Brian Sabean Giant Blunders #4: Aaron Rowand
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Yesterday I kicked off a list of five beefs I have with Brian Sabean’s moves (or lack thereof) over the last five years. Armando Benitez was a no-brainer at the five spot.
Continuing the count-down today is another major “buy high” blunder by the Giants’ incompetent GM:
#4- Aaron Rowand
Going into last year’s offseason, the Giants had practically zero offense. And after Sabean’s offseason “moves” … they still had practically zero offense in 2008, despite having inked a $60-million deal with an outfielder. How could someone who has been around baseball for as long as Sabean has think that an outfielder who in a seven year career has only hit more than 20 HRs twice and only driven in 70 runs twice is worth $12-million per season? The median salary for the Giants last season was $650,000. So Aaron Rowand got paid about 20-times more than that in 2008 to bat .271, drive in 70 RBIs and rack up a grand total of two stolen bases and some mediocre fielding. Giants PR personnel insulted fans’ intelligence with their relentless lobbying to send Rowand to the All-Star game, but who were they kidding? The guy is a tier-B talent at best. Sabean’s just paying him tier-A money. He’s good at that: sitting on the sidelines for long periods of time without making any big moves, then betting the farm on mediocrity.
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February 18, 2009 at 11:02 am
Great Point Travis. Yeah 12 Million for a really “intense” guy. Smashing into walls is all the hype in Hockey…but in baseball we usually gauge effectiveness by the numbers…like the ones you mentioned. Not overly impressive on paper that’s for sure. A leader? Maybe…but otherwise not overly impressed.
February 18, 2009 at 11:17 am
Thanks Jeffrey. It really sucks when your team is in down years and they bring in somebody mediocre and parade them around like a superstar. It’s mind boggling that Rowand made more money last year than Francisco Rodriguez ($10- mil), Chase Utley ($8-mil) and Ryan Howard ($10- mil).
February 18, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Given the last couple sentences in that entry, I can already tell who # 1 will be.
February 18, 2009 at 4:46 pm
You never know, #1 might throw you for a loop, STLCardinals8.
February 18, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Wooow their turbo!
Aaron Rowand was not a bad signing!
He is productive, and can play center field, he is good to have
February 19, 2009 at 11:02 am
For $12 million per season!!?? If you don’t think that Rowand is a bad signing, you must’ve loved Klesko. B/c he put up only about 20% fewer numbers than Rowand while he was with the Giants in 2007 (and he got paid one-sixth the salary). Rowand may turn it around, but based on his historical stats and last season, he is not even remotely worth the amount of his contract (and that is on the GM).
October 18, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Hey, as much as we hate Sabean, there are a ton of people who think he’s not a bad guy.
Let’s get Sabean out of office: http://www.firebriansabean.com
April 15, 2011 at 8:41 am
AeYtzq Good point. I hadn’t tuhoght about it quite that way.