Giants Short Season Team not Short of Talent

Outside of getting brought up from the minors baseball fans rarely hear about minor league players and don't even know that there is a Class A short season league. What is the short season league for? Look at it as a prep class for the minor leagues. The short season team allows newly drafted players and other rookies to begin playing in the minors right after their college season ends. The minor league seasons start before the college playoffs and world series so draftees can continue to play for their college team and then are able to play in the Class A short season league.

Just a little summary of the Giants minor league system in case you are interested. The AAA team for the Giants is the Fresno Grizzlies where injured players will rehab before coming back into the majors. The Grizzles have a ton of players with major league experience right now - Zito, Bill Hall, Ishikawa, Runzler, Hector Sanchez, Manny B, Brandon Crawford, Conor Gillaspie. The AA team is the Richmond Flying Squirrels and in single A are the San Jose Giants and the August GreenJackets. Down at the bottom of the list are the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, the short season team. (along with the 2 rookie league teams)

The Giants first round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft was Joe Panik (29th overall), a shortstop for St. John's University in New York. He currently plays for the Volcanoes on the Giants short season team where he has proven that he deserved his first round pick designation. He is currently the league leader in BA, RBIs, runs, and hits, 4th in SLG, 2nd in OBP, and 2nd in TB. He is exactly what the Giants have been missing for most of this season, a contact hitter who can hit for average and has over .400 BA with RISP. The Giants have lost most of their games this year because they have one of the lowest averages with RISP.

Panik isn't the only player playing well for the Volcanoes. Mike Murray is batting 2nd in the league, 3rd in SLG, 5th in OBP, 3rd in TB, 2nd in RBI behind teammate Joe Panik, and 2nd in hits. Brett Krill is batting 3rd in the league, league leader in SLG, 7th in OBP, 9th in TB, 5th in RBI, and 9th in 2B. Another notable Volcano is Jesus Galindo who is leading the league in stolen bases.

Giants fans should remember these names as they will be coming up into the minors soon. If you are interested in hearing about Panik's game stats follow me on Twitter @SFGfaninNYC where I send a daily tweet.

Review of The Franchise on Showtime

The San Francisco Giants reality TV show is now in full swing. I was on the fence of whether or not to purchase Showtime just to see The Franchise and of course I caved in. This also allowed me to see if I was missing anything by not having Showtime and it is confirmed, I will be cancelling my subscription after the show is over. Little redeeming value in the seven or so Showtime channels you get.

The “reality” show format has been done before but I can’t remember a show that followed a baseball team or in depth as they do in The Franchise. Hard Knocks is the closest show in the reality sports tv show genre. One of the best takeaways from the show is the human aspect of the players. Fans rarely get a glance into the private lives of their favorite baseball players and The Franchise allows fans to see professional athletes in a new light.

We’ve already seen the Cain family struggle with him being away for long away trips and the wives basically being single moms half the season. The show has covered the Vogelsong story which now is getting a little old but still compelling. We also get to see Zito during his stint on the DL and his journey back into the lineup. I have to admit that the show hasn’t changed my opinions of any of the Giants players. My favorite players on the team are still my favorites and vice versa. Of all the players on the team Zito comes off as the least likeable. His “I don’t care what anyone thinks or says” attitude is obvious in the TV show and I don’t think he will increase his fan base with how Showtime develops his narrative. Between the sunglasses, the car, the Beverly Hills/LA montage, the yoga scene, and his desire to be a restaurateur, it’s not going to be easy to win fans back. Honestly I don’t care what he does off the field but on the field he makes me want to vomit. I know he knows how the fans feel about his performance and the $120mm plus contract – it can’t be easy but having that attitude only makes it worse.

You also get to see Posey and his ankle. I have to admit I have never seen a more disgusting looking ankle in my life. He seems to be taking it in stride and he thinks the most difficult part will be when he has more mobility and stopping himself from over working. He’s dying to get out there and you can see there is an obvious hole in the offense and defense. I would like to think that the pitching hasn’t been affected by his departure but I’m sure it has as well. (Not that it’s been bad or anything)

As far as the “reality” goes it seems to be less scripted than most other shows because the players each have their own struggles and narratives that provide for enough drama and interest. The pranks and the clubhouse tomfoolery (great word) have been what a lot of fans wanted to see and they get plenty of that.

It’s a good show, not amazing but it’s worth watching. Wednesday nights at 10pm. Tough time for us east coast fans because it directly conflicts with 7pm PST games.

Side Note: As I’m writing this on the train a kid wearing a Marichal t-shirt walked by me. Nice to see some love for the Dominican Dandy in Nueva York. I’m curious to know what his knowledge of Marichal is.