Lincecum Sharp in Opener

Date: Tue, Apr 6, 2010

There was a lot of concern over the Giants' 2-time Cy Young award winning 25 year-old after a sub-par spring and a significant drop in velocity. However, Lincecum alleviated all concern with a stellar outing on opening night, defeating Roy Oswalt and the Astros 5-2.

Lincecum's velocity and location were both right about where they should be, and he was a tough assignment all night for Houston hitters. He constantly got ahead of hitters, and put himself in favorable pitchers counts, and his fastball was right around 93-94 all game long. Not quite where it was when he was first called-up in '07 (he was averaging 95+ mph that summer), but not at all bad for the first start of the season. Lincecum allowed just 4 base runners (all base hits, no walks) and struck out 7 in 7 shutout innings. The Giants' offense also pitched in to help him out. Bengie Molina, John Bowker, Mark DeRosa, Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe all drove in a run apiece for the Giants. The Giants new additions played well in the opener, as DeRosa hit an impressive opposite field home run off Tim Byrdak in the 8th to help give the Giants a bigger cushion while Aubrey Huff contributed a hit and a run scored while making a few nice plays over at first base. If you checked out our pre-game post yesterday, you'll see that my prediction that at least one of the middle 3 hitters would have gone deep, and DeRosa made me look good. Bowker missed a home run by about 3 feet as he singled high off the Crawford Boxes out in left field for his RBI.

The player who really impressed me the most on Monday though, was shortstop Edgar Renteria. Sure it's only opening day and one game of 162, but he looked like a different ballplayer out there, and even talked before the game about how excited and optimistic he was for this season. Renteria made an incredible play, going deep into the hole between 2nd and 3rd base, to grab a grounder off the bat of Carlos Lee, and made a tremendous, cross-body throw to get the ball to Ishikawa in plenty of time, but Ishi couldn't come up with the short-hop, a ball he probably catches 9 out of 10 times. That ball would have been a base hit to left field last year, but Renteria is clearly much lighter on his feet after dropping around 15 pounds over the winter. Oh yeah, he also went 2-3 at the plate with a walk and an RBI double. While Renteria looked great in the 2 hole on Monday, the Giants other top of the order hitter, Aaron Rowand, didn't fair so well. He had an 0-5 night with a couple of strikeouts and didn't display much patience at the plate. The Giants are going to roll with Rowand in the top spot for a while, but he's got to start being more selective if he's going to stick there all year long.

Tonight, the Giants will send Barry Zito to the mound, who will duel it out with Astros lefty Wandy Rodrguez. The Giants will have to get to Rodriguez early, and Zito is going to have to find his rhythm early if the Giants want a repeat performance from last night. Once Rodriguez gets going, he gets really tough to hit. If the Giants can get to Rodriguez though, and with Matt Cain scheduled to pitch tomorrow in the finale, the Giants could be on their way to an opening series sweep with a victory tonight.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Giants Set to Open Season

Date: Mon, Apr 5, 2010

Opening Day 2010 has officially arrive, as the Giants are just a few hours away from taking on the Houston Astros in Houston, as they send 2-time reigning Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum to the mound vs. Astros' ace Roy Oswalt.

The Giants starting lineup for today's game is as follows:

CF Aaron Rowand
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Aubrey Huff
LF Mark DeRosa
C Bengie Molina
RF John Bowker
2B Juan Uribe
P Tim Lincecum

The only semi-surprise in there would be Bowker getting the nod in right field over Schierholtz, but after the way he finished up in Fresno in 2009, and played during spring training this year, it's tough to argue with Bruce Bochy's decision. Schierholtz brings a more stable defensive presence in right-field, but Bowker has really torn the cover off the ball since last June. And in a Giants lineup that could use all the pop it can get, they are going to give Bowker all the opportunity to translate those AAA numbers into big league production.. Other than that, Boch has decided to go with Edgar Renteria in the second spot in the order with Freddy Sanchez out. Renteria will probably be on a short leash this year once Sanchez does return, especially if Uribe keeps swinging the bat like he did last year. As a matter of fact, both the guys at the top of the lineup for the Giants really do hold the key to the offense's success. If Rowand and Renteria can get on consistently enough in-front of Sandoval, Huff, DeRosa, Molina and Bowker, then the Giants offense should be just fine, but that is a big "if" though.

The Giants have a better all-around team than the Astros, and I expect them to take this series, although it's going to be a good test early for their offense. They face two of the better arms in the NL in Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez in the first two games, then get Brett Myers, who's always been pretty tough on the Giants, going in game 3. I like the way Huff, DeRosa and Sandoval have all been swinging lately, and I believe at least one of them will go deep in the opener. Hopefully Timmy's rough spring training performance doesn't carry over into the regular season. The Giants have always faired decently vs. Oswalt so I think the Giants will pull it off in a close one, 6-5. Keep an eye on Lincecum's velocity though, cause if he pitches like he did during the spring, it won't matter that he's 2-0 with a 1.67 era, just 16 hits allowed and 40 strikeouts in 31+ innings in his career vs. Houston.

We'll be back tonight after the game with a small post-game wrap post, so be sure to check us out and drop your opinion on what the Giants looked like on opening day in our comment box!

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 MLB Awards and Playoff Predictions

Date: Sun, Apr 4, 2010

Here is our picks for the major National and American league post-season awards, as well as the playoff tree and how we think things will transpire this October.

AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARDS

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, NY- Teixeira really could have won last season and you wouldn't have gotten much argument from anyone after he hit .292 with 39 jacks and 122 RBI to lead the Yanks to a World Series championship. I expect much of the same power wise in '10 out of the Yanks' first basemen, but I'm expecting him to have an even higher avg. in 2010.

AL CY Young: Justin Verlander, Det.- The flame-throwing righty is coming off a nice 19 win year in which he k'd 269 batters. Surrounded by an improved Detroit team, I expect him to have his best season yet, possibly winning 20+ ballgames and again being amongst the league leaders in strikeouts.

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, Tex- The 21 year-old right-handed phenom has gotten his feet wet at the big league level and has looked even more dominant than he did in the minors. Look for him to be closing games in Texas before long, and I see him getting the same results that a younger Jonathan Papelbon got. I still would like to see him eventually moved to the rotation, but he's going to be big for Texas in 2010 whether its relieving or starting.

AL Batting Champ: Joe Mauer, Min- Really is not only the best left-handed hitter in the AL, but probably the best all-around hitter in that league, and possibly in all of baseball. Look for him to be back around .350+ again, and probably be right there in MVP talks as well as long as he stays healthy for 130+ games.

Home Run Leader: Alex Rodriguez, NY- He's fully healthy coming into the year, and I expect him to stay that way. If he can play 150 ballgames, he should be right around 45-50 homers, especially as he gets comfortable in the Yankees new bandbox, I mean ballpark.

Manager of the Year: Ozzie Guillen, Chi- The mouthy White Sox manager rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I think he is primed for a good year with a talented pitching staff. If Guillen can push the right buttons and get that Sox lineup to match-up with their pitching staff, they could surprise people in 2010.

Comeback Player: Francisco Liriano, Min- The talented lefty is coming off a horrible year, but he's got more than enough talent to still figure things out. With no pressure on him in the fifth spot of the rotation, and surrounded by a talented Twins team, it wouldn't surprise me to see him flip-flop his win-loss record from a year ago (5-13) and drop that era (5.80) by about 2.5 runs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE AWARDS

NL MVP: Chase Utley, Phi- With all due respect to Albert Pujols, who probably will end up winning this, Utley has been on the brink of MVP status each year, and I think this will be the year, with all that talent in the Philly lineup, that he actually does it. I think he ends up around .315, 35 hr, 120 RBI, 25 sb while helping lead the Phillies back to the 'Series.

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Phi- Tough not to pick reigning 2-time winning Tim Lincecum, especially being a Giants Blog and all, but Halladay is just primed for big things in the NL. I'm thinking 22+ wins, 2.75 era, 220 K's in 200+ innings big with that talented team around him. The only small issue he'll have to deal with is the Phills suspect closing situation, and the fact that he's in a much more hitter friendly yard this year.

Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, Atl- Look for Giants' Buster Posey, Brewers' Alcides Escobar and the Reds' Aroldis Chapman, among others, to be firmly in the mix too. However, Heyward is starting the year on a solid Braves team and will probably be in that lineup all year which should yield big results (.300, 25+ HR, 85+ RBI).

Batting Tittle: Ryan Braun, Mil- The 27 year-old left fielder is just entering his prime years, and I think 2010 could be his best year, average wise, to date. He's coming off a .320 season, and a 20 point spike wouldn't be out of the realm at all for a talented player like Braun.

Home Run Leader: Mark Reynolds, AZ- He's coming off a 44 home-run year and he's still really learning how to hit. He made marked improvement in his strikeouts at the end of last year, and if he can put more balls in play in 2010, he's bound to hit even more home runs. Yearly favorites Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols will be right with him though, and you wouldn't get an argument for picking any of them.

Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox, Atl- In his last hoo-rah as the legendary skipper of the Atlanta Braves, look for Cox to go out with a bang. I think the Braves, with their mix of youth and productive veterans, should be right in the thick of the wild card race, and should win it if their pitching does what it's supposed to.

Comeback Player: Geovanny Soto, Chi- The Cubs backstop is coming off a pathetic year offensively, in which he hit just .218. Look for him to be back to his rookie form in which he hit over .280 with 23 homers and 80+ RBI. Atlanta's Troy Glaus is another good probability.

Playoff/World Series Prediction
American League

ALDS
Angels over Red Sox
Yankees over White Sox

ALCS: Yankees over Angels

National League

NLDS
Phillies over Rockies
Cardinals over Braves

NLCS: Cardinals over Phillies

World Series
Yankees over Cardinals (6 games)

Back to the Giants: Check back Monday around noon-1 PM as we get ready for the Giants and the Astros to open the season in Houston. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 Pacific, with Tim Lincecum opposing Roy Oswalt. We'll have pre-game notes, the Giants lineup, a short Schierholtz v. Bowker debate, and more to get ready before the game so be sure to check us out before the game Monday! Happy Opening Day to everyone!

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 NL West Preview

Date: Sat, Apr 3, 2010

Finally we finish up in the NL West, which could be the closest division in baseball and definitely one of the tougher ones to predict.

1st Place, Colorado Rockies

Lineup:
CF Dexter Fowler
LF Carlos Gonzalez
1B Todd Helton
SS Troy Tulowitzki
RF Brad Hawpe
C Chris Ianetta
3B Ian Stewart
2B Clint Barmes

Pitching:
RH Ubaldo Jimenez
LH Jeff Francis
RH Aaron Cook
LH Jorge De La Rosa
RH Jason Hammel
SU: Franklin Morales
CL: Huston Street (DL'd until May)

The Rockies are an overall young team who knows how to win. They were one of the best teams in baseball during the second half of last season, and they did that without one of their best starting pitchers (Jeff Francis). A big key to their success was young outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who came over from the A's in the Matt Holliday trade and immediately made an impact (.286, 13 hr, 29 RBI, 16 SB, .878 OPS in 276 at-bats) upon his arrival in Colorado in June. Gonzalez, Tulowitzki, Fowler, Hawpe and Stewart give the Rockies a young core of solid ballplayers who they can build around. They also have veteran first basemen Todd Helton, who continues to be a model of consistency and productivity for the Rocks. The pitching staff is always the area in question for the Rockies, but it looks like they may have finally answered those questions as all starters (besides the injured Francis) finished 2009 with winning records and all of them can pitch at Coors Field. The bullpen is a bit of a question though, where closer Huston Street is out indefinitely, and may not return until mid-season.

2nd Place, San Francisco Giants

Lineup:
CF Aaron Rowand
2B Freddy Sanchez*
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Aubrey Huff
LF Mark DeRosa
C Bengie Molina
RF John Bowker
SS Edgar Renteria

Pitching:
RH Tim Lincecum
RH Matt Cain
LH Barry Zito
LH Jonathan Sanchez
RH Todd Wellemeyer
LH Madison Bumgarner*
SU: Jeremy Affeldt
CL: Brian Wilson
*Bumgarner starts year in AAA
*Sanchez out until May

The Giants definitely improved their offense with the additions of DeRosa and Huff, but it's not like those guys are going to push them over the top. Overall, they have a better team entering 2010 than they had entering 2009, and that team managed to win 87 games, so this team should be right around that total too. The pitching staff is their strength, as Cain and Lincecum can match up with any duo in baseball, Sanchez is coming off a solid second half last year that started with a no-hitter in mid-July, and Barry Zito looks like he's finally hit his comfort zone in San Francisco. Their young, hard-throwing bullpen is led by closer Brian Wilson (2.74 era, 38 sv in '09), set-up man Jeremy Affeldt (1.73 era in '09) and a couple of youngsters who are nearly as effective as those two and they are lefty Dan Runzler and righty Sergio Romo. The Giants don't have much team speed, although they have smart base runners, and their defense isn't great, but I don't think those two areas will keep the Giants back. If Huff and DeRosa have good years and the Giants offense can average 4+ runs per night, then they'll be right in the thick of the playoff race.

3rd Place, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lineup:
SS Rafael Furcal
C Russell Martin
CF Matt Kemp
LF Manny Ramirez
RF Andre Eithier
3B Casey Blake
1B James Loney
2B Blake DeWitt

Pitching:
RH Vicente Padilla
LH Clayton Kershaw
RH Chad Billingsley
RH Hiroki Kuroda
RH Charlie Haeger
SU: George Sherrill
CL: Jonathan Broxton

The Dodgers went through a lot of turmoil with their front office and ownership situation this winter, and the didn't achieve very much during the offseason due largely to that. They had some holes in their starting rotation that didn't really get fixed. Billingsley and Kershaw are very good young arms, but besides those two, I don't like their rotation too much. The bullpen should be solid though, led by all-star closer Jonathan Broxton and another guy who's been a successful closer in recent years, George Sherrill. The lineup has some studs. Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier and Manny Ramirez make up the best offensive outfield in baseball, and I'm expecting rebound seasons out of Furcal and Martin. The Dodgers are just hoping Manny has another burst left in him to lead their offense. If Manny plays like he did after being sent to LA in '08 (.396, 17 hr, 53 RBI in just 187 ab's) then he'll win MVP and the Dodgers will win the West. If he plays like he did in '09 after coming back from his suspension, then the Dodgers will likely miss the playoffs for the first time in a few years.

4th Place, Arizona Diamondbacks

Lineup:
LF Connor Jackson
SS Stephen Drew
RF Justin Upton
1B Adam LaRoche
3B Mark Reynolds
C Miguel Montero
CF Chris Young
2B Kelly Johnson

Pitching:
RH Dan Haren
RH Edwin Jackson
RH Brandon Webb*
RH Ian Kennedy
RH Rodrigo Lopez
RH Billy Buckner
SU: Juan Guttierez
CL: Chad Qualls
*Webb will be out until at least June

The D-Backs have a young lineup that is ready to do their part to get AZ to the playoffs, but their pitching staff is another story. If only Brandon Webb were healthy, but he's not. He's probably going to be out until June, if not later, and the D-Backs will once again sorely miss him. They added Edwin Jackson which is a very nice add and Dan Haren is constantly in the mix for the CY Young award, so the top half of the rotation is still strong. The bullpen is OK, but they're relying on a lot of younger arms to get Chad Qualls the ball. Justin Upton is ready to start entering the MVP mix, and everybody else in that lineup (besides 1 year free agent add Adam LaRoche) is 28 or younger and all are primed for breakout seasons. If that happens, the D-Backs could be scary, because Webb will be back at some point, and that lineup has the ability to keep them in it until he does.

5th Place, San Diego Padres

Lineup:
CF Tony Gwynn Jr.
2B David Eckstein
1B Adrian Gonzalez
LF Kyle Blanks
3B Chase Headley
RF Will Venable
SS Everth Cabrera
C Yorvit Torrealba

Pitching:
RH Jon Garland
RH Chris Young
RH Kevin Corriea
LH Clayton Richard
RH Mat Latos
SU: Mike Adams
CL: Heath Bell

The Padres are the only team in the division that really have no shot at competing for a playoff spot. They do have some decent starters with Young, Corriea and youngsters Richard and Latos, but they don't really have an ace (as evident by Jon Garland getting the opening day nod). Their lineup has a few boppers in Gonzalez and Blanks, and a couple of possible future stars in Cabrera, Gwynn and Headley, but they just don't have enough offense right now to keep up with most other teams. Their bullpen is probably their strength, with closer Heath Bell (2.71 era, 42 sv in '09) and set-up man Mike Adams (0.73 era, 0.59 WHIP in '09).

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 NL Central Preview

Date: Fri, Apr 2, 2010

The NL Central will once again be dominated mostly by the Cardinals, but there are a few up-and-coming ballclubs in an overall solid division. The division also possesses two of baseball's best right-handed hitters in Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun.

1st Place, St. Louis Cardinals

Lineup:
2B Skip Schumaker
SS Brendan Ryan
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
CF Colby Rasmus
C Yadier Molina
3B David Freise

Pitching:
RHP Chris Carpentar
RHP Adam Wainwright
RHP Brad Penny
RHP Kyle Lohse
LHP Jamie Garcia
SU: Jason Motte
CL: Ryan Franklin

The Cards are once again the clear cut favorites in the 6-team NL Central. They have it all, power, average, great pitching and solid defense. The one area which their team lacks a bit is team speed, but with Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Ryan Ludwick anchoring down the middle of the order, scoring runs shouldn't be much of an issue. The front end of their rotation can be untouchable when they're on, as both Carpentar and Wainwright are coming off tremendous years in which they both posted sub-3 era's and each won at least 17 games. If Penny and Lohse both pitch up to their capabilities, then the rotation will be a major strength. The bullpen is a tad shallow though. Ryan Franklin had a memorable season shutting the door last year, but he's 37 years old and I wouldn't count on a repeat performance. They do have Jason Motte ready to go if Franklin struggles, so the Cards should be just fine.

2nd Place, Chicago Cubs

Lineup:
SS Ryan Theriot
RF Kosuke Fukudome
1B Derek Lee
3B Aramis Ramirez
LF Alfonso Soriano
CF Marlon Byrd
C Geovany Soto
2B Mike Fontenot

Pitching:
RHP Carlos Zambrano
LHP Ted Lilly
RHP Ryan Dempster
RHP Randy Wells
RHP Carlos Silva
SU: John Grabow
CL: Carlos Marmol

The Cubbies are returning practically the same roster that finished second behind the Cardinals in the Central last year. They swapped out Milton Bradley for Marlon Byrd which should be a wash, although I think Byrd will give them more than Bradley did in '09. The two keys to the Cubs lineup though will be Ramirez, Soto and Soriano, who are coming off injury shortened seasons. Their rotation is a veteran heavy bunch, as Zambrano and Wells are the only two starters under 30 years of age, but Zambrano has more mileage on him than your typical 28 year-old. The key to their pitching staff will be the performance of their bullpen. The Cubs seem to try someone different each year at closer, but they're hoping Carlos Marmol is the guy who will hold that spot for the foreseeable future.

3rd Place, Milwaukee Brewers

Lineup:
2B Rickie Weeks
CF Carlos Gomez
LF Ryan Braun
1B Prince Fielder
3B Casey McGehee
RF Corey Hart
C Greg Zaun
SS Alcides Escobar

Pitching:
RHP Yovani Gallardo
LHP Randy Wolf
LHP Doug Davis
RHP Dave Bush
LHP Manny Parra
SU: LaTroy Hawkins
CL: Trevor Hoffman

The Brewers definitely have some holes in their team. Fielder and Braun are both legit MVP candidates year in and year out, and I think Rickie Weeks is primed for a breakout season. Weeks missed most of last year after going down in mid-May, but was on pace for a career year before that (.277, 9 HR and 24 RBI in 135 at-bats). Young shortstop Alcides Escobar is a potential gold-glover and all-star caliber player and should help out one of the weaker defensive teams in the NL. I really like the top of their rotation, led by Yovani Gallardo and followed by Randy Wolf, but after that things are very uncertain. Their 3-5 starters totaled 35 losses last season and had a combined era in the 6's. In their bullpen, the ageless wonder, Trevor Hoffman, continues to pitch at a high level at age 42 and is coming off one of his best years ever.

4th Place, Cincinnati Reds

Lineup:
CF Drew Stubbs
SS Orlando Cabrera
1B Joey Votto
2B Brandon Phillips
3B Scott Rolen
RF Jay Bruce
LF Johnny Gomes
C Ramon Hernandez

Pitching:
RHP Aaron Harrang
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Bronson Arroyo
RHP Homer Bailey
LHP Travis Wood
LHP Aroldis Chapman*
SU: Nick Masset
CL: Francisco Cordero

*Chapman Starts year in AAA but will be up by June

The Reds are finally putting together a respectable pitching staff, in both their rotation and bullpen. The rotation has a few solid vets at the top in Harang and Arroyo, and then a couple of bright youngsters on the rise in Cueto, Bailey, Wood and Chapman. They also should get a huge shot in the arm when their ace Edison Volquez returns around mid-season. The bullpen is rock solid as well with closer Francisco Cordero, and a handful of very effective set-up guys like Masset, Arthur Rhodes, Jared Burton and Daniel Herrera. Their offense should score runs, but they really need Jay Bruce to play up to his potential to be clicking on all cylinders. Defensively, they are a very solid all-around and don't really have any below-average defenders in the lineup.

5th Place, Houston Astros

Lineup:
CF Michael Bourn
2B Kaz Matsui
1B Lance Berkman
LF Carlos Lee
RF Hunter Pence
3B Pedro Feliz
C J.R. Towles
SS Tommy Manzella

Pitching:
RHP Roy Oswalt
LHP Wandy Rodriguez
RHP Brett Myers
RHP Bud Norris
RHP Felipe Paulino
SU: Brandon Lyon
CL: Matt Lindstrom

The Astros would really need everybody to play extremely well, have no injuries, and they'd need their young pitchers to start 30 games each if they want to put themselves in mix for a playoff spot, but I just don't see it. I like the top and middle part of their order, but the bottom half looks very weak. Bourn and Pence are two bright young outfielders and Lee and Berkman provide the veteran stability. The rotation will be just fine if Brett Myers can pitch like he should, and Bud Norris builds off his solid rookie campaign, but that's not at all a given. Their bullpen is there biggest weakness, as they have two guys who shouldn't be near the late innings (Lindstrom and Lyon) setting up and closing for them.

6th Place, Pittsburgh Pirates

Lineup:
CF Andrew McCutchen
2B Akinori Iwamura
RF Garrett Jones
C Ryan Doumit
LF Lastings Milledge
3B Andy LaRoche
1B Jeff Clement
SS Ronny Cedeno

Pitching:
LHP Zack Duke
RHP Ross Ohlendork
LHP Paul Maholm
RHP Charlie Morton
RHP Daniel McCutchen
SU: Brendan Donnelly
CL: Octavio Dotel

The Pirates have a lineup full of other teams castoff prospects (Milledge, LaRoche, Clement, Cedeno and Jones), which tells you that they aren't that great. A lot of these guys are still young enough to improve and figure things out, but I'm not expecting much out of anyone in their lineup besides McCutchen, Jones, Doumit and LaRoche. Their rotation, which has been their strength in recent years, is not so much anymore. The bullpen will be OK, but they just won't get the chance to pitch with many leads. In the low-pressure atmosphere, I expect Dotel to thrive in the closer role though, and their top-3 starters at least have had success at the big league level. They'll also play pretty well defensively, but they just don't have enough firepower to keep up with the other teams in this division.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 NL East Predictions

Date: Wed, Mar 31, 2010

1st Place, Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup:
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Raul Ibanez
RF Jayson Werth
3B Placido Polanco
C Carlos Ruiz

Pitching:
RHP Roy Halladay
LHP Cole Hammels
RHP Joe Blanton
LHP Jamey Moyer
RHP J.A. Happ
SU: Ryan Madson
CL: Brad Lidge

The Phillies are really the most stocked team in the NL, but they do have a slight weakness, and that is in their bullpen. Brad Lidge is coming of a monumentally horrible season in which he went 0-8 with a 7.21 era, finishing with 21 saves in 67 games. If he continues to struggle to start 2010, look for Madson to take the 9th inning reigns with Dannys Baez getting consideration too. Other than that though, their lineup is ridiculously strong from 1-7, as all guys can hit 12+ home runs, and all but Ryan Howard can steal you a base if needed. Their rotation is also a huge strength, especially after they added Roy Halladay this winter. J.A. Happ really stuck out after being moved to the rotation last year as well (6-4 with a 2.96 era in 13 starts after the break). Defensively, they are about as good as it gets with reigning gold glovers, or potential gold glovers scattered all over the diamond.

2nd Place, Atlanta Braves

Lineup:
CF Nate McClouth
LF Melky Cabrera
3B Chipper Jones
1B Troy Glaus
C Brian McCann
RF Jason Heyward
SS Yunel Escobar
2B Martin Prado

Pitching:
RHP Derek Lowe
RHP Jair Jurrjens
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Tommy Hanson
RHP Kenshin Kawakami
SU: Takashi Saito
CL: Billy Wagner

The Braves have quietly constructed a very good ballclub, health impending of course. I like the mix of vets and youngsters they have in their rotation with Lowe and Hudson matched with Hanson and Jurrjens. Their bullpen is veteran heavy, but should be very effective if everyone still has another year in thier arms, which is likely the case. Their lineup will rely on the health of Jones and Glaus, but both have looked healthy this spring. They also have a few youngsters in there to help pick up the slack with Jason Heyward (ROY candidate), Escobar and McCann. McClouth needs to hit more like he did in '08, otherwise I'd try Cabrera or Escobar at the top.

3rd Place, Florida Marlins

Lineup:
LF Chris Coghlan
CF Cameron Maybin
SS Hanley Ramirez
3B Jorge Cantu
2B Dan Uggla
RF Cody Ross
1B Gaby Sanchez
C John Baker

Pitching:
RHP Josh Johnson
RHP Ricky Nolasco
RHP Annabel Sanchez
RHP Chris Volstad
LHP Nate Robertson
SU: Brian Sanches
CL: Leo Nunez

The Marlins have one of youngest teams in baseball, but they should be very competitive. They have the reigning NL Rookie of the Year at the top of the lineup, followed by another guy with tremendous upside in Cameron Maybin. Hanley Ramierz is a top-5 player in all of baseball right now, and he's a guy who can single handily carry a lineup when he's on. Their young rotation is another bright spot, led by 26 year-old all-star Josh Johnson. I also really like Sanchez and Nolasco, and Volstad. The bullpen is the one area where they have some question marks, but Leo Nunez looks like a bright young closer, and there are a couple other nice young arms who will be getting him the ball. The Fish also have a decent defense where only Cantu and Uggla are below league average, but they more than make up for that with their offensive output.

4th Place, New York Mets

Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
CF Carlos Beltran*
LF Jason Bay
3B David Wright
1B Daniel Murphy
RF Jeff Franceur
C Rod Barajas

Pitching:
LHP Johan Santana
RHP John Maine
RHP Mike Pelfrey
LHP Oliver Perez
RHP Jonathan Niese
SU: Jerry Mejia
CL: Francisco Rodriguez

*Beltran will miss at least first month of season, Angel Pagan will be in his place

The Mets were recently a powerhouse in the NL East, but they have fallen off mightily in the last few seasons. Most of that is due to injury and inconsistency in their starting rotation. Carlos Beltran will be out until sometime in May, so they're already having to overcome the loss of their best all-around player. The rotation is not only thin, but they have had health issues themselves. Mike Pelfrey led the team in innings last year at 184, and the next closest was Santana at 166. If that happens again, the Mets will once again finish below .500. However, if they get full years out of their starters, and Beltran returns strong and early, they could at least find themselves in the hunt for the wild card.

5th Place, Washington Nationals

Lineup:
CF Nyjer Morgan
RF Willie Harris
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam Dunn
LF Josh Willingham
C Ivan Rodriguez
2B Adam Kennedy
SS Ian Desmond

Pitching:
LHP John Lannan
RHP Jason Marquis
RHP Livan Hernandez
LHP Scott Olson
RHP Craig Stammen
SU: Brian Brunney
CL: Matt Capps

The Nats are at least on the right path now. They have a couple of youngsters, including phenom right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg, knocking on the door. They also will get former Yankee ace Chien-Ming Wang back around June, so John Lannan and Jason Marquis will get some help in the rotation. Their bullpen is still a major work in progress though, but I think Matt Capps will rebound and have a nice year. The lineup relies a lot on power with Dunn, Zimmerman and Willingham, but the addition of Nyjer Morgan for the hole year will help the top of their order. Still at least a year away from being relevant in the NL East again though.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Giants Extend Cain, Schierholtz Struggling

Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2010

With us trying to squeeze out the MLB divisional previews before the season starts next week, I haven't been able to do any Giants only posts over the last week. However, there was some big news to come out of camp on Tuesday.

The Giants inked Matt Cain to a 3 year contract extension which will pay the 25 year-old right-hander $27.5 million over the next 3 seasons. Cain had his best season as a pro in 2009, and looks like he's taking that next step. He's threw more strikes in '09 and put himself in favorable counts more often than not. The Giants also extended closer Brian Wilson though the 2012 season, a deal that will pay him $6.5 million then $8.5 during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. They also locked Jeremy Affeldt up thorough 2012 as well.

As far as on-field performance goes, Nate Schierholtz has really tanked over the second half of the spring. Nate is hitting .236 with a homer and 7 RBI. He hasn't exactly taken the bull by the horns like the Giants were hoping he would. Also, John Bowker is carrying over his 2009 AAA success into 2010, as he leads the team with 5 homers and 20 RBI. The next closest in each category is 3 hr (Huff, Lewis) and 12 RBI (Huff). Bowker is showing that obviously he deserves to get a chance to carry this success over into the regular season. I think they should stick with Schierholtz for the first couple weeks of the season though, but Bowker needs to be getting at-bats as well. Nate's defense would be a huge asset in right field, he's much better than Bowker with the glove and has a cannon arm. One option to get Bowker into the lineup a little more could be giving DeRosa more time at second and putting Bowker in right a few times a week, then he could get at least 1-2 starts in right and be getting basically full-time at-bats. I'm a little surprised he didn't get more of a chance last year after his 10 homer, 43 RBI Rookie 1/2 season.

On the mound, Jonathan Sanchez looks like he's in regular season form after striking out 11 batters, and allowing just 1 run on 3 hits over 6 innings vs. the Brewers Monday. A re-assuring outing for a Giants rotation that has struggled as a whole this spring.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 AL West Preview

Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2010

1st Place, Los Angeles Angels

Lineup:
SS Erick Aybar
RF Bobby Abreu
CF Torii Hunter
1B Kendry Morales
DH Hideki Matsui
LF Juan Rivera
2B Howie Kendrick
3B Brandon Wood
C Mike Napoli

Pitching:
RHP Jered Weaver
LHP Scott Kazmir
RHP Ervin Santana
LHP Joe Saunders
RHP Joel Pinero
SU: Fernando Rodney
CL: Brian Fuentes

The Angels lost thier offensive centerpiece over the winter when Vladimir Guerrero signed with Texas, but the emergence of Kendry Morales (.306/34/108) and Juan Rivera (.287/25/88) should make Vlad's absence easier to overcome. The tougher loss for them in my mind was Chone Figgins, who anchored their leadoff spot over the last 5 years and could play all over the diamond. Their starting rotation is very experienced, yet very young. Joel Pinero is the only one over 30 years of age, but everybody in the rotation has at least 3 seasons under their belt. If Kazmir and Santana both pitch up to their capabilities, the Angels should have one of the best rotations in the AL. They also added hard-throwing, late inning specialist Fernando Rodney, to help get the ball to Brian Fuentes, and possibly get a few save opportunities himself. I also like the way they set up defensively. That outfield of Abreu-Hunter-Rivera is about as solid as it gets.

2nd Place, Seattle Mariners

Lineup:
RF Ichiro Suzuki
2B Chone Figgins
CF Franklin Gutierrez
LF Milton Bradley
3B Jose Lopez
DH Ken Griffey Jr.
1B Casey Kotchman
SS Jack Wilson
C Rob Johnson

Pitching:
RHP Felix Hernandez
LHP Cliff Lee
RHP Ian Snell
RHP Ryan Rowland-Smith
RHP Jason Vargas
LHP Erik Bedard*
SU: Mark Lowe
CL: David Aardsma

* Out until mid-May

The Mariners are a team very much on the up. I like their addition of Chone Figgins to the top of the lineup to team with Ichiro, and I'm expecting a bounce back year from Milton Bradley. The bottom of their lineup lacks punch, but they should be able to make up for that with their strong defense. Their rotation is kind of in shambles entering the year, as both Erik Bedard and Cliff Lee will start the year on the DL, leaving them with just 3 experienced starters to begin the year with. Their bullpen is a bit of a question mark, and their closer has struggled this spring, but Aardsma is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.52 era and saved 38 ballgames. Again though, the AL West is a division that is improving, and unless they get their pitching staff healthy and going, they could find themselves at the bottom of the division.

3rd Place, Oakland Athletics

Lineup:
CF Coco Crisp
LF Rajai Davis
C Kurt Suzuki
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
DH Jack Cust
1B Eric Chavez
RF Ryan Sweeney
2B Mark Ellis
SS Cliff Pennington

Pitching:
RHP Ben Sheets
LHP Brett Anderson
RHP Justin Duchscherer
LHP Dallas Braden
RHP Trevor Cahill
SU: Joey Devine
CL: Andrew Bailey

I really like the A's pitching staff, from top to bottom, from Ben Sheets and Brett Anderson all the way down to the guys closing the door in Joey Devine, Michael Wuertz and Andrew Bailey. Their lineup though, leaves a lot to be desired. Any team that has Kevin Kouzmanoff hitting in the cleanup spot definitely has some holes offensively. Still though, I think their offense is just good enough to support that strong pitching staff and keep the A's right around .500. Give them a couple of legit middle order hitters and they could realistically become division favorites. The key for the A's will be their players who missed all of or most of 2009 with injury. If Crisp, Sheets and Chavez all perform near their career norm, the A's will be even better than just a .500 ballclub.

4th Place, Texas Rangers

Lineup:
LF Julio Bourbon
3B Michael Young
2B Ian Kinsler
CF Josh Hamilton
DH Vladimir Guerrero
RF Nelson Cruz
1B Chris Davis
SS Elvis Andrus
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Pitching:
RHP Rich Harden
RHP Scott Feldman
LHP C.J. Wilson
RHP Matt Harrison
RHP Colby Lewis
SU: Neftali Feliz
CL: Frank Francisco

If you could take the Rangers lineup and team that with the A's pitching staff, you'd definitely have something. Like the A's pitching staff, the Ragners lineup is stocked with young hitters just entering their prime, who've been around for a little while. Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton are franchise cornerstones. Julio Bourbon, Chris Davis and Elvis Andrus are all young, potential all-star caliber players ready to take that next step. Oh yeah, they also have the top first base prospect in baseball (Justin Smoak) knocking on the door. However, their pitching staff, again, is a weakness. I like how they added Rich Harden, and Scott Feldman looks good, but after that they're extremely thin. They do have a couple real young, potential stud arms in Neftali Feliz (starting year in bullpen) and Derek Holland (AAA rotation) and those two can really help rebuild the Rangers staff.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

AL Central Preview and Predictions

Date: Sat, Mar 27, 2010

Here is our projection for how the AL Central will look in 2010. Also, we have some Giants news at the bottom of the post with the recent trading of Kevin Frandsen:

