San Francisco Giants

Should the San Francisco Giants Shut Down Buster Posey?

Aug 18, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) looks on from the dugout during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

During the San Francisco Giants’ game against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, Buster Posey injured his right ring finger on a pitch from Madison Bumgarner. The fingernail on his right ring finger was ripped off, but it was later revealed that Posey actually has a “small fracture” on the tip of his finger.

Posey said, based on what the training staff has told him, that he’s hopeful that it’s a manageable injury. It won’t require surgery, but he might have to wear a hard plastic piece on his finger when he returns.

“From everything I’m hearing, hopefully in a couple days it’ll calm down and I can play through it,” Posey said.

Is it worth it to the Giants to let Posey play through it though? The Giants are out of the hunt for a playoff spot, so, even though it’s a minor fracture, should the Giants instead just shut down Posey for the rest of the season?

There are a couple reasons why the Giants should consider shutting him down. First of all, if Posey keeps playing, there would potentially be a higher risk of him injuring his finger even more. The Giants are playing meaningless games right now, so it simply doesn’t make sense to keep playing one of their most important players just so he can finish the season.

Bruce Bochy has already said that fatigue is probably a major reason why the Giants have struggled so much this season. Posey is too valuable to this team to risk any further injury, especially if his body is already fatigued.

Second, by shutting down Posey, it will give Hector Sanchez an opportunity to be the everyday catcher for the rest of the season. This will allow the Giants to evaluate how much Hector Sanchez has improved since last season and since his slow start this season.

Bochy said that he plans on giving Sanchez plenty of starts.

“I’m probably going to keep running Hector out there,” Bochy said. “He needs to play. He’s making progress, but there’s still work to be done. You’ve got to remember how much time he missed and his age.”

Aug 27, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Hector Sanchez (29) hits an RBI double during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Sanchez had a quality 2012 season when he hit .280 with three home runs and 34 RBI’s in 74 games. He’s only played in 47 games so far this season, and he’s hit .264 with three home runs and 18 RBI’s. He’s shown improvement in his at-bats as he’s become more patient at the plate. He currently has a .330 OBP this year compared to a .295 OBP last season.

Sanchez has been a solid backup catcher for the Giants, and he could be a valuable piece to this Giants team next season. He’s a switch hitter, which would give the Giants some versatility off the bench. When he’s healthy, he has a strong throwing arm, and he has some power too. He could improve on blocking balls and his footwork behind the plate, so this would be the perfect opportunity for him to work on that.

In addition to evaluating Sanchez for the rest of the season, the Giants could also get a better look at Johnny Monell, who they brought up from Fresno with the other September call-ups.

Monell had a great spring training with the Giants, but they decided to bring Guillermo Quiroz onto the final 25-man roster, because Quiroz is a better catcher defensively than Monell. This season with the Grizzlies, Monell hit .275 with 20 home runs and 64 RBI’s in 121 games, and he had a .364 OBP and a .494 slugging percentage.

Monell has great power and has above average arm strength as a catcher. Monell could improve defensively though, which is exactly why the Giants should consider starting him a few times before the end of the season.

Even though the Giants are playing meaningless games right now, they still should try to finish the season strong. There is an understandable argument to have Posey play after a few days of rest, so he can possibly help the Giants go on a run and carry some of that momentum into next season.

However, the Giants should rely on someone else, perhaps Angel Pagan, to bring the energy into the last stretch of the season. Posey is the best player on this team, and the Giants need to make sure he’s healthy going into next season.

A Giants’ Fan’s Perspective on the Oakland Athletics

Kyle Ohlin, of Oakland, is part of a very vocal but small group of fans watching from left field during the Oakland A’s game against the Blue Jays in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, May 8, 2012. Photo: Sarah Rice, Special To The Chronicle

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The Battle of the Bay is a rivalry full of irony. There have been some interesting, ironic contrasts between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics in the past few years. The rivalry isn’t as heated and competitive as the Giants-Dodgers rivalry, for example, but it has become intriguing because of these two teams’ records, the attendance at their stadiums, and their fans.

In 2010, the Giants went on a significant run in the last couple months of the season to steal the NL West from the San Diego Padres and sneak into the playoffs. They finished with a 92-70 record, and, as we know, the Giants won the World Series in 2010. The A’s finished the 2010 season with a 81-81 record, and they didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

In 2011, the Bay Area didn’t see great baseball from either team. The Giants went 86-76, but they didn’t qualify for the playoffs. The A’s went 74-88 and didn’t make the playoffs either.

