The Fresno Grizzlies' website has confirmed that Buster Posey, a former top pick of the San Francisco Giants, has been promoted to join the team, skipping AA Connecticut.
The Fresno Bee is reporting that Posey will be with the team when they begin a road trip in Colorado Springs on Thursday.
In his first year at A-level San Jose, Posey hit .326, with twenty-three doubles and thirteen home runs.
Buster was ranked the number two prospect in the San Francisco organization by Baseball America, and the nineteenth overall prospect in the minors by MLB.com.
Posey joins Steve Holm and Nestor Rojas on Grizzlies roster. and it is unknown whether he will start immediately.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A.L. All-Star Lineup Features Few All-Time Greats, But Is Still Dangerous
Considering that the franchise has the most players in the Hall-of-Famers, it is no surprise that numerous Giants have been involved in the All-Star game over the years. In 1965, Juan Marichal and Willie Mays stole the show in a game that featured fifteen other future Hall-of-Famers.
Tim Lincecum won't face a lineup of Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, Al Kaline, Micky Mantle, and Carl Yastremski. Then again, the 2009 National League team doesn't feature Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Pete Rose, Ernie Banks, Wille Stargell, and Billy Williams, either. And Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and Don Drysdale aren't competing for Lincecum's starting spot.
Still, there are plenty of potential pitfalls in the 2009 A.L. Lineup. Many of the starters are great contact hitters, and two have averages over .350. And there is plenty of power in the middle of order.
Lincecum will likely only face the following starters (note Evan Longoria has withdrawn from the game and will be replaced by Chone Figgins. Michael Young will start for Longoria):
Ichiro Suzuki
2009 first-half stats: .362, 6 Home Runs, .393 On-Base Percentage
As usual, Ichiro's unique batting style has produced a very average, and his speed has allowed him to continue racking up extra-base hits and steals. He recently slumped to a 6-of-34 line in series against Baltimore and Boston, but hit .439 in June and .417 in May.
Ichiro rebounded in his last series before the Break, tallying eight hits (including two doubles) and two RBI against Texas. His averages against left and right-handed pitchers are nearly identical, although his slugging and OPS are a slightly higher against lefties.
Suzuki has never faced Lincecum, but hit a home run in the 2007 All-Star game.
Derek Jeter:
2009 first-half stats: .321, 10 HR, .396 OBP
Jeter is hitting .400 in July, and is on pace to hit roughly twenty home runs, his highest output in five years.
Jeter owns a career .474 batting average in the All-Star game, including two three-for-three efforts and a home run.
Derek has never played against Lincecum, but is batting only .276 against right-handers.
Joe Mauer
2009 first-half stats: .373, 15 HR, .447 OBP
Mauer is having an incredible year, setting a career-high in home runs half-way through the season. Although his monthly averages have dropped as the first-half progressed, Joe could be one of the toughest outs for Lincecum, who he has never faced.
Joe hits nearly fifty points higher against right-handed pitching (.391), but has only one hit in his last twelve at-bats overall.
Mauer is one-for-three in All-Star games.
Mark Teixeira
2009 first-half stats: .275, 21 HR, 63 RBI
Teixeira's contract was debatable, but he produced to the tone of twenty-one home runs at the Break. After a streaky first two months as a Yankee, Mark settled down. His July average matches his overall average. Although Mauer has definitly shown power this year, Teixeira is the first true "masher" in the A.L.'s lineup, appropriately batting clean-up.
Teixeira, who played in Atlanta, faced Lincecum in one game in 2007. He collect an RBI on a fielder's choice, then struck out. Mark bats only .257 against right-handed batters, although sixteen of his home runs have come off them.
Jason Bay
2009 first-half stats: .260, 20 HR, 72 RBI
After raising his average over .300 in April, Bay's average has consistently declined to within .010 of his career-low. However, his twenty home runs are on pace for a career-high, and his average with runners in scoring position is over seventy points higher. Bay hits .255 against right-handers.
Bay, a former Pirate, has three career plate appearances against Lincecum. Jason, who is susceptible to the strikeout, K'd twice while also reaching on a single.
Bay is also one-for-three with a strikeout in the All-Star game.
Josh Hamilton
2009 first-half stats: .243, 6 HR, 24 RBI
Hamilton was selected to the All-Star game despite an injury-filled and sub-par first-half.
