John Bowker's Bat Solid, Barry Zito Falls Flat—San Francisco Giants' Surprises

The San Francisco Giants, written off by the bay area before spring training even started, have done nothing but surprise us during the beginning of the season. With no Barry Bonds, how was this team going to win, let alone stay competitive? The answer: pitch well, and play small-ball. The Giants have been masters at it through the first 40 games of the season, and although their record is a sub par 17-24, they sit in third place in the National League West.

Offensive Surprises

The Giants may have one of the worst offenses in the league, but with the pitching they've received, the Giants do not need a lot of run support in order to win games.

The biggest offensive surprise comes on the bat of rookie outfielder/first baseman John Bowker. In only 26 games, and 50 less at-bats then the team leader, Bowker has bat a solid .282 while hitting 4 home runs and driving in 12.

Now we move on to the power sources of the Giants. Who would have thought that just in a few years, the team would go from having Bonds and Kent in the 4/5 spot to Bengie Molina and Aaron Rowand in that same spot in the lineup? The answer is no one. Molina leads the team with 20 RBI while Rowand, in his first year in the Bay Area leads the team with 5 homeruns, while continuing to play the gritty and aggressive baseball he is known for.

While mentioning the Giants' offense, we also cannot forget to mention the theft along the basepaths. In response to the fan's call of a youth movement, and a quest to get faster, the Giants have found speedy youth and have become the second fastest team in the major leagues. In 41 games, the Giants have stolen a total of 40 bases. With rookie Eugenio Velez leading the way with 8 steals, the Giants have had 12 players steal bases while 7 of them have 4 or more. When a team does not have the ability to get on the scoreboard with one swing of the bat, as in year's past, they must manufacture their own runs. The Giants' exciting, youthful offense has answered the call.

Pitching Surprises

Unfortunately, the first surprise I will mention is not a positive one, rather it is that Barry Zito would be worse then last season. With Zito 0-7 with an ERA of 6.58, it has been a total disaster. But that disaster is not all his fault because the offense I mentioned in the aformentioned paragraph seems to fall silent when Zito pitches. In 8 starts, the Giants have scored a total of 12 runs. Now if you do the math, that's about just more then a run per game, and a start is considered quality if a pitcher gives up 3 runs or less. So, even if Zito pitches well and gives up 2 runs a start, he still would not be able to win (just some food for thought).

Now to the positives, and it's just two words...Tim Lincecum. His nickname is "The Franchise" as he's sure pitching like it. In 8 games this season (7 starts), Lincecum is 5-1 with a minuscule ERA of 1.61. He has also struck out 53 batters in 50 innings and is near the top of the league in strikeouts. Throw in other pitchers like Matt Cain (2-3; 4.17) and Jonathon Sanchez (2-2; 4.89) and the Giants have a solid rotation.

Now to the bullpen. The Giants in the offseason were expected to make transactions to improve the bullpen. They did no such thing, but so far, is has not come back to bite them. Rookie closer Brian Wilson leads the National League with 12 saves, (while sporting a 3.18 ERA) and the Giants have also gotten contributions from Keichi Yabu, Jack Taschner, Tyler Walker, and Merkin Valdez to solidfy the bullpen.

As this report wraps up, there are just a few questions one might ponder: Will the Giants offense continue to lead the league in steals? Will the starting pitching stay solid? Will Brian Wilson's arm hold up as he's tries to show us he's the best closer in the franchise since Robb Nen? There's only one way to find out...

(Greg Caggiano is currently working on a mid-season report card. Please check the site around the mid-way point to view this card. It will include reports on all players on the Giants' roster.)