Splash Considerations Ep. 28: The Hall of Fame, and the Walk of Shame (feat. John Shea)

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Welcome to another episode of Splash Considerations.
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My name is Justice Delos Santos, San Francisco Giants beat reporter for the Bay Area News Group, San Jose Mercury News, East Bay Times, whatever you want to call us, as long as you read, as long as you subscribe.
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And speaking of subscribe, subscribe to the YouTube channel, follow us on Apple, follow us on Spotify.
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A lot of things in this world cost a lot of money, but subscribing and following, those things remain free ninety-nine and just a moment of your time.
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And I'm joined by the man who I consider to be a Hall of Famer in my book, Mr.
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John Shea of the San Francisco Standard.
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John, how are we doing?
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Hey Justice, how's it going?
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There was a big game today.
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And uh let it runs, let it hits.
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So are we buying now?
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Oh, yeah.
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That's what the B's on your hat stand for, John Shea.
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It's not for bye, bye, buy.
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Uh Giants, uh, unfortunately, for those of you who who think or who hope that they would be buyers at the deadline.
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Uh, they would not, you know, likelihood be buyers at the deadline.
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But John Shea, before getting into the trade discussion, because you know, we've talked about trade speculation on this podcast for, I don't know, like the last two months uh at this point.
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We got some unfortunate injuries uh and some and a really interesting one to talk about as well.
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But I want to start with your experiences over the the weekend because you were the only one on the beat to make your way out to Cooperstown and you know see Jeff Kent be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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A record 61 Hall of Famers were there for the induction ceremony.
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A very large giant contingent, kind of a dry run uh for next year, and we'll get into that in a second.
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But just what was the experience like overall seeing Kent go in, someone that you've covered, someone you've had a chance to, you know, I guess kind of see not get elected, and now you know, really have this moment and I guess in a way show some emotion that he really never showed as a player either.
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Yeah, a lot of extremes.
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Uh on one hand, he never got as much as 50% on the writer's ballot, and I think we all kind of blew that.
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Um present company not included since I voted for him, but I think it it it it was a big L by the BBWA not to put him beyond 50% or 60% or even 75%.
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And that's what you have these veterans committees for.
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That's what you have 16 other voters who kind of step back and say, okay, what went wrong with the writer's ballot and how can we fix that?
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And I thought Matting Lee would get in.
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I thought Dale Murphy would get in, and it was Jeff Kent who kind of blew away the industry with his inclusion of, you know, and then when you look at it, Fred McGriff was the guy, the one guy who got in uh on the last cycle uh three years earlier.
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So maybe it's that kind of guy.
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Um, maybe not the superstar, not the the boisterous uh um, you know, headline maker, but the guy who was consistent and constant throughout a long career, and that kind of explains both of those guys for Kent.
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Yeah, I covered him throughout the entirety of his Giants career, 97 to 02.
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And was he prickly?
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Yeah.
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Was he hard-nosed?
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Yeah.
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Um, was he sometimes tough to interview?
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Yeah, but so were a lot of other players.
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You just had to be smart about it and bring your A game to the interview and uh stay away from all the silliness with those questions that um, you know, some people ask just for the sound bite or the six-second clip.
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Uh he wasn't about that, he wasn't about the cameras or yeah, you know, I I think like Barry in his early days, like Buster throughout his career.
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I think he respected the guys who were there every day.
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And for the camera guys who kind of came in on the weekends or day games, maybe he didn't have much use for.
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But then you fast forward to now, and I think I called him a softie in the press conference after the and I say, Hey Jeff, man, I covered you.
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You were hard-nosed, you're gruff, you you didn't put up with any BS.
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And now you know, I think I called him the the Cooperstown crier because he he just cried uh in every interview, and he cried.
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Um you know, I did many interviews with him, uh, whether it's uh one-on-one, and you saw him in spring training, and he wasn't quite that emotional with his uniform on because he was, you know, he had the game face again.
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Uh he had he had the uni on, he had 21 on, he had the cap on, um, and he was helping, you know, young players for about a week during camp in what late February, early March.
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So I I saw the transformation and the evolution, and it was it was pretty fascinating.
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And I went back in February to kind of chronicle his tour.
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Every every new Hall of Famer has an orientation tour.
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So I that that was really special to to to be a guy who was able to do that.
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And then um this past weekend was was just amazing, as every Hall of Fame induction is, and um, you know, whether it's coming in on Thursday and doing different events Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then just staying late Monday just to soak it all in one last time.
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I mean, time really does stand still.
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Uh there was a bar scene in which you know the Hall of Famer's here, Hall of Famer's there.
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I, you know, I'm pinching myself, and then I look across the room and there's a big screen showing a baseball game, and I'm thinking, oh yeah, it's baseball season still, and teams are playing each other far, far away.
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I mean, this place is really hard to get to and really expensive to get to, but man, it's worth it.
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Uh, it always has been.
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I've been there many times um during induction ceremony and not during induction ceremony.
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And um ever every time I go there, it's been it's been a big treat, and I'm looking forward to one more time next year, right?
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Yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to segue into the next time because I know you got the book right there.
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I got the book right here, too.
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The new one, the memoir for Mr.
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Dusty Baker.
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And you know, he's you know, him and Bochi are probably gonna be on the era committee.
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Buster is gonna be up for his first time on the writer's ballot.
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And that was gonna be my question to you is do you foresee us, you know, at this time next year talking about not one, not two, but three Giants going in the Hall of Fame.
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And that kind of leads into a secondary question with Dusty in particular is if he does get elected, if and when he does get elected, would he go in with a Giants cap?
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Because I know you talked about this a little bit on social media.
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I I would I would suggest all three would get in.
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I mean, first of all, Buster Posey, Joe Maurer just got in.
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And Joe Maurer, while he won the batting titles, and you know, he he didn't hit, you know, he he and Buster were right there in the home run totals, not that many.
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Uh Maurer had a couple thousand hits, Buster had 1,500, Maurer never won a World Series title.
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Maurer spent the second half of his career at first base, and he didn't put up the power numbers indicative of a very good first baseman, but he got in.
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He got in first ballot, and that was kind of you know, that kind of woke up uh what we're doing here.
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And, you know, in terms of how we judge players, how we value players.
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Um, and maybe 10 years, 20 years ago, a guy like Joe Maur would not have been first ballot, but uh you kind of nowadays look at that what happens after that percentage point, not the counting stats.
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So on base, uh, you know, OPS, uh, war, and and all these things that Buster, though his career was relatively short, uh measures up nicely with with the all-timers.
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And you could break it down any any way you want, but uh the MVP, the batting crown, the rookie of the year, the three rings, um the fact that he was the common denominator for all those titles, and no team had ever won in San Francisco before Buster Posey, and then they have then they won three.
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So there's there's a there's a just a new way to gauge Hall of Famers.
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And of course, Bochi's a slam dunk with four titles.
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Nobody with three has ever not gone to the Hall of Fame, and he's got four, one in Texas, three in San Francisco.