He is batting .236 vs. righties, but showed last year that he can hit them, as evidenced by a .313 average and twenty-four homers.
Hamilton went one-for-three with a strikeout and a stolen base in last year's All-Star game, after hitting dozens of home runs in the Derby. He has never batted against Lincecum.
Michael Young (replacing Evan Longoria - see top)
2009 first-half stats: .308, 11 HR, .852 OPS
Young is near or at career-highs in OBP, OPS, and slugging. Although he averaging under .250 in his last seven games, his average against right-handers in over .300, also a career-high.
Michael is three-for-nine with a double, a triple and three RBI in previous All-Star appearances.
Despite recording twelve at-bats in the inter-league series this year against the Giants, Young has never been in the box against Lincecum.
Aaron Hill
2009 first-half stats: .292, 20 HR, 60 RBI
When Vernon Wells has been a disappointment in Toronto, Hill has been an extremely pleasant surprise, with carrer-highs in almost every category.
Aaron is more effective against lefties, but still hits a respectable .285 against right-handers.
Hill is the only A.L. starter to have drawn a walk against Lincecum, and struck in his only other at-bat against him in 2007. Aaron is hitting only .204 in July, and has gone hit-less in half of his games this month. Of his ten July hits, however, four have been for extra bases.
Roy Halladay
Halladay might be a great pitcher, but as a career American-Leaguer, his batting is awful.
Roy has never had an All-Star at-bat, and has never faced Lincecum. In a strange coincidence, two out of Halladay's three career hits came in a single game against former Giant Jason Schmidt.
Halladay struck out in his only at-bat this year.
The All-Star Game has not always been kind to Giants. In 1983, Atlee Hammaker gave up the only grand slam in Mid-Summer Classic history. And even if Lincecum pitches well, he will throw only two innings, limiting the potential for a decision. But if Albert Pujols and company can produce a run or two in the first or second inning, Tim could very well be the winning pitcher in a game that breaks the American League's twelve-game unbeaten streak.
Tim Lincecum won't face a lineup of Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, Al Kaline, Micky Mantle, and Carl Yastremski. Then again, the 2009 National League team doesn't feature Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Pete Rose, Ernie Banks, Wille Stargell, and Billy Williams, either. And Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and Don Drysdale aren't competing for Lincecum's starting spot.
Still, there are plenty of potential pitfalls in the 2009 A.L. Lineup. Many of the starters are great contact hitters, and two have averages over .350. And there is plenty of power in the middle of order.
Lincecum will likely only face the following starters (note Evan Longoria has withdrawn from the game and will be replaced by Chone Figgins. Michael Young will start for Longoria):
Ichiro Suzuki
2009 first-half stats: .362, 6 Home Runs, .393 On-Base Percentage
As usual, Ichiro's unique batting style has produced a very average, and his speed has allowed him to continue racking up extra-base hits and steals. He recently slumped to a 6-of-34 line in series against Baltimore and Boston, but hit .439 in June and .417 in May.
Ichiro rebounded in his last series before the Break, tallying eight hits (including two doubles) and two RBI against Texas. His averages against left and right-handed pitchers are nearly identical, although his slugging and OPS are a slightly higher against lefties.
Suzuki has never faced Lincecum, but hit a home run in the 2007 All-Star game.
Derek Jeter:
2009 first-half stats: .321, 10 HR, .396 OBP
Jeter is hitting .400 in July, and is on pace to hit roughly twenty home runs, his highest output in five years.
Jeter owns a career .474 batting average in the All-Star game, including two three-for-three efforts and a home run.
Derek has never played against Lincecum, but is batting only .276 against right-handers.
Joe Mauer
2009 first-half stats: .373, 15 HR, .447 OBP
Mauer is having an incredible year, setting a career-high in home runs half-way through the season. Although his monthly averages have dropped as the first-half progressed, Joe could be one of the toughest outs for Lincecum, who he has never faced.
Joe hits nearly fifty points higher against right-handed pitching (.391), but has only one hit in his last twelve at-bats overall.
Mauer is one-for-three in All-Star games.
