Did you get a glimpse of Kyle Harrison before the 40 man roster guys picked and left camp? Him getting left of the rotation was stunning to me but apparently people tracking Spring Training stats thought it pretty unsurprising...
Hi Roger - thanks for the amazing coverage! Great article in The Athletic on the Bednar Brothers which made me wonder if you had any Will sightings this spring and where you think his development is at....
For the World Series Parade this fall do you think they should liven things up with a route change? Instead of cars down Market, maybe send everyone on Cable Cars up and over Nob Hill to Aquatic Park? Could deliver speeches from a barge out in Aquatic Cove maybe?
How detrimental is the current system to developing international starting pitchers and is there any chance that may change? Looking at the top prospect lists and top current MLB SPs the vast majority are drafted out of college or HS rather than the international side compared to hitters.
Who actually makes the draft picks? Over the past six years, was Michael Holmes making the picks mostly unilaterally, with maybe some (consultation with/input from) Farhan Zaidi? Or was Farhan calling the shots, with Michael Holmes acting in accordance with Farhan’s marching orders? Or was it a combination of the two, with maybe Farhan holding sway over the early round picks, then Holmes handling things on his own with the later rounds?
I’ve always believed that the Scouting Director gathered up all the recommendations from his scouts and cross-checkers, did his own scouting, and then made his picks. I’ve always believed the GM/PBO had scant involvement, other than maybe setting some guidelines for types of players to go after, along with some budget constraints. Now I’m wondering if Farhan was much more hands-on in the process of things, and if he even was more involved in early round selections.
In summary, and to put it in overly simple terms: Was Hunter Bishop a Michael Holmes pick, or was he a Farhan Zaidi pick?
Two questions concerning Carson Seymour, who I’ve been absolutely fascinated by since the Giants acquired him.
1. In perusing the Statcast logs of his Opening Day start, I noticed that Savant charted him throwing a number of what it was calling four-seam fastballs. I assumed this is because it had way less armside run than his usual fastball. But based on the locations and velo of the pitch, I actually think it might be a cutter- did you hear anything about Seymour messing around with one this spring?
2. Ever since you unearthed the nugget that Seymour throws his sinker with a four-seam grip, I’ve been wondering…why? If Carson gets that much run and sink on a pitch that’s not even supposed to move like that, wouldn’t actually using a two-seam grip make it an even more impressive pitch? Or is it the inverse? Like perhaps changing his grip wouldn’t yield much of a difference in movement at all, but would still force him to learn a new way to throw the fastball.
What would you do with Casey Schmitt? If Fitzgerald shows he’s capable of keeping the 2B job, then Schmitt really has no role with the Giants. Which bums me out, because I’m a huge fan of his. Would love to see him go to a place with a hole at 3B. Koss, Wisely, Meckler(?), Basabe, Alcantara, and hopefully Velasquez and maybe even Arteaga can all be insurance/depth options at 2B at some point this year.
What’s a realistic return for Schmitt, and what would you or the Giants target in a return for him? A MLB LH reliever? A lottery ticket prospect or 2? Mike Trout? (Almost completely joking on that last one…almost…)
Are the River Cats set to open the season with just a 2 man bench? If so, is this just an attempt to carry as many arms as possible? Or is it a lack of AAA ready players in the system?
Will Meckler spend much if any time at 2B, with Luciano, McCray, and Bishop being the primary OF?
Howell probably deserves a AAA promotion, which would give them a 3rd man on the bench, while AA has 4 OFs not including Howell with Brown, Hill, Pomares, and Bericoto. So I’m genuinely confused that he seems destined to start the year in Richmond again.
I assume by the time I publish the mailbag next week this question will be obsolete, but it's a really good one! The Encarnacion injury effectively cost them one player, and a three man bench is not really that uncommon in the minors, though usually later in the summer. I would definitely agree that Howell (and to a less extent Hill) deserves a bump up, though playing time might be tight for him behind that group of four. I wonder if we'll see somebody move up just to provide some coverage on the corner INF positions, like say Justin Wishkoski, who the club has felt comfortable pushing up to fill roster needs previously
I want to be the first idiot to ask how soon Eldridge gets called up. I am guessing he needs at least two months playing first to handle the position at the majors. With Flores and Wade healthy there is no rush even with Jerar out for a month. (Just as Wilmer hits a 3 run bomb). So he would probably need to be hitting 2 bombs a week to force the issue but IMHO I don’t see him up as long as those 3 are performing. Thoughts?
Did you get a glimpse of Kyle Harrison before the 40 man roster guys picked and left camp? Him getting left of the rotation was stunning to me but apparently people tracking Spring Training stats thought it pretty unsurprising...
