explanation of rankings and other team previews here
2008 Record: 72-90
Offseason Additions: Randy Johnson, Edgar Renteria, Jeremy Affeldt, Bob Howry
Offseason Subtractions: Omar Vizquel
Ranks (MLB):
Line-Up – 29th
Rotation – 9th
Bullpen – 20th
Defense – 2nd tier (out of 5)
Baserunning – 2nd tier (out of 5)
KEY PLAYER: BARRY ZITO
Barry Zito went from Cy Young winner to walking punch-line faster than any pitcher in history. In his first two years with the Giants, they’ve paid him $24.5 million for 376.2 IP at a 4.83 ERA. Only 5 years, $94.5 million left! So why is he a key player? Well, word out of Giants camp is that Zito worked his butt off in the off-season trying to improve and he’s come into camp looking pretty sharp. The Giants have a great 1-2 punch in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. They also signed Randy Johnson in the off-season, who is coming off a surprisingly solid season with Arizona last year. If Zito can be decent, say, 200 IP at a 4.00 ERA, the Giants could end up with one of the best pitching staffs in all of major league baseball. If that’s the case, their staff might be able to overcome their offensive shortcomings and make them a surprise contender in the NL West.
PLAYER TO WATCH: TIM LINCECUM
You should watch him because you’ve probably never seen a pitcher like him. The reigning NL Cy Young award winner is 24, but looks legitimately 14. His pitching style has confounded scouts, and looks as though his body has been caught in a tornado. He brings it at 97-98mph and with his above average breaking pitches, he’s been the most unhittable pitcher in the league in the first 2 seasons he’s been in it. Being on the east coast and the Giants being a subpar club, unless you have Extra Innings or he’s playing the Phillies, there’s not a lot of opportunities to watch him go. But if you get one, take it. To me, there’s nothing quite like watching a dominant pitcher in his prime. Lincecum is dominant, but also extremely unique, make sure you see him once this year.
PHILLY ANGLE
Was Aaron Rowand Worth It?
It was one of the biggest questions of last years’ off-season. Should we re-sign Aaron Rowand? It was my opinion that his demands were too high, and he would never perform as well as he did in 2007. Others argued that his heart and determination were something you couldn’t put a price on, and he should be brought back. The Phillies offered him a modest contract, but the Giants blew us away with their 5 year, $60 million deal. Midway through the season, with the Phillies struggling, many mentioned that Rowand would look nice in our line-up right now. However, the Phillies rallied, won the title, and apparently had more than enough heart to go around. As it turned out, the man that replaced Rowand, Jayson Werth, had a far better season that Rowand, as the stats below show.
Despite only starting part of the year, and having 131 less ABs, Werth had 11 more HR, 18 more SB, and nearly the same # of RBI. His OBP and SLG% were far higher than Rowand, and their VORP’s show that the two weren’t even close in terms of value. Add to this that every defensive metric out there grades Werth as the superior defender (and Rowand as very overrated), and it’s a slam dunk that you would take Werth over Rowand, not even mentioning the $7 million discount. Hindsight is 20/20, and it’s clear the Phillies got this right.
QUICK HITS
Worst Contract: Barry Zito (7 yrs, $126 million, ends in 2013)
Best Pitch: Tim Lincecum’s Fastball
Best Player in a Contract Year: Bengie Molina, C
Top Prospect: Madison Bumgarner, LHP
Best Individual Season: Barry Bonds, 2004* (.362 BA, .609 OBP, .812 SLG%, 1.421 OPS, 45 HR, 101 RBI) *- yes, I know he was on something, but a 1.412 OPS? I don’t know what to do with that. Best non-PED seasons? McCovey in ’69 and Mays in ’54.
Worst Uniforms: 1978
Where’d They Come From?
- Draft, 8
- Free Agent, 5
- Trade, 1 (least in majors)
- Amateur FA, 0
2009 OUTLOOK
4th NL West, 8th NL, 15th MLB
Man, this team could have really used Manny Ramirez. The Giants have a very promising pitching staff, but their line-up is just not going to get it done. The highest OPS by an everyday player last year was .791 by Fred Lewis, good for 82nd in all of baseball. The only addition they made to their offense was replacing Omar Vizquel with Edgar Renteria at short stop. They will be giving some young players a chance to make an impact on offense in Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa, but they would both have to really surprise to give them even a half-decent line-up. I also wouldn’t be too comfortable with Brian Wilson’s 4.62 ERA closing the door in the 9th. Their starters will keep them competitive, and I could see them finishing around .500, but I don’t see them challenging Arizona and LA at the top.
Pete, beautiful shot of McCovey Cove … or has it beeen renamed Bonds Basin in honor of the cordial, self-effacing HR king? Incidentally, from a “buzz”/ticket-selling standpoint, the Pirates could do worse than to sign 40 yr. old Barry for a “Bringin’ It All Back Home” encore season.
Bet he’d drop some red-stitched “bait” into the Monongahela River and amuse the catfish.
Lincecum is one of my favorite players to watch. I’m looking forward to a Webb Lincecum matchup this season – should be a great game.
JUAN MARICHAL from age 25-31, 7 season span, ’63 through ’69 – averaged:
22 W – 9 L 35 GS 23 CG 5.4 SO 288 IP 48 BB 215 K ERA 2.36
to compare with a contemporary great (and fellow countryman),
PEDRO MARTINEZ from age 24-31, 7 season “prime time” stats, ’96-’03 (excluding his abbreviated ’01 season) –
averaged:
17.7 W – 6.1 L 30 GS 5.3 CG 1.7 SO 215.4 IP 51.4 BB 260 K 2.40 ERA
For sustained excellence/dominance, don’t know that I’ve ever seen a better pitcher than Marichal. Of course, “The Dominican Dandy” is a Hall Of Famer. Did not take a back seat to Koufax or Gibson, though he’s been less celebrated, due in part to the Roseboro incident . Wanted to give him his due props on this Giants segment. A masterful hurler.
I haven’t had a geography class since 5th grade, but I’m pretty sure San Francisco is not on the East Coast.
The Giants can definitely compete in the NL West. As a gambler, I am taking the UNDER every time the D-Backs and Giants play each other. If you are a baseball “purist” (whatever that means), you’ll love those games.
PHILLY being on the east coast. WE don’t see him.
At least tickets will be cheaper and easier to get this year than any other with the economy in the dumps. At least if the Giants are competitive the fans will get their moneys worth this year.