Hello everyone. So I decided to make chili last night and as I really like this recipe, I wanted to share it with you. I'm also trying to make a video of the cooking process but it is taking some time to edit it together. Hopefully I can get it done and uploaded to YouTube in the next week or so, but I may need to make a second batch in order to get all the steps.
Anyway, let's start with the ingredients you're going to need:
~ 4 Tri-Tip Roasts trimmed of fat and cut into 1/4" cubes
(Note: Tri-Tip is primarily a West coast cut of meat. If you can't get this at your local grocer, you can also use ground beef, beef chuck, brisket, or short ribs. Your average tri-tip is about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, so if you use an alternative, make sure you start with about 8 pounds of meat. Tri-Tip should cost you about $6.99 per pound. Just an FYI, King Soopers in Denver has recently started carrying this cut, but are charging $8.99 per pound for it.)
~ 4 16 oz cans beef broth (I used 2 32 oz boxes of Progresso beef broth)
~ 1 16 oz can tomato sauce (I used 2 8 oz cans of Hunt's tomato sauce)
~ 4 Tablespoons cumin
~ 2 Tablespoons chili powder
~ 2 cups chopped onions
~ 8 minced garlic cloves
~ 1 can Ortega green chiles (comes in 4 oz and 7 oz cans. I used the 7 oz can)
~ 4 Jalapeno peppers
~ 3 Tablespoons oregano
~ cayenne pepper
Now I'm going to go through the recipe as it is written, and then add my notes to what I did differently and why.
1. Place meat into clean bowl. Add cumin and chili powder over meat, mix together and let stand for 1 hour.
2. Brown meat in a little oil.
3. Mix in 1 can of broth to loosen drippings.
4. Add tomato sauce and mix well.
5. Add rest of broth, onions, garlic to kettle.
6. Add green chiles.
7. Boil jalapenos for 40 minutes.
8. Puree jalapenos in food processor/blender.
9. Add jalapeno puree to kettle along with oregano.
10. Cayenne pepper to taste.
11. Simmer all day.
So there you have it. All seems fairly simple, right? Let me first tell you that cutting the tri-tip is going to take you some time if you're doing it by yourself. I think I'm a pretty OK chef, and it took me about 2 - 2 1/2 hours to cut 4 tri-tips. Now I went a little against the recipe on this and I'll tell you why.
First, I started boiling the water for the jalapenos. Since this prep step is going to take close to an hour, I'd say go ahead and start this first. That way you can set it and forget it. Once the water is boiling, add your jalapenos and boil for 40 minutes. I reduced the heat to medium-high so as not to boil all the water down.
Now I'm using a slow cooker instead of a stove-top kettle or stock pot, soo I did not season the meat before browning. The reason for this is I drained the meat before putting into the slow cooker and I did not want to lose any of the flavor from the spices in the run off. So I browned the meat unseasoned, drained, and placed into the slow cooker.
Next I sautéed the onions and garlic. You can put these in the kettle raw, but sautéing them coaxes the maximum amount of flavor before adding to your chili. The recipe doesn't specify type of onions but you're going to want to use either yellow or white onions for this chili recipe. I went with white. White onions are sharper than yellow onions, while yellow onions are hardy with a complex and spicy flavor. I sautéed the onions for about 5 minutes, until the onions were soft and slightly translucent. Then I added the garlic and browned the outside, about 1 minute (be careful not to burn). Then I added about half of one of the boxes of beef broth to the onions and garlic to deglaze the pan, and added both cans of tomato sauce. I stirred all of this together in the pan for a short time, then added to the slow cooker over the tri-tip.
At this point I added all of our measured spices to the slow cooker, the cumin, chili powder, and oregano. I also added the can of green chiles and the rest of the already opened box of beef broth and stirred it together. The last time I made this chili it was a bit watery so you may not need to use all 64 oz of broth. I'll go over some other thickening steps later.
At this point the jalapenos were done so I removed them from the water (careful, it's hot). You will want to destem them jalapenos. I cut the tops off, but the stems will easily pull off. Now you have a choice to make. You can puree the jalapenos as is, or you can deseed them if you wish. Leaving the seeds will increase the potency of the jalapeno, while removing the seeds will mellow the heat but still deliver all the flavor. I chose to be a Viking and leave the seeds in. If you want to deseed your jalapenos, cut them in half, then use a spoon to scoop out the core and seeds. You may also want to wear gloves as the oil from the jalapeno will stay on your skin for a while. If you don't wear gloves, be sure not to touch your eyes after handling the jalapenos. Then I tossed the jalapenos into the food processor and pureed. I then added the jalapeno puree to my slow cooker and stirred.
The final step was to add the cayenne pepper. Now this is just used to taste so you can use a little or a lot or none at all. I used a little. You can always add more later, but you can't take spice away once it's added. Finally I added about half of the last box of beef broth and set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours. If the chili starts to cook down too much, you can always add more of the beef broth as needed.
Now, if you want to thicken your chili, there are a few ways you can do this. You can add a slurry using either flour or cornstarch. If using flour, remove 1/4 cup of the liquid from your chili into a separate bowl and add 2 Tablespoons of flour to the liquid. Mix together until the mixture is smooth and without lumps. Add slurry to the chili and stir. The stirring and heat should thicken the chili. If using cornstarch, you want to use 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 Tablespoon of liquid. If you want to let the chili naturally reduce, cook the chili uncovered for an additional 30 to 60 minutes. I think this might work better if using a stove top kettle. If you don't want to add anything to the chili, you can also thicken upon serving. Just add your choice in your own bowl. You can use oyster crackers or saltines, crushed corn chips, crumbled corn bread, or grated cheese. I'm definitely trying the corn chips and corn bread ideas.
Here's my personal serving suggestion. If you're from Cincinnati you'll know exactly what I'm talking about here. Cincinnati has 2 chains of chili restaurants, Skyline Chili and Gold Star Chili. At either restaurant you can get a coney, that's a hot dog folks. So for a regular coney you have your hot dog, topped with chili and chopped onions (with or without mustard). The cheese coney adds shredded cheddar cheese on top. Or if you don't want a hot dog, you can go with a "Way" instead. Your basic 3-Way is spaghetti topped with chili and cheddar cheese, a 4-Way adds beans or onions, and a 5-Way adds beans AND onions. If you want to add beans, I'd suggest just using canned kidney beans.
That's all folks. Feel free to add or adjust to your leisure and taste. Bon appetite.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
My future as a drummer
Yesterday I bought an electronic drum kit (Alesis DM7X in case you're interested). I've never owned an electronic kit before, but it has been something I've been considering for a few years now. I've lived in apartments since moving to Denver 12 years ago and I thought it would be nice to have a way to practice at home. Obviously I can't set up my acoustic kit in an apartment. Those of you who have seen me play or have played with me know I play LOUD. I suppose I could set everything up and jam if I didn't care about my neighbors. But as of this writing, that is not something I'm considering.
Before I begin, I want to say that writing this is a little hard for me. It is intended as a commentary and not as a criticism against those people I was in bands with, other bands I have shared stages with, the promoters I've worked with over the years. However several of those experiences have left a distinct bitter taste that I don't care to hide. It is also an acknowledgement of perceived personal failures. Not the failure of not becoming a rock star, but rather the failure of putting my faith in so many of the wrong people. At the end of the day, it is extraordinarily difficult for me to look back at the last 12 years as anything other than a waste of time. I do try to be entertaining in these blogs for the most part, and whether I succeed or not is truly a subjective matter, but this post will be personal and honest. And no matter who you are, baring a piece of your soul for the world to see is a daunting thought. Please read this knowing that this comes from a damaged place and it is not intended to be a personal attack at any one person, group, or other.
Anyway, I felt like writing some of my thoughts regarding being a musician and my "career" up to this point. Also I wanted to touch a little bit on the future and the state of the music scene I happen to be living in and how it pertains to me.
So to start with, I moved to Denver in 2003. I've basically been playing drums in bands since age 12 or 13, 7th grade. Those were mostly garage band types. We played basement parties and those types of things, but nothing professional. 2004 began the idea that would eventually form the band that I would spend the next 10 years with. At first it was just myself and a singer, but in early 2005 I answered an ad from 2 guitar players who seemed to have common interests. We jammed together and things seemed to click. Eventually we brought in the singer and added a bass player and we were set. We only had 2 lineup changes, bass player and one of our guitar players, and from 2005 - 2009 we played most of the mid-level venues in and around the Denver area. I think we carved out a good reputation with most of the promoters and venues we were able to work with. We quickly established ourselves as professional (which was pretty funny if you know the story) and as solid workers on stage. We weren't the most popular band in Denver but we always brought a solid crowd with us. At that point I don't think the goal was to be the most popular, in fact I don't think any of us cared about that at all. The goal was just to write music and perform. And we did just that.
The band took a hiatus in 2009. I was quite lost during that time. I tried to keep playing, but there was a familiarity and a camaraderie I shared with that band that I wasn't able to capture. These people I had shared so many experiences over the previous 4 years were not replaceable. They were my friends, they were my brothers, they were my family.
In 2011 the band decided to give things another run. We had largely the same lineup, we had a new guitar player and our original bass player from 2005 came back to the fold, but the 3 of us who had been there from the beginning were still there. Unfortunately I think so many things had changed that we were destined to fail. It no longer seemed that writing and performing were what was driving everyone. There was this underlying motivation of "making it" and writing a radio hit song. I operated as the de facto manager for the band so I understand there is a business aspect to it. But as a musician and as a performer I still believe the music and performing should be what pushes you, not the money, perceived fame, etc.
In 2013 I was ultimately replaced as the manager by an outside party and in December of that year I decided to leave the band. January, 2014 was my final performance. I will not tackle the details of my replacement or my departure at this time. That is another story that I am still not ready to write. I will say this regarding the situation. If you are a local band, you do not need a manager. I came from a DIY background and allowing an unaffiliated 3rd party handle your business is not at all something I am comfortable with. I had developed a good working rapport with a number of these bookers and I felt like an asshole telling them they now had to deal with someone else. Also, if you are a local band who has to tell people, "you can't talk to us about booking us, you have to talk to our manager", you are a douchebag.
As far as the musical climate, when I started playing in bands I started with jazz. My first 2 "real" bands in high school were grunge. I also played punk, nu metal, and a number of other styles. I learned and pushed myself by playing along with bands like Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Soundgarden, to name a few. After I moved to Denver and we started this band, I would classify ourselves as alt-metal. Bands like Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Chevelle were very much in fashion and I think the Denver music scene followed suit. We always had plenty of good bands to book with and our sounds all seemed to compliment each other. Since then it seems the musical climate has shifted. Now Denver is flooded with "bro metal" and borderline death metal bands. This is not at all my scene, nor is it anything I am interested in playing. If anything I was trying to push our sound in more of a post-hardcore direction. Think Story of the Year or A Day to Remember. Another classification could be easycore (a fusion of metalcore and pop punk). But my vision was not shared by the rest of the band. I also bridge a generation gap between pre and post social media. When I was coming up, the only way to let people know you had a show was to tell them. That meant going to parties and talking to people, making flyers and handing them out, relying on your friends to tell people. Then social media came along and offered a new tool to advertise to and communicate with your fans. Ideally both should be utilized, but I think the younger generation relies on social media as their primary means of promotion and that does not work. At the same time, the older generation hardly uses social media at all and that doesn't work either. I'm in between those 2 extremes and I think that's the perfect place to be, utilizing both the old and the new school. Social media is just a different avenue to achieve the same result. Handing out flyers is equivalent to creating an event and sending out invites on Facebook. The part that fails miserably in this case is the word of mouth. If you accept an invite, you can then forward the invite to any of your friends. Most people don't do this. Understand as fans you are as responsible for a bands success or failure as the band. We are all in this together and we all have a part to play. But it falls apart if not everybody is willing to play their part.
In the 2 years that have followed since I left the band, I have been searching for another opportunity. It's not like I've put everything away. Far from it. I realize I am not 20, but as far as energy goes I do not feel like I have slowed down at all. I bring over 20 years of playing experience and almost 10 years of management experience. And yet the sticking point is the style of music I want to play. I have posted several ads on craigslist advertising myself. I specifically am looking for a post-hardcore or easycore style of band. I am not interested in playing metal and I have specifically worded this in every ad I have posted. And yet, the only people I have been contacted by are people wanting to play metal. I'm not sure if they just see "drummer" in the title and don't bother to read the rest of the ad, or if they feel like maybe they can convince me to play a different style than I'd like. I do not want to play simply for the sake of playing. I want to do something I am going to enjoy. After all, at the end of the day being in a band is supposed to be fun.
So this brings me to the future part of this blog. I don't know what the future holds for me. I don't know if I will ever be on stage again looking out over a crowd from behind my drums. I do know that I have not wanted to play more in the past 2 years than I do right now. I believe that is due to the new record releases by Strung Out, Breaking Benjamin, Bullet For My Valentine, and Atreyu this year. My hope is deflated, however, by the thought that the musical climate I find myself surrounded by will not afford me the opportunity to play the type of music I want to hear. I'm sure at this point there are several people asking, "well why don't you move to a different city?" That thought has been prevalent in my mind for quite some time. It is a scary proposition however to move to a new city by myself and start over. I'd basically be hitting the reset button on my life and I don't care who you are or where you are in life, that is a scary thought. Also, I find it interesting that the people who have no reason to change, whether they're happily married, or have kids, or have a home, or who have lived in one place their entire lives and never been anywhere else, are the first ones to stand up and tell you that you need to change. Please walk in the other persons shoes and try to understand what they are going through and why they might feel a certain way before you start handing out "advice".
Perhaps there is more to this story that is yet to be written. Perhaps there is a happy ending somewhere in the dark. The hopeful optimist in me says there is because I feel like I have so much to offer, I only need the chance. The realist (or pessimist, depending on your opinion) says this is the way things are and you'd better hurry up and accept it because there sure as Hell is nothing you can do to change it. And then there's me, caught in the middle. But I'm not a psychologist so what do I know. Thank you for reading.
Before I begin, I want to say that writing this is a little hard for me. It is intended as a commentary and not as a criticism against those people I was in bands with, other bands I have shared stages with, the promoters I've worked with over the years. However several of those experiences have left a distinct bitter taste that I don't care to hide. It is also an acknowledgement of perceived personal failures. Not the failure of not becoming a rock star, but rather the failure of putting my faith in so many of the wrong people. At the end of the day, it is extraordinarily difficult for me to look back at the last 12 years as anything other than a waste of time. I do try to be entertaining in these blogs for the most part, and whether I succeed or not is truly a subjective matter, but this post will be personal and honest. And no matter who you are, baring a piece of your soul for the world to see is a daunting thought. Please read this knowing that this comes from a damaged place and it is not intended to be a personal attack at any one person, group, or other.
Anyway, I felt like writing some of my thoughts regarding being a musician and my "career" up to this point. Also I wanted to touch a little bit on the future and the state of the music scene I happen to be living in and how it pertains to me.
So to start with, I moved to Denver in 2003. I've basically been playing drums in bands since age 12 or 13, 7th grade. Those were mostly garage band types. We played basement parties and those types of things, but nothing professional. 2004 began the idea that would eventually form the band that I would spend the next 10 years with. At first it was just myself and a singer, but in early 2005 I answered an ad from 2 guitar players who seemed to have common interests. We jammed together and things seemed to click. Eventually we brought in the singer and added a bass player and we were set. We only had 2 lineup changes, bass player and one of our guitar players, and from 2005 - 2009 we played most of the mid-level venues in and around the Denver area. I think we carved out a good reputation with most of the promoters and venues we were able to work with. We quickly established ourselves as professional (which was pretty funny if you know the story) and as solid workers on stage. We weren't the most popular band in Denver but we always brought a solid crowd with us. At that point I don't think the goal was to be the most popular, in fact I don't think any of us cared about that at all. The goal was just to write music and perform. And we did just that.
