Links Ed. #4

Every week, I gather links to interesting baseball-related articles, photos, videos, graphs, etc. Enjoy...

• "With a team like San Francisco, you don't say no." Miguel Tejada's press conference.
• Rest in peace Ron Santo. 
• Larry Granillo of Wezen-Ball.com has developed the Descriptive Hall of Fame Ballot.
• This one's hilarious -- CSI One-Liners: Baseball Style
• Another funny one -- what Derek Jeter's teammates have been texting him.

If you know/have an interesting baseball-or-Giants-related link, by all means tell us about it. 

Giants Sign Miguel Tejada for $6.5MM

The Giants just agreed to sign Miguel Tejada to a 1yr/$6.5MM contract. I am not even joking...

Yesterday, I defended Tejada as an option in an argument with a friend. I'll admit it. I cited three reasons as to why:

• Durable (he's averaged 158 games each season since 1999). Yes, he's going into his age-37 season. But I figured that wouldn't matter, given his durability in the past. 
• Due for a resurgence (his 2010 season seems to me like an outlier, and he could likely hit more like the player he was in 2009) 
• Cheap. I figured he'd be a last-minute option, and the Giants could get him for $3MM. After all, he was signed to a one-year $6MM deal in 2010, and performed worse than he ever has. I figured he'd receive quite a pay decrease. Man, was I wrong. 

Brian Sabean panicked. He saw the Cardinals acquire Ryan Theriot. He knew that he couldn't get Stephen Drew nor Jose Reyes. He knew Derek Jeter was not a legitimate possibility. Most importantly, he saw the Dodgers acquire NLCS hero Juan Uribe. J.J. Hardy was probably not easily accessible, nor was Jason Bartlett I suppose (there are speculations that the Rays wanted Sergio Romo...). So Sabes acted fast. Too fast. And he gave Miguel Tejada twice as much money as he deserves. 

I don't dislike Tejada as the Giants' starting shortstop, and maybe I'm crazy because of it. After all, he produced 1.4 WAR in 59 games with the Padres. Obviously, that's a partial product of small sample size. But he's not terrible. He could easily produce 2 WAR for the Giants, which would render him, in some eyes, an average shortstop.

But this is not how the Giants succeed. They succeed by getting those bargain contracts, like the $6MM that they had to shed out for the combination of Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe in 2010. And it got them to the World Series. 

This is a stupid deal, not because Tejada is bad -- although it would be nice if the Giants got a player that wasn't nearing 40 years of age -- it's that they gave him $6.5MM. I think, in terms of WAR, he could very possibly meet that value (or even exceed it). He produced 1.3 WAR last year, his worst season ever, and that's valued at near $6.5MM. So I don't doubt that he can live up to the contract.

But again, that's not how the Giants succeed. They need players to be worth more than their contract. For $3MM, I would love to have Tejada. Of course, I would appreciate if the Giants had a decent back-up plan, for the possibility that Tejada gets injured or just plain sucks, but I would have been fine with a one-year $3MM deal. Even in spite of his declining power, his poor walk rates, his terrible defensive range, and his age.

This contract can be filed under Brian Sabean's terrible contracts, along with the Aaron Rowand contract, the Dave Roberts contract, and the Barry Zito contract. It won't harm the Giants too much, but it was an obvious mistake. 

I can now feel content in going back to criticizing Sabean. Everybody fell in love with him when the Giants won the World Series, although I felt that he was receiving too much credit. Hopefully, people will be able to recognize that not all of his moves are brilliant, like the acquisitions of Cody Ross and Pat Burrell. Hopefully, people will realize that Tejada is receiving more money than he deserves and more money than the Giants needed to pay him. 

If Tejada returns to his 2009 form, I will still hate this contract. To reiterate, it's more money than the Giants needed to pay him.

UPDATE: As Andrew Baggarly notes, "Tejada also has led his league in ground-ball double plays in five of the last seven seasons. Recall that the Giants broke a 70-year-old franchise record for GIDPs in 2010, with Pablo Sandoval pacing the NL." Yikes...

Links

Every week, I gather links to interesting baseball-related articles, photos, videos, graphs, etc. Enjoy...

This is the first edition, so it will have some pretty basic must-see links. So it's likely that you've seen some -- or maybe even all of these links. But it will get deeper as the weeks go by, so stay tuned.

