The 2010 World Champions were quickly knocked back into reality last year and fingers can be pointed in many directions. The offense didn't put up enough runs to support a great pitching staff and some of the front office moves were questionable to say the least. The biggest question going into 2012 will be if this team can put up enough runs to support the staff, and the weight of that is going to be shouldered by Buster Posey. After Posey went down with his season ending leg injury, http://youtu.be/sxWrGrGd0j8, the offense seemed to go away with him for the season. If Posey can come back at 100% then this team has a chance to compete again for the NL West, if he not it is going to be a long season by the Bay. The one thing for sure with this team is that the pitching staff is strong, probably one of the best in all of baseball. From the starters to the bullpen a lot of these guys have All Star talent, even with some of their silly antics, i.e Brian Wilson. After seeing most of their additions to last years roster depart, the team went with a different approach this off season. They added journeyman like Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera, both players have plenty of experience to help this club out. Let's take a look at what they will look like come Opening Day.
Starting Rotation- Avoiding salary arbitration with the ace Tim Lincecum was a huge deal for this team and its fans. For the next two years Giants fans know that he will be on the bump come Opening Day. Matt Cain who is coming off a down season in terms of wins, will be the #2 man. Ryan Vogelsong came out of nowhere last year to put up All Star numbers, the question for him is if he can do in back to back years, or will he be the same guy we didn't hear about before. Youngster Madison Bumgarner is coming off his first full season in the big's and he didn't disappoint, Bruce Bochy will pencil him in as his fourth starter. The $126 million arm of Barry Zito will get another chance to prove to Giants fans why they invested so much in him, if he is not ready to answer the bell as the fifth starter look for youngster Eric Surkamp to emerge in the role.
Bullpen- Backing up the solid rotation is an excellent bullpen, full of hard throwers who know how to put out late game fires. Closing ball games will be the job of Brian Wilson, if The Beard can rebound from his late season elbow issues, the Giants should have no worries when leading late. Bruce Bochy seems to use a bullpen by committee system, where no one outside the closer has a specific job. Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Santiago Casilla all are capable of coming in whenever to get the job done. Guillermo Mota will be another 'pen option, but will he be effective as he pushes up the age meter. This bullpen will help this team win plenty of ball games.
Catcher- If Buster Posey can come back at full strength, then the Giants have no problems behind the plate. If Posey's health is an issue they will have to lean on Eli Whiteside again. Whiteside can't put up the offensive numbers of Posey but he can handle the staff just as well.
Infield- Third baseman Pablo Sandoval will anchor the infield and coming off one of his best seasons, looks to be a perennial All Star. Freddy Sanchez, also trying to come back from a season ending injury, should be the starting 2b. Playing up the middle with Sanchez is going to come down to who wants the shortstop job more, youngster Brandon Crawford and veterans Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot will compete for the job in Spring Training. The Giants are very high on Crawford but look for Theriot to emerge as the starter. First base looks to go to the ageless Aubrey Huff, off a down year look for him to rebound. If Huff struggles like last year look for youngster Brandon Belt to step in and show us why the organization loves him so much.
Outfield- Nate Shierholtz is the only returning outfielder for them and looks to land the right field job. Newly acquired Angel Pagan will man CF and coming off a good 2011 looks forward to another solid year. Melky Cabrera will be the starting LF, but if we see some of the inconsistency that we have seen from him the past look for backup first baseman Brandon Belt to get some looks.
Lineup-
1. Angel Pagan- Could see a lot of triples!
2. Freddy Sanchez- Can he return to his Batting Champ form?
3. Pablo Sandoval- When Panda swings at strikes he is one of the best.
4. Buster Posey- If he is healthy, a potential MVP candidate.
5. Aubrey Huff- Should drive in a lot from this spot.
6. Ryan Theriot- Solid hitter, should eclipse .290.
7. Nate Shierholtz- Good hitter, should slide up a few spots.
8. Melky Cabrera- Back to back .300+ seasons?
9. Pitcher's Spot- Just Bunt!
Coming off 86 wins last year and bringing back a strong pitching staff will help this club contend again for the NL West crown. But the question is going to be the offense, and what they have right now doesn't seem to be enough to overtake the Diamondbacks. The West will be a tough division to take this year and without much run support, another 80ish win season is on the horizon, with a finish in the middle of the division. But with Bruce Bochy at the helm you never know, if he can keep them in contention at the All Star break, look for them to add a bat that can produce some runs and not just be a 2 month rental. Good luck in 2012 Giants fans!
-Buddy
Just a few things... Brandon Crawford is most likely going to be the starting SS - Theriot was signed as a backup SS-2B with Fontenot. Also, Bumgarner is most likely going to be the third starter in the rotation with Vogelsong fourth - Bochy has shown that he likes the L-R-L sequence of a pitching rotation, as we saw last year with Jonathan Sanchez being the No. 2 pitcher.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, a pretty good blog.