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Offseason Review
2008-02-05 22:09:00
With the Giants' pitchers and catchers ready to break for spring training in 9 short days and no Giant news to report on (besides the steroid debacle), I figured now would be a decent time to recap the offseason, although there wasn't much movement on the Giants' front:Who's Here: CF Aaron Rowand (Phillies)Who's Gone: Barry Bonds (FA), Pedro Feliz (Phillies), Ryan Klesko (FA)Aaron Rowand takes Bonds spot in the lineup and in the outfield which helps this team's defense significantly, but losing Bonds' bat and not adequately replacing it will have this team struggling to score runs, even more so than last year. As for Feliz and Klesko, both are very replaceable and neither were high priorities for the club at the end of the year. Feliz was in talks with the Giants for most of the winter, but the sides never seemed to get to close on anything. Losing Feliz and Klesko means a lot more ab's for Rich Aurilia, Kevin Frandsen and Dan Ortmeier which is a good thing. The loss of Bon...
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Phillies Grab Feliz
2008-01-31 02:17:00
The Giants and Pedro Feliz have officially seperated after the 3rd basemen signed a 2 year, 8.5 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies . Obviously, if you've read my posts over the last 3 months, you know how satisfied I am that the Giants will finally have someone other than Pedro Feliz manning 3rd base for them in 2008. With that said, and through all his struggles with the bat (career .288 OBP), Feliz still did some good things for the San Francisco Giants. He played very solid defense at a position that isn't easy, and I still think he has one of the best arms of any 3rd basemen in baseball. However, his bat is one that is better suited for a balanced lineup, one in which he could hit 7th or 8th and isn't counted on being a high average or on-base percentage guy. With the 2008 Giants who are rebuilding and could use 3rd base as a spot to put a young, power hitter, he made absolutely no sense, and I'm glad Sabean realized it. With the Phills, who have Jimmy Rolens,...
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Spring Bargains
2008-01-26 02:53:00
Spring training reporting dates are just around the corner, and there are still 86 free agents left on the market. I highly doubt the Giants actually sign someone to a major league contract between now and their reporting date of February 13th, but there are still a hand full of guys that could make some sense with this team. I recently injured my finger so I am going to keep this post pretty short. Here are a list of the fa's who I wouldn't be opposed to taking a shot with on a 1 year deal:3B Dallas McPherson: One of the most intriguing names still on the market. Has proved absolutely nothing at the big league level, but is a former number 1 pick and is still has some learning time left at age 27. He could go on to be an all-star caliber corner infielder when he gets healthy, or he could end up a total bust. Either way, he makes a lot of sense for this Giants team that needs a third basemen and a young potential power hitter. If some team gets him on a minor league invite while t...
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One Roster Spot Left
2008-01-15 22:37:00
We are officially one month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, and it appears as if Brian Sabean and the Giants front office aren't looking to add much to the current roster. Sabean has continued to stay at a stand-still ever since the Aaron Rowand signing a month ago. There have been indications that the Giants may go into spring training without a clear cut 1st or 3rd basemen as they are willing to wait and see if they can't work a deal for a corner infielder during the spring. They only have one spot open on their 40 man roster, so unless they work a trade or cut somebody, they can only go out and sign one more free agent. They also could decide to sign a reliever to fill that spot as there are still a few decent ones on the market (Akinori Otsuka, Jeremy Affeldt) but I would be very surprised if the spot didn't go to Pedro Feliz. For a while last week it looked like Feliz had some suitors and that he may leave San Francisco after all. The Brewers we...
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40 Days and Counting.....
2008-01-05 23:58:00
The Holiday season has come and gone, which means Spring training is just around the corner. The Giants' official reporting date hasn't been announced, but pitchers and catchers are expected to be in Scottsdale on February 15th with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 20th. Brian Sabean has been MIA since the Aaron Rowand signing and there isn't much off-season left to upgrade the worst team in the division. There still are glaring holes that need to be addressed. They must decide what they are going to do at the corner infield spots and unless they have confidence in Jack Taschner and Randy Messenger miraculously turning into solid relievers, they have work to do with the bullpen as well. They also need another hitter in the middle of the lineup. If the season started right now, Bengie Molina would be the cleanup hitter by default, with Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand surrounding him. Not exactly the most intimidating 3-4-5 hitters out there. Actually, if the Giants ...
