The Giants officially signed first baseman Aubrey Huff to a one-year, $3MM deal today. The deal was first reported Sunday by Dennis O'Donnell of CBS5 in San Francisco.
Huff split his time between first base and DH last year. Though he has played hundreds of major league games at third, he figures to play first for the Giants. Pablo Sandoval, Mark DeRosa and Juan Uribe are all in the mix for time at the corner infield positions, so Bruce Bochy will have lots of options.
Huff, 33, hit .241/.310/.384 in 2009. He will presumably pick up some at bats from Travis Ishikawa, who is seven years younger than Huff and plays better defense. Ishikawa hit .261/.329/.387 last year in 113 games at first base, so he was more productive than Huff at the plate, too.
As MLBTR's Mike Axisa points out on River Ave. Blues, the move appears to lessen the chances that Johnny Damon ends up in San Francisco. The Braves and Yankees could still be fits for Damon, but the Yanks' interest likely depends on Damon's willingness to lower his demands. This also limits the market for Adam LaRoche; the Mets and Orioles have openings at first, but few other teams do.
Somewhere Adam LaRoche just let out a loud school girl scream!
indeed
i wonder how far you could hear it?
I heard it from my house.
If a LaRoche screams and no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?
Was that LaRoche or Damon? lol
At 33, he seems a bit young for the Giants…I guess a one-year deal doesn’t hurt, but he obviously fell off the map quickly last year.
Typical dodger fan reaction. Maybe you haven’t noticed how young the team is these days…..
Young? Maybe if Posey actually starts in the big leagues, but the Giants are now old at 1B, 2B, SS, LF, and CF. Relax though, it was a tonge-in-cheek comment. I’m actually envious of some of the young talent there, especially on the pitching side and at catcher, especially considering how disappoint Martin has been since 2007.
So over 30 is old? Rowand/Sanchez are 31. In fact, only 8 players are over 30 on the entire roster, one of those being a back up catcher and one a setup man.
And as of today nobody over 34.
“So over 30 is old?” Absolutely, its all downhill from there to the grave.
I like this signing, don’t love it, but like it. 3 million for his bat even with his age and declining production is still pretty good.
(THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A REPLY TO GIANTS FAN 805 BELOW)
I’d say it’s low reward, low risk. You pretty much know what you’re getting with Huff. There’s not a huge upside there. That said, I think this is a pretty good sign by the Giants. He’s coming off a rough season, but he had terrible luck on balls in play (his BABIP was in the .260 range). He should bounce back and provide about what a 33-year-old Aubrey Huff would provide: 270 AVG, 340 OBP, 440 SLG, 15-20 HR. That’s decent production for a $3m/1-yr commitment. Also, there’s potential upside in the fact that Huff has been facing some tough pitching the last five years (in the AL East), and coming over to the NL West (relatively weaker competition) should be a benefit to him.
High reward, low risk. Not the high impact signing we have been hoping for but a step forward in making this team better than it was in 2009.
Is it just me or have the Giants changed their whole TEAM for AROD money? This recession is the best thing that couldāve happened to SF.
Last year they picked up Freddy Sanchez a 300 hitting 2b and Renteria for SS
So far this winter:
Mark Derosa LF/RF who can hit 20 HR and 80 RBI
Aubrey Huff for 3B who can give you 20-25 with 90-100
And I’m sure theyāre still talking to
1B Adam Laroche (they will surely get on the cheap) who can give the 20-25 and 80-100 and Johnny Damon for LF (if they offer 8 mill heās theirs because he’s a Boras client)
Iām not saying they win the west but they would definately be the most improved.
Thatās a complete overhaul of 6 of 8 everyday positions with some very good player in less than a year.
2B Sanchez 6.2
SS Renteria 8.2
CF ROWAND 9.6 (current)
3B Huff 3.0
RF Derosa 6.0
1B LaRoche 5.0 ???
LF Damon 8.0 ????
THATS 36 MILLON TO REDO THE WHOLE DAMN LINEUP ASIDE FROM ROWAND and Catcher!
And the best 1-2-3 punch in their division with Linceum / Cain / Zito? Watch out Dodgers.
um… sandoval?? huff a 3B? i think not.
I’m not SF fan just looking at the rumors and how wisely they look to be spending their money. If they pull off these other 2 Derosa, Laroche and Huff all play multiple positions and Damon is one of the best leadoff men in MLB. If you add their offense to Sandoval, Sanchez & Rowand it is an amazing improvement.
RF Derosa
CF Rowand
LF Damon / Laroche either one that signs
3B Huff
2B Sanchez
SS Renteria / Uribe
1B Sandoval
C Torrealba / Barrajas (Rox signed a catcher) Barajjas will be cheap replacement for Molina
I think Laroche in LF would be a disaster. He has zero speed.
not an SF fan!?!??!
are you even a baseball fan???
Laroche in LF??? Huff regularly at 3b??? have Shierholtz UNdevelop on the bench??
you make Brian Sabean look like a freakin’ genius
Have you read any of the press releases? OR Are you waiting for someone to read them to you? Huff was signed to split time between 1B /3B. Go ahead find a 3rd grader to pronounce the BIG words for you, we will all wait. GOT SOMEONE? Good! He has spent the majority of time the last 2 years @ ……..3B, Derosa 1B/LF/RF.Don’t be mad at me because you GUYS SUCK in San Fran……LOL get it YOU GUYS SUCK IN SAN FRAN. They have improved, You’ll still SUCK…..(that never gets old) but at least your team will have improved. Now put your purse down and let the 2nd grader get back to watching cartoons! CHECKMATE!
Sandoval had the best OPS in baseball for 3B last year. No chance Huff takes 3B away from him.
Come on Giants…You serious? This is NOT the power hitter we needed, rather like DeRosa another piece to the puzzle. WE NEED MORE HITTING!
He had 32 jacks in 08. If he can get close to that, it will be a helluva sign
I completely agree..but that will be a helluva accomplishment, lol.
I’m hoping for 25…
That’s fair š
His HR/FB rate (# HR / # flyballs) in 2008 was 15%. In 2007 and 2009, it was 9%. 2008 was an outlier.
25 is probably optimistic. My guess is 20 is about your upside on HR’s.
good not great pickup. more and more its looking like jermaine dye is will be in right field.
The Giants need a big bat, this was not the move to put them in playoff contention IMO
Indeed, the Giants have a bunch of parts, it seems, but no real cohesion. If Bochy wins with that collection of players it’ll be a great feat of managing. That’s a lot of similar production players competing for playing time. I thought one of the aging LFers was a better fit myself, but of course I’m not Sabean.
Enough with the Damon to Braves talk…
If the Braves had money it’d be a good fit. Maybe a back-loaded contract of 6-10, but yeah, the Braves would still need an extra 3 mill. I think they’d rather go with Super2Heyward or Melky for 2 months while giving Diaz a full job instead of throwing him back into the back-up section. They seem set on giving Prado and Diaz full jobs this year. I would rather see Damon or O-Dog lead-off than McLouth though.
