Who are the 10 toughest players in Major League Baseball today?
While many have been quick to limp to the disabled list, others such as Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, and numerous catchers across the league take their nicks and keep moving forward.
What names belong on my top 10 list?
Let’s begin with an honorable mention…
Even after absorbing Tuesday’s loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles, the San Francisco Giants are humming along now that May is but a memory.
Since the calendar flipped to June, the Gents (quick note—I don’t care that the New York nickname was Gints and neither does anyone else in the Bay Area) are 9-5. If you include the last five games of a mediocre preceding month, San Francisco is 13-6.
So things are good for the baseball-conscious in the City.
Nevertheless, there are three glaring and potentially enduring problems with the club.
Forget about the recent rockiness from the bullpen and the struggles out of the No. 5 slot in the rotation. Neither is serious.
The ‘pen has too many talented arms for this stretch to be anything more than the periodic lull that even the best units suffer. Dirt merchants like Sergio Romo, lefty Dan Runzler, lefty Jeremy Affeldt and newcomer Santiago Casilla all have top-shelf arsenals plus each fireman has shown signs of snapping back to form in their latest outings.
More importantly, closer Brian Wilson hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been consistently dandy. There’s little sense in hitting the panic button when the most critical arm isn’t inducing ulcers.
As for the final spot in the rotation, it admittedly hasn’t been pretty.
But that can be said of virtually every team in Major League Baseball and Todd Wellemeyer has actually been splendid at home—2.97 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .209 BAA, .606 OPSA and 1.71 K:BB in 36 1/3 IP.
Granted, Wellemeyer’s been the batting practice pitcher every group wants to face on the road, but he’s currently hurt i.e. he’s moot for a while.
Joe Martinez is now manning the position and, though the results weren’t what fans wanted to see in his first start on Tuesday, there is ample reason to be optimistic.
Martinez was erratic as a starter in 2009 but remember he was coming back from that fractured skull courtesy of a Mike Cameron line drive. Those episodes tend to rattle a hurler so it’s not unreasonable to overlook the initial returns.
In 2010, the 27-year-old was tossing it nicely at Triple-A in the Pacific Coast League. His line of a 3.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 2.36 K:BB in 67 1/3 IP in 11 GS is quite fine considering the PCL is apparently like playing in an entire league full of pre-humidor Coors Fields.
Furthermore, Martinez twirled it better than his final line (6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K and 1 HR) looked. His sinker was working; the grounders just found too many holes. That could be attributed to a range-challenged defense, but it seemed more like bad luck.
Regardless, the Orange and Black pitching is rarely cause for concern.
Nah, the three biggest bugaboos facing the squad now and potentially for the foreseeable future are catcher Bengie Molina, shortstop Edgar Renteria and center fielder Aaron Rowand.
Let’s work from the easiest solved up.
Molina is simple—the pitching staff loves him enough to justify his presence even when not hitting and his lumber is showing signs of life after an atrocious May. Giant fans also need to remember that backstops are rarely a source of offensive production and that’s OK because they contribute in so many other ways.
Bengie doesn’t do everything well in the Tools of Ignorance, but he does enough to win the praise of some very good pitchers. If Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are happy, so am I.
And he’s only on a one-year contract so if Big Money goes Big Arctic again, Buster Posey’s here to stay.
Renteria’s imminent return isn’t too tough a situation to deal with, either. It actually could prove to be a positive moving forward if handled correctly by all involved.
Once the veteran finishes his rehab assignment (from a hamstring strain), he’ll expect and receive playing time. Fine, except it can’t come at the expense of arguably the Giants’ best hitter to date and the man who’s been patrolling the hole in Edgar’s absence.
Juan Uribe leads the team with 41 runs batted in and is tied with Aubrey Huff for the lead in home runs with 10.
His 41 ribbies are also a high for all MLB shortstops. His tater total is good for second in that regard, his .843 OPS ranks third and his .289 average is tied for fourth. If you’re hip to those sexy sabermetrics, his wins above replacement (WAR) is 1.8, which trails only Troy Tulowitzki’s 2.1, Derek Jeter’s 2.0 and Hanley Ramirez’s 1.9.
