Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says a leading theory posits the Giants will keep Buster Posey in the minors until June to ensure he does not gain an extra year of arbitration eligibility, but team officials have discussed bringing him up sooner.
King of Cali thoughts: Now it’s not rocket-science. If Posey is hitting and Aubrey Huff isn’t. I would bring up Posey, and let him get some games in at first. He can even get some games in when Bengie Molina needs a break behind the dish. This is just to help jump start the offense a bit.
Posey hasn’t been driving the ball so far this season, but he’s still getting his hits. He’s currently hitting .353 AVG with 1 homer and 9 RBI’s in 18 games for the Fresno Grizzlies. We need a guy that can hit. If you place him in this Giants lineup. He’s easily already one of the top 3 hitters in the everyday lineup. That’s how good this kids bat can be. Well then again… him being one of our top 3 hitters isn’t saying much for a team that desperately needs offensive help. Do you think the Giants should bring up Posey now?
The end of the first series of the season ends today. The Giants are sending Matt Cain to the mound to try to get the sweep over the Houston Astros. Barry Zito pitched 6 shutout innings, and only allowing 3 hits. The Astros lineup isn’t anything great, but at least the Giants are doing what they should against a sub-par team.
Zito and Tim Lincecum have combined for 13 shutout innings, 7 hits, 12 strikeouts and 1 walk. The Giants seem to have a little swagger right now. Everyone seems pretty confident except for Aaron Rowand. He couldn’t make an out in Spring Training, and now is struggling to get his first hit of the 2010 season.
Bengie Molina has been given today off. He’s usually given the day game off following a night game.
Wednesday’s Giants Lineup
CF Rowand
SS Renteria
3B Sandoval
1B Huff
LF DeRosa
RF Bowker
2B Uribe
C Whiteside
P Cain
This Date In SF Giants History
April 7, 2002 – Livan Hernandez tossed a complete game, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 5 while going 3-for-3 with 2 runs, 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s in SF’s 10-1 victory over the Padres.
The 2010 season gets started with a weak grounder to the shortstop by Aaron Rowand. The first hit of the year for the Giants comes off the bat of Aubrey Huff. He lead off the 2nd inning with a single. Mark DeRosa followed that up by drawing a walk in his first Giants at bat. Bengie Molina follows up Huff’s single and DeRosa walk with an RBI single. Scoring on the play from second base was Huff. John Bowker follows up Molina’s single with a RBI single of his own off the left field wall. Juan Uribe does his job by getting a sacrifice fly to score Molina from 3rd base. The Giants scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning to give Tim Lincecum a lead to work with.
Lincecum went 7 innings strong. He didn’t allow any runs or walks. It was a very impressive start of the 2010 season for Lincecum.
The Giants said they gave Bowker the starting position in right field even though Nate Schierholtz is the superior defender. Bowker made a very nice grab in right field to end the bottom of the 2nd inning. Giants are hoping Bowker can at least be an average defender in right field.
The first homer of the season for the Giants came off of the bat of DeRosa. It was a solo shot that just cleared the right field wall. The Giants went on to win the game by a score of 5-2 over the Astros.
The two offseason bats the Giants acquired (Huff, DeRosa) this offseason went a combined 2 for 7 at the plate, scoring 3 runs and getting 1 RBI.
The Giants and Astros are back at it tonight in Houston at Minute Maid Park. It’s a 5:05 Pacific start time, so kick off your shoes after a long day of work. Barry Zito is on the mound tonight against Wandy Rodriguez. Let’s hope Zito can have a quality start and give us a chance to win.
Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Buster Posey is probably headed to Fresno. Ratto says Posey’s first major league day of 2010 will be on one of two dates. June 1st, when the Giants can push his arbitration clock back another year, or the day catcher Bengie Molina gets hurt.
