Later, Slater
You know what? We went 5-4 vs the Dodgers, Atlanta and Cleveland. I think ANYONE would have taken that especially when many of us thought 2-7 was in the cards as well. Unfortunately we took the Highway to Hjelle yesterday but that’s going to happen every now and again with a bullpen that is worked HARD. We say goodbye to Slater and his very occasional taters and get back Alex Young to help give our beleaguered bullpen a rest. I have no recollection of him pitching for us but I am also still a little woozy from that Medford heat haze so maybe I’m just not thinking straight.
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
Slater spent 8 fucking years with the Giants and his best season was in 2022, when he hit seven home runs with 34 RBIs. Aaarrrggghhh!
Yeah, “later.”
I have no doubt he gets the “good Giant” stamp of approval from K & K…
Maybe trading away Slater opens up spot for Grant McCray, speedy CF now in Sac. He’s hitting OK stealing bags and has some OF assists too. Another breath of fresh air as OF gets reshaped.
Conforto had great road trip. As others have said there are teams that could use him at deadline if that’s how Z wanted to go. Or he’s back in groove after injury, starts hitting well at home and adds some much needed pop to middle of lineup.
Good recommendation Willie – McCray started off slow this year (our AA team in EAS league), but is doing well in Sac. The thing I like about him is that he gets on base (outstanding OBP).
Also tells you something about Reds. Lead NL in SBs and triples, yet only 8th for runs scored in hitter friendly home yard. Dead last NL for BA, 13th for OB and team OPS. If they think Slater can help them…
Reds hoping for another Adam Duvall…
Now do Yaz.
Hope so Mac.
Seen lot of love for Jazz Chisholm as Giant trade target…numbers don’t paint very good picture.
Having his worst offensive season in 2 years. OPS is .733 and barely above league average as hitter, off 125 points from 2 years ago. slugging is down 50 points from last year and he’s stuck on 10 HRs with .255 BA. 17 steals vs. 8 times caught is not very good pct especially in these days when SBs are easier.
Baseball Savant outs above average rates him 30th for CF…not much better than Ramos. He has 2 more years of control before hitting FA market. I’m not giving up Harrison and others for him.
If we have to give up less to get him that’s good. His lousy year 10 HR’s 17 steals would make him one of our best players:) He is under team control so less money to pay. Birdsong and Luciano. Play him at short. Boot Ahmed.
He hasn’t played SS at all in 3 years. When he did he made 10 errors in 37 games. Just seems like a guy the league has figured out. He’s hitting ball on ground a lot more with less power; he has 1 good year and 3 average ones in 4 seasons. The caught stealing of 32% is alarming and isn’t helping his team. I just don’t see value to his game but others seem enamored of him.
Longtime overdue doing something with Slater& his lost Tater bat..Hopefully now the Giants are finally starting to move on with more young commitments like Matos who should take over atleast Slater’s role full time against lefties splits..
He was just sucking up a roster spot cause he couldn’t get sent down to without any MILB options so now that will be the Reds problem and the Giants get back a pretty decent reliever in Young who did have options and is going to Sac.
Yeah LOL like Loo said:He gets the good Giant stamp of approval award from K&K that every Giants get except AJ Perjerkoff!! The King of Assholes!!
Some bullpen numbers:
Cleveland top 5 relievers in IP — 199 innings
SF Top 5 — 210 Innings
Cleveland IP Top 8 — 290 innings
SF IP Top 8 — 310 innings
WE should celebrate the curse of Chili Davis ending with Ramos making the All-Star team!
From TA. SF hit two 440 ft homers last week. The 1st time in 3 years. Last time both were from Slater:)
1986.
Slater gone. Farhan finally made a trade of a guy on the 26. Shows he’s worried about the Pen, as he should be. Now, I hope this means Matos can be given more time and opportunity to sink or swim.
Slater will be missed. Until the next game starts…
Newly called up rookie James Wood homered and drove in 5 for Nats vs. Cards Saturday. He came over from Padres in Juan Soto trade August of 2022, as did SS CJ Abrams, now 23 year old having fine season.
Padres dealt Soto away Dec. 23 after 1 full season and 50 games in prior one. Seems they’d have been better off keeping Abrams and Wood in long run. I hope Giants don’t make similar mistake trading away prospects for short term gain, especially pitching.
“I hope Giants don’t make similar mistake trading away prospects for short term gain, especially pitching.”