Back-loaded contract???? So you want to sign him for how many years? Are you kidding?
The Braves simply don’t have the money for Damon. Unless he is willing to take a 1 year 3 million offer (clearly he is not) there is no way for him to end up in a Braves uniform.
I am fully confident in a Diaz/Melky LF, McLouth in CF and Heyward in RF.
Hmm, maybe you didn’t understand me. I meant 2/16. 6 the 1st and 10 the 2nd. The FA class next year wont be any better for him to compete with and the Braves will be a cheaper team next year since they would likely get rid of Glaus, Diaz or Melky, and 1 other while replacing them with people making the team minimum in Schafer, Freeman, Heyward. I only meant back-loaded 4 mil in a 2 year contract… but that is still riding on the fact that the Braves would need to spend 13 mil next year or scuffle up an extra 3 mil this year.
Looks like he’ll be the Giants first basemen. Seems like Mark DeRosa plays a lot of left field and Jhonny Damon has one less option.
Why did they let Garko go if they were just going to sign an older version of the same player?
Exactly what I was thinking. Huff has as bit more power and better intangibles but this isn’t much of an upgrade really.
garko has never had a 30/100 season.
If only this were the 2007 offseason…
A repeat of Huff’s 2008 season is an unrealistic expectation.
Huff is left-handed. He does a better job of balancing the lineup than Garko would have. Giants have a lot of right-handed hitters (Posey, Sanchez, Renteria, DeRosa, Rowand).
YES! This could be the bat the Giants need. Aubrey Huff is the man!
I believe Tim said during one of the chats last month that he thought Aubrey Huff would go unsigned this offseason and I was very puzzled by it. Oh well Tim, we can’t pick them all. If we could, I would be winning that Free Agency Frenzy on MLB.com every year, haha.
StevenwithaPH here guys, I think this is a good signing, $3 for someone who could, and I emphasize could, actually hit over 20 bombs and has some plate discipline! He’s cheaper than Garko would have been and considering they G-men offered LaRoach $17 over 2 years, they just saved a ton of money for probably similar numbers.
The signing also increases the Giants likelihood of going after a 5th starter or Torrealba on a one-year deal. This year’s free agent market just isn’t that good apart from the two big bats signed by the Cards and Mets.
Torrealba’s agent knows posey is the future, unlikely he would sign a one year deal.
Most teams say similar things every offseason about one or 2 players, but they bust. (Some) Cards fans were saying Ankiel and Chris Duncan could each hit 20 last year…
Giants have a pretty deep lineup now, granted they don’t have the Pujols-Holliday combo, but they’ve managed to add a lot of mid-level players who swing a pretty good stick. If everyone performs (including a Comeback Player performance from Renteria) they’ll be formidable with the pitching they’ve got.
I though they should’ve signed Beltre, and then when he was off the market LaRoche. Huff has some pop left though. At least thats one less possible landing place for Delgado, so his price drops a little more.
Well maybe, but between a very truncated season last year, two measly teams keeping him on radar, and being a candidate for an incentive-laden deal, just how high is Delgado’s price likely to be anyway?
the only other options would be maybe Baltimore and Toronto…
if the rays can shed salary ( aka Burrell ) I saw them as a potential fit
im just glad the yanks never looked at him..if Damon hits 24…he would hit 50 HR in that joint
then the mets would have to hear it….every day…several times a day…from yankee fans
Actually, it would be Mets FANS hearing it all day & night from Yankees fans…but I hear you.
Yeah, the two teams I was counting were the Mets & O’s. I only heard a passing reference to bringing him back to Toronto and it didn’t sound like the idea was getting serious consideration. As for the Rays moving Burrell, I could be wrong but mathematically I might express that idea as: Burrell:Rays = Castillo:Mets!
I’d add the White Sox as at least a possibility, you never know what Kenny’s thinking. The new Thome.
Ahh…interesting idea. And yeah, Kenny is willing to think outside the box – and then act on it (pretty refreshing for a GM). Something to watch!
Jesus…they should have signed him instead of Johnson…
SS Jeter (18 HR)
2B Cano (22 HR)
1B Texiera (35 HR)
3B A-Rod (50 HR)
DH Delgado (40 HR)
C/DH Posada (20 HR)
RF Swisher (15 HR)
CF Grandeson (20 HR)
LF Gardner (2 HR)
That woluld be even more ridiculous….that’s apoximately 222 homeruns.
I’m still hoping the Mets go for him.
So Adam LaRoche essentially shot himself in the foot and has nowhere to go except the Orioles basically.
Also Damon will not be on the Braves unless his asking price comes down to like 3-4mil
I think that LaRoche would be a better fit on the O’s Anyway. But i think Carlos Delgado would be a better fit on the O’s. Could the Orioles be a fit for Jermaine Dye as a DH if they either trade Luke Scott or put him at first?
The O’s should just sign everybody!
Wow what a kick in the balls to Adam laroche, his only suitor now is what? The mets LOL
the O’s actually.
Other teams that might be interested in LaRoche:
The A’s (though probably not at more than the Giants offered)
The Mets (to replace Delgado, if Omar has a brain)
The Padres (if Boston finally buckles and gives up its entire farm system for A-Gon)
The O’s
I don’t think LaRoche is as limited in his options as people think he is.
LaRoche is a 275/350/480, 25 HR first-baseman. Someone will want that offense at the right price. LaRoche may not get a $17m total contract, but he wasn’t necessarily dumb to turn down the Giants offer… A two-year deal for 30-year-old can be the kiss of death; would take him right though the last two years of his so-called “peak,” and then leave him high-and-dry back on the free agent market.
Laroche may end up taking a one-year, “show me” deal for $5m, and making out better in the long run than if he’d accepted the Giants offer.
You’re right in theory, but the Mets organization (yes, I’d say it goes beyond Omar) has quietly demonstrated a predisposition to stick with Delgado unless something really drastic happens to him – say in winter ball. It’s not the wide net I’d like to see them cast, but that is what I’ve sensed since the season ended.
Dumb — barring a catastrophic barrage of injuries (like the one they had last year), the Mets have four of the best offensive players at their respective positions in baseball (Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Bay). The rest of the Mets lineup should be solid producers, who can simply play a secondary role, and who DON’T HAVE A HISTORY OF GETTING INJURED … the oil that allows the engine to run.
LaRoche is a sure thing (150 G – 275/350/470, 20-25 HR). Delgado’s a lotto ticket. When you got a strong core, you go with the sure thing and let your stars do the work.
Right on all counts, but the one bit of slack I will give them is in the aspect of contract length. No team is in love with LaRoche’s demands for a 3-year deal (at 31.5 MM), and the Mets’ unwillingness to offer more than 2 years to any FA not named Jason Bay is well known. More importantly, 1B prospect Ike Davis is about a year away from the big leagues, so handing an expensive 3-yr deal to a 1B who would only be needed for one of those years would be foolish. However, the offseason is not over yet and LaRoche my yet come back to reality. If he did and was willing to āsettleā for 2 years, I think the Mets would be nuts not to try to bring him on board. Besides providing steady power and defense at 1B, he would also offer insurance if Davis needed more time to develop than expected. If not, the team could always trade him for that 2nd yearā¦and if they couldnāt? Heyā¦a nice problem for them to have, for once!
A’s – have Barton in MLB and Carter in the minors who could play 1B or DH
Padres – if AGon is traded, Blanks is starting 1B
and, Huff shouldn’t be starting at 1B, period. not a good idea at all.
This is a perfect example of low-cost, high upside move. If he doesn’t bounce back, then it’s only 3 mil down the drain. But if 2008 Huff shows up, it’s a HUGE steal. I like that tradeoff. He has a lower downside than Laroche, actually a higher upside, and costs less than half of what Laroche costs.
Sabean, I approve.
Pretty sure 08 was huff’s career year.. Maybe something like a .275 BA with 20 HR and 75-90 RBI’s which isn’t bad at all for 3 million
No its not, good pick up for a good price. Giant fans can’t complain about that
There is no reason for Travis Ishikawa to be the starting first baseman. Aubrey Huff will have a comeback season and play 150+ games at first for the giants
Ish will probably be DFA before opening day unless there’s an injury.
I hope you are right. But what ever happens, this still isn’t a 100% quality signing. I wouldn’t call Huff or DeRosa “big bats” and Brian Sabean wasted the money on these two plus Uribe when he could have made a succesful trade or signed Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. or Adrian Beltre for that matter. Brian Sabean did not bring the Giants a division title unless he’s not done shopping. Possibly make a trade for David Dejesus or at least somebody. Now that i think about it. Unless Huff returns to his 08 form, This signing is an upgrade over Ishikawa but it’s still not “that bat” unless Aubrey proves to be the ’08 Aubrey Huff as I just said.
That would be tragic. What are they hoping for? That guys come up from the farm system and can hit at home — b/c free agents don’t want to come. Ish bangs at home, and what happens? He doesn’t get a chance.
Well I guess they had to sign someone.
If the Giants keep adding offense to their lineup, its gonna present a problem for the Braves in a Wild Card race.. Good move for the Giants though..
I hate this move. He’ll take Ishikawa ab’s. They should have just keep Garko and platooned him with Ish. The good news is Panda stays at 3B.
Buckethead (Bochy) already said Ish wasn’t going to be the starting 1B. The guy has a Gold Glove but a balsa wood bat. I just hope they keep Nate in RF. Nate > Ish IMO.
I agree with Nate > Ish but he was league average in OBP and showing more discipline at the plate in Sept. He also hit like a monster a home. 300-400 ab’s aren’t enough to determine a guys career, just look at JT Snow’s first few years.
Ouch. Good luck LaRoche.
I dont like it.Huff was the exact same player in 2009 that he was in 2008 outside three things1) Huge drop in BAbip2) gigantic drop in power3) drop in speed scoresNormally the BAbip would indicate he would be able to rebound. But #2 and #3 indicate the BAbip wasnt just a fluke. To make matters worse, there was no injury bringing this on. Honestly, it looks as though he might just be done.
His power dropped because his HF/FB% dropped well below last year and his career average and less HR’s on Fly balls means a lower batting average as well. I don’t think he’s going to have a 300-30-100 campaign, but I think he’s got enough left in him to do 270-20-75. In essence, a cheap Adam Laroche for a year with more upside.
It doesn’t just work like that. Sure, one can try to talk themselves into believing there was just a higher GB rate, but a loss of bat speed and loss of power would generate a higher GB rate itself. Its an indication of a player when he is done. And his FB rate matches his career normal perfectly – its a 3% loss of LD which crated the +3% increase in FB. Thats something a player who is with much less power would expect; more LDs ending up bouncing before the reached the fielders. Plus the HR/FB is consistent in two of the last three years, so there shouldn’t be considered a real drop there.Huge loss of power + loss of speed = done player 9 out of ten times. And the 1 is usually a player suffering an injury which he heals over, Huff didnt experience a single injury in 2009.The only positive people might be able to find is there were two clear drops, one to start the season and another gigantic one at the half-way point. At the first drop (to start the season) he showed less power and speed, but not to the completely devoid point. He was able to keep a BAbip that was at least within range of his normal, and produced a overall 1st half line of .263/.336/.448/.784. The second half it is as if he completly ran out of gas, providing a consistent 230-.240 BAbip and pitiful .214/.284/.326/.609 marks. That from a player who had been making a living on his second half production. I wouldnt say its compliantly out of line for him to produce in the range of his .263/.336/.448/.784 line in the first half of 09. But down the stretch he will likely be completely useless for the club based off a year showing a consistent loss of skills and his hitting a brick wall as the season wore on.Overall, in a better case scenario, you should probably expect production more in line with the recent production of Andy LaRoche then that of Adam LaRoche – just with much worse fielding.
I understand there’s little to expect from Huff. His 2007 year seemed like an indicator of being done only to be followed by a career year which is such a horrible tease. I was feebly trying to be optimistic about the prospects of Huff turning in a decent line as I realize his poor numbers don’t necessarily have to be the result of outliers.
In the end i’m not sure what choices the Giants really had. Laroche was the only decent option left (in my mind) and when names like Dye get thrown around as an alternative, I just shudder. Unless Huff some how pulls a surprise year out of no where again, he looks to project as just as bad, if not worse than Ishikawa and with no glove to make up for it.
I hate this move. Not only does it take ABs away from Ishikawa (and defensive innings), it sends a shudder down through the minor leagues, reminding every young comer that his future is limited here — or with another club.
I really like this signing. It’s only for 1 year and he’s 1 year removed from a 32 homer season. He probably won’t hit that in San Francisco, but I can see him hit something like 15-20. Hopefully Ishikawa starts at home with those amazing numbers he had.
Adding a LH 1B kills Ishikawa chances of even making the team. Panda, Derosa, Bowker lots of back up 1B on the roster.
HAHAAH….sorry, but I was reading this post, and I was trying to find why the Giants would make the deal. Reading along, saw “Derosa, Uribe and Sandoval are all also in the mix for the corner positions”, and I thought okay, well Derosa can go in the outfield, I heard something about Uribe and shortstop, this could work. Then I saw, “he’ll take at-bats from Ishikawa who is a better defender” and thought, well if Huff can hit, I hear there are worries about that for Ishikawa, but then I saw that Ishikawa actually hit better than Huff last year.
