SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
| Jamie Arnold (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA-AAA 2 4 41 8 0 0 2 104 123 63 58 545 2000 AAA 6 8 23 16 0 0 0 110 116 64 57 499 |
| Arnold was originally a Braves' prospect; he found his way into the Dodgers' organization a couple of years ago, and last summer was dealt to the Cubs in the Valdes deal. There is no evidence that he can pitch with any team anywhere. |
| Rich Aurilia (SS, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 122 413 110 27 2 9 54 49 31 62 266 319 407 3 3 1999 SF 152 558 157 23 1 22 68 80 43 71 281 336 444 2 3 2000 SF 141 509 138 24 2 20 67 79 54 90 271 339 444 1 2 |
| Aurilia is a durable, consistent shortstop who keeps his average respectable and hits some home runs. He's a good player, not a star, is not likely to get much better or much worse. |
| Marvin Benard (OF, 31, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 121 286 92 21 1 3 41 36 34 39 322 396 434 11 4 1999 SF 149 562 163 36 5 16 100 64 55 97 290 359 457 27 14 2000 SF 149 560 147 27 6 12 102 55 63 97 263 342 396 22 7 |
| Benard's 2000 season was more along the lines of his real level of ability. He is a good utility outfielder, not so good as an everyday player. He hit just .216 against left-handed pitchers, so a platoon situation may be in his near future. |
| Barry Bonds (LF, 37, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 156 552 167 44 7 37 120 122 130 92 303 438 609 28 12 1999 SF 102 355 93 20 2 34 91 83 73 62 262 389 617 15 2 2000 SF 143 480 147 28 4 49 129 106 117 77 306 440 688 11 3 |
| Last year I suggested that Bonds was comparable to Mays and Mantle, and obviously I haven't changed my mind after he set career highs in homers and slugging percentage. Bonds now has 494 homers, will probably have 500 by May; he also has 471 stolen bases, and will likely get 500 of those as well. He also received 22 intentional walks last season, giving him 320 in his career, by far the most of any active player. |
| Felipe Crespo (IF/OF, 28, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 66 130 34 8 1 1 11 15 15 27 262 342 361 4 3 2000 SF 89 131 38 6 1 4 17 29 10 23 290 351 443 3 2 |
| When he was with Toronto, he had a chance to be the second baseman, but the Jays decided that he couldn't play the position. Last year, he played mostly in the outfield, though he got into a few games at second. Crespo has always been able to hit, and will continue to in the future. |
| Eric Davis (OF, 39, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 BAL 131 452 148 29 1 28 81 89 44 108 327 388 582 7 6 1999 STL 58 191 49 9 2 5 27 30 30 49 257 359 403 5 4 2000 STL 92 254 77 14 0 6 38 40 36 60 303 389 429 1 1 |
| The man who was once one of the greatest talents to ever put on a baseball uniform is now 39 and frail, but he had a good year last year. He should help the Giants in a limited role. |
| Russ Davis (3B, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SEA 141 502 130 30 1 20 68 82 34 134 259 305 442 4 3 1999 SEA 124 432 106 17 1 21 55 59 32 111 245 304 435 3 3 2000 SF 80 180 47 5 0 9 27 24 9 29 261 302 439 0 3 |
| Davis did a solid job on the Giants' bench, providing the occasional big hit. He's not my favourite player, and I don't think he helps the team a lot, but if Dusty Baker finds him useful then that's OK by me. |
| Shawon Dunston (IF/OF, 38, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CLE-SF 98 207 46 13 3 6 36 20 6 28 222 255 401 9 4 1999 STL-NYM 104 243 78 11 3 5 35 41 2 39 321 337 453 10 4 2000 STL 98 216 54 11 2 12 28 43 6 47 250 278 486 3 1 |
| Dunston has the weirdest collection of abilities of any player in the league. At age 38, I haven't the foggiest idea of what he will do... though he will probably draw less than a dozen walks. |
| Alan Embree (31, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL-ARI 4 2 55 0 0 0 1 53 56 23 43 419 1999 SF 3 2 68 0 0 0 0 59 42 26 53 338 2000 SF 3 5 63 0 0 0 2 60 62 25 49 495 |
| Embree has been a quality reliever for several years now. His ERA went up a little last year, though I don't think he pitched much worse than usual. He's solid and durable, and a valuable asset to any bullpen. |
| Bobby Estalella (CA, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 76 242 68 14 1 17 49 49 66 49 281 435 558 0 0 1999 AAA 110 386 89 23 2 15 58 62 55 100 231 330 417 4 1 |
