10 games down, 152 to go!

The Giants are sitting right at .500 with 6 wins and 6 losses.  Unfortunately, they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the opening series, but they recovered quickly by winning 2 out of 3 games in the each of the next two series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies.  After a rough start against the Diamondbacks, the pitching has recovered in exceptional fashion with the exception of Tim Lincecum, the No. 1 pitcher.  Matt Cain bounced back from blowing a 6-run lead in his first start, and over the next two starts has held a streak of 18-straight scoreless innings.  Barry Zito has been arguably the most impressive Giants starter, in two starts he has an ERA of 1.13 with 16 innings pitched, which includes a 1-hit shutout against the Rockies.  Vogelsong had a good first start against the Pirates after returning from injury, giving up 2 runs in 6 and 1/3 innings.  Madison Bumgardener has also been impressive, posting solid outings along with a great one in Colorado.  The one blip on the radar has been the Giants so-called "ace" Tim Lincecum.  Lincecum has a 10.54 ERA through 3 starts and his velocity is down to high 80s and the knee-high location and movement doesn't seem to be the same it used to be.  Although Brian Wilson has gone down with a likely season-ending elbow injury, the bullpen seems to have recovered quickly and has done an exceptional job the last few games.

The offense also seems to have improved from an absolutely miserable one last year.  The team is averaging 4 runs a game as of right now, and if 4 runs are scored on a regular basis with this outstanding pitching staff, the Giants have a very good chance to win every night.  Although the average and the on-base percentage isn't thrilling at .252 and .312 respectively, it's enough to get the job done.  The one area they absolutely need to improve is hitting with runners in scoring position and having the ability to bring a knock in a man on third with less than two outs.  A runner on third can be scored with merely a somewhat deep flyball to the outfield or a groundball to right side. Therefore, there is no excuse not to drive the runner on third in with with regularity.  Also, it suffices to say that the Giants aren't necessarily a clutch team.  Night after night Giants have a very low average with runners in scoring position, an average that is necessary for scoring runs.  As Jeff Kent once said, "the money lies in the RBIs" and the Giants are not producing on that avenue.

As for the offense, Buster Posey seems to have returned to his formal self after a little bit of a rough start, now batting .361 and Pablo seems to be his normal self, batting at a .333 clip.  Fans are falling in love with Melky Cabrera, who had a torrid start but recently cooled off.  Last night's game against the Phillies he was 3 for 4 so hopefully that's a sign of things to come.  Angel Pagan is starting to come alive after a miserable start to the season after a subpar Spring performance.  Pagan is one of the keys to the Giants success because if he can set the table for Melky Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, and Buster Posey, scoring runs will come much easier.  Brandon Belt and Aubrey Huff are having the same struggles that they had in 2011, and seem destined for the bench.  Brandon Belt has not been playing nearly as much lately, being replaced in the lineup by the .310 hitting Nate Schierholtz.  This lineup move is a move for the better because it seems as if Belt is doomed to have another mediocre season in the bigs.  Nate is coming into his prime at the age of 28 while Brandon Belt still has yet to realize his potential.  I would like to see Bochy also bench Huff in favor of Brett Pill, the power hitting first baseman.  Huff is struggling mightily, batting .207, and if he doesn't turn it around, then something has to be done.  Likewise, I would like to see Bochy get Gregor Blanco, the 28-year old outfield speedster some more playing time as well.

Giants fans have a reason to be optimistic, the pitching is coming into its own, and the offense looks to be much improved over last year's.  With a few smart lineup moves by Bochy, the Giants offense might well become one of the better ones in the league.  Look for them to improve on the 6-6 record and start moving away from the .500 mark.  GO GIANTS!

Season Predictions and Giants Updates

The regular season is right around the corner, with the Giants opener on Friday.  Some games have already started in Japan, with the Athletics and the Mariners starting their season there.  Now, it's time for the Giants to make the call on who gets to stay in the bigs and who is released/sent down to the minors.  Gregor Blanco looks to be the fourth outfielder on the roster because of his torrid .348 batting average during spring training.  As far as the infield goes, it looks like Fontenot and Theriot are going to have even less of a role as previously imagined.  Emmanuel Burriss looks as if he is going to start the season at second base in place of the injured Freddy Sanchez.  Burriss is hitting .360 during spring and is showing exceptional defensive skills around the diamond and good base-stealing ability.  Also, Joaquin Arias, a shortstop that had been in the majors before, has impressed mostly with the glove during the spring.  Although being merely average with the bat, .275 average during the spring, his glove should make him a viable back-up for rookie Brandon Crawford if he befalls injury or begins to struggle with the bat.

