Golden Gate Glitches

Bleak and black has been a recurring theme by the Bay since the Giants’ Championship season. San Francisco has not been able to return to the high-profile elite of the National League. Where are Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda when you need them? General manager, Brian Sabean, has established a nice blend of pitchers but the Giants’ offense has not been able to overcome the loss of Barry Bonds. The rotation remains the strength of this NL West club in 2009. New arrivals will help but do not mean the lineup is solidified. Iffy hitters and players looking to rejuvenate their careers make up the mollified San Fran team. No longer do the fans have to put up with the number one clubhouse cancer Bonds, and the organization seems to have calmed down. San Francisco now has a bunch of kids running the show, which seems fitting with Sabean at the helm.
Randy Johnson, the tall and talented tower, came over from Arizona during an off-season move. The lefty is five wins short of 300 and will be a big boost to the young rotation. The Big Unit is on a one-year deal and joins former CY Young winner, Barry Zito in the middle of the Giants’ starting rotation. Zito is being demoted and will not start Opening Day for the first time in two years with San Francisco. The reason the curveball specialist won’t be on the mound when the season kicks off is because of last year’s CY Young winning righty, Tim Lincecum.
Zito has been a disappointment since signing one of the biggest free agent contracts out of the Oakland farm system. The $126 dollar Barry believes in himself, but many fans are fed up with the fickle flamethrower. Matt Cain posted a 3.78 ERA in 2008 and is looking like the number two starter this year. The right-handed Cain has been the talk of trade rumors this winter. Sabean could still move the 24 year old to acquire a slugger during the season. Chances are though, Matt will be a Giant for the entire year. His trade potential won’t be high if he continues to pile on the hits and walks. He went 8-14 last year but wasn’t helped any by his hapless hitting team. Cain is discretely looking to break out and produce his first winning season since 2006. Lincecum is a modest and mound magician, and many scouts expect him to be the top ace in the league behind New York’s Johan Santana. Number 55 wins flew under the radar last year. Tim notched 18 w’s and only lost 5 games in which he started. That amounted to a startling 2.62 ERA and 265 strikeouts. Nobody noticed the novice, slender and shaggy-haired second year pitcher last year until he won the CY Young. His only knock is perhaps his control but he is only in his second big league year. Lincecum threw two complete games and one shutout in 2008. If he can do more than that in 2009, the Giants are guaranteed another 18 win season from their number one producer. The stage is set for lefty, Johnathan Sanchez to earn the fifth spot if he can beat out Noah Lowry. Sanchez is the favorite, with his impeccable strikeout-per-inning ratio. Last year, he had 157 of them in 158 innings. The 26 year old represented Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He went 9-12 last year and like Lincecum, should concentrate on controlling his pitches. Lowry is back and healthy and has a chance to be a contribution to the team. His shoulder cost him an entire season and he will likely begin the Spring on the DL. The Pepperdine product is effective in providing innings but is not a strikeout pitcher.
Johnson and Zito formulate a fierce three-four for the Giants. Both have colossal curves and outstanding off-speed stuff in their repertoires. When they are at the top of their games, they are arguably two of the best leftys of the modern era. Johnson will one day make a speech in Cooperstown and is a familiar figure throughout the league. The once-feared hurler is at the end of the road career-wise, but has proven he can still pitch. His ERA remains very low and he doesn’t walk very many batters. Cavalier Johnson has 37 shutouts and pitched over 4,000 innings in a span of two decades in the majors.
Zito has a deceptive curveball but his out-over-the-plate approach to throwing the fastball leaves him prone to the long ball. I loved Zito as an Oakland A and would love nothing more than to see him get back his 20 game winning ways in San Fran. He seems ideal pitching for the National League but is already 30 years old. Hitters no longer fear Zito’s stuff. I think he needs to be less predictable on the mound and strive to give up less earned runs. Barry boasts a winning record of 123-93 and is credited with four post-season wins in his career. Zito is quite the workhorse and keeps himself in good shape so he is durable. Once, he also looked incredibly invincible. The one problem with Barry is he is slow to the plate. Therefore, the Giant hurler is susceptible to being run on. When men get on base, he has to be careful they don’t steal on him. Being a lefty helps, but Zito allows too many men on base and endures long innings.
