Monday, April 22, 2002

One additional note on the Damon Minor discussion.... Minor is 28, which isn't too old. Yet. But another year or two and he will be perceived as one of those Perpetual Minor Leaguers who never quite makes it to the Big Show. And the Giants signed him to a new contract in March this year, so I don't think they're out of minor league options on him any more, though I was unable to verify that. 12:05:41 PM    Add your viewpoint [ comments so far]

My take is that JT is in his last season as the starting first-sacker for the Giants unless he has an absolutely sensational year. He's 34, an age when most regular infielders are starting to show signs of wear and tear. If he suffers any significant additional injuries this year, his career is over. If not, he may be decent trade bait in the off-season. Whether Minor is the right guy to replace him remains to be seen. Damon is known as a power hitter and he certainly creams AAA pitching with stunning regularity. But, he has never been able to hit in the bigs. He goes oh-fer so much of the time that it's downright discouraging. His glove is above average but not in Snow's league (but then who is?). So if Snow has a great year, then we should trade Minor but I doubt we'll get as much for him as some fans might think. If Snow tanks or just shows up mediocre and the Giants need a new first baseman, I don't think Minor's a lead-pipe cinch to earn the spot. He'll have the inside track but lingering doubts about his ability to play offense in MLB ball will cause the Giants to look around a bit before making the decision. So, what do you think? Discuss this topic 11:43:03 AM    Add your viewpoint [ comments so far]

My old sports buddy Tyson Vaughan writes: So here's a question: what do the Giants do with first base? JT was injured much of last year and essentially benched at the end of the season for Galarraga. So far this year he hasn't produced. He never has been more than serviceable at the plate. But his defense is priceless. Who knows how many E's he saves and DP's he makes possible? And ultimately how many runs he saves from simply preventing guys from getting on base (and thereby keeping pitchers in the windup), etc. Meanwhile Damon Minor appears to have the potential to be a big, powerful bat in the majors, and the Giants are out of minor league options on him. I have no idea how good his defense is. As soon as Minor comes off the DL they have to make a decision. So what do they do? Trade the more expensive and unproductive Snow? Move down someone else on the roster? At any rate it seems like sooner or later they're going to have to choose between Damon and JT. Thoughts? 11:26:25 AM    Add your viewpoint [ comments so far]

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