SF Giants' 2009 Season Already a Success—Now It's a Matter of Magnitude

That might sound a little premature. 

Actually, it might sound a lot premature.

After all, the San Francisco Giants have only played 74 of the 162-game slate.  They sit a mere six games over .500, and, while they're in a cluttered group of leaders hunting for the National League Wildcard, their company in contention features some intimidating teams.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs are all within hailing distance of Los Gigantes. 

On paper, that doesn't bode well for our guys.

Aside from the Metropolitans, all those teams can trot out aces in the first two spots of the rotation—Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Edinson Volquez, Aaron Harang, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster.

For its part, the Senior Circuit's ballclub in NYC has Johan Santana and a bullpen bristling with A+ arms.

The offensive side of the equation isn't even worth rehashing.  Each franchise has an embarrassment of riches compared to San Fran's arsenal.

Although the Orange and Black pitching staff can ultimately run circles around all those mentioned and has been thus far, the other contenders have each been slowed by injuries, surprising struggles, and/or pure rough luck.

Despite the sluggish first half, our fellas aren't exactly opening up a cushion.

So, a correction figures to come for at least one of the four organizations (possibly two or three), and the Giants better be ready with some good baseball in retort because it'll take quite a bit to keep up. 

In other words, they don't have much margin for error.

Again, a situation that doesn't bode well for a team relying on an increasingly younger nucleus.

Here's the thing though—the 2009 San Francisco Giants weren't expected to make the playoffs by most keen observers of Major League Baseball. 

I've said it before, even the most optimistic amongst us die-hards were probably figuring on a watered-down NL West to keep the denizens of Pac Bell Park afloat.

I was as giddy as anyone about the hometown prospects for '09.

Had you told me the Los Angeles Dodgers would have the best record in baseball as the season lopes into July, I'd've said San Francisco would be playing for 2010.

Yeah, in a lot of ways the China Basin nine are playing with house money from here on out.  If they were to fall off a cliff and sink to the bottom of the division, it'd simply be an overachieving collection of youngsters returning to a harsh reality.

The rebuilding process would ease forward and use the hot start as an effective learning tool.

And yet, the success thus far in the standings is not what I mean when I say the season's already in the overall win column.

Barring some sort of fabulous meltdown or injury (knock on wood), the Gents look like they can rely on a pretty impressive core going forward.

The praises of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have been sung extensively.  At 25 and 24, respectively, the promise was that those two arms would be a nice luxury at the top of the rotation for years to come. 

An encore performance to his 2008 Cy Young from the Freak and the break-out campaign from the Kid seem to be confirming said promise.

Brian Wilson (27-years-old) also looks to be proving an All-Star '08 closing games for the club was no fluke.

Pablo Sandoval—the youngest of the group at 22—has quickly snuffed what little doubt there was about his prowess with the splinter. 

Little Panda is hitting .340 and looks to be discovering his power stroke, having powdered six big flies since Jun. 14.

For those of you worried about his defense, I hope you saw the diving snare he made and subsequently turned into a dazzling 5-4-3 double-play (with an assist from the second base umpire).

When you toss in the can't-miss prospects down on the farm—Buster Posey (22), Conor Gillaspie (21), Tim Alderson (20), Madison Bumgarner (19), and Angel Villalona (18)—you begin to get a sense of why the early results of '09 are already exciting.

With the four proven commodities thriving in the Show and another five blue-chippers slowly bubbling up to the Big Leagues, the San Francisco Giants already have a sunny horizon. 

Especially since the phenoms are spread over pitching as well as hitting.

But, the good news isn't over.

Enter guys like Merkin Valdez (27), Sergio Romo (26), Ryan Sadowski (26), and Nate Schierholtz (25).

Valdez and Romo have been monsters out of the 'pen with the younger righty being the filthier of the two.  Schierholtz looks to be a keeper—he's got five tools and has brought them all to bear over the past week. 

If he can do it on a consistent basis, handle with care.

With Nate the Suddenly Great's recent rampage, he's earned a good amount of leash to unearth that cherished 'C'-word. 

You just can't send a guy with speed, power, a cannon, and a good baseball IQ to the pine after he's proven the ability to flash all of the above on the diamond.

Not unless the individual slumps his way from grace, and it'd have to be a bad one.

Sadowski makes the list not necessarily because of what he is, but for what he represents.  The righty, who shut down the Milwaukee Brewers (one of the NL's best offenses), represents the random act of kindness from the baseball gods.

Like Schierholtz, to a lesser extent, Sadowski symbolizes a player who the Giants don't see coming at the moment, but who might arrive in the Bigs and become a key contributor.

The pleasant surprise.

We already know San Francisco can count on Lincecum, Cain, Wilson, and Sandoval.  We're told Posey, Gillaspie, Alderson, MadBum, and AnVil are of the breed that can't help but contribute with a bat and ball. 

Early returns suggest we've not been told lies.

So, what happens when other guys pop up and decide they want to be a part of a rosy future?

Or, what happens if Jonathan Sanchez (a still-green 26) emerges as a dominant reliever? 

The southpaw looked gnarly in a frame on Sunday, and the theory makes sense—his struggles seemed to be mental and they seemed to manifest in bloated pitch counts.

As a fireman, Sanchez's pitch count shouldn't be a concern, so perhaps neither will the mental bugaboos.  He'll be able to throw harder, feature all his pitches without saving anything for latter innings, and generally think less.

All sounds good to me.

Just another possible gem for the franchise, stumbled across on the path to 2010 and beyond.

The San Francisco Giants are genuine contenders for the first time in years and threaten to author a magical story when the dust settles.  But, that's all gravy because this team was never built specifically for 2009.

Sure, some nice pieces were added just in case, but the squad was meant to be a bridge to brighter days.

At the moment, those days are blinding.

**www.pva.org**