WTF?

After the Giants traded Scott Barnes for Ryan Garko, I said I felt a little "meh" about the move. Today, they dealt Tim Alderson to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez, and I have a somewhat stronger opinion. Let me put it this way: the Phillies traded four prospects today for an elite starting pitcher in Cliff Lee. None of those prospects are as good as Tim Alderson, who is worth more than a slightly above average bat. In addition, the Braves did not give up anything this good when they traded for Nate McLouth, who is in my opinion a better player than Sanchez and is under team control for more years.

No disrespect to Sanchez, who will certainly be an upgrade over what the Giants have thrown out there at second base this year. But what the Giants really needed was a guy who could hit for power or a guy who could get on base, and Sanchez does not do either particularly well. His career high in home runs is 11, and he has never walked more than 32 times in a season). I imagine when Brian Sabean looks at Sanchez, he sees a guy with batting title and three All-Star appearances. I see a guy who had a fluke season in 2006 and is lucky that every team needs to be represented in the All-Star Game.

Alderson, a top-50 prospect according to Baseball America, was having a strong season for Double-A Connecticut, going 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA. His strikeout numbers (46 in 72.2 IP) left a little to be desired, but he made up for it with outstanding command (just 14 walks) and an ability to keep the ball on the ground. He profiles as a middle to back of the rotation starter. He would be the top pitching prospect in all but a handful of organizations. I would not be surprised to see him in the Pirates' starting rotation at the beginning of next year.

The Giants have now dealt their second and third best pitching prospects for two hitters that won't push Bengie Molina out of the cleanup spot. Alderson and Barnes could have been good trade chips in a big deal for a hitter like Victor Martinez (after seeing what the Indians got for Lee, I have a hard time believing they would have scoffed at an offer built around those two). It's also hard to imagine the Giants couldn't have come up with a package for Sanchez from this group of players: Henry Sosa, Kevin Pucetas, Clayton Tanner, Conor Gillaspie, Nick Noonan, Ehire Adrianza, Fred Lewis, John Bowker, Jesus Guzman, Merkin Valdez, Osiris Matos, or Kevin Frandsen. I'll feel better if we can steal Josh Willingham or Alex Rios.

Giants Acquire Ryan Garko

After months of speculation about how the Giants would improve their offense, Brian Sabean finally pulled the trigger on a trade, getting first baseman Ryan Garko from the Indians in exchange for minor-league pitcher Scott Barnes. At the moment, I'm a little "meh" on the trade. Garko should improve the offense, but only marginally, or as FanGraphs puts it, by "fractions of a win." If the Giants want to make any real difference, they will have to add another bat, like Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, or Freddy Sanchez.

Not to say that Garko doesn't have some positives. He has a career OPS of .805, which isn't great for a first baseman, but makes him something of a legend on this legend. His .355 career on-base percentage also makes him one our better hitters, and he has about 20-home run power. He hits lefties very well (.906 career OPS), righties less so (.768). Those splits lead to believe that Travis Ishikawa probably still has a place on this team, as an occasional starter against righties as well as a defensive replacement.

The Giants gave up something of value in Scott Barnes. Baseball America ranked Barnes as the ninth best prospect in the Giants' system, and his stock was rising. At San Jose, Barnes was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 98 innings. He's been dominant lately, with a 1.48 ERA over his last eight starts. I think he has a future as at least a back of the rotation starter in the majors. I'm not against the idea of trading Barnes, but I would have preferred more in return than a player best suited to a platoon role. Let's hope Garko proves me wrong.

All-Star Game Sorely Lacking in Panda

Another year, another pretty crummy All-Star Game. Of course, I'll be watching again next year, because a lame baseball game is better than no baseball at all. Some observations:

- Tim Lincecum didn't have quite the Carl Hubbell/Pedro Martinez-type outing we were anticipating, but his two innings at least weren't disastrous. He was clearly very amped up, as he missed consistently up high to the first few hitters. The AL seemed to be jumping on the first good fastball they saw, which may be the best strategy againt Timmy. He also suffered from some poor defense, as David Wright made a bad throw on a potential double play, and then Albert Pujols booted a grounder that allowed the first run to score. Tim's only strikeout came against Roy Halladay, but to be fair, he threw a pretty nasty curveball. Can MLB go ahead and just make the DH permanent in the All-Star Game? All in all, nothing spectacular, but I don't think this is the last time we'll see Timmy on the mound in one of these games.
- Barack Obama's appearance was more enjoyable than most of the game itself. I give him credit for repping his team instead of just doing the politically correct thing. Here's a fun video showing him mingling with the players before the game. I'd like to see the conversation between him and Lincecum. In another nice story, Willie Mays accompanied the POTUS on Air Force One. The "All Stars Among Us" tribute was a nice touch as well. They should do that every year.
- As for the game itself, they really wasn't a whole lot that stood out. Among the pitchers, I was most impressed by Zack Greinke, who strucked out two in a perfect inning. Carl Crawford, who took a home run away from Brad Hawpe, was probably the most deserving MVP candidate, as no one really stood out on offense.
- I have a feeling Pablo Sandoval would have done something great in this game. But I'll settle for him sticking it to the Phillies in the NLDS.

