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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179010102014-09-13T01:29:13.772-07:00The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan WebsiteTrevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-66564311100105023442014-09-13T00:51:00.001-07:002014-09-13T00:51:48.354-07:00Giants clicking at the right timeAfter a torrid start to the season, and a very sluggish middle of the summer, the Giants have really turned things up of late. They're the top team in the NL Wild Card race and moved to within a game of the NL West-leading Dodgers with Friday night's victory. With a soft schedule and an improving squad, they look primed for a strong finish.

Last post, we talked about the steadiness of the offense, and how they've really done a complete 180 since the emergence of Joe Panik in that two hole and Andrew Susac as Posey's backup. Each rookie's success has given Bochy freedom with the lineup and in turn, this team in hitting and scoring runs like they were in May. Most importantly though is their best hitter has started to look like their best hitter again. Buster Posey was having a steady, yet unspectacular season up until the latter part of August, at which point he's really kicked it into another gear. He's hitting right around .450 with 7 homers and 22 RBI over his last 20 ballgames and like it does when your superstar is rolling, it makes the lineup around him better. It's helping that Angel Pagan and Joe Panik are steadily getting on base atop the lineup, giving the middle guys chances to do damage. Posey and Pence there back-to-back in the 3-4 spots have become one of the more imposing 1-2 punches in the league, and I really think Bochy has stumbled upon something there with that lineup. Pence gives Posey legit protection, and Pence has consistently been the most steady and clutch Giants hitter since opening day and he's a strong choice as the cleanup guy for that reason. Pence was brilliant in the 1 and 2 spots in the lineup, but if you read us consistently here you'll know I've longed for Pence to be moved back to the middle of the order and it's showing exactly why. Thankfully, Joe Panik made it possible.

One thing I wanted to mention as part of this teams success lately too has been the improved play of the bench. They were such a major weakness for this team for much of the season, but with Susac and Ishikawa in tow now and Gregor Blanco all the sudden remembering how to hit a baseball, the Giants appear to be gaining a little bit of depth. Blanco and Posey have been the Giants' two hottest hitters of late, with Blanco registering an average north of .425 in 36 at-bats this month. He's stepped in for Michael Morse seamlessly and has done his part in filling the offensive void since taking over for Morse. Joaquin Arias has also seen his average start to trend upwards of late as well. I'm not quite ready to call the bench a strength, especially with overmatched Juan Perez still seeing crucial at-bats, but they've been getting the job done when it counts of late.

Glancing at the rotation, if you would have told me in June that come September Tim Lineceum would be demoted to the pen and Matt Cain shelved for the year, I would have thought the Giants were toast. However, the Giants rotation, with the way everyone is throwing right now, may be the strongest I've seen it it a couple of years. No Dr. Jeykl and Mr. Hyde Tim Lincecum or the launching pad that was Barry Zito. Madison Bumgarner has been ace-like all year, but Cy Young-like the last couple of months, collecting his 18th win Friday and dropping his ERA to 2.91 with 7 shutout innings of 3-hit ball, 9 K's and no walks vs. the Dodgers. Tim Hudson, although he's not as dominant as he was those first 8 weeks of the season with that low-2 ERA, continues to pitch like a legitimate number 2 and Vogey has been above-average in terms of fifth man standards. The two guys that are really pushing this rotation over the top and making it one of the better, deeper ones in the league though are Jake Peavy and Yusmiero Petit. Peavy has looked like the Peavy of 5 years ago since coming back to the NL West (5-4, 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 47 K's in 9 starts) and the vastly underrated Petit already looks much more effective than the man who's place he took. In fact, I know I'm jumping ahead of things a bit here with two weeks left, but if the Giants go into a "best-of" series, their strongest 4-man rotation right now would be MadBum, Huddy, Peavy and Petit. Despite getting hit pretty hard by the Rockies two starts ago, Petit has the ability to dominate with more regularity than Vogelsong at this point and that's what you need in the postseason. Plus if he's a little shaky in his first postseason outing, Boch can turn to his postseason ace reliever, Tim Lincecum.

Besides beating LA, the Giants got some more good news Friday regarding Brandon Belt, as the first basemen has been cleared to play and may be back in the lineup in the next few days. He could get a pinch hit at-bat or two before re-joining the lineup but should be out there any day now. As far as the other injured Giant, Michael Morse, the progressions are nearly as advanced. Morse is swinging at 50% and his injury which he suffered August 31st, usually has a recovery time of anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks. The Giants are hoping to get Morse back before the end of the year but can't be banking on it, which makes Belt's hopefully successful, return that much more meaningful. And remember, the last time Gregor Blanco was pressed into everyday duty late in the year in left field, the Giants won the World Series. Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-7274658552237731502014-08-30T22:36:00.002-07:002014-08-30T22:53:47.759-07:00Giants getting boost from youngstersA little over a month ago, the Giants were in desperate search for a halfway decent second basemen as they seemingly failed with every guy they trotted out there in Marco Scutaro's absence. Then all the sudden they found themselves in the need of a catcher after concussion issues with multiple players opened a major void behind the plate and Buster Posey.

Enter Joe Panik and Andrew Susac. The Giants top pick from the 2011 draft, Panik had a quiet start to his professional career before a solid season in AA Richmond last year and a torrid start at AAA Fresno this season. He's really been the story of the second half of the season and he just reached the 150 at-bat plateau making 2014 his official rookie year. It's not like his success has been a little 2-week lucky streak either, as he's shown he belongs. The 23 year-old second baseman has thrived in all aspects of the game since taking over the everyday job at second base August 4th. Since that date, he's hit .391 with 1 home run, 8 RBI, 11 runs and a .907 OPS in 87 at-bats. He's taken over the second spot in the order, finally allowing Hunter Pence to move back down into the middle, something I've been asking for since June. Panik's been a big reason why the offensive ship has seemed to right itself, and why the Giants are optimistic heading into September. After Saturday night's win over Milwaukee, they now sit atop the NL Wild card standings, and are now just 2.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. What was once a black hole on the roster, and a spot that most assumed would go without a legitimate Major League caliber player the rest of the year not only has become a strength now, but a commodity for the future.

Andrew Susac, playing behind Buster Posey, hasn't had the chance to make quite the impact that Panik has, but he's made a strong impression on the Giants' staff himself. He's hitting .225 with 2 homers and 9 RBI in 60 at-bats, but has hit over .250 with both his HR and 8 RBI in the month of August. With Hector Sanchez likely out for the year due to concussion complications, and Brandon Belt still on the DL through at least mid-September with the same issue, the Giants will need Susac to avoid the rookie mishaps with a big role down the stretch. Michael Morse will continue to be the primary first basemen until Belt does return, and luckily Gregor Blanco is hitting a bit better out in left, but should things change and Blanco starts slumping and/or Belt doesn't return soon, it'll all lead to more playing time for Susac.

The Giants didn't make that blockbuster deadline deal, but they've gotten a shot in the arm from aforementioned rookies and the one deal they did make has slowly but surely begun to pay off. Jake Peavy took a no-hitter into the 8th inning Saturday night at AT&T Park vs. the Brewers. He did yield a one-out single to Mark Reynolds in the top of the eighth inning to lose the bid but put together his best outing in a Giants uni by far. He now sits at 3-4 with a 2.66 ERA in 7 starts since coming over from Boston and all of the sudden is looking like the San Diego Jake Peavy. With Tim Lincecum's move to pen likely permanent the rest of the year, the Giants will need everybody in the rotation to step it up and so far the results have been there. Lincecum did have that hot streak during his no-hitter where it did look like he was beginning to take that next step, but he's become a liability and a guy that's almost a guaranteed loss lately. Moving him from the rotation is addition by subtraction in itself, so if Petit pitches like he did vs. the Rockies Thursday, then this rotation will be much stronger down the stretch. Not to mention, Lincecum has shown to be brilliant in his short stints in relief during his career, so hopefully the Giants have an ace reliever to use in any situation down the stretch. A wild-card that Bruce Bochy could get real creative with.

Random Notes: The Giants offense as a whole seems to be heating up. Pablo Sandoval has been steadily warming up, Buster Posey has been hitting balls out of the ballpark and watching his average rise, and even Michael Morse is starting to drive in runs with more consistency. Brandon Belt isn't expected to start doing any baseball work for two more weeks, but this team may have enough to get into the postseason without him. At which point, they most definitely will need him, so they have to do whatever is necessary to get Belt healthy over the next month.... Besides the guys getting the headlines these days like the Peavy's and Panik's, there have been some unsung heroes as well. One of which has been Travis Ishikawa, who's finally given this team a professional bat off the bench and hopefully someone they can keep on the roster after Belt comes back (assuming Belt does come back)... We've hit the waiver trade deadline day, and unless the Giants get something done in the next 24 hours (highly unlikely), then they will be getting no more outside help the rest of the way, and if they do, that person won't be postseason eligible. Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-50692890269915388082014-08-13T19:33:00.001-07:002014-08-13T19:57:51.814-07:00Giants must take advantage of scheduleWith the way things are going, it's hard to imagine the Giants aren't more than five back in the West and still right near the top of the NL Wild Card race. Nevertheless, after they've failed to turnaround a miserable end to the first half, they're still very much alive in the playoff race and have plenty of baseball left.

First of all, if they're going to get things back on track, they have to start taking advantage of the soft schedule they have coming up. They wound up splitting the mini two-game set with Chicago, but now is the chance to really get going. Their next 6 games are against the sinking Phillies and rebuilding Cubs, and if they cannot manage to muster up a winning record vs. those two, then maybe it'll be a tell of what's to come. To finish off the month, things are going to get harder as they have a trip to Washington on tap and then a showdown with the NL Central leading Brewers to close out August. Obviously, in order for them take advantage of these next two series, they're going to have to start hitting the ball and scoring some runs. Jake Peavy was brilliant vs. the Sox Wednesday and was finally rewarded with a bit of run support in that 7th inning to avoid yet another tough luck loss due to run support. The win was Peavy's first as a Giant but hardly his first quality outing. That overturned call at the plate really shifted some momentum, otherwise, they may have not scored that day the way the offense was looking. Look no further than Buster Posey's lead-off triple in the fifth, after which the Giants' 4-5-6 hitters all failed to get the guy in, as a testament to the failures in the clutch for this team. When they hit they win, period. That simple.

Now, it's not all bad. They did manage to win Wednesday and avoid what was starting to look like it was going to be a frustrating two-game sweep at the hands of the ChiSox up until that seventh inning and have an off-day before the Phils come to town Friday. They've gotten Angel Pagan back now for a week, and he looks healthy and has started to contribute, coming up with the big two-RBI, two-out single to give them the lead Wednesday. They also seem to have found at least a semi-decent option at second base in young Joe Panik. The youngster had a couple of multi-hit games last week and has hit safely in seven of his last nine ballgames. In the last 10 days, his average has spiked 60 points and his OPS has gone up over 100 points. With Matt Duffy's demotion and the Giants abandoning their search for second basemen, it looks like they're going to roll with the rookie the rest of the way, and that's not a bad thing at all. Now, if he can keep showing ability at the plate like he has been, maybe the Giants could move him up into the number two spot in the order and get Pence's bat back into the middle of the lineup. Even hitting mostly leadoff, he's led the Majors in RBI since the break. I think one of the major problems with this offense is not having Pence in the middle of the order where he can do the most damage. Of course, they need to have guys getting on ahead of him in order to do that, but Angel Pagan, and hopefully now Joe Panik, are showing the capability of doing that.

Speaking of the middle of the order, the Giants have to be concerned with what's going on with Brandon Belt, and it's something I've had a bad feeling about for a while. Something about this concussion just sounded like it may be something that hampers him the rest of the way and if that's the case, you can kiss his season goodbye. That's the big question mark at this point. They got Pagan back, they appear to have found a solution at second and now just have to get that one final link back in Brandon Belt for this team to be all systems go, but nobody knows quite when that will be. He's first eligble Friday, but there has been no indication of that or a return at all this weekend. My guess is the Giants will play it safe and give it at least two weeks this time before testing the big first basemen. They still have a big month ahead of them in September and if they need to rest Belt an extra week to insure he's ready to go full throttle next month then so be it.

Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-4334584595231519792014-08-01T23:14:00.000-07:002014-08-02T00:09:37.062-07:00Giants banking on Pagan, BeltThe Major League Baseball trade deadline came and passed Thursday afternoon, and although there were a flurry of moves in what was one of the busiest deadline day's in recent years, the Giants were one of the clubs that stayed quiet.

They did make the deal to bring in Jake Peavy just 5 days prior, so the sense of urgency to get something done wasn't there and apparently Brian Sabean didn't like any offers that were out there as he scoured for second basemen and outfield help. The Rays did end up dealing David Price, but there was no deal for Ben Zobrist, who was probably the most intriguing name linked to the Giants over the last week or so leading up to the deadline. The guy who I was monitoring as a plan B to Zobrist was Chicago's Emilio Bonafacio, but he was dealt to Atlanta for one of the Braves' lower level prospects instead. That being said, I'm not surprised at all the Giants ended up standing pat. I don't think they really loved any of the trade options out there, certainly not enough to part with someone like Kyle Crick or Andrew Sussac. Sabean apparently felt confident that Angel Pagan and Brandon Belt will both be back healthy and ready to contribute soon ( both expected back within the next 7 days) but I would have liked to get that one insurance guy like a Bonafacio for the bench.

The Giants' depth is sorely lacking, and if they suffer another injury in the outfield, or anywhere on the diamond for that matter, they're going to be in a tough spot yet again. It's not like this issue came out of nowhere either. I voiced my concerns over the lack of depth over the offseason as it crippled them last year and they failed to address it before the start of this season. I haven't done research on this particular area but I'd venture to guess that there aren't many (if any) teams has gotten worse production out of their bench than the Giants. It's made it so even when players do get back and healthy, it's going to be next to impossible for Boch to rest any of his prominent bats down the stretch.

