Bleacher Report - Articles by Rael Enteen

Patience Everyone: Giants' Trade Talks Should Stop

Rael Enteen — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:49:40 -0400

“With one more bat, the Giants can win the wild card easily.”

“We should move our young pitching prospects now while their stock is high.”

“If we don’t make a move now, this is a lost season.”

These are the types of things I hear Giants fans saying as they leave AT&T Park after yet another one-run loss. I see the same sentiment written on message boards on Bleacher Report and around the blogosphere.

All of the above statements show the impatience of Giants fans and the fallacy of making a trade just because you can. Acquiring a player like Nick Johnson or Dan Uggla would mean less playing time for Emmanuel Burriss and Travis Ishikawa. Sure, the kids have not exactly transitioned to the major league level with ease, but I’d rather see what our prospects can do than acquire a second baseman with an iron glove or a 30-year old first baseman that has only hit 20 home runs once in his career.

Yes, the Giants would be much better with a superior cleanup hitter. Yes, former Giants pitching prospects flamed out so there’s no guarantee Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson are going to turn into MLB-ready aces. Yes, there is a distinct chance the Giants continue to play .500 ball and miss out on the postseason for the sixth straight year.

However, and this is a big "however," to make any of the trades I’ve heard around the water cooler or on mlbtraderumors.com would erase San Francisco’s long-term goal of having a great nucleus of young players that will be poised to make a serious World Series run (or two) in the next decade.

Besides Bumgarner and Alderson, the Giants have 2008 first-round draft pick Buster Posey tearing it up in San Jose, and learning the art of catching so he can have the honor of calling games for Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Alderson, and to a lesser extent, Zito.

Then there’s the AnVil, Angel Villalona, who is advertised as the true 40-50 HR threat the Giants have been lacking since Barry Bonds tragically left the shores of McCovey Cove.

The Giants also established themselves as serious players in the international scouting world when they signed 16-year-old Rafael Rodriguez out of the Dominican Republic for $2.25 million, a franchise record for an international player.

If you were unaware, now you know what you have to look forward to as a Giants fan.

With that in mind, do you really think it makes sense to trade someone like Jonathan Sanchez or one of the top prospects for a guy like Uggla or Johnson?

If we can get a Miguel Cabrera or an Adrian Gonzalez in return for a handful of prospects, I’m all for rolling the dice.

But great hitters aren't usually on the trading block and the prospects that the Giants would have to give up are not the type that GM Brian Sabean should look to deal because I think these players are the real deal.

I’m a firm believer that Bumgarner, Alderson, Posey, and Villalona are as good as advertised. It’s too early to judge Rodriguez but he’s a five-tool player that just needs some time to mature and develop before he’s ready for the Show.

I may be wrong; injuries happen and top prospects often flame out. As Giants fans, we understand that far too well. Regardless, I’d rather see homegrown talent lead the Giants to their first World Series title in San Francisco than a bunch of midseason acquisitions and free agent signings.

For years, the Giants have had a laughable farm system. Case in point: Pedro Feliz has been the best position player the Giants have produced in a very long time until Pablo Sandoval came around. That’s a sad but true fact and should be motivation to keep the jewels of our organization in house.

I know it’s hard to stomach this anemic offense, these close losses, and the possibility of staying home during the postseason yet again, but just look at what Bumgarner, Alderson, Posey, and Villalona are doing in the minor leagues.

If you are a real fan who follows the Giants no matter how they are playing, you will understand why the wisest move is to be patient.

Based on Brian Sabean’s free agent signings the last few years (Zito, Rowand, Renteria) and his trading history (think Liriano, Nathan, and Bonser for Pierzynski), I question his ability to fleece another GM in a trade and a fleece-job is the only thing that would make sense.

If the Padres are willing to deal Adrian Gonzalez to a division rival for Sanchez, Alderson, and Ishikawa, I’d pull the trigger. But if we’re trading Bumgarner for Uggla or Johnson, that is exactly the type of move that will jeopardize the future and keep the Giants out of the playoffs for another six years.

NFL: Top 10 2009 Fantasy Rookies

Rael Enteen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:50:18 -0400

The top 10 players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft with the biggest chance to impact their team (and your fantasy squad) in their rookie seasons. This means no offensive lineman, linebackers, fullbacks or kickers. These are the rookie QBs, WRs and RBs that you should target as sleepers in your 2009 fantasy drafts because they could have an immediate impact right away.