Video: Jonathan Sanchez No-Hitter (all 27 outs in 3:49)

Did We Miss Anything?

I've been at a loss for words for the last several hours. Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter tonight has joined the ranks of Brian Johnson's walkoff against the Dodgers in 1997, Kenny Lofton's NLCS-winning hit in 2002, and Barry Bonds's 756th home run in 2007 in my list of favorite all-time Giants' memories. I'm not usually one for sentimentality, but the stories in this case are impossible to ignore. Some observations:

- Jonathan Sanchez lost his spot in the rotation, primarily because he couldn't throw strikes. He stepped back into the rotation for an injured Randy Johnson, having never even thrown a complete game at any professional level. He struck out a career-high eleven and perhaps most impressively, did not walk a batter. He became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter with no walks since...Randy Johnson. Sanchez's father flew in from Puerto Rico to watch his son start for the first time, which made for a beautiful moment in the dugout after the game.

- Give Juan Uribe a break. His error doesn't diminish Sanchez's start in any way. In fact, when you think about it, it makes his feat more impressive. Sanchez had to face 28 hitters, and he was in a position to get all of them out.

- Don't forget Eli Whiteside. Like Sanchez, he wasn't supposed to be here either. Bengie Molina, a countryman of Sanchez's, legitimately had somewhere better to be, as his wife is scheduled to give birth very soon.

- If not for other developments, we may well have been talking about Pablo Sandoval's monstrous home run. Duane Kuiper said in the post-game wrap that even Bonds didn't go there very often. Let's hope he hits a few more like that when the Phillies come to town.

- Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter has already been described as "unlikely," and it was, partly because of the circumstances and partly because no-hitters always are. But to lump Sanchez in with the likes of Bud Smith, Jose Jimenez, and Eric Milton would be wrong. Anyone who's seen the guy at his best should have known that he had a start like this in him. But regardless of what happens the rest of this season, and the rest of his career, Jonathan Sanchez, and all of us, will always have this night. So let's savor it for now.

They Might Be Giants: June 15

Position Player: Thomas Neal, OF
Age: 21
Level: High-A, San Jose
BA Ranking: 23
Week Stats: .417/.481/.792, 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB
Season Stats: .346/.426/.626, 47 R, 19 2B, 2 3B, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 24 BB

Neal, a 37th round pick in 2005, has made a Sandoval-esque jump this season, going from merely a solid minor leaguer to a legitimate prospect. He has out-shined more highly touted prospects in San Jose, and was one of three players from that lineup named to the California League All-Star team, along with catcher Buster Posey and outfielder Roger Kieschnick. He seems to have no problem handling Single-A pitching, so a jump to Double-A could be in his future.

Pitcher: Clayton Tanner
Age: 21
Level: High-A, San Jose
BA Ranking: 20
Week Stats: 1-0, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO
Season Stats: 5-1, 51.2 IP, 45 H, 18 BB, 49 SO, 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Tanner, a third round selection in 2006, is repeating at San Jose, where he put up respectable numbers last year. He's been better this year, and his start against Modesto this week was arguably his best of the season. In a season-best seven innings, he walked none and struck out a career-high thirteen. Tanner is one of those second-tier Giants' pitching prospects, but could raise his profile if he keeps pitching like this.

The Sports Illustrated cover was ok...

... but this is where it's at.
[Via Extra Baggs]

Giants Select Zack Wheeler

As many expected, the Giants went with a high school pitcher, selecting right-hander Zack Wheeler with the sixth overall pick. A lot of experts had the Giants taking lefty Tyler Matzek, but in the end it looks like Brian Sabean went with the slightly more signable pitcher. That's not to say that Wheeler was a reach, as he is certainly a top ten talent. The organization obviously needs position players, but this is a pitching-heavy draft, and there just weren't any impact hitters available at our draft position. Wheeler becomes the second or third best pitching prospect in the organization, behind Madison Bumgarner and possibly ahead of Tim Alderson. Congratulations Zach, and welcome to the Giants.

