Gio solid again

let gio dominate in sacto

2008 is over, might as well see what braden and meyer can do as #5 starter for the rest of the year, gio will get his shot in 2009.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 1, 2008 10:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

agreed.

by mikev on Aug 1, 2008 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Totally agree

FREE MEYER NOW!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 1, 2008 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gio > Meyer

I mean, I’d love to see our TIm Hudson trade pay off, but he has been HORRIBLE every time he has pitched for the A’s.

0-2 with an 8.82 ERA, 16 ER in 16 innings isn’t too appealing to me.

His numbers are relatively similar to Gio in the minors and Gio is 4 years younger.

How about we call them both up and put Eveland in the pen? Eveland has hit the wall big time.

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

no one is saying gio is not better than meyer

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 2, 2008 1:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Meyer has been pitching pretty damn well. See what you have in the older guy and give the young guy a little more time to be consistent.

by Blez on Aug 2, 2008 1:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree, Meyer has pitched well this year for Sac, but I personally feel he’ll never be very good beyond there.

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I’m lost than.

Why not get a few months of experience before next year?

I don’t want next year to be like this year. I want to win next year. I say groom some of the future now, even if they aren’t 100% ready. Why wait until the beginning of next year?

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't worry

This team will be getting the young guys ready for next year. I imagine Gio will probably get a taste in September.

by Blez on Aug 2, 2008 1:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

2 reasons

1. Meyer is out of options next year, Gio is not. The A’s need to make a decision on him much sooner.

2. Not using up Gio’s service time on a lost season is probably a good idea. At this point they may as well just ensure they have him through 2015, and that means a short callup if any this season and starting the first few weeks of next year in the minors.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 1:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

on number 1.

I hate being a slave to service time though. The Rays may rue the day they messed around with Longoria in the minors during the first month of this season. Gio strikes me as the type guy who needs to adjust to the talent at each level. It may be better to get his growing pains out in the majors sooner rather than later.

by DKNJ on Aug 2, 2008 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

Especially considering Gio is a starter. You’re talking about one, maybe two starts.

by mikev on Aug 2, 2008 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Service time

is best evaluated on a case by case scenario. The Rays were being cheap as Longoria was clearly their best option at 3rd to start the season. If they miss the AL playoffs by a game they were penny wise but pound foolish.

I think that Gio is destined for growing pains in the majors (like most young pitchers). It may be best to get his feet wet now as he prepares to enter the rotation full time in 2009.

Barton is a disaster at this point. We were worried about him performing 5 years out last year and now he has a ton of work to do just to be a replacement level 1st basemen.

by DKNJ on Aug 2, 2008 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if they were being cheap or not....

but the manager was on TV explaining that they intentionally had Longoria start the season in AAA because they didn’t want him to struggle with the big team. I don’t know if this is sound philosophy or not, but at least they had a plan.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Aug 2, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then they inked Longoria to a long term deal anyway

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 2, 2008 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If first year performance is an

indicator, then the Rays deserve credit for handling him wisely.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Aug 2, 2008 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's preposterous, sorry

Teams cannot say “we held him down to keep him an extra year.” It’s like telling your employee that you fired him because he was too old. If you say that, you will get sued, and you will lose. If you don’t actually confess to it, though, it’s difficult to prove you’ve done anything wrong.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL

That’s not what the Devil Rays said. Even Longoria has said that he and the Rays were already in negotiations for a long term contract before he got called up.

The Rays wanted Longoria to start the season in AAA so he could get comfortable and enter MLB on a positive vibe. It’s worked wonders for them and in exact contrast to the strategy the Royals used for Alex Gordon.

"Do you know that the guy really doesn't like baseball all that much?" - J.P. Riccardi

by black beane on Aug 2, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know the Rays did not say it

but it’s breathtakingly obvious to anyone with any knowledge of baseball’s service time rules that that’s what was going on.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Except it's irrevalent because they signed a long term deal 9 days after being called up.

I’m pretty sure that 9 day sample wasn’t what made Tampa want to sign him to that deal.

by mikev on Aug 2, 2008 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No... it isn't irrelevant...

It meant that he had an extra year of non-free agency time. Pre-free agency means a. you’re making less money, and b. you can’t go somewhere else. In theory, the long-term contract obviates this but in practice, players take, in contracts, what they can get, and they can’t get as much if the team controls their rights.

