Bleacher Report - Articles by Evan Aczon

San Francisco Giants Roundtable: Who's Coming Back Next Year?

Evan Aczon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:18:36 -0400

Although general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy just received contract extensions, it is safe to say that both already had their wish lists set out for the 2009 offseason.

While Bengie Molina is the highest profile free-agent-to-be, there are a few other key parts of the 2009 team that we might not be seeing in 2010. Randy Winn has been a huge part of this team since he came over in 2005, Brad Penny and Juan Uribe had resurgences upon their return to the NL West, Ryan Garko was a Sabean error at the trade deadline, and Brandon Medders and Justin Miller were both non-roster invitees to Spring Training.

With the season now over, the Giants Round Table has sat down and discussed the fates of those players.

Danny Penza

I will make the names that shouldn't come back easy to figure out—Justin Miller, Bob Howry, and Randy Winn. It's nothing against them, it's just that the Giants are moving in a different direction, and with the first two, there are better internal options that are ready to assume a bigger role.

Brandon Medders should be a Giant next year. He was great out of the pen this year in numerous roles. Wherever Bruce Bochy put him in during the course of a game, he got the job done. There's nothing more you could've asked for a guy who was picked off of the scrapheap.

Now on to the bigger issues.

Over the course of the past two seasons, the Giants' inability to draw walks has become one of the biggest problems of the offensive struggles. They were last in the National League in on-base percentage this season and second-to-last in 2008. The hacking approach at the plate has to be changed.

Bengie Molina is Exhibit A of what kind of hitters the Giants don't need anymore. Yes he has gotten big hits over the course of his three years in a Giants uniform and yes he has done well handling a very good pitching staff, but the guy has a career on-base percentage of .308, he hacks at slop like it's going out of style, and then he's a 35-year-old catcher wanting a multi-year deal.

Buster Posey is the complete opposite of Molina in terms of plate discipline. Posey drew 62 walks between San Jose and Fresno this year. In his past four years, Molina has drawn 66 walks. That is no joke.

I don't believe Sabean and Bochy when they say that after all of 17 at-bats in the majors, Posey might not be ready with the bat at the major league level. It just doesn't make sense to me. You can't get any kind of read on a kid who has been nothing but awesome over the course of his professional career and then sits on the bench for basically three weeks without any action and gets thrown into the fire.

Is part of the reason why I don't want the Giants to spend money on Molina when they have bigger needs and a certain Buster Posey waiting in the wings? Absolutely it is. If they do re-sign Molina and the payroll threshold doesn't change much at all, the Giants aren't going to have much money at all to work with to improve the offense.

As for the others, I see Penny and Uribe in somewhat of the same category because the market will dictate whether or not they return to San Francisco. You have to think that they aren't going to available for next to nothing like the Giants had the luxury of paying them this year. Teams will be very interested in both of them and it's going to take some cash this time around to bring them back to San Francisco.

Because the offense is so putrid, though, Uribe should be a bigger priority than Penny in terms of who they want to spend their money on. Seeing both will get a pretty good chunk of change, if I had to chose, and I'm sure I'm not alone, I would go hitting rather than pitching.

Evan Aczon

I'll keep my thoughts short and sweet. Well, at least short.

Bengie Molina did have a 20-plus HR year this year, but his time in San Francisco is over. With Posey rearing to go, all the Giants need is a one-year deal with a veteran catcher who can take over in case Buster gets busted. I'm thinking along the lines of Brian Schneider, or ideally Pudge Rodriguez. The Giants can't afford to add Molina for another two years while the best position prospect in baseball is hitting .340 in the minors.

Randy Winn has had a great run with the Giants, and will always be a fan favorite, but Mr. Consistency was anything but his old self in 2009. He was miserable from the right side of the plate, which incidentally is his power side, so his other numbers suffered. Nobody plays right field at AT&T like he does, but if the Giants add a bat, it will most likely be in the outfield. And Nate Schierholtz doesn't play the wall that bad either.

Ryan Garko is not doing so much for me. I like the guy, and I bet he's a great friend to have, but he did not produce for the Giants. Travis Ishikawa is easily the best defensive first-baseman in the National League, and didn't put up shabby numbers (actually pretty much parallel to Garko on the Indians). And if San Francisco decides to have Uribe start at third base, Pablo Sandoval might move to first.

Juan Uribe should be priority No. 1 for San Francisco. Yes, he's a free swinger, but like Pablo Sandoval, when he does connect, he rakes . He'll cost a bit more than last year, but his presence was invaluable, and he could start at second, short, or third for this Giants team.

Brandon Medders will be back. 'Nuff said. Justin Miller might be back. He was solid all year until he got hurt, and for a while, had an ERA under 2.00 while coming in for long relief.

The most intriguing case is Brad Penny. For what they paid for him, the Giants got a huge return (except for one start against the Dodgers). All signs point to him not returning, but I think the Giants should think about it. Randy Johnson probably won't be back, and I think Penny is a better option than a Ryan Sadowski/Joe Martinez combo.

I wouldn't expect too many changes, but there will be some new faces in San Francisco for 2010.

Andrew Nuschler

Randy Winn - No thanks. Great Giant while he lasted, but he’s too old, too slow, and too expensive.

Brandon Medders - Absolutely bring the dude back. He was a revelation as a middle reliever/set-up guy and he can’t possibly come with a huge price tag considering he was a non-roster invitee at the beginning of the year.

Justin Miller - Uh ... no. Cool tats though.

Ryan Garko - This is one of those aforementioned questionable trades by Sabean. I’ll get into it down below, but suffice it to say he doesn’t seem to figure in the 2010 picture.

Even with Angel Villalona going "Goodfellas" on us, first base appears to be covered.

Travis Ishikawa showed some real promise when he saw extended stretches of playing time and, assuming both Freddy Sanchez and Juan Uribe are in the mix, Pablo Sandoval or Uribe might need to take a considerable number of reps at the bag.

Oh, and then there’s the little matter of the Garko being MISERABLE with the bat as a Gent. It pains me to say it about my fellow Stanford Cardinal and the big fella certainly had some tough luck, but you can only put so much shine on a lemon.

Brad Penny - This is the only tough call of the group if you ask me.

He was stellar in his brief run with Los Gigantes, but there’s a chance that was purely the motivation from a plethora of naysayers. After his drastic u-turn in the National League, those have dwindled to almost nothing, so who knows if the drive will still be there?

His contract should be significant if only because of his tenure in the Bigs so Penny would be a decent-sized gamble.

Nevertheless, it’d be nice to have some insurance in case Madison Bumgarner and the rest of the young arms on the farm need a little extra seasoning. If the plan is to sit on the current offense and wait for the internal bats to mature, then I say go for it if the price/years are right.

San Francisco Giants Take a Turn in Right Direction in 2009

Evan Aczon — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:09:12 -0400

The San Francisco Giants 2009 season ended in a bittersweet way. Short-term Giants fans may look at the year in the negative, citing another absence from the playoffs and a fizzling offense that lost key games down the stretch.

However, long-term fans would see the progress this team made in comparison to last year. No, Tim Lincecum didn’t win back-to-back Cy Young awards, and we didn’t have two All-Star representatives. But this team, the same team that finished 20 games under .500 in 2007 and 18 under in 2008, won 88 games this year, finishing 14 games OVER .500.

If you look at the season as being a direct comparison to 2008, San Francisco in 2009 was a much better team. They raised their runs per game (3.95 to 4.06) and lowered their ERA (4.38 to 3.55). Their pitching dominated the rest of the league, throwing 11 complete games and an impressive league-best 18 shutouts.

After the 2008 season, the Giants had a short, but loaded off-season checklist for 2009. Their needs were few, but the implications of each were exponential, and were in no way easy to attain.

First off, San Francisco needed to stay in games. With a young pitching staff, Lincecum and Cain could not pitch a complete game every time, and 2008 bullpen arms like Jack Taschner and Tyler Walker were not holding it down like they could have.

Brian Sabean went out and made one of the most underrated transactions of the off-season, signing Jeremy Affeldt for two years in the first days of free agency. He dumped Taschner and Walker, took a chance on some veterans in Justin Miller and Brandon Medders, and also signed Bobby Howry.

The Giants relievers ERA was second-lowest in the majors behind the Dodgers (3.49 to 3.14), but had the third least innings pitched compared to the third most for Los Angeles. They had a over-.500 win-loss record, going 25-21 as opposed to their 25-28 mark last year.

Affeldt had an ERA of 1.73 this year, including a streak of 27 scoreless innings. Closer Brian Wilson lowered his ERA almost two whole points, from 4.62 to 2.73, which is more than a slight improvement.

More importantly, San Francisco had stability in the back of the bullpen. There was no question about the bridge from the stellar starting rotation to the All-Star closer. Miller and Medders were a pair of non-roster invitees that ended up with ERA's under 3.20.

The second order of business was to improve the offense.

Sabean and Neukom stressed the fact that the way to build was from the inside. Pablo Sandoval provided a spark at the end of 2008, but they acknowledged that Bengie Molina was not their ideal cleanup hitter, and the rest of the lineup needed to improve around those two offensive threats.

There were many offensive highlights throughout the season, including Aaron Rowand’s stint in the leadoff spot, Molina’s first 20 home-run season, and the offensive force that was Juan Uribe in the last three months of the season.

But the obvious bright spot was Pablo Sandoval, who led the team in almost every offensive category. The list has him leading the Giants in runs, hits, doubles, HRs, RBIs, total bases, walks, average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

He was among the top five in the league in average for a good portion of the season, and in his first full year, emerged as the offensive force of the future for San Francisco.

Lastly, the Giants needed to prove that they could compile a pitching rotation that had no holes. Last year’s combination of Kevin Correia, Brad Hennessey, Pat Misch, and Matt Palmer combined for a 4-15 record, with only three wins as a starter between them, all belonging to Correia.

This year, San Francisco was confident in Jonathan Sanchez, who stepped it up mightily after he threw his no-hitter in early July. When Randy Johnson went down with the injury, the combination of Joe Martinez and Ryan Sadowski wasn’t terrible, going 5-6 and showing promise for both of their futures.

The late-season addition of Brad Penny was also a boon, and Penny made an immediate impact going 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA after a sub-par half-season in Boston. The fact that the rotation was solid up and down was paramount to putting together a winning team, one that closed up as many gaps as possible.

In the process of rebuilding a team, one must first take care of tangible needs before the team can be expected to launch itself back into contention. These goals, though outlined in vague, big-picture terms, were either fully or at least partially realized for the Giants this year.

The pitching has now established itself as one of the strongest rotations in baseball from top to bottom. The offense showed promise throughout the year before fading down the stretch. San Francisco showed itself to be a team that was gritty, that fought hard, and a team that didn’t give up many games as they had before.

Remember, Bill Nuekom and the rest of the baseball world expected this team to be a .500 team, which was marginally better than last year. They came out swinging, jumping out to borderline playoff contention and finishing the season 14 games above .500.

These Giants are not last year’s Giants, and they won’t need much to become the expected 2010 Giants either. There are still pieces missing, but 2009 proved that they are definitely not as big as we all thought.

Fans: no, San Francisco didn’t make the playoffs. But yes, the Giants should be better than this year. And the only thing better than this year is a playoff team.

2010 is coming. We’re in this.

San Francisco's Got the Magic: Giants Sweep without Regulars

Evan Aczon — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:48:38 -0400

The San Francisco Giants have been playing enchanted baseball all season long.

There has been white magic, like when the team didn't lose a series for almost a whole month in June. There has also been a share of black magic, like the terribly umpired homestand against Cincinnati and Los Angeles.

More recently, the Giants traveled to Coors Field to start a crucial series with the Rockies, who were leading the Wild Card race at the time. San Francisco won the first game behind a stellar performance by Jonathan Sanchez, and things were looking up.

And then Coors Field went pre-Humidor on the Giants. The Rockies blasted Joe Martinez and the bullpen in a sloppy 14-11 game. The next day Tim Lincecum again ended the day without his 13th win, and San Francisco lost 4-2.

But the kicker was the epic 14-inning game on Monday. The Giants went through the whole bullpen, and the offense for both teams was stagnant until a two-run triple by Eugenio Velez in the top of the 14th. San Francisco added one more to make it a 4-1 game before heading into the bottom of the inning.

The Giants were poised to make up for the last two games and pull back to within two games of the Wild Card lead. And then, the unthinkable happened.

Walk. Pop-out. Single. Walk. Walk. Grand slam. Ballgame.

And just like that, the Giants were out of it. The bullpen was depleted, Pablo Sandoval was out with a tight calf, Freddy Sanchez was put on the DL, and Bengie Molina was also out with a sore quad.

They were four games back of the Wild Card, seven back of the division-leading Dodgers, and they had six more games before their next off day. Things were not looking very good.

Then, in the words of Jon Miller, San Francisco found the magic of the three-run homer.

In the series opener, Travis Ishikawa launched a mammoth home run off of Jon Rauch in the eighth to lift the Giants to a 5-4 win against the Diamondbacks.

On Wednesday, Bengie Molina did his best Kirk Gibson impression, limping off the bench and delivering a pinch-hit three-run blast in the eighth that powered San Francisco past Arizona, 4-3. That brought the Giants within three games of the Rockies, who ended up dropping two of three to the Dodgers before they headed to AT&T Park.

After a rough day against the D-backs where San Francisco pitching was roughed up for 11 runs and the offense looked sluggish, Colorado came into town for a replay of the most important series of the year to date.

If the Giants took two of three, they’d be a game back and, as the commercials say, in this thing. If they lost the series, it would be an emotional blow, and the five games back would look bigger and more insurmountable.

But they were going to have to take the series without their biggest offensive weapons. With Big Money out, Little Money on pinch-hit duty, Freddy Sanchez on the shelf, and the bullpen severely overworked, the spark was going to have to come from somewhere else.

Someone in the San Francisco clubhouse realized this, and once again the baseball gods smiled upon him.

Subtract Bengie Molina, and add Eli Whiteside. Whiteside, who has regularly been starting once a week or so, stepped in at the beginning of the Arizona series and started every game of the homestand.

But Whiteside is no slouch behind the plate. Remember, he was the one who called Sanchez’s no-hitter, and Giants pitchers and coaches have praised the way he works the pitching staff.

Against Colorado, he coaxed a magnificent eight-inning performance from Lincecum, a curtain call inducing almost-shutout turned unnecessarily exciting finish by Barry Zito, and a solid eight-strikeout start by Matt Cain.

Colorado also tried their hand at running on Whiteside, and he showed off another unappreciated skill set. Throwing out base-stealers is paramount in keeping games close and preventing stressful innings.

The Rockies attempted to steal second base six times. Whiteside gunned five of them down. For those keeping score at home, that’s an 83 percent score for Whiteside, or a 17 percent success rate for Colorado.

Secondly, take out the offense from Molina and a weary Sandoval, who actually hit home runs in back-to-back games but definitely did not look 100 percent, and there don’t seem to be many long-ball threats in the Giants lineup.

Insert Edgar Renteria. Plagued by bone chips in his elbow all season, Renteria recently stated that they had moved around and he was feeling better than ever. That definitely showed on Sunday.

San Francisco had already secured the series on Saturday behind Zito. But with the chance to move into a tie for the Wild Card lead, anything less than a sweep would be a disappointment.

The Giants were down in a big way. Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki had just gone back-to-back against Cain. It was 5-2 in the seventh inning, and the way the Rockies offense was going, it was a shady outlook.

And then the magic came back. Colorado lefty Franklin Morales walked Juan Uribe, gave up a single to Aaron Rowand, and hit Fred Lewis to load the bases. Eugenio Velez struck out, and Morales was replaced with right-hander Rafael Betancourt to face the right-handed Renteria.

In a year that veterans have both stepped up and been letdowns in clutch situations, feelings were mixed. Renteria was hot over the past week, but I’m sure many fans would prefer to have the Panda at the plate with the bases full.

Betancourt threw one fastball that tailed up and in for a ball. His second pitch ended up over the left-field wall for Renteria’s second grand slam of the season. For someone who has only hit four home runs, two grand slams can come up big.

That one at-bat turned the whole mood of the ballpark around. The brooms came back out, people leaving ran back to their seats, and the Giants fever that had been breaking came back hotter than ever.

For the second time in as many days, a player that has been booed and critically overpaid (Zito) has emerged as the hero. Renteria was signed because of his clutch performances with the Marlins and Cardinals in the postseason, and he showed why on Sunday.

In the top of the next inning, Jeremy Affeldt came in, and after a leadoff double, he went into a slide and caught a botched bunt by Clint Barmes. After a single put the tying runner at third base, he regained his mojo that he’s had all season long, striking out two to end the threat.

“We punched at them over in Denver, and they punched back, to their credit," Rockies manager Jim Tracy told reporters.

The Giants had probably their most stunning and deepest felt loss against Colorado little more than a week ago. Two days ago, they won a game that might well end up as the most important game of the season, and more importantly, swept the series to pull into a tie for the wild-card lead.

For a team that was expected to go .500 and given an outside chance at contending at the beginning of the season, and even more recently, 13 games over .500 and the best record in baseball at home begs the question.

Could the Giants pull a playoff rabbit out of the hat? There’s plenty more up their sleeve, and with the September roster expansion and the addition of Brad Penny allowing for key starters to get some rest, we might see a few more tricks before October.

Underrated Infielder Rich Aurilia One of the Best Giants to Ever Play by the Bay

Evan Aczon — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:31:16 -0400

NO.

SLEEP.

TILL BROOKLYN.

When Rich Aurilia steps out of the dugout, every Giants fan knows what his walk-up music is.

That one clip from the Beastie Boys is indicative of Aurilia’s career, one that may soon be coming to a close.

Aurilia went on the disabled list again before Wednesday’s game, diagnosed with “ankle tendinitis.”

This marked the second time in less than two weeks that the San Francisco Giants put their veteran infielder on the DL with arguably a phantom ailment, putting him on the shelf on July 21 with a “big toe infection.”

If it were anyone else on the Giants roster, like a Dave Roberts or Keiichi Yabu, he would have been designated for assignment and released. But Brian Sabean, and the rest of the Giants organization, just can’t let that happen.

Aurilia is the final link to the Giants of the 1990s, the positive link outside the BALCO scandal and the bad blood between the team and former second baseman Jeff Kent and, of course, Barry Bonds.