In other words, Uribe must play as much as possible.
The keys, however, are health and versatility.
Los Gigantes have two crucial bats that demand playing time, but would benefit from rest due to injury issues.
Uribe, who is dealing with a balky hammy of his own, is one and the other is Freddy Sanchez, who has been raking since finally recovering from off-season surgeries to knee and shoulder. Both have been invaluable so they haven’t seen much down time, but a blow here and there would probably be beneficial come August and September.
So Renteria, whose bat was blazing prior to the hamstring snag, shouldn’t disrupt the mix too much or dilute the suddenly respectable offense.
He can be used at short to directly spell Uribe. Additionally, he can be used to rest Sanchez, third baseman Pablo Sandoval, or first baseman Posey thanks to jack-of-all-infield-trades Uribe (and a touch of the Kung Fu Panda).
As San Francisco fans have seen, Uribe can play second base or the hot corner with excellent ease. Since Pablo can also play a quality first sack, manager Bruce Bochy essentially has a game of musical chairs on his hands.
If you want to get really creative, the 34-year-old Renteria could even be used to give fellow sore spot Molina a break. Uribe would move to third, Sandoval to first, and Posey behind the dish.
Finally, Renteria’s contract is also up at the end of ’10.
If he hits, SF gets the best of both worlds—it eases off some valuable assets without losing production. If he doesn’t hit, there’s less artificial incentive to play him.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Rowand. The center fielder is a large and sincerely troublesome thorn in the franchise’s side.
A-Row’s been swinging a flaccid noodle since mid-May (sub-.200 BA, sub-.300 OBP). It’s gotten so bad that he’s begun to lose reps because (A) he’s shown no hints of pulling out of the massive slump; and (B) the Giants have Andres Torres, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell smoking the ball while flashing adequate-to-insane leather.
Further complicating matters are the atrophying five tools of Nate Schierholtz on the bench.
Usually, the answer is easy—bench Rowand until someone cools off or he gets hot. The rub is that the Giants must deal with an unusual kick to the groin—Aaron’s bloated contract for five years and $60 million, running through 2012.
That money is a sunk cost , but try convincing baseball executives and managers. The average member of that group will tell you it’s not sunk because Rowand could still be productive again and they’ll waste at-bats or innings in tribute to the idea.
To a degree, the logic is sound.
Aaron Rowand is notoriously streaky and that means a hot one might be just a matter of time—the gamble could pay out. But the San Fran lineup isn’t all that prolific even when cruising along; it can’t afford 0-fers when there’s a more attractive option available.
Right now, the fellas have four such players.
Uh oh.
Aaron Rowand doesn’t seem the type to become a distraction nor does he seem like the sort who would be thrilled about cooling his cleats. Yet it’s almost impossible to justify his presence on the field as anything but a defensive replacement at the moment.
Something’s gotta/will give.
Which means the San Francisco Giants could find themselves in a particularly awkward spot. For two more years.
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So far in 2010, we’re beginning to see why the San Francisco Giants have earned their new tag line. In case you haven’t heard Giants announcer Duane Kuiper say it, he sums up the season in the following sentence.
Giants baseball. It’s torture.
And it has been.
During the first month of the season, the Giants were seemingly the real deal. They led the National League in batting average in April (.280), and went 13-9 to grab a firm hold on second place behind the upstart Padres.
The pitching was also stellar, posting a 2.75 ERA and allowing a paltry .214 opposing batting average. If you take out Todd Wellemeyer and his rocky start, San Francisco starters were 10-2 with a 1.98 ERA in the first month of the season.
Yet May proved to be just as bad as April was good, especially on offense. This included two major slumps by two major figures on the roster (and payroll).
Aaron Rowand was seen as the position player version of the Barry Zito contract. Great baseball guy with a lot of respect, but not worth the money that the Giants paid him, which is around $12M/year for five years.
