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The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website    Friends

DeRosa Set for His Giants Debut

Date: Mon, Mar 8, 2010

One of the Giants new additions from this winter, Mark DeRosa, hasn't gotten a chance to get into any Cactus League action yet, as the Giants are bringing him along slowly after offseason wrist surgery. However, the Giants' projected #5 hitter did take a big step towards readying himself for live action as he took live batting practice of actual pitchers for the first time this spring.

DeRosa had been getting himself in shape with the rest of his teammates throughout the last few weeks and the only area of his game that was handicapped a bit was his hitting. No that he's gone through some sessions without any set-backs, it appears plausible that he'll probably make his Cactus League debut sometime this week. DeRosa thinks he'll be ready to go by Tuesday, though Bruce Bochy thinks it could be closer to Thursday or Friday. Either way, it looks like DeRosa will be in the Giants lineup at some point this week, and we could start getting glimpses as to what the opening day lineup could look like. Remember, Freddy Sanchez is expected to start the year on the DL, so the Giants won't be counting on him to be their opening day 2nd basemen, but every other spot is filled and everybody looks healthy. I'm looking forward to seeing how DeRosa has recovered from his wrist work. That bum wrist was supposedly a large part of the reason why DeRosa hit just .228 after moving over to St. Louis in the second half of the season. I think everybody is not only hoping, but really expecting DeRosa to perform more along the lines of his first half showing in 2009, or I'm sure they'd settle for a repeat of his 2008 season with Chicago (.287, 21, 87, .857).

The Giants' offense, though, hasn't really been missing either DeRosa or Freddy Sanchez's bats though yet. The Giants have started the exhibition season 4-1, and offense hasn't been a problem whatsoever. The latest offensive outburst came Saturday in one of their split-squad games vs. the D-Backs. John Bowker continued his solid spring by launching a 3-run bomb off of Kyler Newby. The Giants top shortstop prospect, 23 year-old Brandon Crawford also hit an impressive homer, going the other way off of Blaine Boyer. Aubrey Huff continued his hot start as well by going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Pablo Sandoval and Edgar Renteria each knocked in a pair of runs, and Eugenio Velez had 2 hits, 2 runs and a stolen base in the 12-6 rout of Arizona. Jonathon Sanchez got the start and threw pretty well. He didn't have his greatest command, but that's common for early spring, and did allow 6 baserunners in his 2 innings of work, but his 3 strikeouts helped him get out of it un-harmed. In relief, Dan Runzler, Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt all had scoreless outings. Besides the solid offensive showing by the Giants early, they've also had their relievers all start off pretty well too.

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Giants Start Exhibition Season 3-0

Date: Sat, Mar 6, 2010

Despite general consensus on Spring Training, like not take the numbers too seriously, and the fact that wins and losses rarely translate over into the regular season, it's still good to see the Giants get off to a strong start in the Cactus League.

Surprisingly, it's been the Giants' bats that have started off ahead of their pitchers, as the offense has carried the team through the first couple of games. In the Cactus League opener, Tim Lincecum was touched up by the Mariners a bit, allowing 3 earned runs in his 1 inning of work while throwing in the low-90's. I mentioned in the last few posts that there would be some focus on Timmy's velocity, as it came down at the end of last year. The same can be said for Madison Bumgarner, who followed Lincecum on Wednesday with 2 shutout innings. Bumgarner's fastball was in the upper 80's for most of his 2 innings, but he said in an interview on the Giants hot stove league show that he's not too worried about it and he plans on building his velocity throughout the spring. Barry Zito started Thursday's game and was pretty mediocre, allowing a run and a couple of hits over 1 2/3 innings. He did nail Prince Fielder in the hip with a fastball as retaliation for Fielder's choreographed home run celebration vs. the Giants last September. Matt Cain got the nod in Friday afternoon's game and provided the best start for the Giants so far this spring, going 3 strong innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits with 2 strikeouts.

Helping support Cain's solid outing Friday were Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe, who both hit towering home runs. Uribe hit a 3-run jack in the 2nd inning off Colorado's Jeff Francis, and Molina's 2-run job came in the fifth inning off a young Rockies' hurler. Molina didn't stop with just the home run either. He went 3-3 all together, amd scored one more run after that. The only other Giant to homer so far this spring, has been newcomer, Aubrey Huff, who hit a bomb out to right field on the very first pitch he saw this spring on Wednesday. Not a bad way to start endearing himself to his new fans. Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Kevin Frandsen are a few other guys who have helped carry the Giants offense early and both Frandsen and Lewis need to be outstanding this spring for the Giants to consider carrying them on the major league roster. Frandsen could have an opening with Freddy Sanchez's injury likely keeping him on the DL to start the year, but like I said, he'd have to really make a case for himself over the next month, as the Giants do have other options like Juan Uribe and Mark DeRosa for 2nd base. If DeRosa gets some time there, it could open up a spot for Fred Lewis in left. Lewis is out of options, so he'll need to make the team out of spring, or else other teams will have the opportunity to swoop him up. I'd say Lewis may have the edge on Frandsen because of options, and because Lewis posses the speed that the Giants projected lineup really lacks. However, there are about 4 outfielders (Andres Torres, Eugenio Velez, John Bowker, Fred Lewis) vying for 2 bench spots, so Lewis is going to really have to outplay all of those guys if he wants to guarantee himself a spot!

Prospect Watch: None of the Giants prospects have done a whole lot yet. As I said at the top of the post, Madison Bumgarner had a solid 2-inning outing. The Giants top-2 hitting prospects haven't done anything yet though, as Buster Posey's gone 0-4, and Thomas Neal has flied out in his only at-bat thus far. The youngster who's stuck out the most is a name that's pretty familiar to Giants fans and it's Emmanuel Burriss. The 25 year-old infielder went 2-3 with 2 RBI and a steal in the Giants opener vs. Seattle.... Steve Edelfsen and Henry Sosa, 2 top-30 prospects, each have had outings of 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

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Giants Set to Begin Cactus League

Date: Tue, Mar 2, 2010

The long, baseball-less winter will finally come to an end Wednesday when the Giants face the Seattle Mariners in the first game of their 2010 Cactus League schedule.