Rich Aurilia, born in Brooklyn and drafted by the Rangers in 1992, was acquired by the Giants in 1994 along with Desi Wilson for John Burkett.

He made his major league debut the next year in September as a defensive replacement against the Montreal Expos. In 1996, the Giants saw fit to make him their everyday shortstop after trading starter Royce Clayton to St. Louis during the Winter Meetings.

The rest is history. Aurilia quickly became a fan favorite in San Francisco, playing great defense at short and becoming regarded as the epitome of a “hustle” type of ballplayer.

Through the Sabean-Bonds years of building around the slugger with experienced veterans, Aurilia brought that youthful yet mature hustle to his game, running out grounders when other guys would rather Cadillac it out. He would square around to bunt when the defense was playing back.

He got angry too. There was nothing better than watching a pitcher brush back Aurilia and sit him in the dirt, because it seemed every time he would get up, adjust his helmet, brush himself off, and then rip the next pitch to the wall or in the gap.

But he also was one of the friendliest and most approachable Giants once he was out of uniform. On a team that featured Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent, both of which played up a love-hate relationship with the media, Aurilia was a constant, having regular segments on local radio shows, showing up at Giants luncheons, and generally just showing that the hard-nosed player on the field can be accessible off the field.

When you think of the last 50 years in San Francisco, there aren’t many other names (aside from Omar Vizquel’s three-year stint) that stand out at the shortstop position. When making the all-time Giants roster, I’d expect to see Aurilia up there with Alvin Dark (of the '50s) and George Davis (of the 1910s) for shortstop.

Statistically, Aurilia had his best days in the early millennium, right when the Giants moved to Pac Bell Park. He hit second in that lineup, helping set the table for Bonds, Kent, and J.T. Snow, the 3-4-5 team for San Francisco at the time.

In 1999 and 2000, he hit .276, with 20-plus home runs both years. He also pounded out almost 160 RBI out of the second spot in the order and led into one of the most prolific and underappreciated seasons in Giants history.

2001 belonged to Barry Bonds. From start to finish, it belonged to the home run chase, and that was it. That team rode Bonds to a 90-72 record and finished second in the West to Arizona, who ended up winning the World Series. He led the league in homers, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and won the first of four consecutive MVP awards.

But hidden in that 2001 season was Rich Aurilia. Once again out of the second spot in the lineup for most of the year, Aurilia launched 37 home runs. That means he and Bonds combined to hit 110 homers between them. Add in Jeff Kent’s 22, and those three had 30 more home runs than the Giants did in 2008.

For Bonds, that season was special. Kent was just coming off an MVP season, and 20-plus homers were expected. But for Aurilia, the 37 dingers were a completely unexpected outburst. What’s more, he also led the league in hits (206), knocked in a career-high 97 runs, and also had a career-high .324 average.

An All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger award topped off that career year for Aurilia, but he was never truly recognized for what he did. He played another two years for the Giants, putting up respectable numbers, before being granted free agency in October of 2003.

The Giants struggled through that year, platooning Deivi Cruz and Neifi Perez at shortstop, and Aurilia signed a deal with the Seattle Mariners. Later in the year he was traded to the San Diego Padres, playing a utility role around the infield.

He then spent 2005 and 2006 with the Cincinnati Reds, once again playing around the infield, primarily on the corners. But every time he came to San Francisco, he was never booed, never jeered, and always embraced.

When the news broke about him re-signing with the Giants to provide infield depth in December 2006, it was like the return of a prodigal son. A stiff neck sidelined him for more than 50 games, but he was still productive as their primary first baseman.

His versatility has kept him around the team, and his shortstop background translated well to first base and third base, in terms of the instincts. His willingness to switch positions also allowed him to stick, and after he was moved from his natural position of shortstop, he made it his goal to make wherever he played look just as natural.

Last year marked the return of a healthy Aurilia, and he showed a renewed energy and grit that hearkened back to his earlier days with the team. He batted a solid .283, hitting lefties especially well (.321). He split time between third and first and played in 140 games.

A couple years older, and much more the grizzled veteran, Aurilia has provided Bruce Bochy with an experienced bat that can work the count and continues to lead in the clubhouse. His injury limited his effectiveness in 2007, but much like this year, his time in the big leagues has provided him with the knowledge that begs to be imparted to younger players.

He’s a gamer and would do anything if it meant that it would make his team better. That’s why he has gone on the disabled list again this year. His struggles at the plate have often put him as the odd man out in the infield, but the Giants front office is reluctant to cut him loose.

Aurilia’s strong history with the team (he’s the longest tenured Giant outside of Sabean himself and Ron Wotus) and his genuine clubhouse contribution make him almost indispensable. He has also expressed the desire to stay with this team as they make the postseason push it looks like they are capable of.

His experiences with the Giants range from highs (1997, 2002) to lows (2007) and everything in between, and he can see that this might be a final chance to be part of something great in San Francisco.

San Jose Mercury News beat writer Andrew Baggarly stated that Aurilia is even willing to stay on the DL until the rosters expand in September, making him basically a role player who is only along for moral support.

That kind of commitment is rare these days, and his long tenure makes it an especially hard decision for the front office. Any other team would have no problems cutting a veteran with team history (see Braves and Tom Glavine/John Smoltz), but not the Giants, and not Rich Aurilia. After that first time cutting him, Sabean just doesn't have the heart to do it again.

Aurilia has a future with this organization. He could either go the Mark Gardner route and become a coach or take the J.T. Snow route and coach as well as head into the broadcast booth. His personality makes him perfect for TV or radio, and the Giants recognize his value and devotion to the organization.

If the Giants decide to keep him on in some capacity, they will be making the right decision. His playing days may be over, but he still has a lot to offer.

Aurilia will always have a place in the hearts of Giants fans, and whatever he goes on to do, the city of San Francisco will always support him. His contributions to all of the Giants teams he has played on, as well as off the field contributions, like his family’s generosity with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, will bring warm memories to all who he comes into contact with.

His time may be over playing for the Giants, but Rich, I hope you don’t decide to head back to Brooklyn. San Francisco will always be your town.

Fate of the Franchise: San Francisco's 2010 Catching Outlook

Evan Aczon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:18:30 -0400

The San Francisco Giants have had their fair share of great position players over the years, but very few of them have made their living behind the plate. In recent memory, such characters as Scott Servais, Yorvit Torrealba, and Bobby Estallela have populated the dish.

In addition, there have been those that have endeared themselves to us, like Benito Santiago and Mike Matheny, as well as those who have infuriated us, a la A.J. Pierzynski.

The last few years, though, have brought the art of catching back to San Francisco. Bengie Molina, a hated opponent since the 2002 World Series with the Angels, came to the Giants in 2007 after Toronto failed to resign him.

Since then the standard for catchers in San Francisco has been re-raised, and the future seems to hold a great catcher on the horizon, with Buster Posey rocketing up through the minors.

In this episode of Fate of the Franchise, we’ll take a look at the Giants major league catchers from this year, and look forward to what they’ll be doing next year.

Bengie Molina, three years/$16 million (2007-2009)

Bengie Molina coming to the Bay Area was a great day for the Giants. Mike Matheny had been forced to retire because of multiple concussions, and Molina was a premier free agent. Since that day, he has come to be an integral part of the San Francisco offense.

In 2008 he set career highs in multiple categories, including hits (155) and RBI (95). On a team that utterly lacked a power hitter, he also led the club with 16 home runs as well, and finished with a .292 average.

So far in 2009, as with many of the veterans on the team, his numbers have dropped. His OBP is at a career-low .275, he’s on pace for a career-high 77 strikeouts, and his clutch numbers are down. In 2008, Molina hit .316 with RISP, with 76 RBI. Comparatively, in 2009, his average is .237, with 46 RBI.

But the Giants are stuck with a problem. Molina’s contract is up after this year. He has expressed interest in staying with the team, but is not interested in platooning or being a backup if Buster Posey continues his meteoric rise.

However, Posey might not be ready to make his debut this year, which would almost surely take him out of the running for the starting job in 2010. The list of starting catchers available on the market is short, and Molina looks like a logical choice to stay one more year.

Due to Posey’s lack of Major League experience, it is my opinion that the Giants will find a way to keep on Molina for another year in 2010, preferably with some sort of option for 2011.

Eli Whiteside, one year/ $0.400 million (2009) and Steve Holm, one year/ $0.4015 million (2009)

Eli Whiteside is a solid backup catcher. He’s never had the skill to be an everyday catcher, but as his page says on Baseball-Reference, he hits grand slams and catches no-hitters.

Whiteside is a solid option for Bengie Molina’s day off. He is not an offensive force behind the plate, but when he’s in the squat, you can expect the pitchers to know what they’re going to get.

He’s a good receiver with a great attitude, and he also has the ability to knock out a hit here and there. Granted, more than half of his RBIs for the season came on that blast over the Crawford Boxes in Houston, but he’s not going up there as a second pitcher, and his strikeout rate is under 25 percent.

In a league where your backup catcher’s only requirement is to be passable, Eli Whiteside is right there.

Holm, like Whiteside, is a minor-league journeyman that was never destined for a starting job at the Major League level. He had a very short stint with the team this year, but I included him because he has experience in 2008 as well.

Holm is also a good receiver, posting a .997 fielding percentage in AAA Fresno this year. Offensively, he’s not a huge threat, but does have five home runs and 14 RBI in 54 games for the Grizzlies. That lack of life at the plate affected his status at the major league level, and Bruce Bochy just couldn’t find time to get him in earlier this season.

Their roles on the team will depend mostly on Posey’s progression at AAA Fresno. Since Posey’s progression also affects the signing of Molina and other free agent catchers, Holm and Whiteside’s statuses for 2010 are up in the air.

This is definitely a short episode of Fate of the Franchise, but a majority of the story depends on one Gerald D. Posey, who is currently progressing beautifully in AAA Fresno. For a much more in depth look at Buster, direct your attention to Part II of this episode, by way of Community Leader and Buster Posey expert Danny Penza.

Giants Round Table: Acquisition Aftermath? More of the Same from Brian Sabean?

Evan Aczon — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:19:55 -0400

Okay, Giants fans, this is it. We’re in August. The deadline is behind us, and players have been exchanged. There are new faces all over the league and plenty of big names that are in new zip codes.

Two of those new guys are in San Francisco, with Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko added to the team and Scott Barnes and Tim Alderson shipped out.

Now that the dust has settled, I asked the fellow Community Leaders to comment on the fallout of these deals.

After retooling the minor league system and promoting the youth movement, did Brian Sabean revert to his old self, dealing great pitching prospects for decent veteran hitters? Or is this the new Sabean in disguise?

Who gets the short end of the stick with the acquisitions? With the solidifying of second base (a la Sanchez), Emmanuel Burriss and Kevin Frandsen are no longer the second basemen of the future for this team. Who feels that worse?

All these questions will be answered, and remember, you can always suggest questions for us to answer by going to the San Francisco Giants fan page and clicking on Contact Evan or Danny or Andrew. Enjoy!

DANNY

When looking at the trades that the Giants made before the trading deadline, you couldn't help but think that these were typical Brian Sabean moves.

In his tenure as Giants GM, Sabean has always preferred the proven veterans to the young kids in the system. There's no denying that this is true about Sabean, and that most of the time he hasn't seen the minor league talent sent in the other direction push the brink of superstardom.

That's why you have to think that there was something that Sabean saw in the two pitchers he dealt, especially Tim Alderson, that makes you think more of the same kind of evaluations have taken place.

The difference with these moves is that both of them are viewed as trades that will be utilized beyond 2009. There are no rent-a-players, a la Shea Hillenbrand or Sidney Ponson, like there were earlier this decade.

Garko is under the Giants' control until 2012 and has already shown that he is the best option at first base that there is in San Francisco.

Because Garko is going to be with the Giants going into next season, and most likely beyond, they don't have to rush prized prospect Angel Villalona.

They can let Big V develop in the minors, learn some much-needed discipline at the plate, and then, when 2011 or 2012 rolls around, take stock in what is going to happen when Garko is finally eligible to hit the open market.

There is an obvious trickle-down effect with the acquisition of Sanchez at second base.

Even if he said he doesn’t hit the 600 plate appearances needed to automatically enact the $8.1 million vesting option for next season, Sabean has said that Sanchez is going to be back. That’s certainly huge for Sanchez, but not for the guys who were competing for the job at the beginning of the season.

Kevin Frandsen seemingly is going to be riding the bus between Fresno and San Francisco as long as he is in the Giants organization. The Giants don’t view him as a regular player, and wherever you stand on him not getting his shot at a regular job, the acquisition of Sanchez seemingly puts an end to him having a long-term future with the Giants.

It’s a different situation for Community Leader favorite Emmanuel Burriss, who is younger and probably the better all-around player then Frandsen.

Burriss has what few other young Giants infielders have—speed to burn and a great glove. And because Edgar Renteria’s contract is up after next season, there could still be a chance that Burriss finds himself at his natural position of shortstop.

But for now, Burriss is rehabbing after having season-ending surgery on his injured foot a few weeks ago.

The best thing this trade has brought to the team, no matter if you weren’t a supporter of who they traded to get Garko and Sanchez, is that the everyday lineup is now consistent.

Bruce Bochy can basically pen Sanchez into the No. 2 hole every game and Garko at first just as much. Little Pronk may find himself in a different spot in the order depending on who is pitching, but he’s going to get basically all the at-bats based on how he has done so far.

My personal opinion is that the deadline dealing is enough to get the Giants into the postseason.

What they do lack in a pure cleanup hitter is what they now have in pure intangibles at the plate. The Giants now have two hitters who have great approaches at the plate.

Remember—the Giants weren’t supposed to contend this year. I’ve said numerous occasions that .500 would’ve been perfectly fine with me.

Now that they’re a year ahead of schedule, things are just being accelerated, but the big vision on long-term success is still there.

NUSCHLER

(In regard to who gets the short end of the stick) I gotta believe the answer here is Kevin Frandsen.

The acquisition of Ryan Garko obviously puts a crimp in the development of Travis Ishikawa, but the big fella from my alma mater feels more like a single-season band-aid than a long-term commitment. I expect Ishikawa to get more serious run once the tension of jostling for postseason position settles.

Freddy Sanchez, on the other hand, feels like another building block in the foundation.

I think we all expect Brian Sabean and management to make a strong push to secure the former Pittsburgh Pirate beyond the 2010 season, which I believe is either a club option or a guaranteed year.

It seems unlikely Sabes would burn Tim Alderson for a year-and-a-half of the second baseman, especially given the start Freddy’s had in the Orange and Black.

He’s only 31, and based on his position, as well as the type of player he is, you’d expect Sanchez to remain highly productive at least until 35. That means the second sack should be locked down, and the youngsters will have to move elsewhere.

Eugenio Velez has already started collecting other gloves.

Emmanuel Burriss can always be moved to shortstop (which is where many of us thought he should be playing this year, alongside Orlando Hudson...). He still has options once he returns from his foot surgery.

Unfortunately, Frandsen looks screwed—he doesn’t seem well-suited for short, and he doesn’t hit well enough to force him into the lineup anywhere else. It’s too bad because he’s always been a good dude, but Major League Baseball can be cruel.

At first blush, I thought this was business as usual for Sabean, and consequently a regression to the ugly days of jettisoning young talent for high risk/low reward veterans.

The Scott-Barnes-for-Ryan-Garko trade didn’t bother me because Barnes was so slight a blip on the prospect radar. But shipping Alderson—the No. 2 pitching blue-chipper, after everyone’s wunderkind Madison Bumgarner—to Pittsburgh really looked dumb to me.

I was wrong.

If Alderson blossoms into a dominating ace, that would obviously be unfortunate.

However, the more I see Freddy Sanchez, the more I like the idea of having the guy around for the next several years. I still don’t think he changes the Giants’ 2009 postseason chances too drastically, but he’s a savvy acquisition, even as a cog in the accelerated rebuilding process.

The young right-hander might have been a steep price to pay, but as others have pointed out, Sanchez is a known commodity, and San Francisco does have a wealth of pitching.

He doesn’t bring much power, but that’s why the future horizon is relevant—if it’s a smart move for the long-term plan, Sanchez's lack of what most ails the Giant offense is less of a fly in the ointment.

Ultimately, I do think it’s consistent with this season’s philosophy despite being a riskier adaptation. The plan appeared to be to rely on pitching and defense as the organization matured toward a coming-out party as early as 2010. If they caught lightning in a bottle, then wonderful—but don’t sacrifice the future to do so.

While a bit more of the future was sacrificed than originally seemed likely, the core is still intact, and San Francisco now has a bigger bottle with which to grab some lightning.

ACZON

The acquisitions of Garko and Sanchez changed the starting right side of the infield overnight.

Albeit that those two positions had changed many times over the course of the season, with Burriss, Frandsen, Matt Downs, and Juan Uribe making starts at second base, and John Bowker, Pablo Sandoval, Ishikawa, Jesus Guzman, and Rich Aurilia getting time at first base.

But the Sanchez trade has great implications for the Giants. As stated by my fellow writers, Sanchez is not a rent-a-player. The Giants are sure to exercise his 2010 option and might even talk about a long-term extension. He should continue to be a solid hitter and above-average second baseman well into his 30s.

Agreeing with the other two writers on this Round Table, this might spell the end for Kevin Frandsen. Frandsen, who has tried to get in anywhere he can (playing second, short, third, and left field for the Giants), just didn’t have the magic this year that he did last year.

When Burriss went down, it seemed only natural that Frandsen would be the one to come up and replace him...but his .128 average was far from an improvement over Burriss and his .238 clip.

Again, as stated before, Burriss has a couple advantages working for him. First, he’s younger.

Frandsen is 27 and running out of both time and options, while Burriss is 24.

Second, he’s fast.

Speed doesn’t slump, as the saying goes, and even though Burriss did have a low average, he has the ability to bunt for base hits and steal, two things that Franny just couldn’t do.

Third, he’s proven at another position.

With the departure of Omar Vizquel, it looked like Burriss was the choice to inherit the shortstop job, with the support of Sabean...until he changed his mind and signed Edgar Renteria.

But coming off foot surgery, Burriss has the chance to head up through the minors again next year, playing shortstop and getting back in that groove. That way, in 2011, when Renteria’s contract expires, Burriss will be ready to take over again.

