Observations From This Weekend
I had the chance to watch pretty much all of Saturday's 14-8 win over the Mariners and today's 5-2 loss to the Angels. Here are some things that stood out to me:
- Both Barry Zito (5.1 IP, 7 ER) and Matt Cain (6 IP, 5 ER) had ugly lines in the box score, but both recovered well from bad first innings, especially Cain, who didn't allow a run in his final five innings. Zito has yet to strike out a batter this spring, but after the first inning he was able to keep the ball down and he got some swings-and-misses against his breaking balls, which is encouraging.
- The Giants seem to have come the realization that Dan Ortmeier, who is hitting .167 in 42 at-bats, is not ready to be an everyday player at the big league level. At the moment it appears Rich Aurilia will get the opening day start. At this point, I don't think the Giants have any choice but to trade for a first baseman, as they lose what little roster depth they had with Aurilia in the lineup.
- Brian Bocock can field like a major leaguer, but he hits like the single-A player he is. Duane Kuiper noted that he probably hasn't seen many pitchers like Erik Bedard and Jered Weaver, and he looked completely overmatched. It won't get much easier in the NL West. It frustrates me that the Giants were willing to give Kevin Frandsen a shot at short but not Eugenio Velez.
- The three top bullpen arms - Brian Wilson, Tyler Walker, and Brad Hennessey - all looked very good in their outings this weekend. I haven't seen Jack Taschner live in action, but his numbers are very good, and he should make the team. I expect the other three spots in the bullpen to go to Vinnie Chulk, Steve Kline, and Merkin Valdez.
- I was impressed with what I saw out of Aaron Rowand. Everyone seems to be anticipating a huge drop-off in his production, but I think he could still put together a very solid season.
- Both Barry Zito (5.1 IP, 7 ER) and Matt Cain (6 IP, 5 ER) had ugly lines in the box score, but both recovered well from bad first innings, especially Cain, who didn't allow a run in his final five innings. Zito has yet to strike out a batter this spring, but after the first inning he was able to keep the ball down and he got some swings-and-misses against his breaking balls, which is encouraging.
- The Giants seem to have come the realization that Dan Ortmeier, who is hitting .167 in 42 at-bats, is not ready to be an everyday player at the big league level. At the moment it appears Rich Aurilia will get the opening day start. At this point, I don't think the Giants have any choice but to trade for a first baseman, as they lose what little roster depth they had with Aurilia in the lineup.
- Brian Bocock can field like a major leaguer, but he hits like the single-A player he is. Duane Kuiper noted that he probably hasn't seen many pitchers like Erik Bedard and Jered Weaver, and he looked completely overmatched. It won't get much easier in the NL West. It frustrates me that the Giants were willing to give Kevin Frandsen a shot at short but not Eugenio Velez.
- The three top bullpen arms - Brian Wilson, Tyler Walker, and Brad Hennessey - all looked very good in their outings this weekend. I haven't seen Jack Taschner live in action, but his numbers are very good, and he should make the team. I expect the other three spots in the bullpen to go to Vinnie Chulk, Steve Kline, and Merkin Valdez.
- I was impressed with what I saw out of Aaron Rowand. Everyone seems to be anticipating a huge drop-off in his production, but I think he could still put together a very solid season.
Labels: Aaron Rowand, Barry Zito, Dan Ortmeier, Matt Cain, Spring Training
posted by Charlie at
5:24 PM
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