[BobK]

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

[BobK]

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

[lex24]

Some very smart guy suggested Raul Ibanez as manager. That’s a decent possibility. Maddon is neither. Giants will make a qualifying offer to  Bum. Interesting to see if he takes it. Not certain what market will be. Smith is gone I think. Pillar will be tendered. Can’t believe they’d let him go. 

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

[lex24]

Some very smart guy suggested Raul Ibanez as manager. That’s a decent possibility. Maddon is neither. Giants will make a qualifying offer to  Bum. Interesting to see if he takes it. Not certain what market will be. Smith is gone I think. Pillar will be tendered. Can’t believe they’d let him go. 

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

[Phogge]

Farhan’s quote re the bullpens had nothing to do with more offense. He said it’s a safety issue. Of course it’s more than that but he didn’t say it.

[Phogge]

Farhan’s quote re the bullpens had nothing to do with more offense. He said it’s a safety issue. Of course it’s more than that but he didn’t say it.

[BobK]

The story I read quoting Farhan was all about offense. Plus the new story today

[BobK]

The story I read quoting Farhan was all about offense. Plus the new story today

[Mick]

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

Maddon is actually a year older than Bochy.

I don't think they keep Smith.  Hope they keep Bum, but I doubt it.

I think Farhan likes the ass't GM of the A's (can't recall his name).

---

Farhan’s quote re the bullpens had nothing to do with more offense. He said it’s a safety issue. Of course it’s more than that but he didn’t say it.

The Giants actually have some HR potential.  They hit 167 this year, most since 2004.  Of course, they gave up 227, most in their history.  Their pitching must really stink to have given up that many home runs in a ballpark so ill-suited to the long ball.

[Mick]

Good bye Triples Alley as the Giants will move the bullpens to That area to increase power production.

Will the next hire be a Manager or General Manager? 

Is Joe Madden possible or desirable?  He is 65

The Giants start with internal interviews soon

Must sign Will Smith and keep Pillar hope they keep Bum

Maddon is actually a year older than Bochy.

I don't think they keep Smith.  Hope they keep Bum, but I doubt it.

I think Farhan likes the ass't GM of the A's (can't recall his name).

---

Farhan’s quote re the bullpens had nothing to do with more offense. He said it’s a safety issue. Of course it’s more than that but he didn’t say it.

The Giants actually have some HR potential.  They hit 167 this year, most since 2004.  Of course, they gave up 227, most in their history.  Their pitching must really stink to have given up that many home runs in a ballpark so ill-suited to the long ball.

[BobK]

So need starting pitching. I don’t see Bum staying as we rebuild. Puller will stay. Really hope we sign Smith

Everyone is hitting HRs these days. 167 isn’t much for today’s baseball

[BobK]

So need starting pitching. I don’t see Bum staying as we rebuild. Puller will stay. Really hope we sign Smith

Everyone is hitting HRs these days. 167 isn’t much for today’s baseball

[OutsiderFan]

Am I really suppose to believe that power hitting is the only way to produce offense in baseball now?

Reading Farhan Zaidi's comments, he suggested the only way to improve the team was to increase its ability to hit for power. But what about hitting for average, plate discipline, and speed?  When you have speed, not only will you get more hits and score more runs as a result of that speed, you will also keep them off the scoreboard for the other team too.

Not to mention, a fast team that goes 1st to 3rd, steals bases, and can score from 1st on a double, routinely, and covers lots of ground defensively, is fun to watch.

[OutsiderFan]

Am I really suppose to believe that power hitting is the only way to produce offense in baseball now?

Reading Farhan Zaidi's comments, he suggested the only way to improve the team was to increase its ability to hit for power. But what about hitting for average, plate discipline, and speed?  When you have speed, not only will you get more hits and score more runs as a result of that speed, you will also keep them off the scoreboard for the other team too.

Not to mention, a fast team that goes 1st to 3rd, steals bases, and can score from 1st on a double, routinely, and covers lots of ground defensively, is fun to watch.

[BobK]

Speed is so old school. It’s all HR now.
No question speed is a plus. And getting on base which Piller is poor very poor at.

Of course far better starting pitching is needed

[BobK]

Speed is so old school. It’s all HR now.
No question speed is a plus. And getting on base which Piller is poor very poor at.