Nevertheless, we'll have to hope that Jake Peavy is enough for now and if a second basemen becomes available in the next few weeks, maybe they'll be able to do something through waivers. The only good part about being behind the Dodgers in the standings for the time being is that they'd have first access to available players through waivers, meaning they cannot be blocked by LA. The Peavy deal is not looking too shabby now at all though, as Matt Cain is looking more and more likely to need surgery to repair some bone fragments that have been causing discomfort in his elbow. The good news is it's not Tommy John Surgery, which would likely shelve Cain for 12 months, but rather a lesser procedure that requires a 2-3 month recovery time. If he gets that done before the end of the season as expected, he should be good to go by Spring Training. So it appears like the Giants will need Peavy in that spot the rest of the way and probably in the playoff rotation as well should they make it. A free agent to be, Peavy knows a good final two months and helping push the Giants into postseason could put him back on the radar in terms of next winter's free agent starting pitching class and negate some of the lack of success he had in Boston. He wasn't bad in his Giants' debut Sunday with a quality 6 innings and really only had one inning in which he was in trouble. I think he's going to be sturdy down the stretch for this club and become another positive reclamation story as long as he gets some run support.

What the Giants are really banking on now is a strong return from Pagan and Belt, which if happens, will be like trading for two impact bats in a way. The Giants haven't had these guys in the lineup together since early May, at which time the Giants had the best record in baseball and really had none of the offensive problems they've been going through now. So long as both avoid setbacks, both should be back with the club by next weekend, and that's when the Giants can really start to analyze things and see if they need to make one or two final tinkers through waivers. Also, while they can't be blocked by the Dodgers in their current standing, they may find themselves in a situation where they need to claim a player in order to keep him from LA themselves. In 2010 they ended up with Cody Ross for exactly that reason, and look how well that worked out for them down the stretch. I would be surprised if the Giants don't do something through waivers between now and the end of August. I do think they're good enough to win the division with a healthy Belt and Pagan, but again, I have my concerns with their depth as well as their issues at second base. They shouldn't be complacent with their roster as is and should certainly be looking to upgrade in anyway possible.

Notes: The Giants have been busy with call-ups and send downs recently, as they try to search for in-house candidates to give this offense a shot in the arm. They released Dan Uggla Wednesday and brought up AA Richmond standout Matt Duffy to give him a try at second base. Andrew Sussac has taken over as Buster Posey's backup with Hector Sanchez out and they recalled Juan Perez to take Tyler Colvin's roster spot as Colvin was DFA'd Wednesday. You can see them trying to mix things up and just hope something clicks with somebody. I have to admit I was a tad surprised by the Uggla release, but his rope was going to be short all along and his 3-error game mixed with lackluster results at the plate closed the book on that experiment before it could really hurt them. Now, it looks like second base will belong to Panik and Duffy unless of course they get something done through waivers. Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-41082857111556380492014-07-27T00:15:00.000-07:002014-07-29T00:08:28.588-07:00Giants add Peavy, may not be doneWith under a week to go until the non-waiver trade deadline, the Giants urgent needs have become apparent. On Saturday, they made a move to attempt to tackle one need, but they shouldn't be done quite yet.

With Matt Cain's uncertain health status and off year to this point, another veteran starter that can be used in the rotation while Cain is on the mend was something Brian Sabean felt was a necessity. The one guy that was linked to them early and made some sense was Boston's Jake Peavy and on Saturday evening, the Giants went out and obtained him from the Red Sox for two of their more prominent minor league arms. He's no stranger to the NL West either and a move to the spacious AT&T Park should probably work wonders for the 33 year-old. Just look how well it's worked out for Tim Hudson. Peavy certainly hopes it boosts his production, because his season to this point in Boston has been downright dreadful (1-9, 4.79 ERA). That's where there's some cause for concern with this move. Peavy didn't come cheaply as the Giants had to part with Edwin Escobar (the organizations top left-handed starter) and one of their top relief prospects, Heath Hembree. Granted, these two aren't necessarily "can't miss" elite level prospects, but in a system as baron as the Giants', they were each in the organizations top-10 prospect list for 2014. The veteran right-hander has been better over his last month, sporting a sub-4 ERA and 29 K's in just 25 innings. He was solid for the Red Sox down the stretch last season after they acquired him from Chicago, and the Giants are hoping he delivers much of the same for them the final two months of the season and (hopefully) into October.

They're wasting no time with their newest acquisition either as Peavy will make his Giants debut Sunday evening vs. the Dodgers at AT&T Park. What a way to make your debut with a new team, vs. the rivals on the national stage of Sunday Night Baseball, and Peavy can definitely win his way into Giants' fans good graces right off the bat with a victory. Beyond that though, Peavy's going to have to throw well down the stretch in order for this deal to pay off. I'm curious as to how much more they would have had to part with in order to get Ian Kennedy as he was at the top of my list (even though it was a long shot). The expectations will be there for the former Padres ace. Much better than trotting Yusmiero Petit out there every fifth day, but it'll be quite interesting to see what Bochy does if Matt Cain does come back strong in late August or September. This deal signifies the Giants aren't banking on that though.

So, with 3+ days until the deadline, the Giants can scratch starting pitcher off the list, but Sabean may not be done. At least he shouldn't be. The Giants have made their search for an outfield bat well known, preferably someone who can hit towards the top of the order. Angel Pagan appears to be on the mend at the moment, and could be back within 10 days. However, with his nagging injuries over the last two season, having a backup plan on the roster may not be a bad idea. They did just call-up Dan Uggla, who made his debut in Friday night's game. They've had success with players in similar situations like Uggla in the past and are hoping to strike gold again. With all the options they have lined up at second now, they have to be banking on one of Uggla, Panik, Arias, Abreu, Hicks or Adrianza to emerge there (not expecting anything else from Scutaro this year). My guess is Uggla and Panik (when he gets back) will get most of the run there. If not, they very well could re-visit second base options later down the line in August. I was monitoring the closer market a few weeks back, but with Santiago Casilla's emergence in the closer spot it's made the bullpen one area that's locked down. If something unforeseen happens in August, relievers are always the easiest thing to come by before the waiver deadline of August 31st.

As far as outfielders are concerned, there are two guys that stick out to me that have been rumored to have the Giants' interest. The one guy that would seem to make all the sense in the world for this team, and some, is Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist, who's been linked to the Giants by a few different publications. He can play second base or the outfield, whatever the team needs, and can hit at the top of the order, which again, is what this team needs. He'd probably cost a pretty penny to obtain from Tampa, but could make enough impact to warrant it. Alex Rios is another option that's out there, albeit not a very intriguing one. Chris Denorfia and Justin Ruggiano a couple of the 4th outfielder-type options they could look at as fall backs. Unless the Giants feel Pagan will come back strong the rest of the way and Michael Morse will finish off the last two months of the year the way he started the first two, they're going to need to get another impact player out there and preferably at top of the order guy. Then there's Brandon Belts issues as well to take into account, as concussions are no small matter and can linger longer than expected in some cases. Even if it's not a big name, starting caliber guy, there are tons of upgradeable options to the Blanco's, Perez's and Colvin's they've been trotting out there in Pagan's absence and/or when Morse shifts to first.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-50649677792472176092014-07-15T13:48:00.001-07:002014-07-15T14:02:48.230-07:00Giants' mid-season report cardAs a team limping into it, the all-star break couldn't have come quick enough for the Giants after their downward spiral that started in early June.

Over the last several weeks, they've demoted their closer, lost their leadoff hitting center fielder and have gotten next to nothing offensively from the second base, shortstop, center field and left field positions over the last 4-6 weeks. That's 1/2 your lineup vastly underachieving so it's easy to see where the chunk of the Giants' downfall blame should lay. Hunter Pence has been about as steady as they come after a quiet week or two to start the year, and he earned himself a trip to Minnesota because of it. I'd say, that despite his major slump and lack of production since the team started losing, Michael Morse has been a plus. His surge early in the year helped the Giants build that record and lead in the NL West, so I'd say when all things are considered, you have to be happy with what you got from Morse (overall) in the first half. Posey has been decent but far from the superstar he can be. Pablo Sandoval had a tale of two quarters, as he was downright dreadful the first 1/4 of the year, but bounced out of his funk in a big way in May and has gotten his numbers to a respectable spot. Other than that though, there hasn't been much to hang your hat on for the Giants offense. Pagan has been great when out there, but has only played 63 games. Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt have each had some hot spots, but neither of their numbers impress you too much at the break. Now if Belt stayed healthy and didn't hit the DL for 6 weeks, he very well could have been a representative in Monday's Home Run Derby, but unfortunately it wasn't the case.

As for the pitching, the rotation had it's bumps early and some along the way, but they've really been about as good, if not better than expected. Madison Bumgarner had an all-star half with 10 wins, a 3.47 ERA and 127 K's. Giants newcomer Tim Hudson also made the team as a replacement with his 2.87 ERA and 7 wins over 119 innings. I think the real surprise though, even more than Huddy, has been the recent re-emergence of Tim Lincecum. Even before his no-hitter, Lincecum was making waves towards consistency, and it's like that second no-no snapped him back into his groove for good. Over the last 30 days, he's gone 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 25 K's over 36.1 innings of work. Although his K's are down slightly, his WHIP and ERA are lower than they've been since '11, so he'll gladly take it. At 9-5 with a 3.66 ERA, he's more than capable of reaching 16-17 wins with a sub-4 ERA and 175 K's if he keeps up his new found consistency. Another Giants' starter who's got their swagger back this year is Ryan Vogelsong. Although his first half ended in 4 straight loses where the Giants scored a total of ONE run for the man (posted a 3.27 ERA in that span), he's been giving the Giants solid outings and their certainly their money's worth. Despite the frustrating lack of run-support, he's kept his head straight and will look to build off his tough luck, 5-7/3.84/1.28 line over the last 11 weeks of the year. Now that Lincecum and Vogey have gotten going, the Giants really hope big things lay ahead in the second half for Matt Cain as they need him to be himself down the stretch. He hasn't been as bad as his 2-7 record indicates, but this is definitely one of the worst seasons of his career all around.

As a whole, the Giants rotation is sporting an ERA of 3.67 which isn't bad by any stretch, but not as good as some of the front-runners in the NL, and certainly not up to par with their SoCal nemesis LA Dodgers (3.08). The Brewers are the only first or second place team in the league with a higher rotation ERA, but they also have one of the better offenses in all of the league to help make up for the difference. So, in short, the rotation has done enough to win but if they're going to ensure their spot in October, it wouldn't hurt to see that rotation get that ERA maybe down to 3.50 or below to help for the inconsistent offense.

The other part of the pitching staff, the bullpen, has really been a strength. Take away Sergio Romo's recent hiccups during this losing streak, and the Giants have had one of the deeper, more effective bullpens in the league. Giants' relievers hold a 2.82 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Juan Gutierrez (3.11) and Sergio Romo (4.86)
are the only two with 20+ games that don't have a sub-3 ERA. Jean Machi (1.64/0.99) and Santiago Casilla (1.02/0.79) have been flat out stars and Jeremy Affeldt is having the best year of his career at 35 (1.64/0.99). Javy Lopez, Yusmiero Petit and Goerge Kontos can't go unmentioned, as Lopez continues to be the left-handed destroyer he's always been. Petit has quietly put together a nice half too after a slow start. He leads the Giants staff with a 10.6 K/9 rate, and gives the Giants an ideal spot starter or fill in when someone needs a breather or gets hurt down the stretch. I really like the way the bullpen has shaped up, and I like the depth they have with guys like Kontos, Dave Huff and Jake Dunning proven and ready to contribute when need be. However, as good as they are as a unit and even though Casilla seems to have righted the ship in terms of the closers spot, I think this is one area the team could definitely still build on by the trade deadline or possibly the waiver-deadline.

As far as the grades, the offense started out so hot and had this team playing so well which got them to the point they were at the 1/3 point. It has allowed them to take on water without completely drowning and they can't go completely unnoticed. The pitching has clearly been the foundation of the 2014 squad though, both the pen and the rotation. The rotation sports 4 guys who are on pace for double-digit wins, and the one who isn't is Matt Cain, who's capable of being an ace again at any given moment. He did finish off the first half well, throwing three consecutive quality starts, including one 7-inning shutout. Hopefully it's a sign of things t come over the next couple of months. Overall, I give the Giants rotation a B for the first half, and the bullpen a B+. Both solid, but neither perfect by any stretch.

Now, onto the offense. Had I done this at the quarter point after May, your looking at quite possibly a high B, maybe even low A. They were hitting for power, average, stealing bases, getting the 2-out hit and production all over the lineup (including from a seldom known second basemen). However, things have gone in the opposite direction the last month and a half. All things considered, I give the Giants offensive performance a letter grade of C- for the first half. The defense has really been a non-issue for the most part, which is a good thing. Michael Morse has been less of an adventure in left field than I thought he'd be so far, and even though the Giants haven't gotten any offense out of second base, the defense there has been stellar.

Looking Ahead: As we look toward the second half, there are both things that we have to look forward to, and questions that still need to be answered. Hopefully the return of Marco Scutaro yields positive results and allows the Giants to erase second base as one of their areas of concern. Hopefully we have Angel Pagan to look forward to returning before the end of the month, because as good as this pitching can be, I don't think the Giants are a Wold Series contender without a legit leadoff man. If that means they need to venture into the trade market should Pagan not be ready in time, so be it. As I've said here before, the Giants have 3 main question marks right now. One is hopefully being answered in the form of Marco Scutaro, but is very much still in question at the moment. The other two are the center field spot and the closers spot. The Giants don't have the trade ammunition to go out and take their pick of available 9th inning guys or all star outfielders, but they may be able to pluck one useful piece from somewhere if they play their cards right. Again, time will tell as to what exactly they need, but I do expect the Giants to do whatever they can to make a push towards another World Series ring, if that means making another deal or two, so be it. It also wouldn't surprise me to see Scutaro start hitting, Pagan come back and Sabean stand pat. Either way, it'll be a telling couple weeks ahead as we prepare to hit the stretch.