Rowand simply hasn’t hit any sort of offensive stride since putting on a Giants uniform. He’s had his streakiness, but for some reason his productivity has, almost without fail, been followed by an extended period of absolutely nothing in terms of offensive force.
Take this year for example. Rowand hit .429 in spring training, and carried it over into the first month of the season, hitting a solid .304 in ten games. And then he got nailed in the face by a fastball.
After a stint on the DL, Rowand stormed back into the box score, notching 11 hits on a seven-game hitting streak, recording at least two RBI in five of those games, and at one point hitting a season high-batting average of .333 on May 7.
And since then . . . nothing.
No hits in his next 16 at-bats over four games, and 5-for-34 over eight games. Only one RBI in his next 16 games. If you take out the week after his trip to the disabled list, he had a .132 batting average in May, notching only three RBI and amassing 22 strikeouts in only 80 at-bats.
Bengie Molina also created a little hullabaloo this off season, demanding over $6M/year from New York before settling for $4.5M to stay with the Giants. Granted, Molina doesn’t make as much as Mark DeRosa does this year, but he was re-signed with the expectation of staying on par with his production the past couple years.
In April, he still looked like the 2009 Big Money Molina. In fact, he looked even better than before. Molina mashed his way to a .344 average in the first month, knocking in eight RBI and, to the surprise of everyone, taking five walks.
Remember, Molina has never walked more than 27 times in a season. He’s still on pace to blast that record out of the water (projected 35 walks).
But in May, Big Money went broke.
Like Rowand, he started the month on a hot streak, having a hit in ten straight games from April 23 to May 4, hitting .349 over that span.
But overall in the month, his batting average was an underwhelming .184 in 24 games. He hit one home run, had 14 hits, and only had three RBI. For a middle of the order hitter who has made his living hitting cleanup the last two years, those stats won’t work.
To put that in perspective, in his first three games as a Giant in 2010, Buster Posey had six hits and four RBI. And, over the course of the season so far, backup catcher Eli Whiteside, who has played in 23 games to Molina’s 44, has more home runs (3 to 2) and almost as many RBI (8 to 11).
That isn’t very impressive, especially from Molina, who has to know that the writing is on the wall for him with Posey already taking time in the majors.
But sometimes all you need is one game to regain the faith in a player. In the case of Wednesday’s game, it was redemption day for two.
It started out just like any day in May. Bengie Molina lined out sharply in his first at-bat. After Buster Posey singled (again), Rowand promptly hit into a double-play.
In the fifth inning, Molina struck out. With two down in the inning, Huff and Posey singled, bringing up Rowand.
It was another RBI situation, and the fact that Francis chose to pitch to Rowand, even with a base open and the pitcher on deck, is indicative of the kind of slump he’s in. But Rowand blasted a high fastball over the center fielder for a go-ahead double.
It was Rowand’s only hit of the night, but after the San Francisco offense got shut down by Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday and then shut down again in an extra-inning loss on Tuesday, that double was huge, and gave fans a rare chance to cheer for their center fielder.
Molina only had to wait one inning to get his ovation from the crowd. After Pablo Sandoval golfed a ball to the left-center field gap for a double, and then took third on a sac fly by Juan Uribe, Molina had his chance.
Given the month that Molina had, with two strikes and two outs, many fans may have chosen the time to run to the bathroom or start dinner. But on a 1-2 curve ball from Rockies starter Jeff Francis, Molina lined a single back up the middle to score Sandoval and the Giants went up 4-1.
Again, lots of cheering for someone who has had a humble amount of RBI for a fifth-place, sixth-place, or even the cleanup hitter.
The month of May was not kind to Rowand. It was equally unkind to Molina.
And while one hit certainly does not break a slump, it can certainly do wonders for a player’s confidence. The temperature’s heating up in June, and hopefully Rowand and Molina heat up with it.
But as for last night, against a division rival and in the sweep-breaking game, I was proud of my guys, and I think a lot of Giants fans were, too.