Both teams started playing quality baseball again in 2012. The A’s went on an incredible run towards the end of the season, just like the Giants did in 2010. They stole the AL West title from the Texas Rangers and finished with a 94-68 record. They matched up with the Detroit Tigers in their divisional playoff series. They put up a good fight, but, unfortunately, lost the series 3-2.

May 29, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28, right) hits a single in front of home plate umpire Brian Knight (91) and Oakland Athletics catcher John Jaso (5, center) during the fifth inning at AT

The Giants also finished with a 94-68 record. They faced a total of six elimination games in the playoffs. After their torturous first two rounds of the playoffs, the Giants swept the Tigers to win their second World Series title in three seasons.

This brings us to the 2013 season. Here’s where the irony comes in. The Giants entered the 2013 season with a very similar roster to the one that earned them a World Series title last year. Despite that, they’ve had a disappointing 2013 season. They are currently 59-74 and 19 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They have faced a multitude of injuries to some key players, but their problems extend way beyond that.

The A’s, on the other hand, have been doing well all season and currently have a 75-57 record. As of now, they are 2.5 games behind the Rangers in the AL West.

Despite playing quality baseball all season, A’s fans haven’t been showing up to games as much as they should be. Ironically, the A’s rank 25th in all of MLB in terms of average attendance this year. On average, only 22,766 A’s fans attend each game, which is just embarrassing given how well the team has played this season.

The Giants have never had trouble getting fans to attend games, even this season when they’ve played so poorly. The Giants rank third in MLB with an average of 41,655 fans attending each game.

Part of this discrepancy in attendance is due to the fact that the A’s have one of the oldest, most run-down stadiums in all of MLB. The A’s have had several issues with O.co Coliseum over the years, including the actual playing field, the tarp, sewage, etc.

May 29, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52, right) hits a RBI-triple to score center fielder Coco Crisp (4, not pictured) in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28, left) during the first inning at AT

In contrast, the Giants have arguably the best stadium in all of MLB. AT&T Park is constantly rated one of the best stadiums in MLB because of its picturesque views and certain attractions within the park like the Coca-Cola bottle and the giant glove.

In addition to how these two teams have played on the field in the past few years, there have been some interesting contrasts off the field too. It seems as if most A’s fans strongly dislike the Giants and their fans. Whereas, it seems as if many Giants fans don’t have a strong opinion of A’s fans. With that being said, some Giants and A’s fans are fans of both teams or just view it as a friendly rivalry.

Personally, I don’t hate the A’s or their fans. I find that some A’s fans can be overly bitter towards Giants fans though. However, I believe that A’s fans mostly dislike the bandwagon Giants fans, who became fans when the Giants started winning in 2010 or 2012 and aren’t quite as knowledgeable and dedicated as diehard fans. I don’t blame them for being bothered by bandwagon Giants fans, but they must recognize that not all Giants fans are bandwagon fans.

One of my best friends is an A’s fan. She’s taught me a lot about the A’s and their fans, and, I have to admit, she’s changed my opinion of their organization as a whole. I have a greater appreciation now for the team and their fans. Not that I used to hate the A’s, but I certainly thought the Giants were superior, mostly because I was born a Giants fan.

My friend and I are diehard, lifelong fans of our respective teams, but our friendship proves that we can still appreciate the other person’s passion for their team, even if we disagree or dislike the other team. I respect her love of the A’s, because she’s been a fan her whole life. If you are a lifelong fan of a team, I respect you, no matter what team you’re rooting for. Ok, maybe except if you’re a Dodger fan.

As with any rivalry though, no matter how intense it is, I do believe that Bay Area fans should be fans of one team or the other. I personally don’t understand how some people can be fans of both teams. There can be respect for the other team, but that’s not the same as being a fan of the team.

I would possibly root for the A’s in the playoffs against another AL opponent. However, if they make it to the World Series, I will most likely root for the NL team, except if it’s an NL West rival. If the A’s and the Giants ever played each other in the World Series, I wouldn’t say, “I’ll be happy with whoever wins, because I’m just happy that a Bay Area team will win.” No way.

