Kuzul

When a ridiculous amount of criticism—whether in good and harmless fun or something different—is hurled an athlete’s way, it can be used as motivation or just laughed at altogether. Hunter Pence is doing the latter.

The San Francisco Giants outfielder has become the butt of a never-ending joke, first sweeping across visiting ballparks and then spreading to social media. What started with a few signs at a Mets-Giants game on Aug. 3 has snowballed, to say the least.

Here’s video of the signs that started the trend:

Suddenly, the movement took off. Signs saying “Hunter Pence can’t” this or “Hunter Pence likes” that started popping up left and right for the rest of the Giants’ series in the Big Apple. Of course, it didn’t keep him from going 3-for-5 with four RBI the first day the signs appeared.

Once Pence got out of New York to finish the rest of the Giants’ road trip, though, the fun would be all over. Right?

Not quite. By the time San Francisco arrived in Milwaukee for its series with the Brewers, the fans had caught wind of the trend and wanted to have their own fun.

The Brewers’ Twitter account tweeted the best signs:

The move caught on again in Kansas City during the Giants’ subsequent series with the Royals. By that point, national media was all over it, and even the MLB Network chimed in.

After having his parking abilities doubted, affinity for bacon questioned and countless claims of his interest in less-than-stellar activities, Pence couldn’t stay quiet any longer. He had to make some sort of rebuttal. As one of baseball’s more dynamic personalities off the field, Pence guaranteed laughs in the process.

With a strong Twitter presence himself, Pence caught wind of the jokes and masterfully swiped back with a series of properly timed humble brags:

Even Pence’s girlfriend joined in:

Pence seemed to be ready for all the criticism and answered it aptly, but Yahoo Sports involving the joke on a fantasy football—not baseball—update was one that caught him off-guard:

Fan interactions with athletes in professional sports are inevitable, but there’s nothing quite like the relationship between fans and players in baseball. From Brandon Phillips signing a ball for a drunk heckler to Tony Gwynn Jr. using his glove to talk back to fans, MLB notables often find ways to have fun with the hate.

What Pence is experiencing with this joke might be on another level, but it’s still harmless and serves no ill purpose—especially with him hitting a combined 5-for-10 in his first two games featuring the signs. Given he’s a teammate and fan favorite with San Francisco and is enjoying his first All-Star season since 2011, Pence has plenty of reasons to smile. 

Pence hecklers have had their 15 minutes of fame, but he reminded them with a few humble brags that his life isn’t all that bad—even if he’s the butt of a thousand jokes at the moment. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants have this special trick that they like to perform on seemingly over-the-hill veterans that involves turning them into, well, not over-the-hill veterans.

And now Jake Peavy could be next.

If you’re just joining us, the Giants acquired the veteran right-hander from the Boston Red Sox early Saturday in return for left-handed prospect Edwin Escobar and right-handed prospect Heath Hembree, per MLB.com’s Chris Haft. Peavy is already slated to start for the Giants on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Be it Peavy or whoever, the Giants definitely needed to make a trade for a starting pitcher. Their rotation has been shaky outside of Tim Hudson and Madison Bumgarner all season, and the club recently put Matt Cain on the 15-day disabled list with a cranky right elbow that may take some time to stop being cranky.

As for what the Giants are getting, let’s go ahead and say it: On the surface, it doesn’t look good.

In 20 starts with the Red Sox, Peavy racked up a 1-9 record with a 4.72 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and a league-high 20 home runs. Bad numbers, those.

And the numbers beneath the numbers aren’t so good either. We can go to FanGraphs and consult metrics like FIP, xFIP and SIERA for estimates of what Peavy’s ERA should be, and they all agree that he indeed deserves an ERA well over 4.00.

From there, we can note that Peavy’s strikeout rate is trending nowhere but down, that his walk rate is trending nowhere but up and that his average fastball velocity has fallen to just 89.9 miles per hour.

In so many words: Rather than the guy who won the National League Cy Young in 2007, yeah, Peavy looks like a 33-year-old with a lot of miles on his right arm. So why should anyone bother getting his hopes up?

Well, there’s the Giants’ track record when it comes to that trick they like to perform, for one.

Just in the last few years, they’ve performed it on the likes of Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Cody Ross, Ryan Vogelsong, Marco Scutaro and, most recently, Hudson. And even after listing all those names, it feels like I’m missing a guy or two.

But more importantly, there’s how Peavy is going to a much better place for his talents than the place he’s leaving.

