The Giants signed closer Brian Wilson to a 2 yr. / $15M extension today and dealt utility IF Kevin Frandsen to the Red Sox for the oft-traded PTBNL.
Apparently, the Giants RF starter will come from within the organization and it seems as if Bowker is working ahead of Nate Schierholtz.
The P-C combo of Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner is going to be the hottest battery in the minors. Neither is likely to start the season in the bigs. Posey has demonstrated that he is ready, Bumgarner has struggled. It will be interesting to see if Bumgarner gets sent to AA rather than AAA.
The only other position of interest is the 5th starter slot. Although Bumgarner may have been the fan favorite for the spot, Todd Wellemeyer appears to be the leading candidate over Kevin Pucetas and Joe Martinez.
Other than that, decisions have to be made about Freddie Lewis, who will likely be dealt and Darren Ford, the fastest man in the organization. Ford is interesting in that--if he hits--he could be an ideal lead off candidate, certainly better than Aaron Rowand. And it seems like Ford is learning how to hit.
Rowand may hold down the spot purely due to salary consideration, aka "dead money walking".
They are a tough read, these Giants. I can see them just as easily winning 80 games as 90. The difference is "wait til next year" on the one hand vs. "Hello playoffs" on the other hand.
According to an article in Baseball America, citing data from www.fansgraphs.com, the projection for the Giants is 80 wins, one ahead of San Diego. That seems a bit harsh, but they break down the Giants offense as being far and away the weakest link on the team and in the division.
The pitching staff--as expected--grades out as the best in the division slightly ahead of the D-Backs. Surprisingly, the team fielding is ranked as the best in the division, the only team above baseline (barely).
All I can say is, the rest of the division must be a horrible collection of slow-footed clanks.
This is why I fear the pitching staff may eventually break down under the heavy load of carrying the rest of a mediocre squad. The everyday players do not contribute enough with their bats or gloves to bolster the clear strength of the team--which is pitching.
If the pitching falls off even slightly due to injury or bad luck, a .500 season could be all we, as Giants fans, should hope for. Everything has to go right with the pitching and a couple of players have to step up with career type years for 90 wins to be realistic.
The other theme that worried me at first were the persistent reports citing Pablo Sandoval's weight issues and his vision problems. He may wear goggles this year. It just seems like the team has identified some pretty impressive problems for a guy who hits .300 with 25 HR's. Does the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" come to mind?
Anyway, it looks like Kung Fu Panda is a legit hitter regardless of the teams efforts to re-make him.
GO GIANTS!!!
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