Anyway, here's one of my favorite Giants-related videos on the web. It's too bad Cody Ross isn't on the team anymore... or a good hitter.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Can't Go Wrong With Brian Wilson Lip-synching "Dynamite"
This will be the first of many posts where I complain about the MLB not letting videos from games go on YouTube. Now bloggers like me actually have to do research for our posts instead of just posting videos all the time. You're killing me Selig.
Anyway, here's one of my favorite Giants-related videos on the web. It's too bad Cody Ross isn't on the team anymore... or a good hitter.
Anyway, here's one of my favorite Giants-related videos on the web. It's too bad Cody Ross isn't on the team anymore... or a good hitter.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Top 5 Fantasy Players on the Giants in 2012
Obviously players like Albert Pujols and Matt Kemp are guys Giants fans fantasize about wearing the orange and black, but I'm not talking about that kind of fantasy.
I'm talking about Fantasy Baseball, also known as Not Fantasy Football. The Giants aren't as stacked with guys who put up monster numbers as teams like the Yankees or Rangers, but they will have at least 5 guys who contribute on someone's fantasy team this season.
Here's the list:
1) Tim Lincecum
Big Time Timmy Jim has been one of the best pitchers in the League the last four years and he does just about everything you want out of a fantasy pitcher: low ERA (2.98 average for his career), low WHIP (1.18 for career), and tons of strikeouts (career average of 225 per season).
The only stat that hurts his fantasy value is wins but that strongly depends on how productive the Giants' lineup is this year. We all know how awful the Giants' hitters were last year but unless they're as bad or worse (I'm shuddering at that possibility), Lincecum should get closer to the 16+ win average he had over the previous three seasons.
Tim had one off season in 2010 (for him, at least) but he should be his usual electrifying self. There aren't many, if any, starting pitchers I'd take before him in a Fantasy draft.
2) Barry Zito
Oh whoops, this isn't a "Slowest fastball in the MLB" list. My bad.
2) Matt Cain
Cain has pitched six full seasons in his career thus far and has been one of the most underrated players in the league. The reasons for him being so underrated are understandable (he's a quiet guy, doesn't have the most electric stuff, and his stats don't blow you away) but this will not be another list that ranks him too low.
His first three full seasons on the Giants were fairly solid but nothing special (3.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 176 Ks on average per season) but he became one of the better pitchers in the game his next three seasons (2.97 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 176 Ks on average per season), and that's not even counting his dominant performance in the 2010 playoffs [ZERO earned runs in 21.1 innings pitched (IP)].
I expect Cain to get even better this season. His strikeout total will unlikely ever be at Lincecumian levels and he's never gotten more than 14 wins in a season (the Giants hitters are notorious for their inability to score runs when Cain starts), so he won't be an elite Fantasy pitcher unless those stats improve, but as long as he keeps his ERA and WHIP at or below the levels they've been at the last three years, he will only help your Fantasy team.
3) Brian Wilson
It's always hard to be confident about a closer not named Mariano Rivera because there are so many cases of closers who have unexpected dropoffs (like Joakim Soria and Brad Lidge).
That being said, I'm pretty confident that Wilson will be just as good as he's been the last three years, where he's averaged 41 saves, a 2.55 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in an average of 67.1 IP.
If he has numbers in that range, he'll be a Top-5 Fantasy closer. Just don't shave that beard, Brian.
4) Pablo Sandoval
Pablo has had two great seasons in his three years in the league so far (4.7 and 6.1 WAR in 2009 and 2011, respectively). The other? Utterly horrible (0.5 WAR!!).
With that sample size, it's hard to know for sure which Panda we'll see this season, but we know one thing for certain about him: the dude can hit. Sure, he often swings at such horrible pitches that Giants fans want to hit him in the head with a bat like he does in his pre-at bat ritual, but if someone hits .330 and .315, with and average of 24 homers and 80 RBIs in the two aforementioned seasons Pablo had, it's hard to bet against him.
I'm preparing myself to see any type of performance from Pablo this year: a season like last year, an average season, or a 2010-like season. My hopes and expectations are that he puts up numbers closer to the ones he put up last year, which would make him a very valuable Fantasy player.
5) Madison Bumgarner
Last year was really Bumgarner's first full season and it was extremely solid (3.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 191 Ks). He has all the the tools to be an elite starting pitcher in the MLB and he might even rise to the elite level this season.
The fact that he's the third starting pitcher on this list should cause every Giants' fan to be excited for the upcoming season.
Honorable Mention: Buster Posey, Ryan Vogelsong, Brandon Belt, Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan.