There’s the obvious, and that’s that Peavy will now get to pitch in the National League again. And obvious though that may be, his splits between the two leagues say this is no small bonus.

Via Baseball-Reference.com:

Granted, one thing about the NL numbers is that they were compiled when the former San Diego Padre was much younger and had much, much (seriously, much) better stuff. Unless there’s a fountain of youth somewhere on the Embarcadero, he’s not getting that stuff back.

There is, however, one thing that hasn’t changed about Peavy since his youth. He’s still a fly-ball pitcher, with FanGraphs putting his fly-ball percentage for 2014 at a par-for-the-course 42.2 percent.

That’s a bad habit to have in the company of American League hitters and a dangerous habit to have at a stadium like Fenway Park. At AT&T Park, on the other hand, being a fly-ball pitcher might as well be recommended.

According to ESPN.com’s Park Factors, AT&T Park has a ho-hum rating as the worst park in the majors for home runs. That’s the park’s huge dimensions at work, and said dimensions are a big reason why Giants pitchers are allowing just a .422 slugging percentage on fly balls.

That’s compared to .499 for Red Sox pitchers and .536 for Peavy specifically. So yeah.

But hey, if you’re still not convinced that the move to AT&T Park will be good for Peavy’s super-fly-ball style, FanGraphs‘ Tony Blengino would urge you to consider this:

If you took all of Peavy’s 2013 fly balls allowed, and put half of them in Fenway Park, he would have allowed a .310 AVG-.870 SLG, 130 production relative to the MLB average. Put those same fly balls into AT&T Park, and it drops to .286 AVG-.777 SLG. This is not an insignificant difference.

There. You should be convinced now.

But Peavy’s comfort level in San Francisco could be helped by something besides the NL surroundings and AT&T Park’s dimensions. He’ll also be reuniting with his old San Diego skipper in Bruce Bochy.

Which, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, was actually a driving force for the Giants to make the deal:

Here’s guessing that Bochy himself might have had a hand in influencing Giants general manager Brian Sabean, as he told this to Janie McCauley of The Associated Press:

The excitement is more than likely mutual, as Steve Kroner of the San Francisco Chronicle recalled that Peavy called it a “sad, sad day” for the Padres organization when Bochy left for San Francisco in 2007.

Goodness knows what sort of difference, if any, reuniting with Bochy is going to have on Peavy. It could certainly make no difference at all.

But you never know. In situations like these, it’s not unheard of for the right voice to make an impact. We saw a pretty good example play out in the place Peavy is leaving just last year, as reuniting with John Farrell seemed to help Red Sox ace lefty Jon Lester bounce back from a horrid 2012 season.

So despite Peavy’s lousy numbers, his age and his diminished stuff, there are reasons to be optimistic about what he could do for the Giants the rest of the way. From a league, ballpark and managerial standpoint, the change of scenery is a good one for him.

It might be asking a lot of Peavy to help drastically increase the Giants’ half-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West. But if he can at least help them hold on to it, it’ll be another successful reclamation trick in the books.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A year ago, Jake Peavy was shipped to the Boston Red Sox and subsequently helped his new team win the World Series. The San Francisco Giants will be hoping he can make a similar impact in 2014. The team confirmed the news on Saturday:

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal notes Peavy’s feelings on Bruce Bochy:

Alex Pavlocic of the San Jose Mercury News reveals why the Giants made the move now:

San Francisco traded for the 33-year-old right-hander Saturday, shipping minor league pitchers to Boston in return. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the news: 

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported what the Red Sox would be getting in return:

Olney also broke down how Peavy’s salary would be split:

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the deal makes a lot of sense:

CSN Bay Area’s Andrew Baggarly reports that Peavy will start for the Giants almost immediately:

The Giants acquired Peavy with the intent to start him Sunday against the Dodgers at AT&T Park in place of fill-in starter Yusmeiro Petit, who had made one appearance in the rotation (five runs in five innings at Philadelphia) since the club placed Matt Cain on the disabled list with elbow inflammation.

Cain’s uncertain status compelled the Giants to back-burner their pursuit of a second baseman, right-handed hitting outfielder or reliever. They needed to plug a bigger hole in their rotation.

It’s a typical July swap.

The Sox, toiling at the bottom of the AL East, have no need for Peavy. His two-year, $29 million deal expires at the end of the season, and unless he finishes the year with 255.1 innings pitched (read: he won’t), he won’t be eligible for his 2015 player option. Instead of losing him for nothing to free agency, the Sox are able to dump some of this year’s salary and get a solid asset in return. 

