NASA, Fear of Walls and Bad Haircuts
I didn’t get to catch the end of the game last night. So thank you, MLB.com
Wow, what a game. NASA is following Sandoval’s bomb and has promised to shoot me an email of it’s ultimate landing spot.
Bryce Harper continues to amaze me in the outfield. It’s like he has no awareness at all of where the wall is in the outfield. But man, Blanco hit a rocket, didn’t he?
I’d probably cut Harper some slack if he didn’t walk around with the one of the worst haircuts in history:
Dudes who walk around with that ‘doo are almost always d-bags. They’re like guys with neck tats only they fuck a little less shit up…..
At least we know he’s a classy winner:
How many of you would be surprised if Harper got a spider tattooed on his face at some point in his life? Of course, if he stays in Washington he’d probably get a gnat tattoo. Hmmmm, might wanna put up the stop sign for that idea. But as we know, Harper doesn’t roll with stop signs…..
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Good thread, Flav.
I tip my cap to Harper’s talent as a ballplayer, but it stops there. I have never been a fan of the eye-black, etc., and to be honest, that is the first time I have noticed his hair…yeah, IMNSHO, that is not a good look.
So, I don’t recall the inning…maybe 7th, Nats (I like Flavor’s “gnats” better) were up to bat and had runners at, I believe, the corners. There was a force at the plate. After taking the throw and recording the out, Posey steps forward at least a foot in front of the plate. Now to me, it seems the runner should have easily seen that the out was recorded, yet the douch bag made what looked like a concerted effort to slide into Posey’s foot. Is that a clean play? (I get it that there was still a runner on the bases and the ball was live.) I thought the fucker should have been drilled next time up. Am I just too sensitive about Posey? Thoughts? (And I cannot recall the number of the player…may have been 25, which is LaRoche).
Yeah, Chi, you’re right, LaRoche was running well inside the baseline and took a direct swipe at Buster’s left foot well after the out was made. Really surprised nobody mentioned that anywhere (that I’ve seen) other than right here on the Flap… 🙂 A few other things from that game: also agree about Harper’s talents, he could be a top-shelf player for years, but he needs to consume a little humble pie. It’s good to see him getting a piece or two at the moment. And, loved Miller’s call on the Blanco triple scoring Torres to tie it, just exciting to watch and listen to. And, as Pablo jogged toward 2nd on his game-winning HR trot, was that a little one-flap-down action he was sort of doing? Or, after watching it again, could’ve even been a one-flap-up… Great HR, and no one was happier than Pablo. If this guy was playing in an east coast media mega-market, he’d be one of the best known players in baseball.
Harper put the loss on himself for misplaying Blanco’s drive and admitted to a case of Fear of Fencing, so good for him. He also gifted us with two iditiotic sac bunts..he has a ways to go in understanding of how the game is played… Strasburg strutted about like a petulant but aggressive schoolyard buly as he fired one hoppers to the backstop ( which seemed intentional IMO, an intimination tactic) , he threw at Buster’s head, skank-eyed Blanco, and in general comported himself like a guy who thought he was still a High School superstar and the world revolved around him. These two immensely talented puddingheads have a lot of growing up to do…
Puddingheads, good description of them….
The Mets radio announcers the other day noted Wall Fear on the part of someone, I think Choo of the Reds, and a notable ex-Met whom I can’t recall, so why am I bothering to say it? Anyway, great win last night. Puts a bounce in my step as if I’ve just been to a club with exotic dancers crawling all over and pawing at me. Something like that.
I still can’t get over his crash into the wall. If you slow it down frame by frame there at least a full step (almost 1.5 steps) where he is clearly looking at the wall–and yet he just blasts into it without even a hint of trying to put on the breaks.
shades of Pete Reiser, though before my time
Hate to say it, but just looking at his face photos, he actually just might not be all that smart… talented as hell, but he ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed, me thinks.
“yet he just blasts into it without even a hint of trying to put on the breaks.” That’s why I can’t stop thinking of Wile Coyote
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz65AOjabtM
The last video (I think they played it 3 times) clearly shows that.
I’m not sure what you are responding to, Steve,
In the video Flav cited, they show the replay of him hitting the wall 3-4 times and in the last replay (a close up), you can clearly see that Harper sees the wall, then inexplicably keeps running into it. I think that’s what Flav is saying.