You’d never see an elite SS like Tulowitzki signing a 6-year, $30 million contract on the FA market—that would be way under what he could get. Controlling Longoria for an extra year substantially lowered what he could expect to get in “year 7” (2014) and that lowered expectation is reflected in his contract.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To borrow a page from your personality

but it’s breathtakingly obvious to anyone with any knowledge of baseball that teams are going to try and maximize the value out of their property, regardless of the means.

Welcome to MLB, Paul and Evan.

"Do you know that the guy really doesn't like baseball all that much?" - J.P. Riccardi

by black beane on Aug 2, 2008 6:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK

and if they either make the playoffs, or miss it by more than one game, they were penny wise and pound really really wise because they got frigging Evan Longoria for an extra year.

Which of those is more likely?

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can he hit?

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 1, 2008 10:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He can chase outside sliders like Crosby no problem.

Speaking of Crosby, he does very well hitting to right-center.. why does he always try to pull the ball?

I digress..

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

because Billy told him

Each time he pulled the ball, he’d give Crosby 20 bucks.

Bobby just wants money.

'Who's that guy we had to release last year because he robbed a bank?'- Billy Beane
Sean Gallagher is my hero.

by Morgasm on Aug 2, 2008 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That WHIP scares me.....

I believe it is an indicator that he isn’t ready yet.

by capper3 on Aug 1, 2008 10:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That WHIP came from when

he hadnt figured it out yet. Basically his ERA and WHIP got jacked up from just 2 really bad starts. Hes been lights out for about 2 months.

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Aug 1, 2008 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

1.22 in June/July, plus 0.63 in tonight's game.

Definitely down a lot from early on.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Aug 1, 2008 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

He has made huge strides over the last few months and his numbers across the board have improved

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

there are much more useful stats out there than whip

(unless you’re playing fantasy baseball)

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 1, 2008 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not really

Not in the minors, anyway. As erratic as BABIPs are in the majors where pretty much everyone other than Jack Cust is an acceptable fielder, they’re infinitely worse in the minors with unreliable fielders and weird ballparks.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe, maybe not.

It really depends on whether you’re a believer in hardline DIPS or not.

If, like David Gassko of THT, you believe that EVERYONE, including you and me, has the ability to pitch to a 300 BABIP allowed in MLB, ie no one has any control over BABIP whatsoever, hits on balls in play needs to be regressed 100% to the mean, then yeah, WHIP is not useful in the minors.

If you believe that controlling hits allowed is entirely out of the hands of a pitcher, at any level, then yes, ignore hits on balls in play.

It could very well be that hardline DIPs is correct.

Or it could be that controlling hits on balls in play is a skill, and that to get to MLB, pitchers need to reach a certain threshold of that skill.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on Aug 2, 2008 12:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not a "hardline DIPS" believer

My opinion on the subject is that extracting useful info out of hit #s in the minors is like extracting oil out of a particularly deep, particularly small pocket. Can you do it? Yeah, probably. Will you get much out of it? No. Is it worth your time? Not likely. Too much noise, not enough signal.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 1:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

in this instance

people seem to be comparing gio’s april-may to gio’s june-july.
why look at whip instead of just cutting to the chase and looking at walks?
neither version of gio is “you or me”, they’re both gio…

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 2, 2008 1:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sounds good. I'll grab hits and strikeouts too

April: 23 IP, 24 H (9.4 H/9), 11 BB (4.3 BB/9), 21 K (8.2 K/9), 1.9 BB/K
May: 30.2 IP, 35 H (10.3 H/9), 17 BB (5.0 BB/9), 30 K (8.8 K/9), 1.8 BB/K
June: 34 IP, 30 H (7.9 H/9), 18 BB (4.8 BB/9), 39 K (10.3 K/9), 2.2 BB/K
July: 27.1 IP, 15 H (4.9 H/9), 12 BB (3.9 BB/9), 29 K (9.5 K/9), 2.4 BB/K

Season: 115 IP, 104 H (8.1 H/9), 58 BB (4.5 BB/9), 119 K (9.3 K/9), 2.1 BB/K

Very easy to see where he’s improved.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Aug 2, 2008 2:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------^ K/BB

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 2, 2008 2:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whoops, right.

Ahh, to be able to edit. This is what happens when I’m half-asleep.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Aug 2, 2008 3:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's also useful if the stat you use for Ks is K/9

since if a pitcher is giving a lot of hits and walks, it skews the K/9 upward.

