Splash Hits: Justin Fitzgerald, Sergio Romo, Ramon Hernandez

Letters to Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy « Bay City Ball | Giants Baseball with a Side of STATS!
Free Brandon Belt.

Q&A with Justin Fitzgerald « Snow Woulda Had It!
An interview with Giants prospect Justin Fitzgerald.

Surging Sergio | The Hardball Times
Don't look now, but San Francisco reliever Sergio Romo is putting together an incredible season.

Banter Breakdown: Zack Wheeler, San Jose Giants
He will be missed.

Reds should trade Hernandez to Giants - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
It makes a lot of sense for the Reds to trade Ramon Hernandez.

Dueling retreads highlight Giants' need - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
Some interesting notes from Friday's Giants/Reds game.

Splash Hits: Giants prospects, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner

San Francisco Giants 2011 Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review - Minor League Ball
John Sickels reviews his preseason top 20 Giants prospects.

8th INNING WEIRDNESS: Matt Cain's Career Year

Steward would have you believe that he has not been as reliable this season. Meanwhile Cain leads the staff in inning pitched, and he's been excellent at going deep into games.

Bumgarner Boosts His K Rate - Baseball Analytics Blog - MLB Baseball Analytics
Pitch f/x analysis of Madison Bumgarner.

Bruce Bochy’s bullpen « Bay City Ball | Giants Baseball with a Side of STATS!
A nice look at one of the best bullpens in baseball, including an awesome graph of Sergio Romo's strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Brian Wilson meets Barack Obama - Angels blog - The Orange County Register
A hilarious piece from Sam Miller of the OCR (h/t McCovey Chronicles)

Felix Hernandez, Evan Longoria on track for MLB Hall of Fame - ESPN
(Insider req'd). Dan Szymborski analyzes the current star players under age 28 who have a chance at making the Hall of Fame: "On the mound, Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum both make the cut, with 30 percent chances."

Splash Hits: Ryan Verdugo, Carlos Beltran, Noah Lowry

Episode 37: Kruk, Kuip and Kepp | Giantspod
The GiantsPod guys interviewed Ryan Verdugo, who came in at #17 on my Giants prospect rankings.

The Terrible Month at Second is Over « Bay City Ball | Giants Baseball with a Side of STATS!

The Giants got an entire month of a platoon that produced a wOBA of .231. In essence, there’s as much difference between that and Keppinger/Fontenot as there is between Keppinger/Fontenot and a borderline hall of famer.

HOT CARLOS BELTRAN RUMORS - McCovey Chronicles
This is why I don't think the Giants will acquire Carlos Beltran. Sabean has been clear that the premium prospects are untouchable.

Why Are The Diamondbacks Better In 2011? - AZ Snake Pit
The Diamondbacks are on pace to be 21 games better this year than in 2010. Where does that improvement come from? A nice breakdown.

Noah Lowry Interview | Youtube
I stumbled upon this Noah Lowry interview from 2007. I found it exceedingly interesting.

Splash Hits: Kendry Flores, Jake Dunning, Hector Sanchez

2011 Sleeper Alert! List Review, Part One - Minor League Ball
A list of some sleeper prospects. A couple Giants prospects -- Kendry Flores and Jake Dunning -- show up here.

What's Right With Madison Bumgarner? - Baseball Nation
A look at San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner.

Prospect of the Day: Hector Sanchez, C, San Francisco Giants - Minor League Ball
A nice profile on recent Giants call-up Hector Sanchez.

Zito Throws a Curve - Baseball Analytics Blog - MLB Baseball Analytics
Pitch f/x analysis of Barry Zito's disaster start from the other day.

Crazy Crabbers: Concussions are a Joking Matter to @MLB
"Watch a Giants catcher get positively smashed in the head and go down for the count on a backswing..."

Another Giants-Rangers World Series? - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
There has not been a World Series rematch since the Yankees beat the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978, but a TEX-SF World Series rematch seems like a possibility.

