Yeah, it's not like they put a crocodile instead of an alligator on the cover of their media guide:He was one of the highest paid players on the team, under contract for a few years still. Guarantee that the person who made the final call on including Sandoval wasn't in the baseball ops department and was in no position to make the assumption that Panda wasn't going to be around in 2018.
He isn't the first nor will he be the last player to be included in a team product like this after he was cut or traded away or even died (as the article points out, Jose Fernandez was featured in the 2017 Marlin calendar). Wouldn't shock me if the 2013 Red Sox calendar featured one or more of the following: Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett.
Much ado about nothing.
The crocodile is not the biggest mistake on that media guide coverYeah, it's not like they put a crocodile instead of an alligator on the cover of their media guide:
http://www.gainesville.com/news/20030730/gators-media-guide-has-crocodile-on-cover
That is some serious, career ending stuff.
Yeah, definitely not shocking. Calendars often have a player who has since departed. 2005 was one of my favorites:Wouldn't shock me if the 2013 Red Sox calendar featured one or more of the following: Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett.
Much ado about nothing.
It would be freaking hilarious if he reinvented himself. I think one of his advantages is that given the way he throws and the fact there's so much of him, the batters can't see the ball coming out of his hand.Looks like we were misusing Panda all along. Brought in to mop up the 9th inning of a beatdown vs. LA, he shut down the Dodgers with "filth." One of the funniest things I've seen in a while.
https://www.mlb.com/video/must-c-pandas-perfect-9th/c-1986299383?tid=6479266
Dave McCartyWho was the lefty the Redsox had awhile back who wanted to be a MR and even pitched a few innings? Name is escaping me.
Y'know, we're paying him for this. Could he have been much worse than Hembree and Johnson yesterday?Looks like we were misusing Panda all along. Brought in to mop up the 9th inning of a beatdown vs. LA, he shut down the Dodgers with "filth." One of the funniest things I've seen in a while.
https://www.mlb.com/video/must-c-pandas-perfect-9th/c-1986299383?tid=6479266
Let's say he was better than them yesterday. This brings up the question "so what?"Y'know, we're paying him for this. Could he have been much worse than Hembree and Johnson yesterday?
I would have gone with "Who gives a crap?" but given his toilet history ...Let's say he was better than them yesterday. This brings up the question "so what?"
You had me until "run him out there" . I just don't see that happening87mph 4-seamer, 70mph curve with some bite, what looks like good location.
I bet they could run him out there a dozen times this year and not have it bite them in the ass too hard.
On the one hand.Every at bat can contribute to future stats and paydays. Theres no reason to play along with some guy you dont know.
To describe that as "not putting out max effort" probably misses what's going on there. Because I can guarantee you that the hitters would have loved nothing more than to take Panda deep. Indeed, that anxiousness combined with the novelty factor probably contributed to a lack of focus/success. And if the Giants do it again, I'm willing to bet that it won't go as well for Panda.On the one hand.
On the other hand, we've all seen enough baseball to know that 9th innings of games that aren't close have a tendency to end very quickly. I.e., that the batters don't necessarily put up max effort.
Looked like he hit his spots - groundout the other way on a pitch at the knees on the black. The curveball was good - and probably unexpected. The last pitch looked middle-middle. (But not every batter can hit middle-middle, as I've noticed with the Sox zone charts.)
I doubt it. I'm guessing Brock Holt could pitch 10-12 innings a year with a 7 era. Or almost any utility player tbh.It always warms my heart when a position player take the mound and actually tries to pitch, instead of acting like a clown. I remember when Nick Green got his shot, I was kind of excited... he had a strong arm and looked like a guy that could bring a low 90's fastball. He managed 2 scoreless innings, but I recall thinking he seemed kind of pouty on the mound.
Is there any real additional value to a utility guy that could pitch 10-12 innings per year with say a 7.00 ERA? Probably not much.