Stop for a second and imagine an infield of Pablo Sandoval, Emmanuel Burriss, Freddy Sanchez, and Ryan Garko/Travis Ishikawa at first. That’s a solid defensive combination, and not too shabby on the offensive side either.

On Sabean’s philosophy with this year, I have to again echo the sentiment. It looks like typical Sabean on the surface, but if you look at these track records of both Sanchez and Garko, and the depth of the pitching in the system, they are very, very current with the Giants Way.

These two guys are not over 35 (Marquis Grissom, Ellis Burks), nor are they rent-a-players (Shea Hillenbrand), nor do they have character issues (A.J. Pierzynski).

They’re under team control, stable in the head, good clubhouse presences, and actually fit in with the rest of the team. In his first game with the Giants, it took all of two innings for Garko to sidle up to Tim Lincecum in the dugout and chat like they’d been teammates for the whole year.

They also play the kind of baseball that the Giants have been having success with this season. Both have the ability to hit one out, but they also have high OBPs and averages and have a knack for finding gaps or hitting RBI singles that keep an inning alive.

That’s why Sabean didn’t make a mistake this year with these trades, and that’s why these two will be with the team for the next couple years, helping them get even more competitive.

Fate of The Franchise: Looking Ahead to The 2010 San Francisco Giants Bullpen

Evan Aczon — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:24:19 -0400

As the San Francisco Giants found out last year, the bullpen can be just as important as the starting rotation. While the starters compile most of the pretty stats, like wins, innings, strikeouts, and so forth, relievers handle much higher pressure situations, as well as the nitty-gritty stats like holds and saves.

In 2008 the Giants relievers tied for the second-worst ERA (4.45) in the National League, behind Pittsburgh and tied with San Diego. They also gave up the worst slugging percentage (.426), second worst OPS (.776), and third worst WHIP (1.47). Worst of all, they tied for third with 15 wins lost, showing a lack of ability to hold a lead once they entered the ballgame.

Going into the offseason, Brian Sabean stressed the bullpen as the most important part of the team to improve, and did so by signing Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry, in addition to non-roster invitees Brandon Medders and Justin Miller, who have all been integral parts of the relief staff so far in 2009.

This year the San Francisco bullpen is third in the majors with a 3.39 ERA. They’re also sixth in batting average against (.241) and fifth in OBP (.317), have given in the second least homeruns (22) behind Atlanta (18), and are 3rd in wins-lost (6).

There are still question marks around the bullpen, such as the role of Merkin Valdez and Howry’s struggles, and here is what the situation should look like for each pitcher in 2010.

Jeremy Affeldt, 2 years/$8M (2009-10)

Affeldt was the first free agent of the offseason to sign, and it looks like the Giants were absolutely correct in their swift decision. Brought in to be a left-handed set-up man in the mold of Scott Eyre (c. 2005) and Jack Taschner (or what he was supposed to be), setting it up for Brian Wilson in the ninth.

They got that, and in addition received a pitcher that can seemingly handle anything, pitching multiple innings, entering with runners on base, and even picking up a hit in two at bats. His ERA is a microscopic 1.50, and had a streak of 27 scoreless innings over 28 appearances.

Instead of just being a lefty specialist, Affeldt has actually held right-handed batters to a .200 batting average, and if not for three intentional walks, his K:BB ratio would be almost 2 (16:9). Batters only hit .176 off of him in July, and his addition to the team has been invaluable.

There’s no reason Affeldt won’t be on the team next year. His contract is relatively cheap, but he also lucked out on being the tone-setter for free agency. He has been lights out this season, leading the charge of this top-ranked bullpen.

Bob Howry, 1 year/$2.75M (2009)

Howry is somewhat of a question mark this year. His 2008 was suspect, but Giants brass attributed his inflated ERA (5.35) and drop in strikeouts (72 in ’07 to 59 in ’08) to overuse by Lou Piniella.

This year he started off well, but his game relies on control of the corners. At times it just seems that he throws too many strikes, and they’re getting hit.

Don’t get me wrong, because Howry’s numbers are nothing to scoff at. His ERA is relatively low (3.92), batters are hitting .233 off of him, and he has only given up four homeruns. Granted, two of those three have been walkoffs in extra innings, but he’s no Tyler Walker.

What it comes down to is this. At 35, he isn’t exactly part of San Francisco’s youth movement. That hurts him, as there’s less of a time frame for development. And even though his numbers are good, his 0-5 record just isn’t good enough for the Giants fans. Unless he has a stellar second half, I don’t expect to see him back in 2010.

Brandon Medders, 1 year/$0.475M (2009) *minor league contract

Signed to a minor-league deal before the year, Medders was impressive during Spring Training, and has taken Keiichi Yabu’s spot in the bullpen, working short relief as well as eating up innings if needed.

With the exception of back-to-back outings where he blew saves in June, Medders has been solid, putting up a 2.84 ERA in 42 appearances. Batters are only hitting .244 against him, and he has struck out 38 while walking 22, 4 intentionally.

Medders is a key contributor to this bullpen, and as cheaply as he came this year, I’m sure he will be back in a similar role in 2010.

Justin Miller, 1 year/amount unknown (2009) *minor league contract

For whatever the Giants paid for Miller, it was worth it, as he has emerged as one of the biggest surprises of 2009. A former setup man and middle reliever for the Marlins, Miller signed a minor-league deal with the Giants in November of 2008, and was called up when Joe Martinez went down with his skull fracture.

Since then he has been pitching wherever the Giants need him to. His durability means that he can go more than one inning, as he has eleven times this season, in 35 total appearances. He has groundball stuff, with a good sinker and slider, which is invaluable out of the bullpen.

Miller also is trailing only Affeldt in ERA for the relievers, and after he pitched 3.1 scoreless innings after Matt Cain was struck in the arm, his ERA was down to 1.98. Now it’s “up” at 2.06. He leads the team with 48 innings pitched out of the ‘pen, and is deserving of his spot. I expect him back in 2010.

Sergio Romo, 1 year/$0.4017M (2009)

After an impressive rookie year in 2008, where he had a stellar 2.12 ERA in 29 appearances, Romo established himself as a sure thing for a 2009 roster spot. But an injury to his elbow kept him out of the final games of Spring Training, and he also missed the first two weeks of the season on the DL.

Since his return up until July 17, he stayed true to form, using heavy movement to both sides of the plate to strike out 17 in only 13.2 innings, and posting a 2.63 ERA. Batters were only hitting .226 off of him, his 7 holds were second on the team, and only one inherited runner had scored off of him.

And then he hit a rough patch, allowing 6 ER and recording no outs in Pittsburgh and Atlanta to balloon his ERA to 6.59. After he was diagnosed with an injured knee, he has since come back with 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two, lowering his ERA to 5.19

Romo is under team control until 2011, so he will be back next year.

Merkin Valdez, 1 year/$0.401M (2009)

Merkin Valdez is the other question mark in the bullpen. He has appeared so infrequently that it is hard to gauge what he means to this team. He has appeared in 27 games, but he is given so few pressure situations that it is tough to evaluate his performance.

His 4.45 ERA is second highest in the bullpen. And his dependence on his fastball will hurt him. The fact that he is 28 doesn’t help either, as the time for development of a pitch is closing.

But he’s a hard thrower, consistently hitting 97 and 98, which is valuable in any bullpen. He can strike batters out, but also walks a lot of hitters. I would hope that the Giants take some of Howry’s time and give it to Valdez, which will help to gauge his value to the team in the future.

His status for 2010 is still up in the air, but with Waldis Joaquin lurking in the wings, his time could be up.

Brian Wilson, 1 year/$0.48M (2009)

Wilson didn’t make the All-Star Team this year, but his stats are very similar to last year. His 27 saves are second in the National League right now, and his 3.02 ERA is much lower than 2008’s 4.62.

His save rate is 87%, and he only has four blown saves on the year. In addition, his inherited-runners-scored is only 10%, allowing only 2 of 20 runners to come around. He’s also working a lot more this year, making in 11 multi-inning appearances.

Wilson is getting the hang of closing, and after last year’s hair-graying season, he has toned it down a little. He’s still capable of making things exciting, but this year he seems to feed off of that excitement and nail the subsequent hitters.

The consistency of the 98 MPH fastball is amazing, and his slider is close to Robb Nen status, breaking it in at speeds in the low 90s. He can be straight up dirty at times, and is on pace for another 40 save season. That’s not bad for a 24th round pick out of LSU.

Wilson is eligible for arbitration this year, and is currently rated by Elias as a type B free agent. But after a couple years of an unresolved closer situation, San Francisco won’t let Wilson walk in 2010.

Be sure to check out Part II of this article by Danny Penza, where he looks at some of the young arms in the Giants farm system that could make an impact on the 2010 bullpen situation.

Fate of the Franchise: A Look Ahead to the Giants' 2010 Starting Rotation

Evan Aczon — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:34:58 -0400

With the San Francisco Giants barely off the All-Star Break and seemingly poised for a playoff push, a lot of fans are overlooking the fact that this team wasn't expected to contend until 2010, as was envisioned by general manager Brian Sabean, former team president Peter Magowan, and his successor Bill Neukom.

In light of that, last week's piece about the future of Tim Lincecum will now be the first in a series of articles that looks at each position for the Giants and assesses the situation for next season. Each player on the roster will be looked at, weighing their contract situation, performance, and their overall fit into the puzzle of the "Giants Way."

Each article will also be coupled with a parallel article addressing the Giants internal options, as conducted by fellow Community Leader and Giants' minor-league expert Danny Penza.

This installment will take a look at the starting pitching rotation with the exception of Lincecum. As San Francisco has certainly shown this year, the starting rotation is the backbone of an organization. Without pitching, all the offense you have can go to waste (see Texas Rangers before this year).

The Giants' pitching staff is tied with the Dodgers for the best ERA in the majors right now (3.60). They also have the most complete games (eight, tied with Kansas City) and have thrown 13 shutouts, four more than the next highest team (nine, Cincinnati).

Their starters have played a huge part in that, and behind the repeat performance from reigning Cy Young winner Lincecum and the surge from Matt Cain, have emerged as a veritable have arguably the best one-two punch in baseball.

Lincecum is under contract until the end of this year, but as discussed here, he will be under team control until 2012, so there's no need to worry about the Yankees trying to swoop in on "The Franchise." So we'll start with the rest of the rotation, as it was on Opening Day.

Randy Johnson (DL), One year/$8M (2009)

Randy Johnson's signing was seen by many to be a publicity ploy by upper management. After a mediocre, injury-shortened year in Arizona, his quest to 300 wins seemed to outweigh what his Hall of Fame career brought to this pitching staff.

Never known as fitting the mentor role, Johnson's contribution upon his return to the Bay Area has been immeasurable. Although not seen by the media, the focus and determination seen in the rest of the young staff is not just the result from another year of experience.

Johnson's impervious concentration on his individual performance is evident even when Cain or Lincecum take the mound. His advice, albeit concise and gruff, gets across to the young players. Just ask Jonathan Sanchez, who praised the Big Unit and his teaching ability in this article following his no-hitter.

After a slow start, Johnson was rallying back, winning five of his last eight starts before he was sidelined with a shoulder strain. He himself stated that the Giants signed him to win the games after number 300, and that he was committed to living up to being the number two starter on the team.

As for his status with the Giants for 2010, that all depends. Johnson already has Hall-of-Fame numbers, and will most certainly be voted in on the first ballot. He has 300 wins, a World Series ring and World Series MVP Award, and an unprecedented five Cy Young awards. But he's ever so close to getting his 4,000th strikeout, something that will probably not happen this year.

Depending on how serious his shoulder injury is, his time on the disabled list may just be a precursor to what's to happen in the future. In the games that he has looked sharp, he has been very reminiscent of his old self, mowing down hitters with his signature slider. But it seemed to take Randy a lot longer to get into that groove this year, and he hasn't been in it to stay.

At his age, Randy Johnson is still an asset to this team, especially as they make their playoff push. The Giants are not obligated to pick him up again next year, and if health continues to be a concern, they won't, especially with who they have waiting to take his spot in the rotation.

Matt Cain, Four years/$9M (2007-10), plus 2011 club option

Matt Cain is the prime example for why a club buys out a young player through their arbitration years. As explained in the Lincecum article, Cain was signed to a long contract in 2007 that locked him up through his time under team control. This gave Cain some job security, and also allowed the Giants to keep him under contract for relatively cheap.

After a couple very hard-luck years, Cain is finally breaking through that glass ceiling that was holding him back. His growth from 2008 to 2009 has been enormous, and the statistics and national recognition reflect that.

Cain is second in the National League in ERA, behind Dan Haren. He also has a .857 winning percentage and three complete games, both of which lead the league. His WHIP is lower than last year, and his walks are down as well.

But the most impressive growth for Cain has been his maturation as a pitcher. Cain came in as a 20-year-old thrower, routinely hitting 97 and 98 on the radar gun, but also walking a lot of people and showing signs of unease with runners on base.

Now he has taken time to develop a couple more pitches, including a great curveball and a good slider. He's also taken a few miles per hour off of his fastball, which allows him much better control.

His poise is a great asset now. He is still giving up hits and walks, but instead of worrying and letting his pitching pay the price, he is buckling down, stranding more runners on base than he ever has in his career.

Little things like these are the signs of better-than-average pitchers, and lest we forget that Cain is actually younger than Tim Lincecum, we can assume that he is only going to get better.

Cain's future with the team is secure. The Giants will most certainly pick up his option, so look for him and Lincecum to be the one-two punch in San Francisco for a long time.

Barry Zito, Seven years/$126M (2007-13), plus 2014 club option

Barry Zito continues to be one of the hardest people in Bay Area sports history to defend. He's not quite on the Al Davis level yet, or the Mike Nolan level even. But he's up there.

It seems that every time he comes out and does something good, I'm right there with him, and then he turns right around and bombs. Take his past two starts before the break.

On July 7 he manhandled a hard-hitting Florida team, pitching 8.1 shutout innings, striking out six. On July 12, the Padres roughed him up for 9 runs in 4.1 innings, hitting two three-run home runs off him.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Barry Zito is grossly overpaid. Is he a good pitcher that the Giants should have signed? I think so. Is he an ace, worth almost $20 million a year? Not at all.

Zito's Cy Young year was as a third starter, behind Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. He has good stuff, but not ace stuff. Not even close. And there's no team in the league that can afford a $20 million third or fourth starter.

The Giants options are few, and not appealing. They can eat his contract and release him, if he continues to perform poorly. But if they do that after this season, that's $83 million that won't be off the books until 2014.

They can try and trade him, which could happen if he strings together a few starts, but that would involve the Giants taking a big part of his salary. His trade value also isn't that high, especially given his inconsistencies.

I'd say that the Giants keep him around for 2010, but not after if he doesn't improve. If the worst pitcher on your team is Barry Zito, then your pitching staff is still pretty strong. Zito only needs to come around and restructure his contract, but I doubt that would ever happen.

Jonathan Sanchez, One year/$0.455M (2009)

As San Jose Mercury News writer Tim Kawakami said it best, Jonathan Sanchez and his no-hitter have to be a sign of some magic that is flowing through the Giants clubhouse. His year up to then had been terrible, and he had been pulled from the rotation almost three weeks before in an attempt to work out the kinks.

And then he threw a no-hitter. The first one in 33 years by a San Francisco Giants pitcher and the first one in AT&T Park.

Hopefully he can at least partially replicate the pitcher we saw that night in his upcoming starts. Always known for his great stuff, he had trouble using that stuff after the first time through the lineup. But during his no-hitter, there were a few things that tipped off us close observers that he might be turning a corner.

A slight mechanical change kept his front shoulder closed a little bit more, reducing the number of pitches thrown out of the strike zone away to right-handed hitters. He also had the advantage of not working out of the stretch, but his composure was definitely better, and his concentration was more focused than panicked.

I have never been a fan of Sanchez, but I will be watching his next couple starts because of those subtle changes. He is under team control until after next season, so look for them to trade him before he hits arbitration, if he doesn't hit his stride, or lock him up for a couple years after 2010.

Ryan Sadowski

Instead of the usual names being thrown around for early call-ups, like Bumgarner or Alderson or Pucetas, Sadowski got the call when Sanchez went to the bullpen. He responded with two shutout starts and some quality pitching from the young right-hander.

Since then, however, he's pitched in three games, giving up thirteen runs in 11.1 innings. That sharpness he had isn't there, and as with many young starters, it's when the honeymoon is over that we figure out how good they are.

His stuff is pretty good, with a lot of movement, but his future with the club depends on the ascension of those top names as well as his development of another go-to pitch.

Noah Lowry, Four years/$9.25M (2006-09), plus 2010 club option

In all of this season's positive attention, it's easy to lose track of one of the more tragic storylines of 2009. Noah Lowry was expected to battle Sanchez for the fifth spot, with his consistency as the Giants top winner in the past couple years giving him the early edge.

But continued trouble with his arm eventually led to two surgeries, one on his forearm and another that removed a rib to relieve pressure. These developments have sidelined him indefinitely, and his agent has charged the Giants medical staff with misdiagnosing his original injury back in 2008.

The possibility of Lowry pitching again is there, but it will take months of rehab to get anywhere close to the level he was at before. The Giants will most likely decline his $6 million option, which will make him eligible for salary arbitration.

Be sure to check out the Giants internal options in Part II of this installment. The next Fate of the Franchise deals with the 2010 Giants bullpen.

Barry Zito Vs. the World: Defending the Indefensible

Evan Aczon — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:37:23 -0400

It's deja vu all over again.

As many of you have probably noticed, and evidenced by these articles here and here, I am a Barry Zito supporter.

I am by no means a Zeets fanatic, but I do understand the impossible situation he has been thrown into. And in another attempt to at least quell the mad calls about release, demotion, and trade, I will defend him.

There are a couple things that need to be addressed right away.

1. Barry Zito is grossly overpaid, and signing that contract in 2006 was a huge mistake.

2. No matter what he pitched like in 2002 , Zito is not, and will not be, an ace.

The first point has been hashed and rehashed and gone over countless times. Zito isn't worth $18 million a year. Even if he pitched to 20 wins a season over the remainder of his contract, he still wouldn't be worth $126 million.