I bleed orange and black. Although I have a greater appreciation for the green and gold than I used to, I will continue to be a diehard Giants fan for the rest of my life, no matter what their record is.

San Francisco Giants: Is Brandon Belt Really Their First Baseman of the Future?

June 25, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) celebrates after scoring a run in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Brandon Belt has always had an enormous amount of potential. Offensively, he has power, a good eye, and an ability to find ways to get on base. Defensively, Belt has been the strongest first baseman in the the Giants’ farm system.

After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, he rose quickly through the Giants’ system and played at three different levels of minor league baseball in 2010. Belt was brought up to San Francisco in 2011 but was sent back and forth between the Giants and their AAA team, the Fresno Grizzlies, several times.

Belt has always had to compete for his starts and his at-bats, whether it be against Aubrey Huff or Brett Pill. After struggling in the beginning of last season, Belt secured his starting role and had a quality second half when he hit .293 and had a .362 OBP.

This year was the first time in his career that he knew going into the season that he was the Giants’ everyday first baseman. Despite knowing this, Belt’s stats have been up and down all season. He started off the season slowly by only hitting .235 in April. He improved slightly in May when he hit .266 and improved a little more in June when he hit .289. Then he only hit .225 in July.

However, Belt has had an incredible August. He’s currently hitting .379 with five home runs and 11 RBI’s, and he has a .463 OBP, a .776 slugging percentage, and a 1.239 OPS, which ranks first among all NL first basemen in August. Also, Belt ranks fourth in the NL with a .822 OPS for the whole season, only behind Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, and Freddie Freeman.

Throughout his career, Belt has been labeled as “too good for the minors but too inconsistent in the big leagues.” So where does that leave him on this Giants team? Is he truly their first baseman of the future?

Even though he’s been inconsistent throughout his short career, Belt has made a big statement to the Giants and their fans this August. He’s hitting the ball extremely well right now, and, as always, he’s playing stellar first base.

However, this isn’t the big statement that he’s made. Belt has shown that he is willing to make adjustments for the betterment of the team, and that is the type of player that the Giants will want for the future.

Belt has had to make adjustments his whole career. He’s made several minor tweaks to his swing over the years, in order to find that same consistency and dominance that he displayed in the minor leagues.

The Giants have tried many times to make more permanent, drastic adjustments to the basic mechanics of his swing, but, for the most part, Belt has stuck with the same swing that he used in the minors.

“I was stubborn in the sense that I had had success a certain way before, and I was assuming I could get back to being successful that way,” Belt said.

Belt’s reluctance to alter his swing wasn’t because he wasn’t willing to change. He has had a lot thrown at him during his time with the Giants, and many people forget that he’s still developing as a major league hitter. Adjusting the swing that a player has used his entire life and has had success with is a lot to ask of a young player. He is a true professional, and he wants what’s best for the team.

The Giants know that Belt has potential to be a serious middle-of-the-order threat given his power and high OBP. That’s why they wanted Belt to adjust his swing recently, in order to help themselves in the future but to also help Belt have a more prominent career.

Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens found a way to “convince” Belt that a new grip would help him reach his potential. Meulens saw this same adjustment made by a similar player in style to Belt, Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies. Both of these players are 25 years-old, they’re both 6-foot-5, they’re both left-handed hitters, and they were both top prospects.

May 14, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Brown changed his grip on the bat recently, and he has had a breakout season because of it. He’s hitting .277 with 27 home runs and 78 RBI’s, and he was selected to be a 2013 NL All-Star. Brown told Meulens that this change of grip only took him a few days to fully adjust to, which was appealing to Belt that it wasn’t a major adjustment.

After consulting other Giants such as Buster Posey, Belt decided to try out the new, looser grip. Bruce Bochy also noticed that Belt was moving up in the batter’s box in anticipation of hitting the ball. In order to address this, Belt now positions himself further back in the batter’s box, which allows him to see the pitches longer.

Clearly, based on his statistics from August, the adjustment has paid off.

“I want to make the jump,” Belt said. “I didn’t want to keep spinning my wheels in the same spot. I knew there was more in there. I just went all-in on these changes, and it’s working so far.”

Yes, Belt has made adjustments before, and he has had hot streaks after making adjustments before. This time is different though. He knows he is the Giants’ everyday first baseman. He’s not making adjustments in order to gain an edge over someone. He already has that edge.

