in SF)..... so what's the opening day line up?

posey
belt
solano?
craw
longo
dik-dik
dubron
yaz
a cadre of weak starters?

If this is it, hard to believe this is a >.500 lineup

show me some optimism, please

I assume OP lineup will be something like:
2b - LaStella
c - Posey
rf - Yastrzemski
3b - Longoria
lf - Dickerson
1b - Flores
ss - Crawford
cf - Dubon
sp - Cueto

Talk is that Belt won't be healthy for OP so I've penciled Flores to start at 1st base, although I could see Casali behind the plate and Posey at 1st for that first game.
Additionally, I expect to see Tommy LaStella starting at 2nd base more than Solano but maybe he'll slide over to 3rd base from time to time to give Longoria a breather and allow Solano a start. However, once Belt is back, I don't know how the Giants are going to give both Solano and Flores regular playing time. I still think LaStella is superfluous, regardless of how rarely he strikes out.
The rotation, if everyone bounces back to their better years, could be pretty decent. Same with the bullpen. But that is a lot of what ifs. But it could happen. The bigger question is, will either LA or SD (or both) implode under the weight of expectations? Because if neither do, the best we could hope is for the 2nd Wild Card, which it could be attainable considering how mediocre the NL Central could be. There are a lot of questions in the NL East as well.

Welcome back, by the way. I wondered if you left to the "other" forum.

 

[pachyderm]

I took most of '20 off and our group fell apart on renewing our season seats (which we've held since opening day in SF)..... so what's the opening day line up?

posey
belt
solano?
craw
longo
dik-dik
dubron
yaz
a cadre of weak starters?

If this is it, hard to believe this is a >.500 lineup

show me some optimism, please

Didn't he have heel surgery? Reckon he'll be ready for opening day?

 

[LHG]

Josh Sborz. I get the feeling he'll be on the 40 man roster soon. A former Dodger (just dfa'd by them) and relief pitcher with a 95 MPH fastball. Seems like FZ's kind of pick up.

 

[stanford the manford]

I assume OP lineup will be something like:
2b - LaStella
c - Posey
rf - Yastrzemski
3b - Longoria
lf - Dickerson
1b - Flores
ss - Crawford
cf - Dubon
sp - Cueto

Talk is that Belt won't be healthy for OP so I've penciled Flores to start at 1st base, although I could see Casali behind the plate and Posey at 1st for that first game.
Additionally, I expect to see Tommy LaStella starting at 2nd base more than Solano but maybe he'll slide over to 3rd base from time to time to give Longoria a breather and allow Solano a start. However, once Belt is back, I don't know how the Giants are going to give both Solano and Flores regular playing time. I still think LaStella is superfluous, regardless of how rarely he strikes out.
The rotation, if everyone bounces back to their better years, could be pretty decent. Same with the bullpen. But that is a lot of what ifs. But it could happen. The bigger question is, will either LA or SD (or both) implode under the weight of expectations? Because if neither do, the best we could hope is for the 2nd Wild Card, which it could be attainable considering how mediocre the NL Central could be. There are a lot of questions in the NL East as well.

Welcome back, by the way. I wondered if you left to the "other" forum.

not even aware of an 'other' forum. i'm very happy with the expertise and congeniality here. only thing missing is a competitive team.

when your best argument for post season seeding is other teams implode - we've got a ways to go.

tbh, not being able to attend in person greatly reduces my interest in sports in general, baseball in specific

 

[LHG]

not even aware of an 'other' forum. i'm very happy with the expertise and congeniality here. only thing missing is a competitive team.

when your best argument for post season seeding is other teams implode - we've got a ways to go.

tbh, not being able to attend in person greatly reduces my interest in sports in general, baseball in specific

Apparently, someone who used to control this forum (not just the Giants but the entire website) sold it and then, recently, decided to create another forum that is almost identical to this one. I've checked it out once recently but its got three posters, all who've been here, posting sporadically.

Many of us on here were on the ESPN's board back in the day, about 10 to 12 years ago. Many of them came here and I joined a few years later. The nice part about this group is, like you said, fairly friendly towards one another. The sad part is that many of them have disappeared. I think COVID accelerated an already developing trend - that people just aren't as into forums much any more. I think the team's mediocre play, starting with the 2nd half of 2016, has driven off a good portion of the group. Three titles in 5 years will make a fan base spoiled.

 

[pachyderm]

Apparently, someone who used to control this forum (not just the Giants but the entire website) sold it and then, recently, decided to create another forum that is almost identical to this one. I've checked it out once recently but its got three posters, all who've been here, posting sporadically.

Many of us on here were on the ESPN's board back in the day, about 10 to 12 years ago. Many of them came here and I joined a few years later. The nice part about this group is, like you said, fairly friendly towards one another. The sad part is that many of them have disappeared. I think COVID accelerated an already developing trend - that people just aren't as into forums much any more. I think the team's mediocre play, starting with the 2nd half of 2016, has driven off a good portion of the group. Three titles in 5 years will make a fan base spoiled.

I'm at the "new forum" but this one is still better.

There is a reddit group as well.

