After a month of baseball, I want to look back and see how my series of preseason predictions have panned out. In my last article I wrote about how the team as a whole has been surprising, but I want to go back and see how I did on individual performance. Of course, there are things no one could predict, like Noah Lowry's continued trouble, or Barry Zito's demotion, and looking back, I realize that I never did predictions on the pitching staff. So, in this series, I'm going to add the bench and the pitching staff to my list. Next up is the infield, and then the pitchers later in the week.
Position Wanted Starter Actual Starter Current Starter
LF F. Lewis D. Roberts F. Lewis
CF A. Rowand A. Rowand A. Rowand
RF R. Winn R. Winn R. Winn
LF: FRED Lewis, who stated the other day that he hates being called Freddy, has finally found his place on the Giants. The 27 year old was running out of time in the minors and Brian Sabean finally woke up and saw what we had all seen when he first showed his face. Lewis is taking full advantage, and instead of trying to fill the very big shoes left empty in left field, he's made it his own. Fred is leading all leadoff hitters with a .384 average out of that spot, hitting .324 overall. He has also stolen five bases in seven attempts. Competition has also been a non-factor: veteran Dave Roberts is on the DL and gives Lewis his full support, while Rajai Davis is hitting .385 across the Bay in Oakland after being released by the Giants. I predicted that he would be starting by July, and it turns out I was just being pessimistic.
CF: Aaron Rowand, playing in Philadelphia for the first time since he signed with the Giants, is hitting .330 despite sore ribs. He homered the other night to put his new team ahead, and has been on fire pretty much all season. No questions here, he's deserved to start from the beginning, and has been a pleasant reminder of why the Giants spend their free-agent money.
RF
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8 months ago
The emergence of Fred Lewis has been the best story of the Giants' season so far. The jury is still out on whether he can become a complete everyday player, as Bochy has been holding him out against lefthanders with regularity. We'll see if that changes this week with San Francisco facing a slew of lefties.
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