San Francisco Giants: What to Do With the Outfielders?

Gabriel Erdozaincy — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:42:43 -0500

Three positions.

Seven worthy players.

Two positions nailed down, with Winn starting in right field and Rowand in center.

That leaves one position for five players.

Rajai Davis, Dave Roberts, Nate Sheirholtz, Fred Lewis, and Euginio Velez are all scratching for the opening day start.

Roberts is the veteren of the group, and probably has a head start after finishing strong last year. But he has been known to roll over and play dead against lefties, so Davis is expected to platoon with him, starting against lefties. That leaves Sheirholtz, Lewis, and Velez without a starting job, but able to make the opening day roster.

But the question is, do the Giants really intend to keep a full outfield squad on the bench? Lewis is out of Triple-A options, so he can't get sent down without being put on waivers first; allowing another team to scoop him up. Velez is not necesarily a pure outfielder; its where he landed last year in minimal—and electrifying—playing time, and thus will most likely start at Triple-A Fresno to find a legitimate full-time position.

Sheirholtz is half of the Giants hope for young power (the other half will be starting at first base, Dan Ortemier), but may end up being odd-man out, along with Velez.

One thing that has been talked about is trading one or two of them with relief man Brad Hennessey in order to get a third baseman. Joe Crede of the White Sox is the leading candidate, but we will have to see how he recovers from back surgery.

No matter what happens, someone is going to get hosed. The Giants can't possibly keep more than 5 outfielders; not when their bullpen needs so much help and their infield in search of legitimate starters.

Best Case Scenario:

Velez spends the first two months of the season developing as a middle-infielder, perhaps a replacement for Omar Vizquel.

Davis and Roberts platoon in left field; Roberts excels, Giants use him as trade bait and pick up a solid, veteran corner infielder to mentor Dan Ortemeir (and maybe Kevin Frandsen).

Sheirholtz comes off the bench and provides relief time for Winn, and prepares to take over next year when Winn's contract expires.

Lewis provides breaks for Aaron Rowand and whoever ends up in Left.

A positive outcome for the Giant's 2008 campaign is doubtful, but maybe, just maybe, they'll have a decent outfield in 2009.

-Gabe Erdozaincy (basque1921@gmail.com)

San Francisco Giants' Three Big Worries

Gabriel Erdozaincy — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:06:36 -0500

The vast majority of San Francisco Giants fans have been more than unhappy with this offseason's acquisitions—or lack there of.

But right now that’s the least of the team's worries.

Worry #1: Second base

The fight for second base is just beginning. Expect a battle royale between youngster Kevin Frandsen and 13-year veteran Ray Durham.

Most fans have been calling for Frandsen—especially after he hit .370 last September—but it would be hard for management to reduce Durham to the role of $7.5 million bench player. If Durham does well, perhaps that bodes well for Frandsen at third base—the position he played in college.

Worry #2: Third Base

As of now, the starting third baseman for the Giants would be Rich Aurilia. But there have been these pesky trade rumors floating around about White Sox Joe Crede.

He's essentially Pedro Feliz, except he's thirty years old and is coming off back surgery. This would possibly be a Lowry-Crede deal, with no additions, but management has expressed a longing to maintain the current starting rotation.

Another possibility would be the swing starter/mid-reliever/closer Brad Hennessey and any one of the Giant's young outfielders.

What would likely prove most fruitful is leaving Durham at second base—provided he plays well enough—and sliding Frandsen over to third. No loss of players, no gambles, and the young guy gets to play.

Worry #3: Relief

Last year, Giants fans were witness to a common sight: Matt Cain left the ballgame with a two run lead in the 7th, only to let one of the pitiful relievers give the game away.

Lefties Jack Taschner and Steve Kline pitched horribly against left-handed batters (hitting well over .300).

The Giants refused to pay grotesque amounts of cash for relief pitchers, so they went out on a limb and offered one-time Rookie of the Year reliever Williamson a minor league deal. In 1999 he had 12 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA, but since then he has been sliding, consistently plagued by injury.

21-year-old Jose Cappellen provides hope, but has never seen action above Double-A ball.

-Gabe Erdozaincy (basque1921@gmail.com)

Bleacher Report - Articles by Gabriel Erdozaincy

San Francisco Giants: What to Do With the Outfielders?

San Francisco Giants' Three Big Worries