• Madison Bumgarner apparently takes very little time in between pitches. He ranked 9th among NL pitchers with at least 500 pitches for the shortest time in between pitches.
• Visual Baseball is a very cool website which produces baseball-related charts and graphics. For example, here's a graphic showing how good the Giants were in 2010 in various categories relative to the other major-league teams. 
• Joe Posnanski, a writer for Sports Illustrated, asked Yankees fans the question: "If you could trade Derek Jeter tomorrow to Florida for Hanley Ramirez, would you do it?" The results were pretty interesting. 
• Here's an awesome San Francisco Giants 2010 playoff video complete with epic music and the most memorable moments. 
• This is a pretty well-known website, so I doubt you haven't heard of it. But in the off-chance that you aren't aware of HitTrackerOnline, it's a must-see: it tracks every home run with graphs, distance data, links to videos of the home runs, etc. 
• MLBTradeRumors explains why young starters are signed to contract extensions. 
• I'm not sure if I've posted this on SplashingPumpkins before, but it's a classic. Buster Posey guns down a would-be basestealer then says "I ain't havin' it."
• I've definitely posted this here before, and you've most likely heard of it, but there's a Facebook fan page entitled "Brian Wilson Should Host SNL." Join the revolution. 
• Whether you like it or not, Brian Wilson has gotten the second-widest strike zone in baseball over the last two years, behind Livan Hernandez. 

If you know/have an interesting baseball-related link, by all means tell us about it. 

A Look at Potential Shortstops

Guest post by Zachary Chiang. 

With Aubrey Huff's seemingly imminent return and adequate options to fill the possible void in left field, the Giants' biggest offseason concern is undoubtedly the acquisition of a capable shortstop. As is the case with most years, the market for middle infielders is quite uninspiring. In general, shortstop is not considered an offensively-minded position, so finding a potent option can prove quite a challenge. Fortunately for Giants fans, Brian Sabean seems to do his best work in the bargain bin. Here is a look at several of his options.

Possible Returns

Juan Uribe: Uribe is looking at a luxurious multiyear deal this winter after originally settling for a return in the utility role with the Giants in 2010.  He provides both power and versatility, hitting 24 home runs while spending time at 2B, SS, and 3B. At shortstop, he was slightly above average with a 3.3 UZR/150.  Although Uribe is a fan favorite and seems to enjoy playing in San Francisco, it's unknown if he will accept another discount. While Giants fans are enamored with his majestic home runs, his slash line of .248/.310/.440 is only around league average. While there are no clear signs pointing towards regression, the Giants would be foolish to overpay him for this year's performance.

Edgar Renteria: Last week, Renteria announced he would like to play another year, even if it means switching to second base. Following an injury-plagued season in which he played just 72 games, Renteria can not be considered a durable option. Postseason heroics aside, he posted a forgettable slash line of .276/.332/.374 in 2010. His defense is still passable, but his splendid 6.9 UZR/150 is probably misleading.  Although it is almost certain that he will not return to the Giants, it will be intriguing to see how the rest of Edgar Renteria's illustrious career plays out.

Free Agents

Orlando Cabrera: Cabrera is coming off a down year with the Cincinnati Reds, posting a slash line of .263/.303/.354. Although there are many question marks about his diminished offensive ability, there are several factors that make him an attractive backup plan.  Although he played in only 120 games this year, Cabrera has been extremely durable throughout his career, averaging 156 games from 2001 to 2009. He plays quality defense (5.3 UZR/150) and provides a little speed on the bases. Most importantly, Cabrera will be cheap, as he received just two million last winter when he was coming off a better campaign. Bill James projects Cabrera to hit .268 with 7 home runs and 13 steals in 2011. If the Giants let Uribe walk, expect them to at least check in on Cabrera.

Derek Jeter: Derek Jeter will be a Yankee next year. There is no chance that the Yankees don't sign him, especially with a weak class of free agent shortstops. But if Jeter was available, would he be an attractive option to the Giants? Probably not. After posting a career worst, 270/.340/.370 line, Jeter's career seems to be on the decline once again. As countless writers have pointed out, he has won yet another Gold Glove with an atrocious -5.4 UZR/150. Other than the intangibles he brings to the field, it seems that Derek Jeter's ability will not justify the contract he is looking to command. However, the Yankees will continue to bring him back out of respect, until he finally decides to call it quits.

Trade Candidates

Jason Bartlett: The Tampa Bay Rays seem to have a surplus of young middle infield options with Reid Brignac and Sean Rodriguez, meaning that Bartlett is potentially expendable. After an astounding 2009 that saw him hit .320/.389/.490, regression brought him down to an unimpressive .254/.324/.350 in 2010. Bartlett's true offensive talent level is likely somewhere in between. His defense on the other hand, has been on a steady decline, falling to a career worst -13.8 UZR/150 this year. Despite his flaws, Bartlett is an intriguing option for the Giants. Hopefully his reputation as an "all-star shortstop" will not persuade Brian Sabean to part with any top prospects to acquire him.