King of Cali thoughts: This is one of those catch 22′s. You’re damned if you, and you’re damned if you don’t. Posey is ready and has earned a spot on the 25 man roster. They just aren’t going to give it to him. They don’t want to have Posey sitting and not getting a good number of at bats. The smartest thing to do is let him go down to Fresno and continue to play everyday. Keep his stroke going and continue to master the catching position. The Posey era will have to wait a little longer to begin in San Francisco.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the future Giants backstop Buster Posey is feeling comfortable at first base. He currently rates himself a 7 on a scale of 1-10. The Giants are giving Posey a longer look at first as they try to gauge what he can bring to the 25-man roster if he makes the team out of camp.
Posey went 0-4 at the plate against the Oakland A’s, but still is hitting .375 this spring.
King of Cali thoughts: The reason the Giants brought Bengie Molina back was because they felt like Posey wasn’t fully ready to handle the pitching staff. They thought he can use some work, so what I heard was they would probably send him down to triple A so he can continue to work on his catching.
Now it’s sounding more and more like they are really considering him as the backup catcher/first baseman. I really think that’s a really good idea. If they can give him enough AB’s in San Francisco then it’s a no brainer. He can catch one or two games a week. This will keep Molina fresh, and Posey can have Molina talking to him between innings about different things he’s doing right/wrong behind the plate.
There is no doubt that Posey can handle himself with the bat, so by making him the backup. They can ease him into more and more playing time. That way when he really takes over as the everyday backstop there is no surprise as to what we may get from him. Before I get the hate mail. I’m not saying he’s taking over anytime soon. Even if it’s next season. At least by then he will have big league experience under his belt. What do you think the Giants should do with Posey?
Chris Haft of MLB.com told me via email. That roster spots are to close to call right now for the Giants. Guys that have impressed him are Henry Sosa, Buster Posey, and even guys like Todd Wellemeyer and Andres Torres, who have to make the team all over again. It’s going to be interesting to see how they (Giants) handle the bench spots.
King of Cali thoughts: Sosa is off to a very nice start this spring. He’s pitched in 4 games and has pitched in 4.2 innings. He has a 0.00 ERA. At the start of spring it was highly unlikely that he would make the Opening Day roster. It’s still a long shot, but if he continues to pitch the way he has. It might be hard to deny him.
Posey has a nice stroke going in Arizona. He’s hitting .429 with a homer and 7 RBI’s. That’s not what’s keeping him from being the man behind the mask this year. It’s getting him more familiar with catching and his work behind the plate. Oh and also the Giants bringing back Bengie Molina. Posey may start in triple A, but he might not stay down there long.
Wellemeyer is showing why he should be the number 5 starter. The Giants pretty much said the fifth spot in the rotation was Madison Bumgarner’s spot to lose. Bumgarner is only 20 years old, and can start in triple A. Then if starter goes down. Bumgarner is a phone call away. Wellemeyer has pitched in 3 games and has a 2.00 ERA in 9 innings pitched. The fifth spot is still up in the air. Kevin Pucetas has also thrown himself in the mix. He’s pitched in 3 games and has a 0.00 ERA in 7 innings pitched.
Torres is trying to earn himself a bench role. The Giants have a some outfielders that are trying to make the team as backups. Torres is a spark plug when he’s in the game and has some speed that the Giants need. He would be a good defense replacement in later innings. He’s played in 7 games this spring and is hitting .318 with one homer.
These are the stats that were listed for each player at the time of this post was created.
Chris Haft of MLB.com published his inbox post with fans questions. Below is a couple of the questions with his answers summed up by me.
Do you think Aubrey Huff will provide the Giants with a 30 homer/100 RBI season?
Haft said Aubrey Huff certainly has a chance to reach triple digit RBI’s. He has accomplished that feat three times in his career, so you know that he possesses a run-producer’s mindset. Haft also believes that if the trio in-front of him (Rowand, Sanchez and Sandoval) has decent years. Huff should have plenty of chances. He doesn’t think it’s likely that Huff will pass the 30 homers mark as long as he’s playing home games at AT&T Park.
I am a huge Bengie Molina fan, but if Buster Posey proves he’s ready for the Majors with a strong spring, would the Giants consider trading Bengie? I’m sure we could get one or two decent prospects for him, and I know many clubs, particularly the Mets, could use a catcher.
