Tagged: Cactus League
SF Giants Update!
Hey what’s going on Giants fans (or just baseball fans)? The Giants are off to a pretty good start in Spring Training. I know, I know it’s only spring games. They don’t count, but I say we start printing the World Series tickets now! I’m only kidding!!
The few available roster spots are keeping the Giants players focused. Some players have got back into the mix like Kevin Frandsen. He’s back in the mix, because Emmanuel Burriss went down with an injury.
John Bowker is another guy that is trying to show he belongs in the Big Leagues. He done nothing but tear it up in the minor leagues. He just seems to have a brain fart in the pro’s. Like he’s forgot how to hit the ball. He does how some power that the Giants need, so if he can get the bat going. There should be no denying Bowker.
I also have updates on more players from the Giants Camp. Just visit SF Giants Rumors for all the latest SF Giants Rumors. There is even a recent post on how much money Pablo Sandoval and Barry Zito made last year. The kicker to that story is how much they really should have made based off their numbers!
King of Cali
All The Latest SF Giants Rumors Updated Daily!
http://www.sfgiantsbaseball.net
Giants Lineup Has Homegrown Talent – Today In Baseball History
After watching the Giants and A’s game last night. I’m ready for the season to start now. Just seeing them play at AT&T Park. Now it feels like some real baseball. Tim Lincecum out there blowing it by A’s hitters. Seeing Pablo Sandoval hit a RBI double off the right field wall. Everything is just starting to click to get me excited about the season. I know were not the Yankees or anything like that. We have some good young guys that will make the game exciting. Giants fans know the Giants always traded for guys or signed free agents. Now here is some proof that things are starting to change in Giants land.
2007 Opening Day Starting Lineup
1. Dave Roberts
2. Omar Vizquel
3. Barry Bonds
4. Ray Durham
5. Rich Aurilia
6. Pedro Feliz
7. Bengie Molina
8. Randy Winn
9. Barry Zito
We only had one homegrown player from the Giants minor league in the 2007 starting lineup. That player was Pedro (Feloser!) Feliz. The Giants have finally decided to grow some homegrown talent and have put a lot of money into scouting/developing players. This year our opening Day line up will have 5 homegrown players in that lineup. One of them is pitcher Tim Lincecum, but the other 4 are everyday players.
2009 Opening Day Lineup
1. Randy Winn
2. Edgar Renteria
3. Fred Lewis
4. Bengie Molina
5. Pablo Sandoval
6. Travis Ishikawa
7. Aaron Rowand
8. Emmanuel Burriss
9. Tim Lincecum
The 4 everyday players are Fred Lewis, Pablo Sandoval, Travis Ishikawa and Emmanuel Burriss. These 4 guys should be really exciting to watch. The Giants really like Lewis and want him in the 3 spot this year. Were hoping he can hit around 20 home runs. Lewis has a lot of speed and should get a lot of triples with his speed and the large gaps at AT&T Park.
Now Pablo Sandoval is my favorite of the 4 everyday players. This guy can flat out rake! He had 3 hits in the game last night against the A’s. He had a double of the right field wall and had a triple in the gap. He can run pretty good for a big guy. This guy looked foolish on two change ups outside and then rakes a ball off the wall on the next pitch. Don’t look at Sandoval to walk much. He’s a free swinger at the plate. He should be able to drive in a lot of runs in the 5th spot of the lineup. He also will set up the lower part of the lineup by being on base a lot. I’m sure he’s going to hit over .300 this year. I’m thinking he might hit about .320.
The next guy is Travis Ishikawa. The Giants gave him the 1st base job at the beginning of Spring Training without seeing what other guys would step up for the job. We never really got a chance to see what Ishikawa could do yet, but his spring stats helped Giants fans feel comfortable with him getting the job. Ishikawa led the Giants in home runs this spring by hitting 7. The Giants love him for his defense at 1st base, but they think he will also be able to give them some power. Ishikawa says he’s not a power hitter, but it seems to look like he might have more power than he wants to admit.