Which is when I laughed.
to be honest they should have tried to work something out with LaRoche. He has plus defense and is pretty good half a season
Yeah. Actually just because the Giants are an NL team with few spots open it seems pretty difficult trying to add a bat barring some interesting trades. AL teams, which I follow more, can just add any old guy who can hit decently, and stick him in DH. NL you gotta find someone who can play defense as well. LaRoche sounded like a decent option; I don’t know, was Ishikawa touted to be the Giants 1st basemen of the future? If so any of these options must suck for him, if not maybe they could trade around a bit, now that they have a glut of corner infielders, for some other things they need? Just throwing things out there.
Do you think Adam LaRoche will take the league minimum for the first half of the season and 10million for the second half? That way if the good second half doesn’t happen, he doesn’t get paid. lol
Your laughing and I’m shaking my head. They didn’t give Ish a real shot at the job last year. The problem of being in contention last year is it put Sabean back into win now mode and kills any youth movement.
Yeah, that’s what this looks like. This whole thing with the Giants trying to find a big bat reminds me of the Red Sox actually (everything does ;-)), just in how they could have gone instead: The Red Sox decided to go with run prevention instead. I don’t know how good the Giants defense was, but it sounds like that was a plus for Ishikawa. Maybe if they gave him more of a chance he could perform decently with the bat as well; the post even says he played a better 09 than Huff, so seems like a good gamble to let him start.
I’d like to think more thoroughly on the Giants options…suddenly I’m interested š What was the 2009 lineup for them? What is their lineup for ’10 looking like? Just curious. š
Ishikawa is great on defense; he just doesn’t have a lot of bite in his bat, and has TERRIBLE home/road splits, and a susceptibility to a back-foot slider. He’s shaded more towards defense than James Loney, another highly touted young 1B who isn’t putting up the numbers people want. And if Loney’s 13 HRs weren’t enough for the Dodgers, who were clubbing the ball senseless last year anyway, you can imagine why Sabean is impatient with Ishikawa. I still think the kid’s got it in him, but I don’t think we’ll see it now, which is a shame.
If the 1 yr./$3MM contract terms are correct, there’s no reason to assume Huff will start everyday. Juan Uribe received a larger 1 year contract. And Uribe was signed with as a super-utility player.
not a bad signing hes had a monster year in 08 and its only 3 million hell hit .270-.280 with 15-20 Home runs and 75-80 rbi
If the Giants keep adding offense to their lineup its gonna present a real problem for the Braves in a wild card race.. good signing for the Giants though..
Terrible move for the Giants. Huff is in decline mode and the Giants are gonna be counting on him to be a big bat. I see him hitting only 15-20 HR. I would like this move a lot more if they sign Jermaine Dye so Huff doesn’t have to be the power bat. I like there lineup with Sanchez, Sandoval, DeRosa, and Dye.
In need of an offensive overhaul, and with two prime corner outfielders on the market, the Giants sign Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff. Dodger fans everywhere rejoiced.
Let’s see Holliday would have cost 135M and Bay 80-90M. Pass
In need of a marriage counselor, and with multiple prime counselors on the market, McCourt fires his wife from her CEO position sparking a divorce that could cost the Dodgers millions. Giants fans everywhere rejoiced.
you guys are signing russ ortiz lol
Willie – I know, but if you were interested in winning while Lincecum isn’t eating up your entire payroll, you’d make it happen. The Giants are no mid-market team.
Nnamdi – We have owner issues, you have personnel issues. I’ll take ours over yours anyday. At least with the Dodgers I can forget about the owner issues by watching us go to the NLCS. You have to deal with the player issues by watching us go to the NLCS.
dwan – oh no, we took a flyer on a minor league free agent. THE SKY IS FALLING!!!
This is a great signing for the Giants.
Aubrey Huff hit over .300 with over 100 RBIs and 32 home runs. He is well worth a one-year 3MM contract. He will be an excellent mentor for Ish. Great player to show him the ropes. I predict that Ish will still get a legitimate amount of play time, but with Bochey being a veteran type manager, Huff will get 75% or more of the starts at first base.
He did that 2 years ago.
What’s he gonna teach Ish…how to field? Who’s the gold glove winner? He’s not being payed to teach teammates to hit. They’re clearly not signing him to mentor Ishikawa. Hopefully he’ll deliver.
The Red Sox have plenty of Big Bats..
The Giants still need a slugger & are overloaded with infielders…Derosa in LF I guess..a lot of what the Giants have are hitters and high OBP type hitters..Huff will be interesting to follow with Ish waiting in the wings..
Huff, Sanchez, Uriba/Renteria, Sandoval, Rowand,DeRosa is a nice nucleus of OBP hitters. Posey & Yorvit catching & they have 3 great starters, Sanchez has yet to peak consistently and Baumgartner could be the 5th starter..
startin to like the lineup
c. posey
1b. huff
2b. sanchez
ss. renteria/ hopely more uribe
3b. sandoval
lf. derosa
cf. rowand
rf. schierholtz
No offense but that’s a pretty sad lineup. (And that’s coming from a Jays fan).
Also, you’re funny if you think Buster Posey is the starting catcher in 2010.
actually Sabean and Larry Baer have both said recently that there is a good chance Posey will be the opening day catcher in 2010
actually both Sabean and Larry Baer have said recently that there is a good chance Posey will be the opening day catcher in 2010
actually both Sabean and Larry Baer have said recently that there is a good chance Posey will be the opening day catcher in 2010
woah my bad for the triple post I’m still getting used to the new format
You’re starting to like that lineup because you’ve been deprived for so long. The Giants haven’t had a good lineup since 2002. Giants fans have been wandering the desert so long that even the mirages are starting to look good.
Please tell me what have the bums done lately beside lose players. The bums needs a ace kershaw and bills are not as much as u bums fans want so badly.That why u cant get past the philles.
I think we have won the division two years in a row, been to the playoffs 3 out of 4, and made 2 straight NLCS’s. What have the Giants done? Cy Youngs are cool, playoff wins are remembered.
You know what else is going to be remembered? Broxton meltdowns and Manny in the showers. Until 2004, it wasn’t playoff -wins- that the Red Sox were remembered for. Dudes in blue gotta deliver if you guys are going to gloat.
what?
I was talking about Posey not our lineup
our lineup IMO is not horrible in fact I think it’s an improvement over last year’s
2004 Giants were 2nd in the NL in runs scored. 2005 Bonds was hurt all but 5 games. Lineup wise it’s gone downhill since. With the Giants pitching if they get close to league average scoring there in the hunt for the playoffs.
2004 Giants were 2nd in the NL in runs scored. 2005 Bonds was hurt all but 5 games. Lineup wise it’s gone downhill since. With the Giants pitching if they get close to league average scoring there in the hunt for the playoffs.
gscott, at least the giants are getting players not losing them like the dodgers
Who have we lost? Randy Wolf? Thanks for the good season, Randy. Now take a hike.
how about: wolf and padilla your two best pitchers down the stretch. Probably Garland. Probably ODogg and Belliard. That’s who you have lost…and OH! who did you add? Jaime Carroll! that a boy!
the dodgers do have some great hitter but look at there pitching they got no one. it killed them in the playoffs, they allowed 35 runs in 5 games, average of 7 obviously. aka there pitchers suck and that y the giants r goin 2 take the NL west this year
Surprise, surprise… Brian Sabean signs an aging veteran even though he already has a viable option for 1st base in Ishikawa.