Mark Teixeira
2009 first-half stats: .275, 21 HR, 63 RBI
Teixeira's contract was debatable, but he produced to the tone of twenty-one home runs at the Break. After a streaky first two months as a Yankee, Mark settled down. His July average matches his overall average. Although Mauer has definitly shown power this year, Teixeira is the first true "masher" in the A.L.'s lineup, appropriately batting clean-up.
Teixeira, who played in Atlanta, faced Lincecum in one game in 2007. He collect an RBI on a fielder's choice, then struck out. Mark bats only .257 against right-handed batters, although sixteen of his home runs have come off them.
Jason Bay
2009 first-half stats: .260, 20 HR, 72 RBI
After raising his average over .300 in April, Bay's average has consistently declined to within .010 of his career-low. However, his twenty home runs are on pace for a career-high, and his average with runners in scoring position is over seventy points higher. Bay hits .255 against right-handers.
Bay, a former Pirate, has three career plate appearances against Lincecum. Jason, who is susceptible to the strikeout, K'd twice while also reaching on a single.
Bay is also one-for-three with a strikeout in the All-Star game.
Josh Hamilton
2009 first-half stats: .243, 6 HR, 24 RBI
Hamilton was selected to the All-Star game despite an injury-filled and sub-par first-half.
He is batting .236 vs. righties, but showed last year that he can hit them, as evidenced by a .313 average and twenty-four homers.
Hamilton went one-for-three with a strikeout and a stolen base in last year's All-Star game, after hitting dozens of home runs in the Derby. He has never batted against Lincecum.
Michael Young (replacing Evan Longoria - see top)
2009 first-half stats: .308, 11 HR, .852 OPS
Young is near or at career-highs in OBP, OPS, and slugging. Although he averaging under .250 in his last seven games, his average against right-handers in over .300, also a career-high.
Michael is three-for-nine with a double, a triple and three RBI in previous All-Star appearances.
Despite recording twelve at-bats in the inter-league series this year against the Giants, Young has never been in the box against Lincecum.
Aaron Hill
2009 first-half stats: .292, 20 HR, 60 RBI
When Vernon Wells has been a disappointment in Toronto, Hill has been an extremely pleasant surprise, with carrer-highs in almost every category.
Aaron is more effective against lefties, but still hits a respectable .285 against right-handers.
Hill is the only A.L. starter to have drawn a walk against Lincecum, and struck in his only other at-bat against him in 2007. Aaron is hitting only .204 in July, and has gone hit-less in half of his games this month. Of his ten July hits, however, four have been for extra bases.
Roy Halladay
Halladay might be a great pitcher, but as a career American-Leaguer, his batting is awful.
Roy has never had an All-Star at-bat, and has never faced Lincecum. In a strange coincidence, two out of Halladay's three career hits came in a single game against former Giant Jason Schmidt.
Halladay struck out in his only at-bat this year.
The All-Star Game has not always been kind to Giants. In 1983, Atlee Hammaker gave up the only grand slam in Mid-Summer Classic history. And even if Lincecum pitches well, he will throw only two innings, limiting the potential for a decision. But if Albert Pujols and company can produce a run or two in the first or second inning, Tim could very well be the winning pitcher in a game that breaks the American League's twelve-game unbeaten streak.
Monday, July 13, 2009
All-Star Tim Lincecum Will Start For The National League; Matt Cain Out
Tim Lincecum, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, will be the N.L.'s starter in tomorrow's All-Star game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lincecum, who withdrew from last year's game due to illness, will attempt to win a game for the National League for the first time since John Smoltz led a 6-0 shutout in 1996.
Tim will face an American League lineup of Ichiro, Jeter, Mauer, Teixeira, Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Blue Jays second-baseman Aaron Hill. A.L. starter Roy Halladay (who says his probability of being traded is "50-50") will bat ninth, since the game will be played in St. Louis, a National League park.
Backing Lincecum is a Philly-heavy lineup that includes Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley, Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun, Raul Ibanez, David Wright, and Shane Victorino (who beat out Pablo Sandoval in the final vote).
Just as he does in almost every start for the Giants, Lincecum will be throwing to a Molina. On Tuesday, however, it will be Bengie's younger brother Yadier behind the plate.
Matt Cain, the Giants' only other representative at the game, will not be on the team, but says his elbow is "good, just sore" after being hit by a line drive.
