October 30, 2010

Analyze This

How the Giants Were Acquired, Part II

by Jesse Behr

In Part I, I looked at how the position players on the Giants’ World Series roster came together. Now, we’ll track and analyze how the club’s pitching staff wound up in San Francisco.

Please know that the reason Barry Zito, the Giants southpaw with the most lucrative contract, (a seven-year, $126 million deal) is not on this list because he was indeed left off the post-season roster. Past that, you’ll see a smartly designed pitching corps, most of which has been homegrown:

Draft Picks

SP Tim Lincecum: drafted in the first round (10^th overall) in 2006; $2.025 million signing bonus
Season salary: $8.0 million
2010 stats: 33 GS, 16-10, 3.43 ERA, 212.1 IP, 76 BB, 231 SO
Playoff stats: 4 GS (5 G), 3-1, 2.79 ERA, 29.0 IP, 7 BB, 33 SO

The Freak. Or as I like to call him, “Le Freak.” San Francisco took Lincecum in the first round (from the University of Washington) over a collection of talented hurlers that included Max Scherzer (Diamondbacks, 11^th overall), Kyle Drabek (Phillies, 18^th), and Ian Kennedy (Yankees, 21^st). The move paid off, as Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Youngs in 2008 and 2009. Oddly enough, his numbers were not as extraordinary as his Cy years, but not enough for him to lose his esteemed title—el monstruo!

SP Matt Cain: drafted in the first round (25^th overall) in 2002; $1.375 million signing bonus
Season salary: $4.25 million
2010 stats: 33 GS, 13-11, 3.14 ERA, 223.1 IP, 61 BB, 177 SO
Playoff stats: 3 GS, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 21.1 IP, 7 BB, 13 SO

Cain was drafted after Joe Blanton (Athletics, 24^th overall) and before Sergio Santos (Diamondbacks, 27^th) in the first round of the 2002 draft. To use the cliché, Cain was very able in 2010, setting a career high in IP, BB/9 (2.46), and K/9 (7.13). Cain was undoubtedly the ace of the Giants staff before the Freak came around in the mid-2007. Cain and Lincecum now give San Francisco a strong 1-2 rotation punch to make up for the team’s mediocre offense.

SP Jonathan Sanchez: drafted in the 27^th round (820^th overall) in 2004
Season salary: $2.1 million
2010 stats: 33 GS (34 G), 13-9, 3.07 ERA, 193.1 IP, 96 BB, 205 SO
Playoff stats: 3 GS, 0-1, 2.93 ERA, 15.1 IP, 6 BB, 19 SO

No matter what Sanchez did in 2010, nothing could match his no-hitter from the previous year. Replacing an injured Randy Johnson, Sanchez struck out 11 Padres and walked none (Juan Uribe’s error at third denied him a perfect game) in the Giants’ first no-no since 1976. Aside from his big game in ‘09, Sanchez had more value to San Francisco in ‘10 (40.8 VORP, 4.6 WARP). He still has a ton of work to do on his control, as the lefty was last on the Giants staff with a 4.47 BB/9.

SP Madison Bumgarner: drafted in the first round (10^th overall) in 2007; $2.0 million signing bonus
Season salary: $400,000
2010 stats: 18 GS, 7-6, 3.00 ERA, 111.0 IP, 26 BB, 86 SO
Playoff stats: 2 GS (3 G), 1-0, 3.55 ERA, 12.2 IP, 3 BB, 12 SO

Similar to Matt Cain, Bumgarner was drafted out of high school at the ripe age of 18. It’s interesting to think that the Giants could’ve taken Jason Heyward, who landed with the Braves four picks later. Nevertheless, I believe San Francisco remains more than content with their pick—a southpaw who in his rookie campaign posted a 3.9 SNLVAR and .590 SNWP. Bumgarner threw an impressive game in Game Four of the NLDS, tossing six innings of two-run ball. He’s set to start Game Four of the World Series.

RP Sergio Romo: drafted in the 28^th round (852^nd overall) in 2005
Season salary: $416,500
2010 stats: 68 G, 5-3, 2.18 ERA, 62.0 IP, 14 BB, 70 SO
Playoff stats: 6 G, 1-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 1 BB, 4 SO

Aside from (what is now) a bushy black beard, Romo is known for a devastating 77 mph slider with remarkable movement. His 2.03 BB/9, 2.047 WXRL, and 2.13 SIERA were all second among Giants relievers. Romo had stints with San Francisco in 2008 (29 G, 34.0 IP) and 2009 (45 G, 34.0 IP), but stuck around in 2010 to hurl 62 innings.

CL Brian Wilson: drafted in the 24^th round (273^rd overall) in 2003
Season salary: $4.475 million
2010 stats: 70 G, 3-3, 1.181 ERA, 48 SV, 74.2 IP, 28 BB, 93 SO
Playoff stats: 8 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 SV, 9.2 IP, 4 BB, 12 SO

Throwing just under 100 mph (as a starter) out of LSU, Wilson began his career on a sour note, undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. However, fast forward to 2010, where Wilson’s ranked 14^th in saves (134) among current major-league closers. Last season he led all Giants relievers in K’s (93), WXRL (6.271) and VORP (27.3). Outside of his clutch saves, Wilson’s orange shoes and “dyed” black beard has given him one of the most distinctive closer’s looks since Rollie Fingers and his ‘stache.

International Free Agents

None

Minor-league Free Agents

RP Guillermo Mota: signed a minor-league contract in 2010
Season salary: $750,000
2010 stats: 56 G, 1-3, 4.33 ERA, 54.0 IP, 22 BB, 38 SO
Playoff stats: 1 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 SO

At 37 and with his seventh big-league team, Mota is the ultimate example of a journeymen reliever that has “logged” his way onto a World Series roster. By that I’m referring to the 755 2/3 innings thrown by Mota in 665 games, currently ranked 15^th among active relievers. He is a veteran to playoff squads—playing with the Mets in 2006 and the Brewers in 2008—but this is the furthest he has gotten.

RP Santiago Casilla: signed a minor-league contract in 2010
Season salary: $400,000
2010 stats: 7-2, 1.95 ERA, 55.1 IP, 26 BB, 56 SO
Playoff stats: 4 G, 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 4.2 IP, 1 BB, 5 SO

Casilla was signed by the Oakland A’s as an amateur free agent in 2000. Casilla showed inconsistency at the big-league level (3.93 ERA in 2008, 5.96 ERA in 2009) and Billy Beane gave up on the right-hander in 2009. The Giants picked up Casilla in January of 2010, seeing a 30-year-old reliever with a 96 mph fastball, 87 mph slider, and 81 mph curveball. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as Casilla absolutely dominated, ranking third behind Wilson and Romo in WXRL (1.998) and reliever VORP (18.1). In Game Four of the NLDS, Casilla threw 1 2/3 innings, holding down a 3-2 in the eventual clincher for the Giants.

Major-league Free Agents

RP Jeremy Affeldt: signed a two-year contract with 2012 option
Season salary: $4.5 million
2010 stats: 53 G, 4-3, 4.14 ERA, 50 IP, 24 BB, 44 SO
Playoff stats: 4 G, 6.75 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 BB, 4 SO

It’s amazing to think that Affeldt is the only major-league signee on the Giants’ World Series roster, being the second lefty in the club’s bullpen (Javier Lopez the other). His 2010 did not compare to his 2009 season (4.14 ERA, .290 AVG to 1.73 ERA, .197), partly due to a strained left oblique that caused him to miss 26 games. Bruce Bochy has primarily gone to Lopez when he’s needed to get out a tough lefty in the postseason, losing faith in San Francisco’s $9.5 million investment.

Trades

RP Ramon Ramirez: acquired from Red Sox for minor league RHP Dan Turpen
Season salary: $1.155 million
2010 stats: (with Texas) 69 G, 1-3, 2.99 ERA, 69.1 IP, 27 BB, 46 SO
Playoff stats: 4 G, 0-1, 16.20 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 BB, 1 SO

For a pitcher as good as Ramirez was, it’s shocking that the he’s been with four teams in five seasons. Ramirez was traded from the Yankees to the Rockies in 2005 as part of a package for Shawn Chacon. He spent two seasons in Colorado before being traded to the Royals in 2008 for Jorge De La Rosa. Ramirez was again dealt, this time to the Red Sox for Coco Crisp, and finally landed in San Francisco in 2010. His career average ERA is 3.29 and strikes out about 7.4 per-nine.

RP Javier Lopez: acquired from the Pirates for RHP Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker
Season salary: $775,000
2010 stats: (with Texas) 77 G, 4-2, 2.34 ERA, 57.2 IP, 20 BB, 38 SO
Playoff stats: 9 G, 1-0, 1.59 ERA 5.2 IP, 1 BB, 6 SO

The San Fran media and fan base blasted Sabean for dealing a total of 10 years of control between Martinez and Bowker for Lopez, a conventional ‘LOOGY,’ at the trading deadline. Those critics were silenced, as Lopez pitched his way to a 1.42 ERA and 1.191 WXRL in 27 games down the stretch. The southpaw has come up even bigger in the postseason, retiring teams’ left-handed offensive sluggers that have included Jason Heyward, Ryan Howard, and Josh Hamilton.

Waiver Claims

 None  

Summary: Nine draft picks, six Minor League free agents, four Major League free agents and trades, one international free agent, and a waiver claim. Click here to see part one of "How the Giants Were Acquired," focusing on San Francisco’s position players.

Jesse Behr is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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