Someone who isn’t the slowest player in baseball may be a better choice. Batting a double play machine behind our only on base guy seems like a mistake to me. Somehow he’s only got 10 this year(mostly because his G/F is .43), but that’s gonna balloon to a Benito Santiago type level soon, and that’s a baaad thing.

“And as for all of the questions about whether Bochy should bat Molina cleanup, we’re really looking at a moot point, aren’t we? If not Molina, then who? The Panda needs to bat third, he is clearly our best hitter. It hardly matters where anyone else hits, they’re all essentially the same player. Molina probably does have the most power, outside of Sandoval. But, really, what does it matter? A perfectly maximized lineup would score about .1 runs more than a lineup made up by throwing darts.”

Of course you’re right, John. In the grand scheme of things, our W-L record is very unlikely to be affected by batting Bengie cleanup. Our other options are also…limited, to say the least. It’s really not a big deal in that way. Rather, the way I see it, it’s a symptom of an organization that, from top to bottom, still hasn’t fully grasped the importance of getting on base. It blows my mind that someone as bad at not making an out as Molina is highly valued in our organization.

I like Molina, and he’s contributed his share the last couple years, but he’s very obviously declined significantly at this point. Playing C he really doesn’t have to do much with the bat to add value, so I’m ok running him out there, but in the 4th spot? Really? That’s the best plan we can come up with, hope the worst hitter in the league at not making an out will produce at a high level for us? .269 OBP as of right now. How many times does Bengie lead off the 2nd inning (because our offense sucks and goes 1-2-3 in the 1st)? It just frustrates me that the Giants still don’t properly value OBP. It’s such a basic concept.

I have an idea to float out here, just to see what people think. What about moving Sandoval to C full time? The way Molina has been hitting, a Uribe/Sandoval combo is significantly more valuable than a Sandoval/Molina combo. Of course, C is a hard position and Sandoval hasn’t really played it this year, and it’s also reasonable to expect it to hurt Sandoval’s production with the bat some. But I dunno, the way Bengie’s playing…I think it might give us a substantial upgrade.

however, when you only post stats for reasoning why or why not a trade should be made, or a player should be played….you are missing the entire point of the game

if one goes by stats alone, a guy like eckstein has no biz in the game, and matt palmer should never be a successful pitcher

yet both statements are untrue

the game is both physical and mental….which is why players go on streaks and slumps

and really…when you spend all this time playing stratomatic with real people…it hurts the game

shoot….even moneyball doesnt rely solely on stats

Unlike Bengie Molina, Rich Aurilia, Edgar Rentafatso and the rest of the cast of Cocoon, they offer hope of improvement, not dismal and insanely maddening baseball version of Groundhog Day that we get from watching Randy Winn play pee-wee golf against LH pitching, or Aaron Rowand launching t-shirt cannon throws into the camera wells.

As for Ishikawa, he has the physical tools, and to watch him around the bag, he is athletic, strong, but most importantly, he has good baseball instincts and is beginning to emanate at least the beginnings of physical presence around the bag. He wears the “don’t even think about fucking with me kind of Nuschler face” well. Frandsen tried, and failed. Moreover, even if it is only for amusement purposes, it is so much better than watching Rich “The Wine Sipper” Aurilia slouching around the infield and having senior moments in the batters box.

Moreover, something else that is different: His pitch recognition, his biggest obstacle, appears to be improving.

I have no facts to back me up on this, but from what I have seen, he seems to be getting better at recognizing that one nemesis pitch from RHP, that keeps him from being good; breaking shit at the back foot.

Therefore, there is progress. Not that its of any quantifiable value, but he got signed out of high school, by the same scout, Matt Woodward, who signed Lincecum out of Washington four years later.

Having said that, the upcoming 28 games commencing August 10th will tell us most of what we need to know. If they demonstrate winning baseball for those 28 games, then we will know that they are legitimate contenders this season.

Whether Sandoval can hold up is questionable. He is not good on the road (a 350-point difference in OPS) and he has been OPSing at only .731 since the All Star Break.

And apparently I am not the only one who was critical of his weight. Krukow laid into him a couple of nights ago on this very subject. Particularly in view of the hot, sweaty fields and unfriendly environs of the upcoming swing through the Midwest and East Coast, his conditioning is likely to play a significant role in his performance.

It could all get very interesting or it could be just a redux of the prior 5 years. We will know in the next few weeks.

Just a couple of thoughts – I myself am always appalled, looking at the box for any game, at how few walks the Giants draw. Just getting that to be average would make a big difference. I know that a walk isn’t really as good as a hit, but seeing one or two per game is pretty pathetic.

The second is I’m surprised that Nick Johnson can even find the field anymore – the poster child for time on the DL. I like him, but that would have been a really bad trade.