At least it’s only a one year deal this time.
calm down people. It’s a one year signing. Enough with the talk of us closing the door on our young prospects. Let’s be honest, how many of our hitting “prospects” actually fit the bill? Like one, Pablo. But thats ONE person. Would’ve been nice to bring up Villalona…too bad he’s facing murder charges?! And now Bonds’ kid is in jail for spitting on his mom. Anyway, Aubrey huff sounds like a fair deal. Not awesome but not bad. in ’08 he had 32 homers and 108 RBIs. i like
Villalona was at least 2 or 3 years away. I saw him in ST and with San Jose. Tremendous power but weak on contact. Guys like Ish and Shierholtz should have had 500 or 600 ab’s the last 2 years and then we would have a much better idea of the hitter’s they could be. Ish had a .935 OPS at home last year, I know he sucked on the road but it shows the potential is there.
If Huff fails to put up a line of .270/.330/.400 or better next year, I am seriously going to punch somebody in the face.
My ONLY hope in this is that this lights the fire under Ishikawa’s butt, he starts crushing everything thrown in his general direction, and puts Huff out of a job.
I smell Garko 2.0.
Thomas Neal
2010 September Call up
2011 Starting oufielder
Nice move for a nice price. It’s a tough stadium to hit jacks out of, but Huff should be able to do it. 3 Mil is about right. Why can’t our GM make deals like this?
31 is not old but it is the average age a big leaguer hits the peak of his prime unless of course your talking about a freak of nature ie randy johnson. Huff gives the giants some power but i still think san francisco is relying too much on their rotation to win the NL west
31 is the end of the peak cycle, it starts about 26 and is over about 30/31. 32 starts the downward cycle of a players career, which is usually over around 34/35 for non-megastars (outside the steroid-era at least)
True Pitchers (not just throwers) seem to hit their peaks later though. Pitching takes as much mental intelligence as it does physical ability, so true pitchers will often see their best years from 30 to 35
For realz man? ughh
couple more bats and we are in playoff contention.. lets make a trade for Uggla or Fielder!!!!
NO CHANCE we trade prince fielder, unless you’re sending us Timmy.. Prince is our Franchise, and we will lock him up. BOOK IT.
Sorry I lost the link, but fielder said he doesn’t plan on staying in Milwaukee, pretty sure Braun is the better franchise player.. In about every way on and off the field
I like Uggla, but seriously where the fk would we put him…haha, maybe cather? or how bout SS?
What about the rest of the money Sabean offered LaRoche? Two years/15m for Dye?
I hope not. It was mentioned earlier a 5th starter and platoon catcher.
I thought I saw somewhere that Sabean and Bochy said that Ishi might also get some playing time in the outfield? for sure i know he will not be DFA like someone mentioned earlier, at least i hope not
Doesn’t Ishikawa still have minor league options? He’ll be doing the Blake DeWitt dance this year. When Huff is struggling/hurt/hurting, Ishikawa will be in the majors and when Huff is active/playing well. Ishikawa will be in AAA. It’s a wasted year for Ishikawa but is the cheapest way to have a backup. All it costs is a bus ticket.
As an O’s fan, you Giants fans are going to like Huff. He’s a great clubhouse presence and the guy can straight up hit. When he’s hot he’s not to be messed with.
…somewhere in the pine forests of the deep south.
Sabean brings the stupid again.
I have never defended Sabean but I think Giants fans are being unrealistic this offseason. We didn’t have a shot at Bay or Holliday and put up a more than fair offer to Laroche. Beltre and his agent Boras were asking for the moon. This is a weak free agent market. IMO Sabean has done well (Grade: B) with what was available. His final grade will be determined once we see what he does in terms of a 5th starter and a catcher to compliment/mentor Posey (Torrealba on a one-year?).
Right on. I’m sick and tired of all the complaining and rosterbating with names like Fielder who we all know the Giants couldn’t acquire regardless of who the GM is. Sabean has done well with this limited free agent crop. Several middle grade players may even be better than a single big name anyway. If we got only Bay or Holliday, while it’s a nice thought, could’ve ended up with just a bunch of solo homers with no one else to get on base.
Generally I think Sabean’s been pretty shrewd this offseason, given how weak the options on the market are, but I’m still leery of this particular signing. I agree that it’s low-risk high-reward, but I’m not particularly optimistic about his production, or Bochy refusing to let him ride the pine if he does not produce.
This really was not as bad of a FA market as people think considering what next year is going to look like.. with the exception of Pujols who will not hit the FA market next season, there are not any corner IF’s or corner OF’s in next years FA that the Giants can build around, at least this year there were a couple.. not to mention a guys like LaRoche, who is looking for a three year deal which is more than reasonable for a 30 yr old above average hitter with pop, and Figgins who I thought was PERFECT for the Giants since he is the speedy and versatile, high average, top of the order guy that we desperately needed.. I think re-signing Uribe was a no-brainer but he gets kudos for doing so with a one year deal for a little over $3M.. the DeRosa signing was a great sign as a piece to the puzzle if, like I said before, the biggest piece was still to come, and I dont think Huff is that missing piece that puts us over the hump (he could prove me wrong).. while I do think he is an upgrade offensively over Ishi, he doesnt make our team one of the elite, but my only hope is we get the same production from our pitching staff (starters and bullpen) and we manage at least an average MLB offense and we will be able to contend in the NL.
This really was not as bad of a FA market as people think considering what next year is going to look like.. with the exception of Pujols who will not hit the FA market next season, there are not any corner IF’s or corner OF’s in next years FA that the Giants can build around, at least this year there were a couple.. not to mention a guys like LaRoche, who is looking for a three year deal which is more than reasonable for a 30 yr old above average hitter with pop, and Figgins who I thought was PERFECT for the Giants since he is the speedy and versatile, high average, top of the order guy that we desperately needed.. I think re-signing Uribe was a no-brainer but he gets kudos for doing so with a one year deal for a little over $3M.. the DeRosa signing was a great sign as a piece to the puzzle if, like I said before, the biggest piece was still to come, and I dont think Huff is that missing piece that puts us over the hump (he could prove me wrong).. while I do think he is an upgrade offensively over Ishi, he doesnt make our team one of the elite, but my only hope is we get the same production from our pitching staff (starters and bullpen) and we manage at least an average MLB offense and we will be able to contend in the NL.
Amazingly, the NL West is wide open for the taking but there hasn’t been a team willing to step up and do what it takes to clearly be the best. Are they all conceding that the NLCS will be the Cards vs the Phillies before Spring Training even begins?
