Part 1- Clubhouse Chemistry
Part 2- Roster Breakdown
Part 3- To Trade or Not to Trade?
Part 1- Clubhouse Chemistry
There is something developing in the Giants clubhouse, a special chemistry that the team is playing with, and it has lead the Giants to a nice little winning streak after the all star break.
At this current juncture in the season the Giants seem to have “it.”
They are playing like a team whose sum is greater than its parts.
I credit two reasons for the positive team chemistry.
First, once the Barry Bonds Era ended, the Giants made a point to find 'quality' clubhouse guys and its starting to pay off. Guys like Barry Zito, Pat Burrell, Pando Sandavol and newcomer Buster Posey have lead the Giants through this recent hot streak and have inspired a new look swagger to the ball club. There is positive body language on the field, a competitive swagger in the clubhouse and a feeling that these guys are genuinely having fun playing together.
Second, every season has a defining moment, a specific game or a specific stretch where the team is faced with adversity. Whether the team overcomes that adversity often dictates the outcome for the rest of a season. For some, it is a specific stretch where the team is forced to cover for an injured player, for others, its a superstar heating up and going on a massive hotstreak. The A’s 20 game winning streak lead by Miguel Tejada comes to mind. For the Giants, that particular moment is happening right now, highlighted by their come from behind win at Dodger Stadium on wednesday.
It wasn’t so much that they won, it was HOW they won.
1- Having each others backs. The teams were getting testy with each other, three dodgers players were ejected for hitting giants players. I love that Lincecum showed no fear in retaliating. And I loved that panda Sandoval was the first one to throw his body in the way of the dodgers clubhouse and the giants squad
2- I love the way posey competes and finds a way to win. From advocating for the “balk” call that forced Jonathon Broxton out of the game, to adding on the insurance run in the 9th.
3- I love that the Giants found a way to win even though their ace did not bring his A game stuff. This shows a different side of the team than last years squad, who purely relied on 1 run or less gems from their pitching staff.
It wasn’t so much that they won, it was HOW they won.
1- Having each others backs. The teams were getting testy with each other, three dodgers players were ejected for hitting giants players. I love that Lincecum showed no fear in retaliating. And I loved that panda Sandoval was the first one to throw his body in the way of the dodgers clubhouse and the giants squad
2- I love the way posey competes and finds a way to win. From advocating for the “balk” call that forced Jonathon Broxton out of the game, to adding on the insurance run in the 9th.
3- I love that the Giants found a way to win even though their ace did not bring his A game stuff. This shows a different side of the team than last years squad, who purely relied on 1 run or less gems from their pitching staff.
Part 2- Roster Breakdown
Although the current roster has its shortcomings, which we will cover in just a bit, something about this team has me giddy like Kramer on a coffee binge. Giddy up! The team has made some smart moves and it has this team moving in a positive direction, winning 5 out of 7 after the all star break.
Smart Move #1-
The Giants finally ran off ol’ A.D.P, my nickname for recently traded Bennie Molina, which stands for “Another Double Play” or “Another Donut Please.” In his place Napoleon Dynamite wannabe Buster Posey has been raking, and is a serious candidate for NL rookie of the year.
(Seriously he looks just like Napolean, and he’s got crazy skills too, gosh!)
Smart Move #2-
Acquiring local hero Pat Burrell. He has provided a steady veteran influence in the clubhouse and has even come up with some timely hitting and even a little bit of power hits and much needed power.
Smart Move #3-
Managerr Bruce Bochy finally decided that “gamers” should actually help win “games," Aaron Rowand I’m looking at you, and committed to offensive sparkplug and defensive upgrade Andres Torres in centerfield.
Part 3- To Trade or Not To Trade...The Giant Question (Steve Rubin)
With the MLB trading deadline looming the question for the San Francisco Giants is whether or not to trade for that big bat “savior” that so many people think they need. In late July the Giants
are 9 games over .500 in the surprisingly really strong NL West. In fact, 9 out of the 16 teams in the NL have a record that is above .500. What does that mean? That means the wild card raceis going to be tough, and trading for a great player can put the Giants as frontrunners not only for the wild card but also to take over the NL West.
As fans painfully know, last year the Giants were the laughing stock of the majors last year when it comes tohitting. This year, the Giants have essentially added 5 new bats to their 2010 lineup from last year. They have added the likes of Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez, and Pat Burrell. The Giants hitting this year is solid and in fact has scored the most runs in the MLB inthe month of July (even though they were shutout last night to their bitter rivals the Dodgers). What the goal of the Giants should be is getting a solid hitter without depleting their strong suit, which is their pitching. That is easier said than done when your GM is named Brian Sabean.
Who should they trade for? Here are a list of possibilities…
Prince Fielder- Prince would be in fact the savior that all Giants fans are waiting for. He is that cleanup hitter that the Giants need badly. He would significantly help the Giants lineup
and would instantaneously put the Giants as one of the front runners in the pennant race. The only problem is how much would the Giants have to give up. Cain? Sanchez? Bumgarner? Or
would we have to completely deplete our minor league system, which has taken years to becomerespectable again. The price would be high, but the risk might be worth it. Also, the Giants have just traded Bengie Molina, so they have enough space in the clubhouse to fit Prince “I’m the largest vegetarian in the world” Fielder.
Corey Hart- Coming off a couple of disappointing years Hart is back with a vengeance. Just after the All-Star break Hart is hitting .290 22 hrs 70 RBI’s. Those numbers would’ve been an
amazing season for any Giants player last year, and he is still has a little over two months left. Is Hart the Giants savior? Absolutely not. He would be an amazing piece to the puzzle, especially
given the fact the Giants would have to give up significantly less to get Hart.
Jayson Werth- Werth has been such a key part to the Phillies Championship runs the past couple of years, unfortunately he reminds me a lot of a current Giant. Could Werth be Aaron
Rowand part deux, who’s numbers were better due to the bandbox ballpark they play in in Philadelphia. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. As a Giants fan, I
hope Sabean learns from his mistakes and doesn’t go after Werth.
David Dejesus- Most casual baseball fans have never heard of David Dejesus, mostly because he plays for the lowly Kansas City Royals. He doesn’t steal bases nor hit homeruns, but he is
a solid hitter. The best way to describe him is that he is like Freddy Sanchez, but the outfield version. I would like if the Giants got him, but we just got to hope that Sabean doesn’t overpay
for him.
Carlos Lee- Fat (and not cool fat like Sandoval or Fielder). Overpriced. Getting old. Avoid at all costs! If the Giants get him in a trade then I give you the right to cry. His numbers are declining at an incredible rate, and he still has tons of money left on his outrageous contract. Any Solid Reliever- Get one! The Giants need another solid reliever in order to get anywhere in the playoffs.
The end result is the Giants need to make a big move in order to possibly get that ever eluded Championship Trophy. In order to win big you have to take some risks. The Giants finally have
the pieces of the puzzle put in place to win it all…..they are just a few pieces away.
you can cross dejesus off that list
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