So, the Giants think Hensley “Bamm-Bamm” Meulens is the man to turn their woeful offense into something more, maybe an attack with a little “Bamm-Bamm.” But, instead of switching up the hitting coaches, what San Francisco really needs are more professional hitters. Signing Freddy Sanchez to a two-year deal is a good start.
It seems the Giants have banked their hopes for more offense in 2010 partly on Meulens preexisting relationship with youngsters such as John Bowker, Eugenio Velez and Buster Posey. It might be just as simple as that, a familiar voice in their ear, someone they trust, instead of Carney Lansford, who it now seems never really meshed with players.
But, Lansford has taken too much heat over the past week or so for San Francisco’s failure as an offense. He wasn’t given the best batch to work with, but a collection of undisciplined hitters. Baseball’s best hitting coach, whoever that might be, couldn’t have done any better in two years.
Lansford fell on the sword, while GM Brian Sabean received a fat new contract. Seems like the opposite should have taken place.
With Meulens as batting coach will Aaron Rowand suddenly stop swinging at balls in the dirt? Will Edgar Renteria salvage his career? The team’s youngsters might listen to Meulens a bit more closely than they did Lansford, but were they really the problem in 2009?
Fortunately for the Giants, a few of their worst offenders, Randy Winn and Bengie Molina probably won’t return next season.
A full season of Sanchez, a career .300-hitter should help the Giants’ cause, but they’ll need more than a gap-hitting second baseman to make a serious dent in the NL West.
Maybe the Giants simply wanted to reward a guy who’d paid his dues in Fresno, had some recent success with the team’s younger hitters and saw an opportunity to do so with the lack of success by Lansford. Their reasoning must extend deeper, but probably not much.
But, none of this should reflect poorly on Lansford or his ability as a hitting coach. He couldn’t create a filet mignon out of mincemeat, but who could?
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