The band took a hiatus in 2009. I was quite lost during that time. I tried to keep playing, but there was a familiarity and a camaraderie I shared with that band that I wasn't able to capture. These people I had shared so many experiences over the previous 4 years were not replaceable. They were my friends, they were my brothers, they were my family.
In 2011 the band decided to give things another run. We had largely the same lineup, we had a new guitar player and our original bass player from 2005 came back to the fold, but the 3 of us who had been there from the beginning were still there. Unfortunately I think so many things had changed that we were destined to fail. It no longer seemed that writing and performing were what was driving everyone. There was this underlying motivation of "making it" and writing a radio hit song. I operated as the de facto manager for the band so I understand there is a business aspect to it. But as a musician and as a performer I still believe the music and performing should be what pushes you, not the money, perceived fame, etc.
In 2013 I was ultimately replaced as the manager by an outside party and in December of that year I decided to leave the band. January, 2014 was my final performance. I will not tackle the details of my replacement or my departure at this time. That is another story that I am still not ready to write. I will say this regarding the situation. If you are a local band, you do not need a manager. I came from a DIY background and allowing an unaffiliated 3rd party handle your business is not at all something I am comfortable with. I had developed a good working rapport with a number of these bookers and I felt like an asshole telling them they now had to deal with someone else. Also, if you are a local band who has to tell people, "you can't talk to us about booking us, you have to talk to our manager", you are a douchebag.
As far as the musical climate, when I started playing in bands I started with jazz. My first 2 "real" bands in high school were grunge. I also played punk, nu metal, and a number of other styles. I learned and pushed myself by playing along with bands like Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Soundgarden, to name a few. After I moved to Denver and we started this band, I would classify ourselves as alt-metal. Bands like Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Chevelle were very much in fashion and I think the Denver music scene followed suit. We always had plenty of good bands to book with and our sounds all seemed to compliment each other. Since then it seems the musical climate has shifted. Now Denver is flooded with "bro metal" and borderline death metal bands. This is not at all my scene, nor is it anything I am interested in playing. If anything I was trying to push our sound in more of a post-hardcore direction. Think Story of the Year or A Day to Remember. Another classification could be easycore (a fusion of metalcore and pop punk). But my vision was not shared by the rest of the band. I also bridge a generation gap between pre and post social media. When I was coming up, the only way to let people know you had a show was to tell them. That meant going to parties and talking to people, making flyers and handing them out, relying on your friends to tell people. Then social media came along and offered a new tool to advertise to and communicate with your fans. Ideally both should be utilized, but I think the younger generation relies on social media as their primary means of promotion and that does not work. At the same time, the older generation hardly uses social media at all and that doesn't work either. I'm in between those 2 extremes and I think that's the perfect place to be, utilizing both the old and the new school. Social media is just a different avenue to achieve the same result. Handing out flyers is equivalent to creating an event and sending out invites on Facebook. The part that fails miserably in this case is the word of mouth. If you accept an invite, you can then forward the invite to any of your friends. Most people don't do this. Understand as fans you are as responsible for a bands success or failure as the band. We are all in this together and we all have a part to play. But it falls apart if not everybody is willing to play their part.
In the 2 years that have followed since I left the band, I have been searching for another opportunity. It's not like I've put everything away. Far from it. I realize I am not 20, but as far as energy goes I do not feel like I have slowed down at all. I bring over 20 years of playing experience and almost 10 years of management experience. And yet the sticking point is the style of music I want to play. I have posted several ads on craigslist advertising myself. I specifically am looking for a post-hardcore or easycore style of band. I am not interested in playing metal and I have specifically worded this in every ad I have posted. And yet, the only people I have been contacted by are people wanting to play metal. I'm not sure if they just see "drummer" in the title and don't bother to read the rest of the ad, or if they feel like maybe they can convince me to play a different style than I'd like. I do not want to play simply for the sake of playing. I want to do something I am going to enjoy. After all, at the end of the day being in a band is supposed to be fun.
So this brings me to the future part of this blog. I don't know what the future holds for me. I don't know if I will ever be on stage again looking out over a crowd from behind my drums. I do know that I have not wanted to play more in the past 2 years than I do right now. I believe that is due to the new record releases by Strung Out, Breaking Benjamin, Bullet For My Valentine, and Atreyu this year. My hope is deflated, however, by the thought that the musical climate I find myself surrounded by will not afford me the opportunity to play the type of music I want to hear. I'm sure at this point there are several people asking, "well why don't you move to a different city?" That thought has been prevalent in my mind for quite some time. It is a scary proposition however to move to a new city by myself and start over. I'd basically be hitting the reset button on my life and I don't care who you are or where you are in life, that is a scary thought. Also, I find it interesting that the people who have no reason to change, whether they're happily married, or have kids, or have a home, or who have lived in one place their entire lives and never been anywhere else, are the first ones to stand up and tell you that you need to change. Please walk in the other persons shoes and try to understand what they are going through and why they might feel a certain way before you start handing out "advice".
Perhaps there is more to this story that is yet to be written. Perhaps there is a happy ending somewhere in the dark. The hopeful optimist in me says there is because I feel like I have so much to offer, I only need the chance. The realist (or pessimist, depending on your opinion) says this is the way things are and you'd better hurry up and accept it because there sure as Hell is nothing you can do to change it. And then there's me, caught in the middle. But I'm not a psychologist so what do I know. Thank you for reading.
Would the Giants look for a Center Fielder?
So I was reading an article today which asked the question, "What should the San Francisco Giants do with Left Field?". Here's the link to the article: http://goldengatesports.com/2015/10/19/what-should-the-san-francisco-giants-do-in-left-field/. But it got me to thinking, up to this point I have been considering the Giants looking for a Left Fielder, from resigning Nori Aoki, to bringing in Alex Gordon. But what if the Giants moved Angel Pagan to Left Field and instead targeted a Center Fielder in free agency?
Here's a list of the available Center Field Free Agents:
Rajai Davis
Dexter Fowler
Austin Jackson
Justin Maxwell
Colby Rasmus
Denard Span
Drew Stubbs
Rajai Davis is the oldest at 35, and actually played for the Giants in 2007 and 2008. Justin Maxwell played for the Giants last season and for a player who will be 32 at the beginning of the 2016 season and has 7 seasons of Major League experience, I think it's safe to say you know what you're going to get with him. Not a starter. So let's look at the other 5 guys, all of which will be between 29 and 32 in 2016.
Dexter Fowler (30): Fowler does not hit for a high average (.250 in 2015, has only hit .300 once in 2012) and strikes out quite a bit (career high 154 in 2015) for a guy who should be your leadoff hitter, but his speed and defense make him worth a look. Fowler stole 20 bases in 2015. To compare, Nori Aoki led the Giants in 2015 with 14 Stolen Bases (in 93 games played). Fowler committed only 4 errors in Center Field last year. Angel Pagan committed 4 errors in Center Field for the Giants last year (in 125 games). Fowler made $9.5 million in 2015, which was less than the Giants paid Aoki. So Fowler's price here might be a tad higher, but statistically he doesn't really seem much of an improvement over Pagan and Aoki.
Austin Jackson (29): I liked Jackson when he played for Detroit. 2012 was statiscally his best season hitting .300 with 16 Home Runs and 66 RBI and the Tigers made it to the World Series. He's been pretty steady throughout his career, but did not play particularly well after he was traded to Seattle in 2014. He was having a decent season for the Mariners in 2015 but was traded to the Cubs where his stats have been down. He is another high strikeout player in the leadoff position (lowest season total is 126) with 20+ stolen base speed. Jackson made $7.7 million in 2015 and is coming off 2 sub-par seasons so he could be had for a bargain.