Where do I dispute that? I just said the doofus reminded me of Wile Coyote, who runs into things over and over. I didn’t say, infer, or do anything else that suggests I dispute what Craig was saying.
I didn’t say you did. Perhaps, I put my response in the wrong line – my comment has nothing to do with your cartoon. In effect, I think it posted at the same time I did. Anywho, my response was to Flav, agreeing with him that the 3rd or 4th replay clearly shows him seeing the wall, then continuing to run. No idea what you are talking about.
Well, we’re even ,I had no idea what you were talking about. Even your reply to my question seemed to suggest that you thought I was disputing what Craig posted. Whatever.
Nope.
Agreed on both. Unfortunately there are way too many over entitled youngsters just like them. College b-ball is full of them, guys who have always played on AAU teams where they are the focus of everything and allowed to do whatever they want. Then when they get to college and want to leave after a year because they are after the big bucks, they still don’t know how to play the game, or more importantly, act the part of a professional with any class and respect for the game (or opponents, officials, and usually coaches too).
Shout out to S-Dog: A-G coming to UA is a big coup for them. He destroyed WCAL league and showed he could handle his own business and then some in state playoffs vs. elite players and their teams. Only problem they might have is widening doors to the gym so he can actually get his head through them.
Meanwhile props to Kawhi, and I look forward to watching what happens to Jamal Franklin, whom I really enjoyed watching every time I saw him play for ‘Tecs.
I love it when I fully understand what fellow Flappers are saying. I also kind of love it when someone posts something that I don’t understand at all. .. 🙂
Going to ask again, because I respect and am interested in you other Flappers’ take on it…
Was LaRoche out of line (pun intended) when he went after Posey’s leg on the force play at home? Was it enough to warrant LaRoche getting drilled, or was it just a “part of the way the game is played?”
Looking down on the play, it was pretty obvious Buster expected an aggressive slide. After getting the out he moved very quickly off the plate as he looked to first and third to gauge his chances for another force out on the play. I’d say that attempt to break up the DP was borderline hard baseball. A deliberate FB under Laroche’s chin would be comparable. Strasburg’s pitch at Posey’s head 2 innings earlier seemed more alarming in the moment than Laroche’s somewhat futile attempt to take him out on the bases-loaded play.
Agree on the “borderline hard baseball.” I guess I am just a bit sensitive after seeing our MVP catcher taken out before. The difference to me was I could see no “intent” on the pitch at Posey’s head, where it was clear that LaRoche was going after Buster’s leg after the out had already been made.
Like others here I have developed a severe dislike of the gnats, and with that said, I was looking for some retaliation.
Fuck them. Time to sweep their sorry asses out of town.
I probably could have found a better pic of his bad hair
.
I had the rare treat of listening to a Giants game on the radio last night. It was the Nats’ station, 1500 on the dial, but no matter. Nothing like a close ballgame on the radio to make the commute home a little more bearable. Strangely, it seemed the Nats’ announcers weren’t surprised at all when the Giants rallied in the 9th. Their biggest laments were the Nats’ inability to build on their lead and Soriano’s inability to field Buster’s comebacker, and not so much Harper’s misplay.
As for Soriano, for someone who started the rally with a misplay of his own, he had some interesting things to say about Harper:
“With two outs and the tying run at first, you have to play the outfield so the ball doesn’t go over your head,” he said.
“It may not have been a catch-able ball, but if we’re positioned the right way, there might have been a different outcome. With two outs, I could tell my four-year-old son, ‘You know where you need to play,’ and he would go to the right spot to make the play. It’s not an excuse, and I’m not speaking badly about anybody, but I think that’s how you play the game.”
Speaking of puddingheads on the Nats, it doesn’t get much dumber than this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2013/05/21/ryan-mattheus-breaks-throwing-hand-punching-a-locker-adds-to-bullpen-disarray/
What an imbecile. He compounds the stupidity by not telling anyone until the next day, thus preventing Johnson from bringing in reinforcements – which has ramifications in the next game. How do you spell stupid? Mattheus.