| Estalella found a home in San Francisco, and had a terrific year. Well, he only hit .234, and he struck out in a third of his at bats, but otherwise it was a terrific year. He hit for power and got on base, and put more runs on the board than the average catcher. He should remain valuable in the same role. |
| Shawn Estes (28, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SF 7 12 25 25 1 1 0 149 150 80 136 506 1999 SF 11 11 32 32 1 1 0 203 209 112 159 492 2000 SF 15 6 30 30 4 2 0 190 194 108 136 426 |
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The biggest reason for Estes' "improvement" in 2000 was his run support; the Giants scored 8.65 runs per game for him, by far the best in baseball. Otherwise, he didn't pitch any better than in previous years. Well, that's not quite true. He didn't allow many homers (only 11), the Giants turned 40 double plays behind him, the most in baseball. He survives by inducing a huge number of ground balls, but his control still sucks, and his strikeout rate continues to decline. I don't think he's improving, and he'll have trouble winning if his run support drops. |
| Pedro Feliz (3B, 24, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 100 364 96 23 2 12 39 50 9 62 264 282 437 0 1 1999 AA 131 491 124 24 6 13 52 77 19 90 253 282 405 4 2 2000 AAA 128 503 150 34 2 33 85 105 30 94 298 337 571 1 1 |
| Feliz had a monster year at Fresno, and put himself into the Giants' long range plans. He swings at anything thrown near the plate, and I don't think he's quite ready to step into the Giants' lineup... but he's very young, and he made some impressive improvements last year. |
| Livan Hernandez (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 FLO 10 12 33 33 9 0 0 234 265 104 162 472 1999 FLO-SF 8 12 30 30 2 0 0 200 227 76 144 464 2000 SF 17 11 33 33 5 2 0 240 254 73 165 375 |
| The Giants were hoping to get a big season from Hernandez, and they got it. At a young age, he has established himself as one of the better pitchers in the league; I'm a little worried about the heavy workload he has shouldered the past few seasons, but so far he has shown no signs of injury problems. |
| John Johnstone (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SF 6 5 70 0 0 0 0 88 72 38 86 307 1999 SF 4 6 62 0 0 0 3 66 48 20 56 260 2000 SF 3 4 47 0 0 0 0 50 64 13 37 630 |
| One of the few disappointments in the Giants' 2000 season was the performance of Johnstone. One of the best setup men in baseball, he had a putrid season; he also made a trip to the DL in July with lower back pain, which may have contributed to his problems. Back pain isn't fun, but if his arm is sound he should make a partial comeback in 2001. |
| Jeff Kent (2B, 33, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 137 526 156 37 3 31 94 128 48 110 297 359 555 9 4 1999 SF 138 511 148 40 2 23 86 101 61 112 290 366 511 13 6 2000 SF 159 587 196 41 7 33 114 125 90 107 334 424 596 12 9 |
| I remember when Kent was a rookie with the Blue Jays in 1992. I believe he played mostly third base; the Jays already had a pretty good second baseman, in Roberto Alomar. They traded Kent late in the season for David Cone... who would have guessed that, eight years later, Kent would have more MVP Awards than Robbie does. |
| Terrell Lowery (OF, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 65 246 73 14 1 12 41 49 27 63 297 368 508 5 2 1999 AAA 71 275 92 20 5 15 69 57 43 62 335 424 607 10 5 2000 AAA 84 301 60 9 1 16 48 44 36 88 199 289 395 6 1 |
| Faced with professional extinction in 1999, Lowery had a big year at Durham, and got some playing time with the Devil Rays. He spent most of last year at Fresno, and stunk big-time... but he also had a great month with the Giants. I'll be surprised if he gets into more than a few games this year. |
| Juan Melo (IF, 24, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 130 467 127 26 1 6 61 47 24 91 272 311 370 9 8 1999 AAA 89 319 70 12 3 6 40 29 17 67 219 260 304 10 5 2000 AAA 123 417 123 26 6 12 58 50 35 89 295 353 472 13 13 |
| Melo is a young infielder who has already been given up for dead by several teams. Last year with Fresno was the best of his career, but I doubt he will ever be much of a run producer. The quality of his defense will ultimately decide his fate. |