First Half MVP: Hunter Pence (.300, 12 HR, 67 Runs, 8 SB)
Top Starter: Tim Hudson (119 IP, 7 W, 2.87 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
Top Reliever: Santiago Casilla ( 31 G, 1.01 ERA, 0.82 WHIP
Biggest Surprise: Jean Machi (41 G, 5 W, 1.64 ERA, 0.99 WHIP)
Biggest Disappointment: Matt Cain (2-7, 4.18 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)

*Cain gets disappointment both because his number of losses and lack of impact he's had. Romo is a close 2nd though. Bumgarner and his 10 wins make a case for top starter, but I don't think you can't forget Huddy's impact early on when MadBum started a bit slow.Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-21117953823550548382014-07-08T22:13:00.002-07:002014-07-08T22:13:48.622-07:00Giants counting days until All-Star breakFor a club with the recent struggles the Giants have had and the way they're banged up and in need of a rest right now, the All-Star break cannot come soon enough.

Last week, we discussed at length some of the issues with the pitching staff, both relief and in the rotation, but right now the team's offense looks tired and are in the midst of a prolonged slump. This offense went through the first 2 months of the season hitting for both power and average, making run-scoring pretty much a non-issue. It helped them get out to that huge lead in the West and to the best record in all of baseball. However, injuries have struck, and some of the guys that started out the year on a tear have mellowed out a bit, and all of the sudden the offense is looking like it's 2013 all over again. OK, not quite that bad, but not certainly not good. The Giants are hoping to get Angel Pagan back soon after the All-Star break, but an exact date has yet to be determined. Losing him really has caused a ripple effect as it's left the team without a true leadoff hitter, forcing Hunter Pence into duties with Gregor Blanco struggling. The Giants need Pence in the middle of the order in a run-producing role. He's been successful in the number 2 hole for most of the season and would probably do fine in the leadoff spot, but it's best for the team when this guy is somewhere towards the middle. Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse each had hits in Tuesday's loss in Oakland, but they've been cold over the last couple of weeks and haven't been driving in runs in the limited opportunities they've been given and moving Pence down would be a huge boost.

The move may not be far off either, as the Giants could be getting some real good news in the next week to ten days. Marco Scutaro, who's been MIA all spring and throughout the season to this point, started a rehab assignment with Fresno Monday and had a hit in three at-bats. The veteran second basemen says he feels very good, and at this point it's just getting him back up to game speed and building his endurance to handle the 9 inning game day after day. So long as he avoids and set-backs though, which as we know is no certainty, he could be back soon after the all-star break himself. Assuming he does come back and can play nearly everyday, he very well could assume the leadoff role until Pagan returned, at which time they'd each go back to their regular spots. Again, it's a big if, but if they can get Pagan and Scutaro back in the next two weeks, this team will be at full strength for the first time all year. I'd imagine Belt would stay in the third spot, Posey fourth, Pence fifth, Sandoval sixth and Morse seventh. It would finally give the Giants and Bochy the lineup they envisioned this winter after they inked Morse.

I'm gonna stay optimistic on Scutaro just because he sounds optimistic about his health for the first time since before last season. Also because Giants' second basemen are hitting a combined .179 this season and they desperately need that steady bat back in the lineup. Pagan is still worrying me a bit because he's now being sent to where Scutaro spent the first 3 months of the year in Arizona at extended spring training but Bochy's expecting him back soon after the break so I guess it can't be too bad. It's just that leadoff role is so crucial and Pagan has been so good there and makes such a difference in this lineup when he's healthy that he'd be tough to replace. Hopefully they won't have to.

Notes: Brandon Crawford is one of the guys who is in desperate need of the all-star break. The Giants have been unable to rest him much in the first half and his production both at the plate and in the field has taken a hit lately... Santiago Casilla (1.08 ERA) is a perfect 2 for 2 in save opportunities since being named closer last week. He hasn't allowed a run since April 27th and if the Giants don't add a closer before the deadline, appears to be the main man down the stretch... As further testament to the team's offensive struggles, they mustered just one run in the two-game set across the bay vs. a strong Oakland pitching staff. On top of that, All-Star Madison Bumgarner got raked hard for the third consecutive start on Tuesday, giving up 6 runs on 10 hits over 7 innings. Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-26288813722779535592014-07-02T01:31:00.000-07:002014-07-04T00:20:24.813-07:00Changes on horrizon after rough June?One Month ago today, pretty much everything was going in the Giants favor. They were the ones getting the big hit late in games and getting the excellent starting pitching which led to the best record in baseball and a comfortable led in the West.

Fast forward four weeks, however, and all of the sudden they're neck and neck with the Dodgers for a stranglehold on the division with the All-Star break quickly approaching.

It hasn't just been one area of the team that caused the 10-16 June and a 1-6 stretch over their last 7 games. The lineup has been struggling majorly as they try and endure some missing components and I'm not going to rip them too much in this one. The starting five is fully in tact and apparently healthy and need to be setting the tone for this team right now. The rotation has had each guy (sans Tim Lincecum) has been hit hard in recent outings. Even Tim Hudson, who's essentially been "Mr. Perfect" since dawning the orange and black, had a losing month and has been shelled in two of his last three outings. The real concern in the starting rotation though has to lie with Matt Cain, dreadful start to 2014 (now 1-6 with a 4.38 ERA through June) may be on the way towards getting branded the rotation's new whipping boy. Especially if "The Freak" keeps throwing the way he has been. Opposite to Cain's struggles, Timmy's been peaking lately, following up his no-hit effort vs. San Diego last week with 8 shutout innings against a much more challenging St. Louis club on Tuesday. Lincecum struck out 6 and allowed just 4 hits and 2 walks. His stuff has been live and most importantly, he's been in command of it. He was throwing crisp breaking balls in the 8th inning of Tuesday's game, and I saw him hit 93 on the radar gun a few different times, which is another good sign. His ERA has dropped to 4.06 and WHIP to 1.29 with his solid showing over the last few weeks (4 out of 5 quality starts) and he's carrying a winning record at 7-5. It's the first time he's had a winning record this deep into a season since 2011. Not to say the 2009 "Franchise" Lincecum is back, but he's showing he's still got the ability to be a good, even dominant at times, starting pitcher in this league and it'll be huge if he can sustain it.

Getting back to Matt Cain though real quickly, he did have a nice start his last time out vs. Cincinnati and didn't get any run support, but the Giants have to be somewhat concerned about him after going this long into the season without finding a groove yet. Especially when you factor in last season's mediocre end results. Unfortunately for the Giants over the last several seasons, their most expensive pitcher has been turning out to be their weakest link. I know that has mostly been because of Barry Zito, let's just hope Cainer doesn't fall into a similar rut now that he's $20 million man on the staff for the next half decade.

Now, although the starting pitching get's most of the the noise and attention, the bullpen hasn't fully been pulling it's weight and has done their part in contributing to the team's rough play, in large part due to Sergio Romo's struggles. The right-hander has given up 15 runs in his last 15 innings of work with his latest blown save coming Saturday vs. Cincinnati and has simply become way too inconsistent to be used in save situations. As good as he was down the stretch in 2012 and for most of 2013, I've always had the feeling that Romo wasn't the long-term answer at closer. I feel he's at his best being used more as a set-up guy and someone who can come on to get those tough right-handers out, almost like a right-handed version of Javy Lopez but more versatile. I like the idea of my closer being able to throw one by a hitter when they have to, and Romo just didn't have that kind of fastball. Eventually, guys are going to see the slider enough that they're going to figure it out. Now, Boch has made the decision to go with more of a two-headed closer with Casilla and Affeldt for the time being. They aren't ruling out the possibility of Romo returning to that role, but if he has success back in the set-up role and the Giants start winning again, I don't think they'll move him.

That leaves the question as to what to do down the stretch with the closer's role as we rarely see any team succeed into October with the closer-by-committee approach. It's possible one of the two guys takes the job and runs with it, but both have had their shot numerous times in the past and have never been able to fully seize the job. As we inch closer to the July 31st Trade Deadline, the Giants pressing needs are appearing much more clearly. Obviously, they're going to be keeping their eyes and ears open on the possibilities at second base, and they now should also be very much in the market for a closer or someone with ample closing experience. There certainly should be no shortage of potential options. Huston Street is one guy that immediately comes to mind, although significant inner-division deals can be tricky to get done sometimes. Jonathan Broxton, Jonathan Papelbon and Joakim Soria in addition to Street are guys who may be available if their respective teams drift further out of the race by the end of the month. Papelbon may be the most attainable, and may not be a bad choice for the Giants either. He's under contract for next year and wouldn't just be a rental. Plus he's having one of the better seasons of his career right now with a 1.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 18 saves at the mid-way point. He could provide a Hunter Pence-like lift for the bullpen and solidify it as one of the premiere units in all of baseball.

As far as who their number one priority will be come deadline is still to be determined. If Angel Pagan's bulging disk decides not to go away and he has to get surgery (very much a possibility), then finding a leadoff hitter would probably immediately take priority over the other two. We'll just have to wait and see, hopefully Pagan's back and proving strong and dependable before the All-Star break and make it a non-issue. We all know how much better that offense goes when Pagan's out there and it's no big surprise this offense endured Brandon Belt's absence almost seamlessly, but really hit a wall when Pagan departed a few weeks back.

Medical Watch: Speaking of hurting Giants, we talked a bit about Pagan, who's been shelved since June 15th with a bad back, and now has been diagnosed with a bulging disc in his lower back, pushing back his expected return date of July 1st at least a few days, possibly even a week or more. At the moment, Pagan expects to be able to heal on his own with some more time, but no concrete timetable has been given yet... Brandon Belt, out since early May with a fractured left thumb, has been tearing it up to the tune of a 10-17 line with 3 big flies in his rehab assignment in Fresno. He's still at least a few days off though as well, as he's working out some soreness with the thumb. He could be back as early as Friday, or as late as Tuesday next week, depending on when Boch feels he's ready. Once these two return (hopefully within a few days of each other), the offense should get a major boost and hopefully start putting up runs like they were back in April.Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-4086395523707415702014-06-19T23:13:00.002-07:002014-06-19T23:23:53.218-07:00Pitching, untimely hitting has Giants in rutEntering play about 10 days ago on June 9th, the Giants had the best record in baseball and sat nearly 20 games above .500. However, a 1-8 run since that date has dropped them back down to earth and has shrunk their lead on the 2nd place Dodgers to just 4 games.

A big reason for the Giants rut has been because of some unstable pitching, from the top of the rotation through the back end of the bullpen. Tim Hudson had his worst outing as a Giant this week in Chicago vs. the White Sox, giving up 7 runs on 12 hits in just 4 1/3 innings. Matt Cain followed up Hudson's outing with his worst outing of the 2014 season as well, giving up 8 runs om 10 hits in 5 innings. All those short outings have caused the bullpen to be called upon quite frequently, and while they've done an admirable job, the workload may be takings it's toll on the most important arm in that pen. The starting pitching has shown it'll have some downs here and there, but for the most part, they're going to do their job and provide quality outings. I'm not too worried there. As we inch toward the halfway point in the season however, the Giants' energetic closer sits at a pedestrian 3-3 with a 5.04 ERA and 20/24 in save opportunities. While the save ratio isn't terrible, he was nails up until about the last month, when he's seen his ERA balloon from 2.21 up to where it stands now. As of now, Sergio Romo's job is not in any kind of jeopardy, but one has to think that if his ERA hovers around 5 and his ineffectiveness continues through the All-Star break, talk of change will certainly surface.

I've always liked the idea of being able to use Romo freely anyway, and not tying him down to the ninth inning only. As we all know, the saves don't necessarily always take place in the 9th inning, and Romo was as good as any in those situations. Not that I'm abandoning hope of him rebounding though. In fact, if I were to bet, I'd expect him to bounce back and I doubt anyone else but #54 will be getting consistent save opportunities anytime soon in San Francisco. It is worth keeping an eye on nevertheless.

Elsewhere with the squad, the Giants have gotten some good news in regards to Brandon Belt's rehabilitation, as the first basemen is on track to rejoin the team sometime in the next two weeks. I've been hearing the end of June as a target date, but My guess would be sometime in that first week of July. Either way, it'll be great to get the big first basemen back, as it will significantly deepen this lineup and allow Bochy to start using a more consistent day-in and day-out lineup like he prefers to do. While Belt is on the mend, the Giants leadoff hitter and center fielder, Angel Pagan, had to leave the team earlier this week to get has back looked. Pagan's ailment is being labeled as "lower back stiffness" but the fact that he had to leave the team to get a second opinion does raise some red flags. Already without their steady #2 hitter Marco Scutaro for what could be the entire season, they absolutely cannot afford to lose their leadoff guy for any long period of time, so expect the Giants to be cautious with Pagan. We've seen the Giants do a good job in being able to fill Brandon Belt's shoes while he's been down, but Pagan is almost like Posey in a way that nobody comes close to doing what he does as well as he does. That's how important Pagan is to this lineup and hopefully we see him back out there this weekend without missing a beat.

Giants All-Star Watch: I'm about to fill out my All-Star ballot, and although I'm a die-hard Giants fan, I don't sit there and punch in all Giants to start the game. This game means something now, and it should be treated as such. There really is no Giant that is worthy of starting this years game, not even Buster Posey, but there are a handful of guys deserving to represent the NL at Target Field next month. Although plenty can change in the 4 weeks before the game, as of now, I'd say their are four players that should make the cut with one on the fence. Madison Bumgarner, Hunter Pence, Tim Hudson and Jean Machi all should be virtual locks with the way they've played and the impact they've had on the Giants great start. I'd put Michael Morse right their on the fence as he's put up big numbers and seems to always put them up when they really count.

