Bruce Bochy

While Bruce Bochy has often been the subject of criticism, he's also had flashes of brilliance (NLCS Game Six). He's done some things of which I didn't approve -- for example, he gave quite a lot of playing time to Jose Guillen (now unemployed). However, I'm often very satisfied with the maneuvers he makes with the bullpen. A perfect example would be his utilization of Javier Lopez -- he managed to always get him in the game at the right situations so that he could perform well, but similarly, managed to avoid overworking him (although that's not exactly an eminent risk with a LOOGY).

Anyway, I'm on the fence about Bochy. I don't dislike his managerial style, but at the same time, I don't necessarily like it either. Managers are extremely difficult to evaluate, and it's been estimated by some experts that they have little effect on performance. I think with Boch' this rings true, as it seems that his brilliant decisions balance out his not-so-brilliant ones.

With that brief intro, I'd like to delve into how Bochy handled the 2010 Giants:

70 Defensive Substitutions...Bochy led the majors in defensive substitutions, racking up three more than Jim Riggleman, who ranked second. In the case of Riggleman, it's very understandable. He had two atrocious defenders in Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham -- players whose value is mostly derived from their offense. With Bochy, it's a similar case. Pat Burrell is the obvious contributor here, as he was taken out of the game in late innings whenever the Giants had a lead. When the Giants had Jose Guillen and Pat Burrell manning the outfield corners, Cody Ross and Nate Schierholtz were sometimes called on to take their places. While this stat was obviously the product of the players he had on the team, it's certainly nice to see that Bochy cares about defense. It's an element of the game that is too often neglected, and subtly contributes to losses, so I respect Bochy for his competence in this area.

45 Pinch Runners....Bochy ranked second in the National League with 45 pinch runners used, just six behind Bobby Cox. Again, this seems to be a product of the team that Bochy had, rather than his managerial style. Bochy had the second-worst baserunning team in the majors, with mediocre speed throughout the lineup in Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, Pat Burrell, Jose Guillen, and Juan Uribe (the list goes on...). His utilization of Nate Schierholtz and on a few occasions, Darren Ford, was again, quite clever of him. For a team that didn't score a whole lot of runs, the late-inning baserunning was key for them, and Bochy obviously understood this, and acted on it.

12 Long Saves...Bochy led the majors with 12 long saves. While it was certainly frustrating to see Brian Wilson attempt grueling five-out saves (the source of torture for many), it was often a strategy that worked out. Bochy knew he had one of the best closers in the majors in Brian Wilson, and he took advantage of it, securing the Giants' thin leads. It didn't always work, but in general, it was a successful tactic.

224 Pinch Hitters....Bochy actually had the least pinch hitters used of any manager in the National League. If anything, I think this indicates that he didn't run the team from an offensive-minded perspective. He placed more emphasis on defensive substitutions than offensive ones, and ultimately, that was probably more suitable for his pitching-heavy team. There's a reason the Giants achieved such great pitching numbers -- they received a good amount of help from their defense, and that ultimately breeded them success. It also is notable that Bochy's bench options were mostly defensive upgrades -- Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz...and then Cody Ross, for a while, and Eli Whiteside on the bench; Ishikawa and Mike Fontenot had pinch-hit roles, mostly due to the fact that they bat left-handed, though.

87 Stolen Base Attempts...Again, this says more about the team than the manager. Bochy had the least stolen base attempts in the National League and for good reason. He had two basestealers: Darren Ford, who had limited time in the majors, but was obviously very qualified to steal bases. And Andres Torres, the only starting position player for the Giants who had legitimate speed. Bochy, as a manager, isn't exactly reluctant to steal. Back in 2008, the Giants attempted 154 stolen bases under him, and back in 1999, his Padres attempted a league-leading 241 steals. This is just another example of Bochy acknowledging the skill-set the Giants brought, and managing the team based on that.

58 Intentional Walks....Bochy was third in the National League in IBB, with 41 resulting in a good outcome, and 17 resulting in a not-good outcome. Generally, those are pretty good numbers. A huge element of this stat is the ability of his pitching staff to get out of tight situations, something that the Giants were pretty good at. This is just another example of his strategy with the team: he placed a lot of trust into that pitching staff, and was rewarded for it.


