The San Francisco Giants have plenty to be excited about. Tim Lincecum has made those Sandy Koufax comparisons seem reasonable, winning the Cy Young at the age of 25. Workhorse Matt Cain, also 25, just capped his 4th year of 190 innings or more with a career low 2.89 ERA. 27 year old lefty, Jonathan Sanchez, showed progress and maturity last year while posting 9.75 K/9. And 20 year old phenom, Madison Bumgarner, dominated in every stop in the minors giving himself the lead in the race for the 5th starter going into March. So why are so many Giants fans still concerned?
How much has Barry Zito's contract hurt?
Their offense was just plain awful in 2009. Giants hitters swung at more balls (31%), more strikes (71.1%) and more pitches (50.4%) than any other team. They made contact (78.1%) less than all but 3 teams. Not unsurprising, they walked (6.5%) less than any other team leading to the lowest OBP (.309) in the league. But even when they made contact, it didn’t go anywhere. San Francisco had the second to lowest Isolated Power (.132) in the majors combining with that inability to get on base to produce the lowest OPS (.699).
Granted they have a huge park, but you would think with the new 2-year contract given to GM Brian Sabean along with the financial troubles of the Padres and Dodgers that the team by the Bay would have gone out and signed some power. Let’s look at their offseason transactions.
1) Mark DeRosa - He’s versatile, or at least he has been used in many ways. In the last three years he has played every position except centerfield and catcher. As a hitter, he takes over for weak hitting Left Fielder Fred Lewis, who maxed out his power with his 9 HR, .158 ISO line of 2008. DeRosa’s got 20 HR pop and has shown surprising power in past seasons (an ISO of .196, .196, and .183 in 2005, 2008, and 2009). But compared to Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, this offseason’s top free agent Left Fielders, he may as well be Fred Lewis. Was 2 years and $12 million all Sabean was willing to give when his team finished last in nearly every offensive category?
2) Aubrey Huff - No longer versatile, Huff hasn’t played 3B since 2007, OF since 2006, and the Giants don’t have the option of DH. Fortunately, however, he takes over 1B from offensively anemic Travis Ishikawa. 26-year-old Ishikawa was an incompetent 1B, swinging mostly at strikes but only making contact 72.3% of the time. More importantly, he only produced a .261 average and a .715 OPS on 21 extra-base hits in 120 games. But when looking for a replacement, Sabean again went bargain shopping signing Huff to a 1-year $3 million contract. The 33-year old split 2009 between 2 hitter friendly parts in Baltimore and Detroit, but only managed to bat .241 and a .694 OPS. So he only cost $3 million, but is this supposed to be a sign that Sabean is committed to winning?
3) Bengie Molina & Freddy Sanchez - both spent part or all of 2009 with the club. But Sabean decided to pony up 1 yr/$4.5 million and 2 yrs/$12 million, respectively, for the pair. Molina’s a catcher with power, a rarity for sure. But they’ve got super-prospect Buster Posey waiting in the wings, so this move can’t be viewed as a commitment to remaking the offense. Sanchez has always had a knack for getting on base but shouldn’t be viewed as a power threat by any means. He’s 32, just had shoulder surgery, and may not be ready by Opening Day. Good thing Sabean also signed the mediocre bat of Juan Uribe to back him up.
This is not to say that San Francisco won’t make the playoffs or is in bad shape. But when your team is last in everything offensive and you’ve just given your General Manager a contract extension, these moves make you wonder what the motivation is. Maybe that Barry Zito contract really has their hands tied.
It is no secret. From ‘61 to ‘66, Koufax flat out dominated hitters. Ask them and they’ll tell you. Pirate legend, Willie Stargell, said, “Trying to hit him was like trying to drink coffee with a fork.” Bob Uecker even claims an intentional walk from Koufax as one of two career highlights. Over those six years, the southpaw averaged an ERA of 2.19 along with 22 wins and 286 strikeouts, throwing in two World Series MVP awards for good measure. But his place in all-time career totals is far less impressive. A career shortened by injuries left him ranked 38th all time with 2,396 Strikeouts and 195th all-time with 164 Wins.