The whole country thought it would be Cards/Phillies even when the playoffs started. I seem to remember one of those teams being swept out of the playoffs. I think the Dodgers are laying low not because of McCourt or money, but because that’s Ned’s MO. He did the same thing last year, signing the bench in December and waiting for Hudson and Wolf all the way into February.
I don’t follow the Giants closely but Pablo Sandoval is on my fantasy team.
Is there any chance he sees a diminished role this year? I thought he was a no-brainer, pencil him in, starts 155 games in 2010. Am I wrong to assume that G fans?
Pablo will start at 3B all year now that Huff is on board. Derosa will go to LF and Huff 1B. He is indeed a no-brainer for a fantasy roster.
So, explain to me how a guy who drove in 39 runs last year, in 329 AB’s is a better hitter than Huff, who has driven in 193 in the past two years?
because RBI are a result of your team around you, not your actual ability?
Travis had a .313 wOBA with +4 Def. Huff had a .297 wOBA with -2.3 Def. Ishikawa was a much more productive player in 2009.
Maybe the Giants arent ready to go that much younger and not contend another year. The Giants wont win with rookies all over the place like Ish, Velez & the young outfielders they tried like Guzman
So who will hit 4th DeRosa or Huff ??
They arent sluggers but they are hitters with ‘POP’ at times and if they can get on base & play consistent the Giants will contend – its better than the 2009 Giants ..
And I think the Giants will sign Yorvit for one year and split playing time with Posey….and if they need a 5th starter that isnt home grown there is Jon Garland out there..
Sandoval is expected to hit 4th, but it’s conceivable that Huff could be penciled in there because of his low average. Most likely 3-4-5 is DeRosa, Sandoval, Huff, in that order.
A part time player that the giants hope can be a full time at first. the giants are going to miss randy winn more than they think they will.
Yes, I’m going to miss our #5 hitter with 2 home runs. Uh.
That would be Bochy’s fault..
haha yeah i dont think ANYONE will miss randy winn. he was garbage at the plate. my sister could hit better then him last year
Ridiculous post, Huff is terrible defensively all over the diamond, but if he hits 25-35HR then its a great signing. Sandoval is still the best defensive 3B on that team according to UZR. I say they offer Damon 1/$10MM and go with this lineup:
1B: Huff
2B: Sanchez
SS: Renteria
3B: Sandoval
C: Posey
LF: Damon
CF: Rowand
RF: DeRosa
The rotation is excellent, the bullpen could use another arm, but its definitely an 85-90 win team in 2010 with that lineup.
in the last 5 years, Huff has hit 25+ HR ONCE, over 10 seasons he has done it 3 times and has hit only 15 in 2 of the last 3 seasons.
Why would anyone ever expect 25-35?
expecting 30+ HRs is ridiculous but i think expecting 20+ is reasonable, and if we got 18+ HRs, 85+ RBI and a BA north of .270 it would be a GREAT sign because, at the very least, we needed another hitter capable of producing numbers like that which would GREATLY improve this offense.. if Pablo has a similar year to the great one he had last year, if DeRosa, Renteria, and Rowand can at least provide career average years, and if the pitching staff has another year where, as a staff, they perform in the top 5 in baseball, we will be a dominant team, one that wins 95+ games.. wishful thinking? maybe.. but it is not outta the question.
this could turn out to be a high reward, low risk signing but regardless it was a low risk move which is one of the only things I am thrilled about.. despite the fact that I immediately cringed upon hearing the news that we signed him and despite his 2009 numbers, this COULD turn out to be a decent pick up for a few reasons.. 1) it was a 1 year deal (thank God) at low money.. 2) he IS capable of hitting 20+ HRs and 70+ RBI this season (which is all we need outta him since other than Pablo, we dont have a 1B who can put up those #’s yet).. 3) he is a decent left handed hitter in a lineup that is dominated by righties.
the reason I do not like this signing is because this eliminates the possibility of signing a player who can make a bigger impact, which is what we needed to get over the hump in the first place.. I do not understand why Sabean continues to make these band aid type signings when we needed a major overhaul of the lineup (last season we had one of the most anemic offenses in recent memory).. I liked the DeRosa signing because I thought he was another piece to the puzzle, with the biggest piece still to come.. but now with Huff I know Sabean is done for the Winter (he might add a veteran C or 5th starter but not an impact, everyday player, which is what we needed).. and Im tired of hearing the BS that it allows Boch more flexibility.. I am sick of having different lineups and orders everyday.. the great teams in this league have set lineups.. not 8 different ones depending on who had a good batting practice that morning.. and your best 8 players NEED to play, PERIOD. If that is Uribe over Renteria (which it is) than he needs to be our everyday SS.. if that is Torres over Rowand (which it is), then he needs to start in CF.. you are already committed to a guy in terms of their contract, whether they play or not, so you might as well start thinking about the well-being of the team and play the best players, not the ones you think you have to play because of how much they are making.. if your manager cant get that through his extremely thick skull, then he needs to be replaced.. I refuse to go through another painful season watching the Giants STRUGGLE to score 1-2 runs and continue to waste brilliant performances from Lincecum and Co.. GET AN AVERAGE OFFENSE AND YOU GOT YOURSELF A DIVISION TITLE.
I agree with what you’re saying about the lineup but would like to know who you felt Sabean should have signed in the off-season outside of Bay and Holliday. Beltre wanted 4 yrs/$40mil. Laroche said no to 2 yrs/$17m. Not arguing, just curious who would other Giants fans have been happy with.
