To improve from 88 wins last season, once again the 2010 Giants will rely heavily on the arms of their pitching staff. Lincecum might not be able to carry the weight of going for his third straight Cy Young, but look for Matt Cain, the now longest tenure Giant to lend him a hand. The recently married Madison Bumgarner, will not only carry the burden of his ball and chain, but the highly touted pitching prospect will be looked upon to contribute every fifth day or from the bullpen. After losing 12 pounds this off-season the 5-foot-11, 245-pound panda is not only looking to improve his figure, but he is looking to improve upon his 2009 stats. 330 Avg. 25 HR 90 RBI was not enough to tip the scales for NL MVP in his direction, but look for slight improvements in the Panda’s second full season in the bigs.
Look for Buster Posey to have a huge Spring Training. This will make the decision hard for the Giants’ brass to put him back down in the minors for more seasoning. The 22 year old lost 15 pounds last season and admitted to being worn down during a lackluster Arizona Fall League. Posey regained those 15 pounds — he's at 215 now — after a winter spent working out six days a week and enjoying his wife's southern cooking.
To take some of the weight off these younger players shoulders, the Giants will look upon a few veteran players who have experienced playoff baseball. With Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa coming on board, Manager Bruce Bochy has said he envisions Aaron Rowand as the new leadoff hitter. The CF said he has lost 10 pounds in the off-season, and he owes it all to his new hobby. Rowand became an avid bike rider, cycling four times a week around his Las Vegas home. Rowand hit .294 in 50 games as a leadoff hitter in 2009, so he seems most comfortable in that spot. Although Aaron estimates he rode about 2,200 miles, don’t look for him standing on a podium wearing the yellow jersey anytime soon. The 2008 Silver Slugger Award winner, Aubrey Huff, looks to rebound from a career low year in 2009 where he split time in Baltimore and Detroit. A lifetime .282 hitter with an on-base percentage of .340 and slugging percentage of .472, Huff is not the answer to the Giants' offensive woes. His job in 2010 with the Giants will be mentoring the younger players, and more importantly, protecting cleanup hitter Pablo Sandoval. If the former Devil Ray can put together a season closer to his 2008 numbers, then the Giants' offense arguably should be more productive than 2009.
The addition of Mark DeRosa this off-season might just be the straw that tips the power scales of the NL West in the Giants direction. In DeRosa, the Giants have found a versatile veteran who can hit for power and give the offense some much-needed punch. I am not saying he will match his career-best 23 homers to go along with 78 RBIs for Cleveland and St. Louis. I am saying he is a professional hitter that will take pitches and extend the line up. DeRosa will be an important player on a team that was a bat or two away from making the playoffs last year. He is a player that is used to wining. Having made the playoffs 6 out of 12 seasons. "He's a winning player and any organization wants as many players like Mark on the ballclub, especially ours, that has a chance to turn the corner and get to the playoffs next year," GM Brian Sabean said. " The former University of Pennsylvania quarterback will bring that winning attitude to the Giants, something the team has been missing in this post Bonds Era.
With the 2010 season fast approaching. It’s up to the Giants to be the biggest losers this season and shed that weight of playoff expectations, and turn those expectations into reality.
The Giants will definitely score more runs this year, but can it make up for the deficiencies in defense? They have downgraded in left, right, first base, plus Rentaria and Molina aren't getting any younger. Hopefully this won't be too big of an issue but I am skeptical as always. When a team hasn't won a series since 1954 it is easy for fans like me to look for something wrong.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the NL West did not get much better this offseason, if at all. Manny and the Dodgers are in disarray, the Rocks didn't do much, and the DBacks still have questions on the mound. I say 92 wins takes the division, and I honestly think the '10 Giants are 4 games better than the '09 Giants.