Colby Rasmus (29): Similar story to Fowler and Jackson, only substitue 20+ Home Run power for 20+ Stolen Base speed. Another high strikeout player who hits for a low average (.238 with 154 strikeouts in 2015) but he hit 25 Home Runs this season for the Astros. Rasmus made $8 million in 2015 and based on his power potential I would expect that number to increase at least slightly.
Denard Span (32): Span is coming off an injury plagued 2015, but was a solid player for the Nationals in the 2 previous seasons for Washington. Span is a career .287 hitter and a good base stealer. He has a career success rate of 79% and a season high of 31. Span is also a solid defender. He had 0 errors in 2013 in 384 total chances. Span made $9 million in 2015, but is coming off a down year so there is the possibility of the Giants signing him to a 1-year "prove it" deal.
Drew Stubbs (31): There was a time when Stubbs was an intruguing speed and power prospect. Arguably his best statistical season was 2010 with the Reds where he hit 22 Home Runs and stole 30 bases. His season high for Stolen Bases is 40 in 2011. However Stubbs has never hit for a high average (career .244) and hit a career low .195 in 2015 between Colorado and Texas. Stubbs made just south of $6 million in 2015, but I would only consider signing him to a Minor League deal or as a Spring Training invitee.
So there you go. Honestly I don't think any of these players represent much of a statistical improvement over Pagan and Aoki, but if the price is right, I would be OK seeing either Austin Jackson or Denard Span in a Giants uniform next year. I still like the prospect of keeping Pagan in Center Field and possibly signing Alex Gordon, but considering Gordon made $12.5 million in 2015, that could be the more expensive option. What do you think? Who do you think the Giants should target?
Here's a list of the available Center Field Free Agents:
Rajai Davis
Dexter Fowler
Austin Jackson
Justin Maxwell
Colby Rasmus
Denard Span
Drew Stubbs
Rajai Davis is the oldest at 35, and actually played for the Giants in 2007 and 2008. Justin Maxwell played for the Giants last season and for a player who will be 32 at the beginning of the 2016 season and has 7 seasons of Major League experience, I think it's safe to say you know what you're going to get with him. Not a starter. So let's look at the other 5 guys, all of which will be between 29 and 32 in 2016.
Dexter Fowler (30): Fowler does not hit for a high average (.250 in 2015, has only hit .300 once in 2012) and strikes out quite a bit (career high 154 in 2015) for a guy who should be your leadoff hitter, but his speed and defense make him worth a look. Fowler stole 20 bases in 2015. To compare, Nori Aoki led the Giants in 2015 with 14 Stolen Bases (in 93 games played). Fowler committed only 4 errors in Center Field last year. Angel Pagan committed 4 errors in Center Field for the Giants last year (in 125 games). Fowler made $9.5 million in 2015, which was less than the Giants paid Aoki. So Fowler's price here might be a tad higher, but statistically he doesn't really seem much of an improvement over Pagan and Aoki.
Austin Jackson (29): I liked Jackson when he played for Detroit. 2012 was statiscally his best season hitting .300 with 16 Home Runs and 66 RBI and the Tigers made it to the World Series. He's been pretty steady throughout his career, but did not play particularly well after he was traded to Seattle in 2014. He was having a decent season for the Mariners in 2015 but was traded to the Cubs where his stats have been down. He is another high strikeout player in the leadoff position (lowest season total is 126) with 20+ stolen base speed. Jackson made $7.7 million in 2015 and is coming off 2 sub-par seasons so he could be had for a bargain.
Colby Rasmus (29): Similar story to Fowler and Jackson, only substitue 20+ Home Run power for 20+ Stolen Base speed. Another high strikeout player who hits for a low average (.238 with 154 strikeouts in 2015) but he hit 25 Home Runs this season for the Astros. Rasmus made $8 million in 2015 and based on his power potential I would expect that number to increase at least slightly.
Denard Span (32): Span is coming off an injury plagued 2015, but was a solid player for the Nationals in the 2 previous seasons for Washington. Span is a career .287 hitter and a good base stealer. He has a career success rate of 79% and a season high of 31. Span is also a solid defender. He had 0 errors in 2013 in 384 total chances. Span made $9 million in 2015, but is coming off a down year so there is the possibility of the Giants signing him to a 1-year "prove it" deal.
Drew Stubbs (31): There was a time when Stubbs was an intruguing speed and power prospect. Arguably his best statistical season was 2010 with the Reds where he hit 22 Home Runs and stole 30 bases. His season high for Stolen Bases is 40 in 2011. However Stubbs has never hit for a high average (career .244) and hit a career low .195 in 2015 between Colorado and Texas. Stubbs made just south of $6 million in 2015, but I would only consider signing him to a Minor League deal or as a Spring Training invitee.
So there you go. Honestly I don't think any of these players represent much of a statistical improvement over Pagan and Aoki, but if the price is right, I would be OK seeing either Austin Jackson or Denard Span in a Giants uniform next year. I still like the prospect of keeping Pagan in Center Field and possibly signing Alex Gordon, but considering Gordon made $12.5 million in 2015, that could be the more expensive option. What do you think? Who do you think the Giants should target?
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Protected Draft Picks
Well folks, time again for another Giants baseball blog. This one comes with a little frustration from me. Let me explain why. Based on their record, the Giants will pick 19th in the Major League Baseball Draft for 2016. Obviously the MLB Draft is nowhere near as popular as the NFL or NBA Draft, plus is insanely longer than either of those 2 with up to 40 rounds. That's actually even shorter than it used to be. Remember Mike Piazza? He was drafted in the 62nd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. That turned out to be a pretty good pick, considering it was only done as a favor by Tommy Lasorda who was a childhood friend of Piazza's father....unless you're a Giants fan, then F*@! Mike Piazza!!!! 1993, soon to be named Rookie of the Year Piazza hits 2 Home Runs on the final day of the season and the Dodgers beat the Giants 12-1 to eliminate them from the playoffs despite the Giants winning 103 games in the last great pennant race. 103 wins is the most wins by a team to not make the playoffs, but I digress. That is an argument for another time. Back to the point.
Where was I? Oh yes, the MLB Draft. So the Giants select 19th which is fine I suppose. But I just read today that this is not a protected draft pick. The Giants would have needed to lose 9 more games for the draft pick to be protected as only picks 1-11 are protected. Believe me, I am not wishing that the Giants had lost 9 more games this season. But it certainly does throw a bit of a wrench into what I had previously written I would like to see the Giants do.
For those of you who do not know how the protected vs. non-protected draft pick effects free agency (and until maybe 5 minutes ago I was among you), here's the basics. For a free agent, their current team has first shot at re-signing them (or Exclusive Negotiating Rights). The team must decide whether to submit a qualifying offer to the player. If the free agent declines the qualifying offer and opts for free agency, the team that signs them will lose their first round pick, unless the team has one of the 10 worst records from the previous season, in which case the team loses a 2nd round pick. So what does this mean to the Giants who will inevitably be looking for pitching? If they sign Jordan Zimmermann (my preference) or Zack Greinke (if he voids the remainder of his current contract with the Dodgers), they lose the 19th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. If they sign a player who was traded at the 2015 trade deadline, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir, etc. they keep the pick.
I wrote previously that I think Kazmir would be a good fit as the #3 starter if the Giants decide not to pursue re-signing Mike Leake. But I thought Zimmermann would be the crown jewel if they could sign him. Now that they risk losing a 1st round draft pick, I think they might want to look elsewhere. I also wrote that I think David Price will (no pun intended here) price himself out of the Giants plans. So that brings my focus to Johnny Cueto.
