Baseball

Mauer on Posey: “I’d Like to See Him Catch as Long as He Can.”
May 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) reacts between plays against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

May 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) reacts between plays against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are currently playing a three-game interleague series against the Minnesota Twins this weekend at AT&T Park. The Giants and the Twins play in different leagues in MLB, but they have something in common. The Twins converted their face of the franchise and superstar catcher Joe Mauer into a first baseman to protect him from injuries and keep his bat in the lineup. Ever since Buster Posey suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2011, there has been discussion that the Giants should do the same thing for Posey in the near future.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

San Francisco Giants: First-Quarter Progress Report
Apr 22, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) and teammates watch from the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 22, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) and teammates watch from the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have officially completed one quarter of their 2014 schedule. They currently have a 28-18 record, which puts them in first place in the NL West and gives them one of the best records in all of MLB. They’ve gotten off to a blazing start so far, and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down yet.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

San Francisco Giants: Who Will Step Up in Brandon Belt’s Absence?

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The San Francisco Giants are facing some serious adversity. Brandon Belt fractured his left thumb after being hit by a pitch in Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and will be out for at least six weeks. Where does this leave the Giants?

Belt was having a breakout season. He is currently tied for third in the National League with nine home runs, just behind Giancarlo Stanton and Troy Tulowitzki. Belt is a heart-of-the-order hitter for the Giants, so they will certainly miss his offense.

The Giants will greatly miss his defense as well. He’s an elite first baseman defensively. He has great instincts, and he can make tough plays because of his height and quickness.

So who will step up for the Giants in Belt’s absence?

The player that needs to step up is Michael Morse. He is already having a great season. He’s hitting .264 and has eight home runs, 24 RBI, and a .520 slugging percentage. Morse is going to have to dig deep and step up even more though.

Bruce Bochy has said that Morse will be the everyday first baseman in Belt’s absence. Bochy likes Morse’s height, his long arms, and his “condor wingspan.”

Morse told Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group that he’s versatile and is fine with playing first base.

“No big deal to me,” Morse said. “You just try not to think about it. You go out and let your talent take over.”

Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez could occasionally get starts there too, but Morse will start most of the time at first base. Bochy decided this was the best move, even over bringing up Adam Duvall from the Fresno Grizzlies, because Morse has the most experience at first base, and this move will give the Giants more speed in the outfield.

Morse will most likely not be able to match Belt’s defensive prowess, but more importantly, the Giants need him to be consistent at the plate and continue to hit for power and get hits with runners in scoring position.

As for left field, Bochy has said that he will go with the hot hand, which is Tyler Colvin right now. In his first start with the Giants and his first game at AT&T Park last night, he hit a home run and triple. He had been hitting well in Fresno recently, and it seems as if he’s brought that confidence at the plate with him into the big leagues.

Bochy told Pavlovic that he wants to see how Colvin does with more playing time.

“Colvin has picked up his play,” Bochy said. “He’s healthy and playing well down in Fresno. He’s swinging the bat much better after getting off to a slow start. He has experience and he’s a good outfielder.”

In addition to Morse, Colvin will also have to step up with Belt out. This is the ultimate opportunity for him to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. He needs to stay confident, and hopefully for him, that will translate into consistency.

The Giants could really use a stronger bench. If Colvin can be consistent and have good at-bats, he might get a chance to stay with the Giants even after Belt comes back. Colvin has an opportunity to get consistent playing time at the big league level with Belt out, and he needs to take advantage of it.

In addition, Morse has already helped bolster the Giants’ offense so far this season, but he will be called upon even more. Morse will potentially be the key to the Giants’ success in Belt’s absence.

San Francisco Giants: Can They Keep the Power Bats Hot?

Apr 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Morse (38) is congratulated by first baseman Brandon Belt (right) after a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

So far this season, the San Francisco Giants are surprisingly one of the best power-hitting teams in MLB. They currently rank third in all of MLB with 43 home runs, which is even more impressive given the fact that they play their home games in the pitcher-friendly AT&T Park.

Much of the Giants’ power has been supplied by Brandon Belt, Michael Morse, and Buster Posey. Belt has hit nine home runs so far, Morse has hit eight, and Posey has hit seven. Brandon Hicks has even hit six, some of them coming at big moments.

Belt, Morse, and Posey are all on pace to hit at least 20 home runs this year, if they stay healthy, and many believe that Belt could possibly hit 30.

Belt, Morse, and Posey are just the second trio in Giants franchise history to hit six or more home runs prior to May 1st. The other trio was Willie Mays with seven home runs, Orlando Cepeda with six, and Ed Bailey with six in 1962. That’s certainly good company to be in.

Belt got off to a hot start in 2014, and he finished the month of April with six home runs and 12 RBI. Belt really got the Giants’ power bats going. He has also homered in every park the Giants have played in so far.