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2008 Mock Roster #3
2007-12-27 01:19:00
There really hasn't been much going on with the Giants since they signed Aaron Rowand a few weeks ago and it doesn't look like much will happen until after the new year. Even though the off-season is starting to wind down, the Giants are nowhere near complete and Sabean is going to have to be active in the month of January in order to tune this team up. Here is my 3rd (and possibly final) installment of the 2008 mock roster postings, the first since the Aaron Rowand signing.Trade: lhp Noah Lowry, of Dave Roberts, of-1b Dan Ortmeier to St. Louis for 3b Scott Rolen, of-1b Chris Duncan, $6 millionFA Signings: 1b Tony Clark (1 yr. $3.5 million + incentives), lhp Jeremy Affeldt (2 yr. $7.5 million) Freddy Garcia (1 yr. 2 million + incentives)LineupRF Randy WinnLF Rajai Davis/Nate Schierholtz1B Chris Duncan3B Scott RolenCF Aaron RowandC Bengie Molina2B Ray DurhamSS Omar VizquelBench1B Tony ClarkIF Kevin FrandsenIF-OF Eugenio VelezC Elezier AlfonzoOF Nate Schierholtz/Fred LewisRotationR...
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Giants Top 10 Prospects
2007-12-19 23:15:00
Baseball America recently listed the Giants ' top 10 prospects heading into 2008. The most surprising thing about this list is how many players it contains from the 2007 amateur draft. That just goes to show you how thin the Giants' farm system is when 4/10 of the prospects listed were in high school at this time last year. Here is a short rundown of the players who were listed and my quick take on them, as well as a few guys who didn't make the list but should be watched as well:1. Angel Villalona, 3b- The 17 year-old is still at least 3 years away, but is the Giants' equivalent to what Miguel Cabrera was for the Marlins when he was coming up. He's playing 3rd now, but could move to first by the time he reaches the bigs. Easily the best Giants' positional prospect in the last 15 years and he's still just 17. Only Giants' prospect to make baseball's top 50 list.2. Tim Alderson, rhp- Scouts feel the Giants' 2nd overall pick from '07 could be the first of the class to reach ...

Giants Sign Rowand
2007-12-13 01:03:00
The Giants made their first big move of the offseason Wednesday, signing Aaron Rowand to a 5 year, 60 million dollar contract to be the teams new center fielder. If you've followed the Giants closely this offseason, you could see this one coming. Rowand had a career year last season (.309, 27, 89, 105) and was a major part in the Phillies winning the NL East. I thought that Rowand was set to be overpaid this winter due to the way he played last year and to the fact that he was one of the top 3 outfielders available on a weak free agent market this winter. I really didn't want to see the Giants pursue him whatsoever. However, after seeing the terms of the deal, and comparing that to what Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter got, the Giants actually got themselves a real solid player for a decent deal. In comparison, Rowand is 2 years younger than Hunter, possesses a better career average and OPS, and he's signed at 2/3 of the price. The 5 years is a little too long, but 12 million annual...
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Lots of Talk, Little Action at the Meetings
2007-12-07 23:20:00
The Winter Meetings came and went with very little action to speak of on the Giants' front. A ton of talk and rumors, but no moves materialized. The Giants did however offer Pedro Feliz arbitration and unless he gets his coveted 3 year offer from some team, it looks like he will accept arbitration and return to the Giants for yet another season. The Giants just can't seem to get rid of this guy. Now they have filled up a spot where they had a chance to improve at. Without having 3rd base as an option to acquire a bat, it also increases the chances of a Tim Lincecum/Alex Rios trade (which is still on the table) or a Noah Lowry/Hideki Matsui trade. This offseason is slowly getting worse as it moves along. At this point, Sabean should just hold onto his pieces and try his best to fix the bullpen. They're building around their starting pitching and the best way they can help that this winter is to add arms to the bullpen. Remember all those games that Matt Cain ended up losing or get...
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Winter Meetings Preview
2007-12-02 01:01:00
Baseball's annual winter meetings start on Monday, and according the the Giants beat writers, the team is expected to be active. We should have a much clearer picture of what the 2008 San Francisco Giants will look like after the meetings. The Giants' main goal is to come out of the meetings with a middle of the order type young hitter without giving up Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and preferably Noah Lowry. Brian Sabean also said the team is trying to steer clear of the free agent market, so Andruw Jones (though I have a weird feeling he could be a Giant) and Aaron Rowand don't seem to be in the mix. I highly doubt they are going to deal Cain or Lincecum, even with all the Miguel Cabrera rumors flying around. Therefore, if they want to get a young and somewhat proven player, which would be ideal, the would have to part with at least Lowry. There are many of teams that would love to deal for a 27 year old, winning left-hander who is under contract for 3 more seasons. Not only that, bu...