Lincecum, who withdrew from last year's game due to illness, will attempt to win a game for the National League for the first time since John Smoltz led a 6-0 shutout in 1996.
Tim will face an American League lineup of Ichiro, Jeter, Mauer, Teixeira, Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Blue Jays second-baseman Aaron Hill. A.L. starter Roy Halladay (who says his probability of being traded is "50-50") will bat ninth, since the game will be played in St. Louis, a National League park.
Backing Lincecum is a Philly-heavy lineup that includes Hanley Ramirez, Chase Utley, Albert Pujols, Ryan Braun, Raul Ibanez, David Wright, and Shane Victorino (who beat out Pablo Sandoval in the final vote).
Just as he does in almost every start for the Giants, Lincecum will be throwing to a Molina. On Tuesday, however, it will be Bengie's younger brother Yadier behind the plate.
Matt Cain, the Giants' only other representative at the game, will not be on the team, but says his elbow is "good, just sore" after being hit by a line drive.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Jonathan Sanchez's Gem: When Is Perfection Not A Perfect Game?
In a first half of mostly pleasant surprises for Giants fans, Jonathan Sanchez's no-hitter is by far the best story. Sanchez's struggles and demotion were all forgotten for nine magical innings, made much more special for Jonathan by the presence of his father, who joined his son in the dugout after the game against the San Diego Padres.
Sanchez was overpowering, striking out eleven batters while becoming the first Giant to throw a no-hitter since John Montefusco in 1976. Sanchez did make a mistake to Edgar Gonzalez, who hit a ball to the warning track with one out in the ninth. But Aaron Rowand's leaping grab against the wall preserved not only the no-hitter, but potentially the shutout as well, since Gonzalez would have been in scoring position with one out (the at-bat occurs in the video at about 1:30).
But the most compelling aspect of the game was not the presence of Sanchez's father, nor the fact that Eli Whiteside (a backup considered to be a placeholder until Buster Posey is ready) caught the game. Sanchez not only allowed no hits but also walked none, bringing him tantalizingly close to the eighteenth perfect game in baseball history.
The irony of Sanchez's feat wasn't only that he wasn't supposed to start, it was that he started in place of the injured Randy Johnson. Johnson's hall-of-fame career includes over 300 wins, as witnessed earlier this season, but also two no-hitters. Even more coincidentally, Johnson remains the last hurler to throw a perfect game.
According to the MLB rules, "An official perfect game occurs when a pitcher (or pitchers) retires each batter on the opposing team during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings. In a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game. "
Juan Uribe's error on a sharply-hit ground ball in the eighth inning officially spoiled Sanchez's bid for an official perfect game. Sanchez is just the eighth pitcher to have a perfect game spoiled by one or more errors. However, in one of those games, Dick Bosman's no-hitter in 1974, the pitcher himself committed the error.
Either way, Sanchez is in elite company, even among those pitches who have no-hit their opponents. Even Nolan Ryan, whose dominance led to seven no-hitters, never came this close to perfection.
Should a pitcher be held accountable for mistakes his team-mates make? If a pitcher exits the game with two outs and a runner on first in a scoreless game and the closer serves up an RBI double on the next pitch, the run is charged to the pitcher in the dugout. And a boneheaded fielding play in foul territory that allows an inning to continue doesn't entitle the pitcher to an unearned run.
Part of the beauty of baseball is the unpredictable nature of the sport that goes beyond the box score. The best hitters in the history of the game still only got a hit roughly forty-percent of the time, and traditionally poor hitters can become legends with one postseason hit. Most non-Cubs fans probably remember the Bartman incident more than the meltdown that followed, even though there was no guarantee at the time that the foul ball would have any impact.
Everything has to go right for a perfect game bid to succeed, including defense. Most perfect and near-perfect games have included a lucky grab or two. And while the play that ended Sanchez's bid for a perfect game will no doubt stay in the minds of Giants fans for a while, in five years, the defensive play that defines the game will be Rowand's.
Baseball has a long tradition of changing long-held traditions. Ground-rule doubles used be home runs. The pitchers mound has been lowered. In 1887, a full count was 4-3 and walks were counted as hits. Minimum park dimensions were not established until 1959.