In a way, he’s already proven that he’s a quality first baseman. He was the Giants’ starting first baseman when they won the World Series last year.

Belt must search for consistency though. If he’s able to consistently apply his new grip to his hitting, Belt could finish this season strong and potentially have a breakout season next year.

Yes, his development has possibly been rushed, which could be a significant contributor to his inconsistency. Also, given the amount of changes he’s had to endure over his short career has most likely messed with his confidence at times.

However, he’s shown that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Now, the Giants just have to trust in his ability.

“He continues to learn as a hitter, and the better hitter he becomes, the more power you’re going to see,” Brian Sabean said. “And he’s very much on the path to being a Gold Glove first baseman. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Sabean believes that Brandon Belt is the Giants’ first baseman of the future. Now it’s Belt’s turn to believe it.

San Francisco Giants: Should They Call Up Gary Brown and Heath Hembree?

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Gary Brown and Heath Hembree (Kyle Terada / USA TODAY Sports)

The San Francisco Giants are starting to focus on the future.

They currently have a 52-65 record, are 15.5 games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and are in last place in the NL West. Based on their disappointing season, Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy will perhaps decide soon to play their regular players less and call up more players from AAA, such as Gary Brown and Heath Hembree, to see who could possibly contribute to the team during the 2014 season.

However, the Giants are not in complete rebuild mode, since they already have several valuable pieces on their roster who can contribute next season. The Giants have to finish this year strong. If they completely give up now, they will have no momentum whatsoever going into the offseason and going into next season.

Also, Sabean wants to be cautious with rushing players’ development. He said recently that the Giants might have rushed Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford too quickly throughout the minor leagues. He said this might be the reason why they have taken more time to develop as hitters.

Because of this, it seems rather unlikely that Sabean will call up Brown or Hembree soon. When the rosters expand in September, the Giants could easily decide to call them up. For now though, the Giants want to stick to the group that they have, especially because their current roster is very similar to the roster that won the World Series last year.

Besides getting a closer look at some of their prospects, the Giants don’t have a lot of reason to call up Brown and Hembree now based on their performances this year.

Brown has had a disappointing 2013 season. The center fielder currently has a .228 average, 12 home runs, 46 RBI’s, a .286 OBP, and a .384 slugging percentage. He also has 13 stolen bases, but he’s been caught 10 times.

Brown had a promising year in Richmond in 2012 when he hit .279, had a .347 OBP, and had 33 stolen bases. After such a strong year, the Giants have certainly been tracking his progress this year in AAA to see if he should be called up.

However, Brown started off the 2013 season struggling, as he hit .180 in April and .248 in May. After a promising June when he hit .278, Brown has continued to struggle, as he hit .233 in July and .128 in August.

The Giants are in dire need of some help in the outfield and the leadoff spot, but Brown is not the answer, right now at least. He has a low OBP this year, and he hasn’t had success stealing bases.

They could also use his right-handed bat off the bench to hit left-handed pitching, since Jeff Francoeur has not been productive and Joaquin Arias has been injured off and on this season. However, Brown has struggled against left-handed pitchers though, as he’s only hit .247 off them this season. He hasn’t hit right-handed pitchers well either, as he has hit .223 against them this season.

The Giants have also struggled all season with clutch hitting, which hasn’t exactly been a strength of Brown’s this season either. He’s hit only .205 with runners in scoring position so far.

Mar 11, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Heath Hembree (72) pitches during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

As for Heath Hembree, he has had a fairly disappointing season in Fresno also. The right-hander currently has a 4.15 ERA with 26 saves in 47.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 58, but he has allowed 47 hits and given up 15 walks.

Hembree got off to a hot start, as he had a 2.19 ERA and seven saves in 12 games in April. However, he had a dreadful May and June when he had a 5.73 ERA with six saves in 11 games and then a 7.84 ERA with only three saves in nine games. He has bounced back relatively well though. He had a 2.53 ERA in July with seven saves in 11 games, and, so far, he’s had a 0.00 ERA with three saves in four games in August.

Hembree has been an intriguing prospect for the Giants. He’s shown that he’s a promising closer, but he still needs more time to develop. He has a 2.60 ERA against right-handers, but he has a 6.30 ERA against left-handers. He also has a 6.75 ERA with runners in scoring position, which is unacceptable for a closer.