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Opening Day Loss Brings Up Bad Signs

Rael Enteen — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:37:17 -0400

It’s only one game, but that one game seemed to have everything Giants fans were worried about heading into this season.

A weak offense?

Check. The Giant hitters never got a ball to the warning track and mustered only five singles total while getting shut out by mediocre Dodger pitching. Brad Penny has some good stuff but imagine what will happen to the Giant bats when Johan Santana is on the mound.

Zito roughed up?

Check. And of course most of the damage took place in the first inning, a disastrous aspect of Zito’s game that led to his dismal season in 2007. Worst of all, Giants fan public enemy number one Jeff Kent, who is beyond washed up and almost started the season on the disabled list, did the damage with a two-run blast in the first inning. Zito served up a 'fastball' right over the plat and made Kent look like he was in the middle his 2000 MVP season again. The $126 million dollar pitcher’s fastball topped out around 84 and neither his curveball nor his changeup seemed to fool anyone.

A reminder that management is not committing to its promise of a younger, faster and more exciting team built around pitching and defense?

Check. While the offensive woes were expected and almost excusable given the lineup, the Giants helped out the Dodgers with mental mistakes throughout the game. The top offseason acquisition Aaron Rowand missed two cutoff men and rookie shortstop Brian Bocock was picked off and looked like he wasn’t even paying attention on the play.

Bocock is one of the other problems: he made a fantastic defensive play at one point but the bottom line is he hasn’t played above Class A ball and hit under .250 last year at that level. I understand that Bocock is only starting because Omar Vizquel isn’t healthy yet and that the team wants to focus on defense, which is not Eugenio Velez’s strength, but at least he has plenty of minor league and limited major league experience and could offer the Giants a better table-setter than Dave Roberts.

As Velez showed with his pinch-hit appearance, he is capable of reaching base anytime he makes contact with his blazing speed. Unfortunately, he never had a chance to test Russell Martin but some stolen bases are inevitable if he keeps getting at-bats. A difference-maker like that should not be relegated to a bench role, especially given the starters that played instead of him: Jose Castillo, the starting third baseman, was picked up off waivers from the lowly Marlins just over a week ago.

I can’t comprehend what’s going on in the decision-making process of this franchise. Castillo is a mediocre player at best and should have no future with the organization in this long rebuilding process. So why is he starting? Either put in Velez at shortstop or third or move Rich Aurilia over to the hot corner and give Daniel Ortmeier a shot to take over first-base duties. While he struggled in spring training, Ortmeier has shown promise and has a better chance of becoming a starter in the bleak future than Aurilia or Castillo.

Bruce Bochy promised that Velez will get a start at some point in this season-opening series with the Dodgers, and hopefully the speedster will get his chance tonight. And at some point this season, either due to guys like Durham or Roberts hovering around the Mendoza line or more serious injuries to some of the dinosaurs on the team, the rest of the youngsters—Fred Lewis, Rajai Davis and Ortmeier—will get their chance to start and invigorate the team enough to avoid a 100-loss season.

It seems far too early to get this pessimistic, but this Opening Day loss could be very telling of the Giants’ struggles throughout the season. Maybe Zito will tweak his mechanics again and find another two or three miles an hour to add to his fastball and perhaps Velez will become a permanent starter after a dazzling performance in his start in this series forces Bochy to reconsider his lineup. But I’m not optimistic about either development given Zito’s typical first start and the Giants’ history with allowing young players a chance to develop in the show.

At least Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are starting the next two games and Velez will get his much-deserved first start, so we can hope to pull off a 2-1 win one of these nights and avoid a series-opening sweep to our biggest rivals.

San Francisco Giants: ¡Viva Velez!

Rael Enteen — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:08:44 -0400

“WE WANT VELEZ!”

If Eugenio Velez doesn’t start for the 2008 San Francisco Giants, fans should start chanting the above statement until they get him a starting job.

How can there be no position available for the Spring Training star among a lackluster infield group that includes Ray Durham, Kevin Frandsen, Rich Aurilia and an injured Omar Vizquel. Velez can even play the outfield, according to his scouting report, although his shaky defense is clearly nothing compared to his batting and baserunning skills.

