Over the course of a thirteen-year stretch, (2010-2022) Houston and San Francisco have combined to capture five World Series. Dave Flemming has become a fixture throughout the Bay Area since joining Giants broadcasts in 2003, leaving an undeniable favorable mark from the booth. He joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes to preview the upcoming three game series at Oracle Park.
Q: The Giants have played Houston well in recent years, including a sweep last season. What’s been the secret?
A: I don’t
think there is a secret. The Giants haven’t made the playoffs in five years but have largely been a solid team in that time. Competition in the NL West has been so difficult that the Giants have usually measured up well when going outside of the division. They also just seem to play well at your ballpark, but this year of course has been a much more difficult year for the Giants.
Q: You referenced the struggles this season. The Giants are largely implementing a new youth movement. There’s a crop of younger guys develop like Marcelo Mayer, Bryce Eldridge and Jung Hoo Lee. What can you tell us about those guys?
A: Eldridge is the big one – he has a chance to be a legit star. He has incredible aptitude, he’s gotten better at every aspect of the game and he’s only 21. He really has the upside of one of the very best hitters in the game. He’s banged up right now so hasn’t been as productive, but it’s been a great year for him. Lee is a much more established player and has had a good year. The next wave of young talent mostly hasn’t hit the big leagues yet so right now the current younger players are probably more like future role players.
Q: What do you feel has been the biggest adjustment for manager Tony Vitello in his first year at the helm?
A: I don’t want to speak for Tony. He has been pretty open about learning on the fly. I think one major difference in the pro game and in the big leagues is player usage. You have to use your bench and bullpen to involve everyone and keep your players fresh. That was a big challenge, especially early with a veteran team of everyday players. You will see with the current roster that there’s a much more fluid use of the entire 26-man team than the Giants deployed for much of the season.
Q: Give our readers at Crawfish Boxes a quick thought on Carson Whisenhunt. He’s allowed 14 earned runs over his last 3 starts, but he was a highly ranked prospect. What is in his arsenal?
A: Whisenhunt has a superb changeup, but the rest of his arsenal is still unrefined. When Carson really locates his fastball, he has success, but he’s still looking for consistency there.
Q: Finally, you’ve seen some amazing moments throughout your career with San Francisco, which includes the three World Series to name a few. How tough has this season been in some of the tougher stretches when the losses have accumulated for you?
A: I think the hardest seasons are the ones that fall short with high expectations. The Giants (and I) believed this was a playoff caliber team, and it just hasn’t been close.
Aside from the losses, there has been a chaotic feel too much of the season with way more controversies and negative stories than usual. That is really unusual for a proud and buttoned-up franchise. Buster Posey cares deeply about this team and city and is not in this job for personal ego or anything other than a deep desire to see the Giants be at their very best. So, it has been a really tough year for the Giants.
Fortunately, there are many good things going on under the surface such as the arrival of young players at the big-league level and a very healthy and talented minor league system. The Giants had a great draft on paper and made some fruitful trades at the deadline, but it takes a backseat to the overall record that was fallen woefully short of expectations this year.