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The Giants have recalled Buster Posey and signed Pat Burrell to a minor league deal, leaving some to question where all the pieces will fit if things go as the club would like.
Posey started with a bang on Saturday night, playing first base. Let’s imagine that he is in the big leagues to stay. And, let’s pretend that the veteran outfielder Burrell uses his time in the minor leagues to prove he belongs in the big leagues.
What would happen to Aubrey Huff? He’s a first baseman and wouldn’t take Posey’s job. He’s a left fielder, but couldn’t handle AT&T’s expansive right field if Burrell were to return to his 2008 form.
Nate Schierholtz is the best defensive right fielder on the club, but the Giants would have to decide if they wanted a Burrell, who proves himself productive in a pinch-hitting role given that he hit 33 homers in his last full year in the National League. What about Schierholtz?
Andres Torres is proving he belongs in the big leagues. He gives the Giants their best defense in center field and can play right field well. Plus, he’s got the skills a true leadoff hitter needs, so the club needs him in the order when he’s hitting. Does Torres become a right fielder if Burrell becomes the left fielder?
This is putting the cart way ahead of the horse. Burrell has a lot to prove. There haven’t been this many folks insisting that a guy who switched leagues was a career-ending tailspin, since Giants fans were insisting that Barry Zito should be released after his first two abysmal seasons.
But what if Burrell does pull a Zito and returns to somewhere near the form that made him a 30 homer-90 RBI guy two years ago?
It could be that the Giants have a bigger move in mind if Posey pans out and Burrell returns to slug like he once did.
The club might be considering trading catcher Bengie Molina to a contender looking for a veteran backstop. He can call a game, sure, but he’s called the games lately where Tim Lincecum got rocked. The pitchers still make the pitches.
Molina has driven in just two runs since April 18. Fans love him and consider him the heart of the team. But, he clogs up the bases and if the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox are interested in Molina to hit seventh or eighth and provide stability behind the plate—the Giants would be in position to move him if Posey and Burrell perform.
Another possibility could be that the Giants could ship center fielder Aaron Rowand to a contender where he could return to the supporting role he handled so well for the Phillies and White Sox. That opens center field for Torres and, perhaps, even Schierholtz. (It also clears payroll off the books.)
If the Giants were willing to package Molina in a trade, they could solve the lineup riddle by trying to deal him to Boston for right fielder J.D. Drew.
The Giants open a spot for Posey behind the plate. Drew becomes the everyday rightfielder, a proven performer who has fallen out of favor with the Red Sox. He’s a left-hand power hitter with some speed. Huff returns to first base full-time. Left field opens up for Burrell and Torres.
See? If everything falls together, the Giants could take their talented farm system and hook up with the Red Sox (also with a nice group of prospects) to completely change the lineup.
It’s odd that folks assume the Giants would just keep adding ill-equipped defensive outfielders who can hit some, without an idea in mind to clear some playing time if they all slam their way into the lineup.
If Posey hits, Posey stays in the big leagues. And, it’s generally accepted that Molina isn’t comfortable with sharing his job. So perhaps, trading the popular veteran catcher would be doing him a favor?
Rowand would seem to be without value to the Giants, but he has proven he can help a championship-type team. Send him where his big contract isn’t an issue and where he isn’t pressured to be a big-time run producer and—he could have value indeed.
The Yankees gave former Giants right fielder Randy Winn his outright release on Thursday. That opens a spot for a veteran outfielder in the Yankees lineup and, obviously, Rowand’s contract wouldn’t scare them off if they felt he could help them.
In fact, Molina would fill a hole in New York bigger than the one he could fill in Boston. He can catch until injured Jorge Posada returns, the fill in as a designated hitter for the team that lost DH Nick Johnson to injury earlier.
These are the thoughts fans of a playoff contender should have, rather than those involving who to blame for the most recent 3-1 loss.
—
Ted Sillanpaa is a Northern California sports writer and columnist. Reach Ted at: tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com
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During my time here at Bleacher Report, I’ve been given plenty of praise and plenty of hate in the comments section of my articles.