As for the Giants, they are solidifying their starting rotation for the stretch run even if Peavy has been far from razor sharp this season. 

He currently owns an ERA well above 4.00 while his WHIP is the worst of his career, but he shouldn’t be valued solely on those numbers. He has looked much better recently and has been through this kind of transition before. 

“Having been through it twice is something that makes it quite a bit easier,” said Peavy, referring to being traded midseason, via The Providence Journal‘s Tim Britton. “I do understand how it all works.”

It certainly worked out pretty well the last time it happened. When Peavy was shipped to the Sox last July, he responded with a clinical August, compiling a 3.18 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over six starts. During that month, the Sox went from up one game in the East to up 4.5.

He slowed down in September and October, but the veteran was crucial for the title-winning run in Boston. 

Peavy isn’t going to anchor his new rotation, but he doesn’t need to. He will eat up innings, provide depth and experience and likely come through with some quality starts at key moments. 

Although he may not be the same player who once won the Cy Young Award, he can better prepare San Francisco for a run in October. The team that just let him go will attest to that. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Giants face their NL West division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, at home Friday. I spoke with Aaron Boone, 12-year MLB veteran and current analyst for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, to preview the important three-game series. 

Keely Flanagan: You had a memorable 2003 stint with the Yankees. How does the Dodgers-Giants rivalry compare to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry?

Aaron Boone: You know, especially now, I think it’s comparable. At the peak of Red Sox-Yankees, and speaking on when I was there [on the Yankees] in 2003, and then when the Red Sox beat them in 2004, it was as big as anything in sports probably. I’m not sure people on the East Coast realize how big a deal Dodgers-Giants is. I think especially when you consider how potentially good those teams are, with recent playoff success, and the two teams now slugging it out in the National League West to win that division, it’s a huge deal. 

KF: Why have the Giants been successful, winning two World Series championships in four years, while the Dodgers spend, spend, spend and have continually come up short?

AB: You know, I think it’s important to separate the two regimes. The Dodgers are really in year two-and-a-half of the new regime. Last year, they went on a historic run to eventually run away with the National League West under this new setup they have where they’ve become the team that spends the most money, and where they’ve added whatever they’ve needed. It’s a different situation. I think San Francisco has been one of the model organizations—you know, you think of St. Louis, you think of San Francisco—teams like that that just have a nice balance of homegrown people but also the financial wherewithal to bring in players from the free-agent market. The Giants have had tremendous stability with Brian Sabean as their general manager. He’s one of the best in the game. You think about both of their title runs, both times they made really critical trade deadline moves. Sometimes it’s been a big splash, sometimes it’s been what’s seemed like minor moves that ended up really contributing to world championships. 

KF: You mentioned making key trades at the right times for the Giants. Where is the biggest positional area of need for them right now and where can they look to fill these needs?

AB: It’s going to be fun to watch Brian Sabean, because it seems each year he has a really great handle on what this team needs. It’ll be interesting to see if he goes out to try and bolster the bullpen. And with Matt Cain down, this is a team that could use a starting pitcher. I think they’ll be more inclined to go the starting pitching route, or even relief pitching for that matter. I would think they’re one of the teams in the market to potentially upgrade some pitching. But you know Brian Sabean’s out there too trying to upgrade in other areas. It might not be a huge move, but something that maybe strengthens his bench, or gives him some depth. With some of the injuries he’s had at second base, and with Brandon Belt—it could be minor, or they could make a splash in the starting pitching rotation and get in on a guy like David Price should he become available. 

KF: The Giants have three important players injured right now: Angel Pagan, Matt Cain and Brandon Belt, out with a concussion. All three have had previous stints on the disabled list. Of the three, whose absence has made the biggest impact?

AB: That’s tough. Pagan seems to be a stabilizer to the team, for me. Defensively in center field, what he brings to the top of the order—so I would say him. But that’s hard to take away from anyone else.  Belt was off to a great start, and it looked like he was becoming the player everyone envisioned. And obviously missing Matt Cain is tough. I just think Angel Pagan brings something on both sides of the ball and adds stability at the top of the order and in center field. 

KF: What are the keys to this series for the Giants?

AB: They’re going to have to pitch well. The Dodgers have [Zack] Greinke, [Clayton] Kershaw and [Hyun-Jin] Ryu. Even if you have a successful series against them, you have to assume one, two or even three of these games to be low-scoring. The Giants are going to have to pitch well. It could come down to that old cliche, who gets the big hit at the right time.