Yesterday, however, Velez was a five-tool player, hitting a home run, stealing two bases and diving for a ball to start a double play in an 11-6 win over the defending division champion Diamondbacks. Today, Velez added another two hits in a 10-2 loss to the A’s.

For those that are just getting word of this 25-year old savior, he is now hitting .340 this March to go along with a major league-leading nine steals.

It’s not like this kid is trying to earn a spot in the Mets’ already stocked infield, this is the Giants were talking about. And after losing the majority of the team’s home runs with the departures of Barry Bonds and Pedro Feliz, the Giants’ only chance at success is with a small-ball offense.

Who better to lead off a small-ball offense than a young, speedy kid who’s playing for his chance to start at the Major League level?

When Velez did get a brief chance as a September call-up last season, he did not disappoint, going 3-for-11 with two triples, five runs scored, two RBIs and four steals. He batted only .273, but had an on-base percentage of .385 and a slugging percentage of .636 for a Bondsian OPS of 1.021. He was never caught stealing during his stint with the parent club and has yet to be gunned down this spring.

Do you really need any more proof that this guy deserves a starting job? Apparently, Giants management does, as they are tip-toeing around the idea of starting Velez. It seems that the Giants are still looking at Joe Crede, and now even Brandon Inge, to fill the void left at third base when Feliz left for Philadelphia.

But do Giants fans really want to see another corner infielder that in rare cases can drive the ball out of the yard, but more often than not strikes out on a slider out of the zone or grounds into a rally-killing double play? That’s what I remember of Feliz and that’s what I would expect out of Crede or Inge.

Wouldn’t you rather root for a lightning-quick, homegrown talent who could force the Giants to take a new offensive philosophy that could actually lead to some wins?

If so, then start chanting for Velez come Opening Day. If not, enjoy a miserable season watching the most boring offense in baseball put up three runs a game.

If Velez does get his chance, by the end of year Giants fans will have a new chant:

“VIVA VELEZ!”

Giants Talk: Where Is The Youth Movement in San Francisco?

Rael Enteen — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:19:44 -0400

They call this a youth movement?

Our starting shortstop will turn 41 by the time he returns to the lineup after knee surgery in May.

The projected cleanup hitter and catcher?

Bengie Molina is 33, which amounts to 45 in catcher years (don’t ask for my formula).

The other infielders, Ray Durham and Rich Aurilia, are both 36 and, needless to say, have seen better days.

The starting outfielders combined are almost a century old.

How can this be considered a youth movement?

The whole reasoning behind shoving Barry Bonds out of the picture, an insult to a man who made this franchise relevant since the mid-1990's, was that it made room for a "youth movement" that would make the Giants contenders a few years down the road, once these "youngsters" develop.

As it stands now, the only thing the Giants’ youngsters will develop is crotch-grabbing and seed-spitting techniques while they’re watching from the bench as aging, overpaid veterans send San Franciscans into a deep depression.

I understand we’re paying Durham a ton of money; too much, they say, to make him a pinch-hitter.

The same arguments can be made for Aurilia and Dave Roberts, too, but, as hard as it may seem, let’s forget about money for a second and think about contention.

As far as our long-term contention is concerned, starting Aurilia, Durham, and Roberts will only stunt the Giants’ already stagnant progression because the prospects are stuck behing them on the depth chart.

I understand our prospects do not get the same recognition from Baseball America as some of the position players in other systems, but any Giants fan has to be a little excited about Kevin Frandsen, Nate Schierholtz, Fred Lewis, Rajai Davis, and Eugenio Velez.

Davis and Lewis are hardly even young anymore, but showed flashes of brilliance at the end of last year and, at age 27, are hitting their baseball prime.

Neither will get a chance to start, though, because the Giants, who felt that the Barry Zito signing wasn’t embarrassing enough for the franchise, had to go out and overpay a 30-year old outfielder coming off a career year in a notorious hitter's park.

Now the Giants are stuck with the $60-million man Aaron Rowand, Roberts and Randy Winn, whose combined age is 98.

So, the Giants, who were lambasted during the Bonds years for consistently trotting out the oldest team in the majors, are basically doing the same thing under the false pretenses of a new youth movement.