What does he need to work on?
Hi Roger - thanks for the amazing coverage! Great article in The Athletic on the Bednar Brothers which made me wonder if you had any Will sightings this spring and where you think his development is at....
Really was a great article. Revamped my hope for Will, and even David.
For the World Series Parade this fall do you think they should liven things up with a route change? Instead of cars down Market, maybe send everyone on Cable Cars up and over Nob Hill to Aquatic Park? Could deliver speeches from a barge out in Aquatic Cove maybe?
How detrimental is the current system to developing international starting pitchers and is there any chance that may change? Looking at the top prospect lists and top current MLB SPs the vast majority are drafted out of college or HS rather than the international side compared to hitters.
One thing I’ve never quite understood…
Who actually makes the draft picks? Over the past six years, was Michael Holmes making the picks mostly unilaterally, with maybe some (consultation with/input from) Farhan Zaidi? Or was Farhan calling the shots, with Michael Holmes acting in accordance with Farhan’s marching orders? Or was it a combination of the two, with maybe Farhan holding sway over the early round picks, then Holmes handling things on his own with the later rounds?
I’ve always believed that the Scouting Director gathered up all the recommendations from his scouts and cross-checkers, did his own scouting, and then made his picks. I’ve always believed the GM/PBO had scant involvement, other than maybe setting some guidelines for types of players to go after, along with some budget constraints. Now I’m wondering if Farhan was much more hands-on in the process of things, and if he even was more involved in early round selections.
In summary, and to put it in overly simple terms: Was Hunter Bishop a Michael Holmes pick, or was he a Farhan Zaidi pick?
Were you surprised that Brett Wisely was left off the team?
Two questions concerning Carson Seymour, who I’ve been absolutely fascinated by since the Giants acquired him.
1. In perusing the Statcast logs of his Opening Day start, I noticed that Savant charted him throwing a number of what it was calling four-seam fastballs. I assumed this is because it had way less armside run than his usual fastball. But based on the locations and velo of the pitch, I actually think it might be a cutter- did you hear anything about Seymour messing around with one this spring?
2. Ever since you unearthed the nugget that Seymour throws his sinker with a four-seam grip, I’ve been wondering…why? If Carson gets that much run and sink on a pitch that’s not even supposed to move like that, wouldn’t actually using a two-seam grip make it an even more impressive pitch? Or is it the inverse? Like perhaps changing his grip wouldn’t yield much of a difference in movement at all, but would still force him to learn a new way to throw the fastball.
What would you do with Casey Schmitt? If Fitzgerald shows he’s capable of keeping the 2B job, then Schmitt really has no role with the Giants. Which bums me out, because I’m a huge fan of his. Would love to see him go to a place with a hole at 3B. Koss, Wisely, Meckler(?), Basabe, Alcantara, and hopefully Velasquez and maybe even Arteaga can all be insurance/depth options at 2B at some point this year.
What’s a realistic return for Schmitt, and what would you or the Giants target in a return for him? A MLB LH reliever? A lottery ticket prospect or 2? Mike Trout? (Almost completely joking on that last one…almost…)
Are the River Cats set to open the season with just a 2 man bench? If so, is this just an attempt to carry as many arms as possible? Or is it a lack of AAA ready players in the system?
Will Meckler spend much if any time at 2B, with Luciano, McCray, and Bishop being the primary OF?
Howell probably deserves a AAA promotion, which would give them a 3rd man on the bench, while AA has 4 OFs not including Howell with Brown, Hill, Pomares, and Bericoto. So I’m genuinely confused that he seems destined to start the year in Richmond again.
I assume by the time I publish the mailbag next week this question will be obsolete, but it's a really good one! The Encarnacion injury effectively cost them one player, and a three man bench is not really that uncommon in the minors, though usually later in the summer. I would definitely agree that Howell (and to a less extent Hill) deserves a bump up, though playing time might be tight for him behind that group of four. I wonder if we'll see somebody move up just to provide some coverage on the corner INF positions, like say Justin Wishkoski, who the club has felt comfortable pushing up to fill roster needs previously
Is there any downside to the abundance of near major league ready players that got pushed down to AAA?
I want to be the first idiot to ask how soon Eldridge gets called up. I am guessing he needs at least two months playing first to handle the position at the majors. With Flores and Wade healthy there is no rush even with Jerar out for a month. (Just as Wilmer hits a 3 run bomb). So he would probably need to be hitting 2 bombs a week to force the issue but IMHO I don’t see him up as long as those 3 are performing. Thoughts?