KF: The Dodgers altered their pitching rotation order at the All-Star break to make sure the Giants face Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Bruce Bochy and the Giants did not. Neither Tim Hudson or Madison Bumgarner will pitch against the Dodgers. How will this affect the series?

AB: If it works out for the Dodgers, I think it could turn out to be a really good move for them. Right now, the Dodgers are looking up at San Francisco in the standings. But with Bochy, and Cain being down, and Yusmeiro [Petit] moving into the rotation, Bochy’s been more one-game-at-a-time in getting his rotation together. And I think especially with [Tim] Lincecum throwing the ball much better, Bochy is trying to keep things as normal for his rotation as possible.  

With the Dodgers, you know Kershaw and Greinke are the two aces. Not that the other three guys aren’t good pitchers, obviously they are, but with Kershaw and Greinke you absolutely have two bona fide aces.

With the Giants, you’ve got Bumgarner and Hudson, but you’ve also got Lincecum, whose track record is unbelievable. If he’s throwing at the top of his game, he fits right in with those guys. [Ryan] Vogelsong, we’ve seen what he can do over the years. So it seems like there’s a bigger spread between the Dodgers’ one and two, and their three and four, than the Giants. 

KF: Who do you think is going to win the National League West?

AB: As far as the division, I still lean Dodgers. Because of their pitching, and because I don’t think they’ve hit their stride at all. Offensively, i still feel like they’re a team more so than any other team in Major League Baseball, that has the capability of going 25-5 in a stretch. We really haven’t seen them click at all yet. In a lot of ways, they’re a team of misfit toys. I also think these next several days, potentially, will tell us a lot. Who makes the move that changes the makeup of their team, or could alter this division race? 

Aaron Boone will appear on Baseball Tonight: Sunday Night Countdown this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.  The series finale is on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball on July 27.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tim Lincecum has taken fans on a roller-coaster ride during the last three years, and it’s finally reached its peak.

Sure, it was a lot more riveting watching Lincecum dazzle fans with eight brilliant innings in Game 5 of the 2010 World Series. But since Lincecum’s miserable 2012 campaign left the Giants wondering what he would do for the rest of his career, Giants fans have never been more excited about the former ace.

Lincecum boasts a phenomenal 0.30 ERA in his last four starts, and his ERA for the season is down to a respectable 3.66. Giants fans want to believe he is officially back, but they’ve been fooled by Lincecum before.

After his deplorable first half in 2012, when he lost 10 games and posted a horrid 6.42 ERA, he tossed two straight gems. He posted a 1.20 ERA in that span and completed seven or more innings both times.

But then he gave up five runs and failed to make it out of the fifth inning in his next start. He finished the year with a 5.18 ERA.

Lincecum started the 2013 year poorly, but he rebounded for one great start on July 13: He no-hit the San Diego Padres in a thrilling, 148-pitch affair, lowering his ERA to a slightly below-average 4.26.

The Giants started to expect great things from Lincecum. But then he gave up eight runs in his next start. He finished 2013 with a 4.37 ERA and left Giants fans wondering which Lincecum would show up in 2014.

Until his second no-hitter, it was the mediocre Lincecum of 2012 and 2013. But now his numbers are not laughable. He’s been dominant lately, and the Giants are 13-6 in his starts this year.

Excluding his two worst starts of the year (in which he gave up 15 combined runs in 8.1 innings), he has a 2.67 ERA.

He has six quality starts in his last seven outings, and he’s given up three runs or fewer in 14 of his 19 outings (and four runs or fewer in 17 of them).

For a frame of reference, ace Madison Bumgarner has given up more than three runs in eight of his 20 starts. Lincecum has finally pitched well this season, and the Giants finally have legitimate hope.

But is this sample size too small?

Lincecum is still the same guy who had a 4.79 ERA spanning from the start of 2012 until the start before his most recent no-hitter. So there would have to be concrete evidence to determine whether this recent mastery is sustainable.

The fact that he’s striking out fewer batters seems to speak for this stupendous stretch being a coincidence, but it actually shows a change in pitching style. It shows efficiency from Lincecum.

Before his second no-hitter, he was averaging 17.64 pitches per inning, which was why he was averaging about 5.5 innings per start. However, since then he has averaged 14.24 pitches per inning.

Considering that Lincecum averages 94.2 pitches per start this year, he could finish an average of 6.61 innings per start at his recent pace. By also limiting walks (he’s walked just nine in his last four starts), he can be much more effective.