1st Place, Chicago White Sox

Lineup:
LF Juan Pierre
SS Alexei Ramirez
2B Gordon Beckham
RF Carlos Quentin
1B Paul Konerko
CF Alex Rios
C A.J. Pierzynski
DH Andruw Jones
3B Mark Teahan

Pitching:
RHP Jake Peavy
LHP Mark Buerhle
RHP Gavin Floyd
LHP John Danks
RHP Freddy Garcia
SU: J.J. Putz
CL: Bobby Jenks

The veteran-heavy White Sox should win the Central, especially with the Twins missing Joe Nathan for the year. They have a strong offensive lineup with Juan Pierre and Alex Rios bringing in some much needed speed. All hitters in that lineup after their leadoff guy are capable of hitting 15+ home runs per year as well, so they have the proper mix of speed and power. They also have a nice mix of effective vets and productive youngsters in their rotation and bullpen. If they can keep Peavy and Buerhle healthy, and their lineup performs as it should, they'll cruise to an easy division championship. I'm curious to see as to how Jake Peavy takes to the American League. He was one of the top arms in the NL for much of the last decade but he's really been hit hard by the injury bug over the last couple of seasons.

2nd Place, Detroit Tigers

Lineup:
LF Johnny Damon
CF Austin Jackson
RF Maglio Ordonez
1B Miguel Cabrera
DH Carlos Guillen
3B Brandon Inge
C Gerald Laird
2B Scott Sizemore
SS Adam Everett

Pitching:
RHP Justin Verlander
RHP Rick Porcello
RHP Max Scherzer
LHP Dontrelle Willis
LHP Nate Robertson
SU: Joel Zumaya
CL: Jose Valverde

The Tigers don't quite match-up with Chicago, but they have a decent squad heading into the 2010 season. Johnny Damon kind of fell on their lap at the tail end of the offseason, which really strengthens the top part of their lineup. Their rotation is rock solid 1-3, but then 4 and 5 pose some questions. It looks like Dontrelle Willis will get another shot, as he's put together a very good spring so far, and Nate Robertson has looked much better than Jeremy Bonderman. Justin Verlander is a Cy Young candidate and Porcello and Scherzer are two of the brightest young arms in the league. If Robertson and Willis pitch like they did a few years back, then the Tigers will be a force. I really like their bullpen as well with the add of Valverde, one of the more underrated closers in the game.

3rd Place, Minnesota Twins

Lineup:
CF Denard Span
2B Orlando Hudson
C Joe Mauer
1B Justin Morneau
RF Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubal
LF Delmon Young
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Brendan Harris

Pitching:
RHP Scott Baker
RHP Nick Blackburn
RHP Kevin Slowey
RHP Carl Pavano
LHP Francisco Liriano
SU: Matt Guerrier
CL: Pat Neshek

The Twins suffered a huge loss with Joe Nathan going down for the year. The only other guys who were as important to this team as Nathan are Morneau and Mauer. The Twins also have some question marks in their rotation as nobody in it is coming off of a real solid year. Their lineup, however, looks about as good as it's been in recent years, especially if J.J. Hardy returns to pre-2009 form, which I believe will happen. I'm envisioning a breakout year for Delemon Young, who's under-achieved so far in his young career. Without Nathan though, it looks like it's going to be Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch all getting save opportunities as Ron Gardenhire tries to find the best fit. If he's healthy, Neshek (2.91 era, 0.96 WHIP, .188 BAA in career) would be my first choice as Nathan's replacement.

4th Place, Kansas City Royals

Lineup:
LF Scott Podsednik
RF David DeJesus
2B Alberto Callaspo
1B Billy Butler
DH Jose Guillen
CF Rick Ankiel
3B Alex Gordon
SS Yunieski Betancourt
C Jason Kendal

Pitching:
RHP Zack Greinke
RHP Gil Meche
RHP Brian Bannister
RHP Luke Hochevar
RHP Kyle Davies
SU: Juan Cruz
CL: Joakim Soria

The Royals will continue their playoff drought in 2010. They don't have themselves a bad top of the lineup, but the bottom half is huge question mark. They're hoping this is the year Alex Gordon and Luke Hochevar, both huge disappointments after being taken as number 1 picks. Those 2 need to start paying off for the Royals, otherwise they'll stay stuck in 4th-5th place mode. Zack Grienke is one of the best pitchers in the AL, but after that, the rotation is filled with guys who posted double-digit loss numbers a year ago. In the bullpen, I really like their closer, Joakim Soria, who reminds me a ton of a young Mariano Rivera. It's just too bad the rest of the bullpen is below average and he'll be lucky to get 40 save chances in '10. Defensively, the Royals have are actually above average though, so at least they have that going for them

5th Place, Cleveland Indians

Lineup:
CF Grady Sizemore
SS Ascrubal Cabrera
RF Shin-Soo Choo
DH Travis Hafner
3B Jhonny Peralta
1B Matt LaPorta
2B Luis Valbeuna
LF Michael Brantley
C lou Marson

Pitching:
RHP Jake Westbrook
LHP Aaron Laffey
RHP Fausto Carmona
LHP Jeremy Sowers
RHP Justin Masterson
SU: Chris Perez
CL: Kerry Wood

The Indians are in pretty rough shape entering the year. Their closer, Kerry Wood, is probably out for the first month of the year, and although Chris Perez should be a fine fill-in, that bullpen is very shallow and will miss Wood dearly. Their rotation is even weaker than KC's, as the Royals at least have themselves and ace and some guys with potential. Cleveland's offense is average to below average. I like Sizemore a lot, and Cabrera, Choo and LaPorta are nice talents, but they have one guy who hit 20 homers last year, and only had 2 hitters hit above .258. They were also lead in wins by a reliever (David Huff with 11) in 2009 as well. Just goes to show exactly how poor of a roster the Indians will be trotting out in 2010.

*Giants Note: Kevin Frandsen finally got his wish on Friday, as the Giants sent the 27 year-old infielder to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. Frandsen had a minor league option left, but was behind Matt Downs, Manny Burriss, Ryan Rohlinger and Brandon Crawford on the organizational depth chart. Frandsen never really got a good look after his solid showing in September of 2007, at which time he looked to be the 2nd basement of the future. Injuries and disagreements with management kept him from getting much playing time in 2009. I wish Frandsen the best, as he's now a candidate to back-up at second and short for a legit World Series contender.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

2010 AL East Preview

Date: Thu, Mar 25, 2010

As we do towards the end of every March here at the Giants Baseball Blog, with the regular season quickly approaching, we're going to start the division-by-division preview and standing predictions for the upcoming 2010 season. Starting as always in the AL East, and finishing up in the NL West, so here we go:

1st Place, New York Yankees
Lineup:
SS Derek Jeter
DH Nick Johnson
1B Mark Teixiera
3B Alex Rodriguez
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano
LF Curtis Granderson
RF Nick Swisher
CF Brett Gardner

Pitching:
LHP CC Sabathia
RHP AJ Burnett
RHP Javier Vazquez
LHP Andy Pettite
RHP Phil Hughes
SU: Joba Chamberlain
CL: Mariano Riveria

The reigning world champs have again improved themselves over the offseason, bringing Nick Johnson back to the Bronx and trading for the versatile Curtis Granderson. Those two offset the loss of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, so the offense should once again be one of the league's best. With Damon out and Brett Gardner in, their outfield defense improves greatly too. I really liked the addition of Javier Vazquez (2.87 era, 15 W, 238 K's in '09) to an already strong starting rotation. Vazquez teamed with Burnett and Sabathia make the Yanks very tough to beat in a playoff series, and that bullpen should once again be solid, led by the ageless wonder, Mariano Rivera.