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2008 Mock Roster #2
2007-11-25 00:59:00
The Giants have been one of the most quiet teams so far this offseason and it's really tough to judge at this point exactly what direction they are headed in. Brian Sabean said at the end of the season that he would likely have to deal some young pitching in order to obtain some offense and at the pace free agents are being signed right now, it's likely they will have to do just that.Trade 1: 2b Ray Durham and lhp Pat Misch to Seattle for 1b Richie SexsonTrade 2: lhp Jonathon Sanchez, of Dave Roberts and cash to Chicago for 3b Joe Crede Free Agent Signings: rhp Troy Percival (1 yr. $4.5 million plus incentives) and lhp Jeremy Affeldt (2 yr. $8 million)Lineup:CF Rajai DavisRF Randy Winn3B Joe Crede1B Richie SexsonC Bengie MolinaLF Nate Shierholtz2B Kevin FrandsenSS Omar VizquelBench:OF Freddie LewisIF Rich Aurilia1B/OF Dan OrtmeierOF/IF Eugenio VelezC Elezier AlfonzoStarting Rotation:LHP Barry ZitoRHP Matt CainLHP Noah LowryRHP Tim LincecumRHP Kevin CorrieaBullpen:CL: Brian Wilson...
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Who's On Third?
2007-11-16 00:59:00
After locking up Omar Vizquel for next season, Brian Sabean said he would now turn his attention towards finding the team's next third basemen. Alex Rodriguez is on the brink of resigning with the Yankee's so any slight possibility of louring ARod to the bay is out the window. That leaves Mike Lowell as the top 3rd basemen left on the market and even though they haven't ruled him out, I'm pretty sure the Giants will not pursue him. So if they are going to add another 3rd basemen from outside the organization this winter, it will have to be via trade. Here are some names that have been thrown around the trade market:Miguel Cabrera: Sabean mentioned that the Giants definitely would have interest in a guy like Cabrera, as any other team in the league would, but it's hard to believe they could come up with a package to get him unless they included one of or both Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. The Giants are building around pitching, so I would rather hang onto the two young aces. Cabr...
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Vizquel Returns
2007-11-09 00:33:00
The Giants announced Wednesday that they had re-signed Omar Vizquel to a one year contract with a mutual option for a second year. I fully expected this move, but didn't expect the Giants to give Omar 5.5 million dollars in 2008. This means he's getting a pay increase after one of his worst offensive seasons in his career. This just goes to show how bare the free agent market is for infielders this winter. If the Giants had taken a chance and let Vizquel explore the open market, he would have gotten better offers. Although signing a 42-year old shortstop doesn't fit into the Giants ultimate plan of getting younger, faster and healthier, I do see the logic in bringing Vizquel back for a year and I do expect him to be better with the bat next year. His contract for 2009 will be activated if he plays in 140+ games. With the Giants most likely going through a rebuilding year in 2008, he's not going to play 140 games unless he's earning it. Most of all, this signing likely signifie...

Free Agents File, Rumors Begin
2007-11-01 22:56:00
Some of baseball's biggest names wasted no time putting themselves on the free agent market this week. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Torii Hunter where among dozens of players to file for free agency as soon as they possibly could. This is going to be a very interesting offseason for the Giants as they will be building a team without Barry Bonds for the first time in 15 years and already the rumors are flying about a possible Bonds' replacement. The San Jose Mercury News ran an article today discussing the possibility of Alex Rodriguez joining the Giants which all the sudden has become a popular thought. The normally discrete Brian Sabean dropped a hint that he would "kick the tires" on any potential Arod deal, something he didn't even say about Barry Zito while in negotiations last winter. Even the New York papers and baseball writers seem to think the Giants have a legit shot at landing the best player in the game. However, once the negotiations start, I have a hard time beli...
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World Series Preview
2007-10-24 22:26:00
The World Serie s starts tonight, and even if your team isn't a part of it, the fall classic is always something a baseball fan will tune in to. My March predictions for this year's fall classic were quite a bit off, thanks to injuries to the Tigers pitching staff and underachieving by the Mets. Here is a breakdown of a 2007 World Series that nobody in the World could have predicted. Colorado Rockies vs. Boston Red SoxOffense: On paper, the Rockies don't appear to measure up with the Red Sox offensively, but they have shown that they're streaky and certainly peaking right now. Recent history has shown that the team that's hot in October wins it all, and this year the Rockies are that team. Say what you want about Manny Ramirez or David Ortiz, Matt Holliday is the best player in this series. The Rockies have to get Todd Helton and Garret Atkins going. Willie Taveras also has to do a better job at the top of the order if they want to keep their streak alive. The Red Sox have the...
