tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post7501518841640224844..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Friday Baseball PostJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-90096946406810359892010-07-24T16:51:38.919-05:002010-07-24T16:51:38.919-05:00This is a plain blog about politics, right? So wh...This is a plain blog about <i>politics</i>, right? So why do I care about what you have to say (and say, and say, and say some more) about baseball or movies?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-55270347935988021772010-07-24T00:50:07.199-05:002010-07-24T00:50:07.199-05:00I think you're getting at a very good point th...I think you're getting at a very good point that could use a little context. Although the Giants did a remarkably poor job developing hitters for the period in question, they actually did develop a couple- just not as rookies. Between The Thrill and Posey, the two names that come to mind are Bill Mueller and Rich Aurilia. Both were brought along slowly, and were only established at their respective positions after a couple of platoon years in their early 20s. That said, Mueller actually hit very well in his rookie campaign of 1996, but didn't have enough ABs to qualify for real ROY votes (which could prove to be the Achilles heel for Posey's ROY campaign, as he wasn't brought up to the majors until well into May). <br /><br />I think it's a two-part issue: not only did the Giants have a farm system that generally failed to develop young hitters, the organization refused to give meaningful at bats to the talented young position players it had. (Re: leaving Buster Posey in Fresno until May.) Hopefully last year's Pablo Sandoval experiment sparked a greater willingness to let the youth in. <br /><br />Incidentally, Matt Williams should also be technically included in the discussion, as he was a contemporary of Clark's. Williams came up in 1987, though he didn't start making contact until 1990. And who's this Jason Elliot character? I'm assuming you mean Mr. April of 2005, Jason Ellison. Thanks for the great post, baseball blogging is an excellent complement to congressional power discussions!Taylor Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14431258047053253912noreply@blogger.com