Relievers resolving issues and returning to the bullpen in the bay include closer Brian Wilson, Alex Hinshaw, Sergio Romo and Keichii Yabu. Wilson was without question the shining star of the pen in an all-star 2008 campaign. Brian brings quality to the closer position with his feature fastball. He was second most in saves, with 41, in the NL last year. The phenomenal 27 year old is a quick worker on the mound and rarely concedes hits. Hinshaw is a young left-hander with an anticipatory relief role. His 3.40 ERA included 47 strikeouts and a 2-1 record in 48 games a year ago. He will need to impress management in order to make the Opening day roster. The same goes for the righty, Romo. Both made debuts in 2008. Romo projects to be more of a middle-man with his low WHIP and strikeout ability. The California native allowed 13 runs in just 29 games. Sabean acquired two professional and prolific pitchers last winter in Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry. They were brought in to put out the fire and are capable of pitching in long relief. Affeldt had a 3.33 ERA for the Reds in 2008 and for a southpaw, can stifle right-handed sluggers. Howry was a free agent who pitched for the Cubs last year but originally grew up in the Giants organization. Luis Perdomo, a Rule 5 draft selection, is also making his Giants debut in 2009. Yabu could be the player to pick up the slack and be a major mop up man if he can reclaim himself. He still has a lot to prove coming off a 3-6 year. Many are projecting a late season call up if need be. For the start of the year, Yabu will test the waters in Triple-A Fresno. Although there are still holes, the Giants are going to rely mainly on Affeldt and Howry and look to Wilson to be the fine finisher. Three right-handers are no longer with the team due to free agency signings in the off-season. Kevin Correria, Brad Hennessey and Tyler Walker all have new homes but all were replaceable to begin with. Jack Taschner will see relief work as a left-handed specialist. The 30 year old has quietly thrown 140 innings in four San Francisco seasons. Taschner gets important outs and doesn’t allow many out of the park.
At the plate, the Giants’ RF, Randy Winn, is slated to lead off. Winn is a better than average player and a veteran hitter. He had a .306 average in roughly 600 at-bats last year. Randy is 34 years old though, and his body is breaking down. I expect he will share time in the field. Edgar Renteria is the biggest position player the Giants acquired. Renteria is an all-star at shortstop and will hit second in the order. 3B Pablo Sandoval, C Bengie Molina and LF Fred Lewis make up the heart of the order. Sandoval is a free-swinger and switch-hitter and Molina can hit well in the clutch. Rocket arm Bengie decks and drives the ball. Molina’s diligence behind the plate has made him the best of the Molina brothers in MLB. Lewis’ leadoff capabilities are present, but the Giants would like to see their left-fielder be more forceful at the plate. His patience in the number one hole brought Lewis 51 free trips to first on walks. In his rookie year, Fred flourished with a .282 plate average. The lefty is estimated to improve all aspects of his game and moving him to the fifth slot in the order shows the team has confidence in him.
Sixth hitter, Aaron Rowand, plays a mean CF and bats behind Lewis. Aaron adds RBIS near the bottom of the order and is a singles-hitter. He has post-season experience in both leagues, with the ChiSox and the Phillies. In 57 trips to the plate, Rowand scored 9 runs on 13 hits in the playoffs. His outfield defense ranks him among the elite in the league. Rowand also is a fierce base runner and excellent slider. Travis Isikawa is the team first basemen and 7th hitter. Travis is a natural at the position but will sit the bench when fill-in, Sandoval, moves to first base. Isikawa has clubbed several homeruns this Spring and the Giants are thrilled with his power. Second base is still up in the air but among the competitors are Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss and Kevin Frandsen. Velez is likely to become a mere pinch hitter and runner. The potential final batter, Frandsen, makes contact but lacks power. He also is not as quick as Burriss. Burriss is the favorite because he is batting .396 this spring and plays brilliant on the field. The Kent State switch hitter drove in 18 runs in 2008. If Frandsen wins the job though, Burriss will be on the outside looking in.
Juan Uribe is the cream of the crop when it comes to infield Giant reserves. Uribe can back up short or third. The Olympian, Nate Schierholtz, has the edge for the go-to utility outfielder and Catcher Buster Posey could get a rookie call up. Schierholtz is recovering from an injury and strikes out too often but produced an over .300 average as a 2008 Giant. Posey is a top prospect with a solid glove. He can make plays behind the plate and gun down base runners well. Jesus Guzman was signed from the A’s and is only 24 years old. The Giants allowed Guzman to try out for an infield spot and Jesus hasn’t disappointed yet. He hit a shot to clear the wall in a 7-5 win over the Brewers earlier this Spring. His .943 slugging percentage have made noise, but he had several throwing and fielding errors at third base.
This is not the most endearing team to watch or root for. Manager, Bruce Bochy certainly has his hands full with glitches on offense and defense. The anomalies won’t suffice if adjustments aren’t made soon. The bullpen was last year’s major weakness and although improved, still is the Achilles’ heel. The do have one of the superior pitchers in Lincecum and Rowand is a tough out, ruthless fielder and the team rock. Rowand’s combative style and Molina’s leadership will be ignitions to a San Fran team frantic for wins. The way I see it, the Giants are legitimate. They just need to be a little more aggressive on offense and more stingy on defense. The pitching is great enough to sustain marginal leads as long as the hitters can put up some runs and the fielders can minimize extra base hits. If not, this team could be gentle Giants and cellar-dwellers again.

Parting points: I guessed 13 of the 16 NCAA teams left in my bracket, so I am in decent shape.