Haft says “Spring Training performance is illusory.” Tossing aside Bengie Molina would be highly premature. Though the Giants want Buster Posey to be their catcher, they must be sure that his talents are properly developed for the Majors before he receives the chance to entrench himself at AT&T Park. Molina is a proven hitter who the pitchers trust. It’d be foolish to squander a rare asset like him.
King of Cali thoughts: It’s going to be hard for Huff to get back to his 2008 form. Hitting in AT&T park is not going to help his homers. Although he does have enough power to get homers in this park. He’s going to have some splash hits this season. I really think he’s got the power to take it out of any park. The only thing that’s going to hurt him is that death valley in right-center field. Which means some potential homers might turn into triples or very long doubles.
Huff knows he has to prove himself this year to everyone around baseball. This is a one year deal, so it’s a contract year for him. The numbers need to be there at the end of the year if he wants to be a big chip in the free agent market.
I know I was ready to let Posey start and get the Posey era going. I just looked at is as if it’s a job. Anyone that starts a new job gets some training, and then learns the rest on the job. That’s what I wanted to see done with Posey. That’s when I thought Molina was going elsewhere for a multi-year contract.
Now that Molina is back. I say lets start him and Posey can work himself into the mix later on in the season. If Molina goes down early with a flat tire. Then Posey can definitely take over and show us what he can do. This is a win-win situation for the Giants behind the plate.
Today was the day that the Giants and Tim Lincecum had their arbitration hearing. It’s been reported that they were outside and asked for a little time so they can work out a deal before going in the arbitration room. Well they got the time they needed, because they got a two-year deal worked out. Lincecum and the Giants agreed to two years at $23 million. Lincecum will get $8 million this year, and $13 million next year. Yes, I know that doesn’t add up to $23 million. The remaining $2 million is going to be paid as a signing bonus, which will be paid over the two years.
Now that Lincecum has been signed. The Giants are pretty much set to start spring training. I don’t see anymore signings happening before the season starts. There has been a lot of players that have been linked to the Giants this offseason. Below is a list that SF Giants Rumors put together of who’s in for 2010.
Key Additions
Aubrey Huff - 1B (free agent from Detroit Tigers)
The Giants are hoping Huff can return to his 2008 form with the Baltimore Orioles. Where he hit .304 with 32 homers and 108 RBI’s
2009- Huff had a down year. He batted .253 with 13 homers in Baltimore in 110 games. He was then traded to the Detroit Tigers where he hit .189 with 2 homers in 40 games.
Contract – 1 Year, $3 Million (2010)
Career – .282 AVG 203 HR’s
Mark DeRosa - IF/OF (free agent from ST. Louis Cardinals)
DeRosa will likely play left field for the Giants. The Giants are penciling him in to the 5th spot of the order where they are hoping he can turn into a RBI machine.
2009 – DeRosa started the year out with the Cleveland Indians and then was later traded to the St Louis Cardinals. DeRosa played 71 games for the Indians and batted .270 with 13 homers.
For the Cardinals he hit .228 with 10 homers in 68 games.
Contract – 2 Years, $12 Million (10-11)
Career – .275 AVG with 92 HR’s
Bengie Molina - C (re-signed by the San Francisco Giants)
The Giants shocked me with the signing of Molina. I mean if you would have asked me before if I would love Molina back for 4.5 million for 1 year. I would have have said yes in a heartbeat. I am ready for the Posey era but it can wait a bit for Molina. Pitchers love to pitch to him. Now we don’t need to replace his production of 20 homers and 80 RBI’s. The best part of it is he’s going to hit 6th in the lineup. He’s out of the cleanup spot. Molina wanted a muliti-year deal so the Giants counted themselves out of the hunt. The Mets didn’t give him what he wanted, he decided to pass the Mets $5 million offer to sign with the Giants for $4.5 million for one year.
