The Giants are signing infielder Alex Blandino to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league Spring Training, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Blandino was outrighted off the Reds’ 40-man roster at the end of the season, making him eligible to sign a minors deal during the lockout.
Blandino has appeared in three of the past four seasons with Cincinnati, tallying 279 cumulative plate appearances. He’s a .226/.339/.291 hitter with a pair of home runs in that time. The right-handed hitting Blandino has been exceptionally patient at the plate, only offering at 34% of pitches he’s seen. That’s around 13 points lower than the league average, a plan of attack that frequently sees him working deep counts.
It’s little surprise that he’s walked in a strong 11.1% of his career plate appearances, but that patience has also caused some fairly significant strikeout problems. Despite possessing decent bat-to-ball skills, Blandino has punched out in a very high 29.7% of his trips to the dish because of the frequency at which he’s taken pitches both inside and outside the strike zone.
Blandino doesn’t bring much power to the table, but he owns a .235/.374/.369 line across parts of four Triple-A seasons. He’s also capable of bouncing all around the infield, having started games at all four spots on the dirt during his time with the Reds. The former first-round pick also made cameos in the corner outfield and occasionally in mop-up relief during blowouts.
As Slusser points out, Blandino is a Santa Clara County native who played his college ball at Stanford. The 29-year-old will look to return to the Bay Area by playing his way onto the Giants’ active roster next spring.
Hard to see where this guy fits in with Estrada and Dubon on the depth chart covering the same position with a superior skillset.
Depth for when those 2 are in SF. Personally, I think Solano is gone because those 2 are so versatile. Blandino likely just depth in Sac. My 2 cents anyway. S59c?
Yeah, Solano’s redundant now to Estrada, who comes with a cheaper price tag and some control. Plus he’s going to be 34 next season, compare to Estrada, who is 26 next season. Blandino’s depth, you’re right about that. But you have to wonder if they’d do better to just pull a warm body from AAA rather than a guy who can’t hit above the Mendoza line and strikes out 30% of the time.
Project? Sees a lot of pitches. Problem is seeing too many called 3rd strikes as you say.
Estrada is my starting second baseman, with LaStella as his back up and then Flores.
Dubon in AAA or trade bait.
talking bb, lastella is the main second baseman. Will sit against lefties. Too much $ invested to be on bench. Estrada will play alot though. Righty v lefties late in games
Plan B: start swinging at strikes.
it is a straight minor league signing, not really worth thinking avout where he fits in
Can’t hurt to take a look and see if he can be a depth piece, and Dubon doesn’t appear to be a lock at this point. Dubon seems to have really tumbled last year and is probably going to have to re-prove himself to be worthy of a spot on the ML roster
He did reprove himself in Sac–tore it up. Like said, Estrada then Dubon on deck. This regime like versatility and those 2 play everywhere. Besides, Lastella will play 2nd mostly.
The Giants. LOL
Blandino can’t hit big league pitching…..And neither can Dubon.
@tonygwynn What part of him signing a Minor League contract are you confused about? You do realize he will be playing in Sacramento, not San Francisco. Why do the simple things confuse.
He’s just a complete troublemaking Azzhole.
Oh, the Troll is back. Can never say anything positive. As countless people have said in the past, you’re here just to start trouble. You’re worthless. Oh, but you do have a cool name; disgracing the legendary Tony Gwynn, How drunk were you tonight?
@slogar1 I think the guy that uses the alias of TonygwynnSD19 is just a psychotic troll. There is a very healthy rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants. I think he injects an unwanted toxic element into the rivalry.
I think he’s a full tier below Dubon/Estrada. Next level depth in my opinion.
That’s what I was trying to convey in my comment above.
Trashy, I just checked his Milb numbers and we might be talking the next level below the next level. Yikes!
Well, there’s obviously something we’re missing. A lot of Zaidi’s moves seem pointless but turn out pretty well so we’ll see how accurate you are. And yes, I know how bad his numbers look, but Zaidi must see something in this guy
I think it’s as simple as his plate discipline and versatility. But those qualities seem overwhelmed by his middling numbers.
agreed
Typical smart move by Farhan. Best President of a ballclub in MLB.
