Chris Haft of MLB.com says (via twitter) ace pitcher Tim Lincecum was playing catch today on flat ground with Barry Zito. That’s great news, because his back can’t be that stiff if he’s already back to throwing. It’s a minor injury, but with your ace pitcher, you can never be to careful.
Reporting date for position players is tomorrow(2/23) and the first full-squad workout is Friday (2/24). Now it’s starting to feel like it’s baseball season. It’s countdown time till the San Francisco Giants home Opening Day. I can taste the Garlic Fries already!
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Barry Zito, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, MLB Rumors Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors, SFG Rumors, Tim Lincecum
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Angel Villalona will not be reporting to camp with position players. Villalona’s work visa has been delayed due to gaining weight since he was arrested. A player that is given a work visa must be “elite athletes” and in top physical condition.
Lets hope this delay is a minor one. It would be nice to see Villalona establish himself as a legit prospect again during Spring Training. Let’s not forget that he’s still just 21-years-old.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Angel Villalona, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, MLB Rumors Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors, SFG Rumors
Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News says number 3 prospect in the Giants organization (according to Baseball America) Heath Hembree was throwing bullets in his bullpen session.
For those of you that haven’t heard of Hembree. He’s a guy that you might want to keep an eye on. He went 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 53.1 innings between San Jose and Richmond. Did I forget to mention that he had 38 saves too?!?!
I’m not trying to start a controversy, but Hembree could be the Giants future closer. If Giants management decides they want to save money in the closer role, or if Brian Wilson has another arm injury. It could be an opportunity for Hembree to step in and show he can handle the closer role at a cheaper price.
With that said, let’s hope Wilson has a healthy 2012! He’s just an awesome dude, and fun to watch in a Giants uniform!
Side Note
Andrew Baggarly just reported that Tim Lincecum is listed as day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
What’s your thoughts on Hembree and Wilson?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Wilson, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Heath Hembree, MLB Rumors Giants, SF Giants Rumors, SFG Rumors, Tim Lincecum
Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com says (via twitter), infielder Charlie Culberson dropped a weight on the tip of his finger and broke it. He’s out indefinitely, says Baggarly.
In another tweet, Baggarly says Ryan Vogelsong was sent home today with an illness. Vogelsong seems to have bad luck as he’s already out with a back injury. Manager Bruce Bochy says it’s best to get it all out of the way now.
Jaymee Sire of CSNBayArea.com says (via twitter) closer Brian Wilson is on track to pitch in the 2nd week of Spring Training games.
That’s really good news as some Giants fans were a little worried about Wilson since he was shut down early towards the end of the 2011 season.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Pat Burrell could be back in a Giants uniform as an instructor down in Scottsdale like Will Clark, Robb Nen and Shawon Dunston.
What’s your thoughts on Culberson’s injury, Vogelsong’s bad luck, Wilson on track to pitch the 2nd week of Spring Training games and Burrell back in uniform as a coach?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Wilson, Bruce Bochy, Charlie Culberson, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, King of Cali, MLB Rumors Giants, Pat Burrell, Robb Nen, Ryan Vogelsong, SF Giants Rumors, Shawon Dunston, Will Clark

Photo Courtesy of Jesse Montellano
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports, Ryan Vogelsong strained his back while lifting weights (squats). Vogelsong is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks.
It’s not time to worry, as the San Francisco Giants still have over a month to get Vogelsong back in rhythm. He should be 100% by his Opening Day (game 4 of the season).
Trying Something Different
Barry Zito has made some changes to his pitching in the stretch. Zito is now using more of a crouched delivery. He’s hoping to generate more momentum and thus more arm speed, says Schulman.
Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com says Marc Kroon has decided to hang up his spikes. A lot of Giants fans wanted to see Kroon get another crack in the big leagues, but it never happened. He started the year in Fresno, and never got the call. Baggarly says Kroon had trouble throwing strikes down the stretch, which took him out of consideration for a September call-up.
What’s your thoughts on Vogelsong’s injury, Zito’s new delivery, and Kroon announcing his retirement?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Barry Zito, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, King of Cali, Marc Kroon, MLB Rumors Giants, Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors
Steve Edlefsen 65 – P
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Switch, Throws: Right
Height: 6’2″, Weight: 195 lbs.
Born: June 27, 1985
Place: Minneapolis, MN
High School: Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota
College: University of Nebraska
Drafted By: Giants (16th round, 494th pick) 2007 amateur draft.