The Giants got in some scrimmage time on Monday, as they held a 3-inning intrasquad game that was highlighted by a long John Bowker home run down the right field line and Darren Ford putting on a show with his legs. There weren't any regulars who played in the scrimmage, so Ford got the nod to leadoff for one of the teams and hit a stand-up triple to the left-center field gap, a place in which you rarely see someone get to third on a ball hit, especially standing up and not making it even close. Ford also ran down a gapper in right-center field that took extra bases away from another bright young prospect, Francisco Peguero. Both of these guys have a big spring ahead of them, as Bowker tries to find a role on the big league squad for good and Ford's goal will be to show that he may be worth a look in the leadoff spot with the big club and sooner rather than later. Bowker's year he put up in Fresno in '09 was certainly a showing that got the Giants attention, but he really hasn't been given much of an opportunity at the big league level since his rookie year in '08 when he actually collected 300 at-bats and hit 10 homers for the Giants. Bowker's so intriguing because he does have the power to hit 30 homers a year at this level, but in 2008 and his brief showing last year, he had some holes in his swing that teams had figured out. If he can prove he's fixed his approach, he very well could be the surprise player of the spring and enter the regular season with a prominent role. He's certainly a guy who I will be paying close attention to this spring.

In Wednesday's Cactus League opener, the Giants will trot out their ace Tim Lincecum and probably have him on a pitch count of around 25-30 pitches or 2 innings and then will be followed up by Madison Bumgarner. I'm definitely looking forward to watching how those two do, but I'm more so curious as to how the Giants will play defensively. It's no secret that they don't have the best defense in baseball, and are missing one of their best in Freddy Sanchez. The Giants did improve their lineup this winter, but it did cost them some on the defensive side in exchange. Aubrey Huff is the guy I'm most worried about. The Giants have always kind of had a defensive whiz over at first base over the last 10-15 seasons but now have a guy there more known for his bat than and not so much for his glove. The other guy I'm going to have my eyes on this spring following closely is Edgar Renteria. He was such a disappointment, both offensively and defensively, in 2009 and I'm just hoping it was because of his health and not because he's declining at a ridiculously fast pace. His 2009 season made his '08 campaign (which was supposedly his worst season of his career at that point) look like a career year. He came up with a few clutch hits here and there, but provided no pop or run production and hit a measly .250. He also looked slow and weighed down in the field. The Giants are going to have Renteria start the year at short, but with him in the final year of his deal, I expect them to have a short leash with him if he's not performing. This is why the Juan Uribe signing was so key.

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Spring Training Notes

Date: Fri, Feb 26, 2010

The Giants full-squad are all in camp and besides Freddy Sanchez, it looks like everybody's at or near %100 and all should be available when the Giants kick off their Cactus League schedule next week.

Spring workouts have begun to intensify a bit with pitchers now throwing live batting practice instead of coaches, and there have been a couple of young guys who have put on some shows in BP. One of them has been one of the Giants' top-5 prospects, outfielder Thomas Neal. Neal has gone deep more than any other player in camp so far, and reportedly hit 5 jacks in one of his sessions of about 10-12 swings. Neal really generated a lot of interest last summer, after quietly putting together a nice 2008 season and AFL showing, and if he tears the cover off the ball this spring, he very well could be in the mix for a big league call-up at some point in 2010. His 2009 season reminded me a lot of Pablo Sandoval's 2008 campaign and we all saw how well Pablo fared when he got his call-up at the end of that season. I think Neal is right about where "The Panda" was at that point, and could be the next Giants farmhand to make his way into the starting lineup, quite possibly as early as the second half of 2010. Buster Posey has also impressed Bochy with his batting practice sessions, driving the ball to the gaps and flexing some power as well. A few other names Boch mentioned as far as youngsters who have really stuck out are outfielders Francisco Peguero and Roger Kieschnik.

One key area that Bruce Bochy and the coaching staff are prioritizing this spring are the basic fundamentals. On the very first day of full squad workouts, Bochy clarified that everyone will be doing some bunting and some situational hitting throughout the spring in order to cut down the failed attempts during the season. Last year, the Giants weren't the most fundamentally sound club out there and it cost them more than a few times. A lot of people overlook the small part of the game like the sacrifice bunt or moving a player over to third base with less than 2 outs. Although the Giants have added some more pop to their lineup with the additions of Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa, they don't have the quickest base runners throughout their lineup and they're going to have to play fundamentally sound baseball in order to help make up for that. Andrew Baggerly wrote an article the other day about this in the Merc, citing a few different times last year when the Giants failed to get down a sacrifice bunt, and if you can remember back to those games, you see just how crucial it can be to fail to get something as simple as a sacrifice bunt down.

Bochy also scheduled the Giants' only intrasquad game to take place on March 1st, two days prior to their Cactus League Opener. He didn't say who will pitch in the scrimmage, but I'd assume it'll be someone like Joe Martinez, Todd Wellemeyer, Kevin Pucetas or Henry Sosa (who I'd love to see get a look this spring by the way). Tim Linceucm will start the spring opener on Wednesday and will be followed by Madison Bumgarner. All eyes will likely be focused on the radar gun for these two guys as there were reports at the end of last season that both of their fastball velocities were down. I don't really think the drop in speed is anything to get too worked up about though, as Bumgarner's was more a mechanical issue, and Lincecum's drop was probably due a little bit to fatigue. This is why I think it would be wise for Tim to try and bulk up as much as he can without messing with his mechanics. It's going to be tougher for him at his size to continue throwing the ball upwards of 95 mph in October after throwing 220 innings than it would be for someone like Matt Cain or Madison Bumgarner. Even if he's at 92 mph though, Lincecum generates so much movement and is so tough to pick up for opposing hitters, that he's still just as tough to hit as he is when he's throwing 95-96. He should fill out though in the next couple of years as he gets into his later 20's though, and that's when this kid should become even better than he is now.

