eastbaybaseball

Cy Young Tim Lincecum is the Giants legitimate ace.

 There is no concern with C.C. Sabathia signing and going to the Yankees for a mega-deal.   The Giants would’ve loved to have him of course and it would’ve strengthened an already formidable rotation, but one thing Giants need is flexibility in their payroll for the future and try to upgrade their offense as best they can.  Management feels the same way about it.  Plus, Giants already have their own ace who is already entering his own prime in only his second big league season in Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum.  That is all you need to build a team is have one strong ace and you build around that.  And the other Giants in the rotation ain’t no slouches either.  You got Matt Cain, 23 years old and is a power pitcher with a lot of upside and can win a Cy Young someday.  The same goes to lefty 25 year old Jonathan Sanchez.  He has tremendous stuff and showed that in the 1st half of the season. If he can be consistent, he can put up great numbers as the number 3 starter.  And then you got former Cy Young award winner Barry Zito.  He didn’t have a great year in 2007 or 2008, but he has shown improvement in the 2nd half of both seasons with the Giants. If he can put it together for a whole season and be consistent, then the Giants will be alright. And if Noah Lowry returns to full health, as he was the Giants wins leader with 14 wins in 07′ then you got a great staff that can help contend for and NL West Divisional title.  And you also got great young arms down in the farm in Kevin Pucetas, a 5th starter candidate coming off a strong campaign in the minors, and then you MiLB Most Spectacular Pitcher and Minor League Pitcher of the Year at his level (Single-A) in Madison Bumgarner, who is also only 19 years old, and you also got another stud in Tim Alderson.  So the Giants, as far as starting pitching goes, looks fine.  So pretty much all the Giants need is a little more offense and some punch in that lineup and they will be okay in 2009.  They have already revamped their bullpen in signing lefty Jeremy Affeldt and setup man Bob Howry to complement with young, rising arms in Sergio Romo, Alex Hinshaw, and Merkin Valdez and help bridge the gap and hold a lead for All-Star Closer Brian Wilson.   So the Giants are already thinking their team is improved with their bullpen alone and should help them win more games, especially the close ones.  As for the offensive side of things, they have added Edgar Renteria to fill the void at shortstop and he should be an upgrade at the spot even with his limited range but think of the short stops the Giants used last year (Omar Vizquel, Emmanuel Burriss, Ivan Ochoa, and Brian Bocock) and you have an upgrade as far as the offensive side is concerned with Renteria. A full year with  rookie sensation Pablo Sandoval at third base and if Travis Ishikawa can put together a solid offensive campaign in 09′ at first base, the Giants shall be contenders.  He will have John Bowker pushing him at first base, as well as Minor League signing of first baseman-catcher Josh Phelps, who had tremendous numbers at Triple-A in the Cardinals system last season.  So the Giants don’t look half bad with the lineup and roster they have set as of today. I can already tell you that they are better than last season’s team.  And the second base job is up for grabs with three viable candidates in Kevin Frandsen, Emmanuel Burriss, and Eugenio Velez.  All are fairly young and lack experience, but can fill the spot there.  Maybe a platoon of Frandsen and Burriss will happen, with the one who performs better will be the everyday guy. It is usually the guy from within, rather than an offseason acquisition who steps up and performs well and is the surprise guy on your team.  I am pulling for Kevin Frandsen, as he was predicted to take over for Ray Durham at 2nd base going to the 2008 season, but an achilles tendon injury pretty much cost him the whole season.  I am excited for the 2009 season and look forward to some exciting things and a possible postseason run in the near future.  Anything is possible in the inconsistent NL West.  And Giants can still sign one or two more players via trade or free agency. Only time will tell what management does and decides is best for the team going forward.  You can only get better.

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