When the Giants first signed Morse, there were questions about if his power would translate to AT&T Park. Morse was confident when he gave Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group his answer to this question in February.

“I look at the bright side,” Morse said to me this February when I asked about moving to AT&T Park. “To me, it’s a ballpark – just like every other ballpark. It plays the way it plays and I don’t think about stuff like that. If you hit the ball good, it’s going to go out. If you don’t hit it good, it’s not going to go out.”

Morse is certainly hitting the ball hard this year, as he’s averaging 427.6 feet per home run this season. Bruce Bochy couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from Morse so far, and he shared his thoughts on Morse’s power with Pavlovic.

“For a guy to hit a ball where he hit it, a man has to do that,” Bochy said afterwards. “I guess that’s why he got nicknamed The Beast. There’s not a ballpark that can hold him, including this one.”

Posey added about 10-15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and it has certainly translated to his power-hitting. Last season, he started to wear down in the second half of the season, and it affected his hitting. If Posey can stay healthy and stay strong throughout the season, he can certainly hit 20 home runs this year.

Not only have these players supplied the Giants with a lot of power, but Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence haven’t even gotten going yet, in terms of hitting home runs. Both Sandoval and Pence have only two home runs each so far this season.

Sandoval has been in a hitting slump this whole season. Giants fans know he’s capable of hitting at least 20 home runs though, like he did in 2009 and 2011.

Pence got off to a slow start, but he’s starting to heat up with the bat. He hit 27 home runs for the Giants last season, so it’s just a matter of time until he starts hitting for power. Also, ever since he became a full-time big leaguer, his home run totals each season have been: 25, 25, 25, 22, 24, and 27. Pence is always a threat to hit at least 20 home runs in a season.

It’ll be nearly impossible for the Giants to keep up this type of power production all season long, but with the addition of Morse, the Giants can certainly be a legitimate power threat, as a team. If Sandoval and Pence get going, the Giants will stay near the top of the standings for home runs.

The Giants will continue to get some occassional power from Hicks, Brandon Crawford, Hector Sanchez, Angel Pagan, and others. With Belt, Morse, Posey, Sandoval, and Pence though, the Giants are stacked in terms of power, and hopefully for Giants fans, they’ll hit for power all year.

San Francisco Giants: Offseason Additions Are Making an Impact

Apr 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Hudson (17) prepares to deliver a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

After a disappointing 2013 season, it was a little surprising that the San Francisco Giants didn’t make too many changes to their roster going into the 2014 season.

They only made a couple moves, but they’ve both had a huge impact on the Giants’ season so far. Their major offseason acquisitions were pitcher Tim Hudson and left fielder Michael Morse.

Hudson was a big-name signing for the Giants, because of the success that he’s had in his 15 years in the league. He was coming off a gruesome and potentially career-threatening ankle injury in 2013 though, so this signing had some risk. However, this risk has led to great reward for the Giants.

So far this season, Hudson has an astounding 1.99 ERA, 4-2 record, and has pitched 54.1 innings in just seven starts. He’s also struck out 36 and walked only three.

Hudson has been doing exactly what many Giants’ starting pitchers failed to do last season. He’s keeping his pitch count down, he’s staying in games longer, he’s not walking many batters, and he’s getting out of innings quickly. He’s been the dream starting pitcher for Bruce Bochy and the bullpen.

He’s also been a great addition to the clubhouse. He’s a veteran presence, he works hard, and he gets along with everyone. Who knows how long he will be able to keep up this type of production, but his impact, on and off the field, on this Giants’ team so far has been incredible.

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Morse against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Morse acquisition was a little more under-the-radar, but there was still uncertainty about how much Morse could produce because of a wrist injury he suffered last season. This signing also could’ve been classified as “high risk” because of that, but like with Hudson, the acquisition of Morse has greatly benefitted the Giants.

Morse is currently hitting .294, and he has eight home runs and 24 RBI in 109 at-bats in 34 games this season. Morse has provided the Giants with another power hitter and a competent, everyday left fielder, which they severely lacked last season. Morse is known as a power hitter, but he’s been that and even more for the Giants.

Also like Hudson, he’s easily fit in with the other players in the clubhouse. He’s a hard worker, he’s easygoing, and he’s fun-loving. Morse has been an excellent teammate, so he’s greatly impacted the Giants on and off the field as well.

Lastly, Brandon Hicks has been a nice surprise for the Giants so far this season. Hicks was a non-roster invitee, and because of Marco Scutaro’s back injury, Hicks has become the everyday second baseman for the Giants.

Hicks is currently hitting .198, and he has five home runs and 11 RBI in 81 at-bats in 26 games. Although his batting average isn’t spectacular, he’s filled in nicely for Scutaro.