Splash Hits: Carlos Beltran, Eric Surkamp, Pablo Sandoval

When the Giants Come to Town...: Down on the Farm: Midseason Top 50 Giants Prospects
Midseason Giants prospect rankings.

Thinking About Carlos Beltran - McCovey Chronicles
Carlos Beltran's one of the more interesting trade targets for the Giants this year.

Chock Full 'O Interviews: Pick Your Prospect - Interviews with Ten Prospects - Beyond the Box Score
BtB interviewed San Francisco Giants prospect Eric Surkamp.

Lefty Malo - My Favorite Giant Moments of 2011, First-Half Edition
A nice rundown of some of the best moments of the first half.

Crazy Crabbers | Giants Baseball Blog: Is Pablo Sandoval the Best Third Baseman in the NL Right Now?
Pablo Sandoval's probably not the best third baseman in the NL, but he's certainly making a case.

Splash Hits: Mets, Aubrey Huff, Nate Schierholtz

Mets vs. Giants Saber-stat Series Preview - Amazin' Avenue
A visual, statistical preview of the Mets-Giants series.

Baseball America | Blog | Baseball America Prospects Blog | Midseason Top 50 Prospects List
Gary Brown has passed up Zach Wheeler as BA's top Giants prospect.

The Curious Case of Aubrey Huff - McCovey Chronicles
I love this stat: Aubrey Huff's RC/27 (runs created per 27 outs) is 3.6...the Giants average 3.6 runs scored per game.

Keith Olbermann: Kind of Right, Kind of Wrong, Kind of a Jerk « Bay City Ball
A nice response to Olbermann's comments on Ryan Vogelsong

Nate Schierholtz to the rescue … again » Bay Area Sports Guy
Nate Schierholtz's five biggest moments of the season.

Splash Hits: 7/2/11

Brian Wilson or Sergio Romo – is there any question? » Bay Area Sports Guy

BASG with his take on the Wilson-Romo debate.

The Good « Bay City Ball | Giants Baseball with a Side of STATS!
The Giants' pitching staff: really, really good.

Classifying MLB's Closer Celebrations - Baseball Nation
Breaking down and classifying all the closers around Major League Baseball by the way they celebrate successful saves.

Career Profile: Matt Cain, RHP, San Francisco Giants - Minor League Ball
A look at Matt Cain's development as a prospect and pitcher.

Spahn-Marichal Marathon: Best-Pitched Game? | Seamheads.com
Long before pitch counts, five-man rotations, and an array of relief pitchers became the backbone of baseball philosophy, two future Hall of Famers locked horns.

2011 WAR-Stars » Baseball-Reference Blog
Confirmation that the Giants are a team without superstars. Not a single San Francisco Giant appears on this list.

Splash Hits: 6/29/11

NL West Arms Race - AZ Snake Pit
A look at the current state of NL West pitching, and what the future may hold.

Giants Fighting To Stay In the Plus Column - Baseball Nation
The Giants now have a positive run differential!

Catcher Sanchez in need of seasoning | SFGiants.com: News
He has done well thus far, even earning rave reviews from Giants lefty Barry Zito after a rehab start, but he still has to refine his talent. Decker pointed to pitch selection as well as receiving, throwing and blocking techniques as chief among the many aspects of his game that need improvement.

Crazy Crabbers | Giants Offensive Explosion
The Giants entered yesterday with an average of 3.39 runs scored per game. It's now up to 3.55 runs per game.

Vogelsong Mixing Pitches, Getting Chases - Baseball Analytics Blog
Overall, Vogelsong's fastball has been one of the most effective pitches in the game. He's holding hitters to a .294 slugging percentage with the fastball, which ranks fourth among starting pitchers.

San Francisco Giants: Streak Makers? | Hanging Sliders
Some interesting patterns in the Giants' 2011 season.

In Defense of Bruce Bochy | Splashing Pumpkins
In case you missed it earlier...