Zito dumped his agent Arn Tellem after the 2005 season and signed Scott Boras, who negotiated the momentous deal for the left-hander after basically one stellar season in 2002. Since then, he has gone 27-40 as a Giant, lining him up to be one of the biggest busts of all time.

For what it's worth, there's nothing he can do about his contract. The MLB Players Association would never allow him to renegotiate his deal, which is really too bad. Even if he wanted to give the money back, he couldn't.

He already gives a lot to his charity, Strikeouts for Troops, but the money that was in that contract HAS to go to him, and there's no way around it. Maybe he could just give it to other players on the team under the table, but that would never fly past the MLBPA. That being said, he's probably paying for a big chunk of the house he shares with Brian Wilson (see: bunk-beds).

The second point is one that I stressed long ago. Barry Zito is not an ace. He never was, and with Tim Lincecum on the mound, he never will be in San Francisco.

His Cy Young year in 2002 was not as the ace of the staff. That was the Three Aces staff, with Mark Mulder starting on Opening Day, Tim Hudson as the number two, and Zito as the number three starter.

That's not taking away from what he did. Zito's time in Oakland marked him as an up and coming star in the majors, and the Giants were right to pursue him, But in the time after Barry Bonds, breaking the bank going for a number three starter to be the face of the franchise was a mistake.

Monte Poole of the Contra Costa Times says that Zito should come out and say that he's not worth the money, much like Jose Guillen did with the Royals. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says that the Giants should just cut ties all together.

But here's why they're wrong.

As Poole mentions, Zito doesn't fit the mold of someone who's just earning a buck. As heard over the airwaves before his last start, Zito is definitely the opposite of another Giants bust Armando Benitez, who signed a $21 million deal and arguably didn't care that he was hurting the team.

Zito works harder than anyone to stay away from that lackadaisical money grubbing reputation. He has tinkered with everything from his diet to trying yoga to regain that edge he had on the other side of the Bay.

It just hasn't worked out. His inconsistency is especially frustrating, following up gems like an 8.1 inning shutout performance in Florida with a start against the Padres where he gave up two three-run homers in the first three innings.

Yet just as Randy Johnson had his inconsistencies earlier this season, the distance between good starts with Zito is getting shorter. Granted, Johnson is a 45-year-old coming off back surgery, but the fact that Zito is a second-half pitcher means a lot.

It may anger some Giants fans for me to compare Zito to Matt "Hard-Luck" Cain of 2007. But the similarities are there. Zito is "co-leading" the league in most futile run support, garnering only 3.2 runs behind him, the same as Johan Santana. Again, Zito has only had 50 percent of his starts end up as quality starts, but the pluses from this year are better than those of last year.

He has lost three quality starts this year, much like how Cain lost six quality starts last year. His walks are down, from 12 percent to 9 percent, and his strikeouts are up from 14 percent to 17 percent. Cain also lowered his walks and upped his strikeouts from 2007. The Giants bullpen has allowed over half of Zito's runners they inherited to score. Again, similarly, 2007 Cain had a bequeathed-runners scored percentage of over half.

I'm not saying that Zito is poised for a breakout season again in 2010, or that he's going to make the All-Star team like Cain did. But he is improving.

The Giants also don't have anyone better than Zito ready to take his place. Sure, Bumgarner and Alderson are tearing up the minor leagues, but they're both still under 21. Kevin Pucetas is solid, but I'm not sold on Ryan Sadowski yet.

If they trade/release/demote him now, it will only hurt this team more than having him in the rotation already does.

To summarize, Zito is NOT, and will not be worth his contract. Ever. Giants fans have to get over that real quick. That is way too much money to just take the hit.

They also have to realize that there's nothing that can be done. If Zito were to renegotiate, which I bet $126 million that he would if given the chance, he would be kicked out of the MLBPA in a heartbeat and ostracized by his fellow union members.

Yet Zito continues to try everything he can to at least live up to part of his contract. He doesn't bash the media for bashing him, but he doesn't come outright and declare that he's not worth it either. He tries to let his hard work do the talking for him.

Sometimes he looks downright terrible, and other times there's flashes of brilliance. As with any pitcher his age, this is the turning point in the career, when your youth is fleeting and that veteran confidence starts to come out.

With the improvement of stats from last year to this year, and the hard luck he's fallen upon in terms of support and bullpen help, there are many positives that are overshadowed by plain statistics.

His rope is wearing out, but give him one more year. Forget the dollar total, and look at him as you would any other fourth starter in the league. He's not an automatic loss, and he's not an ace. Zito is one of those pitchers who had a stellar beginning because of one pitch (the curveball), which has since been adjusted to. He's learning how to pitch better, and has improved every year since he signed his deal.

For the last time. Give him a break. Go watch him pitch, and either support him or don't.

But for me, my mind is made up. Keep pitching, Zeets, I've got your back.

Are You Not Entertained? Jonathan Sanchez Makes the Most of Second Chance

Evan Aczon — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:55:16 -0400

A few weeks ago, Bay Area sports personality Shooty Babitt attributed Jonathan Sanchez’s lack of success to his lack of nickname. San Francisco has The Freak (Lincecum), Cainer (Cain), the Big Unit (Johnson), Big Z (Zito), but Sanchez is sans-pseudonym so far this year.

Third-base coach Tim Flannery recently coined a new nickname for the left-hander, taking from Russell Crowe’s character in Gladiator, calling him “The Spaniard.” His reasoning behind it was simple, as was how it related to Sanchez.

Win, and you live to fight again. Lose, and there are no more chances.

Last night, Jonathan Sanchez won, and won convincingly. He became the first Giant to throw a no-hitter since 1976 (John Montefusco), and the first to throw one in San Francisco since 1975 (Ed Halicki).

For most of 2008 and all of 2009, Jonathan Sanchez has been the most frustrating piece of the San Francisco puzzle. His career record is 15-26, and a 2-8 record in 2009 hasn’t really shown Giants fans why he should stick around.

Up to now, he’s basically been a big tease. Sanchez had stuff that is flat-out dirty, with a lively fastball and a filthy slider.

But his big problem has been managing that stuff. Sanchez has 68 strikeouts in 69 innings, before last night’s game, but also has 46 walks and four hit batsmen.

His other problem has been stamina. Originally groomed as one of the many starter/long-reliever combos out of the Giants system (see Correia, Hennessey, Misch), Sanchez has never been past the sixth inning this season.

In fact, last night’s game was the first complete game of his professional career. Not just his major-league time, but also his entire time spent in the minors.

Some games Sanchez is lights-out for the first time through the lineup, but the second or third time gets rocked, or walks a few batters. Those games are the most frustrating as fans, as they see the potential that Giants scouts say they’ve seen.

But last night was nothing short of remarkable. And a no-hitter was the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. Here are some of the plentiful reasons why no one expected this last night...

The Giants have two pitchers headed to the All-Star Game in St. Louis. Neither is Jonathan Sanchez.

Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have both dominated this season, and earned their spots on in the Midsummer Classic. They’ve thrown six complete games and two shutouts between them, but nothing close to a no-hitter.

The Giants have three Cy Young winners on the team. None are Jonathan Sanchez.

Randy Johnson has won five of the awards, the last in 2002. Barry Zito also won his in 2002, and Lincecum won his last year in 2008.

The Giants had a five-man pitching rotation going into last Sunday. None were Jonathan Sanchez.

Sanchez had been demoted from the rotation after his fourth straight loss on June 23. Ryan Sadowski came up and dominated his first two starts, going sixteen scoreless innings to start his career before losing against the Marlins and being optioned to AAA.

Randy Johnson was supposed to start last night, but strained his shoulder on Sunday against Houston. Johnson, coincidentally the only pitcher on the Giants roster to throw a no-hitter, is now on the DL, with Sanchez taking his spot in the rotation for the time being.

To make the situation a little more complicated, starting catcher Bengie Molina was a last-minute scratch from the lineup after his wife went into labor.

Eli Whiteside stepped in and helped coax a fantastic pitching performance out of Sanchez, mixing the pitches and calling a beautiful game from behind the plate.

Since his demotion, all Sanchez has wanted was another chance. And last night Sanchez was, in fact, pitching for his life. It was a make or break start for the 26-year-old, and after three weeks out of the bullpen, he knew that he had something to prove.

As a Giants fan, we have seen this before, and with good results. Matt Cain was put in the bullpen early in his first full season after a rough stretch, only to come back rejuvenated and to finish the year strong.

In 2008 Barry Zito was sent to the pen after his 0-6 start to the year, and ended the year going 10-11 the rest of the way.

Sanchez, looking for similar results, proved to everyone that sometimes all you need a little time off.

There were many things that made last night special, and a couple others that bode well for Sanchez and his future in the rotation.

His fastball was sharp, and apparently the work he did with Dave Righetti while in the bullpen worked, because when he started to get off track, like we’ve seen all season, he quickly turned it around and rediscovered his arm slot.

He also changed his mind about his breaking ball, which Sanchez personally categorized as a “slurve” and not a slider or a curveball. Last night he was definitely throwing a curveball, and he was locating it very well, using it to steal a strike and also striking out a few batters with it as well.

Sanchez was hungry out there tonight. Often criticized for his calm demeanor, which can come off as nonchalant, he appeared more focused on making outs than he was about surviving an inning.

To have such a blow to confidence as banishment to the bullpen seems to have alerted Sanchez to acquire that hunger that the other Giants seem to have right now. You can see it when Lincecum takes the hill.

He wants to win, wants to hit, and wants to field his position. Cain and Zito have the look this year. And everyone knows about Randy Johnson’s game face.

Anyone who failed to see that fire in the eyes of Jonathan Sanchez tonight must be blind. A fantastic outing that will not be forgotten for a long time, Sanchez has earned another start.

And for the first time this year, I’m looking forward to it.

Deal or No Deal? Tim Lincecum's Contract Situation in the Future

Evan Aczon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:51:18 -0400

Why don’t the San Francisco Giants lock up ace Tim Lincecum to a long-term contract?

Since the end of his 2008 Cy Young campaign, I have been answering the above question to more people that I can remember.

Now, with another stellar season almost halfway done, and with Lincecum among the leaders in almost every pitching category, that question is once again finding its way into many a conversation.

Before this season started, the Giants signed the 24-year-old phenom to a paltry $650,000 contract. To anyone who looks at that number, it looks like the Giants are both taking advantage of the biggest steal ever while also being the biggest idiots for only signing him to a one-year deal.

This article is an attempt to explain the reasons, from both sides, that the Giants signed him for such a low price, and why it might happen again after 2009.

The Giants probably want to commit the money, but they reserve more flexibility if something should happen to Lincecum, whether it is an injury or some freak of nature regression.

Lincecum (and his people) would go for a long-term deal if they wanted financial security. But since he has only shown that he can get better, by going year-to-year, they can maximize the amount of time he goes to arbitration.

Since every new contract has to be at least 80 percent of the year’s past, he stands to make a lot of money.

The system of arbitration and player rights is so complicated, probably because it is the oldest sport in the country as well as the only sport that has a fully developed and utilized minor-league system.

Let’s start at the beginning.

When Tim Lincecum graduated from Liberty High School in Renton, Wash., in 2003, he entered the draft and was drafted in the 48th round by the Chicago Cubs. As per the draft rules, he chose not to sign with the Cubs and instead proceeded to pitch at the University of Washington.

If a player is drafted, he has the option to sign with a team, or to not sign and go to college. If the player chooses to go to college, they are not eligible until after three years in school or until they are 21 years old.

After his junior year with the Huskies, he was again draft eligible and entered his name in 2005. That year, he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 42nd round.

But once more, he failed to sign and went back to Washington for his senior year.

Lincecum came off a Golden Spikes Award-winning senior year and was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Giants, which was a full 41 rounds higher than his spot a year before. He signed with the team on June 30, less than a month after the draft and two weeks after his 21st birthday.

San Francisco shelled out a then-record $2.025 million signing bonus to sign the young pitcher, which was broken when they signed teenage sensation Angel Villalona to a $2.1 million bonus less than a month later.

Under league rules, after a player is drafted, he is under team control for six years.

That means Lincecum is under team control until 2012, and cannot become an outright free agent until then.

After three years, or two if he obtains Super Two status, which Lincecum did, the remainder of the years (until the original six are up) are a player’s arbitration years. This means that the team has the exclusive right to offer a contract.

Here’s where it get’s tricky. One might look to fellow Giant youngster Matt Cain, who was locked up through his arbitration years in 2007 by signing a $9 million deal that runs through 2010, with an option for 2011. Cain makes a reasonable $2.65 million this year, and will make $4.25 million next year.

So why can’t Lincecum be locked up for a similarly priced contract?

Both sides have an argument for this question, and they both make sense.

From the Giants' side, it’s an issue of committing too much money before they know what they have. With Cain, who broke in as a 20-year old rookie with a big fastball and a lot of potential, they locked up a young prospect for relatively low money.

Think of it this way: If Cain breaks out (like he did this season), he’s still locked in through his arbitration years at a reasonable price. Even if he wins 20 games this year and 20 games next year, San Francisco can still keep him under control in 2011 for only $6.25 million.

The risk is if he breaks down. Say the Giants signed Jonathan Sanchez to a similar deal, only to see his production plummet. Then they would be on the hook for the rest of his salary (see Russ Ortiz and his $48 million buyout).

It comes down to the Giants locking up a promising arm for a few years without having to negotiate a new contract. They might overpay, but usually the long-term deals are reserved for the ones that aren’t going to be busts.

For Lincecum, his people are waiting for another year like this year. By holding out, they can hold the threat of bolting for free agency and commanding a premium price for his services. Also, by going year-to-year, they can gauge their arbitration figures by the free-agent contracts given to pitchers with similar statistics.

So there you have it. The Giants are not ignorant or dumb. Lincecum is not money-mongering. It just works out for both teams that this is how it will probably play out.

Giant fans, know this: The San Francisco front office will pay whatever it takes, I guarantee it, to keep Lincecum after his arbitration years are up. If it ends up costing CC Sabathia money, then that’s what it will cost.

The Giants know they have something special, and they didn’t nickname him “The Franchise” without reason.

In the same vein, I sincerely believe that Lincecum wants to stay in San Francisco. He’s completely devoid of an ego, as far as he has shown so far. He might ask for some money, but after the level he has performed at to begin his career, he’s more than entitled to that.

At the end of the day, Lincecum is a Giant and will be until at least 2012. After that, the front office will have a very expensive decision to make, but I believe that he will remain with the team for a long while post-2012.

Does This Look Familiar? Cain Throws a Gem, Giants Lose

Evan Aczon — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:50:32 -0400

For the first three months of the 2009 season, it looked like Matt Cain was finally getting what he deserved. Run support.

Tonight, as with his past three starts, it looked like a Matt Cain blast from the past.

Cain turned in another solid effort, strengthening his bid for the 2009 All-Star Game, and lowering his top-five ERA by only allowing one run in seven innings.

And lost.

The San Francisco offense couldn’t get it done, wasting a couple of good opportunities and only pushing across one run against Cardinals' starter Adam Wainwright.

This is somewhat of a rarity this season, as the Giants have been giving Cain run support like he’s never had before, scoring over five runs per game for the 25-year-old hurler. It has allowed him to flourish and garner national attention, going 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA.

But the last couple weeks, with runs piling up in starts all around him (six runs yesterday, 10 runs on Monday, seven on Sunday, six on Saturday), Cain has received four runs in his last three starts.

He went eight strong against Texas for a no-decision and San Francisco scored only two runs behind him. Against Milwaukee, Cain went seven innings and got roughed up, in the context of his season, giving up five runs and taking his second loss of the season, with the offense only giving him one run of support.

Tonight against St. Louis, it was déjà vu all over again. Cain worked around an error in the first inning, giving up a run. The rest of the time, he weathered the storm, allowing baserunners, but not letting them score.

On the other side of the ball, Wainwright baffled Giants' hitters, striking out 12. His curveball was extremely effective, and it seemed to get better as the game progressed, striking out seven in the final three innings.

The best chance San Francisco had was in the eighth inning, when they loaded the bases with nobody out after Fred Lewis led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. Following Aaron Rowand’s infield single and a walk by Randy Winn.

But Wainwright regained his composure after a visit from pitching coach Dave Duncan, and struck out Pablo Sandoval on a 3-2 pitch. He coaxed a sacrifice fly from Bengie Molina then struck out Nate Schierholtz to end the threat.

Aside from that inning, the Giants were unable to mount any sort of a rally against the Cardinals’ starter. Travis Ishikawa pulled a hat trick, and four other Giants had multi-strikeout games.

The strategy of giving Albert Pujols the Barry Bonds treatment has paid off. Yesterday against Randy Johnson, Pujols homered twice. Two nights ago, he almost homered against Lincecum, hitting one off the top of the wall.

Tonight, Pujols ability was limited, being intentionally walked twice. His two singles didn’t end up being part of any Cardinals’ rallies, but his presence in the on deck circle definitely contributed to Colby Rasmus getting the pitch he did from Bobby Howry.

Cain’s outing was once again wasted, and while he still figures to be a strong candidate for the All-Star Game, his stellar season will not continue unless the Giants start scoring behind him again.

With an ERA of 2.48, he only needs a couple of runs per game to get the wins. San Francisco needs to find some way to get three runs across. That will definitely help keep Cain in the national spotlight along with Tim Lincecum.

While Lincecum is heating up as Cain is hitting a bump in the road, both need support from the above-expectations San Francisco offense. That will keep games like tonight’s in the exception column, and not the rule.

Matt Cain's Success No Lucky Break: Giant Getting Well-Deserved Praise

Evan Aczon — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:53:39 -0400

Matt Cain is coming into tonight’s start against the Texas Rangers as a rising star. His stock around the league is rising, and fans across the nation are starting to know his name.

Yet Cain should not be looked upon as a new arm. After all, he’s compiled almost four full years of major-league service time, and has been playing professionally for the last eight.

But a combination of circumstances, including league-low run support and almost no bullpen help, seemed destined to keep him out of the spotlight, relegating him to a career as a good, but not great pitcher.

The Dothan, Al. native came into the league at a young age, but didn’t have all the hype of a Tim Lincecum or Madison Bumgarner or Stephen Strasburg, who all with plenty of media attention. Instead, he was virtually unknown outside of the Giants system, and even then, not many people thought he’d be where he is today.

