Results tagged ‘ Emmanuel Burris ’
Burriss Wins Starting Job; Frandsen Sent Down
In what has been the most heated of battles in the Giants pre-season, Manny Burriss has come out on top. Kevin Frandsen was optioned to Fresno this morning ending the month long debate over who would be the starting second basemen.
While many will say Burriss beat out Frandsen, the real player responsible for Frandsen’s demotion is utility player Juan Uribe. Uribe leads the Giants in RBI’s this spring and is slated to be the backup at three different infield positions. With the decision to keep Uribe, Frandsen’s time was going to be limited, and the Giants thought everyday playing at AAA would be more beneficial to him.
Word is still out on the other heated battle in Spring as Enginio Velez and Andres Torres battle for the fifth outfield spot. With the release of Dave Roberts early in spring, most thought Velez was a shoe in for the fifth spot, however, Torres has hit at a .397 clip this spring creating a actual competition.
The Renteria Deal
I’m starting to wonder if Giants fans can be satisfied?
There seems to be an abundance of people not happy with the signing of Edgar Renteria. Just a few of the arguments I’ve heard this week include: “He’s too old,” and “he hit .270 last year.”
Giants Fans have to stop with the he’s too old bit, it’s getting old………no pun intended. Renteria is eight years young than Omar Visquel and a much better hitter. Sure you lose some defensively, but you could say that about an aged shortstop taking over for Visquel. The other thing to keep in mind is that we signed him to a two year deal. That means shortly after his 34th birthday Renteria will be looking for a new team. This is not old, but as I’ve noted before Giants fans just love playing the Sabean signed another old player record.
Now lets address the .270 average last year in Detroit. First off, it’s 50 points higher than the average of Omar Visquel last year, and secondly, it was his worst average since 2003. He is a hitter that will flirt with the .300 mark finishing over it four times in his career and has finished with over 30 doubles six years running excluding last year. This guy can swing a stick, period. He not some washed up player being brought in to sell tickets.
Further, having Renteria is going to make the fight for second base all that much better pitting Frandsen, Velez, and now Burriss all against each other in Spring Training. Burriss has got to be the early favorite after showing great abilities on both offense and defense last year. Frandsen could edge him out, but will probably spend a lot of time at third if the Giants don’t trade for a power hitting corner-infielder.
Renteria gives the Giants one proven Major Leaguer in their infield going into the 2009 season. He is one year removed from a .330 season in Atlanta and is more than capable of doing the same at AT&T Park.
I lay out these stats to ask, what it is we want from Brian Sabean. I know it’s fun to bash him, but he’s having a great off season for the first time in a while and Giants fans should be excited, not pessimistic!
mlblogskmcleod
Recent Comments