(Photo by Keith Allison/flickr)

Here’s probably my favorite thing about this trade, not in a “good trade” way but in a “baseball, maaaannn” way:

Nate Schierholtz, AAA 2007: .333/.365/.560, .393 wOBA
Hunter Pence, AAA 2007: .326/.387/.558, .409 wOBA

One of them got called up, played daily, and developed into a middle-of-the-order force that has two years in a row been traded for at least one of a contending team’s top prospects. The other one got called up, demoted, called back up, benched, injured, given a starting job, benched, given another starting job, benched again, injured again, asked to pick up a quarter that had been superglued to the locker-room floor, and finally given a leadoff spot for some reason before being traded. He’s basically a fourth outfielder. » Continue reading “Free-swinging Trade Analysis”

This finally happened after the fake trades and the reports that it wasn’t true are true.

And. It’s not necessarily a bad deal. » Continue reading “Giants Acquire Hunter Pence From Phillies”

So the Giants didn’t make the playoffs. The elimination’s sunk in and the cold, harsh reality of the offseason begins.

What’s there for a Giants fan to do?

There’s latching onto a team for the playoffs.

It’s a very bandwagon thing to do, but what else is there to do for a baseball fan with no rooting interest in any LCS bound team once the LDS is over? You could always root against a team you dislike, but that’s very negative.

If all else fails, root for the Busch Squirrel.

Following the Arizona Fall League is another option. The Arizona Fall League is a winter baseball league where prospects from all 30 MLB organizations go to play once the regular season is over.

The Giants prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Austin Fleet, Stephen Harold, Daryl Maday, Seth Rosin, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, and Gary Brown are the Giants prospects listed on the roster alongside top talent such as the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper (yes, that Bryce Harper) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Mike Trout.

If that neither of those suit your fancy, the 2010 playoffs are available on DVD to relive good times.

Happy counting-to-spring!