2nd Base Watch: Despite Brandon Hicks' abysmal slump and Ehire Adrianza's in-ability to get anything going with the bat, the Giants don't have any immediate plans to bring up either of their two most logical in-house replacements, Adam Duval or Joe Panik. The 25 year-old Duval has a better chance since he's on the 40-man and can also play some first base. Plus he's having a monstrous season in Fresno, leading the PCL with 22 jacks, a .293 average, 64 RBI and a .983 OPS. Panik, a first round selection in 2011, is finally playing up to his capabilities in Fresno and the Giants aren't likely to disrupt the 23 year-old at the moment (.313/5/43/.811).Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-85896473873104775822014-06-07T16:45:00.000-07:002014-06-07T16:45:10.309-07:00A look at Giants' top pick Tyler BeedeOne of the bright spots coming out of an otherwise dreary 2013 season was the fact, thanks to the 10-game below .500 finish, the Giants ended up with a decent slot in this year's amateur draft.

With the 14th overall selection in the first round, the Giants nabbed one of the top collegiate arms in the draft in University of Vanderbilt ace Tyer Beede. The Junior right-hander was the 12th ranked prospect in this years draft, according to Baseball America, and was selected in the first round once before in 2011. Needless to say, the hype is there and the expectations will be big. He's got the size, at 6'4" and 215 pounds, the power arm (fastball averages 93-94 and tops out at 97) and already has some pretty nice secondary stuff as well. Coming into this season, he was projected to go as high as the top-5, but a slow start knocked him down about 10 spots, making him a great value pick for the Giants at 14 after some feel they "reached" on shortstop Christian Arroyo last year. He exactly why the Giants were so high on him in his last start before the draft on May 31st vs. Xavier, striking out 14 batters and allowing just 4 hits over 8 shutout innings. The reason why he was so hyped coming into the year was because he was coming off a 14-1, 2.37 ERA, 103 K line (over 17 starts and 101 innings) in sophomore season. His Junior year, while solid, wasn't nearly as dominant, as he's gone 8-7 with a 3.20 ERA.

He has cut down on his free passes, which is really the only glaring weakness in his game at the moment. He's allowed 138 BB in 271 collegiate innings. When he gets in trouble, it's usually a command issue, as opposing hitters are hitting for a ridiculously low average off him, but his WHIP doesn't quite reflect that just because of all the walks he allows. Needless to say, this guy's pure upside, coupled with his past dominance screams great pick. Plus, you mix that with the fact that the Giants have had great success with first round pitchers this last decade really should have fans feeling pretty good about this selection. Here's a video of the kid throwing an inning, as you can really get a good idea of his smooth, compact delivery and his electric arm.

Overall, I like the pick a lot. The MLB draft is a value based draft and I feel like the Giants got great value and a kid that has a more than legit shot at making the big leagues and being a factor at that next level. It wouldn't surprise me if this kid is ranked as the Giants top prospect for 2015 if he signs quickly and can get some professional time under his belt this summer.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-1700558873836809122014-05-29T22:16:00.002-07:002014-05-29T23:28:33.654-07:00Sandoval getting hot at right timeWhen Brandon Belt went down with the broken thumb a few weeks back, the Giants were going to need someone to step up in his place. Now despite missing 1/4 of their projected 2014 lineup, they have managed to not only keep the team afloat, but become one of the more potent offenses in league.

Through the first 6 weeks of the season, Brandon Belt was off to one of the better starts of any hitter in this lineup and was pacing the team in home runs and seemingly coming up with big hit after big hit. However, as hot as Brandon Belt was those first few weeks in April, Pablo Sandoval has been hotter since the big first basemen went down with the fractured thumb. He continued his torrid May with a 1-3 with his 8th home run of the year and 2 runs scored. The Panda was terrible in April and didn't really get it going until the 2nd week of May when he had his first 3-hit game of the year (3-5) vs. the Dodgers on May 11th. Since that game, the all-star third basemen has 25 hits in 67 at-bats (.373) with 6 home runs and 17 RBI. His average was sitting at .175 on the 11th of this month, and now he'll carry a .247 mark into Friday's game in St. Louis. What was shaping up to be an abysmal walk year is starting to turn into something special for the big man. More importantly though, it's a big reason why the Giants sport one of the most potent lineups in the game, even with Brandon Belt and Marco Scutaro shelved and them not quite getting Buster Posey-like production from their franchise backstop.

I also wanted to recognize Hunter Pence's strong run this month as well. Pence is another guy who was really slow out of the gate (although not to Pablo's extent), and has really seen his bat come alive in May. Pence really just had a slow first couple of weeks, and has been raking since mid-April. It's not just the home run/RBI boost that we're used to seeing out of Pence either as he's really filling up the stat sheet. He's been used predominantly in the 2nd spot this month, and has done a terrific job there slashing .315/.386/.500 with 5 HR, 15 RBI and a whopping 32 runs scored in 44 games. For the year, he's scored 40 runs which slates him second in the NL and is second on the team with 7 steals.

Michael Morse and Angel Pagan have really been consistently solid since day 1, and Brandon Crawford looks like he's evolving at the plate but it's been Pence and Sandoval's recent surge that have really paced this offense and it's a good thing too because the starting pitching is really starting to pull it's weight. These two units are starting to get it going simultaneously and when that happens in apparent why the Giants have been the class of the NL throughout the first 1/3 of the season. The two starters who were lost for much of April have really gotten a grip on things. Ryan Vogelsong has been especially stingy lately, posting a ridiculous 1.64 ERA along with 3-1 record, 1.03 WHIP and 29 K's in 33 innings this month (not including Thursday's start). I'll admit that I was skeptical of Vogey coming into the year and throughout April, but he's thrown like the same pitcher that thrived here in 2011-12 long enough now that I think it's safe to say he's back. Tim Lincecum hasn't been as dominant as Vogey, but has gone 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA, 34 K's and 29 hits allowed in just over 34 innings. The only area over that span that's really weighing him down still is the WHIP (1.47). While none of his numbers really jump out at you right now, he's had only 2 starts this year in which he's allowed 4 or more runs, but what's still hampering him is his high pitch count forcing him to leave games early. He had to leave the game with a no-hitter in tact Wednesday after making it through just 5 innings, thanks to 4 free passes and too many 3-ball counts. Lincecum looks like he's on the up though, and that WHJP/ERA will keep on dropping and his innings pitched should spike if he can just stay in the zone with a little more frequency.

Extras: As far as the two injured Giants are concerned, their really is no update in Scutaro's rehab, as he's still trying to get different opinions from specialists on how to speed up the healing of his back. I certainly don't expect to see him anytime before the All-Star break, and still think it's better than 50/50 that he misses the entire season... Brandon Belt, on the other hand, does have a time table for his return but it's still a ways off. He was expected to miss 6-8 weeks, which would put him out anywhere from late June to after the All-Star break. Ryan Zimmerman had a similar injury to Belts in mid-April, and he's still a week or two away from returning (though his injury didn't require surgery to put pins into his thumb). With the offense performing well, the Giants likely won't rush Belt back and I'm thinking that after the All-Star break is most realistic... Matt Cain has battled some minor aches and pains throughout the early season is currently dealing with a sore hamstring though he is slated to start Saturday's game in St. Louis. With Vogey and Timmy coming around and MadBum and Huddy each throwing the way they are, the Giants would hate to disrupt the rhythm they have in that rotation so hopefully Cainer can alleviate all health concerns Saturday.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-90791206438780476672014-05-06T21:08:00.003-07:002014-05-06T21:08:53.237-07:00Giants Notes: Bullpen the unsung heroesThrough the first month-plus of the regular season, every starter in the Giants rotation aside from Tim Hudson would tell you they need to be pitching better. A huge reason why the Giants are 10 games above .500 despite the hot-and-cold starting pitching has been because of their rock solid bullpen.

Look no further back than Monday night's slug-fest with Pittsburgh in which Yusmiero Petit couldn't get the job done filling in for Cain, yet the bullpen came in and combined for 8 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. Juan Gutierrez had a rare hiccup in his 1.2 innings of work, allowing the two runs to score, but the other five relievers went the remaining 7 shutout innings allowing 5 hits, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts. Everybody in that bullpen is doing their job, top to bottom. Petit had a forgetful outing Monday, but was dominant upon being pressed into duty for Cain last week, and should rebound in his next start. The three guys who have really been nails in getting the ball to Romo have been Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Jean Machi. Affeldt came off the DL towards the end of April, and all he's done since has thrown 10 scoreless innings in 9 games, allowing just 5 hits and 3 walks with 10 K's. Casilla has been as tough to hit as any reliever in baseball, period. He's thrown just under 20 innings, allowing just 2 runs on 12 hits. He's started to really rack up the strikeouts of late too and has opposing hitters at just .182 against him.

The true unsung hero in that bullpen though has to be Jean Machi. This guy kind of came out of nowhere last season and threw up some pretty solid numbers. That pretty much ensured him a spot in the 2014 bullpen but he still had to do his part in the spring. Now, all of the sudden, he's probably the Giants most dominant reliever, closer or otherwise, and seems to be thriving in key situations, as evident by his 5-0 record. He's pitched in 17 games, throwing 17 innings and allowing just 1 run (0.53 ERA) and 12 hits while carrying a 13:3 strikeout/walk ratio. The 5-0 tells a bigger story though, as he's amongst the league leaders in wins as a middle reliever. For him to be pitching in that many tight situations with the game on the line and come up on the winning end 5 times already speaks volume for how he when the games on the line. He hasn't coughed one up yet. For now, Casilla will continue to be Romo's set-up man in the 8th, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Machi used there more and more too in real tight situations.

Now, getting back into the rotation a bit, I wanted to talk a little about Ryan Vogelsong and Tim Lincecum. Don't look know, but Ryan Vogelsong may in fact have finally found a consistent release point again, and his
last few outings have been vintage 2011-12 Vogey. He had the one rough outing in Colorado last week, but if you take that blow up out of the equation he's had three other starts since April 16th, and has been really strong in all of them. In those three starts vs. the Dodgers, Braves and Indians, Vogey went 19 innings allowing just 11 hits and 2 runs with 14 k's. Unfortunately, lack of run support only allowed him to claim a victory in one of those outings, but if these last few starts are any indication, Vogey just may have re-found his formula for success. His stuff does look better, as he's staying down in the zone and his heater is back in the low-90's consistently. Lincecum, on the other hand is coming off his best start of the 2014 season by far vs.Atlanta and the Giants are hoping this kick starts him after a rough first month. Despite Lineceum's struggles, he still has some decent numbers, including his 2-1 record and 31:9 strikeout/walk ratio. Everything else though, needs to improve, including the 5.12 ERA, 1.6 WHIP, .318 BAA and his 6 big flies allowed in just 30 innings of work. He'll have a great opportunity to go out and build momentum from his last start Wednesday vs. a run-of-the-mill Pittsburgh offense.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-60741907763669199222014-05-01T18:15:00.000-07:002014-05-02T14:18:57.147-07:00Giants end April on high noteAfter a hot start and a sluggish middle of April, the Giants are heating up again.

The starting pitching seems to leveling out a bit after an up-and down couple of weeks to start the year and the offense keeps coming up with the big hit which has led to a 17-11 month of April. We'll talk a little about both units in this post but I wanted to start out with the offense. If you would have told me that Pablo Sandoval would be hitting sub-.200 and Pence and Posey were hovering around .250 with Marco Scutaro still shelved, I would have assumed this offense had a disastrous month. Instead, while Posey and Pence took some time to find their groove, it allowed other players to step up and shine. The offensive MVP for the month would have to be a toss-up between newcomer Michael Morse, who slashed .302/.351/.581 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI in April, and Angel Pagan, who went .340/.380/.470 with 2 HR, 14 RBI and 4 steals. The biggest surprise offensively for the first month would have to go to another newcomer, Brandon Hicks. People were just hoping someone would keep the seat warm while Scutaro healed, and while it's taking longer than expected, Hicks is making it a much easier wait. Although he carries just a .213 average into May, his 5 big flies have been huge as he always seems to hit them when it matters. His production has helped pick up some of Sandoval's slack.

As far as the starting pitching is concerned, there really is no question who gets the nod for most valuable in the month of April. Tim Hudson (another offseason acquisition) has been instrumental to the Giants solid start, and is off to one of his better personal starts at age 38. He's led the staff with a 4-1 record, a 2.17 ERA and a microscopic 0.74 WHIP. While we can't expect him to keep this up all season long, he looks like vintage Tim Hudson and one of the steals of the offseason thus far. The rest of the rotation has had some bumps, but for the most part appear to be on the right track. Ryan Vogelsong is coming off his most promising start of the year by far and Yusmiero Petit filled in admirably for Matt Cain Tuesday. Cain and Bumgarner are each coming off rocky starts their last time out, but both have shown signs of their usual selves recently. Right now, most of the concern amongst the rotation surrounds Tim Lincecum, who started the spring out so well, but has gone down hill ever since. Outside of his one, halfway decent outing vs. the Dodgers a few weeks back in which he still only lasted 5 innings, his starts have been forgettable for the most part. I'm also not completely convinced Vogey's back, but Petit's strong showing should allow the Bochy to skip a starter here and there if they aren't performing.

All in all, although they've been better lately, the rotation still has to tighten up it's consistency. The bullpen has been lights out, which has helped mitigate some of the rough starting performances, but eventually, Cain's gonna have to string some solid starts together and Lincecum is going to have to provide something to this team.

