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The G-Men are looking good in this New Season
The Giants had an excellent spring (best record in baseball at 21 and 6) and are not letting up as this season begins. As of today (April 2), the Giants are 4-1 in the new season, having taken 2 out of 3 from the Reds and the first two games of the current Astros series. The G-Men are, however, in the NL West, the toughest division in baseball. Both the LA team (7-0) and the Padres (6-0) are undefeated. That won’t last, but it’s emblematic of the challenges that 2025 will bring.
The first 5 games of the season brought us eye-opening defense from Adames at short, Chapman (with an awesome arm) at 3rd and Ramos in left field. Tyler Fitzgerald at 2nd is everything that we expected (including being a terror on the basepaths), and the outfield has been solid with Lee (now healthy and flashing the defensive moves he is known for) in CF and Yaz in RF. Patrick Bailey is the second coming of Buster Posey behind the dish and has mastered the fine art of framing in this new era of pitching instant review by computer. Watching Ramos jack HR after HR is a true pleasure. He is a force to be reckoned with every time he gets to the plate, and his early extra base hitting streak has been unmatched since the days of Willie Mays. Wilmer Flores must also be mentioned. He already had 3 dingers and is a solid presence at first base.
The real story, however, is pitching. Verlander, Hicks, and Webb are everything expected but what is most gratifying is Robbie Ray, who is finally showing (now that he is healthy) why the Giants paid so much for him. He carried a perfect game against the Astros into the 6th inning and looked as healthy as he was during the year he won the Cy Young. That takes pressure off the bullpen, which is ably manned by Tyler Rodgers, Ryan Walker, and Randy Rodriguez. Moving Doval to the 8th inning takes the pressure off him and has paid off with a 0.0 ERA so far this new season.
What the new season is bringing us – Torpedo bats and quick games
The big story of the new season is “Torpedo bats.” The bat was the brainchild of a physicist (Aaron Leanhardt) at MIT who put his mind to how to make a bat more effective within the current rules. As described by the WSJ:
‘Leanhardt’s solution, which he devised a couple of years ago as a minor-league hitting coordinator for the Yankees, moves the fat part of the bat closer to the handle rather than the end. The result is a product that better resembles a bowling pin than a traditional bat, redistributing the weight to the area where players most often make contact with the ball. The idea behind the new design was to help batters make more contact at a time when strikeouts are at an all-time high. Leanhardt eventually came to think about the bat as having what he describes as a “wood budget.” The goal was to use as much of that budget as possible in the ideal spot—six or 7 inches below the tip—without sacrificing swing speed.”
Does it work? Well, it's legal according to current baseball rules, and the Yankees used the new bats and hit 15 home runs in their first three games. Not unexpectedly, Torpedo bats have been ordered by almost every major league team, including the Giants, LA, and the Padres. Let the 2025 bat arms race begin!
What this means, though, is that the pitchers will have to adjust, and they will. But, in the meantime, expect an explosion in offense.
Meanwhile, the pitch clock has done what it intended to do, which is shorten game times to a bit over 2 hours. Now, everyone in the stands not concentrating on their crab sandwich must pay close attention to the game or risk missing a key at bat or defensive play.
The Upcoming series – Mariners and Reds
Seattle, who are the opening series opponents for the season, are struggling early. They are 2 and 4 in the early season and are trying to find their footing behind their ace pitcher Logan Gilbert, and their power-hitting left fielder Randy Arozarena. Following that, the Reds come into town wanting to avenge themselves for the drubbing the Giants gave them during their home opening series in Cincinnati last week. De La Cruz (who already has a Torpedo bat) and McLain are the hitters to watch. It should be a fun series, as the G-Men very much want to start the season showing the NL West what the rest of the teams must fear.
As a closing note, we can all see that the world is on fire lurching from one insane moment to the next. Never forget the words of the great sage:
“…They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.” - Field of Dreams
On the Board ready for pick up are:
4/6 SUN [1:05] Mariners [4] – Youth baseball day
4/7 MON [6:45] Reds [3] – I’m going
4/8 TUES [6:45] Reds [4]
Let the torture continue.
Ciao, and GO GIANTS!
The Czar
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THE PROTOCOL: The firm has four seats in Section 118 (Premium Lower Boxes), Rows 25 and 26. These are awesome seats directly below the press box and 25 rows behind the home plate on the left side behind the screen. It is foul ball territory for left-handed batters so bring your glove – I have collected 22 foul balls myself over 23 years and am looking for more. If we don’t use all the tickets ourselves (or clients and friends of the firm don't claim them by calling me and reserving a game), then my next step is to give the tickets TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO GETS BACK TO ME PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS. If you ask for the tickets and don't use them, you will be taken off the list unless there is a seriously good reason. There will be a waitlist.
When there are four seats available (we split up a lot of games) we will allocate the tickets two and two if the first people back just want two tickets. You can also go for four and might get them. I'm the Czar, my call.
Oh, and BTW, The Czar found the original Hinman & Carmichael brick from 2000 (after looking for it every year since 2000) and found H&C’s Gotham Club Founders Bat! If you are on the patio, or in the Club, look for the symbols of baseball!