His minor-league history was short. After starting as a 17-year-old in rookie league, he was promoted the next year to Single-A Hagerstown (now a Nationals affiliate).

At 19 he split between A+ San Jose and AA Norwich, compiling a 13-5 record and notching 161 strikeouts over 159 innings. At 20 he started out at AAA Fresno and went 10-5 with 176 strikeouts in 145 innings before being called up by San Francisco in August.

The reputation that preceded him painted a picture of a big country boy with an equally big fastball and an explosive slider. Along with it came a demeanor and poise beyond his years, and Cain’s 2005 major league debut at age 20 was one of the youngest in franchise history.

It took him two starts to get comfortable. It took three to get noticed.

His third start was against the Chicago Cubs. Cain wowed Giants and Cubs fans alike with a two-hit complete game, giving up a walk in the first, a tape-measure shot to Derrek Lee in the fourth, and then another hit in the ninth before taking three pitches to retire three batters.

He struck out eight, including Lee the at-bat after his homer, and impressed San Francisco manager Felipe Alou as well as the manager in the opposite dugout, Dusty Baker.

“We heard that he had good stuff, and they weren't lying,” Baker said in an interview with MLB.com’s CJ Bowles. “He threw a really good ballgame. They have a special young man right there."

Cain was special in that game, striking out eight Cubs and posting a 2.33 ERA in his first season, and would live up to that standard at times during his short career. But it seems like a majority of baseball fans outside of San Francisco never noticed those great starts until 2009, and instead focused on his bad fortune and inconsistencies as a young pitcher.

In 2006, it was an up and down season for his first full year in the league. There would be flashes of brilliance, like his complete-game one-hitter against Oakland, and an eight inning, one-hit effort against the Angels that same year.

In contrast, there were games where his inexperience was glaring. His ERA ballooned at one point to 7.04 in early May, and he finished the season on a three-game slide, going 0-3 with an ERA of 8.00. Less than half of his 31 outings were quality starts.

Cain ended the year with an unimpressive 13-12 record, but still finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. He also held batters to a .222 batting average, and averaged 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

His next year in the league was the toughest year for Cain and for San Francisco. The Giants finished the year 20 games under .500, and Cain himself finished 7-16. San Francisco went 9-23 in games that Cain started, including an eight-game losing stretch that spanned the entire month of June.

Contrary to what his record shows, Cain actually rebounded, once the wins and losses are put aside. Almost 70 percent of his starts were quality starts, and he once again held batters to a meager batting average (.231). Yet his record didn’t reflect these numbers, and San Francisco’s paltry offense and the shaky bullpen were held very culpable.

He was second on the team in no decisions (nine), and led the team with eight “tough losses,” which Baseball Reference describes as a loss in which the pitcher throws a quality start.

The offense just couldn’t score for Cain, who only garnered 3.51 runs of support, far behind the league leader Dontrelle Willis, who received over six runs per game. He pitched in four games where the Giants were shutout, and another four where they only scored once.

For instance, Cain threw eight innings of one-run ball against Oakland, but San Francisco was shut out and he picked up the loss. This happened again twice more, against the Padres (1-0) and again at Fenway Park (1-0).

Cain also led the Giants with five “wins lost,” where he left the game in position to pick up a win but the team ended up losing. The bullpen allowed more than half of his inherited runners to score. On August 3, he left the game in the eighth inning ahead 3-0 with two runners on, only to have the bullpen lose that game 4-3.

Although frustrating, 2007 was a year that helped Cain establish a strong base to work off of. His walk totals were still low, his ERA was low, and it looked like just a couple runs of support here and there would help him turn the corner.

But his place in the spotlight as the young stud in the rotation seemed abruptly over before it really began.

On May 6, 2007, Tim Lincecum made his major-league debut after only 13 starts in the minors. He quickly established himself as “The Franchise,” and drew more sympathy than Cain because of his team-leading 12 no-decisions and three wins lost.

Lincecum’s catapulting delivery, his slender frame, boyish face, and blazing 97 MPH fastball sapped up all the media attention, and the new kid on the block became the centerpiece of the Giants team.

It’s easy for a young player to get frustrated by an event like that. With all the hype around the new face, it would have been very easy for Cain to point out that he is actually three and a half months younger than Lincecum.

Or that he was the youngest player to debut for the Giants in 21 years. Or that the bullpen blew more of his leads, and didn’t give him any run support.

It would have been easy for a young player only two years removed from high school. But acting his age never fit Matt Cain’s style.

The season would continue on as it did before Lincecum came around. The interviews were the same, absent of any frustration with the bullpen or envy of the media attention surrounding The Freak. The body language on the field was the same, with bursts of positive emotion, but a total lack of negative energy.

The years in the minors helped Cain reach this plane of serenity. While Lincecum hit a couple rough spots in his rookie year, Cain was able to pitch a veteran’s persistence. He outranked Lincecum in the experience department with almost three years of major league time, and also facing professional hitters at the minor league level.

After the 2007 season, however, it became apparent that the two young hurlers were going to share the spotlight. Barry Bonds didn’t return to the Giants, and the focus going forward was one that highlighted the young pitching corps, built around three homegrown products in Cain, Lincecum and Noah Lowry.

But 2008 proved to be just as hard as 2007 was, if not harder. Cain again led the team in no-decisions (12), tough losses (6), and was second in wins-lost (3). He also received futile run support, with the offense only posting up an NL-low 3.1 runs per game.

In contrast, Lincecum went 18-4 and won the Cy Young award. He received 4.6 runs per game in support, and probably would have had even better numbers if not for his 11 no-decisions and six wins-lost.

The murmuring started to begin. Cain just couldn’t get run support, no matter how well he pitched. Even the games he won were close: a 1-0 shutout against the Nationals in July; an eight-inning, two-hit, shutout effort against the Cubs that the Giants won 2-1.

Cain found himself involved in close, stressful games, and it seemed that the dominoes never fell in his direction.

During the 2008 offseason, trade rumors started circulating. It almost looked like he was jinxed in a San Francisco uniform, and the only way to ever win games was to get out before it was too late.

But the front office knew that they had a special pitcher. The knew that when they signed him to his four-year, $9 million deal in March of 2007, locking him up through his arbitration years and providing a rotation fixture for the future. They knew that, given his numbers, sans Win-Loss record, the tide would have to change some time in the future.

That time is now.

Matt Cain is making his case to be the Giants representative at the All-Star Game this year in St. Louis. He’s also pushing to be the starter on the hill for the National League.

Heading into tomorrow’s start, Cain is leading the NL in wins (nine), complete games (three), and is third in ERA (2.39). His .900 winning percentage is the second-best in the majors, and he’s holding batters to a .241 average against him.

Nine of his 13 starts have been quality starts, and his three complete games have been dominating performances, giving up one run against both Seattle and Oakland, and getting a rain-shortened complete game against Florida.

The Giants offense is finally giving him all the run support he deserves (5.0 runs/game), and his lower ERA is allowing him to reap the benefits. San Francisco has won the last eight games that Cain has pitched, and he has seven wins in his last seven decisions.

Some writers have noted that Cain’s velocity is down from previous years. But this is just evidence of his evolution as a pitcher.

Cain came up throwing 95-97, consistently, but this year is usually cruising along at 93-94. Last weekend against Oakland, he showed fans that the “old” Matt Cain is still there, striking out nine batters, and eight on fastballs. All of those were 93 MPH or higher, with three at 95, one at 96, and one at 97.

But now he’s throwing pitches with purpose, not just because he can. The Oakland game was good evidence that he can still hump up when he has to, but his pitching this year has shown so much growth that only experience can give you.

He’s mixing speeds, moving in and out, using different pitches in different scenarios, and, as always, is keeping that confidence as his primary attitude. There is absolutely no fazing Matt Cain. He’s got ice in his veins, and a lot of that is due to his history of tough experiences.

He’s seen it all. Leads blown, great games gone to waste, no run support. When it comes down to it, there’s just nothing else that can happen to him. There are only so many quality starts that can be lost, and one-hitters gone by the wayside, and waiting for his luck to turn.

This year, we’re seeing a Matt Cain that isn’t leaving anything up to his teammates. Of course, he trusts his defense, and still has faith in the Giants, but he has a certain demeanor about him that exudes self-control.

When he takes the mound, he’s going to make sure that one run doesn’t score. He’s going to keep runners off the bases. He’s going to be so dominant that there is no hope for victory. Nothing is left up to chance.

Forget luck. It’s time to win.

Competition Vs. Contention: Giants Favoring The Latter in 2009

Evan Aczon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:19:48 -0400

After the Giants finished 2008 with a record of 72-90, a lot of people saw promise.

There were flashes of brilliance from young guys, steady contribution from veterans, and it looked like a couple tweaks to the roster could change a lot for 2009.

Those changes happened, for the most part, even though a lot of baseball fans are missing out on them. Realistically, the Giants are not yet ready to win a title, but their record is the best it’s been in more than a year and they’re actually leading the National League wildcard race.

“We intend to be competitive,” said managing partner Bill Neukom. “And after we are competitive, we intend to be contending.”

I know that I usually end up saying the same things in every article, but what that means is this:

The Giants are a hitter away from contending, but don’t bet the future of the team to get that hitter.

Get what you can right now. Win as much as you can this year. If there’s a good deal out there, take it. But don’t trade top prospects for anyone.

To be more in depth, look at what has transpired over the last 18 months. In 2008, the Giants were projected to be the absolute worst team in the majors. They ended up in fourth place with a better winning percentage than five other teams. Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young, winning 18 games. The “cleanup experiment” with Bengie Molina ended up with 96 RBIs.

Fast forward to this year.

The Giants added bullpen help in Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry. There were a lot of times where the fans simply asked, Why? There was a questionable signing of Edgar Renteria, a Randy Johnson signing that a few people grumbled about, another absence of a power bat, and couple rumors involving Matt Cain that people were itching to pull the trigger on.

Almost halfway into the season, we’re starting to get it.

Why add Renteria? Admittedly, the Giants overpaid. But Edgar’s one of the top RBI men on the team, and is getting a lot of clutch hits.

Why Randy Johnson? Yes, he was brought in to fill seats on the road to 300, but also to win. No current pitcher knows how to win as well as he does.

Why no power bat? The front office declared that they would build from within.

Travis Ishikawa is not the power bat they were looking for, but he’s the best defensive first-baseman in the league. Sandoval has taken his place for now, and is providing the defense and the power. Fred Lewis’s time in the outfield looks to be on hold for now, contributing only three homeruns so far. Nate Schierholtz is finally seeing time, and he’s swinging a hot bat.

Why not trade Cain? Anyone who thought that Cain should have been traded should be made to watch his complete game over the Athletics for 24 hours straight.

Cain is making his case for an All-Star bid, and if we look far enough forward, maybe even a Cy Young candidacy. How great would it be to have Lincecum and Cain win back-to-back Cy Young awards? Having them compete against each other would be an amazing experience, and anyone who ever wondered what Cain would look like with run support is suddenly realizing their wildest dreams are coming true.

The knock on the Giants is that they can’t score runs. After last year, we knew that the pitching was there, but the lack of power was so glaring that a majority of the losses were games that were lost by one or two runs. They averaged 3.95 runs a game, but the team ERA was 4.38, which won’t win games.

Once again, fast-forward to 2009. Although far behind the league leaders in total home runs and runs scored, they’re posting 4.05 runs per game this year. Couple that with a pitching staff that boasts two top-five ERAs (Cain is third and Lincecum is fourth) under 3.00 and a second place team ERA (3.70) and you’re going to win more games.

The offense is also pounding the ball in the last couple months. After a relatively quiet month of April, where the team was shut out a few times and just couldn’t seem to score runs on the road, the summer heat has worked wonders for the Giants bats.

Aaron Rowand’s hitting streak is over, but somehow having him in the leadoff spot has kept him consistently driving in runs and getting on base. Remember last year when he was hitting .345 into June? He’s back at .300, and the way he’s hitting there shouldn’t be a drop-off like last year.

Bengie Molina is starting to heat up, and is once again leading the team in homeruns and RBI. Randy Winn is a little below his consistent career average, but is getting there.

The biggest contribution has been from Pablo Sandoval. Not one person is surprised at this guy. Over his career in the Giants organization, he’s hitting an impressive .303. After a partial season last year, everyone knew that he would be a hitting force in the years to come.

What no one thought is that he would be among the league leaders for batting average and actually be in contention for an All-Star spot and a batting title.

His style of hitting (swing at everything) doesn’t suit everyone, but as last night’s second homerun showed, he can hit everything, and hit it hard. The Panda was slumping for a little bit, but the days of big-league pitchers fooling him with breaking balls are over. Sandoval is here to stay, whether it is at first or third base.

With those slight upgrades on offense, and the bolstering in the bullpen, which has been, for the most part, lights out, the Giants have settled in to Neukom’s “competitive” groove. Now that they’re five games over .500 and playing some really good baseball, they’re inching towards the “contending” part of the game.

To conclude, I’ll once again set the record straight: The Giants need a bat to win the World Series. They needed a bat to compete last year. But last year we just asked the management to let the kids play. This year, we’re over that. The kids are here, and they’re playing well. If they’re not, then they’ve been replaced with new kids. (Update: Burriss [0-27] optioned down, Downs [.288, 6 HR, 38 RBI] called up.)

Whatever the case may be, it looks like the tide is finally starting to turn. The hits are falling, the runs are crossing the plate, the pitching is stellar, and the Giants have only themselves to thank for it. Well done, friends.

Ishikawa Breaks Out, Giants Continue Offensive Burst

Evan Aczon — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:30:59 -0400

The San Francisco Giants are starting to score some runs.

Given that they leave much to be desired on the offensive side of the ball, to say the least, the fact that they’ve had three straight games scoring at last four runs is very encouraging.

This last road trip was painful to watch. The Giants lost five out of six games by only one run, and scored nine runs in those five losses.

The pitching has been great, but the hitting has been letting them down, leaving a ton of runners on base, seemingly unable to get runners in with less than two outs.

Juan Uribe’s two-out double Saturday changed all that.

Since then, San Francisco is settling down at the plate, and the hitting has been contagious.

Whatever the reason is, Aaron Rowand is hitting a lot better out of the leadoff spot, and Edgar Renteria is still hovering around .300 with runners in scoring position.

Fred Lewis is getting on base and also showing some power, hitting two homers in Seattle. When he gets on, his effectiveness as a player grows exponentially, as he can steal some bases while and score on base hits.

Emmanuel Burriss is doing a lot of things better at the plate: taking pitches, and using the long at-bats to evaluate a pitcher’s stuff.

Pablo Sandoval is out with an elbow injury, but that is allowing Juan Uribe to get some starts, and he’s making the most of it, getting some key hits and helping to spark the Giants’ offense.

Monday, Travis Ishikawa may not have silenced all of his critics, but he definitely opened some eyes.

Ishikawa had four hits Monday, including a monster home run over the right-center field wall. It was the first time a Giants first baseman homered this season, and it put them up 8-2, capping a huge outburst here on Memorial Day.

His offensive approach is coming around, and hopefully it continues in the next couple weeks.

The main change is the elimination of the loop that allowed pitchers to pound him inside, forcing him to pop up and leaving him open to breaking balls down in the zone.

On defense, his ability to throw the ball is rare, and his fielding is as slick as can be.

Will Clark? No, he’s not. J.T. Snow? Not quite, but if he can keep up this offense, he should be able to stick around.

The major change is that the Giants are getting hits in bunches. Instead of having a hit, a steal, a bunt, and then a flyout, which they have been struggling to get all season, they’re getting a lot of hits in a row.

They’re also getting some home runs, which means a lot for this Giants team. Lewis and Rowand are showing some power, which is even more important with Sandoval on the bench.

When it comes to the ultimate question of the potency of the Giants offense, the answer is the same: The Giants are not a good offensive team.

They need a hitter who can get the big hits consistently, and they don’t have it. But the type of offense they have now is the type of offense that was expected all season. If they continue to bunch hits together, the wins will come.

The pitching is coming up strong, and they just need some more games like today to win half of those games.

What do the Giants do now?

They shouldn’t trade an arm away. Thankfully the rumors involving Matt Cain aren’t true.

The way Sanchez pitched today, I’d like to think that maybe he’s still able to bring a good hitter in return.

Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson are untouchable, and they’re definitely on the fast track to getting to the Majors before next year.

See where this offense leads.

The Braves aren’t a team in the cellar. If they continue to hit off of Atlanta’s pitching, the Giants should hold off on making any moves until the offense dries up.

This is the kind of offense we expected, so let’s enjoy it while it's here and find out where it takes us.

The San Francisco Giants: 30 Games Of Offense

Evan Aczon — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:24:27 -0400

The Giants are thirty games into the 2009 season, which was supposed by many to be a rebuilding year. The team's rotation was solid, but the absence of a big bat and the abundance of youth gave a feel that this probably wasn't the Giants year. Surprising to some, the Giants are off to a pretty good start, beginning the night 4.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the National League West. Using tonight's lineup, I'll go through one by one and show how each player has stacked up to expectations heading into the year.

Begin Slideshow

They Might Be Giants: Barry Zito Caps a Terrific Pitching Homestand

Evan Aczon — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:35:59 -0400

In the first three series' of the 2009 season, the San Francisco Giants looked supremely overmatched. Their vaunted pitching staff was struggling, the new additions to the offense weren’t clicking, and nothing was going according to the most optimistic of plans.

In the opening sets against the Brewers and Dodgers, the three Cy Young winners on the staff, Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Barry Zito, combined for a grand total of 26 innings and a whopping 9.69 ERA.

Enter the Arizona Diamondbacks, and lefty Jonathan Sanchez. Before this series, the microscope was definitely on the pitching staff to see if they could measure up to their preseason expectations.

Sanchez opened the series with a very strong outing of 6.2 shutout innings, with four strikeouts. He only allowed two hits and was efficient with his pitches, using timely hitting from Bengie Molina to pick up his first win of the season.

Lincecum came out the next day and dispelled any doubt in last year’s award-winning campaign, throwing eight innings of his own of shutout ball and tying his career high with 13 strikeouts. More importantly, after walking six in his first two outings, Timmy issued zero free passes. The Giants lost the Saturday game, but fans breathed a collective sigh of relief to see "The Freak" back to his old freaky self.

