Ever since the Giants were eliminated by the Marlins in the 2003 NLDS, the San Francisco Giants had struggled with being competitive. Part of the problem was age. The Giants were starting to get the reputation of harboring players at the tail end of their careers. Giants’ batters reached an average age as high as 33.5 in 2006. Giants’ pitchers were averaging an age as high as 30 in 2005. The other issue for the lack of success in San Francisco was the lucrative contracts given to players who might have already passed their prime. A few of the players who have arguably been overpaid since then are Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand, and Armando Benitez. Of the three, Zito and Rowand surprisingly remain with the team. Benitez on the other hand is no longer in the big leagues.
San Francisco decided to take the club in a younger direction. Although they finished under .500 from 2005-2008, the team was becoming a lot younger and a lot more athletic. A few of these younger Giants included two-time Cy Young Award winner, Tim “the Freak” Lincecum, starting pitchers Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez, and third baseman Pablo Sandoval. After an 88-74, third place finish in 2009, the San Francisco Giants felt that if their pitching were to be successful throughout the season, they might find themselves playing in October.
Not only did the Giants finish in first place, they were able to win their first world championship since 1954 when they were the New York Giants. San Francisco relied heavily on the starting pitchers. The Giants rotation featured Lincecum, Cain, Sanches, Zito, and Madison Bumgarner. Four of the five starting pitchers finished with an earned run average under three and a half. Zito, unfortunately, finished with an ERA of 4.15. If the Giants are going to defend their title, they need to see Zito pitch well on a consistent basis. Last season, Zito started off the first half of the season with a 7-4 record and an earned run average of 3.76 in 18 starts. In the second half however, Zito was a completely different pitcher. He ended up with a 2-10 second half record and an earned run average of 4.70 in 15 starts and one relief appearance. Zito’s second half strugglers were so bad that he was left off the playoff roster. During the Giants’ spring training game against the Rangers on Monday, Jonathan Sanchez got the start and pitched four innings while allowing one run on two hits, a walk, and punched out five Rangers’ hitters.
The question that always seems to surround the Giants is whether their offense will score enough runs for the pitching staff. Last season, Giants closer Brian Wilson called Giants baseball: “torture.” This adjective describing the 2010 Giants had to do with a lot of games coming down to the wire. Most of the time, the reason why these games were so close was because their offense did not score enough runs. As the season progressed the Giants added a couple of bats along they way. The most notable additions during their 2010 stretch were Buster Posey, Pat Burrell and Cody Ross. After the Giants traded catcher Bengie Molina to the Rangers, the organization called up their top prospect Buster Posey. Posey finished the 2010 season batting .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in 108 games. Posey also had a 21-game hitting streak during the season. Burrell signed with the Giants after being released by the Rays and Ross was claimed off of waivers from the Marlins. Both outfielders were clutch during the Giants’ World Series Championship season. Ross was awarded the National League Champion MVP for the Giants last season. In last Monday’s game against the Rangers, Ross did not skip a beat. The outfielder went 1 for 4 with the go-ahead two run single in the fifth inning.
Although the Giants were not able to bring back infielder Juan Uribe and World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, the Giants offense still looks strong in 2011. Their offense is so deep that Aaron Rowand is no longer projected as the everyday centerfielder for the Giants in 2011. The depth on the roster is due in part because of the return of Mark DeRosa. DeRosa missed almost all of last season with wrist surgery back in June of last year. DeRosa provides another bat who can play just about anywhere on the field. Out of all the everyday position players, Pablo Sandoval is the most questionable one. Sandoval was not able to repeat the success that he had in 2009. Sandoval hit .268 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI. If Sandoval were to lose some weight, he can probably play the way he is capable of playing. Sandoval showed some athletic ability against the Rangers by going 1 for 3 with a single, walk, and a stolen base. The ‘Kung Fu Panda” is a really exciting player who I believe will get back on track for the Giants in 2011.
I realize that last Monday’s spring training game doesn’t mean much, but the atmosphere at Scottsdale Stadium was electric. After watching that game, I feel that the Giants are still the team to beat in the National League. Yes, the Phillies have that “Fantastic Four” rotation, but the Giants have just as good of a rotation to go along with a well-rounded offense. Health permitting, I don’t see how the Giants can miss out on the postseason in 2011.
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