Bruce Bochy announced the twelve position players yesterday. Around the diamond are Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, and Evan Longoria. That's five. Two utility players, Yangervis Solarte and Pablo Sandoval, make the list. Gerardo Parra is the presumptive right fielder and Steven Duggar has been anointed center fielder and leadoff man. That's nine. You have to have a backup catcher and that's Eric Kratz. Ten. The last two spots are Connor Joe and Michael Reed. They will be left field and the other two spots in a pinch. That's the full squad as they are carrying thirteen pitchers. I neglected to mention Trevor Gott earlier when I was counting up the hurlers.
I can be forgiven. It's a constantly buzzing transaction wire in Farhan Land!
The Giants lose Mac Williamson and Alen Hanson, both out of options, we'll see if they get picked up somewhere.
--M.C.
5 comments:
I like Hanson a lot, and Williamson has always been a ball of potential. I just do not know why this team always gets rid of power. Hanson though has his problem in that he is basically a lefty hitter trying to switch hit. But Pablo has the same issue the last 4 or 5 years. Hanson also offers speed, and surprising gap power. I would think it could be a good idea to put both Hanson and Willamson on the I.L.
Hanson did not have a good spring--20 K in 55 PA. He was a lot of fun to watch last season but really dropped off in the second half. In early June he was over 1.000 OPS but finished the season at just under .700 (.699). His lifetime OBP is .269, and with Sandoval and Solarte around there was no place for him with a 13-man pitching staff.
It is a bummer about Williamson. He did not hit well in the Cactus League, either. That should not be enough to dump a guy, but it's not like he hasn't had some fair chances. Last year's injury was a big one, though, and it really derailed his development. Reed has a reputation for glovework, and can play all three OF positions, and I think this team is going to emphasize fielding. If two guys are close, the better glove will get the job. It's not like Mac was a sure thing, and Reed is a year younger.
You want those fringe roster decisions to hurt a little. When a guy gets cut you want to think "oh shoot, he's a good player, we can't lose him" because that means you are (supposedly!) replacing him with an upgrade.
The two things about Williamson and Hanson that are not easy to replace, are power with Williamson and speed with Hanson. Hanson would have finished with better numbers if Bochy did not have to use him from the right side of the plate. He is always a threat from the left side. I do not know why we cannot use the I.L. Spring training stats, are almost meaningless.
Yeah he's way better as a lefty hitter, that's for sure. His spring stats didn't help his case, though, as he was on the bubble once they got Solarte, who does not have the same huge platoon split.
Here's a thought from Paul Sporer at FanGraphs:
It’s easy to dismiss Spring Training stats. Heck, I used to vehemently deny they had ANY value. They are small samples against a wide variety of competition so how valuable can they truly be to what’s about to take place in the upcoming season? Pretty valuable it seems, if you’re looking at the right ones. Many studies have been conducted on spring stats and they have found that certain stats are indeed useful. The consensus is that strikeouts, walks, power, and stolen bases can be meaningful.
There's a link within above section of the article to a fantasy site, so take it for what it's worth! I do think that the guys making the final roster selections keep spring stats in context and look for other indicators. A guy could put up poor numbers but if he is hitting the ball hard and showing good plate discipline that's a plus. When you see a guy whiff a lot, that raises some questions, Cactus League or not.
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