On the back of their excellent starting pitching and bullpen, I do not see the giants losing more than 70 games unless their rotation is absolutely crippled.  With the return of Buster Posey and eventually Freddy Sanchez, as well as the addition of Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan, should lead to an improved offense.  My prediction for the Giants record is 97- 65, which should be good enough to win them the NL West.  I'm willing to bet that the Giants will be a playoff team once again and will be geared for a playoff run with their stellar pitching.  LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Pre Pre-Season Updates

Preseason games start tomorrow on March 1st the Giants are in a frenzy trying to get everyone healthy and ready.
Injury Updates and Recovery Watch:

Buster Posey: The most important position player on the Giants is making a swift recovery, he has been catching pitchers and taking batting practice against live pitching, Romo and Affedlt both pitching to him.  Posey has been performing well in batting practice and feels good to be back, but is still not back to his normal form.  Posey will be sitting out for the first few games due to precautionary measures but he is actually quite all right.

Freddy Sanchez: Freddy Sanchez, who was out last year with a dislocated shoulder, has recently began to start throwing to first but has not begun turning double plays.  Sanchez will not be playing in the preseason games at first, but will hope to get back in on the action soon with DHing and maybe even playing a few innings in the field.  He is on track to being able to play by Opening Day.

Tim Lincecum: Lincecum suffered from a mild back strain, but recovered quickly and is back to pitching.

Brian Wilson: Wilson played through an enflamed elbow almost all of last season, but looks to be healthy again this year and is able to throw full-effort in the bullpen.

Ryan Vogelsong: Vogelsong suffered an injury early in preseason camp while balancing on a balance ball and lifting 70-pound dumbells and it looks to be a somewhat serious injury.  Although Vogelsong will probably be back soon and be able to start the regular season, Bruce Bochy has changed up the starting rotation by putting Bumgardener in the 2 spot just in case Vogelsong can't start the season.  Sandwiching Bumgardener between Cain and Lincecum would ensure that there wouldn't be three lefties in a row at the tail-end of the rotation.  The three-in-a-row situation would occur if Eric Surkamp (who looks to be the No. 6 starting pitcher right now) started in place of Ryan Vogelsong.  And him, along with Barry Zito and Madison Bumgardener, would make left-handed pitchers start at the 3, 4, and 5 spots.

Position and line-up changes:

The starting outfield almost for sure will look like Melky Cabrera in left, Angel Pagan in center, and Nate Schierholtz in right.  It seems like Angel Pagan will leadoff, with speed that Bochy said is even a little bit better than Andres Torres.  The only other position of contention is first base and Aubrey Huff is given the obvious advantage because of his extensive track record, but Brandon Belt and Brett Pill (who had a very nice end of season last year) have an outside shot of winning the job.

Giants season is around the corner, folks!  Make sure to check out how your favorite players are performing over the next few weeks worth of games!

Giants get Ryan Theriot as Insurance and Release Justin Christian

All has been quiet on the Giants front because their 40-man roster is all but set and fans are waiting patiently for when pitchers and catchers report on February 14th.  However, within the last few weeks they picked up Ryan Theriot, who looks like he will be a member of the backup infielder crew along with former teammate Mike Fontenot.  Theriot plays second base and shortstop, much like Fontenot, so he should be a adequate backup for both Brandon Crawford and Freddy Sanchez.  His numbers aren't amazing, hitting .271 with 47 RBIs and only one homerun in 442 at-bats in 2011.  He looks to be a player very similar to Mike Fontenot, but with Freddy Sanchez having regular shoulder problems and Brandon Crawford a wide-eyed youngster, Bochy needs all the options he can get.  This also gives Bochy the opportunity to ride the hot hand between Fotenot and Theriot rather than be dependent on one only.  It doesn't hurt that Theriot is only getting paid $1.25M with 750K in incentives. 

Unfortunately, with the addition of Ryan Theriot to the roster, someone had to go.  The odd-man out this time around was Justin Christian, speedy veteran centerfielder that finished the season with the Giants after getting called up from Triple-A.  This comes as sad news because after playing many years in the minors, he finally made his big break with the Giants.  Christian showed good potential as  a player, he had uncanny base-stealing ability, stealing 50 in the minors in 2011 and could also hit decently for average.  On behalf of all Giants fans, I wish him good luck in all of his future baseball ventures (unless he's playing the Giants).

As far as Matt Cain's contract goes, it seems to be looking more and more like Cain will not sign a contract extension until next season, when he is finally a free agent.  Cain has expressed that despite his love for San Francisco, he wants to test the waters with free agency before he makes a long-term commitment with the Giants.

In further news, the Giants have signed pitcher Clay Hensley for $750K, who had settled into a long-relief role with the Florida Marlins.  Although last year was a bad year from him, as shown by the very high 5.19 ERA, he looks to fight for a chance to play for the Giants in Spring Training.

In the following weeks, I will be giving updates on more interesting things, like how players are performing in Spring Training and who looks to make the team.  Get ready folks!  Baseball season is right around the corner!

Lincecum Back for Another Two, Cain Signing Imminent

If you have been living under a rock for the last few weeks, then let it be known that the Lincecum extension had taken place to the tone of  40.5 million dollars in two years.  The two years buy out the final years of his arbitration, which means after the contract is done, he will be a free agent.  Apparently, the Giants offered a 100M, 5 year deal that Lincecum declined.  Lincecum has said that it's not because he doesn't want to stay with the Giants, but rather that he wants to keep his options open.  Notably, the Lincecum deal is also the highest paying deal of a player who has less than 6 years MLB service time.  The next is Derek Jeter, who was paid 18.5M per year when he had less than 6 years of MLB service.  The deal is the most expensive deal on a per-year basis in San Francisco Giants history.  Not even both the Barry's, Zito and Bonds match up to Lincecum's contract.  This is remarkable especially because Barry Bonds was easily the most feared hitter to ever play the game and Barry Zito's contract has gone down in history as one of the worst busts.

On the other hand, Matt Cain is looking to be resigned at less than 20 million a year.  Matt Cain would very preferably stay in San Francisco and is willing to give quite a substantial hometown discount.  Matt Cain might even more important to the franchise than Lincecum, being the most consistent Giants pitcher over the last 5 years.   As Andrew Baggarly once said on Twitter, "Lincecum is the girl you date, and Cain is the one you marry." These two pitchers are absolutely essential to the Giants team, without them, I would hardly expect the Giants to be above .500.  The Giants management knows that and they are willing to spend enormous sums of money keeping them by the way.  At the beginning of the offseason, they made it quite clear that they were going to focus on keeping their pitchers before dramatically improving their offense.  And seeing by the lack of payroll flexibility after these re-signings, Lincecum and Cain are going to have to carry the team yet again.  Although, this season, albeit, with a little more money in their pockets.

Angel Pagan for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez

Another trade has happened with the Giants, and it looks to be the last major acquisition of the off-season.  Angel Pagan, the centerfielder and leadoff man for the New York Mets is coming to San Francisco, along with a player to be named later and some amount of cash, in exchange for journeyman and fan-favorite Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez, a solid bullpen arm.  The Giants didn't see much value in Torres after having a downright terrible 2011 season after a breakout 2010 year.  And Ramon Ramirez was an expendable bullpen arm in already dominant bullpen with other righties such as Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo, both who have ridiculous numbers.  The more innings they can pitch, the better the bullpen will be.

Now let's take a look at our new toy, Angel Pagan.

2011 Stats: .262 BA, .322 OBP, 7 HR, 32 SB, 56 RBI

Now, as you can see, these numbers don't jump off the page at you.  Angel Pagan had a down season in 2011 after having a very nice 2010 campaign (.290 BA, .340 OBP, 11 HR, 37 SB, 69 RBI).  But, Angel Pagan does give us a leadoff guy that we were desperately in need for.  Pagan has very good speed, with 69 stolen bases over the last two years, and throughout his career has hit for a decent batting average.  Having a guy with speed at the top of the lineup that could actually hit was something that the Giants were missing last year.  They cycled through many different players, Cody Ross, Andres Torres, and Aaron Rowand to name a few.  But the fact of the matter is that there wasn't one guy that you could say was the definitive leadoff guy.  And now, the Giants have that guy.  I'll agree as much as anyone else that this was a steep price to pay for someone of Pagan's cailber especially in a market that is in desperate need of solid relievers like Ramirez.  But, perhaps the Giants management saw something in Pagan that they saw in the like of the other great diamonds in the rough they've found over the past few years... i.e. Ryan Vogelsong, Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Cody Ross.

If I was manager, and what I think the best lineup to put out there right now would be:

1. Angel Pagan CF

2. Freddy Sanchez 2B

3. Buster Posey C

4. Pablo Sandoval 3B

5. Melky Cabrera LF

6. Nate Schierholtz RF

7. Aubrey Huff 1B

8. Brandon Crawford SS

Doesn't look too pretty, but it's what Giants fans are going to be stuck with.  Brian Sabean, the general manager has made it quite clear that they are not going after any free agents i.e. no Beltran, no Cody Ross.  The last thing they are going to do is tender a contract to either Keppinger or Fontenot, which is not a huge move by any stretch of the imagination.  I would have LOVED to see Beltran back in a Giants uniform again, but that ship has sailed with these two trades.   If anything, this just gets me more excited for the baseball season coming up in the spring.  The most fascinating thing to watch will be whether these risky moves (Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan) will pay off or not.  It's like watching a poker hand being revealed.  The question is, do we have pocket aces, or mismatched number cards?

Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez

The first major off-season trade has happened... and it involved the Giants.  Melky Cabrera for Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo, a Double-A pitcher.  As a Giants fan, I'm very wary of any moves by the Giants during the offseason.  GM Brian Sabean has been at the head of some suspect trades and acquisitions in that past and his name is notorious in the Giants community.  Both these players are high risk, high reward players.  Sanchez can be very very good, but also very bad... in 2010, he went 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA.  However, in 2011, an injury plagued emotional struggle, he posted a 4.26 ERA, going 4-7.  Bottom line is that he a wild pitcher, one that gets strikeouts and has swing-and-miss stuff, but he also gives an obscene amount of walks.  Even in his best season, he had a league leading 96 walks, and was on pace to beat that in 2011.

Melky Cabrera's value, on the other hand, is at an all time high.  The long time Yankee and current Royal had the best season of his career, posting a .305 average with 18 HRs and 87 RBIs, along with a nice complement of 20 SBs.  The worries of Melky are his low OBP at .339 and his high strikeout total at 94.  Cabrera, 27, has a middle of the road career average at .275 and the Giants are hoping that Cabrera goes along with the 2011 numbers instead of the numbers earlier in his career.  I've been checking Twitter ever so often to see people's reactions to the trade and the consensus seems to be that the Giants sold low and bought high.  Obviously, with this mindset, the risk is astronomical.  In 2010, the Giants could have traded Jonathan Sanchez for the world, and obviously this year is different.  This shows that Giants have given up hope on Jonathan Sanchez and assume that he will never return to his former prowess.

Now, rather than comparing the two players, I'll look to future and explain what effect this has on the Giants team as  a whole.  It looks to be that Cabrera will play centerfield, a spot that is open for the Giants.  His defense is supposedly subpar, which could mean that Andres Torres could remain on the Giants as a defensive replacement.  Andres Torres, though, will not get quite the contract extension he is hoping for because Cabrera will mostly likely be his replacement.  This trade also shows that Coco Crisp will not be a target for them this winter.  As for the spots that are left, shortstop and left field are still problem areas for the Giants.  Their two current solutions for those problems could be Brandon Crawford for shortstop and Brandon Belt for left.  Neither are developed, and neither have suitable offense.

My recommendations for what the Giants should do is go after Carlos Beltran and Jimmy Rollins like none other.  These are two seasoned veterans that could GREATLY improve the Giants offense and make them a serious World Series contender.  A great plan B for left field could be Michael Cuddyer, an outfielder with power for the Twins.  Unfortunately, the player that I thought was the most underrated player of free agency this year, Jamey Carrol, a veteran shortstop, has been snatched up by the Twins for 2 years and 7.5M.  If the Giants get any of these options during the Winter, I will be very satisfied and confident with our lineup this coming year.  Getting Carlos Beltran and Jimmy Rollins, though, which will cost about 25M for the pair of them would make their offense one of the best in the National League. The bottom line is that you need to spend money to win in this league, I mean look at the Yankees, Cardinals, and Phillies.  If that means the owners take a paycut, then so be it.

Getting Melky Cabrera was a step in the right direction, but the question is whether they can follow it up with some moves that solidify the lineup even more.