He was embarrassed, and compounded matters by the procrastination of telling somebody. Casilla apparently wasn’t telling the trainers about his re-cyst, if that’s a word, under his knee, until it became obvious. None of these guys likes to admit weakness or injury, which surprises me, especially with guys that have multi-year guaranteed deals…
1. Angel Pagan (S) CF
2. Marco Scutaro (R) 2B
3. Buster Posey (R) C
4. Hunter Pence (R) RF
5. Brett Pill (R) 1B
6. Joaquin Arias (R) 3B
7. Andres Torres (S) LF
8. Brandon Crawford (L) SS
9. Madison Bumgarner (R) P
I hadn’t seen this, Sabean just 6 days ago, deflecting a question about the LF platoon to get in a diss of Belt:
“”We went on the side of the defense and the speed and to take our chances. And it wouldn’t be that much of an eyesore statistically from a run production standpoint if we had a bona fide six hitter, which should be [Brandon] Belt, but we’ve been forced to rotate and scramble a little with the bottom three spots. But on balance they’ve done a good job, given the skill set.”
Yeah, in a roundabout Sabesian way, that’s a clear diss of Belt. Again. So, if they don’t like this kid so much, why don’t they trade him? Then, who plays first? If they trade Belt and he turns into an offensive animal somewhere else, I’ll be happy for him. I wouldn’t much care about anybody else’s post-Giants career were they traded, but I would be ecstatic for Belt if he flourished, because management and the announcing crew as a group treat him like the ugly stepson…
Compare Sabean and Bochy and Giants management to Harbs. Harbaugh gets a lot of crap for his media approach, and deservedly so IMO, but he NEVER rips his players in public. Never. Even if they deserve it. Same for Jackson with Dubs, he builds his guys up like they’re all Oscar Robertson. I think it’s great. The players know that at least in public, the coaches are behind them. That in itself is a confidence boost, and fosters good player/management relations. Hey Coach Harbaugh, what about Crabby popping his achilles? “Well, he did it working hard, going after it, like he always does. We’ll miss him, miss that professionalism, that production. I know he’ll work hard in rehab, and he’ll be back ready to go next year.” Hey Sabes, what’s with Belt down on the DL with that elbow (fictional)? “Well, we’ll see how it goes, he was kinda trying something different in the cage, and somewhat didn’t execute it right like he should have, and hurt himself. We’ll get Pill in here and we should be OK, on balance, given the relative skill sets of those two”…
Re: Laroche slide into Posey’s foot:
Krukow commented that LaRoche was doing what he should do, i.e/, trying to disrupt Posey. For what it’s worth, that’s what he said, paraphrased. I don’t see much to it, no harm, no foul on that one. If he tried to body block him, OK, that’s bush. Somebody in San Diego did that reaching slide thing earlier this year, I think, and hit Buster’s back foot, and caused Buster to throw wildly to first for an error. At least I think it was this year…
That’s cool…it probably is just good hardball. But when the MVP/leader of your team is on the receiving end (and had a serious injury related at home plate)…it just makes me a bit sensitive. Hence my thoughts of DRILL HIS ASS!
As for the bad haircut, yeah, that’s nasty. I could say, well, he’s only 20 and has done nothing in his life to date except play ball, so he’s a doofus. I could say that, but, he’s also got PR people and an agent that should know better…
I didn’t see the Posey slide play, but I don’t like the sound of it either.
I DO think Wile E Coyote was clearly trying to take out The Roadrunner with that crossbow though. And don’t even get me started on the malice of forethought that went in to attepting to drop an ACME safe on the poor Roadrunner.
I actually kind of like Bryce Harper. I like that he and his parents had the balls to have him drop out of high school to get into pro ball a year early, took a bunch crap for that decision, and then he showed it was the right call by making it in the bigs so soon. That wall crash was something else though. I don’t watch much TV or even videos, so today was the first time I ever saw it. Ouch.
Same with me Dawg, I just saw it today . . . The last replay clearly shows him seeing the wall, then saying to himself (probably), “Fuck it, I’m running through it.” 🙂
I’ve seen it several times.And if you play it back a few times in a row, he looks more and more like Mr. Coyote.
If you look at that Harper wall crash video, looks to me maybe he got confused in depth perception by the lights of the wall scoreboard. Otherwise, I don’t see how/why he went full speed into it…
Snarkk, I could not agree more with your 12:04.
Me too. I think overall, that Sabes and crew have done a great job, but Belt sure doesn’t seem to get much love.
I don’t see it, but I guess I understand why others do. To me, Belt should ignore the outside “noise” and just play his game. He has been inconsistent as hell throughout his time here and that’s on him. Sorry, the “point the finger and not notice the other 4 pointed back at ya,” doesn’t work in any world I am familiar with.
