Poll Recap Results: Which Free Agent Acquisition Did You Like the Most?

Tried to write a couple of longer posts, but nothing came to fruition, so I'm just going to do a recap of the poll results (and put up a new one later tonight).

Here is the poll that just closed.


Which Free Agent Acquisition Did You Like the Most this Off-Season?

Aubrey Huff: 3 votes (13 percent).
Mark Derosa 8 votes (34 percent).
Todd Wellemeyer 3 votes (13 percent).
Guillermo Mota 0 votes (zero percent).
Byung-Hyun Kim 1 vote (one percent).
Santiago Casilla 0 votes (zero percent).
Denny Bautista 0 votes (zero percent).
Tony Pena, Jr. 0 votes (zero percent).
Horacio Ramirez 0 votes (zero percent).
None (They were all lousy) 8 votes (34 percent).

Reactions: Overall, I'm not surprised. I really did not like any of the signings for the most part. Huff in my mind is past his prime and isn't going to be a 20 homer hitter like everyone thinks. Wellemeyer had a good spring, but it's only a matter of time before he cedes the fifth spot in the rotation to someone else (be it Madison Bumgarner, Kevin Pucetas or someone else). Gullermo Mota is Guillermo Mota. Everyone else? I'm not even going to waste any time.

(Okay, I will. Kim was released and everyone else is in the minors. There. Great acquisitions, right? At least our farm system will have veterans to keep Matt Kinney company.)

The only one I sort of liked was Derosa. As a player, I think he can offer a lot. He can take a walk and he can hit with some power. Furthermore, he developed late in his career, so I have more confidence that his regression will be less staggering than a guy like Huff who peaked earlier (sans 2008, an aberration year). My only problem is that Derosa doesn't seem to fit on this team. He's great when he has potent hitters around him, but when he's supposed to be one of the main run producers? Well...that might be a little too much.

I voted none, but in all honesty, I can live with Derosa tying for the win in this poll. At least it wasn't Huff or Wellemeyer. Then I would have been really down.

BTW: Retro Matt Cain tonight against the Pirates! Another No-Decision!

Poll Results Recap: Top Prospect, Giants 2010 Predictions and 2009 Giants MVP

By tomorrow, three polls will be removed from the blog and replaced by some new ones. (What are they? How many will there be? You have to find out!) So, in the true spirit of polls, I'm going to list the results and recap some of my feelings about some of the results.

(P.S. Thank you so much for voting!)

Poll No. 1: Who was the San Francisco Giants MVP in 2009?

Pablo Sandoval: 37 votes (64 percent).
Tim Lincecum: 16 votes (28 percent).
Matt Cain: 1 vote (one percent).
Brian Wilson: 0 votes (zero percent...duh!)
Jeremy Affeldt: 3 votes (five percent).
Bengie Molina: 0 votes (zero percent...it should have been lower though).
Somebody else (though you must be high): 0 votes (zero percent...thought somebody would be a smart aleck here).

Reactions: For the most part, I agreed with the poll here. Yes, Lincecum won the Cy Young, but Sandoval was a.) an everyday player and b.) the most dynamic, promising and productive offensive player since Barry Bonds. I was surprised by Wilson getting no votes. Sure, he's no Robb Nen yet, but considering all the criticism I have received for "not believing" (e.g. stating stats) on Wilson, I figured at least one or two guys would vote for him. I was also surprised by Affeldt receiving three votes as well. Two more votes than Matt Cain? Come on. Holds shouldn't matter that much.


Poll No. 2: How Will the San Francisco Giants Do Next Season (2010)?

Improve and Make the Playoffs: 30 votes (61 percent).
Stay Around the Same: 10 votes (20 percent).
Do a Little Worse, but Not Too Bad: 7 votes (14 percent).
Tank Like the 2008 Seattle Mariners: 2 votes (four percent).

Reactions: We have a lot of optimistic Giants fans following this blog and you know what? I like it! I know one of the voters that voted for the latter (and it was a joke) so to only get one person to vote on the last category to me is a promising sign for 2010. (Whether or not that optimism will be a realized reality in 2010 is another question though).


Poll No.3: Which San Francisco Giants Rookie/Prospect are you most looking forward to in 2010?

Buster Posey: 18 votes (30 percent).
Thomas Neal: 10 votes (16 percent).
Madison Bumgarner: 21 votes (35 percent).
Brett Pill: 0 votes (zero percent).
Steve Johnson: 0 votes (zero percent).
Kevin Pucetas: 0 votes (zero percent).
Dan Runzler: 2 votes (three percent).
Waldis Joaquin: 0 votes (zero percent).
Henry Sosa: 0 votes (zero percent).
Conor Gillaspie: 0 votes (zero percent).
Ryan Rohlinger: 0 votes (zero percent).
Darren Ford: 1 votes (one percent).
Francisco Peguero: 0 votes (zero percent).
Brandon Crawford: 2 votes (three percent).
Nick Noonan: 1 vote (one percent).
Roger Kieschnick: 2 votes (three percent).
Angel Villalona (Nah...I'm Just Kidding, I Know Nothing Happening With this Guy After What Happened): 2 votes (three percent).

Reactions: Bumgarner took an early lead in this poll, but after a down Spring Training, he lost a lot of ground to Neal and Posey. If I had given this poll another week or two, I seriously think Posey would have surpassed Bumgarner. A couple of surprises? Crawford, Noonan and Kieschnick getting a combined five votes (all guys are a year or two from seriously contributing at the Major League level) while Dan Runzler, who could be a breakout reliever next season, only got two. I guess people are really looking down the line, huh? My opinion about it? I like Noonan (still young), I'm undecided about Kieschnick (strikes out too much) and I'm not the biggest fan of Crawford (his season in San Jose was probably more flukish than telling).