2nd Place, Boston Red Sox (*AL Wild Card Winner*)
Lineup:
LF Jacoby Ellsbury
SS Marco Scutaro
2B Dustin Pedroia
C Victor Martinez
3B Kevin Youkilis
DH David Ortiz
3B Adrian Beltre
RF J.D. Drew
CF Mike Cameron

Pitching:
RHP Josh Beckett
LHP Jon Lester
RHP John Lackey
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
RHP Clay Buchholtz
SU: Daniel Bard
CL: Jonathan Papelbon

The Red Sox should again be right there on the Yankees heels, but I just don't think they have quite the offensive firepower to overtake the "Bronx Bombers". The two key players on that roster, in my opinion, are David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre. If both rebound after rough '09 seasons, and play closer to their potential, then the Sox will force themselves into the playoffs one way or another. Another strong point for Boston is their defense, as they have one of the top-5 team defenses in the game right now. That rotation is lining up to be one of the best in the game, if healthy, and their bullpen has notoriously been one of the AL's best in recent years.

3rd Place, Tampa Bay Rays
Lineup:
SS Jason Bartlett
LF Carl Crawford
3B Evan Longoria
1B Carlos Pena
2B Ben Zobrist
CF B.J. Upton
RF Matt Joyce
C Dioner Navarro

Pitching:
RHP James Shields
RHP Matt Garza
RHP Jeff Niemann
LHP David Price
RHP Wade Davis
SU: J.P. Howell
CL: Rafael Soriano

In just about any other division in baseball, the Rays would be serious contenders, as they have a nice lineup, a decent starting rotation, and an up-and-coming bullpen. B.J. Upton has the talent to be one of the top 20 players in baseball, but he had a bad season in 2009, and needs to revert back to his 2008 playoff form, when he hit 7 homers, drove in 16 runs and stole 6 bags in 16 ballgames. I also believe Carl Crawford could be the most underrated player in baseball as he has the potential to hit 25 home runs and steal 60 bases. Their young rotation and bullpen should be solid, though they'll likely encounter some growing pains throughout the year. I'm just not quite sure about Soriano as a full-time closer, as he has too much trouble staying on the field.

4th Place, Baltimore Orioles
Lineup:
2B Brian Roberts
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
3B Miguel Tejada
DH Luke Scott
C Matt Wieters
LF Nolan Reimold
1B Garrett Atkins
SS Cesar Izturis

Pitching:
RHP Kevin Millwood
RHP Jeremie Guthrie
RHP Brad Bergesen
LHP Brian Matusz
RHP Chris Tillman
SU: Jim Johnson
CL: Mike Gonzalez

The Orioles are a year or two away from really starting to make a push in the AL East. They have their young positional core going with Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold who are all 26 years of age or younger. They also have a few young arms that are ready to work at the big league level in Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and quite possibly their future ace, Jake Arrietta, knocking on the door. They remind me of what the Rays looked like one year before they made their push to the world series. They don't have quite the quality pitching that the Rays have accumulated, but they're on the right track. They can also catch and throw the ball very well, right up there with Boston. Keep an eye on Baltimore, as they should show glimpses this year of what they can be a few years down the road.

5th Place, Toranto Blue Jays
Lineup:
RF Jose Bautista
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Aaron Hill
DH Adam Lind
CF Vernon Wells
3B Edwin Encarnacion
LF Travis Snider
SS Alex Gonzalez
C John Buck

Pitching:
RHP Shawn Marcum
LHP Ricky Romero
RHP Brandon Morrow
LHP Marc Rzepczynski
LHP Brett Cecil
SU: Jason Frasier
CL: Kevin Gregg

The Blue Jays are significantly weaker team than they were at the start of last year. They've lost Alex Rios, Roy Halladay, Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas. They're counting on in-experienced arms to carry their rotation, as Ricky Romero is the only returning starter to start at least 20 games in 2009. Shawn Marcum and Brandon Morrow should be solid, but are both question marks. Their lineup needs a lot of work too. They have a decent middle order, but the top and bottom of their lineup really needs some work. Jose Bautista (career .238/.329/.729) is hardly your ideal leadoff man and they're really going to miss Scutaro at the top of the lineup. Their bullpen is also a question mark as they still don't have a clear cut closer, although they do have a few legit set-up guys.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Giants Continue Strong Play In Cactus League

Date: Tue, Mar 23, 2010

After the Giants most recent victory on Monday vs. Texas, they have bumped their record up to 15-6 this spring after totaling just 9 wins during the 2009's Cactus League. Again, these numbers and wins during March don't mean much, but I do like a lot of what I'm seeing go on with this Giants club, spring training or not.

Giants fans have to be pleased with what they've seen out of the Giants' top two offensive free-agent signees so far, with Aubrey Huff leading the team with 3 homers, second with 9 RBI and is carrying a .380 batting average. DeRosa missed the first half of the spring schedule, but has looked solid in his seven games played since, hitting .300 with a pair of RBI's. Also, Edgar Renteria has looked moderately better than he was last year, and apparently looks like he's a little bit quicker in the field. They don't really have an everyday player, minus Freddy Sanchez who is still out with that shoulder recovery, who is having a bad spring. Aaron Rowand has really heated up over the last few games and is now sporting a team best .500 batting average. The only projected regular who isn't performing up to expectation is the one guy that needs to in order to secure his starting spot and that is Nate Schierholtz. Their defense has actually been a little bit better than expected as well. They've only committed 5 errors as a team all spring long, and Huff, who's never been known for much of a defender, has really put everyone at ease with the way he's played there so far. He's even got J.T. Snow's stamp of approval.

The only thing I want to see Bruce Bochy do more of as the spring wears on is to continue to get their top youngsters into as much game action as possible. I understand that it's getting to the point in spring where the regulars are going to start getting stretched out a little more as the regular season is just 2 weeks away, but I would like to see much more of Darren Ford and Brandon Crawford. Ford showed his wheels again in Monday's game, hitting a stand-up triple in the ninth inning vs. the Rangers, and ended up scoring the game-winning run on a sac fly. Goes to show you what speed can do to a ballgame, and the Giants desperately need it. As far as the young pitchers go, the guy I've been monitoring closely is lining up to get his first start of the spring on Wednesday as the Giants split up to take on Kansas City and Cincinnati. Sosa has yet to allow a run this spring and has been very impressive with velocity and location. He's my dark horse pick to get one of the final bullpen spots, as he can both start and relieve for Boch.

Note: Our Annual MLB Divisional Previews start Tuesday or Wednesday and will probably run through the beginning of April, as I'll break down each division in baseball and pick the winners. It's one of the rare times here at the Giants Baseball Blog in which I'll touch on topics having nothing to do with the Giants, but I'll be sure to report on any big news or happenings with the club as it happens!