Soriano’s insult about Harper’s positioning in the 9th seems pretty simple minded. Blanco stepped in against Soriano looking like a guy who was locked in and he proceeded to swing like he was locked in. He turned Soriano’s first FB into a screaming LD down the RF line, just foul. His second swing also pulled the ball hard, wide of 1B. The pitch he eventually hit to right center, over Harper’s defeated head, was off speed, a slider about 10 mph slower than the first FB he yanked foul.
It has to be tough to play the “no doubles” defense in RF at China Basin. Do you move way back and shade toward triples alley? If the hitter has just pulled two FBs down the RF line and the catcher’s calling for something offspeed, do you shade a bit toward the line? Combine all that with the unusual wall configuration in RF, and I think Soriano’s four year old would be standing out there thinking that his father was a fucking idiot.
That’s fricking priceless (and true) and the “Soriano’s four year old would be standing out there thinking that his father was a fucking idiot” part had me LMAO…
No Flapper would crash full speed into a wall. They’re too damn old and too damn smart.
I crashed full speed into a wall once, ONCE!!!!
Mostly, damn old.
When you’re older, “full speed” is relative…
.Hint for Pence and Pill: this is the kind of game where we might get only a run or two, You need to shorten up in that situation..
Enjoy the game, fellas
WTF…was in a meeting and just got out. Went to MLB.com to check the score (been listening to the feed), and here is the main storyline:
“Nats pose Giant obstacle for Bumgarner, San Fran in finale
Madison Bumgarner looks to get back on track as the Giants take on Gio Gonzalez and the Nationals, who go for the sweep on the road.”
This is some piss-poor writing…Go for a sweep on the road? They’re (Gnats) going for getting their asses SWEPT…they are NOT sweeping shit.
MLB.com puts all sorts of worthless BS on their headlined items ahead of Giants games. Not surprising they can’t write a proper headline…
woohoo madbum with 5 so thru 3
nice
and now arias and pill with the good defense.
Go gigantes!!
‘Dudes who walk around with that ‘doo are almost always d-bags. They’re like guys with neck tats only they fuck a little less shit up’ — I’m howling! Well done.
Since the Gyros bopped the Braves 3 out of 4 at ATT, the Braves went on to win 6 in a row at their yard. That gives some perspective to the Giants bad 6 game roadie. Everybody has some bad roadies…
Successful clubs go .500 on the road . . . If the Gmen achieve or get close to that, they will be fine.
The Snotnose goes deep on the Snotrocket.
The Whippersnapper goes yard on the Snotwhipper?…
Buster ties it!
On the radio anyway, sounds like some great D going on from both squads. This has been another well pitched, well played contest…
tough to see Boch use 3 pitchers in the 8th for all 3 outs with the team down 1-0. I didn’t see the inning but that’s burning a bunch of your BP for a single inning, especially considering that going extra innings was a distinct possibility….
He’s paying for it now…
I had no problem with it. The point was to keep the score at 1-0, which they did. If the Nats had scored another run, there probably wouldn’t be a 10th inning. And with a day off tomorrow, using a bunch of relievers isn’t that big a deal.
Good point…
true, I guess I just didn’t want them to run out of them. I get using Lopez for one batter, that’s often all he does. But Gaudin should be used for more than 1 batter, if not a couple of innings. Mirjares can go 1 inning at least, easily, too
If you’re down 1-0 in 8th, going extra’s is one of the most likely, best case scenarios.
ever notice how d-bag Harper’s helmet comes off his head every single time he hits a double or triple? More marketing advice from his marketing team. Make sure your ENTIRE face is on tv any time you do anything good.
Credit him– he’s been preparing for this shit his whole life– bail on high school, slap a shitload of eye black all over your face, cut your hair real dumb and….wait for it….be really fucking good, and that’s the plan on how to make a shitload of dough from advertising.
I don’t like him, never have never will. But he’s going to be an amazing baseball player for a long, long time.
I’m REALLY hoping that the spider-face tattoo is coming but I won’t hold my breath.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Oh well. Harper & Soriano were a bit better today.
I apologize to the blog, to the Giants and SF fans everywhere for writing this pointless, unnecessary thread today about a dude who I really could give a shit about. Clearly, this jinxed us and he was destined to score the winning run today.
My bad, won’t happen again.
