Tag Archives: giants

PLAYER INTERVIEW: Q&A with Fresno shortstop Nick Noonan

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Noonan has 3 HR and 38 RBIs in the 2012 campaign. (Conner Penfold/Working Titles)

Fresno Grizzlies shortstop Nick Noonan is only 23-years old, but with five years of professional baseball under his belt, this Poway, California product is not your average minor leaguer. Drafted straight from high school in the supplemental round in 2007 (32nd overall), Noonan is in his first full season with Triple-A Fresno and is having his best all around year since his rookie season with AZL Giants. His current .297 average and 38 RBIs are both good enough for fourth best on the Grizzlies roster.

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Let’s start from the beginning. Back in 2007 you were drafted straight out of high school. What were the decisions and factors that went into making that decision?

I think with where I was drafted at, you know, being in the supplemental round, I felt it was a really good opportunity for me to sign and get into the professional system with the Giants. It was a tough decision. I was committed to Clemson and they have a great program and a good head coach but I thought with where I was drafted at that I’d have a really good opportunity.

Do you think it was the confidence you had in your game coming out of high school that made you think that you could benefit more from signing rather than going to college?

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What to expect from Eric Hacker on the mound tomorrow

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Eric Hacker has won all four of his starts in 2012. (The Fresno Bee)

What better way for Eric Hacker to get his first major league start.

He’s joining a Giants team filled with momentum and confidence, both offensively and defensively, thanks mostly to Angel Pagan’s go-ahead three-run shot this afternoon and the clinic put on by Santiago Casilla to close out the ninth.

And he’ll be facing the division rival San Diego Padres in front of surely another sellout crowd at AT&T with some confidence of his own.

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RAINY-DAY NOTES: Lincecum’s chance at redemption postponed

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Officials called the game more than an hour before first pitch. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

  • Well, that’s too bad. I’m sure a lot of us were looking forward to Lincecum’s possible resurrection from the dead. Plus, what’s better than breakfast with the Giants two straight days?
  • Lincecum will pitch game one of the doubleheader tomorrow, according to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area
  • Aubrey Huff spent the ninth inning at second base yesterday…which makes perfect sense because you’d figure, “Hey, if the guy is playing great over at first base, let’s try him in the middle of the diamond!” Obviously, Bochy didn’t really have any other options with the presented situation. Huff, in all likelihood, was the best option at that point. But still, his error at first in the 8th let Murphy score and his Mr. Freeze impression on the Justin Turner groundball/double play possibility prolonged the inning, setting up the game-winning groundout. Oh, and he went 0-for-4 with two popouts, a GIDP and a groundout, almost all of which were completely useless outs, with the exception of the little tapper he hit back to Frank Francisco in the ninth that advanced Buster to second, who eventually scored
  • Huff had this to say to Andrew Baggarly after the game: “I’ll play catcher if they want me to…It’s not something I can say no to.”
  • Huff’s .182 batting average would not have been in the lineup today, as Belt would have played 1B and batted 6th
  • #FreeBelt
  • Tomorrow’s getaway game was scheduled to slate Bumgarner against fellow southpaw Johan Santana, but today’s rainout will bump Santana back in the rotation and the Giants will instead face RHP Miguel Batista and RHP Dillon Gee, who was supposed to be today’s starter against Timmy
  • Through 14 games last year, the Giants were 8-6 with 57 runs scored and had already played the Dodgers 7 times. They’ve scored 58 this year (an average of just over 4 a game) and have played the Dodgers 0 times
  • Monday, May 7 in LA will be the first time they face each other, which is the furthest into the season since 1999 when they didn’t meet until June 25
  • Buster Posey is riding a 5-game hit streak in which he is batting .550 (11-20). Surprisingly, though, only 1 RBI in the span
  • Pablo Sandoval’s current 14-game hit streak is the 2nd longest to start a season by a Giant in the SF era, second only to Willie Mays who started off the 1960 season with 16 in a row