The definition of the perfect game has changed throughout the years, but it has only become more strict. For example, in 1991, MLB ruled that any pitcher who was flawless through nine innings but allowed a base-runner in extra innings should no longer be given credit for a perfect game.
The perfect game implies complete perfection from the pitcher as well as his defensive teammates. It should remain as the ultimate symbol of baseball excellence.
Is Sanchez's feat much more impressive than a nine-walk no-hitter? No doubt. Should he be credited with a perfect game? No.
But even though Sanchez's start won't join the highest circle of pitching accomplishments, Giants fans will remember how close he came, and just how impressively he pitched. No matter what happens this season or in the future, Jonathan Sanchez has given himself and baseball fans a career-defining moment to look back on.
Sanchez was overpowering, striking out eleven batters while becoming the first Giant to throw a no-hitter since John Montefusco in 1976. Sanchez did make a mistake to Edgar Gonzalez, who hit a ball to the warning track with one out in the ninth. But Aaron Rowand's leaping grab against the wall preserved not only the no-hitter, but potentially the shutout as well, since Gonzalez would have been in scoring position with one out (the at-bat occurs in the video at about 1:30).
But the most compelling aspect of the game was not the presence of Sanchez's father, nor the fact that Eli Whiteside (a backup considered to be a placeholder until Buster Posey is ready) caught the game. Sanchez not only allowed no hits but also walked none, bringing him tantalizingly close to the eighteenth perfect game in baseball history.
The irony of Sanchez's feat wasn't only that he wasn't supposed to start, it was that he started in place of the injured Randy Johnson. Johnson's hall-of-fame career includes over 300 wins, as witnessed earlier this season, but also two no-hitters. Even more coincidentally, Johnson remains the last hurler to throw a perfect game.
According to the MLB rules, "An official perfect game occurs when a pitcher (or pitchers) retires each batter on the opposing team during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings. In a perfect game, no batter reaches any base during the course of the game. "
Juan Uribe's error on a sharply-hit ground ball in the eighth inning officially spoiled Sanchez's bid for an official perfect game. Sanchez is just the eighth pitcher to have a perfect game spoiled by one or more errors. However, in one of those games, Dick Bosman's no-hitter in 1974, the pitcher himself committed the error.
Either way, Sanchez is in elite company, even among those pitches who have no-hit their opponents. Even Nolan Ryan, whose dominance led to seven no-hitters, never came this close to perfection.
Should a pitcher be held accountable for mistakes his team-mates make? If a pitcher exits the game with two outs and a runner on first in a scoreless game and the closer serves up an RBI double on the next pitch, the run is charged to the pitcher in the dugout. And a boneheaded fielding play in foul territory that allows an inning to continue doesn't entitle the pitcher to an unearned run.
Part of the beauty of baseball is the unpredictable nature of the sport that goes beyond the box score. The best hitters in the history of the game still only got a hit roughly forty-percent of the time, and traditionally poor hitters can become legends with one postseason hit. Most non-Cubs fans probably remember the Bartman incident more than the meltdown that followed, even though there was no guarantee at the time that the foul ball would have any impact.
Everything has to go right for a perfect game bid to succeed, including defense. Most perfect and near-perfect games have included a lucky grab or two. And while the play that ended Sanchez's bid for a perfect game will no doubt stay in the minds of Giants fans for a while, in five years, the defensive play that defines the game will be Rowand's.
Baseball has a long tradition of changing long-held traditions. Ground-rule doubles used be home runs. The pitchers mound has been lowered. In 1887, a full count was 4-3 and walks were counted as hits. Minimum park dimensions were not established until 1959.
The definition of the perfect game has changed throughout the years, but it has only become more strict. For example, in 1991, MLB ruled that any pitcher who was flawless through nine innings but allowed a base-runner in extra innings should no longer be given credit for a perfect game.
The perfect game implies complete perfection from the pitcher as well as his defensive teammates. It should remain as the ultimate symbol of baseball excellence.
Is Sanchez's feat much more impressive than a nine-walk no-hitter? No doubt. Should he be credited with a perfect game? No.
But even though Sanchez's start won't join the highest circle of pitching accomplishments, Giants fans will remember how close he came, and just how impressively he pitched. No matter what happens this season or in the future, Jonathan Sanchez has given himself and baseball fans a career-defining moment to look back on.
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