| Christopher Reina. 31st March, 2008 - 5:11 pm
 'Striking Out' is a new edition to RealGM's baseball pages this season, which will touch on three of the most pressing issues (good, bad, and ugly) for all 30 major league teams.
First up are the Giants who are looking to avoid losing twice as many games as the anniversary (50th in San Francisco) they celebrate in 2008.
Strike One: Miserable Opening Day Lineup
The Giants' opening day lineup in 2008 is easily their least talented since the 1985 season when the lost 100 games. Jim Davenport's team finished last in the NL in runs (556), hits (1,263), and OBP (.296) while they were second to last in slugging (.348) and strikeouts (962).
Opening Day Lineup, April 9, 1985
* Season totals in batting/OBP/slugging
Dan Gladden (.243/.307/.347)
Manny Trillo (.224/.287/.288)
Chili Davis (.270/.349/.412)
Jeffrey Leonard (.241/.272/.393)
Bob Brenly (.220/.311/.391)
David Green (.248/.301/.347)
Chris Brown (.271/.345/.442)
Johnnie LeMaster (.000/.059/.000)
Atlee Hammaker (.085/.085/.085)
Opening Day Lineup, March 31, 2008
* Career totals in batting/OBP/slugging
Dave Roberts (.268/.342/.370)
Rich Aurilia (.276/.330/.439)
Randy Winn (.286/.345/.424)
Bengie Molina (.275/.309/.411)
Ray Durham (.277/.351/.436)
Aaron Rowand (.286/.343/.462)
Jose Castillo (.256/.297/.380)
Brian Bocock (no previous MLB experience)
Barry Zito (.088/.108/.088)
The 1908 St. Louis Cardinals were shutout a MLB-record 33 times; is that number now in jeopardy?
Strike Two: Starting Zito On Opening Day
Zito is being paid like an ace, but there is no mistaking the fact that Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are ahead of him on the depth chart. He had a 1.98 ERA over 13.2 career innings at Dodger Stadium, but Bruce Bochy, in this supposed new meritocracy era of Giants' baseball, should have given Cain the start.
Zito wasn't quite as awful as advertised but propping him up with these artificial ace accolades is disingenuous and not doing any favors for anyone.
Strike Three: Starting Shortstop's Highest Level Of Baseball Is Single A
Johnnie LeMaster didn't get a single hit for the Giants in 1985 before they dealt him to the Indians for Mike Jeffcoat and Luis Quinones in May, but the 12-year veteran had something Brian Bocock doesn't have: MLB experience. Bocock's highest level of baseball came last year when he played 87 games for Single-A San Jose where he hit .220/.293/.328. Clearly, this is an emergency situation caused by injuries to Omar Vizquel and Kevin Frandsen, and the Giants would love to put Eugenio Velez there if he was even 10% competent in the field.
But in short, this does not bode well, please cue 'How To Disappear Completely' by Radiohead.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of the Reina Value. |
