[lex24]

I’ve come to the conclusion that the more I rag on the Giants, the more they win.  So, I’m adjusting my prediction to 75 wins…..

Some tough personnel decisions coming up.  Longoria is going to be activated any day. So, who goes down?  They have 13 pitchers and 13 regulars.  I don5 think they will go with 12 pitchers. That leaves it to either Dubon or Gonzalez.  Dubon is out of options and is playing pretty well right now.  Gonzalez has been excellent offensively.  Had a couple defensive lapses.  I think he has options left. If so, he goes to Sac.  Which is too bad.  Cause I like him a lot offensively.  

Also, how long do they allow Bart to flail away.  It’s not just that he’s striking out a ton.  He’s swinging and missing at pitches that are right down the pipe.  He struck out twice against Gomber Monday.  The second time on a 91 MPH fastball thigh high middle.  Those were Gomber’s only two strikeouts.

Right now, Casali is a much better option. But Bart catching  2 out of 6 doesn’t help his development.  Sending him down would be a better option.  But he seems to be handling pitchers well.  And they have no experienced catcher in Sac.  

Genoves has turned some heads.  But they aren’t going to call up a catcher with no experience unless they have to.  So, Bart is going to keep getting chances.  Right now it ain’t pretty…..

[lex24]

I’ve come to the conclusion that the more I rag on the Giants, the more they win.  So, I’m adjusting my prediction to 75 wins…..

Some tough personnel decisions coming up.  Longoria is going to be activated any day. So, who goes down?  They have 13 pitchers and 13 regulars.  I don5 think they will go with 12 pitchers. That leaves it to either Dubon or Gonzalez.  Dubon is out of options and is playing pretty well right now.  Gonzalez has been excellent offensively.  Had a couple defensive lapses.  I think he has options left. If so, he goes to Sac.  Which is too bad.  Cause I like him a lot offensively.  

Also, how long do they allow Bart to flail away.  It’s not just that he’s striking out a ton.  He’s swinging and missing at pitches that are right down the pipe.  He struck out twice against Gomber Monday.  The second time on a 91 MPH fastball thigh high middle.  Those were Gomber’s only two strikeouts.

Right now, Casali is a much better option. But Bart catching  2 out of 6 doesn’t help his development.  Sending him down would be a better option.  But he seems to be handling pitchers well.  And they have no experienced catcher in Sac.  

Genoves has turned some heads.  But they aren’t going to call up a catcher with no experience unless they have to.  So, Bart is going to keep getting chances.  Right now it ain’t pretty…..

[lex24]

Longo back.  McGee to DL with a sore fastball.  A little surprised they are going with 12 pitchers.

[lex24]

Longo back.  McGee to DL with a sore fastball.  A little surprised they are going with 12 pitchers.

[BostonCard]

Longo back.  McGee to DL with a sore fastball.

You left CI a hanging curveball.

BC

[BostonCard]

Longo back.  McGee to DL with a sore fastball.

You left CI a hanging curveball.

BC

[DC 86]

Regarding someone who has come up in this thread a bunch of times: Seth Corry underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder earlier this week.

[DC 86]

Regarding someone who has come up in this thread a bunch of times: Seth Corry underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder earlier this week.

[Phogge]

They are getting good starts from Prelander Berroa and Harrison in Eugene. Corry pitched 2 1/3 early and then was shelved. Too bad. Maybe this was the problem all along.

[Phogge]

They are getting good starts from Prelander Berroa and Harrison in Eugene. Corry pitched 2 1/3 early and then was shelved. Too bad. Maybe this was the problem all along.

[Giants]

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).

[Giants]

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).

[Phogge]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

[Phogge]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

[lex24]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

Suggests to me La Stella is not making any real progress. They traded for a left handed middle infielder (who also plays some LF).

---

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).         

Agree.  No where to go on Bart. So, hopefully he figures it out.