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And Dusty Baker, uh, nobody has ever gone to the postseason with as many as five teams like Dusty Baker, and he finally won one in Houston.
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And yeah, Tony LaRussa went in without a logo on his cap on on the plaque in the gallery at Cooperstown.
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And while the Hall of Fame has the hammer on that, and they have the ultimate choice on which team a player represents, obviously they're gonna listen big time to the player or manager on which team he represents.
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He can't represent more than one team.
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Uh, although Gaylord Perry back back in his old timers days used to pitch in these old timers games in the 80s and 90s, and he had a uniform with six logos across the front of his jersey.
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Um, they don't do that in Cooperstown.
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So Tony LaRoussa, you know, A's, White Sox, Cardinals, he went in like with a blank cap, no logo.
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And Dusty Baker could do that because he really did well with five teams, um, kind of up the ante in every city he went to.
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Teams got better.
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And Houston was already built to win, unlike the other four teams, but he was kind of the adult in the room in Houston and brought that team to a World Series championship, which he didn't do in San Francisco, but he spent 10 years there.
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So it'll come down to either the Giants or no logo.
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He won't represent any other team unless the Astros uh uh give him a jet and and make him full-time and give him$10 million a year as an advisor, but I don't think that'll happen.
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So you mean he's not gonna rep the Cincinnati Reds or the Washington Nationals or the Chicago Cubs?
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You think you know he's not gonna rep those teams?
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Well, he did well everywhere.
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I mean, he won 95 and 96 games in Washington and then he was fired.
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If you talked to Dusty Baker, he shouldn't have been the first guy to bring five teams to the postseason because he should have lasted longer in uh you know a few of these cities, but he was he, you know, he it was over for him maybe prematurely, and maybe that shouldn't have happened.
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He'll give you reasons why.
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Um, it's unfortunate, but yeah, he finally won it.
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I think he would have been a Hall of Famer if he never went to Houston.
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I think his track record speaks for itself.
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And guess who I think will be the most popular of those three in Cooperstown?
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I don't think it'll be Bochi or Posey.
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I think it'll be Dusty Baker.
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I I saw a scene, Justice, in downtown Cooperstone.
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I wrote about this in the SF standard, in which he was just mobbed, just trying to go for a stroll down Main Street with his wife Melissa.
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Everybody recognized him, everybody wanted a piece of him.
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He he signed autographs and did selfies for at least a half an hour before he ducked into a card shop and and called the Giants, and they finally gave him a rental car so he could drive around town.
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It's his first time, other than coaching and playing in these Hall of Fame games that no longer exist uh you know earlier in his career, and he never really got a tour of the museum until what Saturday.
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So he was touched, but he wanted to make a point.
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Speaking to him over lunch one day at the Ota Saga, he said, you know, I'm not here for me, I'm here for Jeff.
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And and Kent did invite him, and Kent looks at him as really the most important figure in his big league career, because he's the one who taught him, hey, you know, in San Francisco, you can't pull the ball a candlestick, you got to use that jet stream, you know, like Willie Mays did and so many others.
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And so that really turned Jeff's career around, and he went from a pretty good hitter to a great hitter using all fields, and his power numbers went up, his batting average went up, knocked in 100 every year here in San Francisco, and now he's in the Hall of Fame.
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So, yeah, I think it'll be a trifecta.
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Yeah, so the point about, you know, obviously I was not there over the weekend, but I can only imagine, you know, Dusty kind of having that magnetic force.
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And it's funny, I saw an Instagram reel the other day that said something to the effect of he's been involved in like 3% of every game, either as a player, as a coach, as a manager.
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And when you kind of just dig into his resume, it's like he managed Barry Bonds.
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He was teammates with Henry Aaron, he co-invented the high-five with Glenn Burke.
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Like you can just he was he you could just rattle off all these like attachments he has.
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And you know, the one thing that's so fascinating to think about is that Jeff Kent was the first guy that he like primarily managed to go into the Hall of Fame, and then you think of some of the other guys that he had just been associated with, like Griffey and Scott Rowland and soon to be Bryce Harper, and you see what Jordan Alvarez is doing, and it's just like the kind of Dusty Baker tree of baseball, so to say, it just extends so far.
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But I will say, Shay, you mentioned Tony LaRussa, and when you mentioned Tony LaRussa and Dusty Baker, you gotta mention the infamous shouting match they had at Wrigley, where there was a couple expletives that were mentioned.
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I can only imagine what the hot mic would have picked up.
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I think that's that's that's probably my favorite Dusty Baker moment.
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You know, it's a funny story.
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Speaking of two people who went at it, um Albany Airport is not good, it might be the worst in the country.
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Going there and coming out, so prepare for that next year.
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So we were waiting and waiting and waiting at the airport in Albany for connections to Chicago that just never came.
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And I look around, and you know, there's Fergie Jenkins and there's Rod Carew and there's Ozzy Smith.
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And as part of the Giants crew, because they traveled almost 40 people um back east, you know, 40 different ways.
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Uh the hackman, Jeffrey Leonard, was part of that.
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And it dawned on me after a while, I said, there's Hack Man and there's Ozzy.
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Oh my gosh, I'm really looking at the old Bush Stadium.
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At the old Bush Stadium with uh Indian flashbacks of Will Clark and Akendo.
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Well, not only that, but if you I won't say you remember, if you read about the 87 and you know your history, 87 NLCS was Giants and St.
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Louis Cardinals, and Jeffrey Leonard, while on the losing team, was the MVP of that series, a rare instance in which uh a player from the losing team is the MVP.
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He hit four home runs and the whole one flap down business.
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And Tony Vitello remembers that.
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That was his neighborhood, and those were his cardinals, but he loved Kevin Mitchell, and he always thought that it was Hackman, Jeffrey Leonard, who came out in the press and called St.
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Louis a cowtown.
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And I told Tony, I said it wasn't Hackman, it was Chili Davis.
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So a lot of people thought it was Jeffrey Leonard, but it was Chili Davis.
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And you know, that that was that that probably shouldn't have been said because the the fans came out with cowbells every time you know Hackman or Chili came to the plate, and and uh St.
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Louis wound up winning game six and seven in St.
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Louis, just like Anaheim won six and seven in the series.
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Giants blew 3-2 leads in both of those series.
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But anyway, um the the amount of royalty uh in Cooperstown, uh from Sandy Koufax all the way down to Joe Maurer, you know, the oldest to the youngest, Juan Marischal and Tony Oliva on one side, and you know, the the newcomers like Mo Rivera and Derek Jeter from the Yankees, and you know, the Giants haven't had anybody go in representing them since Cepeda in '99.
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So 27 years later, we have Jeff Kent, and then 28 years later, we'll have a slew of others.
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Yeah, I'm not going to mention uh what I remember about the year 1999.
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Janci, I'll keep that, I'll keep that to myself.
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But of course, when you talk about Jeff Kent, it's funny.
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When I was talking to Dusty for a story that I did, you know, about you know, leading up to the ceremony, uh, one of the things that Dusty said was that Jeff was consistent and boring, and that may have been one of the reasons why he wasn't inducted by the writers.