The 4th player is Emmanuel Burriss who beat out Kevin Frandsen for the 2nd base job. The Giants really love Burriss and think he can be a really good player. He has speed and has had a really good bat this spring. I’m sure he’s going to be a fine player this season.
These are just the players that are starting this season. The Giants have some other hot prospects that I’m sure will make their debut this season and might even make it to the starting lineup for next year’s opening day.
Today In Baseball History
1985 – The owners proposal of expanding the 1985 League Championship Series from the best-of-five games to best-of-sevin is agreed to by the Players Association.
~ King of Cali
Dodgers vs. Giants Recap – Today In Baseball History!
Giants #5 starter Jonathan Sanchez will miss his start today against the Dodgers. Sanchez burned his finger in the kitchen. I guess he doesn’t make enough money yet to have someone cook for him. He said he will pitch on Sunday against the Dodgers at AT&T park.
Madison Bumgarner is getting his first start of the Spring for the injured Jonathan Sanchez. Giants fans are excited to see him. He’s going to be a pitcher that we look forward to seeing in the pro’s in the next few seasons.
Bumgarner starts the first inning by striking out Juan Pierre, Getting Hu to ground out and striking out Manny Ramirez.
Winn starts the game off with a single and Renteria follows that up with a single. Runners now at 1st and 3rd for Fred Lewis. Winn scores on a RBI single by Lewis. After 1 inning it’s the Giants 1 and the Dodgers 0.
Bumgarner has another perfect inning to retire the Dodgers in order in the top of the 2nd inning.
Doug Mientkiewicz hits a 2 run home run off of Justin Miller to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the top of the 4th.
Emmanuel Burriss led off the Giants bottom of the 5th with a triple off of ex-Giant Shawn Estes. Aurilia hits a RBI single scoring Burriss to tie the game at 2.
The Dodgers get the bases loaded in the top of the 6th inning, but are unable to get any runs across.
Fred Lewis hits a triple in the bottom of the 6th inning. He then scores on a sac fly by Matt Downs. Travis Ishikawa hits a solo home run to give the Giants a 4-2 lead.
The Dodgers get the bases loaded in the top of the 7th inning. The Dodgers score 3 runs and take a 5-4 lead over the Giants.
The Giants answer back in the bottom of the 8th. Andres Torres hits a solo home run to tie the game at 5. The Giants then load the bases for Matt Downs and he hits a bases clearing double. The Giants now have a 8-5 lead over the Dodgers.
Juan Castro hits a 2 run home run off of Alex Hinshaw in the top of the 8th inning. The Dodgers end up getting another run and the game is tied going into the bottom of the 8th inning.
The Giants answer right back in the bottom of the 8th scoring 2 runs to take a 10-8 lead into the 9th inning.
The Cactus League finally comes to a end. The Giants hold the Dodgers scoreless in the 9th and win 10-8.
Totals
- Dodgers get 8 runs, 10 hits and 0 errors.
- Giants get 10 runs, 14 hits and 1 error.
Multi Hit Game
The Giants get 3 players with a multi hit game.
- McBryde goes 2-2 with 1 RBI and scored 1 run.
- Lewis goes 2-3 with 1 RBI and scored 1 run.
- Holm goes 2-4 with 1 RBI and scored 1 run.
Pitching Highlights
Bumgarner pitched 3 innings giving up 1 hit and striking out 4 Dodgers including Manny Ramirez.
Side Notes
This was the final cactus league game for the Giants. The Giants are flying to San Francisco after the game and will be playing the A’s tomorrow night at AT&T Park.
Giants lead the National League in home runs this spring. The #1 team in home runs is the Kansas City Royals.
Randy Johnson will pitch Friday against the A’s and then his first start of the season will be on Wednesday (my b-day) against the Brewers.
Today In Baseball History
1997 – Setting a record for the most runs scored in one inning of an Opening Day contest this century, the Padres score 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-5 rout of Mets. Chris Gomez, Rickey Henderson and Quilvio Veras lead the attack with a back-to-back-to-back home runs.