From the numbers, the thing that I deduce is that Bochy is actually a great manager, running the team such that the strategy suits their talents. It's very nice to know that he acknowledges that the Giants are slow, and that they have some defensive weaknesses; and while it's unsettling that he places so much trust in the pitching staff sometimes, it is, at the same time, nice to see. The team is built around pitching, so it's good to see that he runs the team on that basis.

Notes: Willie Mays, MLB Look-Alikes, Farm System

• Joe Posnanski, favorite of the blog, has a nice post about his mission to create the Willie Mays Hall of Fame, a Hall of Fame in which all players have achieved a consensus of greatness. (h/t Giants Win)
• If you have a few minutes to kill, you should definitely check out The Golden Sombrero's collection of MLB Look-Alikes. You'll notice that the oft-mentioned Tim Lincecum - Mitch Kramer comparison is there. 
• Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com ranked every farm system based on John Sickels' grades, and Victor Wang's values. The Giants ranked 20th, valued at $87.6MM. 
• Another Giants song...Bochy and the Giants. 

Awards: NL and AL Manager of the Year, AL Cy Young

Yesterday, Ron Gardenhire and Bud Black took home the AL and NL Manager of the Year Awards, respectively. Bud Black is no surprise, and a decision I agree with. He led a team of young players -- who were expected to finish last -- to a near-division title. The way he handled the bullpen, using each pitcher at just the right time, was most impressive. Had that bullpen been mishandled -- some relievers overworked and others not used enough -- they wouldn't all have the dazzling 2010 stats that they boast. What Black was able to do in spite of a relatively weak roster, was impressive.

I can understand sentiments of Giants fans who might be angry that Bruce Bochy didn't win the award, but it was voted upon before the postseason, and he was much more impressive during the postseason than he was in the regular season.

Ron Gardenhire comes as a surprise, but he deserves credit for managing the Twins to the best second-half record in baseball without Justin Morneau.

Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez took home the AL Cy Young Award, after leading the AL in ERA, finishing second in complete games, and finishing second in strikeouts.

Giants Decline Renteria's Option

The Giants officially declined Edgar Renteria's $10.5 million option today. They'll pay him a $500K buyout.

This comes as no surprise...yes,  he won the World Series MVP. But he's plagued with injuries, his legs are not what they used to be (he did steal 34 bases back in 2003), he only managed to hit .259 for the Giants with 8 home runs over 2009 and 2010, and he hasn't been anything special.

He had a few clutch moments with the Giants that were critical. The few that stick out in my mind:

• August 30, 2009 grand slam against the Colorado Rockies (off of Rafael Betancourt)
• April 9, 2010 game-tying homer against the Atlanta Braves (off of Billy Wagner)
• And of course, November 1, 2010 three-run homer against the Texas Rangers (off of Cliff Lee)

He's left his mark in San Francisco Giants franchise history. I'm sure his time as a Giants shortstop is over, though. There is no better time to retire than this year, after winning the World Series MVP.

In other news...Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 100 days.

Lastly...Many Giants are nominated for TYIB (This Year in Baseball) Awards.

• Buster Posey is nominated for the TYIB Rookie of the Year Award.
• Brian Wilson is nominated for the TYIB Closer of the Year Award.
• Pat Burrell is nominated for the TYIB X-Factor Player of the Year Award. 
• Andres Torres is not nominated for the TYIB Breakout Player of the Year Award. What gives?
• Brian Sabean is nominated for the TYIB Executive of the Year Award. 
• Bruce Bochy is nominated for the TYIB Manager of the Year Award. 
• Lastly, Cody Ross, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson are all nominees for the TYIB Postseason MVP Award. 

Also...Five Giants plays are nominated for the TYIB Postseason Moment of the Year:

• Lincecum's 14-K NLDS Game One
• Posey's play at the plate in NLCS Game Four
• Renteria's three-run homer against the Rangers in WS Game Five
• Wilson's strikeout of Ryan Howard to send the Giants to the WS 
• And..Juan Uribe's go-ahead shot in Game Six of the NLCS

You can vote for the TYIB Awards here.

MLB.com never ceases to impress me with its creative headlines...