Five-time Cy Young winner Randy Johnson took the hill on Sunday, the first start of his career against his former team, and flat-out dominated. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and his seven innings of scoreless pitching ran the Giants starters’ streak to 21.2.

Johnson struck out seven on his way to win No. 296, his fastball and slider were back in top form, and some clutch RBI by Travis Ishikawa and Rich Aurilia gave San Francisco the 2-0 victory.

Matt Cain turned in his third straight quality start against the Padres on Tuesday, giving up only two runs in seven innings. After scoring four runs in three games against Arizona, the Giants rode a five-RBI night by Edgar Renteria, punctuated by a grand slam, to an 8-3 win.

The last pitcher that anyone expected to do well, Barry Zito, turned in one of his best outings as a Giant today, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out five. Zito lowered his ERA from 10.00 at the beginning of the day, to 5.63 by the end of his outing.

Today’s game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the 10th, when Bengie Molina came up off the bench and hit a ground-rule double, knocking in Andres Torres for the walk-off win.

Zito was 0-8 in April the past two years, but today’s outing looked more like his strong second-half form. With Pablo Sandoval behind the plate, Barry has had some of the best starts of his Giants career. Last year, over four starts paired with Sandoval, Zito went 4-0, pitching eight innings twice, striking out 23, and only allowing seven runs.

The one start with Molina during that stretch, he only lasted 3.1 innings and gave up seven earned runs. The promotion of Steve Holm will limit Sandoval’s time at catcher, but the Giants should think about giving "Little Money" Zito exclusivity. No offense intended to Bengie Molina, but the numbers don’t lie.

The Giants will send Lincecum out to the hill again on Friday. If this past week has been any indicator, the San Francisco staff is very much back on track. And if the rotation is in the zone, then this team will succeed.

During the past five game homestand, the Giants scored a total of 13 runs, eight coming in Tuesday’s game. But, with a pitching staff that combined to give up only five runs and pitch three shutouts, San Francisco went 4-1.

If the Giants can score three runs a game, and their pitching holds up as it has been, this team will win a lot more games than people think. Don’t expect a season of shutouts, but the rotation is falling into a rhythm. That’s when this team could be dangerous.

In a side note, Andres Torres is a gamer. He's not playing much, but he lays it all on the line when he gets the chance. His diving catch in center and his cagey baserunning were both clutch.

I also like how Jeremy Affeldt gets pumped. The Giants have had their share of animated relievers. Jack Taschner, Scott Eyre, and Robb Nen come to mind. It helps make middle relief a lot more interesting.

Don't Lose the Faith! The Giants' Glass Is Five Percent Full

Evan Aczon — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:17:14 -0400

The San Francisco Giants have played nine games. That’s the equivalent of 5.5 percent of a Major League season.

That being said, this is not the time for Giants fans to panic.

From the nine games that we’ve seen, there can only be a few facts stated without much speculation.

First, the starting pitching has been terrible.

Second, the lineup is struggling where it’s not supposed to be.

Third, the starting pitching has been terrible.

If there were reason to get concerned, which there isn’t, because there is still 95 percent of the season to be played, it would be with the pitching.

The Giants went into this season with arguably one of the best starting rotations, on paper, in baseball.

Three Cy Young winners in Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Barry Zito, one of the most underappreciated starters in Matt Cain, and the best No. 5 starter in the National League in Jonathan Sanchez, were meant for big things in 2009.

So far that hasn’t been the case. Lincecum, the 2008 Cy Young winner, is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA, lasting a grand total of 8.1 innings in his two starts.

Johnson is equally as unimpressive, with an 0-2 mark and an eye-grabbing 11.42 ERA, pitching 8.2 innings.

Zito looked dominant at times against the Dodgers but still fell to 0-2 with a 10.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.

Sanchez will pitch tomorrow against the Diamondbacks, but he only lasted 4.2 innings against the Padres, giving up five earned runs and walking five.

Cain is the only pitcher on the staff who has looked decent, winning the only game out of the five starters and owning an impressive 2.08 ERA in 13 innings.

The pitching staff will shape up. The real meat of the Giants pitching corps is in the setup and closer roles, and they have been used sparingly in the Giants' seven losses.

It doesn’t help to have an All-Star closer in Brian Wilson if he never makes it onto the mound. Once the starters get back in their rhythm, the record will turn around.

Lincecum’s problems have been traced to faulty mechanics. The only problem is that with his unique delivery, there is only so much that pitching coach Dave Righetti can do to help. For him, it is mostly watching film, and maybe flying his dad out for a couple days.

Johnson has had problems keeping the baseball in the yard, giving up four homers in two outings. The blow by Milwaukee pitcher Yovani Gallardo is a real stinger, but Johnson’s experience should help him overcome this problem.

As he has advanced through the years, Johnson has become more dependent on his slider, and he’ll have to get used to throwing it outside of the dry Arizona climate.

Zito showed glimpses of his second-half self so far. He was hitting 90 MPH on the gun in Los Angeles, striking out four and blanking the Bums from the third to the fifth.

The offense will come around. They’re batting .240 as a team and batted .208 on their tour of Southern California.

Pablo Sandoval was mired in the self-proclaimed “worst slump ever” of his baseball career but broke out with a single and a double against the Dodgers on Thursday night.

The batting order switch of Emmanuel Burriss (.192) and Edgar Renteria (.156) gave a hint of progress, with Burriss racking up three hits and Renteria notching an RBI single.

Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand combined to go 0-for-9 against Dodgers pitching last night, which won’t happen every day. Despite his humble spring, Winn is still good to hit .300 with 15 HR. Rowand, who hit the ball hard throughout the Cactus League schedule, will also break out of his mini-slump.

What it comes down to is, the Giants are misfiring on all cylinders right now. This team is hinged upon their starting rotation, and their true potential will be observed when the offense starts to click, stringing a few hits together.

Right now, the starters are out of sync with themselves, and the hitters haven’t found the clutch stroke needed to contribute.

They will click. That day will come. Even a shell of Lincecum will dominate a good majority of Major League hitters. Even a grizzly veteran like Johnson can strike out 200 people in a season and win 15 games.

Remember, there are still 153 games left. Ninety-five percent. The Giants faithful who have found their team back on the rise as recently as last year—please don’t lose that faith.

This team will succeed. Just wait.

Countdown to Opening Day: San Francisco Giants Roster Takes Shape

Evan Aczon — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:05:13 -0400

Seven days. You have seven days.

Don't worry, there's no unmarked videotape. There's not a girl in a well waiting to crawl out of your television.

In fact, in seven days, you should be glued to your television/radio/computer. In seven days, you will be watching Giants baseball. It will be early in the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, and Tim Lincecum will be striking out Ryan Braun to end the inning.

With Spring Training winding down, the pieces for the 2009 puzzle are falling in to place. In some cases, these pieces are going to unexpected places (Jack Taschner, Kevin Frandsen, Juan Uribe). In others, they're going just where we thought they would (Pablo Sandoval, Tim Lincecum).

A few story lines have developed since last week, and they affect the makeup of the roster. The pitching staff will still have eleven members, as of now, but Jack Taschner will not be a part of it. The bench will be deep, but Juan Uribe is in, and Kevin Frandsen is out.

Last week the Giants coaching staff announced that they would carry an 11-man pitching staff, increasing their flexibility on offense. So far, the locks are the five-man rotation (Lincecum, Johnson, Cain, Zito, Sanchez), closer Brian Wilson, and new additions Bobby Howry and Jeremy Affeldt.

Bruce Bochy has said that Alex Hinshaw is still on the bubble, and the trade of Taschner to Philadelphia would possibly leave Affeldt as the only lefty in the pen. Assuming that Hinshaw does make the team, the other two spots will most likely fall to Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo and possibly a return of Keiichi Yabu or the addition of Ramon Ortiz, both of who have the ability to either spot-start or make long relief appearances.

Taschner was solid last year, but his high ERA and lack of control this Spring raised some red flags. He was not by any means a left-handed specialist, and both righties and lefties hit over .250 against him.

Hinshaw, however, had a very strong rookie campaign, going 2-1 in 48 appearances, impressing everyone with 47 strikeouts over only 39.2 innings. This spring he has showed that strikeout consistency, but is a little shaky with his effectiveness, giving up 13 hits in 10.1 innings.

Perdomo, plucked from St. Louis, has impressed, and the Giants may work out a trade with the Cardinals so he can develop more at Triple-A.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants announced that Emmanuel Burriss has beat out Kevin Frandsen for the second base job. Frandsen was (once again) given the short end of the stick and optioned to Triple-A Fresno.

The bench will consist of Rich Aurilia and Uribe as the backup infielders, Steve Holm as the backup catcher, Nate Schierholtz as the fourth outfielder, and Eugenio Velez working both at second base and outfield.

The Frandsen-Burriss rivalry looked like it might end up with them both making the team, but the Giants made the decision on Monday to option Frandsen to Fresno.

They were neck and neck for most of the spring, but Burriss pulled away, and as of yesterday, was batting .357. Frandsen had tailed off, and was batting .274. Frandsen will most likely join the team later this year, especially if Uribe or Velez show any sign of faltering.

The rest of the Opening Day lineup has been hitting very well in the preseason. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is hitting an absurd .460. Left-fielder Fred Lewis is hitting .373 and first baseman Travis Ishikawa is batting at a .319 clip with six homers and 14 RBI.

Perennial stalwarts Randy Winn and Bengie Molina are not blowing the cover off the ball. Fellow starters Aaron Rowand and newcomer Edgar Renteria are also batting in the low-.200s. But this is where you have to be optimistic and say that Spring Training is not a preview of the season (except if the stats are good).

Uribe has almost assured himself a spot on the bench because of his spring success and his versatility to play either of the middle-infield spots or third base. Rich Aurilia also looks to lock down a spot as the backup at either corner spot.

Eugenio Velez, who was seen as a player in the mold of the Angels’ Chone Figgins, has been hitting very well so far, and has showed that he has the ability to learn the nuances of multiple positions.

This gives the Giants the ability to play a number of different defensive alignments without anyone being terribly out of position. Sandoval can catch as well as either corner spot. Aurilia can play either corner. Uribe can play the three infield spots stated earlier. Velez can play second and outfield. Even Frandsen was given a shot at the outfield as well as second and third.

Now, that’s a lot of information, but you have seven days to figure it out. Here’s how I see the Opening Day lineup. Last year’s stats are in parentheses.

1. Randy Winn, RF (.306, 10 HR, 64 RBI)

2. Edgar Renteria, SS (.270, 10, 55)

3. Fred Lewis, LF (.282, 9, 40)

4. Bengie Molina, C (.292, 16, 95)

5. Pablo Sandoval, 3B (.345, 3, 24)

6. Aaron Rowand, CF (.271, 13, 70)

7. Travis Ishikawa, 1B (.274, 3, 15)

8. Emmanuel Burriss, 2B (.283, 1, 18)

9. Tim Lincecum, P (18-5, 2.62 ERA, 265 K)

Seven days. Get ready. It’ll be here before you know it.

Bruce Bochy's 11: Giants Opting for More Offense, Stronger Pitching

Evan Aczon — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:48:25 -0400

In an attempt to give the team increased offensive flexibility, the San Francisco Giants recently floated the idea of starting the year with an 11-man pitching staff, something that they haven’t done since 2003.

The offense is definitely something that has needed help over the past couple years, and another bat to be rotated in could be beneficial to the team.

This strategy is the result of too much thinking, and seems like a very viable option, at least for the first couple months of the season. The Giants have four off-days in April, allowing for the fifth starter to be skipped or for each starter to get an extra day of rest, which should help the bullpen.

Former manager Felipe Alou had a tendency to burn out his bullpen early in the year, which led to inconsistencies later in the season. But last year the Giants proved that the starters could handle a bigger workload. Aces Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain both threw over 200 innings, and Barry Zito got over his early-season struggles to finish the year pitching deep into games.

The addition of Randy Johnson, who, if he stays healthy, will pitch close to his 20-year average of 201 innings, is also going to be an upgrade over Pat Misch (52.3) and Kevin Correia (110).

Overworking the bullpen can be detrimental to the staff late in the year. Even though San Francisco ended the season out of the playoffs, they were not far out of the National League West race.

In 2003, the last time the Giants had an 11-man staff, Jason Schmidt was the only starter over 200 innings, with Kirk Rueter a distant second at 147. Jim Brower pitched 100 innings out of the bullpen, and Joe Nathan (78), Tim Worrell (74), and Scott Eyre (76) pitched in almost half the games.

That team won 100 games with a tired bullpen, and this year’s bullpen is markedly more talented, especially with the additions of Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry. That could bode well for the San Francisco staff, which has a much better crop of starters to work off of.

On the offensive side of the ball, another bat off the bench gives Bruce Bochy a lot more flexibility. With an 11-man rotation, the Giants will have 14 position players.

The Opening Day infield will most likely include Pablo Sandoval at third, Edgar Renteria at short, Emmanuel Burriss at second, and Travis Ishikawa at first.

Rich Aurilia will probably make the team, and Kevin Frandsen will split time with Burriss at second base. Catchers Bengie Molina and Steve Holm both look to make the team as well, with Sandoval taking time at both first and behind the plate.

The outfield will read as last year, with Fred Lewis in left, Aaron Rowand in center, and Randy Winn in right. With the release of Dave Roberts, Nate Schierholtz will be the backup corner outfielder. Eugenio Velez will also make appearances in the outfield and can back up in the infield as well.

That totals 13 players, added to an 11-man pitching staff, leaves just one open spot for a position player, which gives hope to third baseman Ryan Rohlinger who has been crushing the ball this spring, utility man Juan Uribe who is hitting .257, and possibly even outfielder/infielder Jesus Guzman who is hitting .400 with three homers.

If you choose to use the 2003 team as a model, the Giants have a lot to expect from this staff. They always have the option of bringing up another pitcher if the bullpen gets tired or if the bench players begin itching for playing time.

The starting rotation has long since proved to be workhorses. San Francisco pitchers ranked seventh in innings pitched last year, and were only 28 innings behind the major-league leaders in Milwaukee. They boast three Cy Young winners from the past 10 years and four pitchers who will give at least 150 innings.

Carrying 11 pitchers could signify a great year for the Giants. Although they don’t have the same consistent offense from Barry Bonds or Marquis Grissom like in 2003, the team they’re fielding now is better defensively and has the ability to create more small-ball offense.

This is a team that is built around a strong pitching staff, and by carrying 11, that puts more faith in that strength, not more pressure. Play to your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. That’s what this move will do.

Cactus League Will Reveal Answers for San Francisco Giants

Evan Aczon — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:18:52 -0500

There is finally some closure for the Giants infield. Sort of.

Third-baseman Joe Crede has signed on for the 2009 season. With the Minnesota Twins.

Second-baseman Orlando Hudson has also signed. With the Dodgers.

As the free agent signings continue to settle, and the rumors are becoming fact, the San Francisco infield and the rest of the lineup are getting closer to being finalized. Almost.

The signing of Crede means that the Giants will probably stay put with Pablo Sandoval at third, backed up by Rich Aurilia or Juan Uribe, depending on who impresses during Spring Training. Aurilia has been more consistent throughout his career, and his career with the Giants should give him a leg up, as should his success against left-handed pitching.

Sandoval at third means that the competition at first base is between John Bowker, last year’s starter for most of the season, and Travis Ishikawa, who impressed in his stint with the team last September. Aurilia also has the luxury of having experience at first, and can complement Bowker or Ishikawa, both left-handers.

Hudson signing with the Dodgers means a couple things for the G-men. San Francisco wasn’t a front-runner to sign Hudson, but his decision seems to solidify other things for the Giants rivals. The solidification of their infield frees up time for GM Ned Colletti to ramp up discussions with Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras.

That should finally take away the speculation around the Giants making a bid for Manny, and it’s a relief to hear that they won’t go above their one-year offer.

Although many questions have been answered, there are still a couple left out there for us to answer.

The second-base competition is still wide open. Emmanuel Burriss ended the season as the starter, and was slated to be the starter at shortstop. However, Burriss had a rough Arizona Fall League season and the Giants signed veteran Edgar Renteria.

That opens it up to Kevin Frandsen, who was the favorite before last year’s Achilles injury, and who returned as a fan favorite late last season. Eugenio Velez and Juan Uribe will also be vying for a spot in the backup role.

Also, the bullpen is very crowded. If the Giants keep an eleven-man rotation, there are a couple of locks, and the rest is wide-open competition. Brian Wilson will close, Jeremy Affeldt will help set up, and the top four starters are already set.

That leaves five spots open. Noah Lowry’s sore shoulder is a concern, and he might start the season at Triple-A. Johnathan Sanchez is probably going to get the fifth spot in the rotation barring a bad Spring Training.

Bob Howry is expected to get a spot, as should lefties Alex Hinshaw and Jack Taschner. Keiichi Yabu, Billy Sadler, and Osiris Matos headline those who pitched last year for the Giants. Veterans who were signed to minor-league deals include Ramon Ortiz, Francis Beltran, and Brandon Medders.

Spring Training should hold these answers for the Giants. Buster Posey has already shown he’s ready to go, hitting a homerun in his first appearance, but he won’t be seen in a big-league uniform until September. Look for a lot of the Giants season to shake out in the first couple weeks of the Cactus League.

Super Bowl XLIII: Arizona Cardinals Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Evan Aczon — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:29:03 -0500

In less than a week, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will play host to the biggest annual event in the modern sports world. On Sunday, Feb. 1, Super Bowl XLIII will be played between the Arizona Cardinals, an upstart team on fire, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, a perennial playoff team in its second Super Bowl in four years.

The Cardinals, winners of a sub-par NFC West division at 9-7, ride an incredible wave of adrenaline and momentum into Florida, relying heavily on their steady run defense and an explosive offense resting on the arm of resurgent veteran quarterback Kurt Warner.

Each step has been uphill, and in a precursor of things to come, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said, “We believe in ourselves. I like being the underdog, and we're going to continue to be the underdog."

The first step was against the Atlanta Falcons, and the Cards emerged victorious 30-24. They then traveled to Charlotte and stunned the Carolina Panthers 33-13. For most of the postseason, Kurt Warner felt that the Cardinals locker room contained the only people that believed they could win.

