Randy Winn: WTHH?

With the Giants season running low on outs, I'm getting ready to turn my focus to the future. But before that, I want to figure out what happened this year. Sure, there wasn't high expectations coming into this year, but it seems like if some things could have been just a little bit better something may have turned their way.

So today is Randy Winn day. What the Hell Happened?

Coming into this season Brian Sabean decided that the term "sample size" was quaint and had no bearing on how much money a baseball player should be played. So based on less than half a season he doled out $7 trillion over 4 years for Winn's extension.

And as many predicted, Winn dropped back to Earth this year. But then he kept digging. Or plummeted through it's crust like a comet. As of Aug. 21, he was ready to set full-season lows for OBP, SLG, BA, and RC/G.

But he also is setting a career low for K%(9.9) and career high for BB/K(0.83). With much lower K%, of course his BB/K would look better, but his BB% is 7.6, compared to a career average of 7.7

And though his SLG is 0.23 below is career average of .422, his ISO is .135, compared to a career of .137. He's also getting XBHs and HRs at the same rates he has outside of last year.

What seems to be the problem is the BA, which sits at .264, 21 points below his career and 42 points behind last year. And that leads to another area where Winn is setting a career low: BABIP.

At .278, he's 51 points below his average. So even with all the added suck this year, he's had a lot of bad luck, too.

I'm not an expert with reading batted ball data, but there was one other thing I noticed going through the numbers. Winn's linedrive % is down and fly ball % is up. Not only that, his infield FB% is up, bringing his HR/FB% down (06': 6.2, 04': 9.0). I can only speculate what that means, but it may be hurting his power and BABIP.

So Winn has been facing a lot of bad luck, but it also seems like he's missing more pitches than normal. So maybe it's better for him to keep striking out than making bad contact. At 32 it's hard to say he could improve, but I think he can at least return to his career averages next year. That still wont earn him his contract, but that's Sabean's fault, not Winn's.

(Stats from Fangraphs)

Oh Shea

As much as I should be happier about the Giants seeing as they've won two one-run games in a row against a division rival, all I can continue to think about is Shea Hillenbrand and his performance on Monday.

Since starting the last game of the Diamondbacks series where he started 3-3, Hillenbrand had gone 0-12 with two strikouts before getting a couple of hits tonight. Two isn't a lot but I make note of it becasue of an at bat against Clay Hensely in the sixth Monday.

Hillenbrand just flailed at the same outside pitch over and over again. It was one of the most pathetic things I've seen in a Giants uniform. And each of his at bats had two or three pitches where he just had no idea what was going on, but he was saved by a HBP and a throwing error.

I saw nothing in anything he did at the plate that could be considered even encouraging for the rest of the year. I know I can't understand what he was thinking, but itappeared like he didn't really care. That's probably not really true but it makes it so much harder to watch.

But the worst part was in the field. He had two error-worthy plays that either weren't charged or charged to someone else. One was a groundball where he ranged to his left for ball near the foul line and just never got his glove down. In the booth Eric Karros tried to defend him, saying it shouldn't be an error but noting that "normally a major league first basemen makes that play."

A play in the bottom of the 7th reads "M Bellhorn safe at second on throwing error by pitcher M Stanton." What actually happened was that Hillenbrand forgot that Stanton was A) left handed, and B) ocassionally throws over to first with a runner on. Hillenbrand left the bag as Stanton was throwing over, allowing th abll to sail into the stands. To Rick Sutcliffe: "He's lucky he didn't take that off his chest."

I appreciatd Sabean's effort in making the trade, and I wasn't even that upset losing Accardo immediately after. And I can't blame Hillenbrand for being a jerk and a crappy player. We knew that was who he was coming in. I had hoped for the best but had no illusions as to even what that upside could be.

But at this point all I want is him to be gone. It's not that I want to kill Shea, I just want him not to be a Giant, anymore. May ne have an enjoyable experience on his way out, but not so enjoyable that he accepts arbitration.