Kevin Frandsen, 2B, 26
Frandsen seemed all but a lock to get some playing time at second base this year.
He has hit for a .324 batting average in his AAA career (450 AB).
Frandsen’s good spring training defense and .274 BA seemed like enough to get him on the team but he was sent down to the minors as one of the final roster cuts.
Bottom Line: Bruce Bochy is hindering the development of Frandsen.
Nate Schierholtz, OF, 25
2009 At-Bats (seven games): Eugenio Velez-9, Nate Schierholtz-4
With Schierholtz, the Giants are relegating a very promising young player to pinch-hitting duties.
2008 AAA (350 AB): .320 BA, .363 OBP, .594 SLG, .957 OPS
2008 MLB (75 AB): .320 BA, .370 OBP, .493 SLG, .863 OPS
I'm not sure what those stats will translate to in 2009 but I am really curious to find out. My guess is that he’ll be a good hitter.
Bottom Line: Bochy is a bad talent evaluator and favors veterans over youngsters. Playing time seems to be determined by paycheck amount.
Orlando Hudson, 2B, 31, one year/$3.4M ($0.4M signing bonus deferred)
Here are Hudson’s three-year stats compared to Giants 2008 team leaders:
BA: Hudson .294, Winn .306
OBP: Hudson .365, Winn .363
SLG: Hudson .448, Molina .445
OPS: Hudson .813, Lewis .791, Winn .790
Hudson’s 2009 (33 AB): 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB, .333 BA, .389 OBP
Hudson is good on the defensive end.
Bottom Line: Brian Sabean missed out on a bargain.
Joe Crede, 3B, 31, one year/$2.5M
Pablo Sandoval is looking more and more like a first baseman or catcher and Travis Ishikawa is still learning how to hit Big Leaguers and recognize pitches.
Crede is a solid defensive third baseman and he hits for some power.
Bottom Line: Crede would have helped.
Aaron Rowand, OF, 31, five years/$60M
At the time of this signing, the market was already in decline. Other teams were rolling back spending, preparing for the worst.
The point with Rowand is that Sabean knowingly overpaid for him. He looked at Alex Rios’ contract and then locked up a guy, who is three years older, for more per year.
Rowand-Five years/$60 million ($12M per), runs 'til he’s 35.
Rios- Seven years/$70 ($10M per), runs till he’s 33.
Rios (three-year): 576 AB, 19 HR, 21 SB, .296 BA, .836 OPS
Rowand (three-year): 522 AB, 17 HR, 6 SB, .284 BA, .803 OPS
Rios (‘08): .291 BA, .798 OPS
Rowand (’08): .271 BA, .749 OPS
Rios has a stronger arm.
The consistent theme with Sabean is that he gets impressed by one good year and then awards the player a huge multiyear deal. Was it really that surprising that Rowand regressed last year?
The Rowand signing was just irresponsible spending in a harsh economic time. Sabean further showed his blindness to the economic situation by signing Edgar Renteria early in the off season as if two years and $18.5 million was a huge steal.
Bottome Line: Sabean overpaid…big time.
Edgar Renteria, SS, 33, two years/$18.5M
This signing, I am completely baffled by. Renteria had a good year…two years ago. Then, he stunk it up with the Tigers last year. Detroit fans were killing this guy.
His defense was a HUGE question mark. The reports were that he can no longer range to his right. What do you know; he still can’t range to his right.
Isn’t shortstop the most important defensive position? I have a good idea. We should lock him up for two years and $18 million when we already have a fully capable shortstop in Emmanuel Burriss.
Bottom Line: Sabean donated to the Renteria fund.
Manny Ramirez, LF, 36, two years/$45M
Why not use that Renteria money to sign Ramirez?
A few interesting tidbits about Manny’s $45M contract:
If Manny doesn’t opt out, $8.3M is deferred until 2013 ($15M total deferred)
If he does opt out, they owe him $10 million this year and $5M each of the following three years.
That’s a really good deal for LA. They needed him to defer so much money because they spent $56 million on Furcal, Blake, Wolf, and Hudson (combined less than Rowand).
Bottom Line: The Giants could have had Manny for two years and $45-$50 million.
Sabean’s poor decision making is no new thing. Remember the A.J. Pierzynski for Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano trade?
Just to remind you:
Joe Nathan, RP
2003 (SF Giants): 12-4, 79 innings, 83 strikeouts, 2.96 ERA, 1.06 WHIP
Then he was traded to the Twins and has had four seasons with under a 2.00 ERA since.
Which reminds me, here are some other big-time Sabean busts: Armando Benitez, Edgardo Alfonso, Barry Zito, Dave Roberts, Moises Alou.
Sabean is said to be a ghost at GM meetings. How are you going to make trades if you aren’t talking to other teams? From what I’ve heard, he isn’t much of a computer whiz either.
His signings of veteran players seems to suggest he hasn’t adapted to the no steroids policies and the new economic climate.
Unlike Sabean, other general managers are figuring it out.
Jays' GM JP Ricciardi recently said this:
I think you're going to see age be what it is…I don't think you're going to see guys playing into their late 30s or early 40s anymore, and I'd be surprised if you see many guys get multiyear deals later in their careers.
“Look at the names,” says Sabean. It’s 2009 Mr. Sabean; maybe it’s time to start looking at the numbers.
This is what the Giants' lineup could have looked like this year:
Vs. RHP
1) Winn, CF
2) Hudson, 2B
3) Lewis, RF
4) Ramirez, LF
5) Sandoval, 1B
6) Molina, C
7) Crede, 3B
8) Burriss, SS
Vs. LHP
1) Winn, RF
2) Hudson, 2B
3) Ramirez, LF
4) Molina, C
5) Rowand, CF
6) Crede, 3B
7) Sandoval, 1B
8) Burriss, SS
Bottom Line: Sabean is overpaying the wrong players and not signing the right players. Bochy is not only hindering the youth movement, he’s hurting the lineup and team defense.
Giants’ fans are fed up with this idiocy and changes need to be made.
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