San Francisco Giants: Playing Longball in 2011

The 2010 world champion San Francisco Giants hit 162 home runs.  That was good for 15th in the major leagues.

The 2011 Giants have hit 22 in their first 18 games.  At this rate, they will hit 198 homers this year, which, if they had hit that many last year, would have placed them at the top in the National League and fourth overall in the majors.

Wait a minute.  Isn't this the same team we were calling offensively-anemic at this time last year?

Well, yes and no ...

Pablo's Back

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 03: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants looks on prior to the start of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

It's funny that the movie Kung-Fu Panda 2 is coming out soon because baseball's Panda is back, too.

After shedding nearly 40 pounds in the off-season, Pablo Sandoval seems to have regained his confidence at the plate.  He's hitting .328 with five home runs and 13 RBIs already, and the fact that he walked three times in Monday night's contest at Coors Field shows that opposing pitchers know he's back on track.

If Sandoval continues to hit well, we could see 30 home runs from him this season.

The Giants Have Buster Posey for the Full Season

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 03: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on April 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The 2010 Rookie of the Year hit .305 with 18 homers last year in just 108 games.  At that rate of round-trippers, in a full season Posey would have hit 27 home runs.

And that was his rookie season.  With a championship season under his belt, look for Buster to get close to 30 homers for 2011.

Pat the Bat Seems to Hit Nothing but the Long Ball

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 18: Pat Burrell #5 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the on deck circle as he prepares to take an at bat against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 18, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Pat Burrell may be hitting .208, but he has five home runs thus far in the young season.  Whatever Burrell's playing time looks like this year, we'll see a good percentage of his hits leave the ballpark.

Last year Burrell hit 20 homers in 120 games.  At that clip, a full season of Burrell, who was signed in May 2010 after being released by the Rays, would mean about 27 homers.

Ross Is Boss

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 16: Cody Ross #13 of the San Francisco Giants hits a homerun against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning of Game One of the NLCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 16, 2010 in Philadelphia, Penn

A full season of Cody Ross?  Well, Giants fans hope that means a full season of the Cody Ross that showed up in the playoffs last year.

If we do, we can expect him to perform at his career best, which so far means about 24 homers and 90 RBIs.

Aubrey Huff Carries a Big Stick

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PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 17: Aubrey Huff #17 of the San Francisco Giants hits a sacrafice fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning of the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on April 17, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian

The ball that Aubrey Huff hit Tuesday night in Colorado could be a sign of things to come: it was monstrous.

If Huff picks up where he left off in 2010, leading the Giants in both home runs (26) and RBIs (86), we can expect to see more than a few water shots into McCovey Cove from the Giants first baseman in 2011.

The New Kid Can Swing It

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 01: Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants hits a three-run homerun against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on April 1, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Brandon Belt got his first major league home run out of the way early, homering to dead center field in the second game of the season, against the Dodgers in LA.

Though Belt was sent back to Fresno to work on his swing, he'll be back with the big club and will likely start to show his power.

In the minors last year, he hit 23 homers in 136 games.

Listen for the Sound of That Fog Horn at AT&T Park This Year

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SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 08: Pat Burrell #9 is congratulated by Buster Posey #28 and Freddy Sanchez #21 of the San Francisco Giants after he hit a three run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in game 2 of the NLDS at AT&T Park on Octo

The Giants can hit the long ball.  They have the right guys in the lineup to turn virtually any at-bat into a trip around the bases.

If the defense comes around, and if the pitching remains as outstanding as it has been, the Giants are primed for another postseason run.