Of course far better starting pitching is needed

[qwerty49]

Bobk is so right. I happened to have one eye on the A’s score at least 3 times in the last 10 days of the season. Each time I checked and they were a run behind, then someone got on base and boom another tater to take the lead. That happens a lot when you have 7 starters with >20 HRs.

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

[qwerty49]

Bobk is so right. I happened to have one eye on the A’s score at least 3 times in the last 10 days of the season. Each time I checked and they were a run behind, then someone got on base and boom another tater to take the lead. That happens a lot when you have 7 starters with >20 HRs.

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

[OutsiderFan]

Not a great night to be lauding the A’s. About to lose WC game at home, the 9th straight elimination game they have lost. Tampa out homered them 3-0 and outpitched the A’s to boot.

[OutsiderFan]

Not a great night to be lauding the A’s. About to lose WC game at home, the 9th straight elimination game they have lost. Tampa out homered them 3-0 and outpitched the A’s to boot.

[lex24]

Unfortunately, yes. 

Am I really suppose to believe that power hitting is the only way to produce offense in baseball now?

---

Reading Farhan Zaidi's comments, he suggested the only way to improve the team was to increase its ability to hit for power. But what about hitting for average, plate discipline, and speed?  When you have speed, not only will you get more hits and score more runs as a result of that speed, you will also keep them off the scoreboard for the other team too.

Not to mention, a fast team that goes 1st to 3rd, steals bases, and can score from 1st on a double, routinely, and covers lots of ground defensively, is fun to watch.

---

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. Power rules. Batting coaches teach launch angles, never shorter your swing, hit the ball in the air, preferably in the alleys. 5 pitchers a game. Starter a hero if he goes 6. Can’t go three times through the order. Never ending supply of arms that throw 95 or above - until they blow their arm up.  Everyone that is a regular strikes out 100 times a season. At least. Approximately a third of all PA’s end in walks, strikeouts or HR’s 

I’ve always loved baseball.  But it’s getting harder to love.  I long for a well executed hit and run and watching artists like Rod Carew. I guess I’m just old.  

Bobk is so right. I happened to have one eye on the A’s score at least 3 times in the last 10 days of the season. Each time I checked and they were a run behind, then someone got on base and boom another tater to take the lead. That happens a lot when you have 7 starters with >20 HRs.

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

[lex24]

Unfortunately, yes. 

Am I really suppose to believe that power hitting is the only way to produce offense in baseball now?

---

Reading Farhan Zaidi's comments, he suggested the only way to improve the team was to increase its ability to hit for power. But what about hitting for average, plate discipline, and speed?  When you have speed, not only will you get more hits and score more runs as a result of that speed, you will also keep them off the scoreboard for the other team too.

Not to mention, a fast team that goes 1st to 3rd, steals bases, and can score from 1st on a double, routinely, and covers lots of ground defensively, is fun to watch.

---

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. Power rules. Batting coaches teach launch angles, never shorter your swing, hit the ball in the air, preferably in the alleys. 5 pitchers a game. Starter a hero if he goes 6. Can’t go three times through the order. Never ending supply of arms that throw 95 or above - until they blow their arm up.  Everyone that is a regular strikes out 100 times a season. At least. Approximately a third of all PA’s end in walks, strikeouts or HR’s 

I’ve always loved baseball.  But it’s getting harder to love.  I long for a well executed hit and run and watching artists like Rod Carew. I guess I’m just old.  

Bobk is so right. I happened to have one eye on the A’s score at least 3 times in the last 10 days of the season. Each time I checked and they were a run behind, then someone got on base and boom another tater to take the lead. That happens a lot when you have 7 starters with >20 HRs.

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

[qwerty49]

Not a great night to be lauding the A’s. About to lose WC game at home, the 9th straight elimination game they have lost. Tampa out homered them 3-0 and outpitched the A’s to boot.

And you might want to concede that 97 wins > 77 wins.  I'm a diehard Giants fan since Ruben Gomez' first pitch in 1958 and this year the A's had a way better season than the Giants did.

[qwerty49]

Not a great night to be lauding the A’s. About to lose WC game at home, the 9th straight elimination game they have lost. Tampa out homered them 3-0 and outpitched the A’s to boot.

