Giants General Thoughts

[tzill]

I met Bobby Bonds Jr once while he was playing minor league ball. Nice guy.

Greatest five tool player I ever saw. It was HS, but he was far and away the best player on the field. And that included his younger brother.

 

[tzill]

Didn't Barry, at one point toward the end of his career, suggest to a member of the press that the Giants should acquire his brother and start him in center or right field?

Don't know about that, but I remember Junior getting a minor league deal with the Giants around the same time we signed Darryl Strawberry. Had one guy babysit both. Same chemical problems.

 

[calsnowskier]

Greatest five tool player I ever saw. It was HS, but he was far and away the best player on the field. And that included his younger brother.

Did his younger bro play as well?

 

[LHG]

He was in the Giants minor leagues for a few years.

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

I forgot about that too. I wonder if it was in 1997 or 1998 that Barry made that statement.

 

[LHG]

Greatest five tool player I ever saw. It was HS, but he was far and away the best player on the field. And that included his younger brother.

Unfortunately, it didn't translate to the professional ranks.

 

[tzill]

Did his younger bro play as well?

I may be misremembering, but I believe Bobby Jr was a year older than Barry.

 

[tzill]

Alex Cobb ranks 10th in FIP among 104 major-league pitchers who have thrown 100 innings, yet he’s 5-6. His expected ERA is a half-run lower than his actual ERA, according to Statcast. Alex Wood’s 5.11 ERA should be nearer to 3.98 — the biggest differential among all 70 major-league pitchers with at least 350 batted-ball events this season.

Just sayin...Cobb is elite this year. Wood has been solid. With average defense, this rotation would be the best in the majors.

 

[LHG]

I may be misremembering, but I believe Bobby Jr was a year older than Barry.

I looked it up, Bobby is almost 6 years younger than Barry.

 

[LHG]

All I can say is from PERSONAL experience he's the greatest hitter I ever faced. Except maybe Bobby Bonds Jr.

Now I'm trying to understand how you faced both Williams and Bonds Jr when their age difference is almost 5 years.

 

[calsnowskier]

I may be misremembering, but I believe Bobby Jr was a year older than Barry.

Bobby is 8 years younger. Barry was born in ‘64, Bobby Jr was born in ‘72

 

[LHG]

Bobby is 8 years younger. Barry was born in ‘64, Bobby Jr was born in ‘72

This says he was born in '70.

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[calsnowskier]

This says he was born in '70.

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com

Bobby Bonds Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

I used that as y source, but misremembered the exact year.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[tzill]

Now I'm trying to understand how you faced both Williams and Bonds Jr when their age difference is almost 5 years.

Yeah, that doesn't seem right to me either, unless they had Bobby Jr filling in for fun. I'll need to ask one of my teammates. Maybe I'm confusing Barry with Bobby Jr.

Damn, I'm old.

 

[LHG]

Yeah, that doesn't seem right to me either, unless they had Bobby Jr filling in for fun. I'll need to ask one of my teammates. Maybe I'm confusing Barry with Bobby Jr.

Damn, I'm old.

That would make more sense. Barry is closer to Matt's age.

 

[msgkings322]

I think a lot of factors went into this dismal season. I think #1 was just a lack of talent. I don't know what could have been done, maybe not much. I also think running it back from last year was a decent plan -- that team earned the right to do it. I think #2 was massive regression across the board -- see #1. I'm surprised that Yaz, LWJ, Craw and Belt dropped off so much. I'm equally surprised at TRog, Leone, Littell, Marte, McGee, Alvarez were all mediocre to awful. #3 was the defense and I'm not sure why it was truly a shitshow. Maybe #1, maybe #2, maybe management, tough to say.

I don't the managerial choices had that much to do with it --that tends to even out over the course of a season. At the end of the day, Kap doesn't swing the bats or throw the pitches.

Buster retiring may have had more to do with all of it than anything else. That said, I think there are reasons to look forward to 2023, starting with re-signing Rodon, signing Judge, and some youngsters stepping up (looking at you, Luciano, Harrison, and Matos).

Man y'all are really hung up on 2 FA signings that are major long shots for the Giants

 

[tzill]

Man y'all are really hung up on 2 FA signings that are major long shots for the Giants

Maybe, but why not think positive? What else is there to be done? They've got the money, Judge and Rodon like the area/team. I don't see those as super long shots, but you do you.

 

[calsnowskier]

Maybe, but why not think positive? What else is there to be done? They've got the money, Judge and Rodon like the area/team. I don't see those as super long shots, but you do you.

I believe Judge is a long shot, but I also think we have AT LEAST a punchers chance at getting him. And with the money it will take to land him, I suspect we will ultimately be happy we “lost out” on him. Signing the BIG FAs is rarely the right move.

As for Rodon, I think our chances are probably more than 50%, but I will not be shocked either way.

 

[msgkings322]

Maybe, but why not think positive? What else is there to be done? They've got the money, Judge and Rodon like the area/team. I don't see those as super long shots, but you do you.

Judge likes New York too (especially for hitting)...and they are contenders right now unlike the Giants.

Rodon...I thought the problem was the opposite, that he didn't like it here?

So I'll amend my statement to long shots and drop the 'major'. Only Giants fans think either are likely to sign here. But maybe we get one...

You're right, nothing we can do about it either way but hoping for big FA saviors hasn't really worked since...Bonds?

 

[msgkings322]

I believe Judge is a long shot, but I also think we have AT LEAST a punchers chance at getting him. And with the money it will take to land him, I suspect we will ultimately be happy we “lost out” on him. Signing the BIG FAs is rarely the right move.

Exactly, I think he's flirting with us to up his price for the Yankees. Can't see them letting us outbid them. And will we really mind not getting a 30 year old huge guy for $350 million over 10 years? I actually hope we do get him for that but missing won't hurt that much because of the cost avoided.

As for Rodon, I think our chances are probably more than 50%, but I will not be shocked either way.

Seems high but maybe I'm mistaken about him not liking SF

 

[calsnowskier]

Seems high but maybe I'm mistaken about him not liking SF

I think you get the idea that he doesn’t like it here based on an offhand comment I made earlier this season. He made a frustrated comment about playing hard (or something similar), and I of course made the irresponsible extrapolation that he didn’t like playing here. It was not anything I had heard from anyone in the know, it was just an off the cuff remark based on a moment of frustration on his part.

Everything I have heard from those in the know say he loves it here. Not necessarily that I believe that, but there you have it…