Giants Hoping Newcomers Get Offensive

Despite having the second best pitching staff in all of baseball last season, the San Francisco Giants could do no better than third place in the National League West.

It was no secret that the offense let the team down, as they finished just seven games behind division winning Los Angeles.

With that in mind, general manager Brian Sabean brought in two players that he hopes will be the difference in helping the Giants make a push for the playoffs.

Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff each signed with San Francisco during the off-season and both will carry high expectations to bring a big punch to a listless offense.

Last year,  DeRosa hit 23 home runs, splitting time between Cleveland and St. Louis. He joins an outfield in San Francisco that saw its main four players Nate Schierholtz, Aaron Rowand, Fred Lewis and Randy Winn, combine to hit just 26 in all of 2009.

With Winn now in New York and Lewis struggling to stay with the team, pressure will be on DeRosa, Rowand and Schierholtz to up the home run production.

Huff is expected to play first base this year, allowing rising star Pablo Sandoval to stay at third base. The Giants are hoping Huff can get offensive after struggling last season to the tune of a .241 batting average and 15 home runs. Huff has a lifetime average of .282 and twice has hit over 30 home runs.

If all goes right for San Francisco, the addition of Huff to the infield can give the Giants a power hitting trio with Sandoval (24 hrs in 2009), catcher Benji Molina (20 hrs). Add to that, potential .300 hitters shortstop Edgar Renteria and second baseman Freddie Sanchez and last years offense failures can be a distant memory.

While home runs don't guarantee success the numbers do speak for themselves.

Last season the top 5 home run hitting teams, the Yankees, Rangers, Phillies, Blue Jays and Red Sox, averaged 90 wins. The bottom five, Mets, Giants, Pirates, A's and Padres averaged 70 wins.

The Giants still have a pitching staff that will rival any in baseball. Two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum leads the staff that features Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez and rookie phenom Madison Bumgarner.

A little offense can go a long way in making the Giants a contender.