Splash Hits: 6/24/11

Hector Sanchez Has My Whole Heart - Roto Hardball
As of today, Sanchez has posted a .299/.327/.495 across two levels (A+, AAA) and it appears the GIants are grooming him to take over daily catching duties for the stretch run. SABR types will point to the 44/9 K/BB ratio as a serious red flag. And while I don't disagree completely, there's something to be said for his being 21 and aggressively pushed through the organization.

Evaluating non-Top 100 call-ups - Keith Law - ESPN
Insider req'd, but Keith Law writes that Brandon Crawford's upside is Adam Everett.

Lincecum lights out vs Twins - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN
Some cool tidbits on Tim Lincecum's start.

Baseball Prospectus | Divide and Conquer, NL West: Like Cats Approaching a Stream
I don't mean to paint an overly bleak picture—that pitching staff can mask many deficiencies. But at some point, the Giants will need more than the hope that Sandoval remembers how to drive baseballs with authority or that a useful cog transforms into a foundation for no apparent reason.

Brown to represent Giants at Futures Game | SFGiants.com: News
Outfielder Gary Brown has been chosen as the Giants' representative in the XM All-Star Futures Game, which will be played on All-Star Sunday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

[Clever pun about singing a Vogelsong goes here] | You Can't Predict Baseball
It is, however, not too early to suggest that Vogelsong belongs on the All Star team, and it is late enough in the season to start thinking he might just be able to do this all season.

Splash Hits: NL West, Madison Bumgarner, Draft

The NL West Dream Team - Beyond the Box Score
We're continuing our look at divisional dream teams today with the NL West. The basic idea: take the best players in each division, build a team with them, and see how it competes with the other divisional dream teams. The NL West is being covered today, and as you can see, pitching is its strong suit.

Another box score line of the century - ESPN
Jayson Stark with some notables on Madison Bumgarner's infamous outing.

2011 MLB Draft: San Francisco Giants Draft Report - MLB Bonus Baby
A great rundown on the Giants' draft picks

Madison Bumgarner’s Bum Start | FanGraphs Baseball
Bumgarner will likely be better his next time out and allow fewer hits, but not through some magical, mysterious means: it’ll be because he’s made adjustments and stopped throwing so many pitches over the plate.

Bryan Stow’s condition improves | HardballTalk
Based on everything we've heard, Bryan Stow likely suffered brain damage in the beating he received at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day. Yet within the overall sense of gloom about his condition, there have been occasions of good news.

Most 6+ and 3+ WAR Seasons, Retired Non-Hall of Famers - Beyond the Box Score
That Barry Bonds guy....he was pretty good at baseball.

Splash Hits: Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Crawford

Q&A: Giants 1st Round Draft Pick – Joe Panik, Part 1 | 7TraintoShea.com
I'm a little late in finding this, but a nice interview with the Giants' first-rounder, Joe Panik. By the way, he went 7 for 12 over the weekend with a home run and three walks down in Salem-Keizer.

Q&A: Giants 1st Round Draft Pick – Joe Panik, Part 2 | 7TraintoShea.com
And here's part two.

Pablo Sandoval and his Camaro go NASCAR on the Bay Bridge (photo) » Bay Area Sports Guy
My wife yelled, “GO PANDA!” and I yelled, “PABLO! GO GIANTS!” to see if we could get his attention. Of course, he couldn’t hear us at all because he was listening to some Spanish-language dancehall music and singing at the top of his lungs.

No Offense, (but you suck) « Bay City Ball | Giants Baseball with a Side of STATS!
If you go to FanGraphs and sort the Giants by weighted on-base average (wOBA), you’re sure to laugh (or cry).

Crazy Crabbers: Brandon Crawford Can Stick in the Majors
Brandon Crawford has had some bad luck with balls in play, specifically line drives.

Heyman Dishes On Trade Candidates - MLB Daily Dish
The Mets would have to be overwhelmed to trade Jose Reyes. No thank you.