Not sure I’d add this to his list of smart moves. This guy is a AA player on his best day.
Giants are going for 110
Yall need to attach the hot stove link in your signings articles..
@tingley What are you confused about? Seriously. I’m confused about what you are confused about. I don’t know what you think is being hidden? This is the standard posting that they have been doing for years.
Flores will be the regular at 2B while also likely seeing time at 3B/1B. La Stella is still around and Estrada/Dubon on the bench. Solano did a nice job getting a comeback in SF and I’m sure someone will give him a look (Screams A’s to me) but yeah, his time in San Francisco is over
I don’t think Flores plays any 2B? He is usually at 1B and occasionally 3B.
Solano would have been a good fit for the A’s in the past, but they have hit new heights of cheapness.
A lot depends on the DH decision as to usage of Flores. I agree with Scott, he won’t see much 2nd. First third and DH with Rup as righty DHs and lastella and Wade as lefty DHs. People think Castellanos is a DH in waiting but if they sign him, keep in mind he hasn’t DH’d much. In Cubs and Reds interleague games in AL parks, he seldom DH’d and same when he played in Detroit. WOW, I really got off subject but while I’m here, opinions on getting Castellanos?
IMO Castellanos is too free a swinger and too poor a defender. I’d prefer re-upping Bryant if they’re going to drop that money on a similar comp.
I disagree. They play the same positions but Castellanos has a better bat than Bryant. Bryant can be a little inconsistent in the field and Castellanos is not a great fielder. If the DH heads to the NL, Castellanos is the way better option
@pete, I agree that Castellanos would be a pretty darn good *first* DH for the Giants. We need a bat like his in the 4-5 hole to replace Buster’s bat. That said, it sounds like Castellanos wants a lot of years tho. They part worries me.
The DH issue might dissuade him from signing with Giants. He may not want to DH full or part time. As I stated earlier, he has not DH’d that much even when the DH was at play. 44 career games as DH. That’s pretty minimal. It could be a deal breaker. If they do sign him and DH is in, my bet is he plays the field mostly. As I previously stated, they already have several DHs. Personally I want Suzuki and Bryant and Rodon, or Suzuki and players in a trade. And I heard Castellanos wants too many years as GP12 stated. Another deal breaker.
@giantsphan12
Yes it does seem like he will be asking a good number of years. But, he is 29 and has had pretty good hitting stats the last probably 2.5 years. Obviously, it isn’t up to me, but I would take a chance on him. As you said, the Giants need to fill the large hole left in the lineup by Buster. Castellanos could be the guy.
Although I would like to point out that Zaidi clearly isn’t in a “win-now” phase. The Giants have a great up-and-coming farm system, so the Giants don’t necessarily need to be the most active team on the FA or trade market. Zaidi is proving this by being pretty quiet in terms of “big-name” free agents.
PutPeteRoseInTheHall:
I have to disagree completely that Castellanos is the better bat. He benefitted greatly from playing in GABP. If you compare their OPS+ which is park-adjusted, Castellanos has a 115 OPS+ while Bryant has a 132 OPS+.
Castellanos had 5 years of his 9 year career where his OPS+ was over 120. Bryant has 6 seasons of his 7 year career with an OPS+ over 120.
There’s an even bigger spread in their wRC+. Castellanos has a 115 while Bryant has a 134.
And while Bryant does not have an elite glove it’s still average to above average. Castellanos is just bad to very bad. He has a -48 DRS for his career in the OF. Bryant has a 3 DRS, not to mention he can play 3B which Castellanos cannot.
The OAA stat is kinder to Castellanos, a -42, and Bryant has a -3, but still there’s miles of difference between them. Bryant will be more expensive, but you get what you pay for in this case.
Flores does play 2B. He did in Arizona the year before leaving for SF, and I believe he got some reps after arriving in SF
Flores has played 44 games at 2B since joining the Giants as well as 48 at 1B and 61 at 3B. If Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt are healthy 2B is his main path to playing time
Didn’t realize he’d logged that many games at 2B with SF. Those were probably all when LaStella was out, though. If LaStella is healthy and contributing, he and Estrada will probably be handling the grand majority of appearances there.