2009 – .265 AVG with 20 HR’s and 80 RBI’s
Contract – 1 Year, $4.5 Million (2010)
Career- .276 AVG with 139 HR’s
Juan Uribe - IF (re-signed by the San Francisco Giants)
Uribe was the hottest Giants hitter towards the end of the season. He was having big hits and big homers. This Guy was a true asset to bring back because he can play multiple positions and he has some pretty good pop too. If Renteria isn’t pulling his weight. Uribe can force himself into the starting role at SS when Sanchez is back and healthy.
2009 – .289 AVG with 16 homers and 55 RBI’s in 122 games
Jon Heyman of SI.com gives his eight teams that he says have been losers this offseason, at least for the months of November through February. The Giants are listed as the #4 team, so I guess that’s better than the worst team which happens to be the New York Mets.
Heyman says the Giants brought in a collection of hitters – Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe and Bengie Molina, but ignored the two true middle of the order threats that were available (Jason Bay and Matt Holliday) and badly needed.
King of Cali thoughts: I don’t think the Giants really are losers this offseason. No we didn’t get that one big bat that we have said we needed for the last two years. We did however upgrade our offense. No, it’s not the Yankees lineup. This team does have the potential to score more runs this year. We still are missing our ideal leadoff hitter, and we have no team speed. We do however have some decent hitters.
2010 Projected Lineup
1. Aaron Rowand CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval 3B
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Mark DeRosa LF
6. Bengie Molina C
7. Nate Schierholtz RF
8. Edgar Renteria SS
9. Tim Lincecum P
Now we all know this lineup is subject to change. If Sanchez isn’t ready for opening day. The Giants will likely start Juan Uribe and 2nd base. Which means the lineup would need some shuffling.
This was the 2009 Starting Lineup.
1. Randy Winn RF
2. Edgar Renteria SS
3. Fred Lewis LF
4. Bengie Molina C
5. Pablo Sandoval 3B
6. Travis Ishikawa 1B
7. Aaron Rowand CF
8. Emmanuel Burriss 2B
9. Tim Lincecum P
Now by the looks of that. I would say we are definitely starting off this season with a better starting lineup than last year. Would you say the Giants are losers this offseason?
Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com chat’s with fans. Urban says if he had to pick which Giants acquisition this offseason that he thinks would have a greater impact. He would have to go with Mark DeRosa. He doesn’t see Byung-Hyun Kim making the team.
When asked about Bam Bam Meulens. Urban said he likes the hire a lot. Meulens is said to have a more gentle touch, and he’s gotten along well with players everywhere he’s been. Lansford couldn’t change Bengie Molina, Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand’s free-swinging ways.
If Fred Lewis has a good spring. Urban thinks the Giants should keep him. He says he’s the only Velez backer in the Bay Area, it seems, and he’d like to see more of Bowker. Torres is okay in spot duty, but he’ll get exposed with extended run. This is why he wouldn’t be so quick to give up on Fred Lewis.
When asked about Emmanuel Burriss. Urban said he’ll be at camp, trying to ear a job filling in until Freddy Sanchez is ready, but you have to assume that’s Uribe’s gig to lose. At best, Burriss is a backup middle infielder this year.
Urban’s prediction on a breakout 2010 season. He says Velez, Schierholtz and Romo.
He also wouldn’t be shocked at all to see someone like Kevin Pucetas win the No. 5 spot in the rotation out of camp.
King of Cali thoughts: I love to read stuff like this, so I figured I would post some of Mychael Urban’s answers to fans questions. With Fan Fest right around the corner. I’m starting to get really excited for this season to start. The great thing about this time of the year is every team still feels like they have a shot at making the playoffs. =) Who else is feeling pumped?
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says a leading theory posits the Giants will keep Buster Posey in the minors until June to ensure he does not gain an extra year of arbitration eligibility, but team officials have discussed bringing him up sooner.
The end of the first series of the season ends today. The Giants are sending 
The 2010 season gets started with a weak grounder to the shortstop by 
Chris Haft of MLB.com told me via email. That roster spots are to close to call right now for the Giants. Guys that have impressed him are 