However, there are some more complicated metrics that also paint a clear picture. According to Brooks Baseball, Lincecum threw his fastball 417 times, or 28.58 percent of the time, in his first 15 starts of 2014.

It didn’t benefit him much.

Opponents hit .326 against Lincecum’s fastball, and since then he has thrown his fastball just 20.8 percent of the time. Opponents are hitting a mere .063 off of it, which could indicate improvement with the pitch.

But it could also mean that Lincecum has become less predictable by gaining confidence in all of the pitches in his arsenal.

His slider has been sharp, as he has yielded a measly .200 slugging percentage (in his last four starts) with the pitch. This is in contrast to four home runs and four doubles in 80 at-bats before.

His ability to throw strikes, last into the late innings and throw the ball well despite a plummet in strikeouts is phenomenal.

It goes without saying that the freak of nature, who blew scouts and hitters away with a 97 mph fastball as a rookie, is gone. But a doppelganger with a different style could attain similar success.

Lincecum has the same devastating off-speed stuff that has carried him to success before, but he also has a successful approach. He’s throwing strikes and using all of his pitches in all counts, which is bad news for hitters.

Obviously, it’s harder to dominate without a blazing fastball to allow a pitcher to get away with mistakes. So expecting another Cy Young Award for Lincecum is, well, foolish.

But expecting Lincecum to be a consistent pitcher, who puts up above-average numbers in the middle of the rotation, is not wild.

In fact, when the Giants handed out what seemed to be a ludicrous $35 million deal to the quirky hurler, this is, most likely, exactly what they were hoping for.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On June 8, the Giants were a Major League best 42-21 with a 9.5 game lead over their rival Dodgers. It appeared the Giants would just run away with another NL West title.

My oh my how the tables have turned.

The Giants suffered from a terrible case of June swoon and saw their commanding lead on the Dodgers diminish. 

The starting rotation struggled, the clutch hits they got in April and May were non-existent and the typically reliable Sergio Romo was removed from his duties as closer after blowing three saves in two weeks.

General manager Brian Sabean has never been one to pull the trigger on a trade quickly to bring in reinforcements. He has a lot of trust in his players and knows that this roster can win.

However, if the Giants were to make some deals before the deadline, they should look to improve production at second base and add another arm to the rotation.

Here are three perfect trade scenarios for the Giants leading up to the deadline.

Trade for Daniel Murphy

Early in the year when Brandon Hicks was hitting home runs, it looked like the Giants had found a solid replacement for Marco Scutaro. However, Hicks has hasn’t hit a long ball since May 23 and has seen his average drop all the way down to .166. 

The Giants tried exploring other options when they brought up Joe Panik, but he has been spotty in the field and unimpressive at the plate.

So what should the solution be? Daniel Murphy.

Murphy is having a fantastic year with a .300 batting average, 34 RBI and a .350 OBP. He would be a great improvement at second base and also give the Giants a bat at the top of the order, something they have not had since Angel Pagan has been out. 

The 29-year-old Murphy has been one of the Mets’ most consistent players since breaking into the major league in 2008, so it is understandable that New York will have a big asking price for him. 

When the Giants drafted Gary Brown, the club expected the speedster to become their center fielder and leadoff hitter of the future. However, Brown has been a huge disappointment and is no longer the highly touted prospect he once was.

With an underwhelming .267 average and .321 OBP in Triple-A Fresno, it is time for the Giants to part ways with its former first round pick.

Adam Duvall, promoted just over a week ago, hit a home run in his first major league game. While it is great to have another power bat in the lineup, the Giants won’t have space for him when Brandon Belt returns. 

Belt is the first baseman of the future for the Giants and that leaves Duvall the odd man out.

If the Giants could work out this deal with the Mets, Murphy would be a more than welcomed addition to the San Francisco clubhouse. 

Add Jason Hammel

While Jason Hammel is no David Price or Jeff Samardzija, he is still a very solid pitcher that would add some depth to a struggling starting rotation. 

Hammel has a 7-5 record on the year with a 2.98 ERA and a 4.62 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a mark that ranks sixth in the National League.

The Giants would love to add Price or Samardzija, but they also would not like to trade away their top pitching prospects such as Kyle Crick, Chris Stratton and Edwin Escobar. The Rays and Cubs will have huge asking prices for Price and Samardzija, which is why a deal for Hammel seems much more appealing.

Making just $6 million in 2014, Hammel seems like a low risk, high reward pickup for the Giants. 

Who should the Giants give up to get Hammel? Michael Kickham.