Jed Lowrie / Marco Scutaro: With two viable shortstops and Dustin Pedroia firmly entrenched at second base, the Red Sox may look to make a move this winter. Lowrie, a Stanford alum, will be more highly sought due to his promising  .287/.381/.526 line this year, albeit in only 55 games. Scutaro has significantly less upside, but he is a solid player that is an asset compared to a replacement level player. Both are somewhat average on defense with respect to UZR data. If the Red Sox choose to commit to Lowrie, they will pay someone to take Scutaro for salary relief. It will take couple of quality prospects to pry Lowrie away, but his long term potential is tremendous.

From Japan

Tsuyoshi Nishioka: Contrary to earlier reports, Seibu Lions shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima will not be posted this offseason, but Tsuyoshi Nishioka of the Chiba Lotte Marines may still be headed to America. The 2B/SS led the league in hitting with a robust line of .346/.423/.482. He can also utilize his good speed on the bases, as he swiped 22 in 2010. Bobby Valentine has been quoted saying that Nishioka profiles as a second baseman in MLB, despite his two Gold Gloves in Japan, one of which was awarded for his work as a shortstop. It should be noted that he has played most of his profession career on artificial turf surfaces, like many other Japanese infielders. If the Giants became interested in acquiring Nishioka, they would first have to bid for the right to negotiate with him, as is the case with all players that come through the posting system.

National League Gold Glove Winners Announced: Andres Torres...Denied.

The National League Gold Glove winners were announced earlier today:

C - Yadier Molina
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Brandon Phillips
3B - Scott Rolen
SS - Troy Tulowitzki
OF - Michael Bourn
OF - Shane Victorino
OF - Carlos Gonzalez
P - Bronson Arroyo

Notice something? Andres Torres is missing...I'm not personally surprised, but he was clearly snubbed. Let's look at the UZR of the three outfielders who won Gold Gloves:

Michael Bourn: 17.6
Shane Victorino: 2.6
Carlos Gonzalez: -2.7

Let's compare that to Andres Torres: 21.2 (best among qualified NL OF). Yes, he got snubbed. As did Alexei Ramirez (whose UZR of 10.8 is vastly superior to Derek Jeter's mark of -4.7). The most pathetic part, in my opinion, is the fact that managers and coaches vote for the Gold Glove awards. One would hope that they would be the most knowledgeable. Are errors, putouts, and assists all these people care about it? Range is probably the most critical, as it determines whether the fielder even gets to the ball in the first place. It's simply too critical to leave out of the equation.

Yes, UZR is not the be-all and end-all of fielding metrics. But seriously? Andres Torres, according to UZR, was 21.2 runs above average for his team, whereas Carlos Gonzalez was 2.6 runs below average, and Shane Victorino was only 2.6 runs above average. It's just too much of a difference to ignore.

TEX vs. SF World Series...a possibility

On July 1, Bengie Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers for Chris Ray and Michael Main. The Rangers are now in the ALCS...one step away from the World Series. It seems like a perfect time to look at some comments he made a while ago to Carl Steward regarding his time in San Francisco and Texas.

Extra Baggs: "Here’s Bengie, the mad cyclist himself, on life as Ranger, as told to Carl:

'It’s been a great experience so far. The first five or six guys in the lineup are all all-stars, and to play with them, it’s unbelievable. I’m still kind of getting used to the whole thing, but my teammates have been so awesome making me feel welcome and comfortable. It’s made a difference.'

(how closely do you follow the Giants)

'Every day I check to see how they’re doing. I left a lot of friends and people that I love so much and care about, so I follow along. I know that they’re doing really well and I’m very happy for that.'

(how about a Texas-SF World Series?)

'That would be awesome. That would assure me of a ring. But from my point of view, I really have to concentrate on the Texas Rangers right now. Not that I’m going to forget about the Giants, but I need to concentrate a little more on where I am and what I have to do with this team to try to get them to the World Series and win it.'

'I wish the best to everybody over there. I’m still in touch with some of the guys. I don’t know how it is without me, but it sure looks like they’re having fun out there and they’re winning. So I’m very excited and happy for them.'

(thoughts on Posey and his first month)

'I never had a doubt that the kid was going to be a superstar soon in the league. I didn’t know how soon because I’m not mind-reader, but I knew that he had the skills and talent to be up there and take care of that pitching staff, and he’s shown it. We still text back and forth sometimes just to say hi and make sure everything’s OK and things like that. I wish him the best, because he’s a good friend of mine. He will forever be a good friend. It doesn’t matter that he took my place or whatever, he will still be a good friend.'

I would love to see an SF-TEX World Series. Not only do I think they are an easier potential matchup than the New York Yankees, but it would also be their first World Series. Frankly, I'm sick of Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, etc...I'm sick of the Yankees playing in the World Series. It would be nice to see Texas finally play in a World Series.