Nate Schierholtz – Giantspod

Episode 84: Santiago Ca-See-Ya

Daniel Zarchy — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 02:27:19 +0000





Episode 84: Santiago Ca-See-YaÂ is out!

In the eighty-fourth episode, Thomas and Danny talk with Wendy Thurm about the Giants, playoff hopes, Brandon Belt, the bullpen, and much more, and speak with Chris Faina of LND Apparel about their new MelkMen t-shirt.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:

You can also find it on theÂ RSS feed, or by clicking on the play button below. We look forward to your feedback, either by commenting here on the blog, emailing us atÂ giantspod@gmail.com, or ourÂ Twitter feed.

Go Giants!

Episode 64: Urban Legend

Daniel Zarchy — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:49:03 +0000

$17.15 million buys a lot of bamboo.


Episode 64: Urban LegendÂ is out!

In the sixty-fourth episode, Thomas and Danny chat with MLB Insider Mychael Urban about the contracts with Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval, Matt Cain’s potential extension, outfield woes, Front Office shenanigans, and more.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:

Go Giants!

Episode 62: Hanging With Friends

Daniel Zarchy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:48:39 +0000



Episode 62: Hanging With FriendsÂ is out!

In the sixty-second episode, Thomas and Danny talk with blogger Wendy Thurm about her blog Hanging Sliders, writing for SBNation and FanGraphs, and preview the NL West.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:

Go Giants!

Episode 43: Final Destination: San Francisco Giants Edition

Daniel Zarchy — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:35:05 +0000

Look away from the train wreck, kids.

Episode 43: Final Destination: San Francisco Giants EditionÂ is out!

In the forty-third episode, Thomas and Danny talk about Salsa dancing, famous doctors, Danny’s career as a Giants infielder, and everything else they can to avoid baseball.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:

Go Giants!

Episode 42: First is the Worst

Daniel Zarchy — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:13:40 +0000

Even the home runs are solo.

Episode 42: First is the WorstÂ is out!

In the forty-second episode, Thomas and Danny talking about recent injuries, enter Dr. Todd’s infirmary, piss and moan about the losing streak, talk about giving away shirts, and plan their trip to Fresno.

Click on the image below to find it on iTunes:

Go Giants!

2011 San Francisco Giants: 5 Unexpectedly Good Performances by Giants Players

Daniel Zarchy — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:19:37 +0000

The 2010 San Francisco Giants won the World Series on the strength of their excellent home-grown starting pitching, lights-out bullpen and clutch (if not overwhelming) offense.

This year, as the champs do their best to stage a repeat, they’re going to have to step it up even further, facing the likes of the Phillies Big Four pitchers, the surging Diamondbacks and the always-dangerous Rockies.

Still, tell any Giants fan that Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain are having good years, and they’ll shrug and say “yeah, what else is new?” Mention that Brian Wilson has converted 20/22 saves this year, and hasn’t given up a run since May 18th, and they’ll yawn.

We’re truly spoiled this year, so I’d like to mention five players who managed to fly under the radar, but whose great play on the field has helped keep this team in first place.

***

Ryan Vogelsong

No player on the Giants is having more of a standout season than Ryan Vogelsong. He originally came up through the Giants’ system. He made just 17 relief appearances for the Giants, before being traded toÂ PittsburghÂ in 2002, in the deal that brought Jason Schmidt to San Francisco.

He bottomed out in Pittsburgh, racking up a 10-17 record with a 5.87 ERA from 2003-06. In 2007 he went to Japan, pitching for the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes from ’07-’09 and enjoyed moderate success.

His 2011 season, however, is like night and day. Since taking over for the injured Barry Zito, Vogelsong has pitched seven quality starts (six or more innings pitched, three or fewer earned runs allowed) in his 10 starts. His ERA on the year is aÂ stellar 1.92, which would lead the majors if Vogelsong had thrown enough innings.

