For the last handful of months, as the San Francisco Giants flirted with and then emphatically maintained their mediocrity, I heard a common refrain from the fanbase. Just play the kids, they’d shout. At least it would be entertaining.
I haven’t always disagreed.
Were Farhan Zaidi replaced as president of baseball operations by Brady’s Fandom Desires, then Nick Ahmed would never have been on the team, as Marco Luciano would have been the Day 1 shortstop. Heliot Ramos would’ve received an opportunity before the team quite literally ran out of alternative options.