Signed: June 14, 2007.
Debut: August 21, 2011
Contract: Pre-Arbitration Eligible
Fun Facts
Was mostly an infielder during his college career.
Originally drafted by the Red Sox in 2004 (41st round), but didn’t sign.
Edlefsen’s Career Stats
| YR |
TM |
G |
W |
L |
ERA |
SO |
BB |
IP |
WHIP |
| 2011 |
SFG |
13 |
0 |
0 |
9.53 |
6 |
10 |
11.1 |
2.382 |
| Career |
SFG |
13 |
0 |
0 |
9.53 |
6 |
10 |
11.1 |
2.382 |
Sponsor This Page
Technorati Tags: MLB Profiles, Player Profiles, SF Giants Rumors, Steve Edlefsen, Steve Edlefsen Profile
Chris Haft of MLB.com says outfielder Justin Christian cleared waivers and has re-signed with the San Francisco Giants organization. Christian has received a non-roster invitation to camp.
Haft also says the Giants have signed LHP Travis Blackley to a minor league deal. Blackley will also get a non-roster invitation to camp.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Justin Christian, King of Cali, MLB Rumors Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors, Travis Blackley
The San Francisco Giants have announced (via twitter) that they have invited RHP Ramon Ortiz to Spring Training. Which means he likely has signed a minor league contract with the Giants.
GM Brian Sabean could be adding to the bullpen mix to increase the competition for the final bullpen spot, or he could be looking for some veteran backup plans in case a reliever can’t go at the start of the season.
Closer Brian Wilson says he feels good, but maybe the Giants are a little more worried about him then they say they are. If Wilson does go down. Look for everyone to move up a spot in the bullpen and then you can slide guys like Dan Runzler and Ortizin the other slots.
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Brian Sabean, Brian Wilson, Dan Runzler, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, MLB Rumors Giants, Ramon Ortiz, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants Rumors

Photo Courtesy of Jesse Montellano
Spring Training is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers are reporting on February 18, and most of the bullpen roles are already filled. The San Francisco Giants have lost one key arm in the bullpen and that’s reliever Ramon Ramirez (traded to Mets). His arm will be missed, and this trade prompted the Giants to go out and sign Clay Hensley. Hensley should be the replacement for Ramirez unless he has a horrific spring training.
Players that have a spot in the bullpen barring injury are closer Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Guillermo Mota. Hensley should also have a spot locked in, but he’s also coming off a sub-par 2011 season. If he shows no signs of putting it together at spring training. He can eliminate himself from the opening day roster. It’s not clear as of yet how many pitchers that the Giants want to carry out of spring, but Dan Runzler is hoping he can get himself back in the mix.
“I want to be the first guy he (Bruce Bochy) thinks about,” Runzler on his bullpen role.
What’s your thoughts on the bullpen?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: 2012 Giants Spring Training, Brian Wilson, Bruce Bochy, Clay Hensley, Dan Runzler, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Guillermo Mota, Javier Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, MLB Rumors Giants, Ramon Ramirez, San Francisco Giants, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, SF Giants Rumors
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says Angel Villalona‘s work visa has been approved by the U.S. Immigration Service. Villalona is expected to report to Scottsdale Stadium on February 23, when position players report to camp.
Villalona has been away from the game for a while since the 2009 murder charge. It’s not clear as to what kind of player he will be when he’s back in uniform. It’s very likely that he will start back in single-A, and have to work his way through the minor league system.
Villalona hit .267 with 9 homers and 42 RBI in 47 games for the San Jose Giants in 2009. Villalona’s future with the Giants isn’t clear, but he’s far to good of a talent to give up on. If the Giants don’t see Villalona in their future plans, he’s a nice trade chip to keep in their back pocket.
Bullpen Arm
According to the Associated Press, the San Francisco Giants and reliever Guillermo Mota have finalized a one-year ($1 million) deal. Both sides had already agreed to terms in December. Mota was used primarily as a long-relief guy, and did an outstanding job. Mota went 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in 52 outings (80 1/3 innings).
What’s your thoughts on Villalona attending Spring Training, and Mota’s deal now being finalized?
~King of Cali (Steven)
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Technorati Tags: Angel Villalona, Giants Hot Stove, Giants Trade Rumors, Guillermo Mota, King of Cali, MLB Rumors Giants, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Giants, SF Giants Rumors, SFG Rumors