They Might Be Giants: June 8

Position Player: Buster Posey, C
Age: 22
Level: High-A, San Jose
BA Ranking: 2 (14 in MLB)
Week Stats: .381/.581/.619, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SB
Season Stats: .307/.403/.512, 36 R, 15 2B, 9 HR, 41 RBI, 27 BB, 5 SB

On the day before the 2009 draft, it's appropriate that we look back at last year's first round selection, who has done nothing but impress. The highlight of Posey's week was a walk-off home run against Bakersfield on June 5. But what has impressed me most about Posey so far is that he possesses something that is sorely lacking in the Giants' system: plate discipline. He seems to have a very good idea of the strike zone, as his .403 OBP is tenth in the California League. I haven't been able to judge what kind of catcher he is, but the bat is for real. The speculation is that he will skip Double-A and head straight to Fresno.

Pitcher: Henry Sosa
Age: 23
Level: Double-A, Connecticut
BA Ranking: 13
Week Stats: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR
Season Stats: 4-0, 51.0 IP, 41 H, 17 BB, 34 SO, 4 HR, 2.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP

Sosa, once ranked as highly as fifth overall in the Giants' system by Baseball America, has had trouble putting together a full, healthy season, despite flashes of dominance. So far, so good in 2009, and despite getting a no-decision, the right-hander had possibly his best start of the year against New Britain this week. He allowed a season-high four walks, but made up for it by allowing just one hit and striking out seven, both season-bests. Sosa, who is on the 40-man roster, could be due for a September callup, and is a dark horse for a roster spot in 2010.

Randy Johnson Memories

Randy Johnson achieved career wins 296-300 in a Giants uniform, and we're proud he decided to share them with us. With Johnson's tenure with the Giants has been a short one, he is one opposing player we have enjoyed watching over the years. Here are a few Johnson moments that stand out in my mind.

• My first memory of Randy Johnson is during the 1993 All Star game when a fastball slipped from the Unit's fingers and flew over the head of John Kruk. Kruk had a new sense of fear when stepping back into the batter's box and proceeded to strike out swinging. In 1997, Johnson faced Larry Walker in the midsummer classic - a hitter who famously sat out on days he was to face Johnson. Showing that he has a sense of humor beneath that stern exterior, Johnson let one go over Walker's head, as well.
• Two Johnson moments that stand out for me both occurred in the playoffs and in relief. Johnson pitched three innings in relief on one days rest in game five of the 1995 division series against the Yankees. While he did allow a run in the top of the 11th, the Mariners scored two in the bottom half on a dramatic Edgar Martinez single. Johnson relieved Curt Schilling on zero days rest in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. He pitched the final 1 1/3 emerging the winning pitcher and sharing a co-MVP with Schilling. Said Schilling, "That relief appearance is everything you ever need to know about Randy Johnson."
• When the Mariners visited Candlestick in 1997, the inagural season of interleague play, Johnson looked as though he'd never swung a bat in his life. He still looks a bit like that, though I did once see him launch a hit to the centerfield wall at the 'Stick as a member of the Diamondbacks.
  

Video: Randy Johnson's Postgame Press Conference

Let's Play Two: Doubleheader History and Facts

"Let's play two!" was a catchphrase coined by Cubs great Ernie Banks, and if Banks had his wish, he'd have been able to play a double-header everyday. Once scheduled prior to the season, double-headers are rare now except in instances of making up games that had been postponed. After yesterday's rain-out, the Giants and Nationals have a double-header scheduled for today, beginning at 1:35, with Randy Johnson on the hill going for win number 300.

I was strolling on the internet and collected some fun facts and feats from the history of double-headers:

-10 pitchers have accomplished the feat of two complete game victories and the same day. Such a feat has not been accomplished since 1926. [via Baseball Almanac]
-Not an actual double-header, but on July 2, 1933, New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell went the full 18-innings for a win over the Cardinals. [via Sporting News]
-There have three tripleheaders in baseball history, though none since 1920 as tripleheaders are not allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement. [via Wikipedia]
-On September 25, 2000, the Cleveland Indians hosted a doubleheader against two different teams. [via Wikipedia]
-Mark Whiten holds the record for most RBIs in a double header with 13. On September 20, 1993, Whiten drove in one run of the first game, and then proceeded to hit 4 homers and drive in 12 in the second. [via Sports Illustrated]