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Now, uh when you think of like the most in or the most like the singular moments with Kent, there are unfortunately two that come to mind.
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One is the uh Barry Bonds fight in the dugout in San Diego, and the other, of course, is the motorcycle accident.
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And I think you know.
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He did some stuff on the field, too, you know.
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He did some stuff, you know, the game five Homer, he you know pumps the fist, they win 16-4.
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I was actually at that game, John Shea.
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My fourth birthday.
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But, you know, those are kind of the moments that, you know, probably might might, you know, be the most infamous.
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And it feels like an odd coincidence that the same weekend that Jeff Kent goes into the Hall of Fame is also the same weekend where we get probably the most bizarre injury in recent Giants' memory, that being Harrison Bader.
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He gets into a scooter accident into what the Giants described uh as late Saturday, early Sunday morning.
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You can draw your own conclusions as to what that might entail.
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The Giants have not provided any uh additional details outside of the press release.
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Uh, but for those of you who are familiar, just to kind of provide, you know, a bit of context, uh Bader's been dealing with left plantar fasciitis since late May.
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He hasn't played since late May, he's only played uh 30 games.
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And you know, he actually had to stop his uh rehab because of lingering soreness.
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That was kind of recently, I think it was last week.
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So this past Monday, he was scheduled to go to Indianapolis to see a foot and ankle specialist, uh, gets into the scooter accident over the weekend.
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He still goes to the appointment, but the appointment is complicated by the fact that he re-injures, or not re-injures, because you know I know you don't like that word, John.
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He he does more damage to the foot that he's already rehabbing.
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So then he has to come back to San Francisco, then he has to get another MRI, and so his status is kind of ambiguous as to right now.
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We've got a about a third of the season left, John.
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I I don't I'm not exactly feeling very strongly that we see Harrison Bader the the rest of the year, but in a year that's been full of just a lot of weird stuff happening.
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This is I don't want to say there's quite a new leader in the clubhouse, but i this is definitely up there, John Shea.
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And you know, it from a from a baseball perspective, you know, the Giants gave him two year a two-year$20.5 million dollar contract to shore up center field, and based off the amount of games that Drew Gilbert and even Jung Hoo have played, it's almost kind of like they haven't signed him, just to the fact that he's barely played.
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And now we may not see him the rest of the year.
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Kind of a bust, maybe the biggest bust of all for Buster Posey.
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I mean, Louisa Rice is on the other side, he's the best free agent.
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And Buster Posey kind of discovered him as a second baseman and sent Wash to the to the task, and and suddenly he's a go glove contender.
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But on the other hand, Harrison Bader, man, I mean, come on, really?
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I mean, you you can't it's you know, this is 2026 and you're a big leader.
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You can't you can't do that in the middle of the night.
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:32.079
You can't do that with an injury to the lower half.
00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:34.960
I mean, those things aren't the safest things anyway.
00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:37.599
Um you ever been on one, John?
00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.279
Yeah, as a kid, but not one of these power ones.
00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:42.559
The motorized ones.
00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:46.079
They are I think I've been on it one time and I don't feel safe.
00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:54.000
It's not a lot of you you wobble just a little bit and you kind of you kind of you know, it's very swift movements.
00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:56.079
The helmets are not required, right?
00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:03.200
They're not given, so it's it's kind of like the the Google AI bikes or whatever, like there's there's no helmets given uh with them.
00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:11.839
And I think I think the oddest part of this, I don't even know if it's the oddest part, but this isn't the first time this has happened with Bader either.
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:23.599
This happened in 2014 when he was at the University of Florida, and there was uh allegedly alcohol involved from my recollection, and he was suspended for a majority of the season.
00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:33.920
And there was also a clip that was kind of making its way around Twitter, you know, the last couple of days of Bader on the scooter and kind of pedaling with that same left foot.
00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.839
So it's just not a great look all around.
00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:51.440
I've seen so many comments asking, like, you know, because again, like the details of this are again, you you can make your conclusions as to what happened, but the official details of to what happened publicly are ambiguous.
00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:59.680
And I've seen a lot of people saying, you know, are they gonna avoid the contract, nullify the contract, you know, that's something you know, we'll have to find out later.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.599
you know at some point I assume Zach or Buster is going to have to talk about this.
00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.039
But like you said, it's the contract has been a dud so far.
00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:11.039
I I really I don't feel strongly that he plays the rest of the year.
00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:15.519
And when something like this happens, maybe we just don't see him again ever.
00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:16.720
Yeah, you're right.
00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:19.440
I mean I mean it's it's it's a bad look.
00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:21.599
It's an it's embarrassing to the organization.
00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:42.240
It's embarrassing to Buster Posey who had the faith in him to give him that money when no one on any other team was doing that given his history uh they they needed somebody defend in center field and he he he just didn't have a great spring didn't have a great start he's been on the injured list most of the season.
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:51.039
Just a terrible look for everybody involved and how they come out of this it won't be positive.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:23:24.400
And yeah if there's any way I mean they could cut the cord after the season and just eat it or go into spring training to see if he's he's renewed in any way and healthy and good like he used to be but otherwise yeah it's maybe time to move on we've seen a lot more of Drew Gilbert because we have not seen any uh Harrison Bader and Gilbert I mean he's I mean nice guy and everything but he's not a starting outfielder right now in the big leagues.
00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:51.599
Um his his defense was pretty good at a lot of times but they they they need just to kind of start over everywhere and that includes the outfield and you know you can talk about Elliott Ramos and he he'd be a real nice trade chip because he's young and has team control for the next three years and has pop and it it's just he can hit a home run at at this ballpark and not everybody could do that.
00:23:52.319 --> 00:24:04.000
You know they have it they have Adamus they have they have Devers uh there's they well Devers uh I I don't know what to say about those guys other than uh they're not the players that Buster Posey signed.
00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:16.559
Both had awful beginnings and uh Devers came around he started hitting started hitting for power and that's exactly who Buster Posey traded for but Adamus I I just I just don't get it.
00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:45.759
Defense offense um as you tell the world with those metrics you know the worst defensive shortstop in baseball and ultimately we'll have to move to second base because they have so many gosh darn shortstops in the system who will come up and maybe replace him pivot him to another position but I'd love to know what you think about the trade ability it's tough.
00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:50.640
I think that's the I think that's the the most succinct way to say it.
00:24:50.799 --> 00:25:13.519
I think if Chapman didn't have the lingering injury I think there would have been more of a chance just if he continued producing in the way that he had, you know, it's there there's still four years remaining on that contract and that's a lot of time especially when it it if it essentially the question with Chapman becomes would you want to sign him to a four year$100 million contract after this season.
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.160
That's a a lot of money for someone that's 33.
00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:23.039
But I think you know if you know if you convince maybe the Giants to throw in some money and on the other end there's some prospect return maybe there would have been something there.