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Aug 2, 2008 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No stat is perfect, there are so many variables and you cannot account for ALL of them at once.

I like WHIP because it is fundamentally simple: walks + hits per innings pitched. The higher the number, the more likely you are to give up runs, and that keeps it simple enough for me.

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i’m sure W-L generally correlates to runs allowed, and it’s also simple.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Aug 2, 2008 1:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

another minors note

Cardenas started at SS today.

by sourstuff on Aug 1, 2008 11:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

drool

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 2, 2008 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

if he sticks there, awesome!

He originally was a SS after all.

But does this mean there was a promotion?

facepalm.jpg

by Zonis on Aug 2, 2008 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Josh Horton hasn't played since the 25th

so either he’s changed teams or he’s injured.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Aug 2, 2008 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's an A, so it's a good bet he's injured.

by OldhamA on Aug 3, 2008 7:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What a weird game this was

Just got home.

I kid you not. The first three innings went by in half an hour. In the bottom of the fourth, the River Cats started out with:

Patterson single
Denorfia single
Rogowski triple
Powell single
Murton double
Putnam double
Murphy double

Seven consecutive hits and those were the only hits they got for the entire game.

Gonzalez got a hard comebacker in the top of the fifth and it looked like his hand might have been dinged a little but he seemed fine and continued to pitch well although he gave up a double then ended up walking three by the time he was done. The nine strikeouts were nice.

So was the game ending in two hours. I was also happy to learn I could shoot fairly well up to about the end of the game, too. The lighting there is definitely much better than the Single-A level.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Aug 1, 2008 11:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If the A's have finally pissed you off enought that you feel it

necessary to shoot them, don’t waste your time in Sacramento. I’ll buy you a ticket to an A’s game with clear sight lines to the bullpen and the shortstop position.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Aug 2, 2008 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He'll prolly be up in September.

ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524

by rfloh on Aug 2, 2008 12:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I still advocate a 6 man rotation…....

by BillMoresi on Aug 2, 2008 1:19 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I do too

Duke
Gallagher
Smith
Eveland
Meyer
Gio

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Aug 2, 2008 1:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I advocate a 6 man line-up!

Assuming the A’s could find 6 hitters…

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Aug 2, 2008 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i like it

The 6 man rotation like that would be amazing! The pitching was great last night buuut those darn Red sox still managed. UGH! Well I will be back at Fenway tonight pulling for the A’s!Better seats tonight. 10 rows behind the visiting dugout! Can’t wait! Hopefully the A”s can get solid pitching…BUT more hitting tonight and give us a win!

by ilovegregsmith on Aug 2, 2008 6:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

slusser mentioned in an earlier article

that team usa contacted A’s about gio’s availability for team usa, but A’s declined so maybe that shows they are considering him for a callup later in the season.

though that wouldve been interesting to see all 3 cahill/anderson/gio on team usa

by Asfan4ever723 on Aug 2, 2008 8:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mazzaro promoted

Looks like Vince Mazzaro has been promoted from Midland to Sacramento. Mazzaro has been one of this year’s big surprises, putting up a 1.90 ERA in 22 starts in the Texas League after struggling at lower levels in previous seasons.

His peripherals are merely good, not great, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggles a bit against the more polished AAA hitters. But he’s also still only 21, and it’s good to see the A’s continue to challenge him with the promotion.

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Aug 2, 2008 10:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting. I think the A's already know they will call Gio up

in Sept and probably not sooner. Consistency is his big issue and he has not yet mastered it in AAA.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 2, 2008 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Gio will ever master AAA, or consistency for that matter

I think his career will mirror Zito’s (well, prior to the SF days) there are always going to be some days when he’s not going to find the strike zone. The rest of his starts will look pretty good, though.

He’s still got time to prove me wrong, of course.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Aug 2, 2008 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

His peripherals have bordered on great from May to now

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Aug 2, 2008 1:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If it were up to me, Meyer would be up now

to audition and Gio would be up 9/1 to get a head start on 2009.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Aug 2, 2008 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, yeah

And Stomper would get replaced by a goat.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Aug 2, 2008 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just missing the cut: Lars Anderson, 1b, Red Sox; Adrian Cardenas, 2b, Phillies; Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers; Michael Saunders, of, Mariners; Max Scherzer, rhp, Diamondbacks.

they got a high caliber prospect just not a huge position of need. if he can shift back to SS that would be huge but i wouldnt count on it

by Asfan4ever723 on Aug 2, 2008 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs