Hope for Next Year

As many fans of the Giants nation well know, the Giants are all but out of the playoff race against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Currently, the Diamondbacks hold  a 6.5 game lead on the Giants, and are also currently beating the Colorado Rockies.  This is an extreme disappointment, because they will not have a chance to defend their World Series title.  With 19 games remaining, the chances of the Giants making a comeback are slim to none, ESPN calculating that the Giants chances of winning the division are less than 2%.  So San Francisco Giants fans, instead of looking forward to the playoffs, they are forced into looking for good signs for next season.  And boy oh boy, the future looks bright for the Giants.  First and foremost, Freddy Sanchez, their star second baseman, and there superstar catcher Buster Posey are coming back from season-ending injuries that absolutely crippled the Giants, both offensively and defensively.  And of course, no one can forget about their pitching staff that is second in ERA and first in opponent's batting average.  Their starting five consists of 3 All-Stars: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong, as well as future All-Star Madison Bumgardener and impressive pitching prospect Eric Surkamp.  Not to mention, they have 2 viable starters that are on the disabled list right now, Jonathon Sanchez and Barry Zito.  Backed by a stellar bullpen with Brian Wilson, the All-Star closer on the back end, this is easily one of the best if not the best pitching staff in baseball.  Now for the offense is a different story, placing dead last in the National League for runs scored.  Even though Pablo Sandoval has returned to his normal form, hitting .296 with 18 big flies, the offense besides him and mid-season trade acquisition Carlos Beltran is feeble.  Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross, after being heroes last season, have struggled mightily, combining for 24 homeruns and neither one hitting above .250.  To put that in perspective, Aubrey Huff by himself hit 27 homeruns by himself last year.  But, the return of Buster Posey, who hit for .305 and 18 homers in his rookie season, and Freddy Sanchez, who was hitting .289 before his season-ending shoulder injury, should help things.  Also, a shining ray of hope for the Giants is Brett Pill, who was absolutely tearing up the Giants Triple-A affiliate, hitting .312 with 25 homers and 107 RBIs.  A week ago, he was called up to the major league and he has started the last two games.  Now here's the amazing thing, the second pitch he saw in the big leagues he vaulted over the left field wall at Petco Park in San Diego.  The next game, he ripped a high fastball over the left field fence as well.  It is evident that Pill has a gorgeous swing, and the balance he has through the swing is exceptional.  It's obvious that he's here to stay, his appearance is reminiscent of Buster Posey's emergence during May of last year.  However, even with all these upsides, the Giants have many holes to fill, including shortstop and a lead-off man.  The Giants have sold out every game this season and therefore they should have enough money to pay any potential free agents to come over to San Francisco during the off-season.  Just for food for thought, here is what I think the lineup should be if they acquired nobody the off-season.

1. Freddy Sanchez 2B

2. Jeff Keppinger SS

3. Pablo Sandoval 3B

4. Buster Posey C

5. Brett Pill 1B

6. Aubrey Huff RF

7. Brandon Belt LF

8. Nate Schierholtz CF

Doesn't look that bad, does it?

It's young, it's energetic, and most importantly, it'll score runs. And keep in mind, that's if they spend NO money over the off-season.  The lineup will most certainly be better than this, and this lineup is very serviceable.  So Giants fans, don't lose hope just because this season was not what we expected it to be.  2012, assuredly, will be full of magic.