A.F.L. and Winter League Updates

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This is reserved for Arizona Fall League and any Winter League updates on any o our players.

Kevin Frandsen went 4-for-4 with a double Monday for Scottsdale of the AFL.
Frandsen, who is continuing his rehab from a torn Achilles' tendon that ruined his 2008 season, is off to a 12-for-30 start in Arizona. He's expected to battle for a starting job at second or third next spring.

Emmanuel Burriss went 4-for-6 with two steals in Thursday's AFL action.
Burriss, who missed the end of the Giants' season with a strained oblique, is 12-for-30 with six steals in eight attempts. San Francisco has him penciled in as the team's regular shortstop next year.

Frandsen and Burriss are most likely our middle infield for next year. I think Frandsen offers more than Velez offensively and has a better approach at the plate. Frandsen missed the entire '08 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. I have no problem with Burriss being our starting shortstop next season after the season he had batting .283. He is currently hitting .326 and leading the league in steals with six. Giants still need to find a third baseman and hopefully can trade for Garrett Atkins.

Here's more info from MLB.com and Giants in AZ:

2B Kevin Frandsen returns to the site of his autumn glory in 2006, when he hit .388 with four homers and 19 RBIs for Scottsdale and won the coveted Dernell Stenson Award for Leadership. Frandsen, who played at three levels that summer, including a brief big-league debut, spent most of 2007 in the Majors, hitting .269 with five homers and 31 RBIs for the Giants. But a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during this spring sidelined him for all but the final game of the season. A 2004 12th-round pick out of San Jose State, a healthy Frandsen would factor into the Giants' wide-open infield picture in 2009. So far with the Scorpions, he's hitting .308 in seven games, showing little evidence of rust.

Also in the infield picture is 3B Ryan Rohlinger, who was moved to the taxi squad with the addition of Frandsen, meaning he only gets to play Wednesdays and Saturdays. Rohlinger spent most of 2008 at San Jose but also saw time at Double-A Connecticut, combining to hit .289 with 13 homers and 65 RBIs. He made his Major League debut down the stretch and batted .222 in two games.

OF Ben Copeland's 13 triples tied him for fourth in the Minors as he batted .276 with 24 steals between Connecticut and Triple-A Fresno. The 2005 fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh finished up with a .341 mark in 22 games at Triple-A and was hitting .270 with four RBIs in 10 contests with Scottsdale.

RHP Kevin Pucetas has put himself very much on the prospect map over the last two years, winning back-to-back league Pitcher of the Year awards. This summer, he was 10-2 with a 3.02 ERA for San Jose to nab California League honors after leading the Minors with a 1.86 ERA in 2007 at Augusta. The 2006 17th-round pick out of Limestone (S.C.) College, Pucetas' numbers in his first two Scottsdale starts were 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA and seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. He fanned five over 4 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs in his most recent start.

LHP Alex Hinshaw got on the radar in a big way this year as he blew past opponents in 13 games at Fresno, posting an 0.57 ERA, before moving up to San Francisco in mid-May to post a 3.40 ERA in 48 games there. The 2005 15th-round pick out of San Diego State struck out 182 batters in 148 2/3 innings in the Minors. With Scottsdale, Hinshaw continued to dominate with 11 strikeouts and a 4.50 ERA in six innings.

RHP Osiris Matos is yet another of the Giants' corps of impressive relievers who have emerged in the big leagues over the last two years. With a 2.49 ERA in 42 games between two levels in 2007 and an 0.97 ERA between Connecticut and Fresno in 2008, Matos had two stints with San Francisco in his big league debut this summer. In Scottsdale, he posted a 5.40 ERA in three early outings, a span of 3 1/3 innings.

RHP Kelvin Pichardo posted a 2.48 ERA at Connecticut this season, striking out 62 over 61 2/3 innings while limiting Eastern League batters to a .214 average. That was an even lower ERA than he had in 2007, when he posted a 3.09 mark at San Jose and a 3.86 ERA at Connecticut to earn a spot on the Giants' 40-man roster. Pichardo had a 2.70 ERA in three AFL games, striking out five without walking a batter in 3 1/3 innings.

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Buster Posey went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI Tuesday in his return to the Hawaiian Winter League.
It didn't sound like Posey would rejoin Waikiki after being sent to take part in the instructional league, but that's what happened. Tuesday's game was his first since Oct. 5. He's 9-for-19 with three walks.

I can't wait to see this guy in person! Giants are going to be damn good in a couple of years.

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Not sure how good the Giants will be, but they certainly will be better than they have been. It will be nice to see.

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With the Giants doing so poorly and getting these nice prospects, the Giants are already on the rise. Lincecum and Cain will be joined by Bumgarner and Alderson with guys like Posey, Noonan, Villanova and they just signed a 16 yr old Vald Guerrero type in Rafeal Rodriguez. This team will be very impressive if Sabean starts making smart choices with his free agents.

Sergio Romo got five outs to pick up his fourth save of the MPL season on Wednesday.
He's struck out five in 4 2/3 scoreless innings to date. Romo impressed in both of his stints in the Giants' pen this year and should have a leg up for a job entering next spring.

Giants need Romo in the pen next year. The market for relievers this offseason isn't as strong as in year's past so the Giants need in house guys like Romo but also need to trade to get guys.

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Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI for Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League on Friday.
Edgardo Alfonso, Sandoval and Richard Hidalgo all homered while batting 3-4-5 in the lineup. The Giants have to be especially excited to see Sandoval producing while hitting between washed up has-beens. He'll surely fit right into Brian Sabean's future plans.

I like Sandoval for being our bench guy next season or at least starting in AAA and being called up in May or so. Sandoval can obviously hit plus he can play C, 1B and 3B.

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Pablo Sandoval homered and doubled twice Sunday for Magallanes of the VWL.
Sandoval is second to Josh Kroeger in the VWL with a 1298 OPS. He's hitting .419/.438/.860 with four homers in 43 at-bats.

Sandoval is showing no signs of slowing down and seems to have hit his stride.

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Roger Kieschnick went 2-for-5 and hit his fourth homer in the HWL on Tuesday.
Kieschnick, a 2008 third-round pick, is making his pro debut in Hawaii and hitting .274/.382/.524 through 25 games. He has struck out 35 times to go along with his 15 walks in 84 at-bats. The Texas Tech product generates nice power with his left-handed swing. It remains to be seen whether he'll make enough contact to someday contribute in the majors.

Good to know. Just another OFer for the Giants to try and convert into a first baseman

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Romo feels at home in Mexicali | SFGiants.com: News

Romo has thrived for the Eagles, recording a 2.89 ERA and converting six saves in seven chances over nine relief appearances. Working primarily on his changeup, he has struck out 13 and walked one -- maintaining the command he demonstrated this year as he compiled 33 strikeouts and eight walks in 34 innings for the Giants.

Giants are counting on Romo to be a mainstay in the pen for years to come.

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Eddy Martinez-Esteve had four hits, including a double, and five RBI for Carolina of the PRWL on Saturday.
Martinez-Esteve ended up at .298/.387/.381 for Double-A Connecticut last season. It seems like a poor line for a 24-year-old corner outfielder in the Eastern League, but Connecticut is one of the toughest places to hit in the minors. The Giants can hope his power comes back in Triple-A next year. However, it's probably not worth using a 40-man roster spot in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Martinez-Esteve has battled injuries the past few years and it doesn't look lke the power is going to be there. He can hit for average but I agree with the author that he is not worth protecting in the Rule 5 draft. If we lose him, we are fine but if we can keep him maybe it will pay off.

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Here's a good read on Kevin Pucetas, our stud starter in A ball:Pucetas, Pettit pound Rafters | SFGiants.com: News

Bumgarner, Alderson and Pucetas climbing up the ladder makes me feel good inside.

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Emmanuel Burriss went 4-for-6 and hit a rare home run Tuesday for Scottsdale of the AFL.
The homer was just his third as a pro. He's hitting .352/.403/.423 with seven steals in 71 at-bats.

Just imagine how much better the Giants would have been if Burriss took over in July. Burriss looks to be our SS next season.

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Buster Posey hit a three-run homer Sunday to lead Waikiki to a 5-1 victory over West Oahu in Hawaii Winter Baseball championship.
Japan's Mitsuo Yoshikawa and Seattle farmhand Steven Richard combined on a five-hitter for Waikiki. Posey, the league's best prospect, ended up hitting .338/.405/.392 in 74 at-bats for Waikiki. He didn't have a homer until the championship game. Leading the league in average (.389), OBP (.506) and OPS (1047) was Phillies prospect Dominic Brown. Reds prospect Todd Frazier edged him in slugging (.547 to .542). Red Sox prospect Ryan Kalish was tops in steals (13) and third in OBP (.446). The Pirates' Kyle Bloom (2-0, 1.50 ERA) and Yankees' Jeremy Bleich (3-2, 1.77 ERA) were the circuit's top starters.