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Arizona Fall League Update
2007-10-19 00:09:00
The Arizona Fall League has gotten underway and there are a few Giants' of note participating this year. Daniel Ortmeier, Nate Schierholtz and Eugenio Velez are all getting an extension to their 2007 season. Ortmeier and Schierholtz are getting the most attention as both have a shot at starting somewhere for the Giants in 2008. The Giants' longterm plan of moving Ortmeier to first base has carried over into the fall and it's looking more and more likely that the position will be his next season. He's gotten of to a hot start in the AFL, leading the league in hitting with .406 avg. through his first 6 games while playing a flawless first base. He's also been getting a lot of mentoring from J.T. Snow during the process. I am very curious to see how this experiment works out. I never had high hopes for Ortmeier, but He kept getting better and better with the more playing time he got towards the end of the season. 6 home runs, a .287 average and .819 OPS over 157 big league at-bats...
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Let the Speculation Begin
2007-10-13 00:42:00
According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), the Giants are one of the three most likely destinations for free agent center fielder Torii Hunter. Everything at this point is just speculation, but this seems to be right up Brian Sabean's alley as far as players he'd have interest in. I have mentioned a few times in recent posts that I would steer clear of Hunter for many reasons. His best asset is his ability to play center field and a top flight defensive center fielder is about the last thing the Giants need at this point. They already have depth at the position with Rajai Davis, who proved to very good center fielder himself, and Dave Roberts returning next season. If Hunter were an average defensive player, he'd be worth nowhere near the amount of money that he is going to get this winter. Yes, he's above average offensively, but I wouldn't say he's an offensive force by any means. A career .793 OPS isn't worth paying 17+ million dollars a year for, regardless of h...

Free Agency Decisions On Horrizon
2007-10-09 02:52:00
The Giants have made it known that one of their 4 impending free agents (Barry Bonds) will not be back with the team in 2008, but they still have 4 more decisions to make before they start exploring the free agent market in November. Ryan Klesko, Omar Vizquel and Pedro Feliz are set to become free agents as soon as the world series ends. The late emergence of Daniel Ortmeier as a potential first basemen probably pushes Ryan Klesko out of the mix. The two big question marks are Pedro Feliz and Omar Vizquel. The free agent market for infielders is very thin this winter so both players will have value. It's tough to find two better players that defend their positions as well as Feliz and Vizquel do, but both struggled with the bat this season and neither have much offensive upside at this point in their careers. It is very likely that the Giants will bring back one of the two, but not both. Due to the fact that the other top free agent shortstops on the market are Cesar Izturis and Da...
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Evaluating '07
2007-10-05 01:43:00
The negatives certainly outweighed positives for the Giants in 2007 as they finished in last place in the NL West for the first time since 1996. Here is an evaluation of the San Francisco Giants' 2007 season.Starting Pitching: Matt Morris carried the staff early, then Noah Lowry and Tim Lincecum emerged and ended up having very good years. Lincecum, Lowry and Matt Cain give Giants fans reason to be optimistic about the future. Cain pitched well enough to win 15+ games if he had gotten proper run support and relief help. The team also got a very good contribution out of Kevin Corriea as a starter and he could be in line for the 5th spot next year. The only negative this season was Barry Zito. He pitched a lot better towards the end of the season, but the 126 million dollar man was struggling so bad at one point that Bruce Bochy used him in relief a few times to give him extra work. Regardless, the Giants starting pitching is the best thing they have going for them and will be even b...

The City Says Goodbye to Barry
2007-09-27 23:56:00
Bonds in from Left 1 last timeIf your a Giants fan, hopefully you had a chance to make it out to the ballpark on Wednesday night to give Barry Bonds one final farewell. We all knew this day would eventually come, but it boy did it feel weird cheering on Bonds for the last time. Even though the Giants were once again shut down by Jake Peavy, it certainly was a special, surreal night at AT&T Park. Bonds came about 10 feet short of putting a perfect ending to his Giants career when he hit a ball out to warning track in right center in the 6th inning, his final at-bat as a Giant in San Francisco. It wasn't until after he came running back into the dugout when he stopped and gave Jake Peavy a hug and waved goodbye to the Padre bench that it sunk in; This is the last time we get to see Barry. After that at-bat, Bonds waved goodbye to the fans and that was it. I'm not sure Giants fans are fully aware of the greatness they have been able to witness firsthand over the last 15 years, bu...