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Giants 2010 Roster Preview and Predictions

Date: Fri, Mar 19, 2010

Like we do here around the middle of every spring, I wanted to give my thoughts as to how the Giants roster will look come opening day, and give my best estimate as to what their players will do in the 2010 season (Keep in mind I reserve the right to change these a bit before opening day). So here we go:

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Spring Battles Still Unsettled

Date: Sun, Mar 14, 2010

We're a little over 1/3 of the way through Cactus League action, and the few spring battles that are taking place this spring are no clearer today than they were at the start of spring training.

The biggest battle going on in Giants camp this spring is the battle for the fifth starters spot. Madison Bumgarner was considered the favorite coming into camp, as he's been one of the most dominating starers in the minor leagues over the previous 2 season, and came up to the big leagues and really impressed in a brief stint at the end of last season. However, Bumgarner hasn't been quite as impressive this spring as the Giants were hoping, and hasn't really run away with the job. The main concern with Bumgarner is his velocity, which is down significantly from where it was at in during the majority of the 2009 season. Before Bumgarner was called up to the Giants last year his heater was consistently clocked between 92-95 mph. But he was down around 90 mph at the end of the year with the Giants, and has dropped even more this spring. He's been around 87-88 mph so far, and isn't having the success he's used to. His struggles this spring have prompted the Giants to discuss possibly starting him off in Fresno to begin the year.

Todd Wellemeyer was considered the favorite to get the job if Bumgarner indeed starts the year in Fresno, but Kevin Pucetas has really emerged as a strong candidate as well. Kevin Pucetas posted his third consecutive scoreless outing Saturday, throwing 3 perfect innings and striking out a batter in his second start of the spring. Pucetas has allowed just 3 hits in his 7 shutout innings this spring and hasn't yet walked a batter. Wellemeyer has thrown pretty well too, allowing just 2 earned runs and 1 walk through his 10 innings this spring. Both guys have done more to earn the fifth spot than MadBum, but there is still plenty of spring baseball left.

The battle for the remaining bullpen spots is a little tough to sort out at this point as well. The Giants essentially have 4 guys who are basically guaranteed spots and those 4 are Brian Wilson, Jeremy Affeldt, Brandon Medders and Sergio Romo. I'd have to say that 24 year-old flame-throwing lefty Dan Runzler is pretty much a lock as well since he's looked just as good this spring as he did with the Giants last September. With the Giants likely leaning towards carrying 12 pitchers on their opening day roster, that would leave space for 2 more relievers to make the team. I really like the way Alex Hinshaw and Henry Sosa (who we've mentioned a few times here this spring) are throwing, but both of those guys do have some control issues. Guillermo Mota has also done just about all he can so far to earn himself a spot, and I do think he's got a slight upper hand on the rest of the bunch because he's a veteran, and the Giants are trotting out a real young pitching staff. Adding Mota and Sosa would give the Giants the most potent bullpen, and would really stockpile them with live arms that throw the ball in the mid to high 90's. I just don't think the Giants are ready to allow Sosa to make that leap all the way up to the big leagues. Injury issues have kept him from pitching above AA ball, and they may want to start him out in Fresno.

If the Giants intend on keeping him the rotation, then I absolutely agree with starting him in Fresno and I don't mind him starting in Fresno as a reliever either, but he's going to be 25 this summer, and I don't think the Giants should be easing him along any longer. If the season started today, the last 2 spots would go to Hinshaw and Mota, but this is definitely a situation, like the fifth starters spot, to continue monitoring throughout the spring.

Giants 2010 Roster Preview/Predictions Post Coming Next!!!

Read Full Baseball Blog Post

Giants Keep Winning, Top Team in Arizona

Date: Thu, Mar 11, 2010

If you've been following the Giants closely this spring, you know that their bats have started off extremely well. Aaron Rowand, Aubrey Huff, Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina, Juan Uribe and co. have all gotten going offensively and have contributed early. Surprisingly, it's been the Giants pitchers that were off to a slower start than their hitters, however, the starting pitching has begun to take form, and the Giants have continued their spring dominance.

Jonathan Sanchez provided quite possibly the best start of the spring by any Giants' starter on Wednesday, throwing 3 strong vs. the Cubs, allowing just 3 singles and striking out 5 batters. The 27 year-old lefty has yet to allow a run this spring. Sanchez's solid outing came on the heels of both Matt Cain's and Barry Zito's solid, 3 inning, 1 run outings. The only Giants' starter who hasn't yet completed 3 innings this spring is ace Tim Lincecum. In Timmy's most recent start Thursday, he was tattooed by the Mariners, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks. Lincecum's first outing of the spring was against the same Mariner team and yielded the same negative results. In that game, he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits and 2 walks. You need to take into account the horrid defense Lincecum was backed up by on Thursday though, as Aubrey Huff made a bad throw in a double play attempt and it really opened the flood gates.

The Giants defense is going to be an area of concern early on, as they aren't the best defensive club on paper. I think they'll end up being serviceable, but Thursday's game was a perfect example of what sketchy defense can do to a ballgame, even with someone as dominant as Tim Lincecum on the mound. Madison Bumgarner is currently on the mound as I type this, and the Mariners are getting to him as well. Again, I'm not concerned in the slightest about Tim Lincecum or Madison Bumgarner, and I expect both to be right on track when the regular season begins.

Speaking of the Giants defense, Pablo Sandoval has quietly put together a terrific defensive display over at the hot-corner this spring. A lot of people asked for Sandoval to be moved over to first base because of his size, but he's showed this spring exactly why he has so much value as a third basemen. He's made diving grabs, he's shown the ability to charge the slow rollers and make the off-balance throw. Pablo's also extremely quick for his size and has a cannon arm, both of which bode well for third base. Chris Haft finally brought some attention to Sandoval's defensive game recently, as his D tends to get overlooked because of his great bat.

There is a reason why that bat overshadows his glove though, and he showed why just yesterday. Sandoval hit an absolute bomb off of Carlos Zambrano Wednesday, a grand slam out to deep right-center field. It was only Sandoval's first home run of the year, but his 4 RBI give him 8 total in his 6 games played. It's going to be tough for Sandoval to hit .330 again, but I do expect him to be well over .300, and I do think we'll see his game improve a bit in all other areas this year. With the Giants improved lineup, especially middle of the order, it's going to help Sandoval out tremendously. He put up his great numbers last year surrounded by the likes of Ryan Garko, Manny Burris, a struggling Bengie Molina and Randy Winn, and of course the colossal disappointment of '09, Edgar Renteria. With a more stable bunch surrounding him, look for Sandoval to leave no doubt as to whether he deserves to make the All-Star team in 2010.

Prospect Watch: A lot of the Giants top prospects haven't gotten much time over the last few games. I'm still waiting to see Thomas Neal be given a good 3-4 at-bats in a game, and I was hoping to see more of Darren Ford, as I think he's a guy who may be able to be a factor in center and at leadoff for the Giants real soon... Buster Posey has appeared in 5 games and has 11 at-bats ( .273, 1 hr, 2 RBI). I'd like to see both Posey and Brandon Crawford get a little more playing time as the spring wears on. We all know about Posey's future, and Crawford has a legit shot to be in the mix at shortstop in 2011, so they need to both be getting a healthy look.

Read Full Baseball Blog Post