00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:56.640
Adamas I don't see that trade happening his OPS is flirting with starting with a six it I don't think it's gonna get there but that's where it kind of is and then you mentioned you know outs above average haven't been great he's going to have to move off shortstop at some point when that is you know time will kind of tell and then to the point about Rafi you know it's it's funny if you look at it since May he's been Rafael Devers as advertised the OPS is somewhere in the 900s he's gonna hit 35 homers he's gonna have somewhere in the range of 90 to 100 RBIs.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:09.839
Now I think this is going to kind of get lost in everything when you just see the final numbers but if Rafi was hitting this way to start the season I think this giant season looks a lot differently.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:22.880
I think there's an argument to be made that Patrick Bailey is still here potentially if you know this is a league average offense but you know at the end like people are just going to kind of look at the numbers the total numbers at the end of the day.
00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:37.359
So I I can't envision any of the three of them being traded just because I think I've mentioned this stat before but with Devers in particular there's only been I think 16 or 17 guys who've ever signed contracts upwards of 300 million dollars.
00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:46.400
Only two of them have been traded twice that's Giancarlo Stanton and Rafael Devers and of the two none of neither of them have been traded twice.
00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:53.519
So it's a lot of money to take on though I do you know I do think that there's something to the Eldridge Devers dynamic.
00:26:53.599 --> 00:27:02.960
I think it can work you know seeing them work in tandem but you know as far as the tradability I I'd be shocked if any of the three of them are traded.
00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:19.039
Well to keep and and they will keep Devers and Eldridge that means nobody else including Chapman and Adamus could ever be a DH uh say you know to rest their legs to get off short stop to get off third base.
00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:29.279
And then they're on the older side and they would need time as a DH once every couple of weeks to to be the best they could be and now there's no chance that that that'll ever happen.
00:27:29.359 --> 00:29:42.319
So I think among the three maybe the best opportunity to trade somebody and you're gonna have to eat half of the money owed to him which is a big chunk is maybe Matt Chapman you trade him he's got four years and$100 million remaining on that contract right all the way up until his late 30s but if a team says hey if you chip in half of that in other words buy him out for 50 and it's just ridiculous even talking about it just forfeit$50 a few years after uh extending that contract then maybe hey we'll we'll take him and suddenly he's he's a$2.5 million dollar player over five years or four years for the new team and what that does is open up Casey Schmidt to third base next season and then then Adamus can move to second and then and uh you know maybe there's a placeholder at short for a half a year or a full year uh as as the shortstop you know continue to uh move up the chains and eventually we'll we'll be here I don't know uh uh probably either the end of next year or early 2028 but I I I just don't see this working out when you have uh three older players manning first short and second and they're they're not on the upside um and they've been uh amazingly inconsistent offensively uh chapman I still like his glove man I mean he's so fun to watch he's still got it I think uh the metrics might tell me differently but if you put Casey Schmidt at one position imagine how good he could be given that he's played all around the diamond this year and still produced the way he has so I don't think he's gonna be as good at second base if they put him there next year and and uh to replace uh a rise but I I do think he could be a really good defensive third baseman uh uh who could play every day and and hit in the middle of your lineup so I I think it's a long shot to to trade any of those three but I think if one goes it would be Chapman.
00:29:43.200 --> 00:31:23.920
Yeah and you know there is an argument to be made that his game will even as he gets into his mid and even late 30s that it'll kind of age maybe a little more well compared to the other two just because I think the defense even if it does taper off a little bit will continue to be above average and then the bat if you can get somewhere in the you know above like just a league average bat with 20 or something homers I think you'll take that even if it's you know a little bit of a depreciating returns but you know since we're on the subject of the deadline you know I think this is a good opportunity to get into some of the guys that are probably not going to be here that includes your guy Luis Arayas who if you know we're recording on Wednesday night if today was kind of his final send-off at Oracle Park just a hell of a way to do it four hits you know Sirps Otto Lopez for the major league lead in batting average uh Robbie Ray probably I would expect him to be traded as well then you get into guys like Tyler Malleys Sam Henches maybe JT Brewbaker maybe Caleb Killian but you alluded to him and I think the most interesting guy over the next five days is going to be Elliot Ramos just because it's not exactly a one-to-one like with Camillo but it is similar in the sense that they there isn't an urgency to trade him necessarily they you know after this he's entering arbitration for the first time this year he's under team control through 2027 28 and 29 he wouldn't be a free agent until the 2030 season he's 26 years old the power is still there I mean we've seen it you know just the opposite field home runs he hits I think that there's arguments there's very valid arguments on both sides.
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:26.000
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.
00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:43.519
Where do you fall on the possibility of trading Elliott Ramos who you actually talked to earlier this month about you know the possibility of being traded and I wouldn't be surprised if they move him because I mean I he he's not an above average defender.
00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:58.319
I mean you could probably prove me wrong that the metrics um you know suggest otherwise I got something better for you John I will say I don't have the metrics in front of me but I will say using these using the eyes he has been better this year.
00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:02.079
It's not elite defense but compared to where it was last year it is better.
00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:04.079
You're 100% right you're 100% right.
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:24.559
I mean let last year it sometimes looked like he was lost and mentally not all there but he did come into spring training and he said um he had worked in the offseason including at the complex in Arizona and he made a big time effort to get better and he has been better.
00:32:27.359 --> 00:33:01.039
It hasn't been as much of a weak spot but if Buster Posey and I go back to the pitching and defense which he talked about at his initial press conference and he's been talking about it ever since if he wants to win with pitching and defense then he's got to move Adamas to second and maybe he's got to trade uh Ramos just to make sure maybe you sacrifice power maybe a sacrifice runs but it it's been proven over and over that you just can't win without a good defense at this ballpark.
00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:14.000
You just can't I mean there are too many three to two games four to three games and all of those games have been lost this year because of the bullpen and some of them have been lost because of the defense and others have been lost because of the base running.
00:33:14.240 --> 00:35:40.800
So I mean fundamentals have to get back to the drawing board with this team I mean Buster Posey I I I don't have to say this to you you know it we don't have to say it to any listeners or viewers they all know it they they see it and you see it you're not in the computer you watch the games and watching the games tell you that man they need to start over in a big way and maybe by trading Ramos he could be their biggest well one of their biggest chips I still think Robbie Ray will will you know will will be um you know pursued by multiple teams at the deadline because every team needs pitching and Tyler Malley actually it has been pretty good of late so I mean shoot if one team could get multiple players whether it's those two pitchers or one of those pitchers plus Louisa Rice maybe maybe you could draw more um you can have a bigger impact trade and and get a higher prospect or somebody knocking on the door from triple A especially a starting pitcher especially a high leverage uh relief pitcher um because Logan Webb needs company he can't do this alone he had a nice start today uh in this finale but uh overall uh it's been a rough year for him but he's coming around and I I think uh he'll he'll still he'll survive the trade deadline and pitch opening day next year because they need him they want to do anything next year they need Logan Webb and yeah you could trade him you can get a big haul but I don't think Buster Posey is looking to 2029 as much as 27 and 28 and and Webb has two years on his contract he'll be a free agent for that 29 season they could always bring him back right but you know they could extend him like they did uh before his contract was over uh you know he's living on the extension now but um they just got to do something man they got to do something to improve this bullpen and improve this rotation and figure out the defense and the base running and the and the communication and performance and man what a wish list I mean there's it's a lot of things John so much it is a lot of things and with Ramos in particular I think the one name that's been very kind of infatuating is the Mariners Emerson Hancock because there have been reports that he's available and the Mariners have a lot of pitching and they are in need of a bat.
00:35:40.880 --> 00:36:11.440
We actually just got to see them uh oh I think it was two weeks ago uh at this point uh the Phillies they're another team uh Bryce Harper made it very clear to kind of spark some controversy by saying that you know they kind of need help and you know maybe Ramos is a guy that can help out there as well and see if there's you can extract some pitching but you know I can't I want to make this kind of very clear like I know some people have seen like the tools with Victor Barricotto and seen what he's done over the you know the last month before he got injured.
00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:38.800
I don't think that it's fair to say that it's a one-to-one just because Barricotto has the tools I do think Ramos is the better player of the two but I think that you know this is effectively a lost season you're not trying to compete for the playoffs at this point you're kind of just trying to see what you have and I do think that if you you know trade Ramos for some type of pitching or a prospect package or something of that nature something that can help you out.
00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:52.559
And I think it would be kind of akin to you know maybe the the Duvall trade where you guys you can get some guys that are borderline if not almost ready or maybe even the Rogers trade where you got Tidwell and Gilbert guys that were kind of in that arena of being ready.
00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:56.239
I think that you know there are options that can fill in.
00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:05.280
You know you there is Barricotto he's on the injured list right now but he's going to be starting the rehab assignment toon uh Jonah Cox is just so fascinating to me.
00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:13.199
I think he's just a definitive center fielder though which means maybe moving Gilbert to the corner on days that he starts there's also the possibility that we see Bo Davidson.
00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:38.400
Bo Davidson needs to be added to the the 40 man roster anyways this year because he's rule five eligible Parks Harbor is a little different in the sense that he's not rule five eligible until next year and Andrew Baggerly friend of the program Andrew Baggerly just brought up an interesting point uh on Blue Sky the other day which is you know if they add Parks to the 40 man they're not going to be able to talk to him if and when the lockout happens.
00:37:38.480 --> 00:37:41.519
So I think that's something to consider with all this as well.
00:37:41.599 --> 00:37:57.760
But like you mentioned it this is a all three of their championships they've been on the backs of pitching and defense and you know hearing you and even Pavs talk about that outfield defense of Pagan and Blanco and I'm blanking there's one more guy.
00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:04.800
Well 100 Pence was pretty good in regular Pence like effectively having like some alignments where it was akin to having three center fielders.
00:38:04.880 --> 00:38:18.400
I know Pence was kind of a corner guy but you had guys just kind of flying around like that plays here and if you can string together just enough offense and maybe strike that balance I think that you know there's a it's what works in this ballpark.
00:38:18.480 --> 00:38:31.679
And I think I'm always a proponent of leaning into your ballpark not trying to shy away from it and you know even going back to bonds and Kent you know that was the formula that they had during that day but they ultimately fell short.
00:38:31.840 --> 00:38:35.840
And again maybe that's revisionist saying you know something happens here something happens there.
00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:46.000
But you know pitching and defense has worked and I wouldn't be shocked if there's more of an emphasis on trying to go back to that formula even if it does mean trading someone like Elio Ramos.
00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:56.960
Well you mentioned Harbor you mentioned Davidson yeah it's not just hey um maybe we don't put them on the 40 man now because otherwise we wouldn't be able to talk to him next year.
00:38:57.119 --> 00:39:09.119
They could still play because they wouldn't right they wouldn't be they wouldn't be part of the lockout you could still have minor leaguers playing ball right so not if not if they're on the 40 man though.
00:39:09.280 --> 00:39:10.559
Right that's what I'm saying.
00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:23.760
So it's not just about communication it's about letting them play ball and if they go April May June July or whatever with no major league baseball at the very least they could keep developing these young stud players.
00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:27.760
So it's it's a lost season why would you give them major league time?
00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:29.599
Yeah I do kind of wonder how that works.
00:39:29.679 --> 00:39:38.800
I don't know how that works actually like if they're on the 40 man can they still play in the minors if the lockout happens I think you're on the 40 man you're you're you're part of the labor.
00:39:39.280 --> 00:40:56.880
So from what I from what I remember in 94 and 95 that was a long time ago I'd have to double check that but remember they they you know the world series went away and back then the seasons didn't go on all the way into September but there were still seasons it was mid-August when labor was shut down and then um you know it it it it was shut down all the way um up until April because they brought in replacement players and that was a huge embarrassment and then then finally um the owners caved in and there was baseball but in 94 the uh World Series was canceled in 95 the season started late and I'm not sure how you think about this current labor situation but I just have seen it every five years my whole life and every time the the the the the the owners give in now this time they're digging deep and they're saying yeah we need a cap we need a floor whatever you want and there will be concessions but I still think that the Reds and the Pirates and the Tampas and all these teams with the the who are on revenue sharing it's still a good gig for these owners I mean they're making money and they can compete every 10 years.
00:40:56.960 --> 00:41:15.840
They know the Dodgers and the Yankees will come compete and contend every year and they're getting that funny money from cable but in the end I think you know I it it'd just be too much for these smaller market teams to forfeit a whole season for a fight they might ultimately lose anyway.
00:41:16.000 --> 00:42:14.719
So my prediction and I might be totally wrong is that the owners will cave in again um they'll get some stuff they won't get everything they want and even if the Dodgers win the World Series again even if they get SCUBO which by the way uh he he pitched well today and their bullpen blew up in the end and uh the tigers lost his start but he did get what his 1000th career um strikeout uh he got standing ovations in Detroit uh I think he's gone but once he's gone I think that you know the next tier of starting pitchers you know right here in San Francisco and if he's not gone suddenly the market for those guys improves a lot so um it's weird don't you think because I I I don't recall a Giants team ever being involved in selling weeks and weeks and weeks in advance.
00:42:14.880 --> 00:44:02.880
I mean last year at this team that at this time they're just transitioning to you know what we're we're buyers oh no we ought to be sellers uh and at the very end they kind of had to pivot and change everything but now they've had weeks and weeks to discuss this and to research this and to send their scouts to every minor league uh outlet you can imagine and they better get this right yeah it's a big thing to get right just because you know they are kind of in this really weird middle ground as to it's weird because when you you think about this as being a veteran team but there's really a lot of young players on this team like we're gonna see a lot of four if not five rookie lineups in the second half and even someone like Landon Roop like he's still pretty young into his career and you know we'll get to Casey Schmidt in a second but you know he's not really deep in his career either Elliott's not super like extensively long into his career so they're in like this really weird middle of like either you know definitive veteran or you know early stage guy it's not a lot of I guess Webb would kind of be the example of like these kind of mid-tier guys or Rise is an example too but I did mention Schmidt I think to you know the hits just keep coming with this team John it's super unfortunate but uh Casey Schmidt he uh tore his meniscus on I think it was what day is today I'm mixing my days up Monday uh rounded first kind of slammed on the brakes super hard you could tell that something wasn't right instantly he's gonna undergo surgery he's probably gonna be done for the year if not done for the year he's gonna play like maybe one or it's not gonna be a lot of games if he does come back but I imagine he's done for the year and then Trevor McDonald, he for sure is gonna be done for the year.
00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:08.320
Uh UCL reconstruction, he had the moderate UCL sprain, so we're not gonna see him for the rest of the year.
00:44:08.400 --> 00:44:11.119
We're probably not gonna see him in 2027 either.
00:44:11.280 --> 00:44:25.599
Uh Casey Schmidt, we probably will see in 2027, again, lockout permitting, but just super unfortunate, you know, two more blows for a team that's already kind of it's just been just from all directions.
00:44:25.679 --> 00:44:39.199
It's just brutal blow after brutal blow, especially for someone like Schmidt, who was in the midst of a career year, he's setting career highs left and right, like you mentioned, is kind of bouncing all around the diamond, doing everything that they could have asked.
00:44:39.280 --> 00:44:48.079
You know, if if we would have said in spring training that Casey Schmidt was gonna have days where he was batting leadoff and playing left field, we would have been saying, What the hell are you talking about?
00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:51.840
But he's had a hell of a year and it sucks that it ends this way.
00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:55.840
But you know, going into next season, there is a lot of foundation to build upon.
00:44:56.239 --> 00:45:05.280
You know, if they lose 90 games, I think you would you you your assignment ought to be uh the 90 goofy things that happen this year, one for every loss.
00:45:05.599 --> 00:45:07.039
Sounds like your assignment, John.
00:45:08.639 --> 00:45:10.079
You talked about weird.
00:45:10.239 --> 00:45:11.119
This is weird.
00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:14.320
I haven't seen too many seasons this weird.
00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:16.480
And I mean, we can list them all.
00:45:16.559 --> 00:45:19.599
We we can come up with 25-30 off the top of our head.
00:45:19.920 --> 00:45:21.280
I I got the list with me, John.
00:45:21.599 --> 00:45:23.440
We're gonna save that for the end of the season.
00:45:23.760 --> 00:45:25.360
Well, are there 90?
00:45:26.079 --> 00:45:27.280
It's close.
00:45:28.639 --> 00:45:32.320
That's a that's kind of an exaggeration, but it it it is a lot.
00:45:32.639 --> 00:45:33.760
It is a lot.
00:45:34.559 --> 00:45:36.719
It's just it's just uncanny.
00:45:37.039 --> 00:45:41.760
And people say it's the worst year, and I beg to differ.
00:45:41.920 --> 00:45:48.320
The worst year here might not have been 1985, the only season in history with a hundred losses.
00:45:48.480 --> 00:45:50.239
It might have been 1992.
00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:55.519
I say that because that was the year where there was no future, literally.
00:45:55.679 --> 00:45:56.880
At least there's a future.
00:45:56.960 --> 00:46:00.480
There's some players who will play in San Francisco in the coming years.
00:46:00.639 --> 00:46:02.400
In 1992, there was no future.
00:46:02.559 --> 00:46:10.960
Bob Lurie was selling the team to some some uh investors in Florida, they were gonna play at the trop in in uh St.
00:46:11.119 --> 00:46:13.360
Petersburg in 1993.
00:46:13.760 --> 00:46:15.280
So that's how bad things were.
00:46:15.440 --> 00:46:20.559
Young five-year-old Brandon Crawford with the sign, uh, you know, don't move, Mr.
00:46:20.719 --> 00:46:25.039
White and Bill White was do what's right with the league president.
00:46:25.199 --> 00:46:28.960
And uh I saw him in Cooperstown this past weekend.
00:46:29.199 --> 00:46:32.880
Um, you know, for uh, you know, it's good to see him.
00:46:32.960 --> 00:46:36.639
He's 92 years old, but he played for the New York and San Francisco Giants.
00:46:36.719 --> 00:46:39.760
He was the first baseman, but there was no room with Cepeda and McCubby.
00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:42.800
And then he became uh Yankees broadcaster.
00:46:42.880 --> 00:46:53.199
He was a National League president, and he was he and the O'Malley's in LA and the Padres and all these other uh National League teams got together and said, we're not gonna let the Giants leave.
00:46:53.440 --> 00:47:01.360
And unfortunately, MLB did not do that with the A's in Oakland, but they did do that with the Giants in San Francisco back in '92.
00:47:01.440 --> 00:47:05.360
And that opened the door for local investors led by Peter McGowan.
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:20.719
And then suddenly a team that was lost and tears were shed, and the A's are the only team in the Bay Area to well, we're bringing in new ownership, we're bringing Barry Bonds, we're bringing in Dusty Baker, and we're winning 103 games.
00:47:20.880 --> 00:47:30.719
Like the biggest turnaround I've ever seen in my life, from you know, the teams out of town to man, this team is suddenly has momentum with bonds.
00:47:30.880 --> 00:47:35.360
Let's build a new stadium and let's win championships in 10, 12, and 14.
00:47:35.599 --> 00:47:36.639
That was crazy.
00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:39.280
And that was the worst year that I remember.
00:47:39.440 --> 00:47:41.119
So this is nothing compared to that.
00:47:41.199 --> 00:47:56.079
If that's any consolation for younger people if there's any consolation to what has been, at least in in my uh experience as a reporter, just the most bizarre comedy sequence of events over the course of a season.
00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:59.760
It'll be, I don't know if fun is the right word, but I think we might have to.
00:47:59.920 --> 00:48:08.480
We've never done a three-person podcast on the show, and I think we might have to get Shana involved and just go over the entirety of what's happened this season because it has been a doozy.
00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:13.920
Hey, we did have a three-person podcast in spring training with you, me, and Carrie Crowley.
00:48:14.079 --> 00:48:14.639
Oh, yeah, we did.
00:48:14.719 --> 00:48:16.639
It was like the first week of the regular season.
00:48:16.719 --> 00:48:17.599
We did do that.
00:48:17.760 --> 00:48:18.800
I am remembering.
00:48:19.039 --> 00:48:21.360
Now we're gonna have to figure out the microphone situation.
00:48:21.440 --> 00:48:22.559
I was passing it back and forth.
00:48:22.639 --> 00:48:25.199
We got to figure out a smoother operation than that.
00:48:25.360 --> 00:48:48.159
But John, you mentioned Brandon Crawford, and Brandon Crawford went to one Foothill High School in Pleasanton, and we're gonna end the podcast with some much needed positivity here, John Shea, because the other person, another person that went to Foothill High School is one Jackson Flora, number four overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft, made his way over to Oracle today, saw all the sights, saw all the sounds.
00:48:48.239 --> 00:48:54.559
He had a fun quote that said, you know, he sat in pretty much every seat in this ballpark, uh, but he's never stepped on the field.
00:48:54.639 --> 00:48:56.960
He got to, you know, shake some hands.
00:48:57.119 --> 00:49:03.599
He I will say, but when he sat down for his press conference today, he shook every person's hand and introduced himself.
00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:06.559
And we all introduced ourselves to him, so I thought that was very classy.
00:49:06.800 --> 00:49:15.840
Um, but you know, you you look at Flora, you look at where this farm system stands, Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernandez were bumped up from the ACL to San Jose.
00:49:16.239 --> 00:49:20.159
Uh their first games there have been a very big event over there in San Jose.
00:49:20.239 --> 00:49:26.239
You see some of the prospects, some of the kids, Johnny Level, Dakota Jordan, and Gavin Keelan got promoted.
00:49:26.320 --> 00:49:43.039
You kind of see the farm system, you see Jackson Flora, and you know, things at the major league level are not great right now, objectively speaking, but you know, you look at the farm, and you know, there's there's some reason for hope there, especially when you got a kid named Bonds in the farm system as well, too.
00:49:44.239 --> 00:49:53.039
You know, I never bought into those mock drafts by the national guy suggesting that the Giants would pick anybody, like a position player, a high school short.
00:49:53.440 --> 00:49:54.320
It made no sense.
00:49:54.480 --> 00:49:56.960
Why why would you want another shortstop on this team?
00:49:57.119 --> 00:50:04.239
Granted, um, Brian Sabian always used to say you could never have too many shortstops because he converted them to other positions.
00:50:04.400 --> 00:50:10.400
But my goodness, when you look at the need, and they always say, Hey, we don't draft for need, we draft the best player available.
00:50:10.559 --> 00:50:16.400
Well, that's that's a bunch of malarkey when you pick fourth and you're terrible and you need pitching.
00:50:16.559 --> 00:50:19.920
So there was only one guy to pick in this draft, and it was Jackson Flora.
00:50:20.400 --> 00:50:29.039
Without a doubt, he's the best college pitcher in the draft, and he he grew up here, um, big tall right-hander.
00:50:29.360 --> 00:50:33.360
And it's like if he picked anybody else, it would have been a mistake.
00:50:33.599 --> 00:50:39.760
So he's the closest of anybody in this draft to pitching in the big leagues.
00:50:40.079 --> 00:50:43.039
So I think they looked at him all along.
00:50:43.119 --> 00:50:55.920
The rest of it was was just a mirage, I think, and maybe a setup, whether it was agents or front office officials, uh, you know, setting putting stuff out there for people to believe.
00:50:56.079 --> 00:50:58.480
I so he's he's the guy, right?
00:50:58.559 --> 00:51:08.159
And he, you know, he has he has Moxie and he has a personality and he knows all about the history here, at least going back to the championship era.
00:51:08.800 --> 00:51:18.320
And I I wouldn't be surprised if if you know, I don't know if you would rush him, but certainly at the end of next season, early the following season, why not?
00:51:18.480 --> 00:51:20.880
We've seen the best college pitchers.
00:51:21.039 --> 00:51:29.679
And remember, we asked him at his uh first uh press conference, um, whether it was Zoom or a conference call, uh, about his timetable.
00:51:29.760 --> 00:51:30.719
And he said, I'm ready now.
00:51:30.880 --> 00:51:32.639
You see, you asked him that, I remember.
00:51:33.679 --> 00:51:35.360
You know, put me in coach.
00:51:35.519 --> 00:51:39.119
And uh, I think he was asked by a shortstop if he's starting tomorrow.
00:51:39.360 --> 00:51:45.760
Yeah, maybe he'd pitch, maybe not that early, but certainly soon, sooner rather than later.
00:51:46.000 --> 00:51:50.559
Um, and uh, you know, he he what didn't he go to junior college?
00:51:50.719 --> 00:52:07.920
He he he wasn't a big time prospect out of high school, but he developed and uh kind of a Mecca for pitchers down there in Santa Barbara, UC Santa Barbara, and that's gonna be a fascinating um journey for for us to watch and for him to take because they need him sooner rather than later.
00:52:08.079 --> 00:52:10.400
He wants to be here sooner rather than later.
00:52:10.559 --> 00:52:19.679
And you know, he's got the pitch selection and he's he's got the body, he's got um the vLo, and it seems like he's got it up here.
00:52:20.079 --> 00:52:22.559
So why not sooner rather than later later?
00:52:22.639 --> 00:52:23.840
I mean, do you see any other?
00:52:24.079 --> 00:52:29.119
I mean, do you he's not gonna be waiting around till 2029 to play on this team, is he?
00:52:29.599 --> 00:52:31.599
I I would be very shocked, you know.
00:52:31.840 --> 00:52:47.840
Assuming all things go well from a health perspective, I would be very shocked if we have to wait that long because you see the history of college pitchers that have been drafted in the top 10 over the course of the last couple of years, and it's a bunch of guys that have, you know, just sprinted through the farm system.
00:52:47.920 --> 00:52:54.000
You got guys like Paul Skeens, Chase Burns, who just signed an extension, uh, Chase Dolander, Gage Jump.
00:52:54.239 --> 00:52:58.159
You see these guys pretty much sprinting through the farm system.
00:52:58.320 --> 00:53:03.519
And, you know, obviously it's similar to Bryce in that you do want to get the development right.
00:53:03.760 --> 00:53:19.519
You need to get the development right because the Giants haven't, you know, for the team that is known for pitching and defense, they haven't drafted a you know kind of all caps ace or you know, someone of that caliber in the first couple rounds in quite a while.
00:53:19.599 --> 00:53:23.360
Carrie Crowley, actually, your your guy wrote about that today.
00:53:23.599 --> 00:53:35.039
So but that being said, you know, when you do look at where he is from a maturity perspective, I I would be very shocked if it's later rather than sooner.
00:53:35.199 --> 00:53:42.880
And you know, maybe back end of 2027, that could definitely be feasible depending on how things go, certainly 2028.
00:53:43.280 --> 00:53:56.719
And you know, the Giants, you know, not to put not to put too much pressure on the kid, but they do need, you know, in order for this operation to go as planned, they kind of do need Floyd to be that guy.
00:53:57.119 --> 00:54:05.599
And Dick Tidrow, if he were alive today, the late great Dick Tidrow would have loved what the Giants did on draft day.
00:54:05.840 --> 00:54:14.559
I mean, he was he was one of uh Brian Sabian's right hand men, and he was all about pitching when he ran the draft room.
00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:19.440
Position players were were rare, anywhere high in those drafts.
00:54:19.599 --> 00:54:33.039
And he's the guy who drafted Webb, uh Kane rather, he's the guy who drafted Lindsaycomb and he's the guy who drafted Bumgarner, and two of those out of high school, one out of the University of Washington, and he hit on all of them.
00:54:33.360 --> 00:54:42.880
And then uh when ownership and the front office said, you know what, let's replace Dick Tidrow with John Barr.
00:54:43.280 --> 00:54:49.280
Um, they got you know the highest draft pick they had in years, and that was Buster Posey.
00:54:49.440 --> 00:54:58.639
So they they they had all these great pitching from the Dick Tidrow drafts to bar the no-brainer draft of of Buster Posey, and that all came together.