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Who Is Going to Replace Bonds?
2007-09-25 03:42:00
Now that the Giants have made it official that Barry Bonds will not be with the team in 2008, the search begins for his replacement. Obviously the team isn't going to find another Bonds on the free agent market to carry them for next 15 years like they did in winter of 1992, but they are going to have to find another player outside of the organization to help build a lineup around. I don't think Brian Sabean is looking to head to spring training next season with the heart of the order consisting of Randy Winn, Ray Durham and Bengie Molina, so here are just a few options that could be available this winter:Possible Free Agents:Tori Hunter: Will likely be the most sought after free agent on the market this winter. His speed and exceptional defense would fit very well at AT&T Park and his right handed power bat would be more ideal for this ballpark than a lefty. He also expressed some interest in San Francisco when he was here for the All-Star game in July. The only problem with ...
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Bonds' Final Homestand As A Giant?
2007-09-21 00:27:00
The teams' final homestand of the season gets started Thursday night and it could be the final time Giant s' fans get to see Barry Bonds wearing the orange and black at AT&T Park. Bonds is going to become a free agent after the world series ends and while I have a tough time picturing him in any other uniform, I don't think Bonds will be back with the Giants next year. He had his spurts at times early this season in which he carried the club with his bat, but it's clear that he no longer is an offensive catalyst he once was. Bonds currently has 28 home runs on the year and is hitting .279 which are still very good numbers for a 43 year old, but his play has dropped off significantly over the second half of the season and he just isn't worth the 18+ million dollars he's being paid this season. September has been the roughest month of the year so far for Bonds as he's gone deep just once and has battled nagging injuries. As much as I support Bonds and appreciate what he's d...
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Giants Offense Can't Help Cain
2007-09-17 22:18:00
Two trends that have haunted the Giants all year continued this weekend in San Diego. While the Giants offense has looked downright horrible a lot this season, but I don't think I have been more frustrated watching this team at the plate than I was watching Saturday's game vs. San Diego. The Giants' hitters was once again shut down, but it was the fact they where dominated by Brett Tomko that really magnified things. Tomko was 2-11 with an era in the high 5's coming into that start and had been released by the Dodgers just a few weeks earlier, but he looked like an ace vs. the Giants pathetic bat's. And not only was the offense embarrassed by a very hittable pitcher, they once again failed to support another quality start by Matt Cain . They couldn't even muster a run off Tomko or anyone else to get Cain off the hook for the game, so he suffered another loss in a game in which he gave up 1 base runner in 6 innings pitched. Matt Cain has to be wondering what in the world he has ...

A Look Towards '08
2007-09-13 23:21:00
There are still about 3 weeks left in the regular season, but with the season winding down and not much going on with the club, I figured it would be a good time to throw out some wild guesses as to who might fill out the San Francisco Giants roster in 2008. So here we go:Trade: (Jonathon Sanchez and Kevin Frandsen to Cincinnati for Edwin Encarnacion)FA Signings: (Adam Dunn, Tony Clark, Scott Linebrink)FA Losses: (Barry Bonds, Pedro Feliz, Ryan Klesko)Lineup:1. CF Dave Roberts (still under contract for 2 more seasons, will likely platoon with Davis)2. RF Randy Winn (like Roberts, not going anywhere)3. 3B Edwin Encarnacion (*obtained from Cinci via Jonathon Sanchez trade)4. LF Adam Dunn (the Giants will need a big bat to replace Bonds and Dunn could be the guy)5.C Bengie Molina (the solid backstop will be here for 2 more years)6. 1B Dan Ortmeier (Giants are talking like Ortmeier will be starting next year)7. 2B Ray Durham (under contract for another year and will be tough to trade)8...

Giants Beat LA
2007-09-10 02:43:00
The Giants did their part to help keep the Dodgers reeling by taking 2 of 3 over the weekend at AT&T Park. Sure, a Giants-Dodgers series' in September is a lot more interesting when both teams are fighting for something but this weekends series was entertaining nonetheless. The Giants won both Friday night's and Sunday's game with late inning heroics, 2 wins that push the fading Dodgers even further behind in the NL Wild Card race. The hero on Friday was Daniel Ortmeier as he untied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a shot to the deepest part of the ballpark of one of the better relievers in the league. Ortmeier has been getting a lot of time at first base recently and is performing better with the more consistent playing time. Sunday's game winner came off the bat of the struggling Ray Durham. Ray Durham came off the bench in the 8th inning to hit a go-ahead 3-run home run that gave the Giants a lead they didn't surrender. Durham had to feel some relief after that blast...
