Conor Gillaspie returns, and we're not sure why.

Way back in the 2009-10 off-season, a good friend told us a certain free-agent signee was “born to be a Giant”, and his reasoning wasn’t exactly a compliment. The Giants had a habit of taking on guys who had been good once but were definitely on the downside.

Steve Finley, Omar Vizquel, Jeff Fassero, Ricky Ledee, Shea Hillenbrand, Ryan Klesko and more were players from whom the Giants tried to squeeze the last bit of talent. In each case the best you could say was that at least he wasn’t Marvin Benard.

The player who prompted the remark was (drum roll)… Aubrey Huff.  The actual statement: "I have always believed, from day one of his career, that Aubrey Huff would be a Giant at some point after his peak. Mediocre in every aspect but with a little plus power, now at the end of his career. In short, a PML (Proven Major Leaguer). Sabean's wet dream."

 

Conor Gillaspie in an ugly uniform

We roundly criticized that move as part of a failed strategy. The Giants had caught lightning in a bottle eight years earlier, reaching the 2002 World Series with Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent and a bunch of retreads. It wasn’t something you plan on, it just happened. And we honestly believed the Giants were chasing a pipe dream by trying to recapture that magic.

We weren’t alone. As noted in February 2010 by the San Jose Mercury News: "In the three years since the Giants divorced themselves from the Barry Bonds era, they have talked repeatedly about getting younger, faster, healthier and homegrown. A glance at their forecast everyday lineup shows virtually none of that is happening. Six of the eight position players are in their 30s and were acquired via free agency or trade. Of those six veterans, three are coming off surgeries, two will try to rebound from sub-par years, and the other is Bengie Molina…”

Conor Gillaspie in a less-ugly uniform

Note: You can re-live these and other tidbits by going to the “Our Other Pages” section of this site and clicking on the “Ranting On” link. This chronicle of the 2010 season remains archived thanks to our friends at Google and Blogger. The actual post referenced can be found here.

The Giants took note. They’ve used the market to fill gaps but the 2012 and 2014 teams were largely self-developed. Free-agent additions (Hunter Pence comes to mind), were well-targeted. This year, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija fill obvious needs. The deals make sense to a team that believes, we think rightly so, that it can and should win now.

So you have to wonder, why start bringing in old hands again?

Back in 2008 the Giants made a catcher who eschewed his given name for a moniker that sounds like half of an adult arcade with their first pick. Their second (a first-round compensatory selection) was 3B Conor Gillaspie.

Gillaspie was a clear miss. He didn’t suck, he just didn’t do anything to earn a spot. He wasn’t even endearing  like Brian Dallimore or Kevin Frandsen. He was just sort of there, and he and the Giants eventually parted company.

He bounced around baseball until resurfacing in 2014 with the White Sox. Gillaspie put up a solid 282/.336/.416 line, then in 2015 drifted off into oblivion again like Stallone at the end of Rocky VI. He was sold to the Angels, appropriate because he played like he was dead, and then sentenced to baseball Hell.

Now he’s back, joining the likes of Darren Ford and Mike “Kick Me” Kickham on the remembrance trail and competing with retreads like George Kotteras and Miguel Olivo for a chance to avoid grocery bagging or night watchman jobs.

Bringing in Gillaspie isn’t a bad move in and of itself.  When he came out of Wichita State he was a left-handed bat who could draw walks and put the ball in play. That’s not a bad guy to have coming off the bench at a position where the Giants don’t have depth, even though his power numbers aren’t what you’d hope from a corner infielder. But when he’s struggles, it’s miserable. Maybe that’s why three organizations have been willing to bid him adios before age 27.

What has to be troubling to Giants fans is what this says about the state of the farm system. As noted last week, the Giants’ top prospect list is filled with arms and middle infielders. The occasional outfielder makes an appearance but there appear to be glaring areas of glaring short-term weakness. The top-rated Third Baseman in the organization is 21-year-old Ryan Jones, who in after four pro seasons is still in A-Ball.

Ryan Jones while not suspended

Oh, and there was that 50-game suspension for amphetamines. 

He’s rated the Giants’ 23^rd-best prospect, right between pitchers Michael Santos and Joan Gregorio – bringing the total of players you’ve never heard of in this sentence to three. As for players in waiting, there’s not much "there" there.

See what we did there? Yes, we dare to say “there” that many times in a sentence. There's little we won't do for a 12-pack of Pepsi, so there.

Brian Sabean took over as GM in 1997, and he initially fell back on his Yankees background and tried to buy a team. It didn’t work. Of course it didn’t help to have ownership force feed contract albatrosses like Barry Zito upon him, but he had to take the blame for fiascos like AJ Pierzynski and Phil Nevin.

Sabean evolved, albeit slowly, and the championship runs have been fueled by a solid mix of home-grown talent and sly acquisitions.  Now in his second season as the GM, Bobby Evans is at a crossroads. Do the Giants trust their farm system or don’t they?

That question will be answered by the end of Spring Training, but don’t look for evidence at AT&T Park. The San Francisco roster may have a surprise of two but overall seems to be set. When the team breaks Scottsdale, take a look at the roster in Sacramento. If the supplies list includes a few cases of Ensure, these consensus World Series contenders could be a key injury from disaster.