Me too ala Zack Wheeler to the Mets for Beltran, coupled with cash in 2011.
Sabean said that they chose to trade Wheeler rather than a position player because, “We didn’t think Wheeler was going to impact our situation in the immediate future. Quite frankly, it’s our job to find another Wheeler or develop another Wheeler.” Pfffttt!
Same deal with Bryan Reynolds (who’s having another outstanding season with the Pirates) back in 2018. Again, this was on Sabean’s watch. Could have had our All Star outfielder years earlier.
Well, Wheeler didn’t do much for the Mets so the trade wasn’t really good for either team in that regard. He took a long time to get right and it was 9 years after we drafted him that he finally started throwing well. And the Mets still didn’t resign him.
Is it your stance we should never trade any prospects? For every Zack wheeler trade there is a mookie betts trade. How do the Red Sox lok now. No div title in 87 because we never trade with the white sox.. Ramos has had a great few months, and I am excited we have him. But for every Ramos there are 10 Beeede, Bishops, Bickford Strattons… All 1st rounders..
Hell no . . . Just saying those 2 went south. In 2011, we ended up with a .531 record, but 8 games behind the Dbacks (and 4 games out of the WC). Beltran was no help initially when we needed him, but hit good when we were clearly out of the playoff picture.
In 2018 when Reynolds was dealt for McCutchen, that was a bad trade in my opinion. Particularly since the team face planted that season with a .451 record.
Consequently, I would be very wary this season of the Giants trying to turn a .500 team into a playoff winner via a “Hail Mary” trade(s).
Chili Davis&Jack Clark 2 of my favorite outfielders( along with Garry Maddox,Bobby Bonds Sarge Matthews all part of the homegrown greats)cause not only could they tear the cover off the ball, they really played “HARD AGGRESSIVE” baseball on the base paths..Dogpile Catcher Mike Scioscia was quoted one saying chili Davis was the hardest player I ever faced at homeplate ..He came in so hard and he was all he was built all- muscle, he rattled of my teeth, and my shoulder was jacked up for awhile..
Geez 40 years to get a homegrown outfielder again and to make an All-Star team to boot!Stats don’t lie I’m glad fans, are writers whoever finally get this , Ramos is Top 10 in production since he was called up May8th.Heliot Ramos keep it up u have huge cleats to fill and hoping Matos also just needs more reps and patience..McCraw,Bishop,Eldridge,R Crawford,Wisenhut,Bednar etc etc etc all not far off..
My take is that, at least since Al Rosen’s time, there have been relatively few major SF FO decisions that didn’t have some justification or a pretty good rationale. The two that stand out for me are the Zito and Rowand signings. Zito never had great command, and his fastball was declining. Rowand had a great year with the Phillies, but it looked like an outlier. But as I posted a little while ago about the Rowand signing, it was hardly a crazy decision at the time. As for prospects, there are so few can’t miss players that come up. I don’t believe there’s any magical ability one team or individual possesses to identify who’s going to develop into a star among the non-Bryce Harper’s/Soto’s of the world.
Heck, even Loo admitted the Cepeda trade wasn’t completely bonkers!
Totally disagree with this take . . . Let’s just take the last decade:
1. Atlanta Braves:
2. Houston Astros:
3. Los Angeles Dodgers:
Just me, but nothing “magical” about having a good farm system (i.e., you need an excellent front office). Here’s a couple more, Chicago Cubs* (Developed key players like Kris Bryant, Javier Báez, Willson Contreras, and Kyle Schwarber who helped them win the World Series in 2016); and, Tampa Bay Rays (renowned for their player development strategies, consistently producing All-Star caliber players like Wander Franco, Shane McClanahan, Randy Arozarena, and Brandon Lowe despite a lower budget).
*Cubs again have an excellent farm system.
James, we did have an outstanding farm system, which Sabes headed, but now? I think Zaidi is a total failure to date.
Yes, there are going to be teams that do better than others. That’s the nature of the sport. I just think the abilities of the people in charge have far less to do with the outcomes on the field than you’d wish. As for the state of the current farm system, why are you opposed to trading prospects, if it’s so dismal?
To me “homegrown All Star outfielder” was always an overstated thing. Barry Bonds made lots of All Star games for the Giants. Melky won an All Star game MVP for the Giants, and guys Iike Pence and some others had made All Star games in their careers. Cody Ross played like a Hall of Famer in the ’10 playoffs. So what if the Giants didn’t draft and develop Ross.