 

[stanford the manford]

imo the reality is all forums seem to have an expiration date. unless you attract new blood (hard to do when the subject is mediocre and the posters non-confrontationial (sp?)), you have inevitable attrition and the resulting slow death

best thing for this group would be for the giants to actually do something that elicits excitement

 

[Sandisfan]

There are two forums I regularly read and occasionally post to that are flourishing. One is Cycling News Forums (they cover all cycling, Road racing mountain bike et.al {Pros and amateurs and recreational} ). There are many European based users there of course and there are many awesomely knowledgeable contributors who teach me new stuff on an ongoing basis. I have been a big fan of Tour De France but now love to catch as many of the Big One Day races and other stage races including the two other three week Grand Tours, Italy and Spain. The other is a Hockey Forum started by a couple of brothers that has thousands of posts every day so it depends on the subject and the devotion to a sport and how it is Moderated, both allow arguing but don't allow personal attacks and the Moderators on both don't use their positions to ban or infract those who they disagree with on those forums. If I knew how to use spoilers if it is available here the hockey one is Hockey's Future(keep it unknown so trouble makers don't follow to there and Troll that site) because that is one of the best Forums and independent from larger entities to push them in directions that they (larger entities) might want to go. I have been on that site (been there over a dozen years) and they had writers for several years as their front page but they had some trouble with a person who tried to take over but who turned out to be more of a con man. They then went to some very annoying advertising that slowed browsers but after a short while started subscriptions around 10 bucks a year to remove adds and I have been buying that since they offered it. The posters here is are good bunch. Another site for basketball at least for the Warriors is Real GM and that is an active forum but I haven't registered there as I prefer to drive by read and don't go there everyday, as I don't follow basketball so much now days but hope for the loyal Warriors fans who suffered for so long to get on top for a while.

 

[LHG]

imo the reality is all forums seem to have an expiration date. unless you attract new blood (hard to do when the subject is mediocre and the posters non-confrontationial (sp?)), you have inevitable attrition and the resulting slow death

best thing for this group would be for the giants to actually do something that elicits excitement

And, I think, we are a pretty small niche fan group. Out of the people in the country, how many follow baseball? And how of those, how many follow the Giants? And out of those, how many like to talk about the Giants? And out of those, who many want to or prefer to talk about them in a forum setting?

 

[LHG]

Apparently, the FO is still looking for additional starters (I wish they'd give Webb and/or Beede another shot).

Giants still eyeing additional rotation depth

The Giants prioritized bolstering their starting rotation this offseason, but they may not be done making additions as pitchers and catchers prepare to report to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the start of Spring Training on Wednesday. Kevin Gausman, Johnny Cueto and newcomers Anthony DeSclafani and...

www.mlb.com

James Paxton is mentioned in this article but he just agreed to a one year deal with the Mariners. Here is the list of the remaining starters on the market: Brett Anderson, Tyler Anderson, Homer Bailey, Trevor Cahill, Zack Godley, Gio Gonzalez, Cole Hamels, Mike Leake, Tommy Milone, Jimmy Nelson, Jake Odorizzi, Brad Peacock, Rick Porcello, Tyson Ross, Jeff Samardzija, Anibal Sanchez, Matt Shoemaker, Juilo Teheran, Taijuan Walker.

Take out the guys the Giants recently jettisoned (T. Anderson, Cahill, Ross & Samardzija) and that leaves 15 pitchers on the market.
Brett Anderson (33) - He actually stayed healthy in 2020, which is a pretty big deal for him. Pitched decently. May be worth a flier. Seems to fit the MO of the other signees (lots of potential but cannot stay healthy and is a bit up and down in results).
Homer Bailey (35) - Had an okay 2019 (which is really good in comparison to his previous seasons) and while he pitched well in his 2 starts in 2020, he's a big health risk. He's also 2 years older than Anderson.
Zack Godley (31) - Back in 2017, teams were salivating for this moment, when he would hit the open market. However, he hasn't been good since then. In fact, the Diamondbacks moved him to the bullpen in 2019 before moving on from him. He started with the Red Sox in 2020 and the results were ugly.
Gio Gonzalez (35) - May not even be considered a starter any longer. Only made 4 starts with the White Sox in 2020 (with another 8 relief appearances). The results weren't good. I wouldn't be surprised if he retires.
Cole Hamels (37) - Here's another pitcher who may retire. He will be 37 years old this year and got only 1 start in 2020 before an injury sidelined him the rest of the year.
Mike Leake (33) - He opted out of the 2020 season and was only okay in 2019.
Tommy Milone (34) - The last time he posted a season in the big leagues with an ERA under 4 was in 2015, and the only season since then his ERA has been under 5 was in 2019 when he was mainly a reliever for the Mariners.
Jimmy Nelson (32) - Another former big name pitcher whose best days on the mound are clearly behind him. He's only made 3 starts in the big leagues since 2017 and did not pitch in the big leagues at all in 2020.
Jake Odorizzi (31)- One of the top two remaining starters on the market, he endured a rough 2020 and, I think, is a bit overrated at this point in his career.
Brad Peacock (33) - He's been bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen the past few years and made only 3 relief appearances in 2020. He was decent as a 4th starter type in 2019 though.
Rick Porcello (32) - Speaking of overrated, this guy is way overrated. He has a career 4.40 ERA yet still gets regular work in rotations, based mainly on the fact that he was an uber prospect over a decade ago and had one really good season in 2016.
Anibal Sanchez (37) - This guy has had an interesting career. A top prospect who looked like a future ace in 2006. He then got much worse before bouncing back in 2009 and had a good run until 2014, punctuated by a stellar 2013. He got really bad by 2017 but then seemed to suddenly get good again in 2018. Then came the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Does he have another suddenly good season in him or will he retire?
Matt Shoemaker (34) - I've rooted for this former Angel as he seemed to be good when healthy but was barely ever healthy. He has made a combined 32 starts over the last 4 seasons and only looked good in one of them - 2019.
Julio Teheran (30) - He should be added to the overrated list. He's also been valued mainly on his potential but, after 10 seasons, he should be recognized not as a potential ace but as a solid 4th starter. However, his horrible 2020 season with the Angels puts that label in jeopardy.
Taijuan Walker (28) - Now here is a guy I wouldn't mind sliding Webb out of the rotation. He's had significant health issues but, when he has been healthy, he's been good. And he is also the youngest of this bunch, so he is the most likely of the group to get even better. Considering he's still available, he may be had at a decent price too.

