Bear
05-27-2009, 09:02 AM
05/26/09
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
Infielder's maiden stint in bigs ends; Torres activated from DL
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jesus Guzman's much-anticipated stint with the Giants lasted exactly five days, as they optioned him and his heralded bat Tuesday to Triple-A Fresno to clear roster room for outfielder Andres Torres, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Guzman, 24, aroused curiosity by batting .363 in 39 games for Fresno on the heels of hitting .412 in Spring Training. But he remains a work in progress defensively. That factor, along with the Giants' realization that they can man first base adequately with Travis Ishikawa, Pablo Sandoval and Rich Aurilia, prompted San Francisco to return Guzman to Triple-A for further seasoning.
"This guy doesn't have a year at Triple-A yet," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's best for him go to down there and play every day, continue to work on his defense and see Triple-A pitching. We're not in a position to throw him out there every day and give him enough time ... to get settled in to see Major League pitching. Coming off the bench and playing once in a while is not going to help his progress as a Major League player."
Nevertheless, Bochy believed that Guzman, whose contract was purchased from Fresno last Thursday when catcher Steve Holm was optioned there, benefited from his brief time in the Majors.
"He earned this," Bochy said. "For him to get that initial callup done and over with and have an idea what it's like up here, now you take away the unknown factor and he has an idea."
Guzman indeed sounded aware of what he must do to stick in the big leagues.
"I'm going to keep working so I can play here for a long time," Guzman said.
Torres, who strained his left hamstring in an April 27 game against Los Angeles, hit .297 (11-for-37) in 10 games on his injury rehabilitation assignment, including .370 (10-for-27) in seven games with Fresno. He appeared in nine games before being injured, hitting .222 (2-for-9) with one home run.
My guess is we will see very little of Mr. Guzman in the future. He is not the answer for anything except DH.:shakehead:
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
Infielder's maiden stint in bigs ends; Torres activated from DL
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jesus Guzman's much-anticipated stint with the Giants lasted exactly five days, as they optioned him and his heralded bat Tuesday to Triple-A Fresno to clear roster room for outfielder Andres Torres, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Guzman, 24, aroused curiosity by batting .363 in 39 games for Fresno on the heels of hitting .412 in Spring Training. But he remains a work in progress defensively. That factor, along with the Giants' realization that they can man first base adequately with Travis Ishikawa, Pablo Sandoval and Rich Aurilia, prompted San Francisco to return Guzman to Triple-A for further seasoning.
"This guy doesn't have a year at Triple-A yet," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's best for him go to down there and play every day, continue to work on his defense and see Triple-A pitching. We're not in a position to throw him out there every day and give him enough time ... to get settled in to see Major League pitching. Coming off the bench and playing once in a while is not going to help his progress as a Major League player."
Nevertheless, Bochy believed that Guzman, whose contract was purchased from Fresno last Thursday when catcher Steve Holm was optioned there, benefited from his brief time in the Majors.
"He earned this," Bochy said. "For him to get that initial callup done and over with and have an idea what it's like up here, now you take away the unknown factor and he has an idea."
Guzman indeed sounded aware of what he must do to stick in the big leagues.
"I'm going to keep working so I can play here for a long time," Guzman said.
Torres, who strained his left hamstring in an April 27 game against Los Angeles, hit .297 (11-for-37) in 10 games on his injury rehabilitation assignment, including .370 (10-for-27) in seven games with Fresno. He appeared in nine games before being injured, hitting .222 (2-for-9) with one home run.
My guess is we will see very little of Mr. Guzman in the future. He is not the answer for anything except DH.:shakehead: