San Francisco Giants: 5 Things They Must Do in September

Though the San Francisco Giants are still mathematically capable of winning the NL West, anyone who watched the series over the weekend would logically believe that they will not surpass the Diamondbacks in the next few weeks, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The Giants have three weeks to win as many games as they can, while also determining their needs for 2012 and beyond. Here are five things the Giants should do over the final 22 games of the year.

Let Brandon Crawford Play

Brandon Crawford made a huge entrance in the major leagues when he hit a grand slam for his first big league hit during his debut in Milwaukee earlier this year. His bat declined dramatically thereafter, however.

Crawford had come straight from a rehab stint in Single-A San Jose and had never logged significant playing time above that level. That inexperience made his promotion to San Francisco less than desirable, and with his batting average hovering around .200, Brian Sabean was prompted to trade for veteran Orlando Cabrera at the trade deadline.

Cabrera has been far less than spectacular both with the bat and the glove. Crawford's defense alone should have had him playing ahead of Cabrera, since their batting averages are basically even and Crawford’s on-base percentage higher. But the Giants wanted him to have success in Triple-A since he wasn’t having success at the big league level.

If the Giants' reasoning for playing Cabrera ahead of Crawford was the need for a veteran presence up the middle and in the lineup during a pennant race, well, that time has passed. The Giants don't have another internal option at shortstop who has progressed past Crawford in readiness. And the Giants also know that shortstop is an area where they must improve in 2012.

The final three weeks of the year will give Crawford an opportunity to show the front office and Bruce Bochy if he has improved over the past month while playing every day in Fresno.

Let Brett Pill Play

Brett Pill is a 27-year-old rookie who led the minor leagues in RBI this year. While his age is not ideal for a rookie, if he can hit, he can hit.

The Giants struggled all year with the bat, particularly with runners in scoring position. Pill showed the ability to thrive in those situations all season. Obviously pitching in the PCL does not translate directly to the pitching in the big leagues. But Pill deserves an opportunity to show if he can make the necessary adjustments in San Francisco.

Pill can play first base, second base and, to a lesser extent, third base. Bruce Bochy should get him as many starts as he can over the final 22 games and let him showcase his ability. If he shows promise, he gives the team internal options for 2012 or showcases his talents for another team that may be interested in trading for him.

Hector Sanchez Should Get Familiar with the Starting Pitchers

After Buster Posey's season-ending injury, there was a lot of talk about whether he should ever play catcher again. Posey is adamant that he will, and he most likely will in 2012. The future is up in the air, however, as no one knows how his ankle will respond to the rigors of catching every day.

Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside are by no means the future at catcher for the Giants. Right now, Hector Sanchez is a better hitter than Stewart and Whiteside combined. Sanchez needs some seasoning yet defensively and he needs to gain familiarity with the Giants' stellar pitching staff.

Sanchez should get the majority of the starts behind the plate for the rest of the year. His defense may be a slight step back from Whiteside, but his bat is significantly better. If Sanchez is ready to back up Posey in 2012, the Giants will field a far better team with this duo as their backstops. Sanchez needs experience for that to happen.

Let Darren Ford Audition for the Center Field Job

Darren Ford has shown on many occasions that he is a dynamic, game-changing talent on the basepaths. What he hasn't shown is an ability to get himself on base.

In his two seasons of playing at the major league level, the Giants have never been in a position to let Ford play every day and show what he can do in a large sample size of games.

Andres Torres was a main reason the Giants won the 2010 World Series, but he proved this year that his 2010 production was an aberration in a mediocre career. The Giants cannot afford to enter 2012 with Torres as their starting center fielder and leadoff man, and they know it. Brian Sabean attempted to acquire Michael Bourne from Houston in July.

Ford is an exciting baseball player. He has great baserunning instincts that make him lethal on the basepaths and he has shown that his speed is also an asset in the outfield in the short time he has spent playing defense.

Gary Brown is most certainly the Giants center fielder and leadoff man of the future, but he isn't quite ready for the big leagues despite his gaudy numbers at Single-A San Jose this year. The Giants would love to not have to rush him and Ford could be the solution to that if he can hit.

The Giants should let him play every day and sink or swim over the final 22 games.

Shut Down Brian Wilson

I'm sure that Brian Wilson would fight this decision if he is in any way able to pitch this year. Im glad that I wouldn't have to be the one to give him the news. The bottom line is that if the Giants are out of the hunt for postseason baseball this year, they don't need him this year.

Wilson is a crucial piece of the team that will represent San Francisco in 2012. Odds are in the Giants' favor that they will be a better team offensively and will have many more opportunities for Wilson to close out games.

Wilson had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow while he was in college and his pitching motion puts more strain on his elbow than most. Each day that passes with little to no information coming out about the status of Wilson's elbow convinces me more and more that there really is no sense in putting him back on the mound in 2011.