🙂
Next time, write about the opposition’s star player and how great he is, such a good guy, and always flogs the Giants. Maybe it’ll work the same way… 😉
We was JINXED!
Well, the two good D plays by the Nats in the bottom of the 8th were the keys to Giants not winning this one. You score only one, you’re not going to win many…
Unfrickingbelievable . . . My Flap team is 0 for 22 thus far today. Shit, I hope they do an “Ofer” for all the day’s games. Losers.
Similar to jinxing a no hitter, I mentioned the O for 22 and what happens? Trumbo of the Angels breaks the bad mojo and gets a hit. Now sporting an excellently putrid 1 for 23. 🙂
According to SFGate re: Crabtree’s injury, shades of Willie Sutton:
“Today, Kaepernick was asked why Crabtree became his preferred target: “He got open,” Kaepernick said.”
Now THAT is a quarterback…
New post on my blog. Maybe the last one. Dunno. 🙂
I’ve been wondering where you’re gonna go with that. Come on, next chapter!
Sheesh, I have no idea how you are able to be so disciplined – day in and day out – where I wake up in the morning and my freshly pressed Flap blog post is available for reading. Flav, you are truly unbelievable and deserving of everyone’s admiration.
The diarist, an amazing skill from another age.
I didn’t catch much of the game today. That failure in the first inning ended up looming large.
Well, my Giants 2013 undefeated streak is over. I was at the game today.
I’m not much into “cap tipping,” but it was the Gonzalez/Harper show today for the Nats. As a ballplayer, Harper is the real deal. We saw today what all the hype is about, in one ballgame. You have to give him credit for bouncing back from a bad game last night. He made the adjustment, and caught a deep drive today, and caught a sinking liner. His HR was a tremendous opposite field shot. And he had a hand in the other Nats run.
The Giants had their chances. It was a well-played ballgame between two good teams. No shame in losing a game like this.
It was an excellent thread, BF. You highlighted well the fact that Harper is loaded with talent, and the issue will be his behavior and overall maturation as a person.
Mickey Mantle is supposedly his hero, which is kinda funny. Of course, injuries slowed Mantle down, not his personality:
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood
Yeah, the “Mantle is his favorite player” seems totally fake to me, like totally created. Like Charlie Finley telling Jim Hunter that Hunter’s nickname is “Catfish,” because of some made-up fishing story, and having Hunter repeat the story back to him.
“He has been inconsistent as hell throughout his time here and that’s on him.” Actually, over the first quarter of the season he has played pretty much at the same level as he did all of last year. There is nothing “on him” other than that he has only been a pretty good, but not a stand out player.
Not that it means shit — totals for the year are what measure performance and contribution to the team — but here are his monthly splits for 2012:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=beltbr01&year=2012&t=b#month
2 bad months, like Pagan and countless other players.
Sabean and Bochy are being old school nimrods in their treatment of Belt, a personality they are clearly uncomfortable with.
Whatever. I don’t even know what you are trying to say? Yes or no, is his play acceptable? In my opinion, his current level of play is NOT “pretty good” by any measure I am familiar with for a MLB 1st baseman. Check out the stats for every MLB 1st baseman and he ranks at the bottom third of the rankings. Shit, in one FL league I’m in, he is on the waiver wire. I guess that’s the new definition of “pretty good,” huh?
Sabean and Bochy are “nimrods?” Interesting observation. Any other nuggets James?
Well, he does play in a ballpark that’s been pretty tough on batting stats, although admittedly he doesn’t suffer with that altitude handicap. I don’t play fantasy baseball.
Actually, I like Bochy a lot. He’s not idiosyncratic and doesn’t make stupid moves. As for Brian, I’m glad he finally hired some of those new-fangled statisticians a few years ago.
I realize I didn’t answer your question: I was pointing out that there is no evidence that Belt has been “inconsistent as hell.”
Belt had the terrible 2 weeks to start the season ( he was sick with a stomach virus, BTW). in the last 4 weeks he’s at ,280 BA .365 OBP .898 OPS 5 HR 14 RBI . He’s playing at a well better than “acceptable ” level..And he’s excellent defensively as well.
thanks, twin
It was funny the other night- Belt was hitting over.360 over the past two weeks, over .700 slugging pct., over 1.100 OPS and Kruk said “it would be nice to see Belt get hot..”