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Giants Full-Squad Workouts Begin

Date: Tue, Feb 23, 2010

The Giants had their first official full-squad workout scheduled for Tuesday, but weather conditions have kind of kept teams from getting into their full-planned practices.

The two new additions to the Giants lineup, Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, both arrived a few days early and got some work in on Monday before the rains came in and cut the workouts short. Huff arrived in good shape, supposedly down 10-15 pounds from where he ended last season at and appears determined to bounce back from his sub-par 2009 season. The 1 year deal could be a blessing for the Giants as he's again in a contract year and will have huge incentive to produce. The Giants projected number 5 hitter and left fielder, Mark DeRosa, is still easing his way back from surgery on his left wrist, but has been able to take part in most baseball activities and expects to be on the field for the Giants' Cactus League opener March 3rd. DeRosa took live batting practice in the cages on Monday, and reported no ill effects from the wrist surgery. Unfortunately, the Giants have done most all their hitting in cages over the last couple of days, so it's kind of tough to tell how the sessions have actually gone, but it's so early anyway that I don't think anyone is concerned one way or another. The other Giants' position player recovering from surgery, Freddy Sanchez, took part in agility drill and did some running as he tries to get himself into baseball shape despite not being scheduled to take part in any Cactus League games at this point.

Besides making sure DeRosa and Sanchez get back to 100%, the Giants will also be hoping to see a few of their returning players bounce back in 2010, and a good spring will definitely put them on the right track. The two guys I'm thinking about are Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand. Renteria, especially, has to bounce back in a big way from 2009's disaster in which he hit a career-low .250 and sported a career-low OPS of .635. At least, the Giants would like to see that OPS rise into the .700's and the batting average up around .275 or higher, and I do think Renteria can still do that. It's no secret that he played most of last year at less than 100%, and apparently one doctor who checked him out after the season was surprised he was able to continue playing in the condition he was in. His bounce back will be key in the Giants success, both offensively and defensively, as will Rowand's.

Aaron Rowand is set to leadoff for the Giants and hold that spot indefinitely and they're hoping he'll have the same success in that spot that he did when he was first moved there last summer. Obviously, in a perfect world, the Giants would have a more ideal leadoff man, and did show a bit of interest in guys like Johnny Damon and Scott Podsednik to try and get a more seasoned leadoff man in here, but Rowand actually thrived there in 2009. The 32 year-old center fielder hit .294 with 6 homers, 25 RBI, 29 runs scored and carried an OPS over .800 in 50 games at the leadoff spot last season. If Rowand doesn't work out in the top spot this year, I'd like to see the Giants go with Freddy Sanchez there as soon as he gets back into the lineup. Although he doesn't walk a whole lot, Sanchez is a patient hitter, and makes consistent contact and when he's right, he'll hit for a high batting average, and all those things translate well at the top of the order. Darren Ford, a youngster who could be in the mix in center field down the line, is also in camp, and he could very well put himself in a favorable spot with a strong spring. After Rowand in center field, there's Andres Torres and that's about it as far as major league ready players go, so Ford is going to given ample opportunity to climb his way up the organizational depth chart.

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Spring Training Begins

Date: Fri, Feb 19, 2010

Pitchers and Catchers have officially started their workouts, and the rest of the full-squad's arrival is just a few days away as the first full-squad workout is scheduled for February 23rd.

Unfortunately, there is already in an injury report going as one of the positional players who arrived early, Travis Ishikawa, will be sidelined for up to 3 months with multiple fractures in his foot. Ishikawa was set to back-up Aubrey Huff at first base and provide the Giants with a stellar defensive glove late in close ballgames, but it looks like he'll be unavailable until early June. Ishi's injury could open the door for Jon Bowker or even someone like Brett Pill to make the team for depth at first base. The team did get better news regarding injured second basemen Freddy Sanchez, as he appears to be a little ahead of schedule on his rehab from shoulder surgery in December. Sanchez's rehab was originally diagnosed to keep him out through the beginning of the regular season, but he's now targeting the tail end of spring as a return date and could be ready to start the year with the team after all. With most of the Giants roster set, the key to this spring will be keeping everyone healthy, so I wouldn't push it with Sanchez until he's absolutely ready. I don't want to see this thing nag him all year, and if he has to miss a couple weeks to start the season to be sure he's %100 in order to avoid missing time in the middle of the season, then so be it. They have Juan Uribe and Mark DeRosa who can easily fill in at second without the Giants missing much, at least offensively.

Tim Lincecum, fresh off his newly signed 2-year, $23 million deal had his first workout of the spring on Thursday, even getting up onto a mound and getting off a couple of big curve balls, a pitch he has yet to really employ in his first couple of seasons. Something we tend to forget with Lincecum after he's won consecutive Cy Young Awards, is that he's still a very young pitcher and still has plenty to learn at this level and adding another off-speed pitch to his repertoire is a prime example of that. Bruce Bochy made mention of Lincecum's workout, as he was impressed with the breaking balls the 25 year-old was dealing. Bochy and Dave Righetti also hinted that Madison Bumgarner may not join Lincecum in the Giants rotation to start the regular season. The Giants are only going to need to use a fifth starter in three ballgames in April, and it won't be until early May that they'll actually need to consistently have a fifth starter. Because of the lack of opportunity, they could start Bumgarner down in Fresno in order for him to get 4-5 starts and get into a rhythm in April rather than throw about once every 10 days in the Big Leagues. The Giants have Todd Wellemeyer in camp, and could decide to use him as the fifth starter/long releiver in April while MadBum get's some final seasoning in Fresno, and I don't think that would be a horrible idea.

Buster Posey Watch: Bruce Bochy also got into Buster Posey's potential role with the Giants on Thursday, saying the 22 year-old catcher would take grounders only at first base when he's not catching this spring. I'm still expecting Buster to start the year in Fresno where he can play everyday, but with Ishikawa out until around mid-season, he could earn himself some extra at-bats and playing time, at least in the spring, by becoming familiar with first base. I think we're going to see Posey in San Francisco before Ishikawa returns and if Huff gets hurt or struggles, Posey could get some significant time there, so I definitely see the logic in having him learn the position.

