MLB Season Preview: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants



Last Season's standings: The San Francisco Giants went 76-85 to finish 3rd in the NL West. However, the Giants were terrible in their last ten games winning just once.

In: 3B Rich Aurilia (prev. team: Cincinatti Reds); LF Barry Bonds; RP David Cortes (prev. team: Colorado Rockes); 2B Ray Durham; 3B Pedro Feliz; 1B Ryan Klesko (prev. team: San Diego Padres); RP Steve Kline; C Benjie Molina (prev. team: Toronto Blue Jays); OF Dave Roberts (prev. team: San Diego Padres); 1B Chad Santos; SP Barry Zito (prev. team: Oakland A's); SP Russ Ortiz (prev. team: Baltimore Orioles)

Out: OF Moises Alou (new team: NY Mets); 1B Shea Hillenbrand (new team (LA Angels); SP Jason Schmidt (new team: LA Dodgers); RP Mike Stanton (new team: Cincinatti Reds); C Todd Greene (new team: SD Padres)

Starting Pitching: The San Francisco Giants caught the big fish of the free agent season, landing lefty ace Barry Zito. It will be interesting to see how well Zito lives up to his mega bucks contract. Zito went 16-10 with a 3.83ERA in the '06 season in 34 starts. Entering just his second full season of major league experience, Matt Cain is expected to log big innings for the Giants. He put up respectable numbers in '06 going 13-12 with a 4.15 ERA. He'll need to equal or better those numbers if the Giants expect to compete next season. Free agent signing in '05, Matt Morris is expected to have the #3 starter's job lined up. Morris is coming off an injury-ridded season in which his performance was affected because he was pitching through multiple fractures in his rib cage. When healthy, Morris can be very effective, pitching deep into ball games on a fairly consistent basis. Rookie southpaw Noah Lowry should be in the hunt for the #4 or 5 spot in the Giants' rotation. He'll be out to build on last season's experiences. Finally the final spot in the Giants' rotation will be a toss-up between Jonathon Sanchez, who will likely start the year in triple A Fresno and Brad Hennessey. I'd give the edge to Hennessey on paper, as he has more Major League experience, but Lowry could turn a few heads with some solid Spring Training starts. Russ Ortiz, recently signed, should have the heads-up on the #4 spot, meaning Lowry will be fighting for the 5th and final starter's spot. Ortiz went 0-8 last season in 26 starts with a brutal 8.26 ERA. He'll be looking at this season as a fresh start with a new team.

Bullpen: Hard-throwing rightie Armando Benitez will once again be the go to guy in the ninth inning. However, he is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss the final 25 games of the season. He'll need to prove that the knee and leg problems are behind him heading into training camp. Should Benitez not be ready to pitch at the start of the season, Tim Worrell has proven in the past that he is capable of closing out tight games. Otherwise Worrell is a very capable setup man for Benitez. Rightie Kevin Correia should have a pretty good shot at being a second setup man or a middle reliever from the right side. Acquired in a midseason trade last year Vinnie Chulk will be looking for more consistency and to lower his career-high ERA of 5.25 from last season. The lefty specialist should be rookie Jack Taschner, although he was brutal in his 19.1 innings of work last season, getting pounded for 23 runs and an 8.38 ERA. Brian Wilson is another rookie who will be considered for bullpen duty, although he's all but certain to start the year in either Fresno. Three other pitchers will be considered in training camp, but they will likely start the season in the minors: Scott Munter, Billy Sadler and Patrick Misch.

Catcher: Off-season acqusition Benjie Molina will receive the bulk of the starts behind the plate for the Giants. He will have a great deal of difficulty throwing out base runners on a consistent basis and his running game is simply non-existant. However he's great at handling pitchers. Sophomore Eliezer Alfonso will battle with veteran Mike Matheny for the baack-up job of about 50-60 games. I'd give Matheny the edge simply because he's a proven performer. However, the Giants could opt for a catcher with better offensive numbers.

1st Baseman: This position will be filled by yet another free agent signing, as Rich Aurilia is returning for a second stint with the Giants after spending the past three sesons in Seattle, San Diego and Cincinatti. This time, he'll be playing across the diamond from where he was in his first stint with the Giants (he was the 3b, now he's at first base.). Aurilia can play anywhere in the infleld and can serve as the primary back-up for Pedro Feliz and the second back-up for Omar Vizquel and Ray Durham. Backing him at first base should be Ryan Klesko, who can also back up in left field. Klesko is coming off a major shoulder injury in which he missed most of last season, he'll be out to prove that the injury is behind him and that he can play at the level of which he is capable. Should he be unable to play, Lance Niekro, another inury-plagued player will serve as a back-up to Aurilia. A fourth back-up is Mark Sweeney. Sweeney played the bulk of the games at first base last season, he needs to be better at the plate.

2nd Baseman: As mentioned speedster Ray Durham will be the leadoff hitter and play the majority of the time. He can be a defensive liability, but his speed on the base paths is what keeps him in the line-up game after game. He also needs to improve his patience at the plate. Rookie Kevin Frandsen will likely get the opportunity to fight for the back-up job and get the opportunity to pinch-hit. He lacks experience in the majors.

Shortstop: Omar Vizquel is one of the top shortstops in the league and is great in the field as well as being a solid hitter. Recently, for whatever reason, he's had difficulty against right-handers. He'll likely hit 6th in the line-up. Frandsen will likely serve as his occasional back-up, either that or Aurilia.

3rd Baseman: Pedro Feliz is another hitter who will get a lot of pitches to hit as he'll likely hit 2nd in the Giants line-up. He also has speed to burn. He'll strike out a lot because of his free swinging. Aurilia or Frandsen will back him up.

Left Fielder: This is perhaps the most intriguing position on the Giants as Barry Bonds has returned for another season. He is likely going to hit the milestone 756 HR sometime in August or September, assuming he's not in jail or injured by that point. Bonds will require maintenance days and won't play the 2nd of a double-header or back-to-back games where the first is at night and the second is in the day. So that means that Todd Linden should receive around 80-90 games as a starter. When it's late in the game, Bruce Bochy may also opt to throw Klesko, Winn, Roberts or Sweeney out in left field.

Center Fielder: Dave Roberts will be the primary center fielder. Roberts has a lot of speed to burn which makes him an ideal center fielder. However, Roberts won't face a lit of left-handed starters which means Randy Winn could receive a couple of handfuls of games in center field. Winn has been a disappointment since his days in Seattle and will be looking to get back to his former all-star self. He also has a very weak arm. 3rd year player Jason Ellison will be looked at, but expect him to start the season in Fresno. Fred Lewis will all but certainly start the season in Fresno due to lack of major league experience but will get a close look by the coaches.

Right Fielder: Randy Winn will be the primary right fielder. . see center fieldder for more about him. When not in left field Linden will pinch-hit and serve as Winn's backup. Ellison could also see time in right field.

Season Prediction: Where the Giants end up in what could be the tightest race in the majors is dependent on new ace Zito, the offense and new catcher Molina. I expect to see the Giants in the hunt for the West Division title as well as the Wild Card. I'll stick my neck out and pick this team for the wild card, second in the West.