Opening day is right around the corner! I'm ridden with baseball fever! Let's review the Giants' offseason.The Giants surprised everyone by winning 88 games last season and narrowly missing the playoffs. The Giants were carried single-handedly by a stellar pitching staff that tied the Dodgers for the 2nd-best ERA in the National League at 3.58. The offense was painful to watch on the other hand, scoring only 657 runs. Thus, GM Brian Sabean's task was to upgrade the offense.
The Giants brought in Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff and resigned Freddy Sanchez, Juan Uribe, and surprisingly, Bengie Molina. DeRosa last year split the season with the Indians and the Cardinals and hit 23 HR and drove in 78 runs. However, he only hit .250 as he was slowed down by a wrist injury. Aubrey Huff had a terrible year last year, hitting only .241 with the Orioles and Tigers. DeRosa has a proven track record and should be a lock for a .280 average, 15-20 HR and 70-85 RBIs. The Giants are hoping that Huff reverts to his 2008 form, when he hit 32 HR and drove in 108 runs, and so far, he's had a very fine spring. The Giants resigned Freddy Sanchez to a 2-year $12 million contract this offseason, and in his brief tenure in the orange and black, he's been a huge disappointment, missing more games than he's played. Right now, he's rehabbing from a shoulder injuries and will return to the field in early May. Based on his track record, I was a huge fan of the acquisition of Freddy Sanchez last July, and here's hoping that once he finishes his rehab, he'll be able to stay on the field without any further setbacks. He's a tremendous hitter and the huge gaps in AT&T Park cater perfectly to his ability. Aaron Rowand is not the ideal leadoff hitter, but he was at his best last season in that slot. Bengie Molina should be good for another 20-80 season. Edgar Renteria can't possibly be worse this year than he was last year. Pablo Sandoval is a rising superstar. The biggest question mark is right field, and whether Nate Schierholtz or John Bowker can be contributers to the offense. They've both put up monster numbers in the minors, but they haven't been able to translate that success to the majors. Whoever wins the everyday job (my money is on Schierholtz) has to be a solid regular for this team to have a chance to contend.
The offense will be improved from last year. DeRosa was a good addition and I think Aubrey Huff will put up better numbers that he did last year. Sandoval has the potential to be much better than he was last year if he just learns a little bit of plate discipline. Of course, the Giants won't have a great offense, and they might struggle to score 700 runs again. But if the pitching is as good as it was last year, the Giants don't need to be an offensive juggernaut. Plus, the Giants will have some quality bats on the bench such as John Bowker, Juan Uribe, Eugenio Velez, Andres Torres, and even perhaps hot-prospect Buster Posey.
The Giants top 4 of Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez remains intact, and credit Brian Sabean for being able to improve the offense without trading Cain or Sanchez. And also, I applaud the extensions for Lincecum, Cain, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson. Todd Wellemeyer will occupy the 5th starter role until he implodes or until Madison Bumgarner proves that he's ready for the big leagues. The Giants potentially have a great staff, a staff that can carry them deep into the playoffs. However, the two question marks are lefties, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez. Zito, who was the victim of the worst run-support in the majors last year, showed tremendous improvement from his first two years in a Giants uniform. Can he build upon that progress and put together a winning record? Jonathan Sanchez was a mess until he threw that no-hitter in July, turning his entire season around. He has the potential to put up huge numbers (he struck out 11 Brewers in 6 innings a couple of days ago), but it's always unknown whether he can be consistent and whether his head is on straight. If Zito and Sanchez make strides, then the Giants will have arguably the best rotation in the National League. The bullpen, with Affeldt, a healthy Sergio Romo, and Dan Runzler leading up to Brian Wilson should be solid again.
The two main concerns for the 2010 Giants are team defense and speed. The Giants upgraded the offense, but some of those benefits will be offset by the number of runs they will give up as a result of the lack of quality defense. Nate Schierholtz is really the only plus defender on the roster. Bengie Molina, Edgar Renteria, Freddy Sanchez, and Aaron Rowand are not the defenders that they once were, Mark DeRosa is not fast enough to play left field, and the portly Sandoval is better suited for 1st base. Aubrey Huff, the new everyday 1st-baseman, is a below-average defender, and that's the reason why he's been a strictly American League player throughout his career. The lack of team speed is appalling, and the Giants will be a station-to-station offense this season. In fact, probably no one on this team will steal 20 bases. The absence of speed will not mask some of the offensive deficiencies that this team will have.
There is no guarantee that the Giants will be able to build upon 88-win 2009 season. If the pitching falters and the offense is as bad as it was last year, the Giants could easily regress to 80 wins. However, assuming the pitching is as good as it was last year and the offense is respectable, the Giants will contend and surpass the magical 90-win mark. The majority of the pitching staff is still very young and entering their prime, and the new lineup has far less automatic outs.