Injury Note: Speaking of Marco Scutaro, the Giants have been pretty hush hush on the progress of his rehab in extended spring training, but from what I'm reading and hearing, he's not making much and still has no timeline for a 2014 debut. Backs are a sensitive issue in sports especially when a guys up around 40 and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if Scutaro doesn't play a game this season. Again, Hicks' power at the plate and his exceptional glove have made him a fine fill in, but there's a reason why he's approaching 30 and has never been an everyday player. If he stops hitting the ball over the fence then his low average begins to be a glaring hole so hopefully he can keep it up.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-87263638663575031482014-04-10T14:20:00.001-07:002014-04-10T14:31:00.110-07:00Starting pitching still an issueWe're approaching the 2 week mark here at the start of the season, and with just about everybody in the rotation having had two starts (besides Vogelsong who goes Thursday night), it's pretty obvious where the question mark lies with this team.

Tim Lincecum was roasted by the D-Backs for a second straight start Wednesday night, and he once again has people wondering out loud if this is the Lincecum we're stuck with going forward. We all know how bad things were for him throughout 2012, especially the first 2/3 of the season and although he had his moments in 2013, his numbers at the end of the year left much to be desired. This is why it was so crucial for him to get off to a good start this year but instead, if his first two outings are an indication of things to come, 2013 all the sudden doesn't look so bad. He's thrown 10 innings over two starts, allowing 11 earned on 15 hits (including 4 big flies). On a positive, he's walked just 1 batter and struck out 12, so maybe it's just the curse of the D-Backs and Paul Goldschmidt, but if Timmy wants to alleviate some of this early season worrying he's putting Giants fans through, he's going to have to reel off a string of impressive starts, beginning next week Timmy hasn't been the only one who's started off the year in less than impressive fashion though as both Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong are each searching for their first victory and first quality start of 2014. Thanks to the great work by the offense, and the terrific outings from Tim Hudson and Madison Bumgarner, the Giants have gotten off to a healthy 7-3 start, but if 3/5 of their rotation continues to struggle, they aren't going to stay atop the NL West for very long.

Speaking of the offense, I really can't say enough about how they've performed through these first two weeks. Michael Morse has played a significant role early on and looks like one of the steals off the offseason so far and Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt and Buster Posey are all looking like shoe-in All-Stars at the moment. To me, Morse's addition has caused a domino effect in the lineup, stretching it out and providing an imposing right-handed threat teams need to really account for. One can only imagine how this lineup would click if and when a healthy Marco Scutaro gets back on the field. Brandon Hicks and co. have done an admirable job in Scutaro's absence, but the Giants need their steady 2-hitter back in the lineup and on the field. Bochy said earlier in the week that Scutaro had an outside shot at returning to the team by the end of the homestand, but how effective he'll be upon his return, and how much he'll be able to play is still very much in question. If it looks like he can only play a couple games a week, I wouldn't be opposed to them going out on the market and looking for more of an everyday guy. I know it's a little early to be talking replacements, but let's face facts; Scutaro's approaching 40 and cranky backs at that age don't really just go away without lengthy rest. Having a backup plan would seem like a smart idea, and one I'm sure the Giants' brass has been pondering since early spring.

Now, as far as backup plans, April 10th is way too early to be putting them into effect, but you can be sure the Giants' brass are exploring alternative options for the fifth spot in the rotation (Lincecum's $17.5M price-tag pretty much assures they'll try and ride him out) and 2nd base. There's a ton of pitchers who will hit the market over the next few months, and the Giants may even look internally at guys like Yusmiero Petit and Edwin Escoabr should Vogey continue to falter. They could take a much more wait-and-see approach at second though, as they have Joaquin Arias and Hicks filling in admirably for the time being and still have to see how Scutaro's back responds once he returns. If it comes down to it though, there are second base options out there on the trade market (Daniel Murphy and Danny Espinosa are two that immediately come to mind).Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-60404477106469665912014-04-01T14:57:00.000-07:002014-04-01T15:33:41.571-07:00Opening Day: Giants Prevail Despite DefenseWell, I'm sure I wasn't the only one shaking my head and wondering if this team was still mentally in Spring Training mode as they repeatedly fumbled playable balls and failed on routine plays like a simple run-down.

It was certainly a forgettable game on the defensive front for Pablo Sandoval, Joaquin Arias and Brandon Belt, but luckily for those three, the Giants tapped into some of their comeback mojo, 2012 style, and erased a 7-3 deficit in the late innings.

San Francisco got on the board first as Angel Pagan drove in Brandon Crawford with an RBI single in the 3rd inning but Arizona came answering back with a 4 spot in the bottom of the fourth inning. They were all of the unearned variety as Madison Bumgarner pitched through some tough luck. It was a strange game in which Bumgarner wasn't really as sharp as he is when he's on and there were runners on seemingly all night, but none of the four runs the D-Backs plated vs. him were earned. He wasn't throwing particularly hard and he was missing with a lot of stuff up in the zone, but he's still good enough with that elusive delivery to get by when he's not on his A-game. The defense played like they were still in the Cactus League Monday and the offense took some time to get woken up, but they all the sudden found their groove in the 6th inning and put up a 7 spot over the last few innings of the game to re-take the lead. Brandon Belt hit a majestic shot over the right field wall in the 6th to make it 6-3 D-Backs (helping him cover for his mistake on that blown rundown), and that shifted the momentum back into the Giants dugout and they never relinquished it. The final blow of the night came off the bat of Buster Posey, breaking a 7-7 tie in the top of the ninth inning with a 2-run, no-doubter off the facing of the second deck in left served up by new D-Back closer Addison Reed.

While the defensive mishaps had me a bit flustered, this was an exciting opener, and one that gives you optimism if your a Giants fan. Again, Bumgarner's start wasn't quite the efficient outing he was hoping for in his first ever OD assignment. His end line wound up 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K on 78 pitches. Not terrible, but the blemish here was the 8 base runners allowed in 4 innings (a clear indication he didn't have A-stuff). He pitched through some bone-headed defensive mishaps, and kept the team in the game which they ultimately were able to come back in. The comeback can be attributed to the lineup which answered the bell when they needed to, even after Petit allowed a few more runs putting them further behind. It took them a few innings to get McCarthy figured out, but they did indeed do just that and managed to get into Arizona's beatable bullpen. Brandon Belt (3-5, HR, 3 R), Buster Posey (2-5, HR, 2 RBI) and Angel Pagan (2-5, 2 RBI, R) were the offensive catalysts for the night, as the Giants new and improved lineup certainly looked the part in game one. Newcomer Michael Morse even got into the mix with a hit, walk and run scored in 4 plate appearances. The only Giants' starters without a hit were Hunter Pence and Joaquin Arias, but Pence made his presence felt in the field with a crucial assist gunning down Mark Trumbo at third base early in the game to help avoid what may have been a huge inning for Arizona. I'm definitely liking the depth in the Giants lineup right now compared to where they were at this point last year.

This one felt good for a number of reasons. Obviously, it was opening day which is always sweet victory, but in addition it was on the road vs. a solid inner-division team where the Giants got themselves in a hole, then dug themselves out by erasing a 4-run deficit and prevail for a win in impressive fashion. The bullpen wasn't great, as Romo was touched up for a run and made things more interesting that I'd prefer in the 9th, but ultimately got the job done. Also, Yusmiero Petit had trouble fooling anyone, allowing 6 hits, a walk and 3 runs after taking over for MadBum in the 5th. The bullpen depth is something I'll be watching very closely early on, as it's one area that I have a slight concern with. The Giants don't have 3 shut down guys down there that can shorten a game like the Dodgers do and some of the other elite teams in the game.

To wrap it up in a few shorts sentences, Opening Day has to be deemed a success because of the win and the fact nobody got hurt. There were some things that happened that need to be addressed and fixed immediately, but all in all a successful opener and onto the next... Go get 'em Cainer! It looks like the Bochy mixed some things up in terms of the batting order for Tuesday's game vs. the lefty Wade Miley with Hunter Pence moving up into the 2-hole for the first time in his Giants' tenure.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-90649210874349062762014-03-31T17:07:00.002-07:002014-03-31T22:58:06.134-07:002014 SF Giants Preview and PredictionsWith Opening Day upon us, and what hopes to be the beginning of a trip back to the postseason for the Giants just hours away from starting, I wanted to take a look at the 25-man roster and post predictions for each player.

Lineup

1. CF Angel Pagan: 147 G, 540 AB, .285 avg, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 84 R, 20 SB, .732 OPS
2. *2B Marco Scutaro: 103 G, 414 AB, .289, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 52 R, 23 2B, .711 OPS
3. 1B Brandon Belt: 152 G, 550 AB, .292, 20 HR, 79 RBI, 67 R. 11 SB, .845 OPS
4. C Buster Posey: 146 G, 532 AB, .313, 23 HR, 91 RBI, 72 R, 90 BB, .922 OPS
5. RF Hunter Pence: 155 G, 602 AB, .275, 26 HR, 92 RBI, 85 R, 17 SB, .829 OPS
6. 3B Pablo Sandoval: 140 G, 515 AB, .305, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 66 R, 38 2B, .837 OPS
7. LF Michael Morse: 141 G, 498 AB, .269, 21 HR, 71 RBI, 52 R, 29 2B, .740 OPS
8. SS Brandon Crawford: 153 G, 504 AB, .260, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 52 BB, .691 OPS

Rotation

1. LHP Madison Bumgarner:: 34 GS, 18-7, 2.96 ERA, 215 IP, 205 K, 1.07 WHIP
2. RHP Matt Cain: 33 GS, 14-8, 3.55 ERA, 211 IP, 179 K, 1.15 WHIP
3. RHP Tim Hudson: 33 G, 13-11, 3.86 ERA, 198 IP, 145 K, 1.29 WHIP
4. RHP Tim Lincecum: 32 G, 15-10, 3.69 ERA, 202 IP, 198 K, 1.31 WHIP
5. RHP Ryan Vogelsong: 28 G, 8-11, 4.85 ERA, 151 IP, 114 K, 1.41 WHIP

Bullpen

RHP Sergio Romo
RHP Santiago Casilla
LHP Javier Lopez
*LHP Jeremy Affeldt
RHP Jean Machi
RHP Juan Gutierrez
RHP Yusmiero Petit
**LHP David Huff

Bench

C Hector Sanchez
**IF Ehire Adrianza
IF Brandon Hicks
OF Juan Perez
OF Gregor Blanco
IF Joaquin Arias
*Affledt and Scutaro start year on 15-day DL
**Adrianza and Guitierrez are injury replacements to start year

The Giants made two significant additions to last years squad that finished 10 games below .500. They're hoping Michael Morse brings power to the lineup and provides a solid presence in the bottom half of the order. As long as he stays healthy and can collect 500 or so plate appearances, the numbers will be there. The other new addition, Tim Hudson, takes the place of Barry Zito in what should be a huge upgrade as long

as he can stay on the field himself and give the Giants 30 starts. The rest of the cast is practically identical to the the 2013 squad and the 2012 second half squad. Obviously we saw what they could do at their best in 2012, but then we saw the bad side last year. They need to get more consistency in 2014 if they want to make it back to the postseason. They're going to need to keep that top of the order healthy, something they had trouble with last season, and Pablo Sandoval is going to have to step up and be the masher he was in the 2012 postseason if they wanna overtake the Dodgers. I think Pablo really holds the key to the offense. The Giants no pretty much what Posey and Pence can do. They'll expect slight improvements from the Brandons and Morse to provide power. But if Panda is that .325 hitting machine with power and purpose like he was in 2009 and 2011 (when healthy), the Giants offense will be stronger than it's been in a decade.

The Giants have a good squad overall, and one that should compete for at least a NL Wild Card spot. If they get strong rebound seasons from Cain, Lincecum, Sandoval and Morse, then they;ll certainly challenge LA for the division title. If they don't and they battle injury all year like they did last season, then they'll probably finish in the cellar. The NL West has improved a lot over the last year and the Giants will have to be on their game all year if they want to regain their swagger. Their bullpen doesn't have a bunch of depth, and their bench isn't the deepest, so it's hard to stress just how important it is for the Giants' core players to stay on the field. If things go as expected though, and everybody stays healthy for the most part, I think this team will be right around 88-92 wins and finish 2nd in the West but first in the Wild Card race.

Prediction: 88-74,2nd in NL West, 2nd NL Wild Card SpotTrevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-44914560202476983922014-03-31T13:06:00.003-07:002014-06-20T00:25:06.103-07:00MLB Playoff and Award PredictionsOpening Day has arrived! We'll have our annual Giants preview going up a little later today before the game, but I wanted to get our Playoff and Award post out before the games started picking up.

Playoffs

NL Wild Card
Giants over Reds

AL Wild Card
Royals over Angels

NLDS
Cardinals over Giants
Dodgers over Nationals

ALDS
A's over Royals
Tigers over Rays

NLCS
Dodgers over Cardinals (7 games)

ALCS
Tigers over A's (6 games)

WORLD SERIES
Dodgers over Tigers (6 games)

As hard as it is to pick the Dodgers to run the table this year, I think it's accurate. They've had this team set-up for two years now, and it will be their first full year with Cuban phenom Yasiel Puig. If Matt Kemp comes back healthy, Puig misses a sophomore slump and that pitching staff stays healthy, they just have too much firepower to compete with. The only other team I see up in their class in terms of talent are the Washington Nationals. If there's one team who can take them down it'll be them. I think no matter who makes it, the World Series champion will be coming out of the NL this season. They have a much stronger league than the AL in my opinion. The top teams in the NL have far superior pitching than those in the AL. Obviously a lot can happen, injuries, trades, bad years and so forth, but as of March 31st, I like the Dodgers as the 2014 World Series Champions.