So what would the Giants get with Cueto? Well, they would get a player who has shown brilliance in his career, and a player who will be 30 when the 2016 season begins. His 2 best seasons were 2012 when he went 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA, and 2014 when he went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 242 Strikeouts in 243 2/3 Innings Pitched. In 2014 Cueto was an All-Star and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting. Cueto made $10 million in both 2014 and 2015, but is coming off a bit of a down year (11-13, 3.44 ERA) so Cueto may not warrant much of a salary increase, if at all. He has also not performed well in the Postseason going 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in 4 Postseason starts with Cincinnati and Kansas City. The Giants do seem to have a habit with picking up players coming off down performance years, though they are not always success stories (Aubrey Huff - 2010 vs. McGehee - 2015). So maybe this move makes sense. Let's revisit how this could potentially set up the Giants rotation for 2016:
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Matt Cain/Chris Heston
That would be a pretty solid rotation, right? But for historical reasons, let's look at the Giants history of picking 19th. They have done it 4 times with those selections being:
Rob Dressler - 1972
Terry Lee - 1974
Eric Christopherson - 1990
Tony Torcato - 1998
Of those 4, only Dressler (82 games) and Torcato (43 games) made it to the Majors. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give up the 19th pick. On the other hand, let's look at some other 19th overall picks from years past:
Roger Clemens - 1983
Bobby Grich - 1967
Alex Rios - 1999
Mike Scioscia - 1976
Shannon Stewart - 1992
James Loney - 2002
Shelby Miller - 2009
Brian Bohanon - 1987
Ron Robinson - 1980 (on a personal note, I met Ron Robinson while I was working at Silverthorn Resort in 1998)
Sean Burnett - 2000
So maybe there would be a possibility that the Giants could get a good player at 19 (or a guy who should be in the Hall of Fame, again, argument for another time). The thing you have to weigh is whether you take a chance on an amateur player that he will contribute to your team success down the road, or a known commodity who could contribute to your team success right now. Wow, that is a tough one. I'm glad I don't have to make that decision. So, go Giants in 2016 and thanks for reading.
Where was I? Oh yes, the MLB Draft. So the Giants select 19th which is fine I suppose. But I just read today that this is not a protected draft pick. The Giants would have needed to lose 9 more games for the draft pick to be protected as only picks 1-11 are protected. Believe me, I am not wishing that the Giants had lost 9 more games this season. But it certainly does throw a bit of a wrench into what I had previously written I would like to see the Giants do.
For those of you who do not know how the protected vs. non-protected draft pick effects free agency (and until maybe 5 minutes ago I was among you), here's the basics. For a free agent, their current team has first shot at re-signing them (or Exclusive Negotiating Rights). The team must decide whether to submit a qualifying offer to the player. If the free agent declines the qualifying offer and opts for free agency, the team that signs them will lose their first round pick, unless the team has one of the 10 worst records from the previous season, in which case the team loses a 2nd round pick. So what does this mean to the Giants who will inevitably be looking for pitching? If they sign Jordan Zimmermann (my preference) or Zack Greinke (if he voids the remainder of his current contract with the Dodgers), they lose the 19th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. If they sign a player who was traded at the 2015 trade deadline, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir, etc. they keep the pick.
I wrote previously that I think Kazmir would be a good fit as the #3 starter if the Giants decide not to pursue re-signing Mike Leake. But I thought Zimmermann would be the crown jewel if they could sign him. Now that they risk losing a 1st round draft pick, I think they might want to look elsewhere. I also wrote that I think David Price will (no pun intended here) price himself out of the Giants plans. So that brings my focus to Johnny Cueto.
So what would the Giants get with Cueto? Well, they would get a player who has shown brilliance in his career, and a player who will be 30 when the 2016 season begins. His 2 best seasons were 2012 when he went 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA, and 2014 when he went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 242 Strikeouts in 243 2/3 Innings Pitched. In 2014 Cueto was an All-Star and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting. Cueto made $10 million in both 2014 and 2015, but is coming off a bit of a down year (11-13, 3.44 ERA) so Cueto may not warrant much of a salary increase, if at all. He has also not performed well in the Postseason going 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in 4 Postseason starts with Cincinnati and Kansas City. The Giants do seem to have a habit with picking up players coming off down performance years, though they are not always success stories (Aubrey Huff - 2010 vs. McGehee - 2015). So maybe this move makes sense. Let's revisit how this could potentially set up the Giants rotation for 2016:
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Matt Cain/Chris Heston
That would be a pretty solid rotation, right? But for historical reasons, let's look at the Giants history of picking 19th. They have done it 4 times with those selections being:
Rob Dressler - 1972
Terry Lee - 1974
Eric Christopherson - 1990
Tony Torcato - 1998
Of those 4, only Dressler (82 games) and Torcato (43 games) made it to the Majors. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give up the 19th pick. On the other hand, let's look at some other 19th overall picks from years past:
Roger Clemens - 1983
Bobby Grich - 1967
Alex Rios - 1999
Mike Scioscia - 1976
Shannon Stewart - 1992
James Loney - 2002
Shelby Miller - 2009
Brian Bohanon - 1987
Ron Robinson - 1980 (on a personal note, I met Ron Robinson while I was working at Silverthorn Resort in 1998)
Sean Burnett - 2000
So maybe there would be a possibility that the Giants could get a good player at 19 (or a guy who should be in the Hall of Fame, again, argument for another time). The thing you have to weigh is whether you take a chance on an amateur player that he will contribute to your team success down the road, or a known commodity who could contribute to your team success right now. Wow, that is a tough one. I'm glad I don't have to make that decision. So, go Giants in 2016 and thanks for reading.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Cheesy Ham Potato Bake
Hey everyone!!!! So recently I've been posting some pictures of some of my cooking endeavors on my Facebook page. Several people have suggested filming the prep and cooking process and posting them on my YouTube channel. Now I'm not quite that sophisticated just yet, so I decided to post at least the recipe on my blog here. And then perhaps I can work my way up to YouTube.
Tonight I'm going to re-hash a recipe I tried about a week ago. This is a cheesy ham potato bake. The recipe can be found on All Recipes at:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229370/cheesy-ham-potato-bake/
I'm going to make a couple of modifications to it tonight, the most significant one is I'm not going to use sour cream. I'm not really a fan of sour cream anyway, so not a super loss in my mind. Also, I used cream of mushroom soup instead of the cream of chicken. I just think using cream of chicken with a ham dish might be a little weird. So tonight I'm going to use cream of mushroom and cream of potato in place of the cream of chicken and the sour cream. Oh, and no onions. Nope, no onions. So, if you like cheese, and ham, and potatoes, give this recipe a try.
Tonight I'm going to re-hash a recipe I tried about a week ago. This is a cheesy ham potato bake. The recipe can be found on All Recipes at:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229370/cheesy-ham-potato-bake/
I'm going to make a couple of modifications to it tonight, the most significant one is I'm not going to use sour cream. I'm not really a fan of sour cream anyway, so not a super loss in my mind. Also, I used cream of mushroom soup instead of the cream of chicken. I just think using cream of chicken with a ham dish might be a little weird. So tonight I'm going to use cream of mushroom and cream of potato in place of the cream of chicken and the sour cream. Oh, and no onions. Nope, no onions. So, if you like cheese, and ham, and potatoes, give this recipe a try.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Looking forward to 2016!!!!
So my last blog was regarding the Giants infield as compared to other infields in Major League Baseball. Well if you enjoyed that....and even if you dont, it's my blog so I'll write what I want....here's a look at the Giants possible plans for 2016 and hopefully another even year World Series run.
First let's look at the lineup. Surprisingly it's pretty well set. The only hole appears to be in Left Field and possibly their leadoff hitter. Currently the entire infield is under contract, as well as C Buster Posey. Right Field is set with Hunter Pence. The Giants do have a decision to make in Center Field. How much longer can Angel Pagan hold up? Do the Giants pursue a Free Agent? Do they insert Gregor Blanco into the starting lineup? Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who can fill that position with Blanco remaining as the #4 Outfielder? My thinking is they should stick with Pagan, but be sure to give him a good amount of rest. Think about what the Giants did with Barry Bonds in his later years. He rarely, if ever, played a day game after a night game. So I would guess they can take a similar approach with Pagan. He was having a great Spring and a good start to the season before suffering a knee injury and has seen his production fall off since then.