Kickham was a 6th round pick for the Giants in 2010 and has been unimpressive in his three major league starts, going 0-3 with a 10.16 ERA.

In Triple-A Fresno this year, Kickham is doing well with a 6-5 record and 3.46 ERA. Even though he is having a good year, the Giants can afford to part ways with him due to their plethora of strong pitching prospects.

Trade for Ben Zobrist

The Giants have some holes to fill in the outfield and at second base, which makes Ben Zobrist the perfect solution.

Zobrist can play anywhere in the field except for pitcher and catcher and hit anywhere in the order.

Zobrist is hitting just .250 this year, but that’s mostly be due to the lack of protection in a poor Rays’ offense. Place him in the Giants’ lineup, and he would improve.

The Rays love Zobrist due to his enormous versatility, so they might have a big asking price for him as the trade deadline approaches. 

Tampa Bay has been successful in the past due to its pitching staff. If they want Michael Kickham and reliever Dan Runzler, this could be a good trade for the Giants. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows so far in 2014.

On June 8, they were a season-high 21 games over .500 with the best record in baseball but have since dropped 10 of 13. 

With so much baseball left to play, it is difficult to predict where the Giants will be in the NL West standings come September.

Will Angel Pagan stay healthy for the rest of the season? Can the Giants starting rotation turn it around? Who is the solution at second base?

Let’s take a look at second-half predictions for every player on the club’s 25-man roster.

Begin Slideshow

Joe Panik is currently on a plane headed to Arizona, where he will meet up with the San Francisco Giants and likely make his major league debut in the coming days. 

Panik is from a suburb about one hour north of New York City. He attended high school at John Jay (East Fishkill, N.Y.), which—from personal experience—isn’t considered to be a baseball powerhouse. He wasn’t drafted out of high school, but went on to attend St. John’s University, where he positioned himself as arguably the best college shortstop heading into the 2011 draft.

Panik is a hard working, offensive-minded second baseman. His baseball IQ and maturity will be the reasons why Giants fans fall in love with his play. Offensively, he profiles similar to Daniel Murphy, the second baseman for the New York Mets, but defensively, he is much more adequate—a natural shortstop who shifted over to second base in his second professional season.

Since the day he put on a professional uniform, Panik has raked. He gets a bit of a bad rap for his offensive numbers at Double-A Richmond last year, but many overlook the fact that he suffered a hamstring injury early in spring training last year that led to a slow start that he was unable to rebound from. And the Eastern League isn’t exactly known for potent offense.

Many are calling 2014 his breakout year, but he’s really just playing ball the Panik way— doesn’t swing and miss much, makes solid contact, gets on base, plays solid defense, shows gap-to-gap power and drives the occasional ball out of the park. In fact, one of Panik’s homers this season was hit off highly touted Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard. 

Panik trusts his talents. He knows what he can and can’t do. He can play up his strengths and will continue to work on any weaknesses he has. Giants fans will be very pleased with his production at second base—although, to be fair, they haven’t exactly been blown away this year by second base production, so it won’t be too difficult to please them. 

The Giants know what they have in Panik, and what type of player he is. If they are calling him up and clearing room on the 40-man roster it’s because they know he can be a piece of the puzzle that helps the Giants bring home the NL West this season. 

Panik has excellent strike-zone management and instincts, and if he stays within himself—continuing to play the way he has his entire professional career—he will be successful at the next level.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A few years back, MLB was confronted by a new problem. Well, concussions weren’t “new” but the focus on them was. As players, especially catchers, were seen to have problems, MLB did something. Led by Athletic Trainers and several ex-players, including Mike Matheny, a new policy was quickly put in place to diagnose and monitor concussions throughout baseball.

The system has, for the most part, worked. There are always issues, but with any system, there will be exceptions. The seven-day concussion DL and the protocols in place for clearing a player to return after a concussion have been a success. The NFL is still iterating its system and not showing the same results that MLB has so far.

There were two concussions this week that bring the issue back up, showing the two key mechanisms. Buster Posey took a hard foul off his mask and was lifted from the game once he complained of symptoms. Posey wasn’t back in the lineup until Tuesday, according to NBC Sports (via Yahoo! Sports), and the Giants figure to watch him closely. Shifting him to first will help some, but that’s been part of their plan all along.

Michael Brantley was kneed in the head on a slide, a similar mechanism to what we’ve seen with Justin Morneau and others in the past. The play is simply awkward, and some think that changes in the “neighborhood play” with replay have made this even more dangerous. It’s far too small a sample to make any informed decision, but this would be easy to tweak if necessary. 