~ King of Cali
Should The Giants Snag Sheffield?
I have been thinking if the Giants should go out and get Gary Sheffield. They would only have to pay him $400,000. The Tigers will have to pay him his $14 Million for this year. He would be a good bat to put in the middle of the
lineup. He might not be able to play everyday which would be fine to get other guys playing time. I’m just not sure who I would sit down to get him in the game. Randy Winn is the most consistent player we have had. Aaron Rowand plays center and the Giants want Fred Lewis in left. I think I might just keep moving Winn around and whatever outfielder gets a day off that’s where I would put Winn. I’m still not sold on if I were the Giants if I would do it. It’s just hard to pass up on a power bat like Sheffield’s that’s available for only $400,000. I’m sure he will be signed soon. Just not sure what team will jump out there and snag him.
lineup. He might not be able to play everyday which would be fine to get other guys playing time. I’m just not sure who I would sit down to get him in the game. Randy Winn is the most consistent player we have had. Aaron Rowand plays center and the Giants want Fred Lewis in left. I think I might just keep moving Winn around and whatever outfielder gets a day off that’s where I would put Winn. I’m still not sold on if I were the Giants if I would do it. It’s just hard to pass up on a power bat like Sheffield’s that’s available for only $400,000. I’m sure he will be signed soon. Just not sure what team will jump out there and snag him.~ King of Cali
Giants vs. Rangers (game 2) Recap – Today In Baseball History!
The Giants get an early 2 nothing lead on a 2 run double by catcher Steve Holm. Scoring on the hit was Uribe and Horwitz. The Giants end up with a 5 run 2nd inning. Pablo Sandoval gets a 2 run single to knock the starter Matt Harrison out of the game. Burriss and Velez scored on Sandoval’s single.
Josh Hamilton (on my 2nd fantasy team) hit a home run off of Zito in the bottom of the 3rd inning. The score after 3 innings is Giants 5 and the Rangers 3.
Torres hit a solo home run off of Jennings in the 6th inning to give the Giants a 6-3 lead.
Giants have runners on the corners for Pablo Sandoval. He hits a RBI stand up double off the fence. Burriss scores from the 3rd and Aurilia moves to 3rd base on the hit. Going into the bottom of the 7th it’s the Giants 7 and the Rangers 3.
Giants score more in the top of the 8th. Torres scores on a RBI single by Wald. The Giants get another run on a RBI single by Velez. Aurilia follows up with another RBI single scoring Burriss. The score is now Giants 10 and the Rangers 3.
Totals
Giants win on 10 runs, 14 hits and 0 errors. Rangers get 3 runs, 6 hits and 2 errors.
Multi Hit Game
The Giants have 4 players to have a multi hit game.
- Emmanuel Burriss went 2-5 scoring 3 runs.
- Rich Aurilia went 3-4 with 2 RBI’s.
- Pablo Sandoval went 2-5 with 3 RBI’s.
- Andres Torres went 2-5 with 1 RBI and scored 2 runs.
Pitching Highlights
Barry Zito had a very solid game. Zito went 7 strong innings. He gave up 6 hits, 3 runs, 2 strike outs and a solo home run to Josh Hamilton.
Giants two new relievers Howry and Affeldt both pitched a perfect 8th and 9th inning.
Giants pitching Zito, Howry and Affeldt sat down the last 12 Rangers in order.
Giants Side Notes
One week from today the Giants will have their opening day with the Brewers.
Fred Lewis is only going to play Left Field this year. Lewis has heard a lot of stuff yelled at him while playing Left Field. Last season at Wrigley Field and Dodgers Stadium he heard. “Hey Barry, you look skinny.” Lewis said “I got that one all the time. I’m not Barry. I’m Fred Lewis. The name and the number on the back say it all.”
Today In Baseball History
1961 – The Pacific Coast League’s proposal to use a designated hitter for the pitcher is rejected by the Professional Baseball Rules Committee by a vote of 8-1. The first use of the DH will occur in the American League in 1973.