 

[tzill]

I don't think that pursuit of, say, Jake Odorizzi precludes giving Webb and/or Beede a shot. I think they will end up needing 8-9 SPs by seasons end. Signing another quality FA makes a ton of sense -- depending upon price.

 

[LHG]

Here's another recently dfa'd pitcher that I wouldn't mind the Giants picking up - Jimmy Herget. However, the Giants already need to clear space for Jake McGee and so I don't know who they'd jettison for Herget.
On that note, here's my thoughts on the 5 most likely players to get the boot from the 40 man roster for McGee - LaMonte Wade, Trevor Gott, Jason Vosler, Tyler Rogers (bite your toungue!), Sam Selman. The latter two, in my opinion, both deserve to be on the active roster come Opening Day, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants dump one of them. In fact, there's an argument to be made for any of these 5 as to why they wouldn't be jettisoned (Vosler was just signed this offseason, Wade was just acquired in a trade, Gott wasn't non-tendered or dfa'd earlier in the offseason) but they seem to be the most likely on the roster.
Edit: Jaylin Davis may also be a likely candidate. He seems to be getting passed up but I'd rather the Giants keep him than Wade.

 

[LHG]

Another reliever invited to camp:

 

[Stokes1931]

Apparently, someone who used to control this forum (not just the Giants but the entire website) sold it and then, recently, decided to create another forum that is almost identical to this one. I've checked it out once recently but its got three posters, all who've been here, posting sporadically.

Many of us on here were on the ESPN's board back in the day, about 10 to 12 years ago. Many of them came here and I joined a few years later. The nice part about this group is, like you said, fairly friendly towards one another. The sad part is that many of them have disappeared. I think COVID accelerated an already developing trend - that people just aren't as into forums much any more. I think the team's mediocre play, starting with the 2nd half of 2016, has driven off a good portion of the group. Three titles in 5 years will make a fan base spoiled.

I'm still here, ready to post my RISP drivel all season long for your annoyance.

I am looking forward to seeing a more competitive team in 2021. And I am really hoping for the Arizona Fall League to open next September.

 

[LHG]

I'm still here, ready to post my RISP drivel all season long for your annoyance.

I am looking forward to seeing a more competitive team in 2021. And I am really hoping for the Arizona Fall League to open next September.

Glad to see you back Stokes but hoping your RISP comments are at a minimum . . . due to the Giants' offense continuing their 2020 success.

 

[calsnowskier]

Glad to see you back Stokes but hoping your RISP comments are at a minimum . . . due to the Giants' offense continuing their 2020 success.

The Giants actually doing badly in RISP situations is not a prerequisite for Stokes to complain about the Giants’ RISP woes...

 

[LHG]

The Giants actually doing badly in RISP situations is not a prerequisite for Stokes to complain about the Giants’ RISP woes...

Stop bursting my bubble.

 

[tzill]

The Giants actually doing badly in RISP situations is not a prerequisite for Stokes to complain about the Giants’ RISP woes...

Similar to the fact that an improved staff won't stop me from several moundshattery and #weaklink comments.

 

[Stokes1931]

The Giants actually doing badly in RISP situations is not a prerequisite for Stokes to complain about the Giants’ RISP woes...

#Truth

 

[MarcoPolo]

Similar to the fact that an improved staff won't stop me from several moundshattery and #weaklink comments.

There's a LOT of "in jokes" (or bizarre nicknames) on this forum, which often annoys me (because life caught up to me and I only read here occasionally now-a-days) and it's not uncommon for me to think "who the flock is he talking about?" when reading someone's post about "the missile meister" or "the intrepid shepherd", or "hot dog bun" or some other ridiculous name.

That having been said ... I personally have always loved the term "moundshattery" which I don't think that I have seen anywhere else but on this forum.