Before I get into this post about Luis Gonzalez, the Giants outfielder, I should probably mention that while the connotation is that Luis Gonzalez, the Giants outfielder, is the second Luis Gonzalez to make the majors after Luis Gonzalez, the Astros and Diamondbacks outfielder, there's actually a third Luis Gonzalez, credited on cards as Luis A. Gonzalez, who was a second-baseman for the Rockies, and even played the entirety of his career while Luis Gonzalez, the Astros and Diamondbacks outfielder, was still playing for the Diamondbacks.
Okay? Let's not get this mixed up. First there was Luis Gonzalez, the Astros and Diamondbacks outfielder, then there was Luis A. Gonzalez, the Rockies 2nd baseman, who was playing while Luis Gonzalez, the Astros and Diamondbacks outfielder, was also playing, and now there's Luis Gonzalez, the Giants outfielder. It really is that simple.
Don't get me started on the Luis Garcias, though, that's a whole 'nother thing.
Anyway, the Giants. Yeah, they're kind of a mess this year. The leadership structure that Buster Posey left behind hasn't exactly been working because Evan Longoria's been hurt [as usual], and Belt and Crawford are honestly playing their ages. The 'assemble a bunch of 30somethings' plan in SF has thankfully given way to a more diverse roster, but there's a lot of older players, also including Tommy La Stella, Darin Ruf and Jake McGee, who aren't playing their worth at all. And at least now Kapler has arranged this team so that the younger standouts are at least majors-tested choices like Luis Gonzalez, Thairo Estrada, LeMonte Wade and, yes, Yermin Mercedes, who had a big game yesterday and is slowly beginning to regain some of the fan love he earned in Chicago. I'm not sure what kind of long term role the Yerminator is gonna have with this team, maybe close to late-career Pablo Sandoval, but I'm glad he's hitting finally.
The thing is, like the Mariners, a lot of the highlights are centralized. It's not an entirely diverse set of people doing well- the reliance is on Yaz, Joc, Rodon and Webb, and if other people can help out, great. But they're really lacking the depth they had last year, and that's a shame, because that depth made them a threat deep into the season, and without it, they're just another wild card contender. And that's where we're at. The Giants have just as much of a chance of a wild card spot as the Phillies and Cardinals. Last year they didn't need to wait around for wild card competitors, they were already there.
I could be wrong, this team could spark fire in a bit, but I'm not seeing what I saw in this team last season. And as they fall apart, I'm seeing less and less of it.
Coming Tonight: The Tigers traded him for Austin Meadows. Meadows is currently hurt and this guy's leading his team in home runs. Will these people ever LEARN??
No comments:
Post a Comment