After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25, Warner told the crowd, “When nobody else believed in us, when nobody else believed in me, you guys did and we’re going to the Super Bowl.”

The Cards’ defense has played a key part in the road up to the Super Bowl. They shut down Falcons running back Michael Turner, holding him to 42 yards for the game. Carolina’s Jake Delhomme threw five interceptions and lost a fumble, and the front seven held D’Angelo Williams to only 62 yards on the ground.

The run defense was there again in Philadelphia, holding offensive juggernaut Brian Westbrook to 45 yards rushing and only 61 total yards

On the other sideline, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been harkening back to the old days of the Steel Curtain, leading the league in almost every defensive category. “They say defense wins championships,” Steelers’ receiver Hines Ward said. “Well, we have the No. 1 defense. And they're the reason why we're really going to the Super Bowl."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has led a steady offense that hasn’t been flashy, but is doing enough to complement the defense and get them this far.

They had a first-round bye and hosted the San Diego Chargers in the second. Willie Parker ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers' defense held spark plug Darren Sproles to 15 yards on the ground, while sandwiching three long drives totaling 14:43 around 17 seconds of Chargers offense in the third quarter.

The next step was the Baltimore Ravens, whom the Steelers had defeated twice during the season. The defense held the Ravens and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco to only 198 total yards. Flacco had three interceptions, including one in the waning minutes that Troy Polamalu returned 40 yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals linebackers and ends have been disrupting the offense, with Carlos Dansby and Travis LaBoy anchoring the front seven while the secondary is manned by veterans Roderick Hood and safety Adrian Wilson.

They have been able to use the run more than during the regular season, and Edgerrin James has been revitalized in the playoffs. The Cardinals were last in the league in rushing offense during the regular season, averaging 73.6 yards per game.

In the playoffs, they’ve been up at 111 yards per game. James, averaging 39.5 yards per game during the regular season, has upped it to 66.7 yards a game in the postseason.

Receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, who have been catalysts for the Cardinals, will have a challenge against the Steelers secondary, who allowed a league low 157 passing yards a game. "They seem to make their plays with guys hanging off Larry Fitzgerald, and he just outjumps them,” Troy Polamalu said.

"When you have a quarterback like Kurt Warner throwing it on the money, that helps, too." But Kurt Warner will have to get past the best defense in the league to win the game.

Prediction: Steelers 24 Cardinals 14

San Francisco Giants Roundtable: Were the Offseason Needs Addressed?

Evan Aczon — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:50:01 -0500

Last week we released the first Giants Roundtable of 2009, and at the beginning of the slideshow I had this paragraph:

General Manager Brian Sabean entered winter this year with a few goals in mind: retool the bullpen, add a proven infielder to set the rookies in place, and add a bat for the middle of the order.

He has also stressed that the new upper management for the team wants to add these pieces while not subtracting in other areas, such as the youth movement that started last year or the pitching staff that has been a bright spot for the last couple years.

This installment is going to evaluate how the Giants addressed their most pressing needs from last season.

Most people would agree that the bullpen needed retooling, the lineup needed at least one established power hitter, and a veteran corner infielder would make the team more complete.

We'll hear my views while welcoming back the other two-thirds of the Giants Community Leader Trifecta, Danny Penza and Andrew Nuschler.

OFFSEASON RETOOLING

Aczon

The most dismal part of the Giants' season last year was their lack of offense. Out of sixteen National League teams, they were 14th in OBP, 15th in runs scored, 15th in total bases, 15th in slugging percentage, and last in home runs and RBIs. They needed offense, and they needed it bad.

The team went ahead and surprisingly addressed pitching first, passing up on such offensive catalysts like Orlando Hudson and Adam Dunn (still unsigned), Rafael Furcal (resigned with Dodgers), and instead settling on veteran Edgar Renteria. With that addition, the Giants do upgrade the offensive production out of their infield, but not drastically.

Although San Francisco shortstops (Bocock, Vizquel, Ochoa, Burriss) barely hit over .200, and only produced one HR all year, Renteria's dismal first half last year led many to believe that he had lost it offensively. If he plays like he did in his National League years, and in his second half last year (.296/5HR/22RBI), then the Giants should be upgraded on the offensive side.

The Giants also will have an exciting young man in Pablo Sandoval for a whole season, and if he can produce in the way he did last year, then the Giants should be a lot better with him at third base. Also, Travis Ishikawa looks like he's proven ready to play in the Majors.

The other big need that the Giants had was bullpen help. The starting rotation, with the exception of the fifth starter spot, was pretty solid all year.

But there were many games that the bullpen just couldn't hold on to. Like I've said before, the Giants played in the second most one-run games behind St. Louis, and were 31-21. That's a lot of games that could have been won if the bullpen had a few more holds.

The subtraction of a couple spotty guys (Correia, Hennessey, Walker) and the addition of a couple solid pitchers who don't walk many hitters (Affeldt, Howry) should help push that total further over .500. The bridge between solid starters and All-Star closer Brian Wilson is now more stable, and the Giants should add to their win total.

Nuschler

This was the Orange and Black's most glaring need heading into the offseason. The 2008 offense was putrid and the corner infielders, traditionally power bats, were especially popless.

Pablo Sandoval figures to move into one of the spots (preferably first base) and he showed flashes of brilliance in his abbreviated trial run, but he is young and the sample size at the most elite level is small.

I expect him to deliver on the promise (as he's done at every junior level). Still, Little Money is naturally a catcher, secondarily a first baseman, and would probably take some time to adjust to third base (which could adversely impact his hitting).

Suffice it to say, he makes the most sense at first.

That means third base—a more difficult hole to fill because it requires a good glove as well—is the more critical of the two.

And it sits empty.

The middle relief was abysmal last year while the starters and closer glittered. Many a win was lost in the morass of arms coming out of the pen in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. And management, led by Brian Sabean, knocked this one out of the park.

Jeremy Affeldt was arguably the top left-handed middle reliever available. Bobby Howry had a down year, but he was one of the most dominant right-handed middle relievers before that.

Putting those guys alongside the several young arms that showed promise and should improve with another year under their belts (and no longer carrying the brunt of the load) means San Francisco's bullpen should be watertight in 2009.

Penza

The biggest need other than the offense was addressed. The bullpen caused so many headaches and anger sessions last season and now the Giants have two solid veterans to go along with Sergio Romo and Alex Hinshaw before Brian Wilson comes in and throws propane.

It’s one thing to have a solid bullpen to keep the lead, but it’s another thing to have a good bullpen when you have young starters. Keeping their confidence high and knowing that their possible win is safe when they are out of the game will only help them do better throughout the season.

Edgar Renteria will have to prove to me that he still has it before I call his signing a good one. You can’t get much worse than the Giants were at short last season, so his signing is an instant upgrade.

However, to what extent is still to be determined.

If Brian Sabean and William Neukom want to stay true to their word and build a strong but young team, they can’t go signing vets every winter. Luckily these signings are more stop-gaps than everything else. The most talented crop of youngsters is at least a year away.

MUSINGS

Aczon

The Giants new managing partner, William Neukom, and General Manager Brian Sabean have again and again stressed the youth movement, getting better by getting younger. While the Giants did add some veterans, they did so craftily in a way not to inhibit the development of the young players.

Renteria is 33, and while that might not be "young," his contract is a two-year deal that will expire when he turns 35, and will also give some much needed tutoring to young infielders Emmanuel Burriss and even Nick Noonan, who are being groomed as the shortstops of the future for this franchise.

It also keeps the pressure off of those two to produce until they are actually ready. If the Giants gave in to Rafael Furcal's demands, he would have been locked up until 2013 and would be 36 by the time that deal was over.

Randy Johnson is 45, but his presence makes the rotation instantly better. Howry and Affeldt are both over 30, but their roles will help stabilize a bullpen that is riddled with young guns like Romo and Hinshaw.

I would even go so far as to support the resigning of Rich Aurilia. With Kevin Frandsen, Eugenio Velez, and Burriss all competing for second base, Ishikawa and John Bowker competing at first, and Pablo Sandoval penciled in at third, there are no veterans on the infield except Renteria.

I'm rooting for Burriss to win second base, and I want to see Frandsen on the team. I'm still not sold on Velez, a 27-year-old who is still learning how to run the bases. But Aurilia would add some much needed veteran leadership.

Nuschler

The signing of Randy Johnson could mean one of two things. Either the Giants are battening down the hatches for another year where contention relies on defense and stellar pitching or it's a prelude to another, bigger move. If San Francisco plans on moving one of their young starters and/or glowing prospects, the franchise would have some serious options.

As Chris Haft pointed out in his excellent article about San Francisco's offseason, the team has been linked to Ty Wigginton, Joe Crede, Edwin Encarnacion, Jorge Cantu, Garrett Atkins, Manny Ramirez, Xavier Nady, Bobby Abreu, and Nick Swisher.

I like Encarnacion and Cantu, but both are defensive liabilities and would require sacrificing Jonathan Sanchez. Although Encarnacion is young, neither player promises to hit enough to make up for that loss. I'm not feeling either move. Bobby Abreu is getting old, plays the outfield, and will probably cost a pretty penny. No thanks.

Garrett Atkins does play third base, but nobody seems to be sure whether his offense is a mirage of Coors Field thin air, or if it's the real deal. Regardless, I don't see a trade between Colorado and San Francisco happening. Not when both are allegedly serious about contending.

That brings me to Nick Swisher. He would also probably require the trade of Jonathan Sanchez. But maybe not, these are the New York Yankees after all. For all the bling they've amassed so far, I don't believe for a second that they're done. And they still have a bit of a question mark at the back of the rotation.

If Sabean could somehow manage that, I'd say go for it. I completely expect Swisher to snap back to his pre-2008 standards. First, Ozzie Guillen jumped on the grenade that was Nick's 2008 campaign and made some good points doing so.

Second, Swisher is still young and his on-base percentage really didn't drop too much last year. Of course, I love Jonathan Sanchez's sneaky fastball from the southside. If he's part of the price, forget it.

Penza

The most logical move would be signing Joe Crede to a one-year, incentive laden deal and have Pablo Sandoval play first. It would allow his adjustment to the bigs to go a lot smoother than if he was at third base. Obviously his health is the biggest concern, but it seems like he is good to go.

If the Giants want a more proven commodity, then Swisher would have to be the pick. He can play in the outfield as well as first, so that would allow Bochy to get a little creative with his lineup and give guys some rest if needed. Plus he is solid from both sides of the plate, so he would be able to mix and match if need be.

As far as Manny goes, I just don't like it. I know he's one of the greatest right handed bats of all-time but I just can't get over the fact that he has quit on a team that had a legit chance of winning the World Series.

People can talk about all they want about him and demand him all they want, but Scott Boras is going to jack up the price and he's going to want three or four years. It's not what the Giants need to have hanging over their heads if they fall out of contention.

San Francisco Giants Roundtable: Offseason Free Agent Additions

Evan Aczon — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:12:16 -0500

The Giants 2009 winter off-season has been, in a word, eventful. They ended the 2008 season on a high note, with Tim Lincecum beating the Dodgers and earning his 18th win of the season. He later went on to garner almost all of the top pitching awards in the league, including TWIB starter of the year, Players Choice winner for Best Pitcher, and a Cy Young award to go along with the rest. General Manager Brian Sabean entered winter this year with a few goals in mind: retool the bullpen, add a proven infielder to set the rookies in place, and add a bat for the middle of the order. He has also stressed that the new upper management for the team wants to add these pieces while not subtracting in other areas, such as the youth movement that started last year or the pitching staff that has been a bright spot for the last couple years. This week’s Round Table asks Giants’ Community Leaders Daniel Penza and Andrew Nuschler, what they think, along with my input just for fun. Section One is the signings. Look for Section Two (Off-season Needs) in the next day or so. Section One: The Signings

Begin Slideshow

Big Unit a Big Signing for the Giants: Randy Johnson an Instant Upgrade

Evan Aczon — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:19:59 -0500

Last week the Giants made one of their most important signings of the 2008 offseason. Was it a big left-handed pitcher? Yes. Has he won a Cy Young? Check. Does he have Bay Area roots? Confirmed. Will he fill out the Giants’ already above average pitching rotation? Absolutely. CC Sabathia? No sir.

Randy Johnson fits all of those requirements:

Big southpaw? Johnson held the title of tallest player in the majors for a number of years, measuring an impressive 6’10” from the mound to the top of his head. He’s also one of the winningest lefties in recent years.

Cy Young winner? Johnson has a few of those, collecting the most recent of his five awards in 2002. He’s also in second place on the all-time strikeout list, compiling 4,789 strikeouts over a 21-year career, trailing behind Nolan Ryan.

Homegrown Bay Area man? Randy grew up in the East Bay, attending Livermore High School before pitching at USC, and his mother and family live in Walnut Creek.

Improvement on the staff? He compiled an 11-10 record in a shortened season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which is much better than that which the fifth starters in San Francisco put up. The likes of Pat Misch, Kevin Correia, and Matt Palmer put up a combined 3-13 record this year. His ERA, 3.91 in 2008, should go down this year playing in pitcher-friendly China Basin.

To boot, he only cost the Giants one year of $8 million, compared to the $161 million that the Yankees gave Sabathia over seven years. Even better, his quest for 300 wins (he stands at 295) will fill AT&T Park and garner national attention, helping to make the young players household names in the Bay Area and beyond.

I’ll say it again: Randy Johnson could be the most important signings the Giants made this offseason. At 45, he doesn’t exactly fit with the youth movement that GM Brian Sabean has been preaching about since mid-2008. But he fits the same mold that Edgar Renteria does as a bridge-builder from the Giants’ “veteran era” to the young guns.

As much as I would like to fully commit to the youth movement in San Francisco, I think that every good young team needs the mentoring veteran. Last year’s crop was good, but not great. Omar Vizquel did wonders defensively with Emmanuel Burriss, but was a liability at the plate. Rich Aurilia had a great rebound season, playing solid defense all around the infield, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be back this year.

The signings this offseason have the look of a few veterans who will stabilize the rocky parts of the team, and provide a great service to youngsters with questions. Bobby Howry, 35, will help lock down the bridge between starters and Brian Wilson. Edgar Renteria, 33, is only signed for two years with a third year team option. is more than enough time to develop the young talent in Burriss and prospect Nick Noonan.

Randy Johnson should do the same for the pitching staff. The rotation now boasts three Cy Young Award winners, with Johnson joining 2002 winner Barry Zito and 2008 winner Tim Lincecum. But the Giants have been without a veteran starter since Matt Morris left the team in 2007.

At 30, Zito brings a lot to the table. He’s an established pitcher with a Cy Young under his belt, but he’s had a hard time proving that he’s worth the $126 million that the Giants signed him to back in 2007. He also isn’t an ace, pitching most of his career behind Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. Despite being the oldest pitcher on staff, his personality betrays his potential as a mentor, coming off as more of a cool teammate than a wise teacher.

Lincecum, at 24, is even less of a candidate to fulfill that role. Although very calm and collected, and the unquestionable ace of the staff, he is not the mentoring type, as he is only in his second year and is still trying to learn much himself. After a few more years in the bigs an older and wiser Lincecum may be able to impart wisdom, but it would be unfair to put him in such a position at this early point in his career.

Neither Matt Cain nor Jonathan Sanchez has the experience to do this either. With the signing of Johnson, Sabean has once again hinted that Sanchez is expendable, possibly opening the door for another young gun like Kevin Pucetas to vie for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Johnson won’t need to prove himself as the ace of the staff. He can be, but he’s not. Last year he showed that he is more than capable of putting up respectable numbers, and still has the ability to dominate a game, as evidenced by his record setting perfect game at age 40, becoming the fifth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in both leagues.

This fact will also draw the pressure off of the other pitchers on the team. Zito doesn’t have to play the sage veteran will all the answers, Lincecum will no longer feel as if he has to carry the team, and the back end of the rotation should be solid this year. Having Zito and Lincecum relaxed will do wonders for them, and I look for both of them to have big years.

Some will say that the $8 million could have been used on another bat, but there’s something comforting about the fact that, unlike last year, the Giants can expect to win every day the fifth spot in the rotation comes around. The options out there for third base still don’t impress me, and I don’t see any rumors popping up that have piqued my interest at all.

Randy Johnson is far from being a bad signing, and is a steal for only $8 million. He will work to get the Giants a National League West title, and he is part of probably one of the most efficient and most successful offseasons that we’ve seen out of Sabean in recent years.

With Sabathia Out of the Mix, San Francisco Giants Offseason Continues

Evan Aczon — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:52:28 -0500

It's official: CC Sabathia has signed with the New York Yankees. The deal is purportedly for seven years and worth $161 million, with an opt-out clause after the first three years. Yankees GM actually flew to San Francisco yesterday to close the deal at Sabathia's home, further rubbing it in the Bay Area's face that this local boy is leaving for the Big Apple.

But, the Giants had the right idea. From Yahoo!'s Gordon Edes, "The Giants’ message to Sabathia: Listen to the Yankees, listen to whomever you want, and if you’re still interested, we’re here."

Now, life by the Bay goes on, and the Giants have already made significant roster upgrades without trading away any of their young talent. After last season, the most pressing needs for the Giants were listed as a middle of the order bat, preferably a corner infielder, and upgrading the bullpen.

The bullpen has already been taken care of. The Giants began their offseason by cutting ties with setup man Tyler Walker, reliever Brad Hennessey, and starter/reliever Kevin Correia. They signed proven lefty Jeremy Affeldt to a two-year deal and veteran righty Bob Howry to a one-year contract. These two will help bridge the gap from the starters to closer Brian Wilson.

The returning relievers are all relatively young and proved themselves last year. The setup role will probably be split between second year pitcher Sergio Romo and Affeldt, with Howry and other sophomore lefty Alex Hinshaw.

Other familiar faces should return, including 40-year-old right-hander Keiichi Yabu, who showed great consistency all year, and southpaw Jack Taschner, who proved more than a lefty specialist, working both righties and lefties very well.

That should fill out the traditional eleven man pitching staff, but look for action from others who surfaced last year, including Merkin Valdez, Billy Sadler, and Osiris Matos. Other mid-year call-ups could include Kelvin Pichardo, Kevin Pucetas, and maybe even Madison Bumgarner or Tim Alderson, though both of those are very unlikely.