Catching concussions are a tough problem, though advances with helmet technologies are promising. For sliding players, there’s a more simple fix. Players should wear tighter helmets, which is easily correctable, but we may need to shift to a dual-cushion system. Perhaps there will be batting helmets and “sliding helmets” in the future, since the forces of a hard ball to the mask and a knee to the head are far different.

Posey was able to return quickly, but Brantley is still undergoing tests, according to the AP, via ESPN.com, after suffering both head and neck issues. Both players are well served by MLB’s concussion policy, and we can only hope Brantley is back as quickly and easily as Posey.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants have the best record in the majors (despite getting swept by the Colorado Rockies at home this past weekend), but it’s still important to monitor the organization’s farm system, which will largely dictate whether the team is able to replicate its recent success in the forthcoming seasons.

Though the Giants’ minor league system has been plagued with injuries among the top prospects and still lacks top position players in comparison to many other teams’ farm systems, the recent signing of Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell and the surplus of young pitching has the Giants in solid shape when it comes to the well-being of their developing talent.

Let’s take a look at how those players performed last week, and what we can expect from some of the injured players going forward.

10. Clayton Blackburn

2014 Stats

8 GS, 2-5, 3.40 ERA, 9 BB, 32 K, 42.1 IP

Overview

Blackburn still hasn’t pitched since May 19, but he’s nearing his return date. According to the right-hander’s Twitter account, he finished up rehab a few days ago, with the next stop being a rookie league start. He’ll be back with the Flying Squirrels before long, where he’ll look to get back on track after slumping a bit before his injury. Blackburn has allowed 10 runs on 23 hits in 15.1 innings during his last three starts, so the Giants will be hoping that the time off will allow him to right the ship upon his return.

Last Week’s Stats
N/A

Stock
N/A

9. Joe Panik

2014 Stats

70 G, .314/.375/.440, 12 2B, 5 HR, 43 RBI, 48 R

Overview

Panik was busy last week, with a healthy total of 34 at-bats thanks to an 11-inning affair followed by a doubleheader to close out the week. Though he went hitless in the two Saturday games, Panik smashed the ball all week in the six preceding games. He registered a hit in all six contests while hitting a pair of homers (nearly equaling his total of three up to that point in the season) and driving in nine runs.

The show of power likely wasn’t a sign of things to come given Panik’s history of poor home run rates, but his pair of three-hit games and his nine-game hitting streak dating back to the previous week was simply more of the same from what has been a breakout season for the Giants second base prospect. Though manager Bruce Bochy is still confident in current big league second baseman Brandon Hicks’ ability to rebound from his current slump, the club won’t be able to ignore Panik’s success much longer if Hicks’ poor hitting turns into more than just a funk.

Last Week’s Stats
10-for-34, 2 HR, 9 RBI

Stock
Up

8. Ty Blach

2014 Stats

12 GS, 4-3, 2.87 ERA, 13 BB, 38 K, 62.2 IP

Overview

Blach rebounded from a pair of rough starts by going five strong innings to pick up his first win since mid-May. Though he wasn’t exactly dominant, allowing seven baserunners while needing 96 pitches to get through the five innings, it was promising nevertheless to see Blach return to form a bit.

The left-hander’s Achilles’ heel this season has been the long ball, so it’s no coincidence that his second start allowing fewer than three runs since April 28 was also the first time he didn’t allow a home run since that date, a span of six starts.

In total, Blach has allowed eight home runs this season, but only 20 earned runs. Clearly, he’ll be a dominant pitcher if he can limit the homers, and considering the fact that Blach allowed eight home runs in more than twice as many innings last season, this is a trend that isn’t likely to continue.

Last Week’s Stats
1 GS, 5 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Stock
Up

7. Heath Hembree

2014 Stats

27 G, 0-1, 12 SV, 3.51 ERA, 9 BB, 28 K, 25.2 IP

Overview

Hembree has rebounded nicely from his four-run appearance on May 27, allowing a single earned run in eight innings since. That includes the 2.2 frame he tossed last week, during which he surrendered an unearned run but also allowed just one total baserunner.

The right-hander’s hot streak has pushed his ERA down to 3.51 on the season, and he also picked up save No. 12 on Thursday. Expect Hembree to make an impact out of the big league bullpen in September, as he did in a brief stint last season.