| Damon Minor (1B, 27, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 48 176 50 10 1 7 26 36 28 40 284 386 472 0 1 1998 AA 81 289 69 11 1 14 39 52 30 51 239 321 429 1 0 1999 AA 136 473 129 33 4 20 76 82 80 115 273 385 486 1 0 2000 AAA 133 482 140 27 1 30 84 106 87 97 290 394 537 0 0 |
| Minor is huge, 6'7", 230 lbs. He should have a career: he hits home runs, draws walks, and he is left-handed. He just needs a break; he's at least as good as Brian Daubach, certainly better than John Mabry. |
| Doug Mirabelli (CA, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 85 265 69 12 2 13 45 53 53 55 260 384 468 2 0 1999 AAA 86 320 100 24 1 14 63 51 48 56 313 398 525 8 2 |
| Mirabelli has been in the Giants' system since 1992, and has been getting bits of playing time with the big club since 1996. Last year, they finally decided to give him a large share of the catching duties. He didn't hit so well, but he will likely keep his job. With Mirabelli catching, Giants' pitchers had an ERA of 3.77; that was one of the best marks in the league, and it was almost a full run lower than their performance with Estalella catching. The pitchers like him, which means that Mirabelli should continue to play. |
| Robb Nen (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SF 7 7 78 0 0 0 40 88 59 25 110 152 1999 SF 3 8 72 0 0 0 37 72 79 27 77 398 2000 SF 4 3 68 0 0 0 41 66 37 19 92 150 |
| Nen isn't the most consistent closer in the league, but when he's on his game he ranks among the best. At the moment, I'm looking over the stat sheet for relievers with 50+ innings pitched... Nen allowed only a .230 opposition OBA, best in the league. Opposing hitters had only a .241 slugging percentage, also tops in baseball. He allowed a .138 average with runners on base, and a .091 average with runners in scoring position, both best in the majors. Put simply, he was having an amazing year; but can he do it two years in a row? |
| Armando Rios (OF, 30, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 128 445 134 23 1 26 85 103 55 73 301 378 533 17 5 |
| Rios was another valuable member of Dusty Baker's bench in 2000. He's an outfielder who provides good power from the left side of the plate, and he managed to drive in 50 runs in only 233 at bats. He should continue to hit well, maybe even a little better. |
| Kirk Rueter (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SF 16 9 33 33 1 0 0 187 193 57 102 436 1999 SF 15 10 33 33 1 0 0 185 219 55 94 541 2000 SF 11 9 32 31 0 0 0 184 205 62 71 396 |
| I don't think that too many people really consider Rueter to be a good pitcher, but he has had four straight winning seasons, and his career won-loss record is 81-48. Obviously, he's doing something right... even so, I'm going to predict a considerable decline in 2001. |
| Benito Santiago (CA, 36, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TOR 15 29 9 5 0 0 3 4 1 6 310 333 483 0 0 1999 CHC 109 350 87 18 3 7 28 36 32 71 249 313 377 1 1 2000 CIN 89 252 66 11 1 8 22 45 19 45 262 310 409 2 2 |
| Santiago had another healthy season, and he played reasonably well. He is what he is, a veteran catcher with a good throwing arm who can hit a little. |
| J.T. Snow (1B, 33, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 138 435 108 29 1 15 65 79 58 84 248 332 423 1 2 1999 SF 161 570 156 25 2 24 93 98 86 121 274 370 451 0 4 2000 SF 155 536 152 33 2 19 82 96 66 129 284 365 459 1 3 |
| Snow's about as average as a first baseman can be. He's gradually turning into a young Wally Joyner... well, he's not that young anymore, but he's a spring chicken compared to Joyner. He'll probably be around a few more years. |
| Tim Worrell (34, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 3TEAMS 2 7 43 9 0 0 0 103 106 29 82 524 1999 OAK 2 2 53 0 0 0 0 69 69 34 62 415 2000 BAL-CHC 5 6 59 0 0 0 3 69 72 29 57 299 |
| Worrell was released by the Orioles in May after only five games. He was signed by the Cubs, and pitched excellent ball for Chicago, his best in five years. He's been a steady pitcher for several years now; in the past he's been used both in long relief and as a starter, but his success last year indicates that he should stay exclusively in the bullpen. |