The second box to be checked was a veteran infielder who could provide some pop. Last year, Giants shortstops hit a league-low .228 with one homerun. After signing the two relievers, Brian Sabean closed a two year, $18 million deal with veteran Edgar Renteria. After the departure of 2B Ray Durham and SS Omar Vizquel, the oldest infielder the Giants had on their roster was Eugenio Velez, who turned 26 earlier this year.

Some people knocked the signing, saying that Renteria does not provide the pop needed. They also said that the signing went against the Giants pledge to commit to the youth movement.

However, as I explained a couple days ago, the deal is beneficial to the team: it's only for two years, giving the youth in the system a little more time to develop, while also providing a veteran influence and stability to the clubhouse. Renteria also has strong career stats in the National League, where he played for the Marlins and Braves before going to Boston and Detroit.

Another addition to the infielder looked plausible before and at the Winter Meetings, with reports linking Jonathan Sanchez to many names, including Jorge Cantu of the Marlins, Mike Lowell of the Red Sox, Hank Blalock of the Rangers, and Edwin Encarnacion of the Reds. However, all of these deals have reportedly fallen through, and it might be for good reason.

Cantu was a defensive liability, posting the worst fielding percentage out of all starting third basemen. Lowell is 34 and aging fast, and Blalock hit the DL a few too many times in the last couple years. Encarnacion looked like a good fit, but nothing ever came of those talks.

A couple days ago, Brian Sabean declared that the Giants were looking to move forward with youth at the corner infield spots, and said that a trade for a starting position player was a "longshot." Yesterday, Bruce Bochy echoed that, and outlined a potential lineup for Opening Day next year.

This lineup, based on the current roster, is dependent on the outcome of the second-base position battle, seen to be between Emmanuel Burriss, Kevin Frandsen, and Eugenio Velez.

Burriss, who was penciled in at the starting shortstop spot before the Giants decided to shop for a veteran shortstop, looks to be the front-runner because of last year's experience at short and second. Frandsen was the favorite before last season's ruptured Achilles took him out of the running, and is supposed to be headed towards a utility role between second and third.

Velez played sporadically last year, but at the end of the year he proved that, given consistent playing time, he is very able to produce offense.

Going back to the lineup, though, Bochy has decided to move right fielder Randy Winn back to the leadoff spot, followed by new shortstop Renteria. Wunderkind Pablo Sandoval is penciled in at third base and the third spot in the order, with catcher Bengie Molina returning to the cleanup spot.

He decided to move left fielder Fred Lewis to an RBI role in the fifth spot, followed by center fielder Aaron Rowand, who should have a lot less pressure on him lower in the order. Travis Ishikawa has been penciled in at first base, batting seventh, and the winner of the second base battle will bat eighth.

Ishikawa will be battling with John Bowker for the first base spot, and Sandoval can also play first if needed. Third base will be new for Sandoval, but the Giants saw a lot of potential for him at the position. Bochy also said that they would probably keep catcher Steve Holm on the roster so that Sandoval will not be the only other catcher on the bench.

Don't look for the Giants to sign anyone else this off-season. As much as I hate to say it, things don't look probable for the re-signing of Rich Aurilia. With the addition of Renteria, the utility role that Aurilia would occupy will be filled by Velez and Frandsen. From what the front office is saying, the Giants are not actively shopping for anything else, save a fifth starter if Noah Lowry isn't recovered by next year.

The loss of Sabathia was big, but he was not the core of the Giants reformation. The youthful bunch that they have are getting a chance to thrive, and if they improve on last year, then the Giants could be surprise contenders in the easily-won National League West. The additions of this off-season are not the traditional band-aids, but complements to the youth upcoming in the next couple years.

They also upgraded places where last year's surprisingly competitive team lacked. Look for the Giants to consistently win the games this year that they lost last year, and that should result in more wins at the end of the season.

Bob Howry Signs with Giants, Edgar Renteria's on Deck: Who's in the Hole?

Evan Aczon — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:36:38 -0500

The Giants picked up another veteran reliever on Wednesday when they signed righty Bobby Howry to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million.

Howry is an 11-year veteran who throws hard. He will help Sergio Romo and Alex Hinshaw, as well as newly signed Jeremy Affeldt, in the seventh and eighth innings setting up for Brian Wilson.

Howry's numbers weren't all that great last year with the Cubs, but his track record with control (13 walks in 70-and-two-thirds innings) should translate to a better year in a pitcher's park.

Giants scouts attribute the high ERA (5.35) to Lou Piniella's overuse of Howry early in the year. But, Ron Scheuler says, "the stuff was still good. The velocity was still there."

At 35, Howry doesn't exactly fit into the "youth movement," but more into the veteran reinforcement of the bullpen. He actually began his career in the Giants organization, but was traded the White Sox in the 1997 "White Flag" trade.

Also, like in the Renteria case, Howry was not offered arbitration, so his signing will not cost the Giants a draft pick.

The Giants are also reportedly "very close" to a deal with shortstop Edgar Renteria, according to his agent Barry Meister. Again, the terms seems to be two years, $18 million, and no draft pick lost for San Francisco. See this article for more details.

Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown reports that the Giants are kicking around the idea of trading LHP Jonathan Sanchez to Florida for third-baseman Jorge Cantu. Cantu can hit, driving in 95 runs last year and batting a solid .271. But he definitely contributed to the Marlins' worst fielding infield in the league, putting in a .973 fielding percentage at third.

Cantu would offer an upgrade on offense from Jose Castillo and Ryan Rohlinger, but a major downgrade at defense for the Giants after a long tradition of slick-fielding hot corners like Matt Williams, Bill Mueller, David Bell, and even Pedro Feliz.

Lastly, Fox's Ken Rosenthal and ESPN's Buster Olney are saying that the Giants are the dark horse in signing free agent CC Sabathia, and that the Giants could immediately contend by adding the ace pitcher.

If by chance this happens, they sign Renteria, and trade Sanchez for Cantu, then the G-men will have a stellar rotation (Sabathia, Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Lowry), as well as a pretty solid infield offensively (Cantu, Renteria, Burriss, Sandoval). That being said, they will be paying $40 million a year for only two-fifths of their pitching staff.

In conclusion, I believe that the additions of Renteria, Affeldt, and Howry will cost about the same as one year for Rafael Furcal, so it's really a steal to get all three.

Howry and Affeldt will anchor down the bullpen, hopefully eliminating the troubles that plagued the Giants last season in getting from their starters to Brian Wilson. Renteria, if and when he's signed, is a great clubhouse addition, a good fielder, and a solid .290 hitter.

These are the steps in the right direction, and the Giants are making a free agent signing splash quickly before anyone else can.

Edgar Renteria and the San Francisco Giants: Would It Really Be That Bad?

Evan Aczon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:11:41 -0500

Over the past week, there has been a lot of speculation and discussion surrounding the Giants and their interest in free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria. Most people think that the team needs a veteran infielder, but disagree about which apple the G-men should pick from the tree that includes other infielders like Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, and Orlando Hudson.

There has been a development, though, and it's not a potentially false rumor about a signing. On Monday the Tigers declined to offer Renteria arbitration. This means a couple things, most importantly the fact that IF a team like the Giants decides to move in on Renteria, it will no longer cost them a draft pick. This also puts him on basically the same playing field as Furcal.

This is where the Giants have to be smart. Furcal is probably going to demand a four-year deal for around $10 million a year. Renteria's rumored contract was two years for $18 million, but we now know that those are false. Back when we thought that Renteria would be offered arbitration, it would cost that $9 million a year AND a second round draft pick.

The blogs are saying that Renteria probably wants around that much, $8 or $9 million a year for two years with a third-year option. This should prove very attractive for the Giants, who still stress the newfound vigor for building from within.

Locking up Furcal for four years would take up a big chunk of salary until the injury-prone infielder was 35. Renteria would be a great clubhouse addition and has the skill set to stay productive into his later years.

Choosing Renteria would also be a good idea for the development of Emmanuel Burriss. As much as the debate has raged back and forth about where he really fits in, it comes down to the fact that he has to fit somewhere. The Giants are not in hot pursuit of Orlando Hudson, but he still remains on their radar.

Traditional Giants logic, as well as the best situation, would be to sign Renteria sooner rather than later, getting their man and setting the infield for next year.

Burriss plays both sides of second base very well. He also hits fairly well and is very fast and smart on the bases. He will not do any worse at either of the positions, and I don't think he's the kind of player to hold a grudge against management as long he's on the field.

With Burriss and Renteria on the infield, along with Pablo Sandoval and probably Kevin Frandsen, the Giants will have a very solid defensive infield.

It will also provide flexibility in the lineup. The Giants can make Burriss and Renteria basically interchangeable at the No. 2 spot in the order. They will still be without a big power hitter, but there will be a lot of speed and contact up and down the lineup.

All this, combined with Bruce Bochy, should result in a lot of small-ball games that the upgraded bullpen can hopefully close out this year.

I'm thinking that the opening day lineup, with today's roster plus Renteria, would be: Burriss (2B), Renteria (SS), Fred Lewis (LF), Randy Winn (RF), Bengie Molina (C), Aaron Rowand (CF), Pablo Sandoval (1B), Frandsen (3B), Lincecum (P). The bench would mainly be Dave Roberts, if he's not traded, Nate Schierholtz, Travis Ishikawa, and (I hope) Rich Aurilia.

In conclusion, I would actually prefer Renteria to Furcal. His contract would eat up less money and years and his durability is markedly better. Emmanuel Burriss can play both sides of second base, and he will be solid at either one.

All the Giants need is to sign their one infielder that solidifies everything else. Edgar Renteria, now not costing a draft pick, currently looks like a very logical choice.

San Francisco Giants Offseason Checklist: Who's Next To Put on Orange and Black?

Evan Aczon — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:17:13 -0500

The latest news on the Giants has them in contact with many of the top free agents from this year’s class. Former Dodger’s shortstop Rafael Furcal’s camp has reported “mutual interest” between the club and the speedy infielder, as have other Dodgers Joe Beimel (LHP) and Casey Blake (3B).

There are also rumors linking the Giants with relievers like Juan Cruz (D-Backs), Bob Howry (Cubs), and Jeremy Affeldt (Reds). The Giants are still considered dark horses in the chase for big fish CC Sabathia, and are expected to reach out to other big names such as Edgar Renteria and Kyle Farnsworth.

I think that the Giants have a couple things locked down for the near future. First, Tim Lincecum has become the face of this franchise, and he and Matt Cain are going to anchor this rotation for a while; in addition, Zito’s contract isn’t going anywhere, and Noah Lowry’s return seems eminent, so the rotation is set.

Jonathan Sanchez seems the likely odd-man out if the Giants do decide to use the trade market, but Lowry and youngsters Tim Alderson, Kevin Pucetas, and Madison Bumgarner are pushing to fill the spot he would leave behind.

Also, they have a very solid future at the catcher position. The drafting of Buster Posey, the year of Bengie Molina’s contract they have left, and the emergence of Pablo Sandoval as a consistent backstop have pretty much filled the need at catcher for the next few years. There just aren’t enough good-to-great catchers there who can fill the gap until Posey is ready, and Molina isn’t exactly washed up either.

The outfield is locked down, too. Fred Lewis emerged last year as the real deal, and, before being shut down due to injury, was a focal point of the Giants youth movement. Aaron Rowand, last year’s big free agent splash, had a great first half but faltered in the second, because, I believe, he was expected to be THE big bat in the order, which he isn’t.

And Mr. Consistent, Randy Winn, should be just as consistent in 2009 in right field. On the bench we have Nate Schierholtz, who basically gets the short end of the stick because he’s too good for the minors, but has nowhere to play for this Giants team. Adding another big-name outfielder would just complicate things, displacing some while inhibiting homegrown talent to get valuable playing time.

Now let’s get to what the Giants DO need. They need one more infielder to make it work. Furcal seems like a great fit. He’s a top of the order threat with some pop, and has a rocket arm at short. He may be a bit of a downgrade range-wise from Omar Vizquel, but then again, who isn’t? His signing, though maybe a little overpriced, would help the Giants greatly.

It would also move Emmanuel Burriss to second, where he is very comfortable, and would also possibly move Kevin Frandsen to third again, like we were supposed to have seen last season. This would also anchor down Pablo Sandoval at first base, and there would be competition between Sandoval, John Bowker, and Travis Ishikawa.

Acquiring the corner infielder/outfielder Blake could also help solidify things. This would keep Burriss at shortstop, where Brian Sabean said he had earned the starting role. Frandsen could play second, where he is most natural.

Blake would could start at third or first, and he and Sandoval would probably be interchangeable (meaning if Blake is at first, Sandoval is at third, and vice versa). It would also provide a much-appreciated flexibility in the outfield if any injuries arise.

The bullpen acquisitions could solidify something that needed a lot of work last year. If I had to say, right now, who was a lock for bullpen spots in 2009, I would tell you that Brian Wilson would close, Alex Hinshaw and Sergio Romo would set up, and that’s about it.

I’d like to see Jack Taschner back, because he can get guys out on both sides of the plate, but the departure of Tyler Walker, Kevin Correia, and Brad Hennessey leaves the Giants without a lot of depth. Merkin Valdez should be back, as will Keiichi Yabu, but the addition of one or two relievers who have proved themselves to be solid guys in the bullpen couldn’t hurt.

If Taschner departs, Beimel would be a good fit as a lefty who can work both sides of the plate. He also has the claim to fame of being one of the few pitchers who had ownage of one Barry Bonds, holding him to a paltry .063 average (1/16). Juan Cruz is another name being thrown around. He had a low ERA (2.61) and WHIP (1.26) last year and an impressive strikeout to walk ratio (71-31).

Jeremy Affeldt had an even better ratio (80-25), and came out of the bullpen 74 times for the Reds last season. Either Affeldt or Cruz would be a great upgrade over Tyler Walker.

Lastly, there is that elephant in the room that is CC Sabathia. It really bothers me how willingly players are to take the highest offer. But, as ESPN’s Buster Olney points out, there are many things about the Giants that actually could work.

For one thing, Sabean and new owning partner William Neukom have not officially dismissed the possibility, and have been in contact with the hurler’s people. Also, it would turn a top heavy rotation into a dominant rotation, with Sabathia and Lincecum going one-two, followed by Cain, Zito, and Lowry.

It might seem extravagant to have two $100 million lefties on the team, but I think it is safe to say that 1) management and fans have already acknowledged the Zito contract as being a little inflated, and 2) Giants fans surely wouldn’t mind seeing CC in orange and black.

If the Giants do offer Sabathia a contract for less than what the Yankees offered, is it worth it to CC to be close to home? Sadly, as it does more and more these days, it comes down to money.

The Giants are far from a perfect team, but with the right additions this winter, they could put themselves in a very enviable position: a team on the cusp of a dominant couple years.

Barack Obama: Good for America, Good for Sports

Evan Aczon — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:04:53 -0500

With the election now over and President-elect Barack Obama slated to be sworn in two days after the NFL Conference Championships, the world of sports has a lot of things to prepare for.

Sports have played a part in the presidency since the early 19th century, when William Howard Taft tossed a ball from the stands to Washington Senators legend Walter Johnson.

Obama will probably follow in his footsteps, as Chicago White Sox GM Ken Williams made the “executive decision” to pencil him in for the 2009 home opener.

The election of Obama has sparked thousands of blog posts, articles, headlines, and covers of periodicals and newspapers. Yet, the sports community has also taken part in the buzz, looking ahead to what the next president might do for the sports world.

First, the economic policies that Obama has proposed will affect the rich. Most professional athletes are among those elite. Hopefully this does not cause a fuss among the athletic community.

For example, in baseball, the minimum salary next year will be $400,000. If this is the primary source of one’s income, they will be taxed at 39.6%, leaving them with $245,600.

State taxes will impact this even more. What I envision for these next couple years is a humbling of these athletes. We as a nation always talk about the fat-cat executives and money-hoarding CEOs while Mike Hampton earns $15 million a year to rehab from injuries and Manny Ramirez is being offered $25 million every year until he’s 42-years-old.

I hope that these taxes will just impress upon these athletes that, even though they provide a great service in entertainment, these contracts are reaching ludicrous proportions.

Second, it will probably not happen because of Obama’s influence, but his enforcement of a college football playoff on this week’s Monday Night Football halftime show has drawn praise from many top coaches of BCS programs.

He also refuses to pander to football teams, stating that his Chicago Bears will have to continue on without quarterback Kyle Orton. Obama’s familiarity with this system is further proving his connection with both, as he puts it, “Main Street,” as well as the young people who follow these sports so closely.

Third, it seems very likely that his election could bring the United States back in the Olympic hosting race.

San Francisco came closest a year ago, but with his election, and his reception around the world, Chicago in 2016 is now very plausible.

Also, in 2005, the International Olympic Committee voted baseball and softball out of the Olympics in 2012 and beyond. At the time of this vote, the director of the International Softball Federation stated, “"I think anti-Americanism was a factor." Now, Cleveland Indians GM says, "I think clearly how the world looks at America is going to be different with Barack Obama in the White House.”

Obama’s election has drawn much praise world-wide, and if he establishes himself on an international scale, it could give his home city of Chicago a boost for the 2016 bid, with the reinsertion of baseball and softball a very likely condition for the White Sox-loving president.

With the exception of All-American Michigan Wolverine Gerald Ford, Barack Obama is the most sports talented president (elect) of this century (and probably forever).

He’s been seen to play basketball almost everywhere he goes, whether it is with Army Rangers in Iraq or the unanimous number one ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

He “jokes” about taking out the White House bowling alley and replacing it with a basketball court, but we’ll see who’s laughing when the hardwood comes in.

Obama’s presidency will hopefully benefit the sports world, with fewer Congressmen clamoring about steroids and more starting to care about what really matters: a college football playoff.

Just kidding, but with Barack in the White House, hopefully American lawmakers will have less time to convict Barry Bonds of perjury and be spending more time finding a remedy for global warming, preserving the possibility of more outdoor NHL games.

Sports hasn’t been affected by our Commander in Chief in a long time, so let’s take this new presidency as a time to find our true passion and patriotism: the American sports culture.

Besides, it’s always nice to know that the President of the United States is going to be watching the Bears game with you every Sunday.