Maggette and Brand and Smith! Oh My!

If I sat behind Mullin's desk in this time of post-Davis turmoil:

1. Lock up Monta and Biedrins. These next few years should be retooling, not rebuilding, seasons, as we have two solid young starters to match incoming players with.

2. Shop Harrington. Preferably for Javaris Crittenton, who will receive more playing time with the Warriors rather than splitting PG duties with the entirety of the Grizzlies' roster. The Grizzlies would have to throw in a couple players to make the salaries work, but the focus of the swap would be very beneficial for the Warriors.

Or, if the Warriors don't want to deal Harrington, he will be an attractive expiring contract after the 08-09 season. Not to mention another $9 million of cap space to play with.

3. Along the same lines, call up Shaun Livingston. The Clippers probably won't offer him a contract since he's coming off of that horrible injury, so the Warriors could have him for cheap. Low-risk, high-reward.

4. Don't break the bank by offering max deals. Again, we're only in a retooling season, so it doesn't make sense sacrificing cap flexibility for just one player. Down the road, cap space will be even more important as Biedrins, Monta, and Wright would be in their primes and in need of only a few complementary players.

My skeletal vision for this season's roster:

PG: Jaric/Crittenton/Livingston
SG: Ellis/Belinelli
SF: Jackson/Randolph
PF: Wright/Warrick/Hendrix
C: Biedrins/Perovic

I'm Back

Well, I certainly picked a fine time to go to a 9-day camp at Cal with minimal internet use. Apparently some guy named Baron Davis opted out of his contract to head home for the Clippers and Tim Lincecum graced the cover of SI.

Actual posts in the near future. In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the SI article about Timmy here.

2008 Sharks Draft Wrapup

A quick look at the guys the Sharks drafted this past weekend.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Previous Affiliation
3rd	62nd	Justin Daniels	Center	Kent High School
4th	92nd	Samuel Groulx	Defenseman	Quebec of QMJHL
4th	106th	Harri Sateri	Goalie	Tappara of Finnish Junior League
5th	146th	Julien Demers	Defenseman	Ottawa 67s
6th	177th	Tommy Wingels	Center	Miami Ohio University
7th	186th	Jason Demers	Defenseman	Victoriaville of QMJHL
7th	194th	Drew Daniels	Right wing	Kent High School

Justin and Drew Daniels - Fun fact: Justin and Drew Daniels are twin brothers. In their sophomore year (2006) at Suffern, they led Section 1 with 91 points and 90 points, respectively, before transferring to Kent High School. Before the draft, Justin was ranked #102 by Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking, Drew at #113.

Justin's assets

He has the combination of hands, speed, and offensive ability. He has a long stride and the ability to take the puck in the defensive zone and quickly turn up ice with it. He cycles the puck very well and showed good hands in tight and ability to play through traffic. When he has the puck, he really can control the play and the pace.

Drew's assets

A solid all-around player, who is more of a playmaker with his 36 assists on the season. He has a quick shot and showed good poise with the puck and should be a solid contributor at the college level.

Those scouting notes are from Rivals, where you can also read a great interview with both of the brothers.

Sam Groulx - Fun fact: Vlasic is Groulx's favorite NHL player. Ranked #76 by Central Scouting. Not as much information on the interwebs about Groulx as was the Daniels twins, but here's what Chris Edwards from NHL Central Scouting said of him:

Groulx's assets

Samuel was often used on both the power-play and penalty kill units, showing good puck movement from the point and good body position in front of the net to prevent the opposition from gathering rebounds. His at his best when he plays a simple controlled style game, but needs to improve his overall strength and decision making.

Groulx's 2007-2008 stats.

Harri Sateri - In addition to having the coolest name out of all the Sharks' picks, Central Scouting ranked him the second-best European goalie overall. What Goran Stubb, the NHL's Director of European Scouting had to say:

Sateri's assets

Harri is a solid goalie with a low mistake rate. He'll be a key player for the Finns during the upcoming season at the World Juniors in Ottawa. He could go in the third or fourth round of this year's draft.

A scout's observations:

Sateri has the coverage and quickness to make the necessary saves as well as the mental abilities to keep up with the game.

Sateri's stats from 2006-2008.

Julien Demers - Demers went to the 2008 OHL All-Star game as a rep for the Eastern Conference. Central Scouting ranked him #83 overall. Scouting reports from Chris Edwards and Ottawa 67's coach Brian Kilrea.

Demers' assets

Julien is a physically strong defenseman, who is solid on his skates, but he needs to improve his mobility and playmaking ability. He is at his best when he uses his strength to his advantage and keeps his puck handling simple.

Quietly Julien has become a top player in our league and is underrated by many. He is what every NHL team wants, a big, strong defensive defenseman who can move the puck. He is strong in the corners and in front of the net and can back up any challenge.

Demers' stats from 2007-08.

Tommy Wingels - Wingels was named MVP at the 2007 USHL All-Star/Prospects Game. Central Scouting hasn't ranked him, but they listed him as a "B" player in their 2006-07 Players to Watch List. Chicago Sports also has a nice article about his experience as a freshman Miami-Ohio.

Wingels stats from 2007-08.

Jason Demers - No, he's not related to Julien. According to the Sharks' website:

Demers' assets

Jason was first among all QMJHL defensemen in scoring and second on his team. He also participated as a member of San Jose’s rookie tournament squad prior to the 2007-08 season. Demers impressed Burke and his staff enough to be drafted by San Jose after his impressive junior season.

Nice. Demers' stats from Victoriaville.

Wasn't Expecting That

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
1	A. Gordon	87	Ball in Dirt
2	J. Guillen	83	Called strike, K
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	D. DeJesus	83	Called strike
3	J. Gathright	87	Ball
4	A. Gordon	83	In play, GB single to RF
4	J. Guillen	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	82	Foul
4	J. Buck	82	Ball
4	J. Buck	85	Swinging strike, K
5	M. Aviles	85	Ball

Uncharacteristically rough start for Lincecum, who ran into trouble in the 3rd inning onwards after sitting on the bench for quite a while. He finished a shaky 5th inning with 8 strikeouts but gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, the most runs scored against him since August 11th, though the Giants still led 10-5. The rest of the game is not worth noting, except for this:


Tim hasn't faced much adversity this season, but he wasn't his usual dominant self the past two starts. In the last two games, he pitched 12 innings, giving up 12 hits and 9 runs. Is it possible he might be wearing down, despite his near-perfect mechanics? He's logged 102.7 innings so far--on pace for more than the 146.3 innings he pitched in 2007--a good reason for some fatigue. Or, his shaky starts are just another episode of the big league cat-mouse game: batters adjust, Tim adjusts right back.

Tim's next start will be more interesting than usual. We'll see if today's off-day helps rest his arm, or if he adjusts back into his dominating self.

Comment starter: Is Tim wearing down a bit, or is the league figuring him out?

Which Giant Will Go to NY: Poll Results

Tim Lincecum	10 (76%)
Bengie Molina	1 (7%)
Aaron Rowand	3 (23%)
Other	0 (0%)
None	0 (0%)

Obviously.

What to Do With Zito

SAT time! Sharpen your No. 2 pencils and please open your test booklets to page one. You have 25 minutes. Your time starts now.

The Splash Blog: What should the Giants do with Barry Zito?

A. Send him to the minors ala Dontrelle Willis

B. Hire Rick Peterson to work with him

C. Offer him $50 million to buy out his contract

D. Keep him out there to take losses every five days until Brian Sabean gets fired.

E. Put him on the DL with a hangnail, if necessary.

F. Your suggestion here.

Reasoning
A: Zito's contract stipulates he has the right to refuse assignment in the minors. Slim chance he revokes that right. Besides, we all know what happened the last time he pitched against a minor league team.

B: Peterson is not a genie who will magically restore 6 mph on Zito's fastball. Still, it won't hurt to bring him in to help Zito, especially when $100K is loose change compared to the Salary-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named. I don't know if Peterson can tweak Zito's mechanics to circa-2004 form, but if I were the Giants, I'm certainly bringing him in to try. The only problem is that the Mets are paying Peterson until 2009, and any money he makes will be deducted from his salary.

C: We knew Zito's signing was a disaster from the start, but by offering a 50 mil buyout, the Giants will have admitted Zito was a mistake. After the complete mishandling of Barry Bonds' departure last season and the "OMG new era of Giants baseball!!!" promotion with Zito as its poster boy, I don't think the front-office nor the PR department can take another beating.

D: I'm not sure about the Giants potentially firing Sabean for Zito's losses, considering the 2007 offseason rumors that Magowan wanted Zito more than Sabean did. It would be interesting, in a perverse way, to have a 20-game loser on the Giants, though.

E: Win-win for everyone: fans won't see him pitch, the Giants send him to the minors regardless of the clause in Zito's contract, and Zito gets to work out whatever's wrong in a low-pressure situation.

F: I'm a bit surprised The Splash Blog didn't list "bullpen blowout mop-up," but we can be a bit creative here. Instead of hiring Rick Peterson, I would hire Chris Lincecum to tweak Zito's mechanics. The guy threw an 88 mph fastball when he was 55, enough said. Or, given that teams most likely won't want Zito in a trade, the Giants could exchange him for a bag of bats. It's happened before.

My Answer: B
Fun Answer: F, bring in Chris Lincecum!

A Brave New World

Henry Schulman notes Randy Winn will be a hot name with the trade deadline approaching. Atlanta beckons.

Trading Winn, who is already benefiting the team with a steady .298/.359/.447 and 112 OPS+, would improve the Giants even more. A trade would open a spot in RF, ready for Nate Schierholtz (.303/.348/.550 in AAA) when the Giants wish to promote him. It also frees the Giants from $8.125 million owed to Winn for 2009.

Trading for Winn benefits the Braves as well. Kotsay is currently on the DL, though he is returning soon, and Francoeur is struggling (.252/.301/.416).

Most of the Braves' top prospects are struggling this year, but a package of Winn + reliever + money eating on the Giants' part could net a couple with upside. Lillibridge, Hernandez, and Flowers are potential names.

Braves' prospects:
BP's Braves Top 11 Prospects: Jan 15, 2008
John Sickels' Atlanta Braves 2008 Prospects: Nov 16, 2007
BA's Top Ten Prospects: Nov 5, 2007

Comment start'er up: Whom should Sabes trade Winn for?