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Successfully Quiet Offseason Winds Down

Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2010

With pitchers and catchers set to report to Scottsdale on Wednesday, followed by their first workout on Thursday, Spring Training is officially upon us. Finally, in our next post, we'll actually have some on-field happenings to discuss!

It was a relatively quiet offseason for baseball this winter, as the free agent market wasn't stocked with big name talent, but there was a big bat (Jason Bay) and a few aces (Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee) who will be in new places in 2010. It seemed like this years' market was flooded with players who either were injured or had sub-par years in 2009. With the market as shallow as it was, the Giants didn't get involved with any of the bigger names on the market, and wisely stuck to the second-tiere of free agents this winter to help upgrade their offense. They didn't trade for an Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder, or get involved in the Matt Holliday or Jason Bay contract talks, but they did bring in a couple of bats in Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa, who should definitely help their offense and won't hurt their budget. They also returned a few guys who were very key to last years success in Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe. With the addition of Huff and DeRosa, it will enable the Giants to move Molina down in the order, where his lack of speed is easier to place. Huff is coming off a down year and DeRosa is coming off of a rough 2nd half of last year, so they will have their doubters and definitely have something to prove in 2010. All that being said, I expect both to be positive additions to the team this year, especially at the salary they're being paid.

Other than Huff and DeRosa, there weren't many changes made by the Giants this winter. They recently added right-handers Guillermo Mota, Byung-Hyun Kim and Todd Wellemeyer on minor league deals and I'm expecting at least one of those guys to break north with the big club to start the season. Wellemeyer will provide insurance in case 20 year-old Madison Bumgarner isn't quite ready for the full-time fifth starters spot. Mota should take Bobby Howry's role from last season and provide an overall young bullpen with a veteran presence. Kim can do a little bit of both and I'd expect him to start off in Fresno's rotation or as their closer. The Giants could still be in search for another reliever or two, to add depth if nothing else, during the spring. There are still some arms that are desperately seeking employment as spring training begins, including relievers Chan Ho Park, Kiko Calero and Joe Beimel as well as starter Jarrod Washburn. Also, there is one position player out there who I'd like to see the Giants take a shot on, and that guy is Rocco Baldelli. He could give the outfield some depth and provide a right-handed option to spell Nate Schierholtz in rightfield. He's a guy who could really make sense for this team and still has time to pan out if he can stay on the field. He did finish up last season healthy, and did homer 7 times with 22 RBI in just 150 at-bats with Boston... Jermaine Dye (bay area native) as a fourth outfielder/first basemen wouldn't be the worst addition either.

So, overall, I can't really complain about the Giants game plan for this offseason. They also capped things off positively, inking Tim Lincecum to a 2 year-deal that allows them to avoid arbitration for the next 2 years with their ace. They didn't spend money that will handicap them in the future, and they managed to get some players in who should help them out if they play up to their career standards. They may not pan out, but if they don't, it won't be an Edgar Renteria/Dave Roberts/Aaron Rowand-type, multi-year mistake. I would have liked to see them bring in Xavier Nady and Adam LaRoche instead of DeRosa and Huff, but LaRoche wouldn't sign here, and Nady's elbow must not be at %100 cause he's a rock solid hitter, and he generated very little interest in a think free agent market... Are DeRosa and Huff enough to get the Giants into the playoffs? Probably not, but they will help, and if guys like Renteria, Rowand and Freddy Sanchez can rebound from last year, things will definitely be looking up for the Giants in 2010!

*Check out The Giants Baseball Blog at HotStove.Com in a discussion about Tim Lincecum here! The Giants Baseball Blog is a regular contributor to Hotstove.com and HotStove TV!

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Lincecum Goes Easy on Giants

Date: Sat, Feb 13, 2010

I'm sure by now, most every Giant fan on the planet has heard that Tim Lincecum and the Giants just barely avoided an arbitration hearing Friday, and agreed to a 2-year pact that will pay the 2-time Cy Young Award winning right-hander $23 million over the next 2 seasons.

Tim Lincecum is quite possibly the best pitcher in baseball right now, and there are guys that are earning nearly double of what he's going to make in 2010 ($8 million). I'm extremely surprised he went the route he did, but what this shows me is that he's serious about being a Giant and wants to try and make things work. I don't think there is any doubt in my mind that Lincecum would have won his 13 million in an arbitration case, and probably could have kept taking the Giants to arbitration each year over the next 3 offseasons and breaking the bank each time. However, his new deal will pay him the Giants' proposed offer of $8 million in '10, then Lincecum's proposed offer of $13 million in 2011 added onto a $2 million signing bonus that he'll be receiving. Amizingly, he's still getting paid less than what Ben Sheets (who missed all of the '09 season with injury and doesn't have near the credentials of Timmy) is getitng paid by Oakland. So, obviously, if it were all about money with Timmy, or if there was any thought that he was offended by the Giants low-ball offer, he showed by singing the deal that he's more focused on being a Giant than squeezing an extra couple of million out of them. I was the slightest bit curious as to what would have happened had they actually gone to arbitration, but I think the best case scenario, especially for the Giants, was to avoid it, so kudos to Brian Sabean and co. for getting this thing out of the way.

The Giants also agreed to terms with another starting pitcher this week, inking former Cardinal's right-hander Todd Wellemeyer to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. The 31 year-old is coming off a rough '09 campaign, as he went just 7-10 with a 5.89 era and sported a ridiculously high 1.77 WHIP. He spent most of the season in the Card's rotation, but was moved to the pen later in the year only to get the same results. However, in '07 and '08, he really wasn't all that bad for St. Louis. In 2007 after coming over from Kansas City, he threw in 20 games for the Cards, including 11 starts, and sported a 3.11 era and a respectable 1.22 WHIP. In 2008, he spent the full year in the Cardinals rotation and flourished, going 13-9 with a 3.71 era, striking out 134 batters in 191 innings, and sporting a 1.25 WHIP. His 2008 season actually was very similar, equal or better in all categories but the strikeout totals actually, as to what Matt Cain did in that very season. The fact that threw that well in '08 is what got him his chance with the Giants, and if he reverts to that form, he's going to force Madison Bumgarner back to the minors or at the very least make the roster as a long-reliever. With a great spring, he makes the rotation, with a solid spring, he makes the bullpen, if he's nothing special or has a sub-par of a spring, they toss him down in Fresno and have insurance if Bumgarner stumbles a bit, or if one of the other starters go down at any point in the year. Another deal that really has the chance to pay off big time, without having to commit much of anything, so for this reason, I like the move.