Last Week’s Stats
3 G, 2.2 IP, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Stock
Up

6. Christian Arroyo

2014 Stats

31 G, .203/.226/.271, 3 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R

Overview

Arroyo finally returned to competitive action after sitting out for over a month with a sprained thumb, though he eased back in with a game at Low-A Salem-Keizer on Friday. The Giants shortstop prospect went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and he’ll look to continue that when he re-joins the Single-A San Jose club. Arroyo had been playing in extended spring training before his game on Friday night, so he wasn’t coming into the game completely 

Arroyo is hitting .203 with just five extra-base hits in 118 at-bats this season, and he’s drawn just four walks, which shows how much he has to go in his hitting development. The power and plate discipline will likely only improve with added strength and experience, but the slow start is nevertheless concerning considering the team’s risky move to draft Arroyo in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Last Week’s Stats
1-for-3, 2 RBI (at Low-A Salem-Keizer)

Stock
N/A

5. Mac Williamson

2014 Stats

23 G, .318/.420/.506, 7 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 16 R

Overview (From Last Week)

Williamson continues the trend of injured Giants prospects here, as he’s sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 29. The Giants outfielder was putting up strong numbers prior to his injury, and he’s generally put up consistent stats throughout his minor league career, but there’s no telling whether he’ll be able to return strong from his extended absence. At the very least, hitters generally return faster than pitchers when it comes to Tommy John surgery, so we can expect to see Williamson suit up on day one in 2015.

Last Week’s Stats
N/A
Stock
N/A

4. Adalberto Mejia

2014 Stats

12 GS, 3-5, 5.61 ERA, 15 BB, 48 K, 59.1 IP

Overview

Mejia’s disastrous start to the season probably had a few people in the organization a little bit worried, but his last two starts have been much more in line with the Mejia of 2013. The left-hander had his best start of the season on Sunday when he spun seven shutout innings, though in terms of last week, he was also somewhat improved during his 5.1-inning, one-run performance.

It’s too early to say Mejia has really turned it around, especially considering his start last week wasn’t particularly great. (He allowed 11 baserunners in the 5.1 innings.) However, the recent seven-inning gem has Mejia on the upswing, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue that trend in his second start this week.

Last Week’s Stats
1 GS, 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Stock
Up

3. Chris Stratton

2014 Stats

12 GS, 4-6, 4.43 ERA, 24 BB, 66 K, 67 IP

Overview

Once again, Stratton showed that when he controls his pitches well, hitters have trouble against him. But the right-hander’s start last week was particularly impressive because he didn’t walk a single batter for the first time all season, resulting in arguably the best start of the year.

The start was also the second time in a row (and the third in four starts) in which Stratton went seven innings, showing his improved durability as well. He also struck out a season-high nine batters, and his ERA fell to 4.43. Like Mejia, Stratton has some work to do, but he has been dominant in three of his past four starts, and his rough beginning to the season is quickly receding into the background.

Last Week’s Stats
1 GS, 7 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Stock
Up

2. Edwin Escobar

2014 Stats

14 GS, 3-6, 5.26 ERA, 26 BB, 69 K, 75.1 IP

Overview

If anything, Escobar’s season in Triple-A has shown just how much work he has to do before making the leap to the majors.

Last week, the left-hander allowed four runs in five innings on nine baserunners, and he followed that up by getting battered around for five runs on 12 hits on Friday.

The back-to-back poor performances are especially disappointing because they come after Escobar had an excellent start on June 2, which might have indicated a sign of things to come. Instead, Escobar has allowed 18 hits and nine runs in the 10 innings following that start. In an up-and-down season with a lot of downs, Escobar might be better suited by spending some time down in Double-A to give him a better chance of getting back on track.

Last Week’s Stats
2 GS, 10 IP, 18 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

Stock
Down

1. Kyle Crick

2014 Stats

11 GS, 4-2, 3.89 ERA, 29 BB, 43 K, 44 IP

Overview

Crick took the loss on Friday in one of his worst starts of the season, allowing four runs and an alarming nine hits in five innings. The performance was uncharacteristic of Crick, who generally struggles with his control instead of getting battered around by his opponents.

The tough start likely isn’t much to get alarmed about, especially with Crick’s two solid outings before his start last week. Though it could become problematic if Crick continues to allow hits in bunches like he did on Friday.

At the very least, the silver lining was that Crick walked two batters or fewer for the third straight start, a huge positive for a pitcher whose weak point has been his control.

Last Week’s Stats
1 GS, 5 IP, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Stock
Even

There is a seemingly endless supply of organization prospect lists all over the Internet, but for the sake of consistency, this list follows the rankings from Baseball America’s 2014 Top 10 Prospects Index.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com