Rings-eria

Jason Wong Graphics

I got permission from Jason Wong to post some of his SF Giants graphics. They are incredible. Here's a look at some of them...(Click to enlarge)

DH Options: Update

From Andrew Baggarly:

"Finally, Bochy has mentioned Aubrey Huff as a candidate to DH in Texas and playing Travis Ishikawa at first base. I think the Giants catch a break that Texas Manager Ron Washington had lefty C.J. Wilson pitch Game 2 at AT&T Park. Now the Giants can use Huff or Pablo Sandoval at DH against right-handed starters in Games 3 and 4."

Sounds good to me...Sandoval has the potential for a good series, batting from his good side of the plate in Texas. I'm also glad that they're considering Huff as a DH option.

Giants Take Opener in Chicago

After a rain delay, Matt Cain came in and did what he does best: pitch. He pitched fantastically: 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K. This has come to be expected of him, and every Giants starter for that matter, 'cause they've all set high standards. Unfortunately, Carlos Zambrano matched Cain's outing, also going six scoreless innings. In the 8th, the game remained tied. At least, until Buster Posey stepped to the plate. He hit a shot to deep center that carried and carried until finally clearing the Wrigley Field fence, landing on the wiring at the top of the ivy.

What a game. This was the Giants' 50th one-run game of the season. They've played fifty of those tight, intense games. That's basically a third of their season. To go through that on a routine basis, and stay strong throughout, not giving into all the pressure, is a testament to the strength of this Giants team. Their starters go out to the mound in scoreless games and keep it that way as long as humanly possible. That's why they're still in the playoff race. Pitching like Matt Cain's effort on Wednesday night. Without Cain, the rotation would be lost. Throughout all of their struggles and growing pains, he's been the one stable, consistent horse on the mound. The stopper. The ace even, as supported by the fact that his 3.00 ERA is the best among their starters.

The Giants continue to miss opportunities at the plate: they failed to score runs in the 2nd and 5th innings after loading the bases. At this point, though, it really doesn't matter. What matters is the numbers up on the scoreboard. They determine the Giants' fate. As long as they can get that winning run across, it doesn't matter if they only score three runs, two runs, or one run a game. With 11 games left, it does not matter how they win, just that they win.

They do have a little help for their offense, though, and that is the strength of their bullpen. If the Giants' bullpen was not so strong, Bruce Bochy would be hesitant to pull pitchers like Lincecum and Cain after only five or six innings; but because the bullpen is so lights-out, when a pitcher's spot comes up in the order at a potential run-scoring opportunity (or to lead off the inning, in today's case), Bochy can put a pinch hitter in the game, to add a little offense, and trust that his bullpen will not allow another run.

Notes:

• The Giants have a 1.57 ERA in September. They have a legitimate shot at posting their first sub-2.00 ERA in a month since May of 1989. That's how good this staff is. Over their last 10 games, Giants starters have an ERA of 1.33...
• After losing two of three from Milwaukee at home, it's hard to notice that the Giants are still on a roll (somewhat). They've won 13 of their last 19 games now. 
• The Giants have now allowed three runs or fewer in 15 straight games. 
• The Giants' bullpen did not allow a single baserunner on Wednesday. They are on fire. Lights-out, unstoppable, shutdown, etc. Their ERA in September: 0.59...

Tomorrow: Jonathan Sanchez will face Randy Wells. The way Sanchez has pitched lately, I'd be surprised if he allows more than two runs in his start. He's allowed that many earned runs over his last 27 innings pitched. Now, Randy Wells...let's see...last time he faced the Giants...he put up this line: 5 IP, 8 H, 3 HR, 6 ER. I'm thinking this could be Chris Narveson all over again. 

Lastly, Buster Posey. He deserves the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Hands down. The impact that he has had on this team as their cleanup hitter, and as the guy behind the plate catching such a great pitching staff, is simply incredible. Since his call-up, the rotation and bullpen have stabilized, achieving consistency, and the lineup has become twice as potent. He's hit for average, and to all parts of the field with power. 