I thought teams weren’t allowed to issue invites to Spring Training during the lockout.
Teams can sign players to minor league contracts. I believe they just have had to become minor league free agents at the end of last season
Nice, I like the walk rate. Let’s see if he can develop to play a Thairo Estrada role next year.
I looked at his past seasons. He seems to be fixable. Some stops he has a low strikeout rate, other times it is high. A bit more consistency, he could turn into a very solid player.
At the risk of repeating myself, I hear FZ goes to the local humane society every offseason and rescues every dog in the joint.
You are repeating yourself. Is this an attempt to be funny? It fell flat the first time; it hasn’t improved.
Gia,
Don’t be unkind, and don’t thumbs up your own comments. There’s two bits of advice for the price of one.
Ok Punch. You have joke hidden inside of your posts. Please explain In full detail your problem with Farhan.
Actually Gia, I have no problem with FZ. Go back and read your comments. You are really one really miserable f#€£. What’s your last name, Bitterman?
Ok punch. Please explain your post in relation to the Giants signing a minor league player. If Farhan loves to rescue pets from local humane societies, more power to him. I highly doubt he has the space. He must have a fostering network that we have never heard of. I am just asking you to explain how this minor league signing is relevant to fostering pets. You started this conversation.
Gia Bitterman,
I know this because I met him at the dog food store, and we had a nice long conversation about the value of animal rescue for the dog, the owner, and society in general. Dogs bring happiness and joy to FZ going back to his childhood on the farm. He and his family enjoy a nice snuggle on the couch with up to six of their dogs at a time.
FZ says dogs help people from being so angry all the time, which might help with your lonely and miserable existence. Give it a try. A rescue dog might save you from a short, sad life. Namaste.
So, why didn’t you say you spoke to Farhan about dog rescue in the 1st place? Your original statement makes it sound like you think this player they just signed is a dog. I don’t have the space for a dog, nor do I think this player is a dog.
Hey, meet me at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Milpitas and we can hug some dogs. It’s great therapy.
Another ex-Red into the Giants organization!
Come on, another bum. Lets spend some of that money & get a power hitter.
Relax, man. MLB clubs can’t sign big fish right now anyways. I’m not excited about this guy either, but it’s a minor league depth move.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Alex Blandino right up until he signed the deal to join the Giants.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Giants’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Blandino.
I want Donny Barrels back. He had multiple clutch moments this past season
Hope Zaidi was listening to the caller this morning (12/14/221) giving his assessment of the 2022 Giants to Steve Phillips and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Caller gave Zaidi a poor rating. Said pitching has gotten worse (only resigning Wood & DeSclafani and adding Cobb. Didn’t add any power bats, too left handed, and offense is not going to scare anyone.
2021 was a great year for the Giants. A lot of “overachievers”.
Questions Zaidi must answer is what is he going to do to improve the 2022 Giants?
All good points, but remember that the offseason is far from over.
It seems Zaidi’s strategy is going to be bringing in more (lower tier) arms and bucking the conventional five man rotation. That likely translates to the signing of one or two more high risk, high upside arms and one or two middling back-end types who can soak up innings when needed.
Last year’s offense demonstrated that they could go yard at any time. Joey Bart is probably capable of matching or besting Posey’s power (but not his batting average). SF could definitely still aim to bring in a solid bat for the OF, particularly CF, where they have no everyday guy lined up beyond the uneven Duggar.
Wasn’t last years 5 man rotation Gausman, Cueto, Desclafani, Wood and Sanchez. Webb was a project then. This year? Webb, Desclifani, Wood. Cobb and TBD. 3 solid with Gausman, Desclifani and Wood. This year 4 solid so far. Better than last year to begin season.. And as Scott said, count on picking up 2 or more starters. I’m not psychic, I just am getting to know what Zaidi does. Red, if you’re right and they’re done, you can beat me up. I hope you aren’t agreeing with callers because they match your concerns. I’ll be upset if the Giants are done. to be continued…