00:54:58.719 --> 00:55:04.719
And then that same draft with Posey was Brandon Crawford, and then what the next year was Brandon Belt.
00:55:05.280 --> 00:55:08.159
Um, neither of those guys in the in the first round.
00:55:08.400 --> 00:55:13.519
But that that was that was the genesis of the championship era, homegrown.
00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:24.559
You throw in um Pablo Sandoval and Sergio Romo and Brian Wilson, all homegrown players, and that was the nucleus of of the teams that that won those championships.
00:55:24.719 --> 00:55:37.840
And you know, at the trade deadline, uh Sabian brought in some guys, Scudero and Pants, who we mentioned, and you know, some others, Cody Ross, the accidental giant, and uh that's how they did it.
00:55:38.000 --> 00:55:49.199
So they rounded out the homegrown nucleus with with you know the Pat Burls and folks like that, Michael Morse's, and they won three in a row, three out of five.
00:55:49.440 --> 00:55:53.360
So I I think I think Buster hasn't forgotten that.
00:55:53.599 --> 00:56:07.119
And even though um, you know, he did go out and get these big money guys, uh, because it was the the farm system was barren and the the roster wasn't deep, and we need hitting.
00:56:07.360 --> 00:56:08.559
So let's get these guys.
00:56:08.719 --> 00:56:17.840
It just didn't turn out like he had imagined, but I think he'll be around long enough for to bring this team and franchise back to prominent prominence.
00:56:18.000 --> 00:56:23.440
It was a three-year agreement with Greg Johnson, and he's finishing up his second year.
00:56:23.599 --> 00:56:40.480
Um, might not do much next year because that's kind of a transitional year again, but um knowing Posey like we do and his track record as a player, and just a smart guy who knows ball and knows people and knows body language.
00:56:40.719 --> 00:56:44.320
Um, I think he'll come around here and and do well for this team.
00:56:44.400 --> 00:56:53.199
If you look at the history of bad years in Giants history, uh it wasn't long until you suddenly had a had a good year.
00:56:53.280 --> 00:56:59.039
Remember how bad 18 was with the 98 losses, 21, they won 106 games.
00:56:59.119 --> 00:57:06.400
Uh, and that you go back to that 100 loss season in 85, two years later, 87, they're in the playoffs, 89, they're in the World Series.
00:57:06.480 --> 00:57:18.800
So it's so their history is um you know full of examples in which uh bad years uh led to good years within uh you know two or three or four years.
00:57:19.039 --> 00:57:21.920
So whether will they do that here with these contracts?
00:57:22.079 --> 00:57:24.800
I mean, that's it's worth watching, man.
00:57:25.519 --> 00:57:29.440
Yeah, I neither of us can obviously speak for Buster.
00:57:29.519 --> 00:57:51.280
He next year is going to be year three, but if I was in his position and I saw Josuar and Luis and Jackson and Dakota and Keelan and Level and Davidson and even going like Kane or Martinez, and like I I would I think I'd personally want to see it through and see what could potentially be here because I mean the other thing, it's funny.
00:57:51.360 --> 00:57:53.679
I was talking to Brad Mangin about this the other day.
00:57:53.840 --> 00:57:55.920
We were talking, uh, you're gonna love this.
00:57:56.000 --> 00:57:57.440
We were talking about Royce Clayton.
00:57:57.599 --> 00:58:04.320
We were talking about how he you know was working out with Daryl Strawberry and Eric Davis, and he had the high top shoes, which nobody had.
00:58:07.199 --> 00:58:18.400
Um, and you know, with all due respect to Royce Clayton, you know, the the hype never materialized in in the way that or the production never materialized in the way that the hype did, but so a famous actor.
00:58:18.480 --> 00:58:19.519
He was in Moneyball, he played.
00:58:21.360 --> 00:58:31.280
One of my favorite Royce Clayton-related things is he was Miguel Tejada in Moneyball, but in the rookie, somebody else played him.
00:58:32.079 --> 00:58:33.440
Very, very fascinating.
00:58:33.519 --> 00:58:40.800
I don't know how that how that all worked, but this is all my long-winded way of saying on that 93 team, and he was pretty good.
00:58:40.960 --> 00:58:41.840
Yes, don't talk.
00:58:42.400 --> 00:58:43.519
He was good on that team.
00:58:43.760 --> 00:58:49.840
But this is my way of saying when it when it comes to prospects, I think it is fair, you know, you do have to temper expectations to ascend.
00:58:50.079 --> 00:58:52.719
You can't assume that they're all gonna hit.
00:58:52.960 --> 00:58:59.760
But that being said, the more guys you have, the greater the odds are that one of them is gonna hit.
00:58:59.840 --> 00:59:23.599
And when you see how Bryce Eldridge has already burst on the scene, and you know, if you want to go super glass half full, if you want to envision a future where Jackson Flora and Bryce Eldridge are competing for best quote of the year, and you got Joshua and Luis up the middle or on the left side, I I think that there is, you know, maybe not next year, maybe not two years from now, but I think that there is some excitement to have.
00:59:23.760 --> 00:59:30.960
And, you know, hopefully, hopefully, John Shea, we will still be sharing a press box and be there to write and talk all about.
00:59:31.199 --> 00:59:33.280
John Shea, where where can we find your work?
00:59:33.840 --> 00:59:35.519
sfstandard.com.
00:59:36.239 --> 00:59:42.480
Um yeah, just a whole lot of Hall of Fame, uh whole lot of uh Cooperstown coverage.
00:59:42.719 --> 00:59:56.719
And I'll be with you in San Diego for the uh games against the Padres, and then we're both flying to Dallas for the trade deadline and another series uh against the Rangers.
00:59:56.880 --> 01:00:01.280
So I think they're on the road again next year at the deadline, maybe San Diego.
01:00:01.519 --> 01:00:03.360
It might be a little easier to travel.
01:00:03.679 --> 01:00:10.480
Um but we're hoping that nothing comes down when we're at 30,000 feet after that Sunday game in San Diego, right?
01:00:10.800 --> 01:00:14.719
Uh, Shay, just because you said that everybody's getting traded when we're in the air.
01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:17.039
And Southwest Wi-Fi is notoriously.
01:00:17.199 --> 01:00:20.639
I don't know why it works on my phone, never on my laptop.
01:00:20.800 --> 01:00:21.519
I don't know.
01:00:21.760 --> 01:00:28.559
But it might have to be a lot of typing uh on the laptop or on the phone rather, 30,000 feet in the air.
01:00:28.639 --> 01:00:35.280
My hope is that you know I'm able to just throw on Remember the Titans for the millionth time and then just relax on that plane ride.
01:00:35.440 --> 01:00:41.360
But you had your Cooperstown fun, John, but it's time to get into the the meat and potatoes of the trade deadline.
01:00:41.519 --> 01:00:45.599
Just as Elisantos, San Francisco Mercury News, John Shea, San Francisco Standard.
01:00:45.840 --> 01:00:47.840
We will catch you in the next one.