San Francisco Giants: Sole Possession of First Place

Things did not get off to a great start on Thursday night. Rafael Furcal led off with a double, and Juan Uribe made an error on a Theriot sacrifice bunt, allowing the Dodgers take an early 1-0 lead. The Giants quickly answered it, however. Huff hit a two-out triple in the bottom of the 1st, which was followed by a Buster Posey RBI double. The Giants would continue to add on throughout the night: In the 3rd inning, Renteria laid down a bunt single, followed by a Freddy Sanchez double, and an Aubrey Huff three-run shot to right field. The next batter, Buster Posey, crushed a solo shot to deep left field. Ted Lilly lasted only 3.1 innings -- after allowing a leadoff single to Jose Guillen in the 4th inning, he got Aaron Rowand to fly out, but was then taken out of the game after hitting Jonathan Sanchez with a pitch. The bases loaded after an Edgar Renteria single and Freddy Sanchez walked to give the Giants yet another run. In the 6th, Jose Guillen hit a two-run homer. In the 8th, Freddy Sanchez hit a two-run double to left field. All in all, the Giants scored 10 runs, more than they had scored in the previous five games combined (nine runs).

The offensive explosion, however, overshadowed yet another fantastic performance by Jonathan Sanchez, who seems to be showing consistency for the first time in his major-league career. His line: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 12 K. He struck out a career-high 12 batters, but what's even more amazing is he was able to keep his walks to an absolute minimum - zero...quite an improvement upon his seven walks in his previous start. At this point, I think he's guaranteed a spot in the postseason rotation...or at least, he should be. He's got some of the best stuff in the majors, and when he's able to exercise control, he pitches like the elite stars of the game.

Notes:

• Huff and Posey's back-to-back home runs marked the 7th time the Giants have done so this year. The last time they did it was also against the Dodgers, when Renteria and Burrell hit back-to-back shots in LA on September 4th as part of a 5-4 comeback win.
• Jose Guillen finally homered. The whole purpose of his acquisition was to add a little pop to the Giants' lineup, and he has not shown much of it since coming here. The last time he hit a home run was almost a month ago, on August 17th against the Phillies. Let's hope this is the start of something...
• Jonathan Sanchez continued the incredible Giants starting pitching: Giants starters now have a 1.99 ERA over their last 17 games, during which they've tossed 13 quality starts.
• The Giants have a team ERA of 1.58 for the month of September, which is already halfway done. This leads the majors by a significant margin.
• Edgar Renteria had four hits in the leadoff spot. I don't think anybody saw this one coming...that was a bold move by Bruce Bochy -- not necessarily surprising by a manager whose philosophy centers around using veteran players, but nevertheless a bold move. The last time Edgar Renteria had four hits was way back in the beginning of the season -- on April 7, the third game of the season, Renteria went 5 for 5.
• Huff, Posey, Sanchez, Guillen, and Renteria each had multiple hits. It's not surprising to see the team score 10 runs when their 1, 2, 3, and 4 hitters each have a multi-hit game.

Tomorrow: Another battle of southpaws -- Bumgarner will face off against Randy Wolf. The Giants bat a collective .221 (36 for 163) against Wolf in their careers, although he's not a particularly great pitcher. He's got a 4.53 ERA on the year, but over his last nine starts he's had an impressive ERA of 3.07...Bumgarner doesn't pitch as well by the shores of McCovey Cove, but his best major league start ever was against this Brewers team. On July 6, he went eight scoreless innings at Miller Park allowing just three hits. He'll look to continue the recent dominance of the Giants rotation.

The Giants are back in first place. They have a 0.5 game lead in the NL West, and are tied for the lead in the NL Wild Card. This is a legitimate run at the playoffs, and if they can start consistently getting even three runs of support every game, they will surely get a ticket to October baseball.

Jonathan Sanchez, August 8, 2010: "If we get to first place, we're not going to look back."

Giants Lose Finale in Arizona 3-1; Next Step: Petco Park

Zito allowed two earned runs in six innings

Zito did something a lot of Giants fans didn't expect: pitched well. He wasn't stellar, as evidenced by his leading off the 2nd inning with two consecutive walks, but he ultimately did a good enough job to keep them in the game: 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K. As for the Giants' offense - it just didn't produce. Freddy Sanchez got them on the board early with a solo shot in the first inning, but they failed to add on to that lead. Wednesday's game was one of failed opportunities to capitalize: In the 3rd inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Buster Posey grounded out. In the 7th, with a runner on 2nd and one out, Juan Uribe hit a soft pitch that bounced on home plate, and he was thrown out at first. Cody Ross then walked, and there were runners on the corners for Ishikawa. Ishikawa, however, grounded out to first, ending yet another Giants threat. Lastly, Jose Guillen led off the 9th inning with a double, but Renteria struck out swinging, Uribe fouled out to the catcher, and Cody Ross grounded out, as the Giants failed to tack on a run.

