?I?m a big believer in track record? After the Giants won a game a few Fridays ago against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bruce Bochy said this quote about Pablo Sandoval, which sent a shiver up my spine twenty feet away. Of course, it was also because I could feel the facepalm from the McCoven all at once (like when Alderaan was blown up, basically), yet the overwhelming feeling was that this statement perfectly encapsulated the problem the Giants? front office and manager have had and will have on the team?s won-loss record for the season. Games like Monday?s win against the Reds, as well as the players who fueled it, are a welcome surprise for this Giants team. Even though it does not happen as much as it could (or should considering the overall payroll), the feeling that a game is not over when the opposing team goes up 2-0 is a very good and refreshing feeling. That said, what remains worrisome is the solemn understanding that both the front office and Bochy are firmly committed to the players that have not been major contributors this year. In the month of May, both Aaron Rowand and Bengie Molina hit under the Mendoza line without much in the way of peripheral stats to show other offensive production. While a month is still a relatively small sample size in the aggregate, the bigger worry is that the flaws shown in May are neither easily correctable nor concealable. We will not see pitchers decide ?Nah, I?m bored throwing breaking pitches low or away against Rowand? or ?Time to throw strikes to Bengie!? in the spur of the moment. Obviously, both are better hitters than their May production, yet the concern that neither guy draws walks and the fact that both are free swingers means that their contribution on the offensive end solely depends on when they actually get hits. Now, this would not be a meaningful problem were it not for the players put on the short of the stick by the loyalty to the ineffective veterans. About a week ago, I nearly wrote a piece talking about how it would be prudent to temper the excitement about Buster Posey?s start on the team this year, but luckily my Bar prep left that one unwritten. Bochy keeping him in the lineup has been a welcome surprise, though Posey has made it nearly impossible to bench him. The problem here is that Buster stands as the long-term catcher of this team and has received little opportunity to actually play the position at the major league level. So often with Sabean and Bochy, it seems like the double-edged sword for young players that they cannot get off the bench because they don?t possess the experience, thus denying them the experience they will need later on when they are old enough to be effective when they are old enough for Bochy to play them. Besides the parallels to Bochy?s own playing career that are worth a much more substantive article than this could dream of being (short version: as a player, Bochy was in a Molina/Posey/Whiteside triangle on the Padres, with him in the Eli Whiteside role), the lingering issue is that nobody should catch more than four games in a week. Looking back on Molina?s most productive seasons in the pros, they all live in the times when he played less than 120 games. In fact, other than 2008, every single season where Molina played under 120 games ended with a higher OPS than every season where he played over 130 games. Keeping that in mind, it would be easy to have Molina play less games this season, giving Posey more time at the dish and still using him at 1B or wherever else on the diamond the rest of the time. Heck, this can be even easier in a sport where the starting pitchers rotate. A five-day rotation where Posey catches Zito and Wellemeyer (though it would make more sense for him to catch the youngsters), Molina takes the rest and Whiteside comes in when necessary could work incredibly well given the constraints of rationality given the actors involved. This theory would also possess more traction with management that looked more at rate stats than aggregate stats like RBI. When it comes to catchers in particular, less is more when you have a legitimate replacement. While higher end basketball players often dramatically enhance their value by playing more minutes (since 40 MPG of LeBron James means only eight of his backup), this current Giants team is one where the rest of the bench can ease the load. I?m thankful that Andres Torres is getting an opportunity to play and making the absolute most of it, Nate Schierholz brings a solid bat and a phenomenal arm to the table (not that I?m suggesting that Nate PT should come at the expense of Torres- not by a long shot). The beauty of a more balanced catching rotation is that it improves the effectiveness of everyone involved. Molina takes less strain, Posey gets more experience was also not going through the rigors of catching every day, and the team gains the flexibility to play their best players more often overall. Sure, a system where position players change more frequently is atypical, but these guys are baseball players and the Giants are blessed with the unique position to have versatile guys all over the diamond. While not my personal ideal distribution of playing time, a system that capitalized on what this roster brings to the table would yield better results both offensively and defensively. ?I?m a big believer in track record? Here?s hoping management can eventually see that the path to success is through a little creativity and honesty about who gives the team the best chance to win both now and down the line.