Posey is a stud and was a steal for the Giants in last year's draft. Sabean has really done well the past few years in the draft and has rebuilt this farm system. He is also the one who destroyed it so his credit is limited.

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Per rotoworld.com:

Kevin Frandsen - 2B/3B Giants - DOB: 05/24/82
.000/.000/.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0/0 K/BB, 0 SB in 1 AB (San Francisco)
.331/.392/.421, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 13/7 K/BB, 10 SB in 133 AB (AFL)

Expected to make the Giants as a utilityman, Frandsen began being troubled by a sore Achilles' tendon in the middle of the spring. The team decided against resting him, and he went on to rupture the tendon on March 24, costing him the season except for a brief cameo on Sept. 28. In an effort to show he was healthy, Frandsen went to the AFL in September and proceeded to swipe 10 bases, six more than he had in 358 career major league at-bats. Frandsen isn't a true speedster, and he doesn't have much more than 10-homer power. However, he was a career .327 hitter in the minors. His ability to hit for average and play quality defense at second base could make him a solid enough regular for a few years. The Giants, though, still haven't committed to him as anything more than a utilityman. If they sign an infielder this winter as expected, Frandsen will likely have to compete for the starting job at second or third next spring.

Alex Hinshaw - LHP Giants - DOB: 10/31/82
0-0, 7 Sv, 0.57 ERA, 5 H, 21/4 K/BB in 15 2/3 IP (AAA Fresno)
2-1, 0 Sv, 3.40 ERA, 31 H, 47/29 K/BB in 39 2/3 IP (San Francisco)
2-1, 0 Sv, 6.23 ERA, 22 H, 33/8 K/BB in 17 1/3 IP (AFL)

The key to Hinshaw's rise last season was that his command went from terrible to merely bad. The southpaw, who was drafted four times -- three times by the Giants -- before finally signing in 2005, throws 91-95 mph and gets plenty of strikeouts with his curve, but command remains a major issue. Slowing down his delivery a bit in the AFL only helped so much, as he finished with a 6.23 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. However, he was third in the league with 33 strikeouts, making him the lone reliever in the top 15. Hinshaw has a chance to take a step forward and become a true setup man, but it's more likely that the walks will hold him back throughout his career.

Osiris Matos - RHP Giants - DOB: 08/06/84
0-0, 8 Sv, 1.23 ERA, 25 H, 37/11 K/BB in 36 2/3 IP (AA Connecticut)
1-0, 1 Sv, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 13/2 K/BB in 9 2/3 IP (AAA Fresno)
1-2, 0 Sv, 4.79 ERA, 26 H, 16/9 K/BB in 20 2/3 IP (San Francisco)
0-0, 0 Sv, 8.31 ERA, 16 H, 7/2 K/BB in 8 2/3 IP (AFL)

Capable of dominating minor league hitters with his mid-90s fastball, Matos sported a 0.97 ERA and a .182 average against versus Double- and Triple-A competition last season. He also held his own against major leaguers, though his extreme flyball tendencies did begin to catch up to him in San Francisco. After going without allowing a homer in 46 1/3 minor league innings, he gave up three in the majors and two more while compiling an 8.31 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in the AFL. The problem with Matos is that his slider isn't yet a big-time weapon. He should turn out to be a pretty goods setup man, but the Giants may need to send him back to Fresno to begin 2009.

Looks like Hinshaw has a lot to work on this offseason in regards to control. Frandsen just needs to come to spring training ready to for anything. He will definitely be in a Giants uniform. Matos is better off in AAA next year unless the Giants fail to get more help in the pen or else Matos could start the year in the Giants pen.

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Giants prospect Jesus Guzman is hitting .363 and has 63 RBI in 57 games for Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League.
Guzman has already smashed the league's RBI record and his batting average this season ranks second only to fellow Giant Pablo Sandoval's .396 clip. Guzman's defense has always been an issue, but if he can deliver at the plate in the minors in a similar fashion, he's bound to make the Giants' roster at some point next season.

Guzman has always had the bat, just no glove. Teams have tried him at third and second but no where has he stuck or been thought of as a Major Leaguer at either position. His bat would definitely be welcome and maybe he could backup Sandoval at some point in the season at third. Nice to see two Giants tearing things up this winter. Sabean made a good signing again!

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Guzman broke the 35 year old RBI record last night. He finished the season with 67! He will sit out two games before the playoffs.