Final Offseason Review Post Coming Next....

SPRING TRAINING COUNTDOWN- PITCHERS & CATCHERS REPORT: 4 days

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Giants Should Wise Up With Lincecum

Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2010

As we inch closer and closer to the spring training reporting date for pitchers and catchers, it's becoming more and more likely that the Giants and Tim Lincecum will need to go through a hearing to determine the right-hander's salary for the 2010 season.

There has been so much on this topic bandied about throughout the cyber world and sports talk radio/TV shows, so we've tried to stick with on-field topics rather than continue to beat this topic to death. I just don't understand why the Giants are toying with their most important piece of their franchise, and risking the possibility of irritating the 2-time Cy Young Award winner. And offering him $8 million for 2010 season has to be insulting to Timmy. He's still saying all the right things regarding the situation, but I seem to be picking up a little frustration from him as this thing continues to drag out. He's taking a "whatever" type approach to this situation, which I take as meaning one of two things. Either he's seriously getting fed up with the Giants and this contract situation, or he really does not care too much, and I highly doubt it's the ladder. The Giants are paying Barry Zito $18 million in 2010, and for them to offer Lincecum less than 1/2 of that after what he's done for the franchise over the last two seasons is the epitome of a low-ball offer. Especially after Lincecum went relatively low on his request ($13 million) even though he probably could have went up to $15-17 million like the other elite pitchers in this league are earning. The Giants need to hammer something out with this kid and they need to make him happy. Tim Lincecum has single-handily allowed this city to transition from the Bonds-era nearly flawlessly and he's now the guy who the fans will pile up at the gates too see, but the Giants seem to think that's worth just $8 million?

Right now, the ultimate goal for the Giants management needs to be locking Lincecum up long-term but if they continue to drag this out, he may not want to do so. Heck, if he keeps on pitching like he has over the last 2 seasons, he could keep earning $17 million in arbitration for the next few years until he becomes a free agent. I don't think that will happen, and I do think the Giants will eventually lock him up long term, but I'm not a supporter of the way they've handled this situation thus far and it's on them to make it right.

Other news to come out of this weekends fanfest was that Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean are counting on Nate Schierholtz rising up to take hold of the rightfield starting job, but they didn't dismiss Jon Bowker, Fred Lewis and Eugenio Velez as options. Boch says the position will be determined in the spring, but the only other legit option I see for the Giants in rightfield is Jon Bowker (seems like everyones given up on Fred Lewis), but unless Bowker completely outplays Nate in the Cactus League, Schierholtz will be out in right come opening day. Schierholtz has the upper hand defensively, as he's considered the teams best defensive outfielder, and has very strong and accurate throwing arm, two traits that translate well in AT&T Park's quirky and spacious right-field. The only question regarding on Schierholtz is whether he'll hit enough to carry a corner-outfield spot. Randy Winn isn't exactly leaving huge shoes to fill as he hit just .262 with 2 homers and 51 RBI last year, but the Giants are hoping to get much more production out of right field this year. If Nate indeed wins the job out of spring, like I'm expecting him to do if the Giants don't add another outfielder from outside the organization, he's got to improve his average and needs to get on base more than last season (.267 and .302 OBP). He says he's done a lot of work this winter with his swing and approach and if he can reach his potential, he's capable of hitting right around .300 or higher with moderate power (12-17 homers).

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Giants Add Relievers

Date: Wed, Feb 3, 2010

In the last few days, the Giants have come to agreements on minor league deals with 3 different relief pitchers and will have all three in camp battling to make their opening day roster.

First, the Giants took on a project, a guy who hasn't thrown in the major leagues in a couple of years, Byung-Hyun Kim. The 31 year-old, submarine throwing right-hander was successful in the early 2000's with the Diamondbacks, and is most famous for blowing consecutive saves in the 2001 World Series, games that could have sealed the series for Arizona, although the D-Backs still managed to win it that year. For some reason, Arizona decided to move Kim into the rotation in '03 (after he saved 36 games with a 2.04 era the year before) and he was never the same pitcher after that. Kim's last appearance in the MLB came in 2007, when he made three different stops with the Rockies, D-Backs and Marlins, carrying an era of 6.08 in 118 innings, also sporting a WHIP of 1.68. He was a starter for most of that season with the Florida, and surprisingly had a winning record (9-5) and really wasn't all that bad. He had a high WHIP due to a lot of walks, but he k'd nearly a batter per inning. The Giants will likely give him a shot to make their bullpen as a long-man, but I think the odds will likely be against him. The Giants look like they have about 5 bullpen roles that are basically guaranteed, and those are Brian Wilson, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo, Brandon Medders and Dan Runzler. That leaves 2 likely spots for a plethora of arms to battle for. If he doesn't make the team out of spring, he'd provide the Giant some depth in AAA as a guy who could come up and start a game for them, or move into the bullpen if needed.

A couple other arms that will join the battle for those final bullpen slots are right-hander Guillermo Mota and lefty Horacio Ramirez. The 30 year-old Ramirez will have a much tougher trail ahead of him than Mota will to make the club. He's coming off a down year with Kansas City (5.96 era in 22 innings) and really hasn't been all that good since leaving the Braves after the 2006 season. Between '03-'06 with the Braves, he went 30-21 with a 4.37 era as a starter, but since leaving Atlanta, he's had an era of 6.74 and has won just 9 ballgames. Ramirez has had big-time injury problems over the last 3 seasons though and has thrown a combined 60 innings in that span. The Giants will give him a chance to make the bullpen out of spring, but I think he was brought in with the thought that he'll provide some depth at AAA and could be an emergency starter or a part-time bullpen-filler if the Giants need it during the season. Brian Sabean had said he would be on the lookout for possible options to start for the Giants, but I hope signing Ramirez is more for depth and insurance compared to being a legit option to start for the Giants.

The guy I'm expecting the most out of from this trio in 2010 though is Guillermo Mota. I'm expecting Mota to actually earn a spot out of Spring Training, as he's got the track record that Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy are seeking, and he's actually coming off a decent year with the Dodgers. The 36 year-old right-hander won 3 and lost 4 for the Dodgers in '09, but carried a respectable 3.44 era and 1.18 WHIP while opposing hitters hit just .224 against him. The one area that his game lacked a bit last year was the strikeout totals, which is a little concerning. He K'd just 39 batters in 65.1 innings of work after averaging over 8+ k's/9 innings throughout his career. If he has a good spring though, I'm definitely expecting him to break north with the team and quite possibly carry a prominent role in this bullpen. The only full-time bullpen guys from last year who posted an era below Mota's 3.44 mark was Brian Wilson (2.74), Jeremy Affeldt (1.73) and Brandon Medders (3.01).

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Giants 2010 Top-20 Prospects: GBB Editon

Date: Fri, Jan 29, 2010

The Giants have been so busy this offseason with player movement and rumors, so our prospect ranking for 2010 has been delayed a bit, but with spring training quickly approaching, I wanted to get it out there. Especially since a few of the guys off the list will be appearing in Scottsdale with the big club, and I want to make sure everyone knows a little something about players like Thomas Neal, Nick Noonan and Clayton Tanner. These are the top 20 prospects in the Giants system based on our ratings, we're not taking any other publications into consideration when making this post, this is %100 our opinion.

#1 Buster Posey, C: The 22 year-old backstop is baseball's #4 overall prospect, according to BA, and figures to play heavily into the Giants' plans in 2010. He was the minor league player of the year last year when he hit a combined .325 with 18 homers and 80 RBI and a .955 OPS split between high-A San Jose and AAA Fresno. He had 17 un-impressive at-bats with the Giants at the tail end of the year and will start the year off in Fresno to get some final refining before arriving in the big leagues for good. Best Giants positional prospect since Will Clark, and I'm expecting him to have that kind of impact on the team when he eventually arrives. Should fit right in with Joe Mauer and Matt Wieters as the top young catchers in baseball.

#2 Madison Bumgarner, SP: BA's #10 overall prospect got his feet wet in the bigs last season as well, and fared much better than Posey during his September showing. In fact, his 4 game stint that yielded a 1.80 era and 10 K's in just 10 innings of work has given the Giants the confidence to consider the 20 year-old the favorite for the open fifth starters spot. The 6'4" lefty went 12-2 with a 1.66 era, a 0.95 WHIP and 92 K's in 131 innings of work split between A and AA ball in '09. The drop off in K's were mostly due to his diminished velocity (down from 95-97 mph to 91-92 mph). However, the Giants are confident that the drop off in velocity was because of mechanical issues like throwing across the body rather than anything health wise or permanent. I'm expecting Bumgarner to win the Giants 5th starters spot out of spring and make a strong push for NL Rookie of the Year as he follows in the footsteps of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.

#3 Thomas Neal, OF: Neal has given the Giants system a huge shot in the arm, as they've been hard-pressed to find any kind of outfield prospects with legit power, but Thomas Neal appears to be just that. He made BA's prospect of the week a few different times in '09, in route to hitting .337 with 22 bombs and 90 RBI and a 1.010 OPS. The 22 year-old brings tremendous patience in his approach, and that should really help him at higher levels, another area of development in which the Giants have lacked over the years. He'll be in Spring Training with the big club, but I'm expecting him to start off in AA Richmond, while possibly appearing in AAA Fresno before the end of the year. Depending on how he's doing, and what's going on in the Giants outfield, we could see him with the big club at some point in August or September and could definitely have a future in with the Giants and possibly as a middle-of-the-order type bat.

#4 Zack Wheeler, SP: It's tough to rank Wheeler this high based on the simple fact that he's yet to throw a pitch in his professional career, but he looks like he's going to be the Giants right-handed version of Madison Bumgarner. Throws 93 with consistency, and can touch 95-96 and was doing that as an 18 year old, so he's still go plenty of room for growth. He's got sound mechanics and really reminds me of a young John Smoltz with the way he delivers the ball to the plate. Likely slated to start the season in low-A Salem, but I expect most of the 19 year-old's work in 2010 to come in San Jose.

#5 Tommy Joseph, C/1B: Unfortunately for the Giants, they've lost their top 1st base prospect in Angel Villalona for the foreseeable future, but luckily for them, they've got Tommy Joseph to help ease that loss. The former high-school catcher will likely find himself at first base when he starts his pro career in April, and I'm expecting big time power from him. He hit 15 homers in 77 at-bats as a high-school senior, good for a rate of 1 homer per 5 at-bats. That's some raw power right there. He also showed uncanny patience for a high school hitter by walking 21 times in 98 plate appearances. I'm expecting Joseph to take off offensively once he gets comfortable at first and quickly become the Giants first-basemen of the future.

#6 Roger Kieschnick, OF: Big time power prospect hit 23 homers and drove in 110 runs for the San Jose Giants in 2010. Does strike out a bit too much, but improvement in that area should come with time. He's not quite as polished as Thomas Neal as a hitter, but the Giants envision both of them in their future outfield plans. Roger's also got baseball in his bloodline as his big brother Brooks played with the Cubs and Brewers in the 90's and early 2000's. He'll start the season in AA Richmond and could elevate as quickly as his play will allow him too!

#7 Dan Runzler, RP: Kept his era below 1.04 at all five stops he made last season including in San Francisco with the Giants (1.04 era, 11 K's in 8.2 innings). Still can be a tad wild at times, and really reminds me of Brian Wilson when he was breaking in with the Giants. He's left-handed and can get the ball upwards up 97 mph and those guys don't come around too often. I think Runzler is going to become one of the Giants premiere relief arms and should give Bruce Bochy a solid late inning option along with Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo.