Again, NOT opposed (said that to sportsdude). Just wary of attempting to do it with such a mediocre under .500 team like the Giants, unless there are obvious reasons to suspect that we are going to get a lot better. I don’t see that. For example, I think Sabes move to trade Wheeler at the time it was consummated was a good call by him, as we were a good team at the time and it just didn’t work out because Beltran was terrible initially (again, I did say above – he ended up having a good season with us, but he was a non factor during the playoff chase) . . . It was made worse by the fact that Wheeler went on to blossom with the Mets and Phillies.
It took Wheeler 5 years (and missing 2 entire seasons) of scuffling before he got good. And the Mets still didn’t resign him.
The trade did little for either team, but we got the shorter end of the stick.
Look, trading for Kris Bryant was a good call. The Giants were in the hunt for a playoff spot and it just didn’t really work out. Not igninghim after that was an even better call as he’s gonna retire soon with his back problems.
McCutcheon was the usual grasping at straws for Sabean/Evans to try and wring out something from nothing. That Cutch is still playing does surprise me. Maybe it IS the weather.
James, if you don’t think this farm system isn’t in disarray, then how many more call-ups can you watch that don’t know how to run the bases, throw to the right cutoff man, try to bunt, move runners, or know the basics of how to play the game?
Wisely was caught diddling around on the basepaths 3 times in the last week. Mays prolly did that 2 times his entire career. Point being, whose fault is it that these guys know so little about how to play? Things we got hammered into our heads when we were 8 years old. Sure these guys come from different countries in differing circumstances, but when they get into our system, it’s like they aren’t taught anything.
Maybe these guys work out. Hunter Bishop? Christ, Webb was drafted in 2014. Matos and Ramos a long time ago as well. It sure seems like a lot of teams bring guys up that know how to play and stick around. But 6 years of drafts by Farhan and Co have netted Bailey.
The NBA network seems to be cutting back on its WNBA coverage for a while, in order to show lots of NBA summer league games. I don’t need to see a ton of NBA summer league games, myself.
It took 13 years for Sabean to win his first championship with the Giants. It’s hard to imagine any team owners nowadays, in any sport, having that kind of patience.
Totally disagree. From the get go, Sabean was outstanding. In a nano second, I found this on Wiki . . . During his tenure, the Giants won three World Series (2010, 2012, and 2014), four National League pennants (2002, 2010, 2012, and 2014), five National League West Division flags (1997, 2000, 2003, 2010, and 2012), two National League Wild Cards (2002, 2014), and forced a National League Wild Card tie-breaker game with Chicago in 1998. On two other occasions, the club was eliminated from post season contention on the last day of the season.
I don’t have great memories of those departures from the playoffs before 2010. It always seemed like the Giants were missing just one more good hitter or good pitcher. I’ve never watched a single highlight from any of those playoffs, which included getting eliminated by the Marlins twice. It helped a lot that the Giants built the new ballpark. The new ballpark had amazing restorative powers.
A counter argument to that would be, with the emphasis on data analysis, why would you disrupt your organization when the next guy is going to do some variation of the same thing? If your GM is respected internally by his staff and you trust his judgements because they’re well reasoned, what’s a change going to bring? Granted there are the public politics, but that cycle can be very short.
The thing about Slater is he didn’t even do some of the little things well. He wasn’t good at getting the runner on second, with none out, over to third. And he was asked to bunt a few games ago and flopped at it. His technique looked bad.
Non-topic . . . Have any of you ever bought something from Temu, Ali Baba (supposedly the Amazon of China), etc.? Personally, I have bought things from China, but indirectly via Amazon, which has an iron clad return policy. I get a newsletter from Malwarebytes and apparently Temu is facing a lawsuit filed by State of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, alleging that the retailer’s mobile app spies on users. He said . . .
“Temu purports to be an online shopping platform, but it is dangerous malware, surreptitiously granting itself access to virtually all data on a user’s cellphone.”
I quickly read over the 2023 report the lawsuit is relying on. It looks like the generic software library Grizzly cites as evidence of “malware” is tied to the Android OS. The most serious objections seem to be the hypothetical misuse of various functions, and that some permissions users do consciously grant the app aren’t presented in a forthright way.
Presumably, you can use a secure laptop or an Apple device to shop without suffering the ill effects Walmart’s AG is trying to protect you and the country from.