Personally I wanted them to ACTUALLY GO AFTER Bay.. I know people say he didnt want to come here but I never heard him say that, but did hear him say he didnt want to play in Queens yet he signed with the Mets.. at the end of the day, Money Talks. $80M is more than do-able especially if it is a back-loaded contract given our situation..with all the money coming off the books (I believe about $35M just this year alone) and with AT&T park supposedly being paid off in the next few years, and with this TV deal the Giants are working on (or so I’ve heard), they will have plenty of money to spend.. lets not forget the Giants havent exactly been selling out every game the last few years, and if you add a Bay to the mix your ticket sales will surely skyrocket increasing revenue which is already a return on your investment.. but the fact is that this team had more than enough resources to make a play at Bay (and they wouldnt have had to sign DeRosa or Huff or anyone else) but they failed to even make an offer.. I honestly believe the fact that they screwed up on the Rowand, Renteria, and Zito contracts was the single biggest reason they did not commit to another big contract, not because they “couldnt afford” him, and thats not the correct way to go about your business if your in the business of being successful and winning.. this is not St. Louis or Milwaukee or Minnesota.. this is San Francisco, one of the biggest markets in the league.. and our closest competitor is the sh*t hole they call the A’s.. the time is now.. Im tired of wasting great pitching and I am afraid we are going to do the same again this year, because although we might have enough hitting to keep us afloat and in contention, we are nowhere near the elite which is where we COULD have been with a big bat like Bay.. now your question was who would I have added not including Bay or Holliday, in that case I really do like the DeRosa signing as a piece to the puzzle as long as the biggest piece of the puzzle was still to come, like LaRoche.. yes maybe he turned down a 2 year deal because he was looking for a 3 year deal, which is what I would have offered in the neighborhood of $25M including incentives.. I mean come on he is only 29 going on 30 so a 3 year deal is more than reasonable for a player of his caliber (career .275 avg 25 HRs and 85 RBI a year).. but the signing of Huff eliminates all possibility of getting another impact bat.. my point is if our ownership is just trying to do enough to keep us around .500 which is what they said last season, then we need new ownership because thats not what this should be about.. we need to win, and we can win now.. we have all the pieces in play minus another run-producing bat in the middle of the order.. I do think Huff is an upgrade offensively over Ishi (who needs at least one more year of seasoning before he takes over as the everyday 1B for a team that considers themselves contenders) so therefore it was a decent signing due to the length of the contract, but I do not think he is the bat that takes us over the hump, which is what we needed to begin with.. Im just sick of these stopgap signings, thats all.. what do we do when Huff and DeRosa’s contracts are up? I dont see any big time 1B or corner OFs in FA next season that are better options than Bay (minus Pujols who probably wont hit free agency, just a hunch).
The impact player WILL come in the near future possibly by trade deadline or next year’s free agency…we have to be patient as this class of Free Agents is less than average. But obtaining Huff for only 3M/1Y has set the Giants up to go after the best 1st baseman in Free Agency next year…Adrian Gonzalez…who has a realistic chance to be a Giants (more realistic than Bay or Holliday). He is not a Boras client and has ties to Bochy. Good setup move for the Giants..
not sure where you heard that Adrian Gonzalez would be a free agent after this year.. to my knowledge, he is under contract through this year and has a club option the following year.. if the Padres do not trade him this season I do not see them releasing him into FA.. they will almost surely exercise the club option and keep him another year in hopes of trading him or resigning him to an extension if they choose.. I can also assure you they will not lose him for nothing in return which is virtually what would happen if he went to FA even if he is a type A.. so basically if he leaves SD it will be by way of a trade and they WILL ask for two arms and two legs from the Giants as opposed to what they would ask from anyone else not named the Dodgers or DBacks since we are in the same division.. but I have no problem with trading Bumgarner and some other top prospects (open to some discussion) for him because he is the PERFECT 1B for AT&T Park since the majority of his HRs are opposite field but he also posses enough power to knock em out with regularity in SF since he does it at Petco.
this was in reply to another post, why did it form its own?
WHY CANT I REPLY TO OTHER POSTS? SITE IS BROKEN.
The Giants attaining Huff is definitely worth it, from a few different perspectives. The flagrant one is financially. But I disagree with most of the posts regarding depth chart. I predict Renteria to get minimal playing time. Looking from an offensive perspective at the infield below, this could make the Giants lethal.
1b Huff
2b Sanchez (x factor)
ss Derosa
3b panda
I do think that edgar uribe, and ishikawa will get playing time, and at the expense of the young outfielders. Derosa will see time in left, and Huff in right.
DeRosa CAN NOT play Short. He can barley even play 2B anymore.
Well, if someone were to ask derosa where he desires to play most in 2010 (which someone did) he would say “shortstop, because thats where i played as a kid.” This assertion can verify his will to play the position, i guess if u are questioning his ability, we will see. He will see significant time in lf, I personally would like to see him get the majority of his starts at short. Edgar is a bust, hopefully he can prove me wrong, but i really do think that the lineup could be lethal if its pablo derosa sanchez and huff left to right.
DeRosa has not started more than 10 games at SS since 2005, and on his career carries a -8.4 UZR/150 at the position. He has never been, and never will be, a starting shortstop. Uribe, who took 150 starts SS in 2007, put up a -2.3 UZR/150 for that year and has a 3.5 for his career. You flat out can’t put DeRosa at shortstop; it is the one place that you cannot afford to be a defensive liability. That is why shortstops become second or third basemen, or first basemen in some cases, late in their careers. DeRosa will not start at SS, period. It’s just common sense.
Huff will not play in RF ever!…especially not at home. If anyone will play SS over Renteria it would be Uribe…NOT DeRosa!
One Word: Overpaid.
$3M for a guy who made $8M the last two years is overpaid? lol hmmm… one word.. retard.
What they made the year before free agency doesn’t matter to the player(unless a type a or b).Carlos Silvia makes 8-9 mil a year, so if he gets 2 at the end of his contract and he still pitched the way he has through the contract so far that’s good? One word.. retard.
First off, its Carlos Silva and he made $12.5M last year.. second, great example.. you chose a pitcher who HAD tremendous upside and potential (higher demand for them) before he signed that contract and compare that to a guy who has been an above average hitter in this league since he first came into this league?what you fail to mention is the guy is a proven major league hitter and received a ONE year deal for almost a third less than he made last season, which is MORE than favorable for the Giants.. he is only 32 years old which by no means is old and could have commanded AT LEAST a 2 year deal worth $4M+ a year, without question..now you would be warranted if you said the Giants overpaid for Renteria who received 2 years at $9M per, when he, to my knowledge, did not receive any offer remotely close to what Sabean gave him.. like Huff, he was coming off the second worst season of his career.. the same can be said for Rowand or Zito, who all received MULTI-year deals for ridiculous amounts of money ($9M, $12M, and a gazillion dollars a year, respectively). But to say they overpaid for a proven, veteran, major league hitter with above average power at a position they hadn’t had a successful hitter at in a really long time, and after only giving him a one year deal for about market value is ludicrous.. so you, kind sir, are still the retard.
If you read other articles, even fan graphs thinks that Huff is a downgrade. And other Giants fans think Travis would have been better. Retard.
Huff a downgrade offensively to Ishikawa? I am a big Ishikawa supporter but to say he is a downgrade is retarded.. Ishi needs at least one more year of seasoning to improve his bat.. he is arguably the best defensive 1B in the NL which is pretty valuable, but what this team needs a little more than a great glove at 1B is a great bat, and Huff has the potential to provide that as opposed to Ishikawa.. and anyone who disagrees with that is crazy.. like I said, this is a one year deal, so this is all about the 2010 season.. Ishi is clearly not ready to be the every day 1B of a contending team considering the fact that the rest of the Giants offense is piss poor.. the Dodgers for example can afford having a low HR guy at 1B because they have a ton of power throughout the other parts of their lineup, the Giants do not, so they need that position to provide power and drive in runs, something Ishi is not ready to do yet.. Huff at least has the potential to be that guy THIS YEAR.