The Dodgers just have that depth to where they can afford to lose an outfielder of a few months and be OK. They can lose a starter for a while and be OK, and that extraordinary depth alone should keep them from enduring any kind of pro-longed losing streaks. They have the top front-end starting rotation built for the playoffs and just have too much firepower in a number of areas for any other team to compete so long as they stay relatively healthy and don't fall apart at the seems like they have so often in the past. I'm not the only one picking the Dodgers to go all the way either, but this year does seem to have many different teams that should be in the mix. ESPN predicted a Tampa Bay Ray's parade at the end of the October while the experts over at Sports Illustrated rolled mainly with St. Louis. According to SportBet.com, these are the favorite teams to win the 2014 World Series. Interesting to see how the so-called experts and odds-makers aren't always on the same page.

National League Awards

NL MVP: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals- I think 2014 is going to be a huge breakout year for Harper. I could see him going 30-30 with a ton of RBI and a .320 average in a talented lineup. (Runner Up: Yasiel Puig, LA Dodgers)

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, LA Dodgers- I originally typed Madison Bumgarner into this slot, but I have to be realistic, and as long as Kershaw's healthy and with that lineup and bullpen built around him, in that yard, he could win 24 games this year. (Runner Up: Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins)

Rookie of the Year: Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds- If Javier Baez started the year in Chicago, he'd be the pick here, hands down. Hamilton will start year in Cinci though and should score a ton of runs and rack up a ton of steals. (Runner Up: Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs)

Manager of the Year: Matt Williams, Washington Nationals- Williams is set up well with a strong team in Washington, and the rookie manager will look like a seasoned vet. (Runner Up: Walt Weiss, Colorado Rockies)

Comeback P.O.Y.: Matt Kemp, LA Dodgers- Kemp has the clear leg up in this category, so long as he stays on the field for 140+ games. If that happens, the Dodgers win the NL Pennant and he probably is even in the MVP discussion. (Runner Up: B.J. Upton, Atlanta Braves)

American League Awards

AL MVP: Mike Trout, LA Angels- After coming up just short of Miguel Cabrera in 2013, Trout is destined for his first of many MVP awards in 2014. He should lead the Angels back to October and has the ability to go 40-40. (Runner Up: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays)

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners- The Mariners improved their lineup this winter, which should lead to more wins coupled with that great K-rate and ERA that King Felix sports. (Runner Up: Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers)

Rookie of the Year: Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees- Another obviously easy choice. If he performs close to how he did in Japan, he's going to be a start in the States right off the bat. (Runner Up: Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers)

Manager of the Year: Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals- I think the Royals are going to surprise some people this year, and Ned Yost will be pushing all the right buttons as they sneak into the playoffs. (Runner Up: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays)

Comeback P.O.Y.: Mark Teixiera, New York Yankees- I'm picking Tex here just because he's going to put up numbers if he's healthy in that yard, and all signs are pointing towards him being healthy. (Runner Up: Michael Pineda, NY Yankees)Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-68641082529753757432014-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:002014-03-31T12:59:17.067-07:002014 MLB Previews: AL EastFinally, we've come to the end of our divisional previews, winding up in the AL East. This is by far the toughest division to pick for me this spring. You could make a compelling case for each of the top-3 teams in this division, so basically it'll come down to a coin flip in terms of predicting them. When in doubt though, take the young, exciting talented team!

1st Place: Tampa Bay Rays

Much like the AL West, the East has what is shaping up to be a three team race and whichever team finishes at the top could really be any ones guess. My guess is it goes to the team that stays the healthiest and has young enough core to be playing at a high level come September, and that tells me to pick the Rays. They have some young studs in that lineup led by Longoria and Myers, and the rotation is about as good as any in the AL. Plus, they have the Joe Maddon effect working for them. As long as guys like Ben Zobrist and Desmond Jennings rebound and provide what they're capable of, and young arms like Alex Cobb and Matt Moore continue their growth, this team has all sorts of potential.

2nd Place: New York Yankees

The Yanks lost a huge piece of their lineup in Robinson Cano, but they also brought in a few guys that I think will help off-set the loss. They're obviously built to win now, and the additions of Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury to the outfield help solidy the lineup. Also, you cant underestimate a full year from Alfonso Soriano in the DH spot. Even if Derek Jeter doesn't ride off into the sunset in spectacular fashion, the Yanks have enough fire power offensively to win. Their rotation is exciting as well, where I expect Masahiro Tanaka to rival Yu Darvish, that's how good I think he can be. They need Sabathia to rebound and the bullpen to succeed without Mo if they're going to earn a postseason spot though.

3rd Place: Boston Red Sox

The reigning World Champions lost quite a bit this offseason when Jacoby Ellsbury elected to take his services to the Bronx, and the Red Sox answer was signing Grady Sizemore. As impressive as Sizemore has been in the Cactus League, he's no Ellsbury, and the BoSox will struggle at the top of the order without their offensive catalyst. Their rotation is hit and miss, as they have some talent, led by Jon Lester, but also seem to underachieve far too often. Just don't appear to have the talent, on paper at least, to keep up with the Yanks or Rays, but they did just win it all and have much of the same unit still intact. There going to be in the thick of things come September for sure.

4th Place, Baltimore Orioles

The O's are an interesting team, like most in this division. They have the talent to be able to take off and earn a playoff spot should they get the right momentum going. They have a couple of guys who can garner MVP hype in Adam Jones and Chris Davis. Chris Tillman is one of the brighter young arms in the game and they have some other talented pieces. Problem for them is, so does the rest of this division, and their weakness in the bullpen and back-end of their rotation should keep them for ultimately making a playoff run.

5th Place, Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays were 2013's biggest disappointment as they spent a ton of money and made significant moves in order to position themselves up their with the Yankees and Red Sox. Unfortunately for them though, practically all of their big name additions fizzled out and/or got hurt and never really made much of an impact north of the border. Jose Reyes was about the only one that lived up to expectations, but he had to miss 3 months in the middle of the year. They'd need a lot of things to go right in order to get back on track, like Jose Bautista re-discovering his 40+ HR power, Brett Lawrie living up to at least a fraction of his potential and R.A. Dickey to prove himself as an ace again. They still have a lot of those names that were supposed to help turn them around so maybe the second time around will go better than the first.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-66548434211230575722014-03-28T18:49:00.001-07:002014-03-31T12:58:34.198-07:002014 MLB Previews: AL CentralHere's our take on the AL Central for the upcoming 2014 season.

AL Central

1st Place: Detroit Tigers

This is one of the easiest picks of our 2014 previews/predictions. They have three top-notch arms at the top of their rotation, and they have a nice, well-rounded lineup with speed and power. If Justin Verlander gets back to his pre-2013 form, then lookout, Detroit could once again be representing the AL in the Fall Classic. They need to address their shortstop issue though, preferably adding one that can hit to help out the lineup. Stephen Drew could help them.

2nd Place: Kansas City Royals (AL Wild Card)

I really like the Royals young lineup, as they have a ton of guys who I think are primed for big seasons. Alex Gordon needs to breakout and hit 30 jacks and .300 already, and Salvador Perez looks like he may be the best young hitting catcher in the AL. Outside of James Shields and Greg Holland, their pitching staff has questions but they have some young talented arms. If they can get consistent starting pitching, that lineup should be able to score plenty of runs and I think this team can surprise in a weak division.

3rd Place: Cleveland Indians

The Indians have a pretty well rounded lineup, although they don't have a ton of power, they have good hitters that get on base and can run. Their young rotation is really looking like it's going to be a strength for years to come. Justin Masterson had a very nice season last year and returns as the ace. The bullpen has some areas for concern, and may need to be addressed at some point.

4th Place: Chicago White Sox

It's likely going to be a long summer on the South side this year. The best thing they have going for them are the three bright young bats they have in their lineup (Avasail Garcia, Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton) as well as their ace Chris Sale. Other than that, they don't have much and will struggle to keep teams off the board.

5th Place: Minnesota Twins

The Twins are going to be one of the worst teams in all of baseball in 2014, and I think they're pretty much prepared for it. Outside of Joe Mauer, I don't think they had a single guy hit over .250 in that lineup a year ago, and they didn't really make any improvements. The pitching staff is full of guys who are decent at their absolute best, but average to below average consistently. It wouldn't surprise me if they flirt with 100 losses this year.Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-25703825118182455222014-03-28T18:25:00.000-07:002014-03-31T22:37:47.575-07:002014 MLB Preview: AL WestWe broke the NL down division by division and team by team, but unfortuantely, we don't have time to do that for the entire AL this year. Instead, I will pick how I thing each division will end up, with a brief explanation why.

AL West
1st Place: Oakland Athletics

The A's should once again be a scrappy, tough to beat team, even after losing talented young righty Jarrod Parker for the year, which is a huge blow. They definitely need A.J. Griffin back ASAP and need to see other youngsters like Dan Strailey and Sonny Gray to take a few more steps forward in 2014. I think Scott Kazmir is going to be a great add though, and they shouldn't miss a beat in the ninth with Jim Johnson taking the reigns. Their lineup has power and speed and should have no issues scoring. If Texas can't get/stay healthy, the A's become the favorites. Right now it's really a crap-shoot between the two anyway as both enter the year neck and neck. Whichever team receives better health throughout likely wins the division. I'm picking the A's because they seem to be the most steady and have been through a few successful postseason races with this core group.

2nd Place: Los Angeles Angels (AL Wild Card)

The Angels cannot be forgotten about after a down 2013. I know their lineup is aging, but they still the best young hitter in the game and two guys who were in the top-5 not more than 3 years ago. If Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols finally get comfortable in Anaheim, then the Angels will be right up their with the A's and Rangers. They have the talent to run away with this division and quite possibly be the class of the AL if those two perform anywhere near the level they're capable of and Trout atop the order wrecking havoc. If they don't upgrade the bullpen at some point though, it may not matter how good of offense they have though. They should have pursued Brian Wilson or Francisco Rodriguez as either, or even both, would have helped solidify the bullpen. They have some bright young arms in their pen after Weaver and Wilson and Mike Scosia is a good guy to have guiding them. I see the Royals, Angels and Yankees as the three front-runners for those two wild card spots, although the BoSox and Indians should be there in the end as well. Angels get the preseason edge because they have the games best player and are expecting drastic rebounds from Pujols and Hamilton.

3rd Place: Texas Rangers

The AL West is a tough division this year and the Rangers injury issues are forcing them to start the year a bit behind the 8-ball. If Texas gets there injured players back on time, they could all of the sudden become the clear-cut favorites, but that's a big if. They especially need Yu Darvish ready by mid-April, Matt Harrison not long after and Derek Holland by July. If that happens and Profar comes back strong in June, they become favorites to take the division.

4th Place: Seattle Mariners

I'm a fan of the Mariners young pitching staff, obviously led by King Felix, but also young Taijuan Walker, Hishashi Iwakuma and Erasmo Ramirez. They're developing a nice young staff to take advantage of that spacious yard, now they just need the lineup to start coming together. They brought in a slew of players this winter, headlined by Robinson Cano, and they're offense is certainly on the up. It wouldn't surprise me in the least of this team overachieves hangs around with Oakland and Texas. They should really try and find a way to bring back Kendrys Morales if they want to really give that lineup a chance.

5th Place: Houston Astros

The Astros the the epitome of a team in rebuild mode. They have a couple of guys in that lineup that may attract some attention come trade deadline time, but for the most part, they're mainly a AAAA team playing at the big league level. Jonathan Villar, Dexter Fowler and Chris Carter (just for his power) are a couple of guys I'll stop and watch hit, but other than that, they don't have much. Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-69795927087998730762014-03-28T14:13:00.001-07:002014-03-28T17:06:26.395-07:002014 MLB Preview: NL WestFinally, with a few days before opening day, we've arrived at the division all of us are interested in. The NL West. Unfortunately for most, you may not like who we've placed atop the division this year, but it just goes to show you we are as unbiased as possible here when making predictions. I'll tell you one thing though, the NL West is no longer the "NL Worst".

1st Place, Los Angeles Dodgers

Lineup
LF Carl Crawford
RF Yasiel Puig
CF Matt Kemp*
 SS Hanley Ramirez
1B Adrian Gonzalez
3B Juan Uribe
C A.J. Ellis
2B Dee Gordon

Rotation
LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Zach Grienke
LHP Hyun-jin Ryu
RHP Dan Haren
RHP Josh Beckett*
SU: RH Brian Wilson
CL: RH Kenley Jansen

Had the Dodgers entered October with a healthy Matt Kemp, who knows what would have happened, as they cruised to a division tittle last season while their star outfielder spent most the year sideline. Kemp is now back and healthy and should be ready to join the team within the first week or two of the season. He'll rejoin a team in which he no longer has to be the offensive catalyst, with Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig each in the fold. The Dodgers definitely have the makings of the best outfield in baseball should Kemp get back to his level of play and Carl Crawford stays healthy for 85% of the games this year. They have a hole at 2nd base, but if they don't find a suitable in-house candidate by June, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll go find one outside the organization... The starting pitching looks strong, led by one of the better 1-2 duos in all of baseball and that bullpen is ridiculously deep, sporting 4 guys with ample closing experience as well as a couple of nasty lefties. The Dodgers, on paper, appear to have it all. Speed, power and average in their lineup, sound defense, and a talented, deep pitching staff. Of course, we know that doesn't always spell success in LA, but they enter the season as legit World Series contenders.
*Kemp and Beckett each start year on 15-day DL (expected back by mid-April)

2nd Place, San Francisco Giants (NL Wild Card)

Lineup
CF Angel Pagan
2B Marco Scutaro*
1B Brandon Belt
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
3B Pablo Sandoval
LF Michael Morse
SS Brandon Crawford

Rotation
LHP Madison Bumgarner
RHP Matt Cain
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Tim Lincecum
RHP Ryan Vogelsong
SU: Santiago Casilla
CL: Sergio Romo

The Giants made a couple of acquisitions this winter that they hope helps get them back on track and avoid the mishaps they were unable to last summer. They suffered some key injuries and didn't have the depth to overcome those losses. This year, they're hoping for improved health of course, and also that the addition of Michael Morse to the lineup and Tim Hudson to the rotation make both those units deeper and stronger. The question they have to be most concerned with right now is how often they're going to be able to use Marco Scutaro this summer. Even when he's healthy and returns to the lineup (starting year on DL), he may only be a guy who only can play 3-4 times per week. If they get improvements from 2013 out of Posey, Sandoval and Morse with continued growth from Brandon Belt, the offense could be one of the better ones the Giants have had in recent years (deeper than their Championship runs). However, like it has since Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain became mainstays, this teams success will come down to how they pitch. If 3/5ths of their rotation struggles again, they're not going to be a good ballclub. If Lineceum and Cain show better consistency, Huddy shows he's still got plenty left in the tank and Vogelsong is at least adequate in the fifth spot, they'll be just fine. All those things have a good chance at happening, but are far from locks. Also, the bullpen, again, lacks depth, so if guys at the back end, like Casilla, Lopez or Romo need to miss any time, it's going to cause a ripple effect.

