Are the San Francisco Giants Ready for October Baseball?

The San Francisco Giants look much better this year going into spring training than they did last year. 

But is their offense capable of helping this dominant pitching staff make a run for the postseason?

Resigning Freddy Sanchez was a no brainer.  Especially since the Giants have not had a legitimate second baseman since Jeff Kent. 

The Mark DeRosa signing solidified the Giants' favorite sort of player: a utility guy who will inevitably end up playing in over 150 games and also play all positions besides centerfield, catcher, and pitcher. 

The Aubrey Huff signing takes a bit of weight off Pablo Sandoval's shoulders.  Sandoval, by the way, has worked at getting into better shape during offseason.

Re-signing Molina will also give the Giants time to see if Buster Posey is capable of hitting consistently down in Triple-A Fresno.

Going into spring training, it looks like outfielders Nate Schierholtz, Eugenio Velez, Andres Torres, John Bowker, and Fred Lewis will all be vying for only a few spots on the Opening Day roster. 

The same can be said for infielders Kevin Frandsen, Travis Ishikawa, and Emmanuel Burriss. 

If Opening Day were tomorrow, Schierholtz would be the right fielder, but he must proved this spring that he is healthy and can hit on an everyday basis. 

We all saw last year what Velez brought to the table upon returning from a brief stint down in Fresno.  Velez was a huge part of the Giants' success last year.  He can possibly hit at the top of the order with his speed and play left or second. 

Andres Torres was another surprise contributor last year. He is a solid defender and could possibly hit for average as a fourth outfielder.  I dont see the Giants sitting a 12 million dollar player in Aaron Rowand. 

John Bowker and Fred Lewis are losing time and credibility with the Giants, as both were meant to be assets the last couple of years, but have become liabilities both defensively and at the plate. 

Like Bowker and Lewis, Kevin Frandsen's time with the Giants could very possibly be up.  He has proven himself in the minor leagues and briefly as a utility player in 2008, but he must prove himself once again this spring. 

Travis Ishikawa is an interesting player who the Giants' coaching staff will be watching very closely this spring. 

With the signing of Aubrey Huff, it looks like Ishikawa is the odd man out. 

Although Ishikawa is what some call an above average defender, he must prove that he can produce at the plate and possibly make the team as a late-inning defensive replacement and a quality left handed bat to come off the bench. 

Emmanuel Burriss is coming off a season that ended with a leg injury.  Reports show that Burriss is fully recovered and ready to compete in spring training. 

If Burriss can prove he is healthy and hits like he did last spring, he may well earn one of the final spots on the Opening Day roster. 

With the pitching basically set, aside from many favorable names set to compete for bullpen slots, the Giants will again be forced to win many ballgames with their starting staff. 

Tim Lincecum will once again be the ace of the staff and be followed by Barry Zito and Matt Cain.

Zito finally looked comfortable in the second half of 2009, giving the Giants lots of hope he will regain the success he once had in Oakland . 

Matt Cain came into camp last year looking much leaner and will only continue to improve. 

Jonathan Sanchez might have the most pressure on him as he always seems to come up in trade talks, despite his no hitter last year against the Padres .  If Sanchez can continue to rack up strikeouts, he will be a perfect No. 4 guy in the rotation.

The fifth spot in the rotation has not yet been given to Madison Bumgarner.

But the Giants are hoping Bumgarner pitches well enough in spring training that he can fill that position.  But if Bumgarner struggles, the Giants are not worried about letting him mature down in Fresno. 

Kevin Pucetas and Todd Wellemeyer (who the Giants just signed today) are also fifth-starter possibilities.

I believe that is the best problem the Giants can have towards the end of March. 

Brian Wilson will be the Giants' closer once again.  Jeremy Affeldt will be the eighth-inning setup man. 

Last year’s bullpen did a solid job with the tools it had.  Sergio Romo and Dan Runzler could be this year’s Justin Miller and Brian Medders.  Miller is now with the Dodgers and Medders is looking to build on last year’s success. 

Waldis Joaquin, Alex Hinshaw, and Joe Martinez are also likely candidates to land bullpen spots before the end of spring training. 

During the offseason, the Giants also signed a few proven veterans to minor-league contracts: Byum-Hyun Kim, Horacio Ramirez, Santiago Castilla, and Guillero Mota (Mota is the only one of the four with an invite to big league camp). 

The last guy in the mix for a spot might be Tony Pena, the former first-round pick from the Kansas City Royals , who has recently converted from shortstop to pitcher.

All we know right now is that the Giants have a pitching staff that any team would love to have.  The offense is better than it was since last year.

Posey and Bumgarner are two prospects who could be ready play in the big-leagues by midsummer to help give the Giants an extra push for the postseason.

The Giants have a good chance at making it to October for the first time since 2003 (unless you are counting the last weekend series of the season that now tends to be the first weekend in October).