What Can Giants Fan Expect From Garko?
by 49er16 on Jul 28, 2009 9:53 PM EDT
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I'm a San Francisco Giants fan and I was wondering what we can expect from Ryan Garko? I no he's not the answer to our prayers, but can he at least be productive for our club? And what type of defensive player is he? Can he play in the outfield? What type of guy is he? How much did you like him in Cleveland? Also why haven't the Indians fired Eric Wedge yet? All comments are welcomed.
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Right field at AT&T is too big for him. He could probably do as well as Bonds in left.
.
Not as good as Ishikawa at 1B, but he should be adequate.
He should hit lefties pretty well; he is very hot now so the Giants should start him until he cools off.
The Indians aren’t going anywhere this year so the Indians would rather have a pitching prospect. Garko will get a bump to $2M+ next year because he is eligible for arbitration.
He could probably do as well as Bonds in left.
Not true.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Does he remember that Bonds won multiple Gold Gloves? Obviously in his younger days, but Bonds at 45 is still better than Garko.
by Buckeye Brad on Jul 29, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Garko should, of course, never see the outfield unless he wanders out there after getting hit by a pitch (my favorite Ryan Garko stat: with RISP, almost as many HBP (21) as doubles (24)).
Did anyone mention one can expect Garko to drink Bud Light out of a can? He’s that kind of a guy.
by Wil Cantrell on Jul 30, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Really? I don’t remember? It was SO LONG AGO. I don’t even know how to drink out of two cans. Perhaps I’m missing out on something special.
by Wil Cantrell on Jul 30, 2009 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s a good value for his production, but not a long-term answer to 1b.
He’s also pretty streaky (even though his overall numbers seem like he is consistent) and a big anchor on the basepaths. When he struggles he has a tendency to pull everything and hit weak pop ups.
He is very good when men get in scoring position or bases loaded situations. So he has been a very good 5/6 hitter, but shouldn’t be expected to be more than that.
Average. Completely average. In your division he might do pretty well.
His defense at 1B is poor and he plays the outfield like he’s being attacked by bees. In a tank of water. Upside down.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Jul 28, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions 10 recs
Rec, though I would think that having a tank of water protecting you from the bees might be preferable.
by Logodaedalus on Jul 29, 2009 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions
"Gravity is a harsh mistress." - The Tick
by woodsmeister on Jul 30, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
My favorite all time testimony to Garko’s athleticism.
From: http://www.theclevelandfan.com/articles/1692.htm
“Ryan Garko hit his first career triple.
Think about this. Ryan Garko, a man whose speed emulates none so much as an elegant Matt Stairs, who is in fact actually constructed from a barrel, hit a triple. If I told you this, what would you have thought?
‘And here’s Garko with a drive to right field … the right fielder goes back … OHH, he’s struck by a meteorite! Right there in right field! An actual meteorite! Have you ever seen anything like that?’
‘You know, there was this time…’
‘Garko, now rounding first, he’s digging for second … the center fielder rushes over … he appears to be having trouble finding the ball through the smoldering debris … ah, there it is, he picks it up and … SWEET LORD IN HEAVEN, he’s been eaten by a polar bear! Have you EVER seen anything like that?’
‘In Kinston one time there was …’
‘Garko rounding second, they’re going to send him to third! The first baseman has trotted gingerly out to right … the polar bear seems occupied with the center fielder … I think there’s a real danger there, the first baseman is a bit beefier than the center fielder … he grabs the ball, throws it in … NOT IN TIME! Ryan Garko safe with a triple!"’
‘That was …’
‘We’ll be right back after this message from Arnie’s Arctic Animal Rescue.’”
Stuart Dean
by stuart dean on Jul 29, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
BURN.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
by ClemsonGirl on Jul 29, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Read brick’s comment.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
by ClemsonGirl on Jul 29, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I see what you did there
"You are an LGT success story" -- Jay
by Turkmenbashi on Jul 29, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
You can relive the epic moment for yourself. Bounced off the corner away from Matt Stairs, Garko with a head-first slide, Vic grabbing the brim of his helmet rounding third to keep his immense speed from blowing in clean off his noggin.
Vic grabbing the brim of his helmet rounding third to keep his immense speed from blowing in clean off his noggin.
I just had to go out and buy some depends…
Stuart Dean
by stuart dean on Jul 29, 2009 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Can he play in the outfield?
No. That didn’t stop Eric Wedge from running him out there, though.
by Ryan on Jul 28, 2009 11:05 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
Basically, go to zombo.com, and whenever the guy says “zombocom,” replace that with “Ryan Garko.”
by fleerdon on Jul 28, 2009 11:23 PM EDT reply actions
To quote another thread:
He’s really good on popups and rarely has his feet in good position on non-popups.
And me:
He is the worst credentials of any player who has appeared in a major league outfield this season.
Proud Fan of the Worst Baseball Team I've Ever Seen
A steady ringing in your ears that you can’t explain or get rid of.
by Joel D on Jul 28, 2009 11:56 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
His OF defense is completely unacceptable (as you’ve likely gathered by now). His 1B is average to a bit below average, though he’s been improving some there. Offense would be decent if he weren’t a 1B, but he doesn’t hit well enough for that position. But, of course, with the change of league, and given the offensive holes in your team, probably a decent pick-up overall not knowing what other guys Sabean was considering or their prices. He definitely bought high on Garko.
Let’s just say that most of the posters here are a little – no make that plenty – negative about Garko. Most of these guys thought/think that Casey Blake was a stiff at third base too. After watching Blake for a yera, you can judge for yourself as to whether that was an accurate evaluation or not. And take all of this “going to a weaker division” hooey with a grain of salt. After all Garko’s been playing in one of the weakest divisions in all of baseball and the NL West is hardly a step down in quality.
A few of the previous posters have been saying that Garko’s been “hot” of late. I think he’s just been coming out of a prolonged slump. He’s a decent defensive first baseman and has been improving over time. He’ll OPS around 850 with some power, although his power will be reduced in your park. In short a servicable player, but he’s not the answer to your offensive woes.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
How is the AL Central a weak division? Compared to the AL East, yeah, but the AL as a whole is still superior to the NL. It’s not really the division that matters, it’s the league.
by Buckeye Brad on Jul 29, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Well for one thing it’s got two of the worst teams in baseball in it – KC and us.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
That doesn’t say anything about the fact that the AL is still much superior to the NL.
by Buckeye Brad on Jul 29, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Garko has never had an 850 OPS — he is only that player in your imagination (and, possibly, in the NL West). If it’s a prolonged slump, it lasted over a year. Garko’s .449 career slugging average is best characterized not as “power” but “a little pop.”
Garko has a 925 OPS since May 25, a stretch of nine weeks. That’s a little better than a little hot streak, I will grant you that.
Plenty of folks have observed that Garko basically has not improved at first base over the past two years, although his numbers at first base (in limited playing time) are better this year.
The divisional difference isn’t just reflected in records, but in talent level. Any of the three leading AL Central clubs likely are as good as the Dodgers, because the players just aren’t as good in that division. The step-down in quality is in fact measurable if you look at interleague records or players switching leagues.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Actual the uzr/150 show’s that he has improved at first base over the years
2007 -9.3
2008 -6.6
2009 12.1
Now of course the 2009 are yet to be determined, But its not a stretch to say that his defense will noticeably improve on his 2008 numbers.
"sometimes the internet is hard for me." - ClemsonGirl
by world dictator on Jul 29, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions
UZR/150 is a rate stat. This makes it look like he’s actually been 18 runs more effective, and that isn’t true.
He started 47 games at 1B (nowhere near the 150 baseline) and racked up about +4 UZR. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that he returns to his -6.6 form for the rest of his career.
For comparison, his UZR/150 in LF is -23.7. Now, he hasn’t actually cost us 24 runs in left field, but his UZR is -1.7 over six starts.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Frankly, even 150 games doesn’t seem like enough to properly evaluate a defensive player using UZR. It is important to look at both 2007 and 2008 more than 2009 when evaluating Garko, especially considering he has been part time this year at 1B.
Roger this is the problem with retro-spective stats – it’s hard to infer any improvement or degradation in skills. You know you hafta play a position for awhile before you get good at it. By the same token 35yo outfielders are rarely as good as their 25 yo selves. To my eye at least, Garko’s a better first baseman now than he was 2 years ago.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
His career UZR/150 at first base is -4. That means four runs worse than average (not replacement) per each 150 games. Keep in mind, as always, that the average first baseman is actually not very good to begin with.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Casey Blake is a stiff at third base. He can hit, but he’s still a stiff at third base.
"Gravity is a harsh mistress." - The Tick
by woodsmeister on Jul 29, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Garko’s going to San Francisco
He’s sure to wear some flowers in his hair
Garko’s going to San Francisco
He’s gonna hit some gentle popups there
~ It's no fun throwing fastballs to guys who can't hit them. The real challenge is getting them out on stuff they can hit ~ Sam McDowell
Garko’s going to San Francisco
He’s going to shotgun some beers there
"Gravity is a harsh mistress." - The Tick
by woodsmeister on Jul 29, 2009 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
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