For your amusement, some Bryan Reynolds/Austin Slater stats:
Age 23 OPS in AA
BR — 819
AS — 903
Career advancing runners from second to third
BR — 53%
AS — 44%
In his fateful 2024 season, Slater was 2-12 in those situations, which dragged his career percentage down from 51%. Kudos to Zumie for noticing!
Manfred, baseball’s commissioner — the guy can barely read a written speech.
Jeez…
The above was meant to go under my post below. I can’t edit anymore, so sorry about that…
KNBR is broadcasting now the Willie Mays Memorial Service from Oracle Park…
Thanks for the clarification Blade! Maybe just hope, but I still believe Snell is a good ML pitcher.
If that ends up being true then Webb, Hicks, Snell, Ray, Cobb, Harrison make a good rotation.
Will help our bullpen too. In a weak year, with usual good teams down (Atl and even the Dodgers) we should make a move. Jazz (as an example) has power and speed. Something we lack. He is young, and not a rental. I have seen enough of luciano to package him with Birdsong (maybe?) to close that deal. I like Birdsong, but is he going back to AAA when those other guys healthy? Yes.
Yesterday we lost because Ahmed didn’t catch a liner and an infield hit or we are out of the inning. Just as in baseball not every trade goes your way. I say go for it. Throw in Estrada too for that matter!
I think Estrada and Flores due to come off IL by tomorrow and Snell to be activated in order to start tomorrow night. Waiting to hear corresponding moves.
This from cbs site column on Jazz, who they do suspect to be traded: “Chisholm, 26, was a deserving All Star in 2022, though his bat has not yet returned to that level. He’s been closer to a league average hitter the last two seasons.”
Case closed. Isn’t the most common complaint that Giants are basically an entire team of average players? Why the F should they go out and trade to get another one? His bat will suddenly come alive at Oracle after 2 years? caramba
Action-in-the-bullpen Jackson!!!!!!! GTFO!!! Please, if there is a God. Or a brain in the front office . . . Hicks can slide to the pigpen.
They’re still waiting for him to regain command of that excellent slider, Chuck!
The main thing that bugs me about Luke Jackson is how he is diminishing the name of the late great 76er….
That a group of women decided to name their band after him is a little cooler than a bunch of dudes naming their band after Pearl Washington.
Agreed, loved Luscious Jackson….
lol…
Yes, cool player. That Sixers team that won one for Wilt one of my all time faves.
Late to the party. I seem to remember the Giants were going to trade Timmy for Alex Rios back in the 07 off season, great non-trade. They did sign Rowand instead of trading for Rios and I’m ok with that.
They traded Wheeler for Beltran in 2011, trying to repeat. I’m still behind that move. They went for it. I want a GM to go for it when there is a chance for a ring. It didn’t hurt them for 2012 and 2014 and as Unca pointed out, Wheeler didn’t have a winning season until 2018.
Bryan fucking Reynolds was traded with Crick for Cutch back in 2018 following the 2017 98 game loss season. Reynolds was playing well at the single A level but was considered a throw in at the time (Pittsburgh finally got one over on Sabes). Looking at the comments on the Flap when that happened nobody was against the trade. I think Blade was against getting older and wanted to do a complete rebuild ala the Tigers (I think Detroit is still rebuilding).
Farhan comes on board for the 2019 season. I wasn’t a big fan of him then and that hasn’t changed much. People said he was going to do this or do that, but he did exactly what he said he’d do, build around the vets and try and beef up the farm. He made some questionable moves IMO, but he also made some good trades. 2021 the vets that folks wanted to get rid of, had an incredible season, one that surprised everyone (I’d think even the FO).
I’m not into the extra playoff team and believe it has watered down the importance of the regular season and even the trade deadline. I don’t see Farhan making many trades unless it’s a money trade or an Ahmed type guy or two. (Sorry for the long post)
Sabes def had balls sometimes when it came to trades. Don’t remember all the details, but wasn’t it at the ’97 deadline he offloaded some youngsters and brought in a bunch of players from the White Sox… Darwin, Alvarez, another good reliever… they went from last to first that year, didn’t advance though, but I think a couple of those players stuck around for a couple of years. And of course his initial whopper, Williams for Kent et al. Sometimes it works out. Agree that that’s just not Z’s game, at least it hasn’t been yet… I don’t think it’s in his skill set.
What skill is that exactly?
Paul, I do think the trades Zaidi made for Estrada, Wade and Yaz to name a few, were good trades.
Just my impression he seems keyed in more to constantly finding bits and pieces (which he’s good at) rather than putting together a sizeable trade configuration as Sabes often did. Doesn’t mean he can’t, just hasn’t done it and it might not be his style. Like I said, just my impression.
Good memory Loco. Agree everyone was behind the move getting Beltran, but everyone quickly soured on Beltran the first month or so, because he did jack shit when it really mattered . . . Fast forward August/September timeframe, the Giants were essentially out of it as I recall and Beltran started hitting finally. I guess he relaxed, as the pressure was essentially off of him to perform finally. Anyway, that’s what I recall on that issue.
Yeah, I was of the mind in 2017 off season, that the transformative core became the “Bore Core” and was no longer the answer. Consequently, we needed to rebuild. Yep, I did reference the Tigers . . . and they are still rebuilding (lqtm).
Duvall for Leake was another dud. Leake sucked in that half of the 2015 season and we all know what Duvall did.
Someone here was all over that deal when it happened. Can’t remember.
Duvall turned out ok but he was never gonna put up those numbers in our park and his K to BB ratio is about as bad as it gets. So is Jazz Chisolm’s btw. Bass Baldy liked Duvall…
I looked up Chisholm numbers on Fangraphs and he’s about as good a hitter this year as Wisely and Fitz who have wRC+ 110 (Jazz is 105). as for WAR he’s 1.4, Estrada 1.2.
Speaking of Mr. Bass B (whom we haven’t heard from in awhile), I sincerely hope he is well enough to have enjoyed Giants recent surge of good play.
Just finished watching some of the celebration of life ceremonies for Willie. Great stuff.
Watched the first few episodes of “Welcome to Wrexham” tonight. I can’t imagine any Flapper not being completely taken in. Never mind it’s about soccer. Highly recommended.
Sabes deadline trade with Whitesox’s in 97 was brilliant at the time the Sox’s were just 3 games out of 1st but the GM Reisendorf(sp) still seeing dwindling attendance caved in and what was called the White Flag Trade sent 3 pitchers the Giants needed in Alvarez,Darwin , and got a real steal in closer Roberto Hernandez ( that’s your other guy P/A) who was great down the stretch as the Giants came in 1st at 90-72.Eventually losing out to the Marlins in championship rd and winning it all.No way the Giants win the west that year without that trade imo..
Funny it was a one year trade for the Giants as Alvarez &Hernandez left as F/A ‘s and Darwin retired..Sox’s best players of the 6 they received was a SS Kevin Caruso( 3rd ROY following season) and 2 pitchers Alan Foulke who had a few 40 plus save seasons ( one in Oakland later) and Bobby Howry a few decent years the other guys never panned out..
Point is Sabes in striking distance got things accomplished, good are bad , I don’t see squat in Z’man ever doing that unless u want to include his Kris Bryant experiment a success which I don’t..
Yeah AK, that was a big one. I thought Darwin or Hernandez stuck around after that year for a year or two, maybe not. Keith Foulke, I do believe he was on the mound for Boston when they won their first WS in ages in ’04…
Yes Paul, Foulke was really good reliever for long time and did win ring with BoSox near end of his career.
If few more teams drop off this week or right after AS break it’s possible there will be more sellers. Not sure what 1 move would push Giants on top of other WC teams or who teams would ask for. Health of pitching staff still big ?
Did see story in TA that Nats Rays might move some players including pen guys and LH OF Jesse Winker, having good season with .800 OPS and high OB for Nats. FA in off season. Yaz probably on thin ice and Giants do have fewer LHs, especially if Conforto leaves or is traded.
Sabes personality just was turn off. Anyone who dissed him was relegated to “lunatic fringe.” And he did make share of questionable moves prior to 3/5.
Never forget being in Mel’s bowling alley in Redwood City watching J T Snow hit 3 run HR off Benitez in NLDS 2000. Then Sabes signs the guy as FA 2004.
Saw pic of Tom “Satch” Sanders, still alive age 85, sitting behind Boston Mayoress at Celts game 2022. Harlem kid who played HS ball at Seward Park in NYC (with Hap Hairston I believe) before moving on to NYU and Celts. Later first black man to coach in Ivy League for Harvard.
Clutch winner (8-0 in Finals) known for D prowess. Like them or not (I didn’t) class act that defined 60s NBA for excellence and innovation such as first to start all black 5.