All in all, with the improved lineup, and expected rebound performances in the rotation (at least to some extent), I see them being a strong enough squad to hold off Arizona and be serious players for one of the two wild card spots.
*Scutaro to start year on 15-day DL

3rd Place, Arizona Diamondbacks

Lineup
CF A.J. Pollock
3B Martin Prado
1B Paul Goldschmidt
LF Mark Trumbo
2B Aaron Hill
C Miguel Montero
LF Gerardo Parra
SS Chris Owings

Rotation
LHP Wade Miley
RHP Trevor Cahill
RHP Bronson Arroyo
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Randall Delgado
SU: RH J.J. Putz
CL: RH Addison Reed

The D-Backs suffered a huge loss when ace Patrick Corbin went down this spring and needed Tommy John Surgery. That may have cost them their shot at making a serious run in the division, but they still do have some talent throughout the roster. Perhaps the best move they made was swiping up Bronson Arroyo in the 11th hour, which looks even better after losing Corbin. Even so, they don't really have an ace on the roster, and while their staff has some depth, they aren't quite up their with San Francisco or LA. The lineup is a decent one with a lot of speed and big time power in the middle. They do have some questions at the bottom, but most teams do. Goldschmidt may be in the MVP conversation come years end, and Mark Trumbo may have 40 HR potential in that ballpark. Also, their defense is always solid, led by Montero behind the plate and Prado over at third. If a couple of guys step up big, they could very easily sneak past the Giants and should very much be in play for one of the Wild Card spots come September. The bullpen is decent, with new closer Addison Reed taking over the 9th inning, but they can be beaten. I see Arizona as a hair above .500, though an addition or a breakout year by someone could put them firmly over the hump.

4th Place, San Diego Padres

Lineup
SS Everth Cabrera
RF Will Venable
2B Jedd Gyorko
3B Chase Headley
LF Carlos Quentin
1B Yonder Alonso
C Yasmani Grandal
CF Cameron Maybin

Rotation
RHP Andrew Cashner
RHP Josh Johnson*
RHP Tyson Ross
RHP Ian Kennedy
LHP Eric Stults
SU: Joaquin Benoit
CL: Huston Street

The Padres are a team that is definitely headed in the right direction, and I've even come across a few baseball sites that have them finishing ahead of the Giants and D-Backs in this division. While I don't hold that high of optimism for this team quite yet, you can see why people are hyped about their future. They have a lineup that's well suited to playing in their spacious ballpark, with a lot of gap power and speed. If Headley and Quentin rebound in the middle and provide the power they can, and the other youngsters take another step forward, they're gonna score runs. Their pitching took a big hit when Josh Johnson went down in the last week of spring, costing him the first 4-6 weeks of the regular season (surprise, surprise). They have some quality arms in that rotation though aside from Johnson, and their bullpen always seems to be strong, ever since the days Bochy was at the helm. They don't quite have enough talent to make a serious play, but there a team that could make a blockbuster deal and maybe enter the mix. The Padres have been notoriously quiet in terms of trading and big free agent moves in recent years, but something tells me their eventually going to make a splash. Right now, they're a solid squad in a good division, so .500 looks reasonable, but an injury to one of the teams ahead of them, or a big move or two by them could ascend them a spot or two.
*Johnson out till early May

5th Place, Colorado Rockies

Lineup
CF Drew Stubbs
RF Michael Cuddyer
LF Carlos Gonzalez
SS Troy Tulowitzki
1B Justin Morenau
C Wilin Rosario
3B Nolan Arenado
2B D.J. LeMahieu

Rotation
LHP Jorge De La Rosa
RHP Jhoulys Chacin*
LHP Brett Anderson
RHP Juan Nicasio
RHP Tyler Chatwood
SU: Rex Brothers
CL: LaTroy Hawkins

The Rockies, like the Padres, are definitely headed in the right direction, but aren't quite there yet. I don't think it was a good move dealing away Dexter Fowler on their part, as he was their leadoff hitter and a guy with a ton of talent, but out he goes and in comes Drew Stubbs (who I could actually see thriving in that yard). Their lineup, as alwasy, should have no problem scoring. They have the best 3-4 punch in the game with Tulo and CarGo, but they're also the most fragile combo as well. If both play 140+ games, it will mean good things for Colorado. The pitching staff has a few bright spots but their top arm, Chacin, will miss the first month of the year. If Anderson can stay on the field and provide 30 starts, and Nicasio can find some consistency, the rotation will be better than most expect. While their bullpen has some nice arms (Belisle, Brothers, Logan) they don't have a clear-cut closer, though Hawkins will take the role to begin the season. I'm surprised they couldn't find a more sure-fire closer though as there were many available in free agency this winter and it would have really solidified their bullpen. They have the firepower in their lineup to play with most teams, but their still a tad short in the pitching department to be taken seriously.
*Chacin out till early MayTrevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-5342933483600119052014-03-20T16:47:00.000-07:002014-03-20T23:28:47.561-07:002014 Season Previews: NL CentralYesterday, we broke down the NL East as we see it unfolding over the next 6 months. Today, we'll take a glance at the Central.

1st Place, St. Louis Cardinals

Lineup
3B Matt Carpentar
2B Kolton Wong
LF Matt Holliday
RF Allen Craig
C Yadier Molina
1B Matt Adams
SS Jhonny Peralta
CF Peter Bourjos

Rotation
RHP Adam Wainwright
RHP Michael Wacha
RHP Shelby Miller
RHP Lance Lynn
LHP Jaime Garcia
SU: RH Carlos Martinez
CL: Trevor Rosenthal

The Cardinals have done a pretty good job at keeping a stronghold on the NL Central over the last 7-8 years and 2014 looks like it will be no different. No matter who the Cards seem to lose, they always end up finding a replacement and that's a sign of a very good organization. Their lineup doesn't really have that one big superstar like they did when Pujols was around, but it's extremely deep with guys who are tough outs nonetheless. I'm curious to see what Matt Adams does with a full-time gig after hitting 17 big flies in just over 300 plate appearances last summer. The Cards are counting on him making up for lost production from departed outfielder Carlos Beltran. The Cards have a near perfect mix of veteran guys who still get the job done and young up-and-coming talent that has already proven itself at this level sprinkled throughout their roster. Wainwright is one of the more underrated aces in the game, but there hasn't been many other arms as successful as he's been not only before the injury, but especially since. Their bullpen is sound too, led by new young closer Trevor Rosenthal (a guy who I think can become a top-5 closer), but they definitely need Jason Motte to make a strong return in order for them to reach their full potential. They're definitely not the flashiest team in the league, but they always find ways to win and are one of the most well-rounded teams in all of baseball.

2nd Place, Cincinnati Reds (NL Wild Card)

Lineup
CF Billy Hamilton
2B Brandon Phillips
1B Joey Votto
RF Jay Bruce
LF Ryan Ludwick
3B Todd Frazier
C Devin Mesoroco
SS Zach Cozart

Rotation
RHP Mat Latos
RHP Homer Bailey
RHP Johnny Cueto
RHP Mike Leake
RHP Tony Cingrani
SU: RH Jonathan Broxton
CL: LH Aroldis Chapman*

The Reds lost a big component to last years team when Shin-Soo Choo signed with the Rangers over the winter, but Cinci is hoping that bright young speedster Billy Hamilton is ready to take center field and run with it. If last season and this springs small sample size is any indication, he certainly is. They still have Votto and Bruce holding down the middle of their order, and with Phillips and Hamilton at the top, the Reds are as good as anyone 1-4, and their bottom half isn't too shabby either. Although they don't really have a true ace (Cueto was on his way before injuries the last 2 seasons), they have one of the deepest rotations in the game. Just to give you an idea, Cingrani went 7-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 120 K's in 104 innings in 18 starts in his rookie season, and he's slated in the fifth spot. If Cueto can stay healthy for 30 starts, and that they can overcome going through at least 1/3 of their season without ace closer Aroldis Chapman (who suffered those brutal facial fractures after taking a Salvador Perez come-backer to the face), they're going to be right in the thick of things come September. Of course, if Cueto goes down like he did last year, and Chapman doesn't come back in a timely fashion, the Brewers and Pirates could be on their heels.
*Chapman out at least 2 months with facial injuries

3rd Place, Milwaukee Brewers

Lineup
SS Jean Segura
2B Scooter Gennett
RF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez
CF Chris Gomez
C Jonathan Lucroy
LF Khris Davis
1B Juan Francisco

Rotation
RHP Yovani Gallardo
RHP Matt Garza
RHP Kyle Lohse
RHP Marco Estrada
RHP Wily Peralta
SU: RH Francisco Rodriguez
CL: RH Jim Henderson

I think the Brewers are going to be real players in the central this season and make a legitimate run at a NL Wild Card spot if they keep their core healthy. There probably aren't a lot of people picking them above the Pirates, but I even considered them over Cincinnati. I think they're one of the more talented teams in the league. Of course, they'll need Ryan Braun to be the pre-2013 version of himself, Jean Segura to hit more like he did in the first half of last season than he did after the all-star break and finally, Yovani Gallardo to pitch up to his capabilities and show last season was a mirage. The good thing for them is all three of those needs have a more than realistic chance at happening and are expected. I really like this lineup, as they have as much speed and power throughout as any starting lineup in either league. There bench is lining up to be decent with Mark Reynolds and Rickie Weeks likely leading the way, and their bullpen looks good with K-Rod and Jim Henderson shutting the door on teams. I think the addition of Matt Garza really helps put that rotation back on the map, as it gives them much more depth. They, to me, are very similarly built to the Reds, and whichever of these two teams can stay the healthiest most likely ends up giving St. Louis the biggest run for the division. Again though, for them to be at their best, Braun has to return to his MVP-like ways and Gallardo to 15+ win, sub-4 ERA form.

4th Place, Pittsburgh Pirates

Lineup
LF Starling Marte
2B Neil Walker
CF Andrew McCutchen
3B Pedro Alvarez
1B Gaby Sanchez
C Russell Martin
RF Jose Tabata
SS Jordy Mercer

Rotation
LHP Francisco Liriano
RHP Gerrit Cole
LHP Wandy Rodriguiz
RHP Charlie Morton
RHP Edinson Volquez
SU: RH Mark Melancon
CL: RH Jason Grilli

The Pirates lost some guys this winter and didn't do a very good job at replacing them. The biggest departure was ace A.J. Burnett, who made clear his preference to stay in Pittsburgh, but for some reason Neal Huntington and Co. couldn't get it done and wound up with Edinson Volquez as the replacement. That's a huge loss, as it makes Liriano the default ace. Their bullpen, especially the back half with Melancon and Grilli are tough to beat, but their starting lineup, outside of Marte and McCutchen, is not too impressive. If Pedro Alvarez can cut back on the strikeouts and add a 50 points to his batting average, he could be one of the best third basemen in the league with his power (he showed his ability when he's on in the NLDS last season). The rotation, like the lineup, has a couple of big time arms like Liriano and Cole, but other than those two, they're very beatable (a big reason why Burnett should have returned). They're probably a hair over .500, but not much, and most likely won't reach the playoffs for a second year in a row, though an addition or two could get them there. One guy still on the market, and someone they should highly consider is Kendrys Morales, who could take over first base and really help the middle of the order.

5th Place, Chicago Cubs

Lineup
SS Starlin Castro
3B Luis Valbuena
1B Anthony Rizzo
RF Nate Schierholtz
C Wellington Castillo
LF Junior Lake
CF Justin Ruggiano
2B Darwin Barney

Rotation
RHP Jeff Samardzija
LHP Travis Wood
RHP Edwin Jackson
RHP Jake Arrieta
RHP Jason Hammel
SU: RH Pedro Strop
CL: RH Jose Veras

The Cubbies are not a threat to compete in 2014, but they aren't too far away from being real factors again with the youth movement that's about to hit the North side. They have a handful of some of the top prospects in the game, including young middle infielder Javier Baez, who's been one of the best hitters in the Cactus League this spring and looks like as close to a sure thing as there is. They have numerous others that are good bets to be impact players at the next level, weather it takes a few seasons or so is still to be determined but things will change for the Cubs soon enough. As for this year, they don't have much talent throughout. They need Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo to rebound in a major way, and will be expecting big things from youngsters Castillo and Lake in the middle of that order as well. The rotation is weak, and the bullpen may be weaker. The future is bright, but the immediate future isn't, as the Cubs are lining up to be one of the worst teams in the NL in 2014.Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-20347229881727436762014-03-19T16:59:00.000-07:002014-03-28T21:51:56.577-07:002014 MLB Previews: NL EastEvery year towards the end of March, we do our MLB Previews so we can kind of get a lay of the land as the upcoming season gets ready to open. Typically we do previews of all divisions, including the AL, but this year, we're going to narrow it down to NL only for obvious reasons. As always, we'll start in the East:

1st Place, Washington Nationals

Lineup
CF Denard Span
SS Ian Desmond
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
2B Anthony Rendon
C Wilson Ramos

Rotation
RHP Stephen Strasburg
LHP Gio Gonzalez
RHP Jordan Zimmermann
RHP Doug Fister
RHP Taylor Jordan (R)
SU: RH Tyler Clippard
CL: RH Rafael Soriano

The Nationals were the best team in the NL in 2012, looked like they would cruise to the World Series after taking a lead on St. Louis in the NLDS that fall, then coughed it up and never really recovered in 2013. They still have that squad pretty much in tact, with some improvements throughout. Their front-3 in the rotation can match up with any top-3 in baseball, and their bullpen is rock solid, essentially stocked with at least 3 legit closers (Storen, Clippard and Soriano). They have a lot of speed and power in their lineup, and as long as their rotation stays healthy, they should be the clear-cut favorites in the East, especially with the injuries Atlanta has gone through with their rotation this spring. I expect Bryce Harper to be in the NL MVP mix by season's end, and Stephen Strasburg to be in the Cy Young conversation as well. The scary thing about those guys, is they haven't nearly peaked yet and they're already catalysts who carry this team. Depending on how much growth those guys show will determine just how far the Nationals can go.