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Rest Lowry and Lincecum
2007-09-07 01:51:00
The Giants have to keep Noah Lowry on the shelf for the rest of the year. It makes no sense at all to let him make another start with his elbow not at 100% and the Giants playing for nothing but pride. It's too bad for Lowry because he was on pace for a 17+ win season, but it's a lot more important to have him healthy for 2008 than stretch him out in a meaningless 2007 season. I also think they should do the same thing with Tim Lince cum as his velocity has plummeted in recent starts, an indicator that he's getting tired. During his latest start in Colorado, he was being clocked around 88-89 mph which is a huge drop off from the 97-98 he was throwing just a few weeks ago. A drop like that in velocity usually means injury or tired arm and in Lincecum's case it's a tired arm. Rest ing Lowry and Lincecum for the last 3 weeks of the year would also give the Giants an opportunity to asses some of the other younger pitchers in their system. They are going to have to fill at least one ...

Callup Notes
2007-09-03 23:26:00
The Giants have started expanding their roster with September call-ups from AAA Fresno, and will continue to do so over the next week or so as Fresno's season winds down. So far, none of the call-ups have been too surprising and it's been mostly players who were up with the team at some point earlier in the season.Their are two guys who have an outside shot at being called up that I hope make it. I would like to see Eugeno Velez and Travis Blackley both up with the Giants once the Grizzlies season comes to an end. The 25 year-old Velez has put together his second solid minor league season in a row combining to hit .300 with 54 stolen bases at both AA Connecticut and in Fresno and earned a trip to the AA all-star game. He has the same sort of game as Rajai Davis, but can switch hit and has a more potent bat. The only thing about his season that sticks out is his huge drop off in the power department. After collecting 64 extra base hits (14 long balls) in Single A last year, he has ...
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Giants Bullpen Finally Performing
2007-09-01 03:45:00
During the 2007, the Giants haven't given fans an abundance of things to get overjoyed about. Sure, there has been the emergence of Tim Lincecum as well as the historic Barry Bonds pursuit of 756 home runs to keep fans interested during the teams' 3rd straight losing season, but that's about it. However, they has played a lot better as of late, and a big part of the reason is because of their new closer, Brad Hennessey. The job that Hennessey has done has to have Brian Sabean and the Giants front office taking a breath of fresh air right now as it looks like they can cross closer off of their "to-do" list for 2008. It's been a while (2004) since the Giants have had consistency in the bullpen, especially late relief, but they're getting it now. Friday nights save was Hennessey's 15th straight save without blowing one, something no other Giants closer has done since Robb Nen did it back in 2002. And it's not just Hennessey who's getting the job done. Brian Wilson and Steve Kli...
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Giants Cruise to 5th Straight Win
2007-08-29 01:26:00
The Giants came back to win their 5th straight game on Monday night and have won 10 of their last 12 games. Bruce Bochy has been mixing young players into the lineup on a more consistent basis and it's giving the team some life. The latest youngster to step up and contribute big has been Kevin Frandsen. Frandsen hasn't gotten consistent playing time this season, but has been getting some starts in August and is delivering. The team has gone 7-0 since August 13th in games which Frandsen has started. During that stretch he has gone 7-21 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. He was a big component in Monday nights come from behind victory as well as he came up with a clutch, 2-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning that gave the Giants a 3 run lead. It's too bad they couldn't have came up with some offense earlier to support another brilliant outing by Barry Zito. After a horrific first half with his new club, Zito needs to have a very strong finish over the last part of the season in...
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Bonds To First In '08?
2007-08-26 00:02:00
I was reading the sports section in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and came across this article the other day, discussing a possible position change for Barry Bonds in 2008. Bonds has already stated that he is certain that he is going to play baseball again next year, but is scheduled to be a free agent, and as good as his bat still is, he will have a hard time finding somebody to sign him as an everyday outfielder. The most likely scenario is that he signs on with an American League club to be a DH, but moving to first base would give him a chance to stick in the National League and possibly with the San Francisco Giants. Bonds was quoted in the article saying "I can play any position at any time", so he seems like he'd be open to the idea. Even if Bonds were to try and make a transition to first base, it wouldn't guarantee him a return to the Giants, but it would give him his best shot. However, if Barry indeed wants a good shot to get a ring in his final year, returning to the...