As for Left Field, Nori Aoki has done pretty well this year other than suffering a number of injuries due to erratic pitching. Seriously, he suffered a fractured leg getting hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then suffered a concussion getting hit in the head by a pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Speaking of the Cubs, they are also the reason Hunter Pence was lost at the beginning of Spring Training. He suffered a fractured forearm getting hit by a pitch. Both the Cubs and Dodgers appear that they will make the playoffs, so my hatred for both teams increases. Anyway, Aoki has a $5.5 million club option and I feel the Giants will probably pick that up. He seems to be a good spark at the top of the lineup where he batted leadoff to begin the season with Pagan batting 3rd. The only question for me would be whether Aoki or Pagan bats leadoff and which player bats 8th. If the Giants choose not to pick up the option, it will cost them a $700,000 buyout.
Another possibility that has been raised has been should the Giants pursue free agent Alex Gordon from the Kansas City Royals. You may remember him as being stranded on 3rd when the Giants closed the door on the Royals in the 2014 World Series. I think the issue here will be the money. It was largely assumed that Gordon would exercise his 2016 player option to stay with Kansas City. Recently this has become a less certain based on statements made by both Gordon and his agent. Gordon's player option with Kansas City would cost the Royals $12.5 million (possibly $14 million based on performance escalators), which may be a bit steep for a small market team. If the Giants can afford it, Gordon could be a perfect fit in Left Field and at the top of the batting order. It may also benefit the Giants that this is a fairly deep Outfield free agent class. Gordon is rated the 4th best Outfield free agent for 2016 behind Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Yoenis Cespedes. So the Giants can wait and see what kind of contracts those 3 might command and determine whether Gordon will be priced out of their future plans. If they decide to go with a more affordable option, Gerardo Parra might be of some interest.
The Giants also have a decision to make with Marlon Byrd who they acquired in a trade on August 20. Byrd has an $8 million option that automatically vests if he reaches 550 at bats. He's close to that. Byrd seems to be a better right handed bat option than Justin Maxwell and could be the right handed half of a Byrd/Aoki platoon in Left Field if the Giants decide to go that way. It makes more sense to sign a player with a higher On Base Percentage and gap to gap power (doubles and triples) rather than a player with great home run power but is going to strike out a lot and not take a lot of walks. This team is just not built that way. So players like Heyward, Upton, or Cespedes probably wouldn't be ideal fits. I like the Gordon idea if the money is right, and I still think a Byrd/Aoki platoon would be a better option than Parra. Let's look at what the lineup could look like if the Giants were able to sign Gordon and decline their option on Aoki:
1. LF Alex Gordon
2. 2B Joe Panik
3. 3B Matt Duffy
4. C Buster Posey
5. RF Hunter Pence
6. 1B Brandon Belt
7. SS Brandon Crawford
8. CF Angel Pagan
Bench:
C Andrew Susac
IF Ehire Adrianza
IF Kelby Tomlinson
OF Gregor Blanco
OF Marlon Byrd
There's also a possibility the Giants could use one of their young prospects as a trade chip. We've seen quite a bit of promise from young players such as Susac, Trevor Brown and Jackson Williams (the Giants have a ton of depth at Catcher), Jarrett Parker, and Mac Williamson.
Now let's talk about the pitching staff. After 3 World Series championships that were largely won because of pitching, to say the Giants biggest need going into the offseason is pitching seems a bit strange. But here we are. There are a number of contracts coming off the board which should afford the Giants the ability to pursue some good pitching options in Free Agency. Here are the expiring contracts:
SP Mike Leake
RP Santiago Casilla
RP George Kontos
RP Yusmeiro Petit
SP Ryan Vogelsong
RP Jeremy Affeldt (retiring)
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Tim Hudson (retiring)
As far as Starting Pitchers, the Giants still have Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston. In the Bullpen they still have Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland. There are also several pitchers on the big league roster who were September callups who could contribute next year. I can see the Giants resigning Casilla and Kontos from this group. I could also see Petit being resigned, but if Matt Cain starts the year in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation it wouldn't make a lot of sense to commit to 2 long-relief pitchers. As much as I enjoyed watching Tim Lincecum pitch since 2007, he is a shadow of the pitcher he used to be. Vogelsong will also always be a great story in San Francisco, but should also probably not be resigned.
2B Marco Scutaro and OF Alejandro de Aza also have expiring contracts which will add additional money the Giants can use to sign a pitcher or 2.
As for additions, the Giants will entertain several of the top pitching Free Agents and the 2nd tier pitchers during the Offseason. David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke (assuming he voids the remainder of his contract with the Dodgers), Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Ian Kennedy, etc. Of these I think Zimmermann makes the most sense. I think he's the perfect balance of talent and value, and will likely allow the Giants to be more flexible to resign Leake and to carry 6 Starting Pitchers, where Price and Cueto will likely demand larger contracts which would place more pressure on Matt Cain to regain at least some of the form that he showed before signing a massive contract extension. Scott Kazmir could also make a lot of sense as a 2nd tier pitcher as the Giants have expressed significant interest in adding another left-hander to the rotation so MadBum is not the only lefty. So assuming the Giants can sign Zimmermann and sign Leake or Kazmir for the 3rd spot, here's what the starting rotation could look like.
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Jordan Zimmermann
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Chris Heston/Matt Cain
That's not bad. Now if the Giants decide to push hard for Price, the domino effect would likely be pushing Peavy, Heston and Cain up one spot in the rotation. I'd love to see a top starter in a Giants uniform, but the reality is Bumgarner is already a bona fide #1. I'd rather see the Giants go for value in the rotation and spend to upgrade a spot in the lineup rather than go all in for another #1 starter.
As far as the bullpen, the Giants have had strong bullpens in all of their championship seasons, but realistically the bullpen can be a revolving door. The Giants have several young arms who can contribute next year including Josh Osich, Michael Broadway, Derek Law, and Cody Hall. There is also speculation that the Giants could pursue a big name closer in the offseason like Joakim Soria, Tyler Clippard, or a trade for Craig Kimbrel. Personally I don't like that approach, particularly if you truly feel that Hunter Strickland is your closer of the future.
So there you go. The Giants will have quite a bit of payroll flexibility to improve the parts of the team that need improvement. So let's go 2016!!!!!!
First let's look at the lineup. Surprisingly it's pretty well set. The only hole appears to be in Left Field and possibly their leadoff hitter. Currently the entire infield is under contract, as well as C Buster Posey. Right Field is set with Hunter Pence. The Giants do have a decision to make in Center Field. How much longer can Angel Pagan hold up? Do the Giants pursue a Free Agent? Do they insert Gregor Blanco into the starting lineup? Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who can fill that position with Blanco remaining as the #4 Outfielder? My thinking is they should stick with Pagan, but be sure to give him a good amount of rest. Think about what the Giants did with Barry Bonds in his later years. He rarely, if ever, played a day game after a night game. So I would guess they can take a similar approach with Pagan. He was having a great Spring and a good start to the season before suffering a knee injury and has seen his production fall off since then.
As for Left Field, Nori Aoki has done pretty well this year other than suffering a number of injuries due to erratic pitching. Seriously, he suffered a fractured leg getting hit by a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then suffered a concussion getting hit in the head by a pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Speaking of the Cubs, they are also the reason Hunter Pence was lost at the beginning of Spring Training. He suffered a fractured forearm getting hit by a pitch. Both the Cubs and Dodgers appear that they will make the playoffs, so my hatred for both teams increases. Anyway, Aoki has a $5.5 million club option and I feel the Giants will probably pick that up. He seems to be a good spark at the top of the lineup where he batted leadoff to begin the season with Pagan batting 3rd. The only question for me would be whether Aoki or Pagan bats leadoff and which player bats 8th. If the Giants choose not to pick up the option, it will cost them a $700,000 buyout.