Now notice I did not say “fair share” of both, because honestly the majority of criticism is unwarranted.
Am I saying this simply to toot my own horn?
No. I am saying this to point out how sad it is that some baseball fans are no longer going to read my articles because they think it is wrong of me to suggest that the Giants should have their younger and more talented players get more at-bats in place of their under-performing veteran players.
These so called “fans” are the ones who truly disappoint me when they comment and suggest that I “have no baseball knowledge.”
Really?
Please, I have played the game competitively from as early as age five all the way up until I was 15. Since then I have continued to play recreational as often as I can despite not having the god given talent to play at the elite high school and college levels.
But combine my youth playing days while watching over 200 professional and collegiate games a year since as long as I can remember, and you have my baseball background.
You can shrug it off and tell yourself it isn’t much. But I know the game just as well as anyone who gets paid to be a part of a baseball organization.
And because of that, I am writing in an attempt to convince all of you optimists that Giants’ center fielder Aaron Rowand is not worthy of a starting position in Major League Baseball with the following line thus far this season:
.231/.265/.408/.673, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 29 K, 5 BB, 18 R, 0 SB
Rowand ranks as the 105th most productive outfielder in baseball in regards to his OPS mark of .673.
Look at it this way, there are 30 teams in baseball, and each team starts three outfielders.
Therefore, in the majors there are 90 starters in the outfield. And Rowand ranks number 105?
Is this a joke?
He is currently in the middle of a five-year 60 million dollar contract and he can’t even muster up an OPS amongst the top 90 best outfielders?
That is not just pathetic, that is ridiculously awful.
And while I did not have the privilege of watching Rowand during his best seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, his current batting stance with the Giants is one of many reasons for his ineptitude at the plate.
All you have to do is watch a Giants game and focus on Rowand’s batting stance. Pre-pitch he holds his bat incredibly low—too low to adequately be able to hit a baseball from that position—and while he raises his hands as the pitch is delivered, it creates unnecessary movement that doesn’t allow him to adjust to certain pitches.
Combine the movement of his hands with the fact Rowand leans back heavily before the pitch comes and has too much forward momentum as the pitch arrives, and you can see why he continually fails time and time again to hit fastballs on the inner half of the plate.
Not only that, but this stance is what prevented him from being able to turn away from a Vicente Padilla fastball that broke a bone in his cheek earlier this season.
Rowand couldn’t move in that situation because his stance doesn’t allow him the ability to turn and duck out of the way.
You can bet that the Giants’ coaching staff sees these same mechanical flaws in Rowand’s approach, but for whatever reason, the “gamer” that the Giants claim Rowand to be, is stubbornly not going to change.
Therefore, when the Giants are looking to add offense anyway they can, why they continue to start Rowand in center field every single night is absolutely puzzling.
Now, in tonight’s ball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, it looks like 26-year-old right-fielder Nate Schierholtz will be the one without a lineup spot instead of Rowand.
Due to the new look configuration of the Giants lineup with top minor league prospect Buster Posey being called up, there will have to be a current everyday starter summoned to the bench. And knowing how the Giants operate, it will be Schierholtz riding the pine.
Unfortunately, if that is the case, it will be yet another idiotic move by a franchise that doesn’t understand how to build a winner.
Schierholtz has proven to be an absolute stud defender in right field (already has four assists on the season in only 29 starts) and an above average hitter for a team staved for offense.
On the season, Schierholtz has the following offensive line:
.291/.366/.409/.775, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 13 K, 10 BB, 18 R, 4 SB.
As the numbers show, Schierholtz is clearly producing at a better clip than Rowand is and yet Schierholtz, not Rowand will be the one sitting?
Talk about a slap in the face to your fan base.
By benching Schierholtz and not Rowand, the Giants organization is continuing to make the statement that they will start the athlete with the bigger contract instead of the athlete who does more to help the team win.
And that notion is why it is so difficult to be a follower of the Giants.
They continually do not put their best possible team on the field.
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