There is a strong possibility that when the rosters expand in September that Brown and Hembree could be called up. However, before then, it doesn’t make much sense for the Giants to rush their development.

They’d much rather stick to the players that rode them to their second World Series title in three years, even if making the playoffs is impossible. The Giants are a loyal organization, and they want this group to finish out this season strong.

San Francisco Giants: Their 3 Biggest Struggles This Season

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Jul 30, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito (75) wipes the sweat off his head during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Giants 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

After winning two World Series titles in three years, the San Francisco Giants have been extremely disappointing this season. They currently have a 50-63 record and are 13 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Although it’s almost impossible that they will make the playoffs, the Giants are always going to believe that they can come back. They have a “never say die” attitude that rode them to a World Series title last season.

However, if they want to even attempt to make a comeback, or at least just finish out the season strong, they will have to be more consistent in several areas of their game. Here are three of those areas:

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San Francisco Giants: Are There Any Distinct Hopes of a Second Half Comeback?

Oct 11, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence (center) huddles with his team prior to the game five of the 2012 NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed as if the San Francisco Giants had the perfect recipe to repeat this season as World Series champions. First of all, they basically have the same roster that they did last season, minus a few players who are injured.

Second, despite the struggles they’ve endured this season, they won six elimination games to stay alive in the playoffs last season, so they’re a resilient team. Because of these facts, you would think the Giants have what it takes to make a miraculous comeback and somehow sneak into the playoffs at the end of the season, just like they did in 2010.

However, that would be an incredible feat, bordering on impossible and closer to extremely unlikely. The Giants have an incredible ability to never give up, but the numbers alone might prevent them from going to the playoffs this season.

First of all, they currently have a 50-61 record and are 12 games back from the Dodgers in the NL West. They’d have to go 31-20 the rest of the season, just to reach .500. However, reaching .500 is rarely good enough to make the playoffs.

The Giants are currently in last place in the NL West. Even though the NL West has been a little disgraceful this season, there is still very little chance the Giants could win the division. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 62-49, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in second at 56-55, the San Diego Padres are 52-60, and the Colorado Rockies are 52-61. The Dodgers, unfortunately, will most likely be representing the NL West in the playoffs.

The Giants would have a rough time making the playoffs though even in a wild card spot. The Atlanta Braves will most likely win the NL East, and there isn’t much competition for a wild card spot there since the second-place team is the Washington Nationals, who have a 54-58 record right now. There are three incredibly talented teams in the NL Central though, so two of them will most likely take the two wild card spots. The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently first with a 67-44 record, the St. Louis Cardinals are second with a 65-46 record, and the Cincinnati Reds are third with a 61-51 record.

Since the starting pitchers are doing well right now, Ryan Vogelsong is coming back soon, the rest of the division isn’t making a strong push to the playoffs (besides the Dodgers), Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig are dealing with injuries, and with this current series against the last-place Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants would’ve had an opportunity to turn this August into a meaningful month.

However, the Giants are still 12 games back, which is a significant amount of games to overcome, even if the NL West is pretty awful. If the Giants had had a good homestand against the Miami Marlins, the New York mets, and the Chicago Cubs, they could’ve had a shot at coming back.

Instead, the Giants went 3-7 and basically eliminated all hope at making a second half comeback. The Giants have failed to meet expectations all season, and they’ve had several chances to at least stay competitive too.

For example, on this last road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Giants went 3-3. Although this doesn’t sound like a poor record, the Giants could’ve easily finished the road trip with a better record. Their starting pitching was excellent and they started getting more offensive contributions from Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford. However, they lost two one-run games to end the trip, so what could have been a quality road trip turned into a disappointment.

The Giants tried to be sellers and trade Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, or Javier Lopez at the trade deadline. They shopped them in order to try to get back a major league-ready starting pitcher in return, which they will need next next season. Even though the Giants didn’t end up trading any of those players, the Giants made a statement to the rest of MLB that they wanted to focus on next year and move on from this season.

Until it becomes mathematically impossible, the Giants are always going to believe that they can come back. This is valid, given their success in last season’s playoffs. Even though it’s unlikely the Giants will make a second half comeback, fans around the Bay Area and the nation have to admire their “never say die” attitude.