And you might want to concede that 97 wins > 77 wins.  I'm a diehard Giants fan since Ruben Gomez' first pitch in 1958 and this year the A's had a way better season than the Giants did.

[Phogge]

I listened to the news conf live. When asked about the bullpens he said that safety was the prime issue. Do you think I was stoned Bobbbbbbbbbbbbb. Only when I pitched against Stanford.

[Phogge]

I listened to the news conf live. When asked about the bullpens he said that safety was the prime issue. Do you think I was stoned Bobbbbbbbbbbbbb. Only when I pitched against Stanford.

[OutsiderFan]

I believe the numbers have been used to promote groupthink in baseball. And I also wonder if the ball composition was changed we would see less emphasis on HRs as well. 

There was a time the college game was becoming all about hitting HRs, long before the obsession hit MLB. The NCAA mandated changes to bats to make hitting HRs more difficult and the game became more about pitching, defense and speed than power. 

MLB can alter the ball to reduce HR production as it has to increase it. Were that to happen, it would not be smart to use a strategy that trades strikeouts for HRs because there would be too many empty plate appearances to justify the strategy. And if more balls are hit that can be caught, a premium would be placed on speed and defense.

Creating plays at the bases, especially home plate, is a lot more interesting than waiting to see home runs hit, and watching each team strike out a dozen times a game chasing HRs is boring. And the sport is positively broken when the Rays - in an elimination game - feel comfortable playing no defender to the left of Second Base and the batter facing that defense doesn’t hit the ball to the side of the field there is nobody who can stop him from getting on base.

[OutsiderFan]

I believe the numbers have been used to promote groupthink in baseball. And I also wonder if the ball composition was changed we would see less emphasis on HRs as well. 

There was a time the college game was becoming all about hitting HRs, long before the obsession hit MLB. The NCAA mandated changes to bats to make hitting HRs more difficult and the game became more about pitching, defense and speed than power. 

MLB can alter the ball to reduce HR production as it has to increase it. Were that to happen, it would not be smart to use a strategy that trades strikeouts for HRs because there would be too many empty plate appearances to justify the strategy. And if more balls are hit that can be caught, a premium would be placed on speed and defense.

Creating plays at the bases, especially home plate, is a lot more interesting than waiting to see home runs hit, and watching each team strike out a dozen times a game chasing HRs is boring. And the sport is positively broken when the Rays - in an elimination game - feel comfortable playing no defender to the left of Second Base and the batter facing that defense doesn’t hit the ball to the side of the field there is nobody who can stop him from getting on base.

[OutsiderFan]

Sorry, the A's were out homered 4-0 by Tampa Bay.

[OutsiderFan]

Sorry, the A's were out homered 4-0 by Tampa Bay.

[Mick]

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. 

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

You're right.  In the early days of the game (National Association) singles were over 80% of the hits.  Dead ball era, it was typically between 75% and 81% were singles.  Going from 1919 to 1920, the ratio of singles to hits dropped from 77.4% to 76.4% (though HRs jumped from one every five games to three every five games between 1919 and 1930). 1930 was the year that the NL had a very lively ball (Hack Wilson, 56 HRs and 190 RBIs) and singles dropped to 70.3% of all hits.  Singles stayed above 70% of all hits until 1986 and 1987 when it dipped to 69.7% and 68.0%, then went back above 70%.

In the steroid era (roughly 1993 on) singles dropped below 70% in 1993 falling to between 65% and 68% until 2014 when it went back above 68% (68.5%), then dropped precipitously to 66.6% in 2015, 65.1% in 2016, 63.8% in 2017, 64.2% in 2018 and an all time low of 61.7% this year.

[Mick]

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. 

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

You're right.  In the early days of the game (National Association) singles were over 80% of the hits.  Dead ball era, it was typically between 75% and 81% were singles.  Going from 1919 to 1920, the ratio of singles to hits dropped from 77.4% to 76.4% (though HRs jumped from one every five games to three every five games between 1919 and 1930). 1930 was the year that the NL had a very lively ball (Hack Wilson, 56 HRs and 190 RBIs) and singles dropped to 70.3% of all hits.  Singles stayed above 70% of all hits until 1986 and 1987 when it dipped to 69.7% and 68.0%, then went back above 70%.