Splash Hits: Vogelsong, Diamondbacks, Williams

How Does Left-Handed Pitching Usage Affect OPS? - Beyond the Box Score
An interesting discovery here: when calculating a player's value, we should take into account whether they had to face more left-handed pitching due to a large observed split in production. I.e. assuming Barry Bonds had faced LHPs 24.4% of the time, what would his career OPS be? It'd actually be ten points higher (1.061 v. 1.051), which would account for roughly one to two wins in value over the course of his career.

Baseball Prospectus | Spinning Yarn: Vogelsong Poetry
A great pitch f/x look at Ryan Vogelsong.

Are Giants Really Good ... Or Really Lucky? - Baseball Nation
The World's Champion San Francisco Giants are in first place again, with a 38-29 record. But they've actually been outscored this season. Can they really keep winning this way?

The return of the Arizona Diamondbacks | The Hardball Times
Despite this being a "rebuilding" year, the Diamondbacks are off to a strong start, breathing down the necks of the Giants in the NL West

The Deserving All-Stars: NL Edition | FanGraphs Baseball
I guess this confirms that the Giants are a "team without stars." Nevertheless, I imagine we'll see as many as three or four Giants make the all-star team.

Revisiting the Matt Williams trade - McCovey Chronicles
Was the Matt Williams trade a good one?

Splash Hits: Osich, Tulowitzki, Blackmon

Scout.com: MLB Draft: Diamonds In The Rough
Joshua Osich shows up here. Even accounting for all the injury-risk worries, I still think Osich is an absolute steal coming as a sixth-round pick.

Baseball Prospectus | Future Shock: 10 Draft Guys We Rushed to Judge
(Subscription req'd). A refreshing reminder (in the wake of the Joe Panik first-round selection) that we shouldn't be too quick to judge. Tim Lincecum and Gary Brown both appear on this list.

Troy Tulowitzki: Fewer Strikeouts, Worse Hitter? - Beyond the Box Score
Is the improvement in Troy Tulowitzki's strikeout rate really for the better? Looking at his performance on fastballs, it may not be.

Prospect of the Day: Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies - Minor League Ball
One of several NL West prospects to be called up recently. Keep an eye on him, along with Anthony Rizzo, Dee Gordon, and Rubby De La Rosa.

2011 Draft: Who the Heck are these Guys? - McCovey Chronicles
Another run-down of various San Francisco Giants draft picks. I must say, I'm really not too high on the Ricky Oropesa selection...seems like a guy destined for first base needs better bat potential to be anything special.

Splash Hits: Mock Draft, Scott Cousins, Marlins

It's been a while since I did a links post here...I'll be getting links up on a frequent basis from here on out...Look, I know we're all sick and tired of hearing about the Posey collision and its aftermath. But I'll link some related stuff anyway --

Brian Sabean's Comments On Scott Cousins: Not An Isolated Incident - Baseball Nation
A completely serious look at the comments Brian Sabean made about Scott Cousins in the wake of the Buster Posey injury.

Bochy, Johnny Bench differ on Posey's positioning
Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench said Buster Posey "put himself in such a bad position" before he was trampled by Scott Cousins in his season-ending collision. In an interview with the Tulsa World, Bench said he...

The Development Of The Giants-Marlins Rivalry - Baseball Nation
Tracing the path taken by the rivalry between the San Francisco Giants and the Florida Marlins after the Buster Posey injury on May 25, 2011.

2011 MLB Draft: Best tools in the draft - ESPN
Insider req'd, but an interesting look at the best tools among draft prospects. Andrew Susac is the best college defensive catcher.

Sully's 6/5/11 MLB Mock Draft - MLB Bonus Baby
Yet another mock draft. Has the Giants selecting Joe Ross in the first round.

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Splash Hits: 5/15/11

Because links are good for the soul...

Splash Hits: 5/13/11

Blogger was down for about 24 hours, so I couldn't get a game recap up for 5/12. I'll probably have that posted later, as well as a recap of today's game. For now, links...

Splash Hits: 5/9/11

Links...

Splash Hits: 5/1/11

San Francisco Giants links...

Splash Hits: 4/27/11

News links...

Splash Hits: 4/21/11

Links...