On the other hand, an outfield of Lewis, Schierholtz and Davis is only 78. Sure, giving up the veteran outfield for the youngsters would waste millions and maybe a win here and there, but since the Giants are the hands-down favorite to finish last in the NL West, why not give the youngsters a chance?

The worst that could happen is we lose a couple more games or we find out these guys are not Major League outfielders and focus the energy on developing other youngsters.

Sticking with the seniors is only holding the Giants back from truly progressing towards contention.

It would be one thing if the seniors were limited to the outfield while the infield was stocked with prospects, but the geniuses in the Giants front office are making the exact same mistake in the infield.

I love Omar Vizquel; he’s the only senior Giant I can root for and anyone who saw his speech at Barry Bonds day over the summer knows what a great person and teammate he is.

That being said, I’m happy that he will be sidelined to open the season. At least it opens up a spot for Frandsen to play, and, if we’re lucky, Velez might get a shot as well.

Frandsen might not amount to much more than an average infielder over the course of his career, but early reports on Velez say he could be the Giants’ version of Jose Reyes.

He has enough stolen bases in Arizona for a felony charge and his speed and hustle is exactly what the Giants need atop their lineup to succeed with a small-ball philosophy, but with constant reports and rumors of the Giants interest in the White Sox’s Joe Crede, Velez’s path to a starting job could hit another speed bump.

This is absurd, especially when you consider that Velez is already 25.

If not now, when will this guy get his chance?

If Vizquel's option is not picked up next year, the Giants will probably re-sign Royce Clayton and Shawon Dunston rather than give a youngster a shot.

When will the Giants learn that aging veterans, especially without Bonds’ fear-inducing bat in the middle of the lineup, will not translate to success in the standings?

There is plenty of evidence around the league of teams developing their prospects in order to become contenders rather than overpay for free agents.

For every Yankee team comprised of the 2000 All-Star lineup, there is a Brewers or Indians team contending with homegrown talent.

No one thought of the Brewers as contenders before last year and in this league, anything can happen.

With some dedication to the youngsters, the Giants could be surprising the rest of the field in the talent-ridden NL West sooner than we might expect.

If the team continues on its current perilous path, ten years from now we will look back with fondness at Pedro Feliz, the best position player the Giants managed to produce since the Barry Bonds era.

San Francisco Giants Injury Update: Noah Lowry

Rael Enteen — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:52:19 -0500

Spring training always brings about a sense of hope among baseball fans. Every MLB squad is still undefeated, and every fan finds some reason to tally their team’s chances for the upcoming season.

For the 2008 San Francisco Giants, hope does not abound. The only thing worth getting excited for is a sterling starting rotation that matches up with the some of the best staffs in the league. The starters will need to be exceptional to give the team a chance to win behind the inevitably stagnant Giant offense that might score four runs a game in the most optimistic of estimates.

But that rotation, already under pressure to keep the team from only it’s second100-loss season in history, took a hit when expected No. 3 starter Noah Lowry underwent surgery today to fix exertion compartmental syndrome in his forearm. In layman’s terms, the southpaw is suffering from pain in his throwing wrist from a compressed nerve.

Some reports say Lowry could be out through April while the Giants website says it will only sideline him for two to three weeks. However, sfgiants.com also says there is no precedence for baseball players suffering from this injury.

There is no telling how long it will take him to come back and how effective he’ll be when he does take to the mound. If it’s anything like his spring training appearances, the Giants would be better off with Jonathan Sanchez rounding out the rotation.

Lowry already missed a month last season and still led the team in wins, which he has done in two of the last three years. The Giants do need him back and hopefully, he can show the consistency he showed before a sting of bad starts at the end of August. When the injury was developing, it made his ERA balloon from a fantastic 3.28 to a still-respectable 3.92.

Kevin Correia looked great in a short September stint in the starting rotation last year, and continues to impress this spring and a team can do worse than Sanchez as a fifth starter. But with nearly all the aging, veteran players dealing with nagging injuries, the last thing the Giants need is for their young pitchers to develop arm problems.

Let’s hope Lincecum and Cain can avoid these dangers, and that Lowry can bounce back, because without their young arms, the Giants will be in for a long and grueling summer.