[lex24]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

Suggests to me La Stella is not making any real progress. They traded for a left handed middle infielder (who also plays some LF).

---

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).         

Agree.  No where to go on Bart. So, hopefully he figures it out.

[DC 86]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

[DC 86]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

[Mick]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

Suggests to me La Stella is not making any real progress. They traded for a left handed middle infielder (who also plays some LF).

---

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).         

Agree.  No where to go on Bart. So, hopefully he figures it out.

LaStella's hitting .222.  And Patrick Bailey is hitting .164 in Eugene.  There's no other catching help all up and down the minor league system.  Maybe Jhonny Pereda, batting .298 in Sacto with just 4 strikeouts in 51 plate appearances.  And yes I know it's the PCL.

---

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

[Mick]

Shocking. Berroa 13.1 IP, 16 K, 0.68 ERA. What's not to like?

Suggests to me La Stella is not making any real progress. They traded for a left handed middle infielder (who also plays some LF).

---

Bart got his first hit of the season on an 0-2 count today.  Previously, he was 0-22.  I don’t foresee the Giants making any moves at the C position.  However, I think we might see Casali playing more frequently.

Note: Bart and Casali are the only catchers on the 40 man roster.

Phogge - Berroa was traded to Seattle today for an infielder (who was sent to Sacramento).         

Agree.  No where to go on Bart. So, hopefully he figures it out.

LaStella's hitting .222.  And Patrick Bailey is hitting .164 in Eugene.  There's no other catching help all up and down the minor league system.  Maybe Jhonny Pereda, batting .298 in Sacto with just 4 strikeouts in 51 plate appearances.  And yes I know it's the PCL.

---

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

[DC 86]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

In aggregate catchers in MLB this year are hitting 210/282/328 (.610 OPS). Bart is hitting 167/315/333 (.648 OPS). The sample size is so small as to be meaningless, and Bart's high strikeout rate (which isn't new for him) bodes badly going forward. But my point stands that league-wide hitting for catchers is so bad (as it has been for a while now) that Bart isn't dragging the Giants down at the moment, in fact his hitting overall is above average for the position despite the low batting average and ridiculous strikeout rate.

[DC 86]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

In aggregate catchers in MLB this year are hitting 210/282/328 (.610 OPS). Bart is hitting 167/315/333 (.648 OPS). The sample size is so small as to be meaningless, and Bart's high strikeout rate (which isn't new for him) bodes badly going forward. But my point stands that league-wide hitting for catchers is so bad (as it has been for a while now) that Bart isn't dragging the Giants down at the moment, in fact his hitting overall is above average for the position despite the low batting average and ridiculous strikeout rate.

[Mick]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

In aggregate catchers in MLB this year are hitting 210/282/328 (.610 OPS). Bart is hitting 167/315/333 (.648 OPS). The sample size is so small as to be meaningless, and Bart's high strikeout rate (which isn't new for him) bodes badly going forward. But my point stands that league-wide hitting for catchers is so bad (as it has been for a while now) that Bart isn't dragging the Giants down at the moment, in fact his hitting overall is above average for the position despite the low batting average and ridiculous strikeout rate.

Right.  He'll probably turn it around next week.

[Mick]

The bar for MLB catchers is so low that Bart (legit catcher, willing to take a walk, power) isn't dead weight, especially at the minimum salary. Of course if he continues to strike out more than half the time (entirely possible) then Casali will play more, but Bart isn't a terrible problem for SF, it just looks worse than it is given that he was the #2 overall pick and he's replacing an MVP and likely hall of famer. Expectations just need to be reset.

Not sure who the worst strikeout percentage hitter was over a career. Rob Deer is 36% strikeouts as a percentage of at bats, Mark Reynolds was 35%.  Joey Bart is at 46%.  Both Deer and Reynolds hit a lot of HRs, Deer at 230, Reynolds at 298. Deer hit an HR once every 17 at bats, Reynolds was once every 18.  Bart is once every 56.