In the steroid era (roughly 1993 on) singles dropped below 70% in 1993 falling to between 65% and 68% until 2014 when it went back above 68% (68.5%), then dropped precipitously to 66.6% in 2015, 65.1% in 2016, 63.8% in 2017, 64.2% in 2018 and an all time low of 61.7% this year.

[cardcrimson]

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. 

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

You're right.  In the early days of the game (National Association) singles were over 80% of the hits.  Dead ball era, it was typically between 75% and 81% were singles.  Going from 1919 to 1920, the ratio of singles to hits dropped from 77.4% to 76.4% (though HRs jumped from one every five games to three every five games between 1919 and 1930). 1930 was the year that the NL had a very lively ball (Hack Wilson, 56 HRs and 190 RBIs) and singles dropped to 70.3% of all hits.  Singles stayed above 70% of all hits until 1986 and 1987 when it dipped to 69.7% and 68.0%, then went back above 70%.

In the steroid era (roughly 1993 on) singles dropped below 70% in 1993 falling to between 65% and 68% until 2014 when it went back above 68% (68.5%), then dropped precipitously to 66.6% in 2015, 65.1% in 2016, 63.8% in 2017, 64.2% in 2018 and an all time low of 61.7% this year.

Fantastic Stats!

---

Sorry, the A's were out homered 4-0 by Tampa Bay.

And you point is exactly what? Rubbing salt?

[cardcrimson]

Mathematics rule the game. Walks and HRs.  I’m relatively confident that the number of singles hit was an all time low. 

Small ball doesn’t pay off any more. Look at the Giants - it took them 3 hits to get a run all year, and more often than not the 3rd hit never happened.

You're right.  In the early days of the game (National Association) singles were over 80% of the hits.  Dead ball era, it was typically between 75% and 81% were singles.  Going from 1919 to 1920, the ratio of singles to hits dropped from 77.4% to 76.4% (though HRs jumped from one every five games to three every five games between 1919 and 1930). 1930 was the year that the NL had a very lively ball (Hack Wilson, 56 HRs and 190 RBIs) and singles dropped to 70.3% of all hits.  Singles stayed above 70% of all hits until 1986 and 1987 when it dipped to 69.7% and 68.0%, then went back above 70%.

In the steroid era (roughly 1993 on) singles dropped below 70% in 1993 falling to between 65% and 68% until 2014 when it went back above 68% (68.5%), then dropped precipitously to 66.6% in 2015, 65.1% in 2016, 63.8% in 2017, 64.2% in 2018 and an all time low of 61.7% this year.

Fantastic Stats!

---

Sorry, the A's were out homered 4-0 by Tampa Bay.

And you point is exactly what? Rubbing salt?

[BobK]

Outsider the ncaa also changed the balls to reduce HRs. As we are sure MLB did the opposite way for more HRs.

The Giants have speed In The OF with Piller, Yaz, Slater and Dugger

[BobK]

Outsider the ncaa also changed the balls to reduce HRs. As we are sure MLB did the opposite way for more HRs.

The Giants have speed In The OF with Piller, Yaz, Slater and Dugger

[BrevinsBest]

Outsider the ncaa also changed the balls to reduce HRs.    As we are sure MLB did the opposite way for more HRs.

The Giants have speed In The OF with Piller, Yaz, Slater and Dugger

I would doubt Slater and Duggar make the team next year. Slater's numbers were pretty bad this year, even though he got off to a hot start. Duggar can't stay healthy.

[BrevinsBest]

Outsider the ncaa also changed the balls to reduce HRs.    As we are sure MLB did the opposite way for more HRs.

The Giants have speed In The OF with Piller, Yaz, Slater and Dugger

I would doubt Slater and Duggar make the team next year. Slater's numbers were pretty bad this year, even though he got off to a hot start. Duggar can't stay healthy.

[Phogge]

Slater takes too many called strikes. He is passive. That can be corrected. Belt takes too many pitches and that CANNOT be corrected in the brain dead first baseman.

Duggar is not a hitter. Adios!

[Phogge]

Slater takes too many called strikes. He is passive. That can be corrected. Belt takes too many pitches and that CANNOT be corrected in the brain dead first baseman.

Duggar is not a hitter. Adios!