Given Jose Guillen's atrocious speed, I see no reason why Bochy didn't put in a pinch runner for him in the 9th inning. It didn't end up mattering, as Renteria, Uribe, and Ross failed to do anything significant with the bat, but it was nevertheless a necessary move. Nate Schierholtz, for example, could have been put in as a pinch runner, would have represented more speed for the Giants on the basepaths, and would have been an excellent defensive replacement in extra innings had the Giants tied it.

Ultimately, though, the Giants can take a positive from this game: they were facing a soon-to-be star pitcher in Daniel Hudson, so their offensive silence is excusable - at least for the moment; and more importantly, Barry Zito bounced back. He pitched a quality start, and if he can manage to work through six innings and keep the Giants in games on a routine basis, maybe Torres, Sanchez, Huff, Posey, Sandoval, Burrell, Guillen, Ross, or whoever else is playing can muster up enough run support to get the Giants some wins.

Notes:

• Aubrey Huff and Jose Guillen each went 2 for 4
• Darren Ford shows whenever he plays that he is an extremely valuable asset to this Giants team. In late innings, he can come in and steal a base with ease, as he did on Wednesday. He takes huge leads, but gets back to first in time to avoid being picked off. 
• Andres Torres has been nominated for five-tool player of the year along with Jason Heyward, Albert Pujols, Carl Crawford, David Wright, and Justin Upton. The fact that he has been nominated along with such elite players speaks volumes to his accomplishments this year. 
• In other Andres Torres news...he committed his first error since 2003. He had gone 204 games without committing an error, but bobbled a ball in centerfield in the 7th inning to end the streak. 
• Eight of the Giants' last 10 starts have been quality starts. I think it's safe to say they've put August behind them. 
• Freddy Sanchez has homered in two consecutive games.

Tomorrow: Matt Cain will face Jon Garland. Cain is the go-to guy for the Giants. He should be able to set the tone for the Giants in this critical series. Garland faced the Giants once this year and allowed one earned run and six hits in seven innings. He pitches very well at home, with a 2.68 ERA on the year at Petco Park. 

As it stands, the Giants are two games back of the Padres in the NL West. This series is could clearly be a critical turning point for the Giants or Padres, and the Giants are in a good position going it to it, having won their last three series. 

Pat Burrell - "These are two good teams. Most of the time it's little things in games like this that stand out: getting guys over, getting guys in, pitchers getting a bunt down. You're going to have errors, but limiting the amount of mistakes will decide who wins."

Giants Baseball: Torture

Jonathan Sanchez pitched masterfully.

For the past few weeks or so, the Giants' starting pitching has been the subject of much criticism. The blame for the Giants' dismal 12-15 August record has been placed upon this quintet. The hitting was doing fine: Sanchez, Sandoval, and Torres were heating up, and Guillen, Burrell, Huff, and Uribe were providing jolts of offense here and there. But on Monday, the hitting fell silent. The Giants managed to get just four hits, and nine different Giants struck out at least once.

Jonathan Sanchez pitched the Giants' second quality start in a row, going 8 innings and giving up just 1 ER, while striking out 6. His control was spectacular (2 BB). He came out to pitch the ninth, with a 1-0 lead, and promptly walked Dexter Fowler. Bruce Bochy then put Wilson in the game. Carlos Gonzalez hit a flyball that appeared to be play-able by Cody Ross, but he took a quick first step, and failed to recover from it as the ball sailed over his head. Fowler rounded the bases scoring easily, and Gonzalez dug for three. Ross relayed the ball to Freddy Sanchez, who threw a two-hopper to Pablo Sandoval. As Carlos Gonzalez was sliding into third, he slid into the ball, causing it to roll into the stands, and giving him a free pass home.

The Giants would not recover  from the 2-1 deficit, although Posey smoked a ball back at the pitcher, and Huff hit a deep flyball to the warning track in the bottom of the ninth.

The Giants just can't seem to get things going at the same time: when their pitching is great, their hitting fails to support it; and vice versa.