It's impossible to know right now if Posey is going to be the same as he was before the injury. Reports say he's healthy, but we won't be able to get an accurate gauge of his health until well into the season. Catcher is an extra-valuable Fantasy position, and we know Posey can hit, so he wouldn't be a terrible pick-up, especially because he won't be drafted too high. ... Many expect Voglesong to regress this season but the fact that he didn't tail off too much at the end of last season is a sign that he could continue his surprising run. ... Last year was supposed to be Belt's breakout year and he struggled mightily. Maybe with a year under his belt (puntastic!) he'll become a good, steady hitter. ... Cabrera had really solid numbers last year. Critics expect him to decline but he's proven he can be a productive starter, so don't be surprised if he picks up where he left off last season. ... Pagan steals a large amount of bases and has shown power, so he could be a good sleeper pick.
I'm talking about Fantasy Baseball, also known as Not Fantasy Football. The Giants aren't as stacked with guys who put up monster numbers as teams like the Yankees or Rangers, but they will have at least 5 guys who contribute on someone's fantasy team this season.
Here's the list:
1) Tim Lincecum
Big Time Timmy Jim has been one of the best pitchers in the League the last four years and he does just about everything you want out of a fantasy pitcher: low ERA (2.98 average for his career), low WHIP (1.18 for career), and tons of strikeouts (career average of 225 per season).
The only stat that hurts his fantasy value is wins but that strongly depends on how productive the Giants' lineup is this year. We all know how awful the Giants' hitters were last year but unless they're as bad or worse (I'm shuddering at that possibility), Lincecum should get closer to the 16+ win average he had over the previous three seasons.
Tim had one off season in 2010 (for him, at least) but he should be his usual electrifying self. There aren't many, if any, starting pitchers I'd take before him in a Fantasy draft.
2) Barry Zito
Oh whoops, this isn't a "Slowest fastball in the MLB" list. My bad.
2) Matt Cain
Cain has pitched six full seasons in his career thus far and has been one of the most underrated players in the league. The reasons for him being so underrated are understandable (he's a quiet guy, doesn't have the most electric stuff, and his stats don't blow you away) but this will not be another list that ranks him too low.
His first three full seasons on the Giants were fairly solid but nothing special (3.85 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 176 Ks on average per season) but he became one of the better pitchers in the game his next three seasons (2.97 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 176 Ks on average per season), and that's not even counting his dominant performance in the 2010 playoffs [ZERO earned runs in 21.1 innings pitched (IP)].
I expect Cain to get even better this season. His strikeout total will unlikely ever be at Lincecumian levels and he's never gotten more than 14 wins in a season (the Giants hitters are notorious for their inability to score runs when Cain starts), so he won't be an elite Fantasy pitcher unless those stats improve, but as long as he keeps his ERA and WHIP at or below the levels they've been at the last three years, he will only help your Fantasy team.
3) Brian Wilson
It's always hard to be confident about a closer not named Mariano Rivera because there are so many cases of closers who have unexpected dropoffs (like Joakim Soria and Brad Lidge).
That being said, I'm pretty confident that Wilson will be just as good as he's been the last three years, where he's averaged 41 saves, a 2.55 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in an average of 67.1 IP.
If he has numbers in that range, he'll be a Top-5 Fantasy closer. Just don't shave that beard, Brian.
4) Pablo Sandoval
Pablo has had two great seasons in his three years in the league so far (4.7 and 6.1 WAR in 2009 and 2011, respectively). The other? Utterly horrible (0.5 WAR!!).
With that sample size, it's hard to know for sure which Panda we'll see this season, but we know one thing for certain about him: the dude can hit. Sure, he often swings at such horrible pitches that Giants fans want to hit him in the head with a bat like he does in his pre-at bat ritual, but if someone hits .330 and .315, with and average of 24 homers and 80 RBIs in the two aforementioned seasons Pablo had, it's hard to bet against him.
I'm preparing myself to see any type of performance from Pablo this year: a season like last year, an average season, or a 2010-like season. My hopes and expectations are that he puts up numbers closer to the ones he put up last year, which would make him a very valuable Fantasy player.
5) Madison Bumgarner
Last year was really Bumgarner's first full season and it was extremely solid (3.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 191 Ks). He has all the the tools to be an elite starting pitcher in the MLB and he might even rise to the elite level this season.
The fact that he's the third starting pitcher on this list should cause every Giants' fan to be excited for the upcoming season.
Honorable Mention: Buster Posey, Ryan Vogelsong, Brandon Belt, Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan.
It's impossible to know right now if Posey is going to be the same as he was before the injury. Reports say he's healthy, but we won't be able to get an accurate gauge of his health until well into the season. Catcher is an extra-valuable Fantasy position, and we know Posey can hit, so he wouldn't be a terrible pick-up, especially because he won't be drafted too high. ... Many expect Voglesong to regress this season but the fact that he didn't tail off too much at the end of last season is a sign that he could continue his surprising run. ... Last year was supposed to be Belt's breakout year and he struggled mightily. Maybe with a year under his belt (puntastic!) he'll become a good, steady hitter. ... Cabrera had really solid numbers last year. Critics expect him to decline but he's proven he can be a productive starter, so don't be surprised if he picks up where he left off last season. ... Pagan steals a large amount of bases and has shown power, so he could be a good sleeper pick.
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