#8 Brandon Crawford, SS: Had kind of a Jekyll and Hyde showing in 2009, as he started the year red-hot in San Jose (.374, 6 HR, 17 RBI in 105 at-bats) then hit a wall in AA (.258 avg, .298 OPS in 392 at-bats) before finally figuring it out and leveling off. Very sound defensive player with upside in his bat, but he's got to find his stroke at the upper levels. That start in San Jose and a few spurts in AA have given me hope that he's going to figure it out. Plate discipline needs to improve though, but certainly has the chance to be a solid all-around shortstop in the future.

#9 Francisco Peguero, OF: Speedy, high-average prospect really burst onto the scene in 2009 and put himself on the Giants map by hitting a solid .340 at low-A Augusta after hitting .394 to begin the year with in Salem. He walked just 5 times in over 240 plate appearance, but the Giants are sure patience will come with experience.

#10 Nick Noonan, IF: Still hasn't had that breakout season, but at age 20, he's already got 2.5 solid pro seasons under his belt. Kind of disappointed by hitting just .259 with San Jose in 2009, but still has a ton of un-reached potential. Some compared him to a lesser powerful version of Chase Utely, but his bat isn't quite where the Giants are expecting it to be yet. I think 2010 will be a big year in terms of telling us what kind of player Noonan will become.

#11 Henry Sosa, SP: This spot is mostly based on potential, and what Sosa's shown when healthy, but he's yet to put together a full, healthy season since coming to the organization in 2006. Still showed glimpses last season, going 6-0 with a 2.36 era in 14 starts in AA. His strikeout numbers were a tad low (5.5 K/9) but his 1.19 WHIP was a positive. He could make a full-time switch to the bullpen, which could keep him healthy, but I'd love to see the 24 year-old figure things out as a starter cause he's got the potential to be right up there with Bumgarner and Wheeler if he can figure it out.

#12 Clayton Tanner, SP: I seem to like Tanner a lot more than most scouts do. He's put together two solid seasons in a row in San Jose at ages 20 and 21, and now should finally be moved up in the system after just turning 22. He's not flashy, but he's quietly gone 22-14 with a 3.33 era and 205 K's in 256 innings of work over the last 2 years. I'm very intrigued to see how he fairs in his first test above level A, but I think he's going to continue to deal and could find himself in the top-10 of the 2011 prospect list with another good year. Kind of reminds me of Noah Lowry in a way as he's really been solid in the minors, but isn't too flashy and is really flying under the radar so to speak.

#13 Rafael Rodriguez, OF: Still extremely young (won't be 18 until July) and raw, but showed some great poise in rookie ball in 2009. His power isn't quite there yet, but hit the ball wall and showed good plate discipline in his 35 games in Arizona. He's another guy who I'm excited to see in 2010 and will keep very close tabs on throughout the year as he's likely destined for low-A Salem to begin with.

#14 Ehire Adrianza, IF: Kind of the infield version of Francisco Peguero, didn't do too much offensively after being hyped up coming into the year. Still just 20 years old though, so he's got some time to put it all together still, but I'm just not sure he's ever going to have the bat to match his all-world glove.

#15 Jason Stoffel, RP: Had a solid career closing out games for the Stanford Cardinal, and very well could end up being a steal as a fourth rounder. Throws hard, and has a nice secondary pitch to compliment his fastball. I'm expecting him to climb the ladder very quickly and eventually be a contributor to the Giants bullpen.

#16 Waldis Joaquin, RP: He's one of the better relief prospects in the system and had a nice brief showing with the big club late last year. Joaquin is another guy who is getting a spring training invite and could very well find himself on the teams' opening day roster if he throws well. He's not an easy guy to hit, as he only allowed 41 hits in 64 innings of work in the minors last season and at age 23 is just now realizing his potential.

#17 Chris Dominguez, 3B: Ranked by BA as the Giants' systems top power hitter. Another guy who could end up being a steal for where he was taken, he was definitely one of my favorite picks of the draft. He also plays a solid third base to boot. If all things went well with him, I could see him turning into a Troy Glaus/Mark Reynolds type, but that's absolute best-case scenario. I'm expecting a lot out of Dominguez though, and look for him to play most of the 2010 season in A San Jose with the other hitters from the '09 draft.

#18 Darren Ford, OF: Speedy center fielder had a breakout season in 2009. Granted it was his third go-round in A ball, he still has a lot of tools that the Giants like. He's a great baserunner, who gets good jumps and can steal bases at a high percentage. He's also a very good defensive center fielder. Kind of reminds me of Rajai Davis/Michael Bourne type and showed some surprising pop last year (9 homers in 380 ab's). Should start 2010 in AA and could be in Fresno before the years done.

#19 Craig Clark, SP: The lefty did a tremendous job in '09, though he was a little advanced for his placement. He threw well at age 24-25 at a level (high-A) consisting of mostly 20-22 year old players. Still, a 16-2, 2.86 era with a 8.2 K/9 ratio cannot be ignored. Those are some gaudy numbers no matter what level your throwing at. In fact, in his 3 year minor league career, Clark is 29-9 with a 3.12 era and an 8.5 K/9 mark. I'd like to see him make the jump to AAA to start the year with in '10.

#20 Brett Pill, 1B: Entering the final phase of prospect-eligibility at 25, the year he had in 2009 can't be ignored. He hit .298 with 19 hr and 109 RBI in a league notoriously known for big ballparks and good pitching (AA's Eastern League). Reminds me a lot of Travis Ishikawa, just right-handed, and could find himself in the mix with the Giants if Aubrey Huff gets hurt or doesn't rebound from 2009. LHP Aaron King, RHP Matt Graham

Just missed: LHP Aaron King (had nice showing in 2009 in San Jose, another solid lefty, very Scott Barnes-like), RHP Matt Graham (huge potential in his right-arm, dropped a few rounds in draft because of commitment to UNC) , IF Connor Gillaspie (major dissapointment last year, but not ready to give up on him yet)

Best of the rest: RHP Jose Casilla, RHP Edwin Concepcion, 1B Brandon Belt, RHP Steve Edelfsen, LHP Eric Surkamp, OF Wendell Fairley, C Jackson Williams, RHP Kevin Pucetas, C Hector Sanchez, RHP Jorge Bucardo

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Giants' Roster Shaping up for Spring

Date: Tue, Jan 26, 2010

After the Giants inked Bengie Molina to a 1-year, $4.5 million dollar deal last week to sure up their starting catching position, the Giants appear to have their roster set as Spring Training begins in just a few short weeks.