I wanted to mention that one of the people that I was with at the game today was in the middle of reading Pawlie’s “World Serious,” and we had a great time talking about the book, and talking about last year’s World Series. He had the book with him, and it was cool to see the “hard copy” of the book. I hadn’t seen it yet. I have the Kindle version.
Yeah, that haircut screams ‘arrogant dickhead.’
Like Phil Mickelson’s nickname on the PGA tour. FIGJAM.
As in, Fuck I’m Great. Just Ask Me.
Bottom of the 8th. Down 1. Do we win this?
Tie game!
Magnus, you may have brought us Anna, the one woman rally wonder, but you have missed the boat with this Nationals’ (and national league) answer to the glossy wunderkind (and american league) poster boy.
On the day you choose to say this guy is so dense he can run full speed into walls, but can’t look in a mirror, he single handedly stopped the Giants sweep and generated this:
Outfielder homers, scores winner, makes run-saving catch vs. Giants.
He is the real-deal. Do 20 year-olds read blogs? Me thinks they might.
Good night all.
Interesting contrast: Bumgarnerjj and Harper.
Belt debate rages. No other player seems to inspire so much passionate debate.
I think its about expectations.The raw talent is there and those who Are protective of him and those who criticize him both want to see him reach his full potential. The defenders think sitting him or criticizing him is hampering that and the others are just frustrated he isn’t already Posey II.
I’m in the latter camp. After his prodigious run through the minors, I expected more than acceptable. The big spring training may have only raised those expectations. He looks like a guy who could hjt 30
Oops, didn’t get to edit this and too tired now to make sense.
Salty, it’s certainly your prerogative to be disappointed. But consider the following:
1. The most HRs by a lefty at ATT not named Bonds was Huff in 2010. He hit 26 in 668 PAs. If Belt got that many PAs, this year he’d hit 26, based on what he’s done so far. But of course he won’t get those PAs, because like last year, he is losing many of them to inferior players whose demeanor(?) somehow engenders an unwarranted trust that Belt simply doesn’t get.
2. The fact that Belt is even a figure of controversy is absurd, especially in the context of this team. The Giants have the best offense in the league right now by far. Maybe Pill is just being displayed, but I don’t think so.
3. I actually don’t put any stock into the notion that Belt’s confidence has been hurt by the treatment he’s received, and that this has affected his play. He’s just losing PAs, or as Snarkk has pointed out, reps that he needs to prove what he actually is capable of sooner rather than later.
4. Any argument that an alleged “inconsistency” has made his numbers less efficacious flies in the face of the way statistics work.
Argument? You keep on posting about some phantom “argument” and I don’t see it. You saying it over and over again, doesn’t make it so. You need a bone – here ya go . . . Substitute “inconsistent” with playing to his ultimate potential. Has he done that James? Don’t call him “pretty good” when there are absolutely no statistic(s) that proves that . . . yet. As Salty said, I hope he is able to ultimately do that.
However, blaming Bochy or Sabes for his stunted growth is utter bull shit. Wah wah . . . Live is unfair. Tough cheese my friend. Some MLB players ONLY get a few at bats to prove their worth. That’s the way professional sports works. Do or die. He is owed absolutely nothing. It’s how life works and how baseball works too.
I agree he probably hasn’t reached his potential. He may also never be much better than he is right now. Sorry I offended you.
I’m not offended James. 🙂
I just don’t get some fans angst about his playing time (and not saying you are in that camp either). I think we both can agree – we hope he is able to play to his potential, whatever level that might be.
Your number “3” is a classic example of wanting it both ways – which is it James? To wit, you either don’t put stock into this notion . . . blah, blah, blah; or, He’s just losing PAs . . . that he needs to prove what he actually is capable of sooner rather than later??????
I have no idea what you are trying to say there, except that it sounds like you are taking both sides of the discussion. Please explain how this makes sense?
Baseball is not about character or personality. Belt will play to his skill level over time, irrespective of the irrational treatment he gets from management.
Absolutely agree with your comment.
Salt, comparing anyone to Posey they are going to come up short, including about 90% of NL players. What Giants did in minors I don’t pay much attention to either. Far too many of them have put up gaudy stats only to fail miserably up here, most recently the *bowker gang*…even Eugenio velez hit .300 in the Coast League.
I think ceiling for Belt is a .280 plus avg., 15-20 HRs (no LH is gonna hit 30 playing at ATT), high OB and excellent defense. But only if Bochy and Sabes leave the kid in there every day.
