O'Donnell: Don't Blame Bochy For Giants Struggles
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Are we witnessing the end of the Bruce Bochy era?
Let's fact it. The Giants have been a tough watch this season. It's not just that they're bad, they're boring.
In fact, they haven't been competitive since winning the World Series in 2014.
So the question is, who gets the lion's share of the blame? Is Bochy to blame for a team that ranks second to last in runs scored? Or 29th in home runs? Or 6th in all of baseball in strikeouts?
I can go on with these stats all night, but they're boring too.
Here's how I see it. At the end of the day, Bochy is not responsible for the roster. That falls in the hands of Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans. It's worth remembering, however, these guys built rosters that won three World Series. But it is what it is, and it's just lousy baseball, and that's not good for a fan base that wants a winner, never a rebuild.
The only rebuilding I'd do is in right center field. Get rid of Triple's Alley and fill it in with seats or a bullpen. I'm guessing Larry Baer would prefer to seating idea.
In defense of upper management, free agent sluggers want nothing to do with AT&T Park. It will remain that way until it is altered to make it more hitter friendly. The park doesn't excuse upper management's inability to draft an outfielder who turns out to be a home-grown All-Star. I mean, you gotta go back to Chili Davis, who, as a rookie, was my first interview breaking into the TV business. I'll let you look up the date.
I keep reading between the lines that Bochy's message to his players has gotten old. The only thing getting old are the fat contracts that haven't paid off. No, this isn't Bochy's doing. If he wants out on his terms, well then, here's to a job well done. But if he wants to stick around… let him.