Another possibility that has been raised has been should the Giants pursue free agent Alex Gordon from the Kansas City Royals. You may remember him as being stranded on 3rd when the Giants closed the door on the Royals in the 2014 World Series. I think the issue here will be the money. It was largely assumed that Gordon would exercise his 2016 player option to stay with Kansas City. Recently this has become a less certain based on statements made by both Gordon and his agent. Gordon's player option with Kansas City would cost the Royals $12.5 million (possibly $14 million based on performance escalators), which may be a bit steep for a small market team. If the Giants can afford it, Gordon could be a perfect fit in Left Field and at the top of the batting order. It may also benefit the Giants that this is a fairly deep Outfield free agent class. Gordon is rated the 4th best Outfield free agent for 2016 behind Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Yoenis Cespedes. So the Giants can wait and see what kind of contracts those 3 might command and determine whether Gordon will be priced out of their future plans. If they decide to go with a more affordable option, Gerardo Parra might be of some interest.
The Giants also have a decision to make with Marlon Byrd who they acquired in a trade on August 20. Byrd has an $8 million option that automatically vests if he reaches 550 at bats. He's close to that. Byrd seems to be a better right handed bat option than Justin Maxwell and could be the right handed half of a Byrd/Aoki platoon in Left Field if the Giants decide to go that way. It makes more sense to sign a player with a higher On Base Percentage and gap to gap power (doubles and triples) rather than a player with great home run power but is going to strike out a lot and not take a lot of walks. This team is just not built that way. So players like Heyward, Upton, or Cespedes probably wouldn't be ideal fits. I like the Gordon idea if the money is right, and I still think a Byrd/Aoki platoon would be a better option than Parra. Let's look at what the lineup could look like if the Giants were able to sign Gordon and decline their option on Aoki:
1. LF Alex Gordon
2. 2B Joe Panik
3. 3B Matt Duffy
4. C Buster Posey
5. RF Hunter Pence
6. 1B Brandon Belt
7. SS Brandon Crawford
8. CF Angel Pagan
Bench:
C Andrew Susac
IF Ehire Adrianza
IF Kelby Tomlinson
OF Gregor Blanco
OF Marlon Byrd
There's also a possibility the Giants could use one of their young prospects as a trade chip. We've seen quite a bit of promise from young players such as Susac, Trevor Brown and Jackson Williams (the Giants have a ton of depth at Catcher), Jarrett Parker, and Mac Williamson.
Now let's talk about the pitching staff. After 3 World Series championships that were largely won because of pitching, to say the Giants biggest need going into the offseason is pitching seems a bit strange. But here we are. There are a number of contracts coming off the board which should afford the Giants the ability to pursue some good pitching options in Free Agency. Here are the expiring contracts:
SP Mike Leake
RP Santiago Casilla
RP George Kontos
RP Yusmeiro Petit
SP Ryan Vogelsong
RP Jeremy Affeldt (retiring)
SP Tim Lincecum
SP Tim Hudson (retiring)
As far as Starting Pitchers, the Giants still have Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Chris Heston. In the Bullpen they still have Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland. There are also several pitchers on the big league roster who were September callups who could contribute next year. I can see the Giants resigning Casilla and Kontos from this group. I could also see Petit being resigned, but if Matt Cain starts the year in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation it wouldn't make a lot of sense to commit to 2 long-relief pitchers. As much as I enjoyed watching Tim Lincecum pitch since 2007, he is a shadow of the pitcher he used to be. Vogelsong will also always be a great story in San Francisco, but should also probably not be resigned.
2B Marco Scutaro and OF Alejandro de Aza also have expiring contracts which will add additional money the Giants can use to sign a pitcher or 2.
As for additions, the Giants will entertain several of the top pitching Free Agents and the 2nd tier pitchers during the Offseason. David Price, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke (assuming he voids the remainder of his contract with the Dodgers), Scott Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Ian Kennedy, etc. Of these I think Zimmermann makes the most sense. I think he's the perfect balance of talent and value, and will likely allow the Giants to be more flexible to resign Leake and to carry 6 Starting Pitchers, where Price and Cueto will likely demand larger contracts which would place more pressure on Matt Cain to regain at least some of the form that he showed before signing a massive contract extension. Scott Kazmir could also make a lot of sense as a 2nd tier pitcher as the Giants have expressed significant interest in adding another left-hander to the rotation so MadBum is not the only lefty. So assuming the Giants can sign Zimmermann and sign Leake or Kazmir for the 3rd spot, here's what the starting rotation could look like.
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Jordan Zimmermann
3. Mike Leake/Scott Kazmir
4. Jake Peavy
5. Chris Heston/Matt Cain
That's not bad. Now if the Giants decide to push hard for Price, the domino effect would likely be pushing Peavy, Heston and Cain up one spot in the rotation. I'd love to see a top starter in a Giants uniform, but the reality is Bumgarner is already a bona fide #1. I'd rather see the Giants go for value in the rotation and spend to upgrade a spot in the lineup rather than go all in for another #1 starter.
As far as the bullpen, the Giants have had strong bullpens in all of their championship seasons, but realistically the bullpen can be a revolving door. The Giants have several young arms who can contribute next year including Josh Osich, Michael Broadway, Derek Law, and Cody Hall. There is also speculation that the Giants could pursue a big name closer in the offseason like Joakim Soria, Tyler Clippard, or a trade for Craig Kimbrel. Personally I don't like that approach, particularly if you truly feel that Hunter Strickland is your closer of the future.
So there you go. The Giants will have quite a bit of payroll flexibility to improve the parts of the team that need improvement. So let's go 2016!!!!!!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Do the Giants have the best infield in Major League Baseball?
Yesterday, Grantland.com published an article looking ahead to the San Francisco Giants 2016 season. You can read the article here: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mlb-san-francisco-giants-even-year-2016-world-series/. In the article, the author Jonah Keri referred to the Giants infield of 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, and 3B Matt Duffy, also including C Buster Posey, as the best infield in the game. Now I have felt that, since Joe Panik was promoted to the big club on 6/21/2014, and including Pablo Sandoval until this season, that the Giants have had a very good infield, but I don't know if I'd be so bold to call it the best in the league. But that got me to thinking, what other team has a better infield? My first reaction would be the Chicago Cubs. 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Starlin Castro (although Castro initially started at SS and of late has been coming off the bench), SS Addison Russell, and 3B Kris Bryant. Now that lineup certainly has more power potential than the Giants, especially from Rizzo and Bryant, but you know, I'd still take my chances with the Giants infield. So, just because I feel like it, here are the starting infields for every team in Major League Baseball. I've also included the primary 5th Infielder. Which do you think is the best?