2nd Place, Atlanta Braves

Lineup
RF Jason Heyward
3B Chris Johnson
LF Justin Upton
1B Fredie Freeman
C Evan Gattis
SS Andrelton Simmons
CF B.J. Upton
2B Dan Uggla

Rotation
LHP Mike Minor
RHP Julio Teheran
RHP Ervin Santana
LHP Alex Wood
RHP Freddy Garcia
SU: RH Jordan Walden
CL: RH Craig Kimbrel

The Braves suffered some of the worst luck of any team in baseball this spring, as they lost not one, but two substantial starting pitchers for the season, as both Kris Medlan and Brandon Beachy each need Tommy John Surgery. Luckily for the Braves, they were able to fill one of the voids by inking Ervin Santana to a deal in mid-March. Another area that raises some questions is the top of their lineup. They'll start the season with Heyward in the leadoff spot, but he's far from your prototypical high on-base/average guy for that slot, and they don't have a standard two-hitter either. Justin Upton or Chris Johnson seem like the best fits, but I'm sure the Braves would like to see Simmons elevate himself into that spot at some point. Other than that, they really need bounce-backs from Uggla and the elder Upton for them to really make a run... Even with the losses of the two starters, their rotation should be decent. I really like young righty Julio Teheran, and Mike Minor is one of the more steady lefties in the game, although he's not an ace and he's being sort of forced into that role. Bullpen is sound, with the best closer in the game shutting the door, but they are a little thin in mid-relief and really need Jonny Venters to come back healthy and quick. They certainly have the talent to challenge for a playoff spot, but they'll need a lot of things to go right.

3rd Place, Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup
CF Ben Revere
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Domonic Brown
RF Marlon Byrd
C Carlos Ruiz
3B Cody Asche

Rotation:
LHP Cliff Lee
LHP Cole Hammels
RHP A.J. Burnett
RHP Miguel Gonzalez
RHP Kyle Kendrick
SU: RH Matt Adams
CL: Jonathan Papelbon

The Phillies are a team with a bunch of big names all over the place. The problem is, their big names are about 5 years past their primes and are trending downward. Some guys are still very efficient players like Utley, Lee and Hamels, but others like Rollins, Howard and Papelbon need to bounce back from sub-par 2013's if they want to get back to relevance. I like Dominic Brown, as he's the best young hitter in a lineup full of thirty-somethings and despite a fall off at the end of 2013, his second full season as an everyday player should yield better results. Their bullpen is average, their rotation should be slightly above average if they stay healthy and get Hamels back in early May, and their lineup is nothing special either. Overall, they are the epitome of a .500 team and a good example of why not to give aging players huge multi-year deals.

4th Place, New York Mets

Lineup
CF Juan Lagares
2B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
RF Curtis Granderson
CF Chris Young
1B Ike Davis
C Travis d'Arnoud
SS Rueben Tejada

Rotation
LHP Jonathan Niese
RHP Zach Wheeler
RHP Bartolo Colon
RHP Dillon Gee
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
SU: RH Kyle Fransworth
CL: RH Bobby Parnell

The Mets have essentially been stuck in neutral for the last three or four seasons as they've been consistently below average and look to be that way in 2014 as well. Losing Matt Harvey for the year is a huge blow, but they've had plenty of time to adjust accordingly and came up with Bartolo Colon to fill that void. I know he was decent in his stint in Oakland, but I doubt he gives the Mets similar results. They still have David Wright, who's as good as any third basemen in the game, and Zach Wheeler looks primed to breakout in his first full season in the bigs. They did add Curtis Granderson in the offseason, and he should bring some power and speed to the lineup, but it'll be interesting to see just how much Citi Field messes with his HR totals. I'm also curious to see how Ike Davis rebounds after a flat out dismal 2013 campaign. Even if David Wright wins MVP, Zach Wheeler does his best Matt Harvey impression and Grandy hits 50 jacks, the Mets would struggle to be a .500 club.

5th Place, Miami Marlins

Lineup
SS Rafael Furcal
LF Christian Yelich
RF Giancarlo Stanton
1B Garrett Jones
C Jarrod Saltalimacchia
3B Casey McGehee
CF Marcell Ozuna
SS Adeiny Hechavarria

Rotation
RHP Jose Fernandez
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
RHP Henderson Alvarez
RHP Jacob Turner
RHP Tom Koehler
SU: RH Carlos Marmol
CL: RH Steve Cishek

The Marlins are still trying to figure things out after they spent all that money and had that major let down of 2012. They then had a rough go of it in 2013, but they had some young guys emerge as mainstays for the organization for years to come. The front three in their rotation look like solid young right-handers with big upsides. We've already seen 21 year-old Fernandez dominate and win Rookie of the Year and the other two behind him aren't too shabby themselves though both need to overcome some inconsistencies. As far as the lineup goes, I like Yelich, and obviously Stanton is a beast and a perennial 50-hr per year threat if he can stay on the field for 150 games but outside of those two, there aren't a lot of great young hitters on the roster. All in all, take Stanton and Fernandez off this team, and they look like a glorified AAA squad.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-78108512794038028692014-03-14T15:52:00.001-07:002014-03-14T15:59:36.297-07:00Halfway through spring, so far so goodWe're roughly halfway through the Cactus League schedule, and with opening day just over 2 weeks away, the Giants look like they're ready to start the marathon!

So far, the only pressing question hanging over the Giants surrounds second base and when exactly starter Marco Scutaro will be ready to go. Aside from recovering from surgery he had that inserted a pin into his mallet-finger last September, Scutaro has been battling some back issues that have become a growing concern. He has taken batting practice a couple of times now, which is a good sign, but he's not close to appearing in a Cactus League game and is all but ruling out being ready by opening day. Scutaro's a veteran and has been around a long time, if he says he's not optimistic about starting the season, you should probably take him for his word. With the 39 year-old a likely candidate to start the year on the 15-day DL, it opens up a door in the infield for someone like Mark Minicozzi, Ehire Adrianza or even Brandon Hicks. Adrianza looks like the most likely of the three to get that spot should it become available. He's shown a 180 turnaround at the plate this spring, hitting for power with 2 HR, a double and a triple in 20 at-bats for a cool .700 slugging percentage. There's also no questioning his glove and rage up the middle either. Minicozzi has cooled off a bit, but Hicks has looked strong leading the team with 5 doubles in 22 at-bats.

The guy to most likely get the starting nod at second until Scutaro is indeed ready, Joaquin Arias, is showing the Giants shouldn't miss a beat without their veteran second sacker with a strong spring. Arias is hitting .391 in 9 games. Of the Giants expected to make the opening day roster, only Buster Posey (.450) has a higher average. I doubt Bochy will slot Arias into the 2-hole on his lineup card, however. My guess is Brandon Belt gets that spot, as Boch has used him there in spring and likes his ability to see pitches and his solid OBP.

Aside from Scutaro's absence though, Bochy really has to be pleased with the way things around unfolding this spring. Pablo Sandoval looks healthy, motivated and ready for a monster year. Posey looks absolutely determined to get back to 2012 form, Pence looks like Pence (blasted two big flies Friday) and Michael Morse has shown signs of heating up recently. The lineup looks like it's going to be a stronger, more well-rounded unit than it was a year ago, and the starting rotation has had just the type of strong spring they needed to in order to put peoples minds at ease. Tim Lineceum needed a strong spring, he's having one. Matt Cain, to a lesser extent, needed one as well and he's been on point. I do have to admit, my only concern with the starting rotation at this point lies with Vogelsong in that fifth spot as he's been hit-and-miss all spring. He did have that nice start Thursday night vs. Texas, but he's become a bit unpredictable and isn't nearly as reliable as he was pre-2013. He is a fifth starter though, so the Giants aren't expecting a sub-3 ERA with 13-plus wins like he provided in 2011-12, nonetheless, they need quality starts out of him more times than not. Whether he can still do that remains to be seen and his mediocre spring thus far is hardly making me optimistic.

Escobar Thriving: In case Vogey fails, or any Giants starter has to miss any significant time, it looks like they have themselves a pretty good security blanket who is damn near major league ready if he isn't already. 21 year-old Edwin Escobar has had one of the best springs of anyone. In 3 games (2 starts) he's allowed just 1 hit over 6 innings of work.

Thoughts on Bonds: I know we haven't really discussed it here yet, but I did want to say a little something about Barry Bonds' arrival in camp a few days ago. I, like most people, and ecstatic he's back with the club and am very encouraged by seeing him jump right in and help players right away. Say what you want about Barry, you can't deny his approach at the plate and his ability to hit (long before any PED use) was really second to none over the last 20-25 years. The Giants have a lot of talent in that everyday lineup too, talent that can use Bonds' imput and expertise. Imagine how much he could help Brandon Belt and Crawford and what kind of tips he could give Posey and Pablo Sandoval. Bonds is in good spirits, ready to teach and apparently really wants to be a part of this thing. All signs are pointing towards this being a great reunion. I like Bam Bam Muellens, but if I'm him, I have to be looking over my shoulder, just a little bit.

Upcoming: We normally start our previews of every division in baseball around this time, but I'm considering keeping it to NL teams only this year and doing a little more in-depth on the teams the Giants will actually be facing 95% of the time. Either way, our divisional previews will start in the next few days.Trevor Colehttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-17901010.post-73868597004922057902014-03-07T20:03:00.002-08:002014-03-07T20:11:09.921-08:00Lincecum impressive againPerhaps the single biggest disappointment on the Giants roster over the last two seasons looks like he may have figured some things out this offseason.

After revamping his offseason workout regimen, signs of the old Tim Lineceum are surfacing. The former ace turned in his second straight impressive start in Surprise on Friday, shutting the Royals down over three frames, allowing just 2 hits with no walks or strikeouts. It took him just 35 pitches to get through the three innings of work, which shows growth in itself. Through his first two starts this spring, Lincecum looks like he's more focused on throwing to contact and keeping hitters off balance than he is on throwing the ball by the hitters. He said at the beginning of spring that his goal this spring was to get quick efficient innings under his belt before flying north to start the year, and so far he's stayed true to form. One of his major problems over the last couple of years has been that long, laboring inning in which he's had to throw 25+ pitches far too often, which drains his arm, makes him less effective and forces him to leave games after five innings of work. I'm not how much input Tim Hudson has had on Lincecum's new approach on the mound, but the younger Tim certainly appears to be picking some things up from his elder. Through two starts to begin the Cactus League, Lincecum has now gone 5 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and a walk to go with a strikeout. Not quite the dominant pre-2012 Lincecum, but just as efficient, if not more so.

It hasn't just been Lincecum either. Each of the Giants' five projected starters all have at least one start under their belt so far, some two, and all have shown up ready to prove last season was a fluke rather than the start of a downward trend. Their newest addition has been as impressive as any, as he's thrown 5 scoreless innings himself over two starts and he's allowed only 2 hits with 4 strikeouts. I know it's early, and we're still 3 weeks out from opening day, but things are definitely looking up in terms of the starting rotation.

As far as the everyday lineup is concerned, there are some questions surrounding one player in particular, and that guy is Marco Scutaro. The 38 year-old veteran has yet to appear in a spring game and Bruce Bochy said Friday he doesn't have an exact timetable for Scutaro to make his spring debut and they could start to explore the possibility of starting the year without him. Scutaro believes he'll be ready to play in the next week or so, but reports are that he still hasn't taken batting practice and has done little to no work with the bat at all yet since arriving in Scottsdale last month. In Scutaro's absence guys like Mark Minicozzi and Ehire Adrianza have been getting some extra looks, and both have been among the better stories in camp this spring. In case the Giants are forced to start the year with Scutaro on the DL, it looks like Adrianza still would have the leg up on securing a roster spot just cause he's got that slick glove and a rapidly improving bat (not to mention he's out of options). Nine-year Minor League veteran Minicozzi and his team-leading 2 HR and .429 average are slowly gaining some steam though.

Right now, the two closest battles for positional roster space are that 5th outfielder and 2nd utility guy behind Joaquin Arias. Tony Abreu and Juan Perez are sort of penciled into those spots, with Tyler Colvin and Adrianza each on their heels. If the season started Monday though, the incumbents would most likely stake claim to those two spots, but there is still plenty of spring to go, and those spots, especially that fifth outfield role, are still very much up for the taking.

Extras: The rest of the Giants' projected lineup has started out well for the most part. Michael Morse (who's numbers would look a lot better had it not been for Josh Reddick), and Brandon Crawford have been a little slow out of the gate, but it's so early that there is no concern there... The slimmed down Panda sure looks good, both at the plate and in the field. He's leading the Giants with five RBI so far... Also, Angel Pagan, who was so sorely missed for most of last season, has looked good himself, batting .357 through his first five contests.Trevor Colehttps://firstname.lastname@example.com