It's going to take a decent hot streak to get this Giants team back in the playoff race.

Tomorrow: Bumgarner will get the start. He should do fine. They'll face Esmil Rogers, whose ERA is 5.66; if the Giants lose this game....it's totally over. But they can't lose that game. There's no way they are that bad.

The big question is what Tim Lincecum does in his start against the Rockies. If Lincecum can't prove that he's capable of performing for this Giants' team, the Giants are skating on thin ice.

The facts are, though, that the Giants remain just 1.5 GB in the NL Wild Card. It's a completely manageable deficit. The Padres have lost five in a row, so now's where the Giants need to take advantage. They have all of the tools to succeed, they just need to get them all working at the same time. There is still hope; but the Giants need to play like they did in July; not like they have played in August.

Giants Lose Third in a Row: 11-3

Barry Zito continues to pitch poorly.

The dreadful starting pitching continued on Saturday; this time the culprit was Zito: 3.2 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 6 H, 1 HR.

Naturally, the Giants' offense is not potent enough to overcome such deficits on a routine basis; so if this keeps happening, they will keep losing. The offense failed to put up any big numbers on Saturday, scoring just three runs. Huff and Burrell, who each had an RBI, combined to go 0 for 7, and the other run came off of a solo home run by Pablo Sandoval. The Giants managed to rack up just four hits.

There's really not much else to say: when a team is built around its rotation, it depends on their starters to be consistently good. That's not happening, and the Giants are losing because of it. In all honesty, the starters can't take all of the blame: as I've said many times, the defense that Bochy puts behind these starters is atrocious - Burrell, Guillen, Sandoval at third, and occasionally Rowand in center. Of course, the full impact this has on the starters' performance is not entirely measurable, but it has clearly been a factor.

Notes:

• Sandoval has 6 home runs in his last 15 at bats. Is it safe to say he's back? Of course not. But let's say it anyway...
• Freddy Sanchez, who went 1 for 4, is now 12 for his last 19. 
• Zito has been terrible over his last 8 starts (9 outings), with an 0-6 record and an ERA of 5.53; We're seeing vintage Barry Zito.

Tomorrow: Matt Cain will get the start. If there's any game the Giants will win for the rest of the year, it's this game. Matt Cain was the stopper of the Giants' last losing streak, and appears to be stepping up as their ace. He has pitched beautifully against Arizona this year: 17 scoreless innings, with just 4 hits allowed. The Giants will face Rodrigo Lopez, who has a 5.09 ERA on the year. They have great numbers against him in their careers:

Image from ESPN.com

Todd Wellemeyer is Terrible

In the midst of another Giants' loss (6-3 loss to the Braves), we once again witnessed a terrible performance by Todd Wellemeyer. This was his first chance at the long relief role, and frankly, it should be his last. Of the 4 hitters he faced, every single one got a hit. Meanwhile, due to a short bench, Bochy had to use Matt Cain to pinch hit for Jonathan Sanchez in the 5th inning. Who knows what would've happened if Todd Wellemeyer wasn't Todd Wellemeyer, but instead, a hitter on the bench. Then we wouldn't have to rely on Matt Cain, who's batting below .100, to pinch hit. Not to mention, we wouldn't be risking the loss of our most consistent pitcher (let's not forget what happened to Dan Runzler when he tried to hit in Milwaukee...he's still on the disabled list). Also, instead of using Wellemeyer to pitch in the 5th inning, we could've used one of our other bullpen guys - for example, Santiago Casilla, who relieved Wellemeyer today and gave up 0 ER and just 1 hit in 2 innings. At this point, Wellemeyer offers absolutely nothing to the Giants. We have a great pitching staff, so the chances that we'll need a guy to eat up innings in the bullpen are slim. Even when our pitchers aren't pitching well, they usually keep us in the game. No need to give up these games by using Wellemeyer. Let's just keep an extra hitter on the bench, at least until Affeldt or Runzler returns. Then we can re-evaluate our situation. After all, it's only a few weeks until the rosters expand. For now though, a hitter, like Jesus Guzman for example (who projects to hit .269/.319/.405 in the majors for what it's worth...), would be of significantly more value to the Giants than Todd Wellemeyer. Guzman is hitting .382 over his last 10 games in AAA.