In aggregate catchers in MLB this year are hitting 210/282/328 (.610 OPS). Bart is hitting 167/315/333 (.648 OPS). The sample size is so small as to be meaningless, and Bart's high strikeout rate (which isn't new for him) bodes badly going forward. But my point stands that league-wide hitting for catchers is so bad (as it has been for a while now) that Bart isn't dragging the Giants down at the moment, in fact his hitting overall is above average for the position despite the low batting average and ridiculous strikeout rate.

Right.  He'll probably turn it around next week.

[OutsiderFan]

Does Bart need some vision correction? It just does't seem possible that you could hit balls really hard when you do hit them, but otherwise swing and miss most of the time. He's got a .304 average for BABIP, which is pretty good. He just needs to make more contact, and to me contact starts with being able to see the ball clearly.

Ability to recognize pitch types and not being caught guessing wrong also factors in, but seeing the ball is the most elemental part of hitting. 

Casali's BABIP is .385, which is outstanding, but he doesn't have the OPS (.618) Bart has (.648), so it's kind of a wash offensively.

One thing I like about Bart is he always looks confident, even when he's striking out a lot. Provides reason to believe he will get better, but I still can't shake the idea he has some sort of vision impairment.

[OutsiderFan]

Does Bart need some vision correction? It just does't seem possible that you could hit balls really hard when you do hit them, but otherwise swing and miss most of the time. He's got a .304 average for BABIP, which is pretty good. He just needs to make more contact, and to me contact starts with being able to see the ball clearly.

Ability to recognize pitch types and not being caught guessing wrong also factors in, but seeing the ball is the most elemental part of hitting. 

Casali's BABIP is .385, which is outstanding, but he doesn't have the OPS (.618) Bart has (.648), so it's kind of a wash offensively.

One thing I like about Bart is he always looks confident, even when he's striking out a lot. Provides reason to believe he will get better, but I still can't shake the idea he has some sort of vision impairment.

[DC 86]

Casali's BABIP is .385, which is outstanding, but he doesn't have the OPS (.618) Bart has (.648), so it's kind of a wash offensively.

It's the opposite of a wash. Casali's superior BABIP indicates that his OPS is overstated, meaning that the real delta between him and Bart is more than 30 points. Of course small sample size caveats apply.

[DC 86]

Casali's BABIP is .385, which is outstanding, but he doesn't have the OPS (.618) Bart has (.648), so it's kind of a wash offensively.

It's the opposite of a wash. Casali's superior BABIP indicates that his OPS is overstated, meaning that the real delta between him and Bart is more than 30 points. Of course small sample size caveats apply.

[BostonCard]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

[BostonCard]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

[DC 86]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

Absolutely. BABiP isn't a strict reflection of luck, to be meaningful it needs to be examined in the context of quality of contact.

In this case, given that Bart hits the ball harder than Casali it stands to reason that Casali's high BABIP is likely unsustainable, and that the gap between him and Bart thus far this season is understated.

[DC 86]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

Absolutely. BABiP isn't a strict reflection of luck, to be meaningful it needs to be examined in the context of quality of contact.

In this case, given that Bart hits the ball harder than Casali it stands to reason that Casali's high BABIP is likely unsustainable, and that the gap between him and Bart thus far this season is understated.

[lex24]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

Absolutely. BABiP isn't a strict reflection of luck, to be meaningful it needs to be examined in the context of quality of contact.

In this case, given that Bart hits the ball harder than Casali it stands to reason that Casali's high BABIP is likely unsustainable, and that the gap between him and Bart thus far this season is understated.

Over a period of about 4 years Matty Alou hit about .335.  I bet his BABIP was way out of whack with hard hit rates etc.  just a guy that would make contact, use the whole field, throw in a bunch of infield hits. You know, the type of player that doesn’t exist anymore.

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

[lex24]

The premise being that BABIP reflects some degree of luck?  I mean, that is to a large extent true, given the small sample sizes, but I also feel like it distinguishes people who make “quality contact” from those who make weak contact and hit a lot of pop-ups or weak grounders.