~ King of Cali
Who’s Your 3 For Your Team?
I’m curious to see what other bloggers out there think about their teams. I want to know who you think your #1 player is, most excited to see play this year and one prospect that we should all watch out for in the near future….
Giants #1 Player…
I think the Giants #1 player is Tim Lincecum. I wish I could say it was an everyday player but it’s not. Which means our #1 player only plays every 5 days, but he’s one hell-of-a-player! Everyone knows he won the Cy Young last year. I think he’s only going to get better. I mean it’s hard to match the stats he had last season, but that was just his first full season. He’s going to learn more about the hitters and his pitches. He’s got Randy Johnson to absorb a lot of knowledge off of.
Most Excited To See…
The player I’m most excited to see play this year is Pablo Sandoval. This guy can flat out rake! He played in 41 games and the end of last season. He hit .345 during that time. He has been just as hot in spring training. He has hit 3 home runs and has a .460 batting avg. He is going to get on base a lot and drive in some runs for the Giants. He will be a spark plug to help jumpstart this offense.
Prospect To Watch Out For…
The up and coming prospect to look out for is Buster Posey. He is going to be the Giants catcher of the future. He also had a great spring and it looked like he was trying to battle it out with Molina for the starting role, but the Giants would like to see him catch a year in the minors. He will be brought up probably in September. I’m pretty sure he will be the Giants starting catcher next season.
~ King of Cali
Burriss wins the 2nd Base Job
This was just released today. Emmanuel Burriss has won the 2nd base job. Kevin Frandsen has been option to Triple-A Fresno. I don’t think anyone really seen this coming. I mean it was starting to become obvious that Burriss would win the job, but no one expected Frandsen to be sent down. It seemed like the loser of the battle would be coming off the bench. Some people think this may be the end of Frandsen with the Giants.
Hot hitting Jesus Guzman was also sent down as well. The Giants just don’t have a spot for him right now. He needs to work on his defense before they can find a spot for him. They are hoping he can go down to Triple-A and continue to hit like he has but also work on his feet work and develop defensively.
~ King of Cali
Rangers vs Giants (new style) Recap – Today In Baseball History!
Today I decided to listen to the Giants and Rangers but not recap it like I usually do. Just thought I would point out a few highlights from the game. Just figure readers get bored of reading plays from every inning if nothing exciting really happens. Let me know what you guys think of my recap this way.
Texas scored 7 runs, 10 hits and 0 errors. Giants scored 5 runs, 10 hits and 1 error.
Hot hitting Jesus Guzman hit a Pinch Hit home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings.
Giants #3 starting pitcher Matt Cain pitched 7 innings. He gave up 4 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk and 8 strike outs. Cain at one point sat down 11 Rangers in a row.
Pablo Sandoval who seems to always have a multi hit game let us down today. He only got 1 hit today. His off day is still a 1-3 day at the plate. =)
7 Home Runs in the game. 4 home runs for the Rangers and 3 for the Giants.
Multi Hit Game
The Giants only had 2 players that had a multi hit game. Fred Lewis went 2-4. Juan Uribe went 2-5, 3 RBI’s, 2 runs and hit a 2 run home run in the 3rd inning off of Kris Benson.
Giants Side Notes
Buster Posey has finally left the Giants spring training camp. He will be playing for the San Jose Giants this year. They want him to get a year of catching under his belt in the minors. He will most likely be brought up in Sept. If Molina gets traded you may see Posey up sooner. Posey looks like he’s ready to play in the Majors now, but when you have Molina there you want to make sure Posey isn’t rushed. They want him to get comfortable behind the plate.
Randy Johnson is pleased with his 7 inning performance against their minor league team. Johnson wasn’t overwhelming but was glad he got his work in. Johnson will make his first start of the season on my B-day April 8th! He’s the Giants #2 starter this year.
Giants have 2 more games in Arizona before coming back to San Francisco to face the A’s Thursday night.