The one piece of news that surfaced last week as well, and something that could very well impact the potential opening day lineup, was that Freddy Sanchez recently went under the knife in order to clean out his shoulder. The surgery will apparently keep the 2-time all-star and former batting champion out for all of spring training and could cause him to start the regular season on the DL. The Giants are counting on Sanchez to be a huge part of their offense and anchor the top part of their order, especially since they don't have a true leadoff man, so they're going to be very cautious with his rehab. This is where that re-signing of Juan Uribe pays off so big. Instead of having to re-work their whole lineup plan and move Mark DeRosa from left field to second base, they can simply insert Uribe and keep the rest of the lineup as planned. DeRosa could get also get some looks at second, but I think the Giants are going to want to keep him in the outfield as much as possible, as they don't have a ton of outfield depth at the moment. They could have had Xavier Nady, who in my mind would have fit in perfectly with the Giants, at around $4 million for 2010 if they wanted, as he just signed a 1-year, $3.3 million deal with the Cubs. Don't be surprised to see him go to Wrigley and put up a big year, like .300, 25 homers and 90+ RBI, .850+ OPS big.

Since it appears that Sabean is no longer considering positional talent on the free agent market, it appears the only potential add for Giants from here on out would be a reliever or 2, or possibly a fifth starter. I believe Sabean as at a point in where he's not really pursuing anyone, but is probably monitoring a few guys (Chan Ho Park, Kiko Calero?) just in case they fail to find an employer in the next few weeks. I was kind of hoping the Giants would add a high-profile type starter to allow them to ease Madison Bumgarner into the mix like they're doing with Posey, but after seeing the contract the A's just singed Ben Sheets to, (1 year, $10 million guaranteed) I don't think they'd get anyone to fit their budget. Erik Bedard is still out there, but since Sheets got $10 million without pitching in 2009, Bedard is going to want a nice sum of money too, and he actually threw in 2009 and threw very well (for the parts when he was healthy). If the Giants surprise though like they did with Molina, and pull a rabbit out of their hat, imagine the potential of a Lincecum-Bedard-Cain-Sanchez-Zito fivesome? I think they'd be your NL West favorites, and with that staff, they could be the class of a wide open National League.

GBB Note: I was originally planning to do our top-prospect evaluation post today, but I've recently injured my thumb and currently have it in a splint. Unfortunately I can't type for as long as that post will take me at the moment, but I fully intend to have that up in our next post on Thursday, so be on the lookout for that.

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GBB On HotStove TV!

Date: Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be making an appearance on HotStove TV over at http://www.hotstove.com/.

On the Agenda will be the Giants off-season moves thus far, the situation regarding Tim Lincecum and arbitration, and I'm sure we'll also get into the latest news, Freddy Sanchez having surgery and likely missing all of the Spring and the early part of the season. Be sure to tune in and support yours truly and The Giants Baseball Blog! Live at 1PM Pacific Time, be there!

If you missed it, here is the video attached below:

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Bengie Returns, Arbitration Begins

Date: Tue, Jan 19, 2010

In a move that really came out of nowhere, Brian Sabean and the Giants have re-signed Bengie Molina to a one-year, $4.5 million to return to San Francisco for the 2010 season. Molina rejected a better offer from the Mets to return to the Giants, apparently showing who he thinks has the better chance to win in 2010.

Earlier in the offseason, Brian Sabean made it clear that the Giants wouldn't be entertaining the idea of bringing Molina back. However, with the way the market has shaped up, and the wacky contracts that have been given out to mediocre catchers (2 year deals to guys like Pudge Rodriguez and Jason Kendal), plans changed. The catching market wasn't very lucrative to begin with, and the only other starting catcher options outside of Molina were Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba. Molina is knows the Giants pitching staff inside and out, and will provide more offensively than both Torrealba and Barajas, and I think those were the two factors that ultimately pushed Sabean's hand. Molina was the best option left on the market as far as catchers go, and will enable the Giants to ease Buster Posey into mix rather than throwing him into the fire. Although I was really excited to see Buster Posey get significant playing time early in the 2010 season, I certainly see the logic in bringing Molina back. They obviously feel Posey isn't ready to handle the full load, and judging by what he showed at the end of '09, he really isn't. I don't love this signing by any stretch, but like the others this offseason, I can't really complain about the terms of it. All things considered, the Giants are a stronger team than they were at the beginning of the day, and that's the most important thing.

The Giants also have begun arbitration cases with their eligible players. Sabean did avoid arbitration with Jonathan Sanchez by signing him to a $2.1 million deal for 2010, which I think is a very fair deal for both parties. Now Sabean can turn his focus to Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson. Lincecum's party submitted a figure in the neighborhood of $13 million while the Giants countered with $8 million. I'm actually a little surprised the Giants didn't offer at least $10 million, but I think Lincecum will still end up getting closer to the $13 million he requested than what the Giants offered. It looks like he's going to indeed break the arbitration record of $10 million set by Ryan Howard. I think the Giants should just give him the $13 million and keep "The Franchise" happy cause he's worth about double that to the Giants anyway. The Giants and Brian Wilson were much closer in their case. Wilson submitted 4.85 million and the Giants submitted an even $4 million. I'd guess the Giants will go ahead and give him $4.5 or so for next season. And with these moves, it looks like the Giants offseason work could be winding up. They've got their catcher now, and unless they have a right-fielder or a number five starter fall into their lap in the next couple weeks, I think they're pretty much done, outside of possibly adding another reliever to the mix.

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