Rowand? Not Bad

What is my take on the Aaron Rowand signing?

Simply put , I like it. (You know that means that this is a great deal because I am genetically predisposed to rip anything the Giants do.)

I will use other Giants fan’s opinions (completely unknowledgeable and moronic) taken from the San Jose Mercury blog site to prove why I like this signing. http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/giants/2007/12/12/giants-sign
-outfielder-aaron-rowand/

* “HORRIBLE! WREEKS! Reminds me of Durham, Aurillia, and Roberts’ signings . . .”
Last time I checked, none of these guys were even close to 30 years old when the Giants signed them. Here are the facts: Rowand will have already gone through free agency again by the time he is as old as any of the above three players are currently. All three of the guys above play little to no defense, while Rowand is a Gold Glove center fielder and is arguably a better hitter than all three. And by the way, there’s a big difference between having 30 candles on your cake, and having 35 candles on your cake.

* “The price isn’t terrible, but 5 years is too long and Rowand’s offensive numbers are inflated by the parks in Chicago and Philly where he has played . . .”
Where does everybody get this “5 years is too long” idea? News Flash: If you are unwilling to do the “extra” year, then you are not going to sign anybody (unless the guy’s name is Zito, then you are bidding against yourself and end up looking stupid). If you are a position player, why would you want to freeze your ass off and play in a pitchers park if you don’t get the “extra” year? The Giants had to go for the 5^th year.

* “We are loaded with outfield talent.”
I wish I had made this up, but i didn't. Check out the link above, this guy is #27 and delusional. I am laughing out loud right now.

* “Last place is guaranteed. This off-season was lost when Sabean didn’t get Cabrera and Willis.”
As any good lawyer would say, in making this statement you are using two flawed assumptions (Ben be prepared to be proud):
1) After acquiring Willis and Cabrera, last place would not be guaranteed.
2) The Marlins were interested in enough of our players that they would have made such a trade.
3) Firing Dick Tidrow is not a good idea (I had to throw that in there).

* “What happened to not signing old men who are coming out of their prime, not entering it?”
First a question: Who is older, Aaron Rowand or Eric Brynes?
You know the answer and you also know that if we would have signed him, this would never have been posted. 30 years of age is not exactly old for a baseball player. There are plenty of examples of guys who have performed well in their early to mid-30s and I am not going to bother to list them.

* “I have studied both the Giants and Yankees roster and here is a trade that will benefit both teams, minimize Giants salary obligations, preserve the core of their pitching staff and make the Giants an immediate contender in 2008: Giants trade Jonathan Sanchez, Rajai Davis, Steve Kline, Rich Aurillia and Dave Roberts to Yanks for Hideki Matsui, Wilson Betemit, and Shelley Duncan . . .”
Laughing out loud again – why don’t we just offer them Molina for Jeter – seems to make about the same amount of sense.

* “Talk about a tough crowd. Some fans have unrealistic expectations and want to fix a broken ship in one season. I think the best we can hope for is a competitive team on the field to play solid defense to allow Giants pitching to develop. What’s not to like about a Gold Gove CF who is relatively young . . .”
Now thats what Im talking about! We have a winner and his name is Bob #20 on the above link

This lone brilliant comment leads me nicely into my take on the situation:

First of all, you have to give the guy a break on the offensive numbers. While he is probably not the answer to the Giants offensive woes, he does play a Gold Glove center field without the miles on the tires of Andruw Jones or the bloated contract of Torii Hunter. (Note, neither of these guys is the answer to the offense either). Are Rowand’s numbers going to fall playing in Pac Bell Park? Yes. Would any player coming from any other team not named the Marlins see their production drop at Pac Bell Park? Again, yes. The offensive numbers bashing is ridiculous because no one, save you-know-who, will be able to put up huge numbers in San Francisco.

Zito, Cain, Lincecum and Lowry are going to have a tough season in 2008. They are going to lose numerous 1 and 2 run baseball games because the offense can’t score runs. The Giants needed to add someone that was going to directly help the pitching staff and Rowand will do just that. Giants fans are going to be amazed by his range and arm in center and no one will appreciate it more than the pitchers. Without Rowand, Cain and Lincecum will likely try to force a trade by midseason based on unprecedented frustration. With Rowand, they will no doubt continue to be frustrated by their win-loss record, but they will have more confidence to challenge hitters knowing that they have a guy in center who can make plays. The biggest assets of the team got a whole lot happier today.

I like this move.

RT