While it seemed impossible to think that the Giants pitching staff couldÂ improve from last year, Vogelsong looks like a legitimate and completely unexpected star.

***

A Slimmer Pablo Sandoval

While anyone who watched the Giants in 2009 remember Pablo Sandoval as aÂ Â street-walkin’ Panda with a heart full of napalm, it’s the understatement of the century to say that he was a disappointment in 2010. After a breakout 2009 season, in which he hit .330 with a .943 OPS and 25 HRs, he hit just .268 with a .732 OPS and 13 HRs in 2010 and found himself benched for much of the World Series.

While the infamous “Operation Panda” failed to get Sandoval in fighting shape before the 2010 season, his well publicized weight loss this past offseason seemed to actually do the trick. Giants general manager, Brian Sabean, and manager, Bruce Bochy, sat down with the Panda last year and had a tough-love talk. They told Sandoval that he could actually begin the 2011 season in the minors if he didn’t, literally, shape up.

Well he did, and he’s looking great. According to Andrew Baggarly of theÂ San Jose Mercury News, Sandoval lost almost 40 pounds and put on a lot of muscle. Sandoval also admitted that he’d never really lifted a weight before in his life, which makes his 2009 season even more remarkable.

In the 24 games that he played before breaking a bone in his hand, Sandoval hit .313 with a .904 OPS with five HRs.

While it’s easy to be swayed by these small samples, you can bet that these struggling Giants hitters are looking forward to having that bat in the middle of the lineup.

***

Brandon Crawford

While most people remember Brandon Crawford for his grand slam against the Brewers on May 27thâ€”Crawford’s firstÂ hit in the majorsâ€”his primary value comes from his defense.Â Crawford was originally projected not to make the team for another year or two, but injuries to Pablo Sandoval and Mike Fontenot forced his early promotion, and he’s done his best to make a case for a starting job.

While, again, it’s easy to fall into the small-sample argument, advanced fielding metrics show that he’s a well-above-average defender.

Projecting his stats across a whole season (150 games), his Ultimate Zone Rating (which tries to show defensive range, unlike errors and fielding percentage) sits at 16.6, which is very good. Compare that with Rich Aurelia (6.1), Derek Jeter (-5.0) or Miguel Tejada (-3.7 lifetime, -20.2 in 2011), and you see that Crawford fills the shortstop spot pretty well.

While his hitting numbers certainly don’t make him a terror at the plate, he handles himself well and could easily be the shortstop of the future for this team.

***

Darren Ford

Darren Ford, a man who has only had 12 plate appearances in the past two years in the majors, has still had a very profound effect on the Giants in 2011.

Ford, who earned a promotion to the majors when center fielder Andres Torres went on the DL, serves just one function on the team. His speed on the basepaths, combined with the Giants’ propensity to one-run games, gave Ford an important role on the team: coming in as a pinch-runner, stealing his way into scoring position and scoring the game-tying or game-winning run.

While Ford may never really make it as a batter, his presence on the lineup gives Bochy many more options for late-inning heroics, and Ford will almost certainly make the cut when the rosters expand in September, if not sooner.

Ford is currently on the DL after spraining his ankle against the A’s in May.

***

Nate “The Great” Schierholtz

While Nate Schierholtz may not have the stats to back it up, it’s hard to find a fan who doesn’t recognize how much he’s contributed to the success of the team. Though he was primarily used as a late-inning defensive replacement for Pat Burrell in the latter part of 2010, he has earned more starts in 2011 and has been a key figure in the Giants’ late-inning comeback wins.

His speed and defensive abilities rank among the best NL right fielders, and his cannon of an arm has led fans to make highlight reels of Nate gunning down opposing baserunners.

What’s remarkable, though, is how often he seems to come through in clutch situations. He’s batting .346 in “high leverage” situations (Fangraphs.com), with a .896 OPS. He has seven come-from-behind hits in 2011, in which he’s either tied or put the Giants ahead in games that they were losing.

While I’ve always loved having his glove and speed in right field, he’s also quickly becoming the guy that I want to see come up to bat when the Giants are losing.

This article was originally published HERE on Bleacher Report on June 17, 2011.

Giants Turn out the Lights in St. Louis, Beat the Cards in Extra Innings 7-5

Daniel Zarchy — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:13:27 +0000

There’s something so incredibly exciting and rewarding about a come-from-behind extra-innings victory, that shows your team’s heart and willingness to see the game through to the very last pitch.

In a game in which Tim Lincecum was clearly not at his best, the Giants had key performances from several different players, including a 4-hit night from Cody Ross, 3 hits apiece from Freddy Sanchez and Nate Schierholtz, and another 2 hits each for Brandon Crawford and Eli Whiteside.

It’s easy to look at the Cardinals lineup, chock-full of hitting talent, and think that if the Giants hadÂ one, just one of those stars, they would be impossible to beat. Still, it’s games like tonight’s that give me hope that the Giants can continue to be a contender this year despite losing Buster Posey, because this team clearlyÂ does have offense, though it’s pretty well hidden most of the time.

Cody Ross can be a spark plug and a one-man wrecking crew, a fact we saw last October, when everything comes together for him. Freddy Sanchez’s three consecutive doubles in the World Series played a big role in proving that Cliff Lee was mortal, and that clearly had an effect. Hell, even Pat Burrell or Aubrey Huff could come through with flashes of 2010, and can be above-average producers at the plate. This team has offense, Bochy just needs to figure out the right order, the right incantation, the right mojo to get them rolling on a more regular basis.

Nate the Great Schierholtz is definitely playing his way into some increased playing time. I was big on him this whole year, and it’s paying off. With Andres Torres playing everyday in center, Schierholtz, Ross and Burrell should split the remaining playing time, which should hopefully keep everybody as fresh and uninjured as can be. Still, I don’t know if there’s something about Schierholtz that makes him better in these crunch, late-inning, high-leverage situations, but he’s quickly becoming the man that I’d like to see come up to bat when the Giants are losing in the 9th. According to Baseball-Reference.com, in “Late & Close scenarios,” Schierholtz is rocking a hearty .309 Batting Average with an .849 OPS,Â about 36% above his career overall stats.

So after that topsy-turvy game, was it worth it to sit through the lighting malfunction to see Brian Wilson throw one pitch and close the game? Oh yeah.

On a non-baseball note, I would just like to say that I am so, so proud of my team for the “It Gets Better” video that they produced, to encourage LGBT youth around the world, part of a national campaign. The video itself is great, and it’s so encouraging to see pro athletes, traditionally the macho men of the world, step up to try to help. Here’s the video.

Gone-dres Torres Poll

Daniel Zarchy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 07:04:40 +0000

[poll id=”7″]

Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right: A Center Field Saga

Daniel Zarchy — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:21:02 +0000

Hats are always funny.

“As I look back over a misspent life, I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun doing baseball blogging than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings.”

-H.L. Mencken, edited for relevancy

Or something to that effect. I’ve been writing recently about the future of Aaron Rowand, the outfield configurations, and who might see the ax when Cody Ross comes back. With all of the permutations, unreliability, emotions, Front Office decision quirkiness, and ring ceremony fanfare, the only thing we knew for sure was that Andres Torres would remain the everyday center fielder and leadoff man.

Well, that was a bust. Torres left Saturday’s game against the Cardinals with a strained Achilles tendon, which he hurt while stopping to catch a line drive in the top of the fourth inning. He’s gonna miss some time and, while nobody really knows much more than that, it means that the Giants are going to have to plan around him for at least a series or two.

On the one hand, this is terrible. Torres has reliably been one of the best players on the team. He’s an amazing defender, a great hitter with pop that belies his small size, and he’s the only player on the Giants who stands a decent shot of stealing more than 10 bases per year. His success story as a journeyman minor leaguer-turned-rockstar is an inspirational one and, well, it’d make a pretty good movie. Oh wait, I’m not the first person to think of that.

On another, more silver lining-y hand, this is a good opportunity. When Cody Ross comes back from his DL stint, the Giants brass will have to make some decisions about the future of the Giants roster – most likely an inevitable choice between Nate Schierholtz and Aaron Rowand. The addition of Brandon “Babe” Belt to the major league roster at the beginning of the year made it apparent that neither of them would get much playing time.

Now, while we’re waiting for Mr. “On-Base” Torres to get healthy, we might actually see Schierholtz or Rowand playing everyday. We’ve seen that even pigs can fly across 14 at-bats (Rowand’s 1.071 OPS in 2011 to date), so I’m actually a bit excited to see what each of these guys could do if given 100 ABs before Ross’s return. It might be pretty crappy, but at least the bosses would be making decisions based on slightly more significant data, rather than being trapped in Small Sample Size Theater.

Schierholtz gets my vote as the lead-off man. His .315 on-base percentage is nothing too encouraging, but we could certainly use someone with his speed in the lineup. Mike Fontenot batted lead-off today, and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, so let’s not try that again. Mark DeRosa’s not a terrible candidate to lead off, but he’s not a great one either, and it’s not clear where he’d fit in defensively if the regular starters remain in their normal positions.

Schierholtz has never actually played center field in his major or minor league career, but his speed and his killer arm make him the best candidate to handle the wilds of AT&T Park, particularly with Aubrey Huff in right field. I’m not particularly clear on the different skill-sets necessary to play the different outfield positions, but if Aaron Rowand can play center field, then Nate certainly can.

We’ll see what Bochy tries tomorrow against the Dodgers. Knowing him, he’s probably going to try as many permutations as he can until he finds something that works.

***

You’re not going to see much post-game analysis here. The games on Friday and Saturday were crazy.

Today, not so much. We looked bad; they looked less bad. Barry Zito looked great, and then he didn’t. Bochy probably should have brought in Mota earlier to stem the rally, except that Mota didn’t exactly do the job right away either. Our guys looked like they knew what they were doing and manufactured a run, until they got distracted by something shiny and forgot to bring their bats up to the plate.

I’m not particularly worried, at least any more worried than I was earlier in the season. We sent our JV squad up to bat against their best squad, and we lost.

Takeaway: score more runs, allow fewer from the other team.

[poll id=”7″]

The Giants’ Outfield Carousel

Daniel Zarchy — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:30:43 +0000

This guy loves the outfield almost as much as Andres Torres.

After today’s shocking announcement that Brandon Belt will be the starting first baseman on Opening Day tomorrow, the Giants brass will have some decisions to make regarding the future of the outfield.

These decisions are, of course, delayed by Cody Ross’s trip to the disabled list.Â I have nothing to add to the growing analysis of Brandon Belt and his major league grit â€“ I already guessed wrong once â€“ so instead I’m going to look a bit in the future, to Babe Ross’s return, and the tough choice the brass will face.

The first impact of Belt’s promotion was the departure of Travis Ishikawa, a solid second-string first baseman on a team with 2-3 serviceable first basemen and limited roster space. Ishikawa has always come off as a good guy, and I truly hope he lands on his feet with some other major league club.

The outfield, on the other hand, is another story. With Aubrey Huff the ostensible starting right fielder, Ross’s return will bump somebody from a starting role, and probably from the team, with the most likely targets being Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz, assuming that Torres performs as expected and keeps the center field job all season.

To say that Rowand is unpopular among Giants fans is a major understatement. After securing a huge contract, he’s been dramatically underwhelming. Any other team that might be interested in taking Rowand on their roster is scared away by the prospect of paying his major salary, so all attempts to trade him away have failed. Now, Rowand’s contract has been the subject of much, much criticism, but let’s ignore that for now, too. It’s sounding more and more like the Giants would be willing to eat most or all of his contract just to put him on another team, so let’s look at him from a playing perspective.

