Giants find their left fielder, agree to terms with Morse | Giants Extra

He's not going to be Choo-Choo or Granderson, but they were a tad pricey. He might not have been what Giants fans wanted in Cory Hart, but I like our chances if the benches clear by adding Morse at 6-5, 245. If he hits in the 5-6 area most of the season, it's a success, if he drops to 7th or 8th.....

from Giants Extra:
Giants find their left fielder, agree to terms with Morse | Giants Extra:

While Morse brings significant pop, there’s also a strong injury risk; he has played more than 102 games just once and dealt with a strained quad last season. In October, Morse had surgery on his left wrist. Still, one industry insider said Wednesday that he felt Morse should be the guy for the Giants, saying the club needed to swing for the fences.

         “He’ll either miss most the season or hit 28 homers,” the source said. “But he’s definitely worth the                  risk.”

The Giants have now spent $171 million to bring back Hunter Pence, Tim Lincecum, Javier Lopez and Ryan Vogelsong, and add Morse and Tim Hudson.

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Morse, 31, is coming off a down year with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. He hit just .215 in 88 games, with a .270 on-base percentage and 13 homers. The Giants are hopeful that Morse can find the 31-homer form he showed for the Washington Nationals in 2011 and the power that the lineup is sorely missing. The Giants finished 29th in the majors with just 107 homers a year ago, and had been looking at a platoon of Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez, two hitters known more for their defense.

In parts of nine big league seasons, Morse is hitting .281 with 83 homers and a .334 OBP.

Morse, who hits from the right side, is listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, and will fit the Pat Burrell mold the Giants used so successfully in 2010. While the Giants prefer sound defensive players, manager Bruce Bochy often pointed out last season that the club had for years gotten by with poor defenders in left field. In close games, he’ll have the option of removing Morse early, with both Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez expected to be on the bench.

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