Rangers Side Notes
The ex-Giant Omar Vizquel gets a start at 2nd base today for the Rangers.
Catalanotto and Andruw Jones are battling for the final roster spot for the Rangers.
Today In Baseball History
1992 – The White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and pitcher Ken Patterson to the cross-town rival Cubs for slugger George Bell. Sossa will pass Erni Banks as the franchise’s all-time home run leader.
~ King of Cali
Giants vs. Indians Recap – Today in Baseball History!
Giants send Sanchez to the mound against Lee for the Indians. After 1 inning it’s the Giants 3 and the Indians 0. The Giants scored 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 errors in the bottom of the 1st inning. In the 2nd Velez hit a 2 run triple to give the Giants a 5-0 lead. Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly to score Velez. The Giants get another 3 run inning off of Lee. Make it a 4 run inning now. Rich Aurilia just hit a solo home run. The Giants hit for the cycle this inning. They got a single, double, triple and a home run. After 2 innings it’s the Giants 7 and the Indians 0. The Indians get on the board in the top of the 4th inning on a home run by Peralta. The Giants answer back in the bottom of the 4th. Uribe hits a RBI double to score Aurilia. The Giants now have a 8-1 lead. The Indians get back on the board in the top of the 6th. Nate Schierholtz hits a RBI double to score Velez in the bottom of the 5th. The Giants end up adding 2 runs in the 6th. After 6 innings it’s the Giants 10 and the Indians 2. The 7th and 8th innings went by pretty fast. The game is now in the 9th inning. Which means the Indians are down to their final 3 outs. The first Indian up hits a triple. He scores on a sacrifice fly. Indians are down to their final 2 outs. The Giants get the final out and get a cactus league win.
The Giants get 10 runs on 14 hits and 1 error. The Indians get 3 runs on 9 hits and 2 errors.
Highlights
- The Giants have 5 players that have a multi hit game.
- Torres goes 2-5 scoring 2 runs.
- Velez goes 3-5, 2 RBI’s and scored 3 runs.
- Schierholtz goes 2-4, 2 RBI’s and scored 3 runs.
- Aurilia goes 2-3, 1 RBI and scored 1 run.
- Uribe goes 2-4 with 3 RBI’s.
- Every Giants starter got a hit today including starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez.
Side Notes
The Giants had to stop the game last night vs. the Cubs. It was really windy and I think at the start of the game the wind was blowing 25-30mph. I watched some of the game on TV and was amazed at how they could even play. Zito got the start for the Giants. He pitched 5 innings giving up 3 runs and getting 7 strike outs. That’s a decent start for Zito. Giants got the win 5-3 over the Cubs.
Jesus Guzman didn’t get the off day like the rest of the Giants on Wednesday. He played a minor league game, so he can work on playing 1st base. This guy has been on fire with his bat, but the Giants don’t know where to put him on defense. They have him trying to play more first base.
Today in Baseball History
1989 – Sports Illustrated exposes Pete Rose’s gambling activities. The article alleges ‘Charlie Hustle’ bet from the Riverfront dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
~ King of Cali
Bruce Bochy Interview Recap
This is just a recap of a Bruce Bochy interview that was done this morning on KNBR the Giants flagship station. The interview was going to be at 8:30am but didn’t happen till 8:55 which is 5 mins before Murph and Mac are off the air. It was a speedy interview that only lasted like 3 mins if that.
Bochy said he will announce who wins the 2nd base job within the next couple of days. Both players (Burriss & Frandsen) have played well this spring. He will get with both players and let them know before he makes the announcement. He thinks whoever doesn’t win the job will likely be on the bench to help out coming off the bench and will be on the 25 man roster.
Bochy was also asked about guys like Guzman and Torres who have been outstanding this spring. He wouldn’t say any names, but did say he thinks the Giants have multiple non roster guys who have a chance to make the team’s opening day roster. Giants are going to cut 4 guys tomorrow to bring the roster down to 30 players.
~ King of Cali
King of Cali 