BC

Absolutely. BABiP isn't a strict reflection of luck, to be meaningful it needs to be examined in the context of quality of contact.

In this case, given that Bart hits the ball harder than Casali it stands to reason that Casali's high BABIP is likely unsustainable, and that the gap between him and Bart thus far this season is understated.

Over a period of about 4 years Matty Alou hit about .335.  I bet his BABIP was way out of whack with hard hit rates etc.  just a guy that would make contact, use the whole field, throw in a bunch of infield hits. You know, the type of player that doesn’t exist anymore.

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

[OutsiderFan]

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

I hope you didn't read the Andrew Baggarly story in The Athletic about Joey Bart then.

But seriously, I don't understand how breaking things down into smaller parts doesn't make following sports more interesting. I mean 50 years ago, it was a guy is or isn't hitting. That is it. When that's all you have to go on, a story about a player can only include a walk down memory lane of their past and maybe comparisons to past players. Now, it's here's what a guy does well and what he doesn't, in specific detail and with many lenses of context. 

Baggarly's story unearths data I would never take the time to research, but that I find endlessly fascinating. He specifically said it is up to the hitting coaches to tweak Bart's approach. Now I'm curious what those tweaks might entail.  Probably an article for another day.

[OutsiderFan]

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

I hope you didn't read the Andrew Baggarly story in The Athletic about Joey Bart then.

But seriously, I don't understand how breaking things down into smaller parts doesn't make following sports more interesting. I mean 50 years ago, it was a guy is or isn't hitting. That is it. When that's all you have to go on, a story about a player can only include a walk down memory lane of their past and maybe comparisons to past players. Now, it's here's what a guy does well and what he doesn't, in specific detail and with many lenses of context. 

Baggarly's story unearths data I would never take the time to research, but that I find endlessly fascinating. He specifically said it is up to the hitting coaches to tweak Bart's approach. Now I'm curious what those tweaks might entail.  Probably an article for another day.

[lex24]

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

I hope you didn't read the Andrew Baggarly story in The Athletic about Joey Bart then.

But seriously, I don't understand how breaking things down into smaller parts doesn't make following sports more interesting. I mean 50 years ago, it was a guy is or isn't hitting. That is it. When that's all you have to go on, a story about a player can only include a walk down memory lane of their past and maybe comparisons to past players. Now, it's here's what a guy does well and what he doesn't, in specific detail and with many lenses of context. 

Baggarly's story unearths data I would never take the time to research, but that I find endlessly fascinating. He specifically said it is up to the hitting coaches to tweak Bart's approach. Now I'm curious what those tweaks might entail.  Probably an article for another day.

Three. True. Outcomes.

The data is fine. Interesting. How it’s changed the game is the issue…..

[lex24]

Mathematicians have made baseball a much less interesting game.

I hope you didn't read the Andrew Baggarly story in The Athletic about Joey Bart then.

But seriously, I don't understand how breaking things down into smaller parts doesn't make following sports more interesting. I mean 50 years ago, it was a guy is or isn't hitting. That is it. When that's all you have to go on, a story about a player can only include a walk down memory lane of their past and maybe comparisons to past players. Now, it's here's what a guy does well and what he doesn't, in specific detail and with many lenses of context. 

Baggarly's story unearths data I would never take the time to research, but that I find endlessly fascinating. He specifically said it is up to the hitting coaches to tweak Bart's approach. Now I'm curious what those tweaks might entail.  Probably an article for another day.

Three. True. Outcomes.

The data is fine. Interesting. How it’s changed the game is the issue…..

[old spanish trail]

Sort of amazing. The Gyros are second in the majors in runs scored with 163. The Dodgers are first with 166.

[old spanish trail]

Sort of amazing. The Gyros are second in the majors in runs scored with 163. The Dodgers are first with 166.