Last year he sat and watched Posey play first while Hector was at C, dumb move imo for a lot of reasons. Other guys go into slumps and never come out of the LU (including Huff of 2011). Pagan has had a bad month, Crawford after his hot start went 2-26, et al—-all hitters run hot and cold. Belt seems to be the one that gets f-ed with the most. Did bochy bat Pagan 8th after he hit .200 for a month like he did last year?
I’m with Snarkk on this one..given time and enough ABs, I think you have a legit every day player that can do a lot of things to help a club. Hitting 30 bombs isn’t going to be one of them, but I can live with that.
Willie- I was using Posey to illustrate the raised expectations, fair or unfair from fans mgmt.announcers..after Belt tore it up in the minors and looked like be was going to be an immediate hit. Not only Posey but Pablo, also had jumped right in without a hitch. So the bar was high for Belt.
Btw, I predicted a big year for Belt and still think he will.
I think James hit nail on the head with points 1 and 2. Short term, I don’t see how playing the likes of Pill, Arias or Quiroz (at C while Posey plays 1b) makes SF a better team; same argument as last year with Hector at C while posey played 1b. None of above are as good defensively for certain, and I don’t think they are as good a hitter in terms of OB or slugging. So I don’t see what advantage you gain, even vs. LHP.
Long term, I don’t get it either. Posey is top flight C who loves the position and SF has already dumped off one prospect in a deal. Quiroz and the woefully inept defensively Hector are not everyday C material, so moving posey to 1b is years away. Imo, Belt is best you have…esp if there isn’t anyone in the minors better than Pill.
It’s a bizarre and totaly irrational argument that he’s not playing at a high level during a period when he *IS* playing at a high level. Time will tell if he will maintain his level of play- but for now, it’s not possible to argue coherently that he’s not playing at a HIGH level. Not just OK. Not just acceptable, a HIGH level. “in the last 4 weeks he’s at .280 BA .365 OBP .898 OPS 5 HR 14 RBI ” And the last two weeks is even better ( .343 BA .410 OBP 1.096 OPS). Right now most fans would be delighted with his play, I don’t see why not.
At the least it’s a curious time to to be criticizing his play.
I don’t get down in the weeds and check Belt’s stats regularly. I just think that if the team quit fucking around with him and left him in there more often than not (allow him to get 500 ABs for the year, etc.), that he would be fine. He is inconsistent at times, but the best way to get consistent with something is repetition. He is the best option from a defensive standpoint. I say “Let Belt Play.”
And I do feel that one of the reasons (the main reason, actually) that Pill is up, is so that he can potentially be showcased as part of a trade. I just don’t see him as a fit for the Giants over the long haul.
As to a previous discussion, I looked up our tranasctions for 2010, 2011, 2012 and Sabean did not make trades in May or June to upgrade the team. In 2010, they signed Burrell to a minor league deal after he was DFAed by Tampa and recalled Posey,. Both moves were made on 5/29.They also brought MadBum up on 6/26. But their trades have come near or at the deadline. ( well,Molina was dealt for Chris Ray on July 1,2010)
That’s not to say it they won’t do anything earlier or that they’re not disccusing options and making phone calls- that’s a year round thing. But it’s my *opinion* that they’ll see how the internal options work out before seeking help outside of the organization.I’d think that, as usual, that trade help, if needed, will come in late July.
ut I can see how others may think otherwise.
That’s an interesting question that was raised that the Giants might be showcasing Pill for trade-bait. Whether or not that’s happening- the whole “showcasing” concept is interesting, because it involves the dynamic between GM and manager, which is an interesting dynamic in sports. The line between the two jobs is not always clear cut. I would say that the manager (or head coach in other sports) is the one more concerned about winning THAT DAY. And, in general, the GM has to take the bigger picture.
Zumie (and all), my comment that Pill is being showcased is just my “guess.” I would think in most cases your description of the manager/head coach is accurate, but I would be really surprised if Bochy is not involved in discussions both tactical (short-term) and strategic (long-term…next year and beyond), especially since both he and Sabes have been extended.
They know the starting pitching situation (Timmy set to become a FA, and the club holding options on Vogey and Zito). As I (and others) have mentioned…only Cain and Bum are signed long-term. When I have talked trades before the deadline, those have been specific to a starter (or two) that not only may help this year, but gets the team through at least next year (until some of our young arms are ready).