To quote Suzysman: “Travis had a .313 wOBA with +4 Def. Huff had a .297 wOBA with -2.3 Def. Ishikawa was a much more productive player in 2009.”Some further research shows Ishi had a .333 BABIP last year, as supposed to Huff’s .263. Yeah, he can still hit doubles, but outside of that, you’re putting him in a pitcher’s ballpark. You’re not getting the Huff of 2007-2008, where he spent time in a hitter’s ballpark. All his other numbers are sure to suffer for it.The projections on him are extremely generous, imo. I’ll be shocked to see him end up with more than 15 HRs. Coupled with all the runs that will be lost with his piss poor defense…yeah.
Garko could have put up similar numbers (20 doubles and 15 HRs, more or less) while playing much better defense in comparison to Huff. Face it-Sabean doesn’t know hitting as well as pitching.
we all know he had a bad 2009, were talking career low line of .241/.310/.384 (career avg of .282/.340/.472) but I think a couple things could have contributed to that.. and he hit .187 after being traded which dropped his BA 12 points.. through June of last season he was hitting .275 before hitting rough stretches in July and August.. I do think he might have been overworked since he played in all but 4 games through June and about 90% of them at 1B.. with Ishi behind him that will give him a nice rest every X amount of games as well as a couple innings off late in games when Ishi comes in as a defensive replacement.. that will keep him fresh and might rejuvenate his bat.. is that wishful thinking? maybe.. but its not far-fetched.but everyone seems so enamored with trashing Huff because of a bad year, so we will stick with that year and compare it to Ishikawa’s (keep in mind, I AM an Ishi supporter but like Ive stated one hundred times, he is not ready, offensively, to be the everyday 1B of a team that considers themselves contenders that has the most anemic offense in the game):despite 230+ less plate appearances in 2009, Ishikawa managed to strike out MORE than Huff (89-87).. also, in regards to balls put in play, Ishi was 11 points lower than Huff (Huffs 74% to Ishis 63%).. regardless of how you guys want to spin it, Huff provides more power and run-producing potential to a lineup that is starving for that.. THIS IS A ONE YEAR DEAL WHICH GIVES ISHIKAWA (WHO IS ONLY 26 YEARS OLD) ANOTHER YEAR TO IMPROVE HIS OFFENSE.dont forget he did have one of the biggest hits/HRs of the season for DET when he hit that pinch hit 3 run HR in the 9th late last season to beat Toronto.. and it is a little outrageous to just predict Ishikawa will double the career high HR mark he set last season at 9 just because.. it is not asking too much to expect Huff to hit 18-20 HRs and drive in 85+ RBI while hitting .270.. but it would be ridiculous to expect Ishi to produce that next season, therefore justifying the signing of Huff to a one year deal at $3M.
3 million in sports terms is like the change in a regular person’s car ashtray.
I would rather Give Ishi that ABs. I know Giants are happy and I am not bagging on them but you fill a lineup with dudes who do not get on base, you don’t score runs.
I agree. Or, if we have to sign a 1B with power production, I’d rather pay more for someone who we are more confident is going to give us production. That Huff is north of 30, played over 150 games last year and still posted career low numbers in BA and OBP does not bode well. Maybe his bat will be rejuvenated moving to the NL, but his strength is making contact with balls inside the zone (92 Z-Contact%), but this is the NL West, which has produced what, the last five NL Cy Young winners? Until Huff PROVES his value, I’m considering this a loss.
It just doesnt make sense to me. Ishikawa looks like the better player right now and hes cheap.. plus most say his glove is GG caliber.
i think sabean is actually doing really good this off season. giants fans have to stop posting and saying we need a big #4 hitter. panda is it. sabean is trying to add some protection around him. if huff has a bounce back year he’ll put up great numbers; if not, its only 1 year. derosa can actually get on base before sandoval where panda could actually break 100 rbi’s. i’m looking forward to see the numbers sandoval puts up as our #4 hitter.
i just hopes he has a bounce back year….?
While we all would love to see a Pujols-like name on our roster, if we just add a couple good bats (not monstrous) and some quality small-ball players, we could score enough runs to win behind our awesome rotation. I know Bochy doesn’t seem to like small ball, but scratching out a few runs instead of praying for a pile of home runs (especially in a park like AT&T) would do wonders for the Giants until a big name comes up that we can afford…probably after the Rowand and Zito contracts expire. What do you all think of trying to play more small ball?
Still sign laroche!!!!! Our lineup would he so much better!
Sanchez 2nd
derosa LF
sandoval 3rd
laroche RF
huff 1st
rowand CF
renteria SS
posey/whiteside C
pitcher spot
That is a playoff lineup! 1-5 can all hit and 6-8 can occasionally get lucky and hit. Lol
and our rotation is simply the best.
LaRoache has never played anywhere but 1B and DH and Huff is a bad outfielder. Good pitching needs good defense behind it.
That y I have huff at 1st. And if you actually play baseball. 1st and 3rd baseman make easy transitions to the outfield b/c of their good hands and feet. That’s y during practice the giants tried ishikawa in RF.
who said Botch doesn’t like small ball? Botch wanted to go with small ball last year except the only one reliable enough to lay down a bunt or hit to the right field was rentawreck, sanchez when healthy, winn and believe it or not Zito, at least when it came to bunting (dude is a great bunter). For whatever reason every young guy on the team couldnt lay a bunt down to save their lives and considering the team had a TERRIBLE OBP there amount of opportunities to make productive outs were somewhat limited.
Hopefully Huff can regain his ’08 form, Rowand keeps to his typical of a good year every 3 years (this is his third year since his crareer season in Philly), Renteria’s decline was due to his bone chips and not his age, DeRosa can stay healthy and get back to being a productive hitter not a power hitter, Sanchez can stay healthy ALL season and the ’09 Zito is here to stay. Thats a lot of hopefullies but then again i like staying on the glass is half full side of the spectrum…. oh yeah the pitching staff needs to stay as healthy and effective as last year.
Is he going to start or be a pinch hitter/platoon guy?
Start at 1B with Panda staying at 3B.
With Huff moving to 1b and Derosa to LF, how much does Bowker (AAA Hitter of the Year) push Nate in RF for the starting job?
While I’d love for Bowker to live up to the potential he has shown in AAA, the guy cannot hit a major league breaking ball. Throw it at his back foot and he chases every time. This is something MLB pitchers pick up on very quickly. I think Schierholtz is the better all-around option to start in RF. His defense is fantastic, he’s fast and I think we have yet to see his best at the plate.
I was really hoping the white sox would have picked him up on the cheap. Makes sense on all fronts. Can play 1st 3rd left and right and DH. Also hits lefty which is what KW wanted. Could have rotated him to keep everyone fresh. Not sure why they didnt jump on this.
Jason F. Helow Sheirholtz can’t hit a curveball.
LaRoche signed a one year deal with the D-Backs! his agent should be fired EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!
rowand will have over 30 home runs this year.. watch..but maybe half of them when we have a 4 run lead and no one on base