Brian Sabean Archive

Sanchez’s gem gives Giants options

By
Zuri
Published: July 13, 2009Tags: , ,

Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez has arrived — and with him the wonderful world of choice.

In the four years that Sanchez has been a San Francisco Giant, he’s been rightfully labeled “potential” and “project.” He almost screwed that up this season with a 2-8 record before being promptly sent to the bullpen by manager Bruce Bochy, giving rise to Ryan Sadowski. In fact, if it wasn’t for Randy Johnson being old, he’d still be a middle reliever stuck on a team with too many of those guys.

And if it weren’t for Noah Lowry being on the disabled list for the rest of his life, Sanchez wouldn’t have even been in the rotation.

But Friday’s no-hitter — the Giants’ first since 1976 and the first of the MLB season — gives way to new and more interesting developments. Like football, the Giants have a pitcher’s dilemma.

Unlike football, this is a good problem to have.

There’s a stacked deck in favor of what the Giants can and want to do for the future, including trade options, bait and development. With Sadowski on the rise, Lowry in purgatory, Cain, Johnson and Lincecum locked, the Giants have the best six in baseball hands down. And while the issue of not having a bat didn’t go away because they didn’t make a move or because Pablo “Panda Bear” Sandoval is absolutely awesome, standing pat isn’t really an option. No, a slugger in the mix will be a recurring theme in the story of the ‘09 and 2010 G-men. Sanchez just drew himself the short straw on who will potentially be Brian Sabean’s next trade piece come winter for whoever that bat will be.

That’s a win for the Giants. And even if Sabean doesn’t want to part with Sanchez, whose best days are still ahead, he can continue to shop Cain (although I dislike this) and eventually drop Lowry off at the next meat market whenever he passes a physical. (Are they still paying that guy?)

Point is, the list of options just expanded ten-fold with a game the entire baseball community is buzzing about.

“Hey, world! Giants players are good, too. Come trade with us!”

It’s OK to look at the fringe benefits of an historical moment. But maybe, just maybe, we should bask in the glory of witnessing something so fantastic for a little longer. Where were you when Sanchez dominated the Padres? Did you get to see those nine innings of bliss, 27 outs of joy and wash down that inescapable error with a shot of triumph.

I’ve been watching the replay of all 27 outs on MLB.com, just taking it all in. On Saturday, I took in the game from center field of AT&T Park and there was no other accepted topic of conversation.

“Did you see Aaron Rowand’s catch? He looked like Willie Mays.”

Yeah, he did.

And Sanchez looked like all the potential we have been hoping for since mid-year last season.

He has arrived.

Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in The Union.

Giants need to figure it out – now

By
Zuri
Published: January 14, 2009Tags: , , , ,


Hold your horses Giants fans. The jury is still out on whether picking up the Big Unit is worth the risk.

What made the Giants so confident in him, that they rolled the dice on a 21-year veteran? What says he doesn’t break down? Yeah, it’s a one-year contract, but does that guarantee 30 starts? Ten wins?

I’m worried about re-occurring back problems. Maybe arthritis. Or some mixture of the both. I should just flat out say it. I’m worried about old people. Particularly, 40-year olds playing on a professional ball club filled with guys my age.

Johnson is walking on to a team that totally reinvented itself from the set of Cocoon. Where once it was filled with the has-beens of Major League Baseball, now it is filled with the up and coming stars of the mound.

You see that hill in AT&T Park, Randy. That’s Timmy’s. He owns it. He earned it. He’s the future. And you … well, you are the byproduct of a mixed philosophy and general manager Brian Sabean’s dismal planning efforts for the future.

I take no solace in typing these words. On the outside, it’s pretty mean-spirited. But the fact remains, Johnson doesn’t belong on a team whose nucleus includes the likes of Lincecum (24), the heir and savior, and Matt Cain (24) the go-to guy. Barry Zito (30) … well, I’m tired of ripping him. Noah Lowry (28), Jonathan Sanchez (26) and all-star Brian Wilson (26) are the Giants’ base of operations. Success of the organization starts with these fellas. The young guys.

Why do you throw in a 45-year old and expect things to get better? All the while, the G-men are pontificating whether they’ll move Lowry or Sanchez.

Does any of this make sense?

This isn’t a case of gerontophobia or some other maligned ignorance. It’s a disagreement of philosophy. Sabean, who has proved time and time again that he has no plan, dropped all pretension of youthful reinvention when he picked up Johnson.

Maybe he didn’t notice, but the Big Unit’s on a downward spiral. He went 11-10 last year in 184 innings, scored 173 strikeouts making him just as feared as any average pitcher.

I won’t sit here and compare the Big Unit out of his prime against last year’s Cy Young award winner. That’s just unfair. Instead, I’ll compare him to the guy fourth in the rotation: Sanchez. In 2008, Sanchez finished 9-12, dropped a 5.01 ERA and dispatched 157 batters by way of strikeout in 158 innings. That’s almost one strikeout an inning.

That kind of talent, although average in terms of ERA, is solid in terms of production. Plus, he doesn’t come with the price tag Johnson carries, who is reportedly drawing $8 million in base salary and another $2.5 million in incentives.

Hmmm. Do I want average and cheap production or do I want average and expensive production? So hard to choose.

How about neither? How about, for once, we stick with the plan? How about we let the young guys develop into the superstars they are and surround them with other young guys who are hungry to win?

How about next time, we save that money for a cleanup hitter?

This column originally appeared in The Union.