Keeping Rowand on the team as a backup outfielder was never a very controversial move. We had room, and he wasn’t that bad… well, mostly we just had the room. Unfortunately, Belt’s addition eliminates an outfield spot, and now Rowand’s presence threatens to push out Schierholtz, a man who has earned the affection of the fans despite never being able to sustain a decent level of production on offense.

So let’s look at some stats, and roles that Rowand could play.

Starting Outfielder (hitting):

Nate Schierholtz has a career slash line of .270/.314/.399 â€“ decent average, but not many walks and no power.

Aaron Rowand has a career slash line of .276/.335/.442 â€“ better in every category. Not great, but, you know, not terrible.

But the problem with Rowand is not his career mediocrity, but rather his downfall upon reaching the Giants. Remember, he had an .889 OPS in 2007 when he was on the Phillies. He went to the All-Star Game, won the Gold Glove, and ranked 22nd in the MVP voting. Instead, let’s look at 2008-2010, his years on the Giants, to make our decision.Â In his 401 games in the orange and black, Rowand has batted just .257/.318/.405 — almost exactly the same as Big Nate.

Starting Outfielder (fielding):

Defensively, Schierholtz has proven to be a stud. While Rowand certainly covers ground well, Schierholtz has a cannon of an arm, something we’ve never seen from Rowand. We should always take user polls with a grain of salt, but Fangraphs Fans Scouting Report shows Schierholtz as a 72/100 defender, with a 60 rating of Instincts, 66 First Step, 68 Speed, and an 89 Arm Strength with 83 Accuracy. These ratings, on top of being better than Rowand in every category, showed Schierholtz exceeding his average in 2010 for what was one of his best defensive seasons thus far. Rowand, a 45/100 defender, had just 32 Arm Strength with 20 Accuracy, despite his terrific throw in Game 4 of the NLCS.

Platoon hitting:

In 2010, after Vicente Padilla broke Rowand’s face and Andres Torres became the starting center fielder and ended up becoming one of the best leadoff hitters in the game (you know the story), Bruce Bochy continued to use Rowand in a platoon split with Torres, given Torres’s .226/.313/.346 hitting against lefties.

Rowand responded by lowering the standard even more, hitting just .211/.292/.389 against lefties in 2010, which includes 3 intentional walks he earned. He hit 4 homers in 106 plate appearances, but grounded into 6 double plays, while getting only 20 hits. Despite being a right-handed hitter against a lefty pitcher, a situation that would normally give the hitter the advantage, Rowand fared very very poorly, even for him.

On the other hand, Nate, a left-handed hitter, has shown legitimate success against lefty pitchers. In 155 career PAs against lefties, Schierholtz has hit .354/.390/.500 — way, way better than his career totals, even though conventional wisdom would have you believe that the lefty-lefty match-up should give Schierholtz a disadvantage. If Bochy continues to limit Torres’s PAs against lefties, Schierholtz is clearly the better option.

***

So my point is this: with limited roster space, Schierholtz is a better choice. He earned $416,500 in 2010, or roughly 1/33 of Rowand’s salary. He won’t make much in arbitration next year, and he’s club-controlled through 2014.

Rowand is going to earn $12 million for each of the next two years. His salary was a waste, but it ain’t coming back any time soon. Though he was once a pretty good hitter, there’s no reason to believe that he’s suddenly going to find “it” again, four years after the fact, at age 33. Getting rid of Rowand would probably involve the Giants continuing to pay him to either sit at home or play for another team, as it’s unlikely that some other team would pay any substantial portion of his salary, given his performance.

If anyone can show me a possible scenario in which you’d prefer Rowand over Schierholtz, I look forward to hearing it. Until then, let’s reward good play instead of poor decision-making by the management.