. . . no major injuries.
So much for that. You can put a positive spin on the Jeremy Affeldt injury news. You can, trust me. It goes like this: "hey, at least (insert prospect name here) gets a chance to pitch now!" Marco Scutaro will likely not be ready for the Opener, either, but I was prepared for that. And I would like to see Ehire Adrianza get some playing time. But the bullpen is another matter. The Giants have to pitch better this season than last season. There's no way around that. And the guys who've got the talent and experience need to be on the field getting the other guys out.
Like I said before, let's get the goddamn season started already.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
3 comments:
We are starting this season in March. The Northeast is still acting as if it were January. Weatherwise, that is.
It is an ominous sign when losing a middle relief guy causes such justifiable panic. If our pieces are hanging together by such tenuous threads that losing Jeremy Affeldt for awhile is a major concern, then I am worried that this is going to be a long season. However, it is true that middle relief is a weakness, because the types of people competing for the final spots are not awe-inspiring.
Our competitors, such as the Cardinals, come up with new flame-throwing young middle relief pitchers by the half-dozen. Why are we so thin there? Poor scouting? Poor development?
Long-term, we need to really step up our international scouting efforts, so that we can accumulate a lot of guys to plug into these roles. One of the keys to having a successful relief corps is the 'shock factor' caused by bringing in new guys. Just about anyone who throws hard with movement can baffle hitters for a few weeks, until the league catches up with either his speed or the way he tips off his pitches. But, you have to have the new guys to bring in.
I wasn't, I hope, feeling panic. I'm not panicked. I'm bummed. I think Affeldt is a big piece. But there's guys in the pipeline and we'll get to see them. Yeah, St. Louis has a Mitchell Boggs clone lab, and cranks out one corn-fed behemoth after another, and the Giants don't. So what? I think the club knows how to pick up the pieces they need, whether it be the waiver wire or the farm system.
This is the best collection of San Francisco Giants players EVER. The organization is banking on The Core. Cain, Timmy, MadBum, Posey, Sandoval, The Brandons, Romo, and we hope the likes of Hembree and Panik. (You like how I did that?)
I'm cool with The Core, man. I'm ready to live or die with them and a bunch of extra pieces. Losing Affeldt sucks, but we know that veteran players often have a limited amount in the tank anyway. Best to start the season on the DL than end it.
It's a long season. A lot can happen. Looking forward to Monday night!
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