Arizona Diamondbacks - 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chris Owings, SS Nick Ahmed, 3B Jake Lamb, IF Aaron Hill
Atlanta Braves - 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Jace Peterson, SS Andrelton Simmons, 3B Adonis Garcia, IF Pedro Ciriaco
Baltimore Orioles - 1B Chris Davis, 2B Jonathan Schoop, SS J.J. Hardy, 3B Manny Machado, IF Ryan Flaherty
Boston Red Sox - 1B Travis Shaw, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Brock Holt (note: Allen Craig was supposed to be Red Sox starting 1B, but has only played in 60 games with the club since being acquired from St. Louis in 2014)
Chicago Cubs - 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Tommy La Stella, SS Addison Russell, 3B Kris Bryant, IF Starlin Castro
Chicago White Sox - 1B Jose Abreu, 2B Carlos Sanchez, SS Alexei Ramirez (can also pitch in a blowout, see White Sox vs. A's from 9/15/2015), 3B Mike Ott, IF Gordon Beckham
Cincinnati Reds - 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Euenio Suarez, 3B Todd Frazier, IF Skip Schumaker (note: starting SS Zack Cozart was lost for season to a right knee injury on 6/10/2015)
Cleveland Indians - 1B Carlos Santana, 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, IF Mike Aviles
Colorado Rockies - 1B Justin Morneau, 2B D.J. LeMahieu, SS Jose Reyes, 3B Nolan Arenado, IF Daniel Descalso
Detroit Tigers - 1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Jose Iglesias, 3B Nick Castellanos, IF Andrew Romine
Houston Astros - 1B Chris Carter, 2B Jose Altuve, SS Carlos Carrea, 3B Luis Valbuena, IF Jed Lowrie
Kansas City Royals - 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Omar Infante, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Mike Moustakas, IF Ben Zobrist
Los Angeles Angels - 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Taylor Featherston, SS Erick Aybar, 3B David Frese, IF Ryan Jackson
Los Angeles Dodgers - 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Jimmy Rollins, 3B Justin Turner, IF Alex Guerrero
Miami Marlins - 1B Justin Bour, 2B Dee Gordon, SS Angel Hechavarria, 3B Martin Prado, IF Derek Dietrich
Milwaukee Brewers - 1B Adam Lind, 2B Scooter Gennett, SS Jose Segura, 3B Elian Herrera, IF Hernan Perez (note: starting 3B Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates)
Minnesota Twins - 1B Joe Mauer, 2B Brian Dozier, SS Eduardo Escobar, 3B Trevor Plouffe, IF Eduardo Nunez
New York Mets - 1B Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy, SS Wilmer Flores, 3B David Wright, IF Ruben Tejada
New York Yankees - 1B Greg Bird, 2B Stephen Drew, SS Didi Gregorius, 3B Chase Headley, IF Brendan Ryan (note: starting 1B Mark Teixeira was lost for season to a leg injury)
Oakland Athletics - 1B Mark Canha, 2B Brett Lawrie, SS Marcus Semien, 3B Danny Valencia, IF Eric Sogard
Philadelphia Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard, 2B Darnell Sweeney, SS Freddy Galvis, 3B Cody Asche, IF Andres Blanco (note: starting 2B Chase Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pittsburgh Pirates - 1B Pedro Alvarez, 2B Neil Walker, SS Jordy Mercer, 3B Josh Harrison, IF Jung Ho Kang
San Diego Padres - 1B Will Myers, 2B Jedd Gyorko, SS Clint Barmes, 3B Yangervis Solarte, IF Cory Spangenberg (note: starting 1B Yonder Alonso out for season with lower back injury)
San Francisco Giants - 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Matt Duffy, IF Ehire Adrianza
Seattle Mariners - 1B Logan Morrison, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Ketel Marte, 3B Kyle Seager, IF Brad Miller
St. Louis Cardinals - 1B Matt Adams, 2B Kolten Wong, SS Jhonny Peralta, 3B Matt Carpenter, IF Pete Kozma
Tampa Bay Rays - 1B James Loney, 2B Logan Forsythe, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Evan Longoria, IF Tim Beckham
Texas Rangers - 1B Mitch Moreland, 2B Rougned Odor, SS Elvis Andrus, 3B Adrian Beltre, IF Hanser Alberto
Toronto Blue Jays - 1B Justin Smoak, 2B Ryan Goins, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Josh Donaldson, IF Cliff Pennington
Washington Nationals - 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Anthony Rendon, SS Ian Desmond, 3B Yunel Escobar, IF Danny Espinosa
Some of these lineups have been altered due to trades, injuries, etc. Some of them were hard to fill out because some teams have a utility player currently listed at the top of their position depth chart. But there you go. So who do you think has the best infield?
Arizona Diamondbacks - 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chris Owings, SS Nick Ahmed, 3B Jake Lamb, IF Aaron Hill
Atlanta Braves - 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Jace Peterson, SS Andrelton Simmons, 3B Adonis Garcia, IF Pedro Ciriaco
Baltimore Orioles - 1B Chris Davis, 2B Jonathan Schoop, SS J.J. Hardy, 3B Manny Machado, IF Ryan Flaherty
Boston Red Sox - 1B Travis Shaw, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Xander Bogaerts, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Brock Holt (note: Allen Craig was supposed to be Red Sox starting 1B, but has only played in 60 games with the club since being acquired from St. Louis in 2014)
Chicago Cubs - 1B Anthony Rizzo, 2B Tommy La Stella, SS Addison Russell, 3B Kris Bryant, IF Starlin Castro
Chicago White Sox - 1B Jose Abreu, 2B Carlos Sanchez, SS Alexei Ramirez (can also pitch in a blowout, see White Sox vs. A's from 9/15/2015), 3B Mike Ott, IF Gordon Beckham
Cincinnati Reds - 1B Joey Votto, 2B Brandon Phillips, SS Euenio Suarez, 3B Todd Frazier, IF Skip Schumaker (note: starting SS Zack Cozart was lost for season to a right knee injury on 6/10/2015)
Cleveland Indians - 1B Carlos Santana, 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, IF Mike Aviles
Colorado Rockies - 1B Justin Morneau, 2B D.J. LeMahieu, SS Jose Reyes, 3B Nolan Arenado, IF Daniel Descalso
Detroit Tigers - 1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Jose Iglesias, 3B Nick Castellanos, IF Andrew Romine
Houston Astros - 1B Chris Carter, 2B Jose Altuve, SS Carlos Carrea, 3B Luis Valbuena, IF Jed Lowrie
Kansas City Royals - 1B Eric Hosmer, 2B Omar Infante, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Mike Moustakas, IF Ben Zobrist
Los Angeles Angels - 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Taylor Featherston, SS Erick Aybar, 3B David Frese, IF Ryan Jackson
Los Angeles Dodgers - 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Howie Kendrick, SS Jimmy Rollins, 3B Justin Turner, IF Alex Guerrero
Miami Marlins - 1B Justin Bour, 2B Dee Gordon, SS Angel Hechavarria, 3B Martin Prado, IF Derek Dietrich
Milwaukee Brewers - 1B Adam Lind, 2B Scooter Gennett, SS Jose Segura, 3B Elian Herrera, IF Hernan Perez (note: starting 3B Aramis Ramirez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates)
Minnesota Twins - 1B Joe Mauer, 2B Brian Dozier, SS Eduardo Escobar, 3B Trevor Plouffe, IF Eduardo Nunez
New York Mets - 1B Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy, SS Wilmer Flores, 3B David Wright, IF Ruben Tejada
New York Yankees - 1B Greg Bird, 2B Stephen Drew, SS Didi Gregorius, 3B Chase Headley, IF Brendan Ryan (note: starting 1B Mark Teixeira was lost for season to a leg injury)
Oakland Athletics - 1B Mark Canha, 2B Brett Lawrie, SS Marcus Semien, 3B Danny Valencia, IF Eric Sogard
Philadelphia Phillies - 1B Ryan Howard, 2B Darnell Sweeney, SS Freddy Galvis, 3B Cody Asche, IF Andres Blanco (note: starting 2B Chase Utley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pittsburgh Pirates - 1B Pedro Alvarez, 2B Neil Walker, SS Jordy Mercer, 3B Josh Harrison, IF Jung Ho Kang
San Diego Padres - 1B Will Myers, 2B Jedd Gyorko, SS Clint Barmes, 3B Yangervis Solarte, IF Cory Spangenberg (note: starting 1B Yonder Alonso out for season with lower back injury)
San Francisco Giants - 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Joe Panik, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Matt Duffy, IF Ehire Adrianza
Seattle Mariners - 1B Logan Morrison, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Ketel Marte, 3B Kyle Seager, IF Brad Miller
St. Louis Cardinals - 1B Matt Adams, 2B Kolten Wong, SS Jhonny Peralta, 3B Matt Carpenter, IF Pete Kozma
Tampa Bay Rays - 1B James Loney, 2B Logan Forsythe, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Evan Longoria, IF Tim Beckham
Texas Rangers - 1B Mitch Moreland, 2B Rougned Odor, SS Elvis Andrus, 3B Adrian Beltre, IF Hanser Alberto
Toronto Blue Jays - 1B Justin Smoak, 2B Ryan Goins, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Josh Donaldson, IF Cliff Pennington
Washington Nationals - 1B Ryan Zimmerman, 2B Anthony Rendon, SS Ian Desmond, 3B Yunel Escobar, IF Danny Espinosa
Some of these lineups have been altered due to trades, injuries, etc. Some of them were hard to fill out because some teams have a utility player currently listed at the top of their position depth chart. But there you go. So who do you think has the best infield?
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