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Hicks against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

He’s brought some more power to the Giants, and he currently has more home runs than both Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval combined. On April 27th, he even hit a three-run walkoff home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave the Giants a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Indians.

He also has a .316 on-base percentage and a .432 slugging percentage, which is pretty impressive given his batting average. He also plays solid defense, so he’s been a great pick-up for the Giants.

The Giants are currently atop the NL West with a 21-13 record, and these three players are a significant reason why they’ve had such a successful reason so far. Hudson has been the model for consistency in the Giants’ starting pitching rotation, and he’s been the best starting pitcher for the Giants so far.

Morse and Hicks have provided big boosts in power to the Giants. Morse is second on the team for most home runs with eight, and Hicks is fourth on the team with his five home runs.

These players’ power is a big reason why the Giants are second in all of MLB with 42 home runs, just behind their division rival, the Colorado Rockies, who have the benefit of playing in the very hitter and power-friendly Coors Field.

The new guys have blended well with this Giants team, and hopefully they remain productive and effective, on and off the field.

San Francisco Giants: Is Pablo Sandoval Pressing?

Apr 21, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Pablo Sandoval has had a lot on his mind recently. At the conclusion of the 2013 season, the San Francisco Giants told Sandoval that he had to lose weight and keep it off if he wanted to get consistent playing time in 2014 and possibly get a contract extension. Sandoval took this seriously and lost at least 30 pounds in the offseason.

In addition to his weight loss program, Sandoval had to deal with the weight of a potential contract extension hanging over his head. The Giants and Sandoval weren’t able to come to an agreement on an extension before Opening Day. Sandoval turned down a three-year, $40 million offer, and the conversation between the Giants and Sandoval about a possible extension has stalled.

So far this season, with all this extra “weight” hanging over him, Sandoval is hitting .165 with a .258 OBP, .278 slugging percentage, two home runs, six RBI, and 18 strikeouts in 21 games and 79 at-bats.

For a career .294 hitter, these numbers are extremely baffling and disappointing, especially given his weight loss in the offseason. So what can his poor offensive numbers be attributed to? Is he pressing? Is he hiding an injury? Is he lacking confidence? Are the contract negotiations weighing too heavily on him?

When discussing his recent struggles with Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group, Sandoval insisted that none of these things have affected his performance at the plate this season.

“You got good games, you got bad games, so you have to keep humble and keep your head up,” Sandoval said. “Try to do the best that you can out there, try to do all the things you can do, keep working hard. Good things are going to come.”

Bruce Bochy has employed several different strategies in order to break Sandoval out of this uncharacteristically long slump.

After hitting .171 on the season and going hitless against the San Diego Padres on April 19, Bochy told Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group that he was going to give Sandoval a day off on the 20th.

“He needs a mental break,” Bochy said. “Tonight I thought he was pressing more than any other game.”

The day off didn’t seem to help Sandoval that much though. On the first day of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on the 21st, the day after his day off, he struck out once and went hitless in four at-bats. On the 22nd, also against the Rockies, he had one hit (a double) and one walk in three at-bats. On the 23rd, he had no hits, a walk, and one strikeout, in two at-bats.

Bochy also tried dropping him in the lineup. Bochy only dropped him from the third spot to the fourth spot, so it wasn’t a drastic change. However, Bochy was hoping this type of change would ease some pressure off of Sandoval. This didn’t help either.

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Whether Sandoval is pressing at the plate or not, Bochy might have to find some new ways to get the Panda going. One option is dropping him further down in the lineup, maybe down to sixth. For example, Bochy could have a batting order like this: Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Michael Morse, Sandoval, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Hicks, and the pitcher.

It’s impossible to predict if this would reignite Sandoval offensively, but this sort of a “wake-up call” could perhaps give Sandoval a fresh start.

Another option is to give him two or even three days off in a row, which would give him a mental break and would allow him to re-focus. Bochy has used this strategy in the past with struggling players, and it usually works.

One last option is for Bochy to keep playing Sandoval as he normally would and hope that he will find a way out of it soon by himself. Bochy is a players’ manager. He believes in his players, and he won’t criticize them or punish them for poor play.

The clubhouse has been very loose, despite the struggles of the offense recently (besides yesterday’s win in Colorado). It doesn’t look like any of the Giants, including Sandoval, are pressing, and that’s why Bochy has been patient with them.

There are many benefits to a team with great team chemistry like the Giants, but one of the drawbacks is that if one person starts to struggle, others start to struggle too. This might be Sandoval’s problem. Other Giants such as Gregor Blanco and Posey are in their own slumps right now, so Sandoval might be unintentionally feeding off of that.

There isn’t a clear answer to how Sandoval can break out of this slump, but Bochy has a few options on how to try to wake up Sandoval offensively. Hopefully for the Giant, one of these options will work.