Hey Jeff, it’s great to hear from you.  I hope all is going well with you.  I’m glad you’re checking out my stuff and I hope you’re doing your best to stay cool in this heat wave.  I trust also that you’re keeping things afloat down at the bowl. 

About Shea Hillenbrand, I like this deal for the Giants on a couple of different levels.  First, as you said yourself, just about anyone they bring in is going to be better than what they’ve had.  Niekro has struggled badly this season which has hurt the team and forced them to use Mark Sweeney at first base far more often then they would have liked.  It’s really been a disappointment to me because I’ve followed Niekro since the team drafted him and have always hoped he’d blossom into the kind of hitter I think he can be.  However he’s struggled all season to stay healthy and when he has been in the lineup, he’s batted only .249/.288/.376 with just 4 HR and 29 RBI.  What’s really been surprising has been his struggles versus lefties, against whom this year he’s batting just .236 (13 for 55) after batting .324 with a 1.019 OPS against them last year in 108 AB.  Combine that with Sweeney’s 5 for 34 (.147) against lefties this year, and that is why the Giants needed another right handed bat.

Enter Hillenbrand.  Now he’s not going to be an impact type player who will make or break the season.  But he’s definitely a lot better than what the Giants have gotten so far from Niekro, Sweeney and would be minor leaguers Chad Santos and Travis Ishikawa.  He’s a .290 career hitter with a moderate amount of pop in his bat (12 HR so far this year and an average of 16.6 per year with a career high of 20 in 2003).  No offense to Santos and Ishikawa who should both be thanked for their great efforts and contributions while they were up here, but neither of them is the hitter yet that the veteran Hillenbrand is. 

Now Hillenbrand is not without fault mind you.  He does not take enough walks leading to a moderately low OBP (slightly improved in the last couple of year from his first few) and grounds into too many double plays.  And of course, on top of that is the situation that led to his departure from Toronto.  Will he be a distraction to this team or a disruption in the clubhouse?  

I severely doubt it.  Those were issues he had in Toronto, and much like when A.J. Pierzynski was in San Francisco, he just wasn’t a good fit with that club.  But A.J. fits in real well in Chicago and I see no reason why Hillenbrand won’t fit in here.  The team recognized the need and welcomed him with open arms, knowing full well that he’s the kind of bat they needed in the lineup.  I don’t suspect any of the issues he had in Toronto will crop up here, especially since he’ll be playing everyday.  And as far as the walks and double plays, well again, he’s still leaps and bounds better than what the Giants were getting so that you live with those drawbacks.

I also like this deal on another level though and that is what they had to give up in order to get him.  Now I’m not saying it’s painful to see a good young arm like Accardo go, but let’s face it, while he may indeed be a future closer, he’s not closer ready now and the bottom line is the Giants gave up a reliever with a 4.91 ERA for an everyday player who is a .300 hitter.  And if that isn’t enough, they also got a guy who has a major league quality arm to replace Accardo.  

Though I haven’t really seen Chulk pitch myself, I hear he’s more of a junk ball kind of guy who relies on a slider for his strikeouts.  He’s not going to give you the 97-99 that Accardo will, nor is he anyone’s future closer, but he’s had some success at the major league level.  He did struggle early this year (7.36 ERA in his first 12 outings) and was sent down to the minors, but he pitched well at Syracuse (2.25 ERA – 32 IP, 20 H, 43 K, 14 BB, 1.06 WHIP) and has pretty good numbers since his recall (1.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP in 9.1 IP).  I imagine he’ll be a more than adequate replacement for Accardo in the pen.  Brian Wilson and Jonathan Sanchez, who have both been impressive, will likely see increased action later in the game as well. 

If you’re worried though about Benitez – and I know Giants fans are very worried especially after Sunday’s heartbreaker – and you are wondering what the Giants are going to do for a closer in the future, well keep in mind two things.  First, the team will have many free agents this off-season, meaning a lot of money is coming off the books, including Bonds.  It’s conceivable the team could pursue a closer on the market though with the money still owed Benitez, that’s unlikely unless they can move him as well.  It’s certainly not impossible but not terribly likely either. 

The second thing Giants fans should be aware of though is a kid by the name of Brian Anderson.  A lot was said of Accardo possibly being the Giants closer of the future.  Was that just more of Brian Sabean’s propaganda machine hyping a young pitcher to try to bring higher return in trade?  It very well could be.  I’ve long suspected Sabean of that type of trickery with his young prospects, knowing full well the guy he truly values is going nowhere.  That player in this case is Anderson. 

Let me acquaint you with Brian Anderson.  He was a 14^th round pick of the Giants in 2005 out of Long Beach State.  He had an impressive senior year at LB (0.83 ERA in 43.1 IP) and though he only saved 4 games in college, the Giants saw him as a guy who could be a future closer.  They began grooming him for that role at low class A Salem-Keizer last year and he responded with a 3-1 record and a 1.95 ERA to go with 19 saves in just 27 games.  But the most impressive numbers he put up were these ones – 42 K and just 3 BB in 27.2 IP.  That’s an astounding 14:1 strikeout to walk ratio and an average of 13.66 K/9, not to mention his 0.69 WHIP. 

This season so far at class A San Jose he has been even better against stiffer competition.  In 40 games he has 28 saves and a 1.31 ERA in 48 IP (30 H, 13 BB, 55 K).  That’s a 0.90 WHIP and 10.31 K/9.  In 75.2 professional innings, he’s allowed just 5.47 hits per 9 innings.  The Giants think very highly of this young man and his arrival in SF may only be a year or two away. 

Accardo may be someone’s future closer (it won’t be with Toronto as long as a healthy B.J. Ryan is around), but he wasn’t going to be the Giants future closer. 

Bottom line for me is that the Giants gave up a reliever (again, one with a 4.91 ERA) for an everyday player and another reliever.   I understand J.P. Ricciardi was working from a position of weakness, but really, Sabean fleeced him on this deal. 

Things truly look much brighter today, even after a tough loss, than they have all year.

Take care Jeff and keep cool.

Rich