All the reports are saying the Giants are looking for a 3rd or 5th hitter while the Kung-Fu Panda will hit cleanup. It looks like they are looking at Nick Johnson, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa and Dan Uggla (who would need to be acquired via trade) among others. I think Beltre is the best fit. He will improve the Giants' infield defense quite a bit as he is a perennial gold glove candidate and he could have a pretty good offensive season. He has always had thunder in his bat. He is coming off of a season where he had a shoulder injury that was successfully repaired as well as a freak injury (he tore his testicle in August). His injuries coincide with an abysmal offensive performance. The recent injury plagued season, as well as the lack of teams looking for an option at 3B, should make him a little more affordable.
Other stuff: Safeco has one of the biggest outfields of all Major League parks and particularly devastates right-handed power hitters (*). It is a terrible HR hitting park and a bad run scoring park in every way. Lastly, despite the large deal he fell into after having a breakout walk-season as a young Dodger, he is often condsidered an underrated player. His overrated status was due largely to the contract he received from Seattle. Adrian is still just 29 years old which makes him still within the prime years of most position players.
(*) - Beltre doesn't enjoy Safeco.
Year (OBP, SLG, OPS) HR
____________________
Home: 2007 (.319, .426, .745) 11
Away: 2007 (.320, .538, .858) 15
Home: 2008 ( .303, .400, .703) 10
Away: 2008 (.349, .512, .861) 15
Downside: I see two major drawbacks (or warts as Sabean would say). 1) He is coming off an injury plagued season and thus there is a risk of injury. 2) He deos accumulate quite a few strikeouts and has a track record as a free swinger. Seeing yet another player flail at down and away sliders (Rowand anyone?) might make Giants fans cringe.
I'll take any power we can get. Going from double B to the whifle ballers we have now is like being married to Marissa Miller for years, folwed by a messy divorce where she takes your dog, your car, and your baseball card collection then you drink Jagermeister and Sailor Jerry for a week, finally waking up in a drunken stupor with your arm half asleep because a naked Rosie O'Donnel is laying on top of it in your bed.
ReplyDeleteI want some dsmn hitters! Somebody that can drive in some runs. Somebody that will get on base consistently. I've been waiting for some offense the last few years. We haven't had any since Bonds left. Oh yea I don't think the Giants want his named mentioned. He was good enough to sell tickets for 14 years though. Kind of crappy the way they cast him off like a red headed stepchild. That's a whole other subject though. So lets get back to hitting. Who is it going to be? Is Sabean going to go out and get us another dud like Garcko? Or another lame horse like Sanchez? I think he needs to stop digging through the junk heap and spend the money for a true talent. I don't think he should give up the talent that we already have. If the Giants don't do this soon, then maybe they don't deserve my support. That's saying alot because I'm a lifelong Giants fan, since 1970. That's right going back to the days of Mays and McCovey and Marichal. I've seen some pretty dismall teams in the last 40 years. I hope I get to see a World Series Winner before I leave this world. We'll see...........
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