Should Posey Start?

As the chances to re-sign Bengie Molina are diminishing, it seems most likely the Giants will sign a veteran cather that will split time with Buster Posey. Some names that have swirled around include: Yorvit Torrealba, Ivan Rodriguez, and Henry Blanco. If one of these, or another veteran back-up catcher is signed should Posey be the starter?

Any back-up type catcher the Giants sign will not be able to produce offensively like Bengie Molina did. Molina was the Giants #4 hitter last season, and finished second on the team in RBI's and homeruns. Not many catchers have that type of ability, and it will be hard to replace such a key part of the lineup. With prospects I usually think it is best to let them develop before throwing them into the fire. However, Buster Posey is not an average prospect. He has potential to be a superstar in the major leagues.

Posey attended Florida State only one year ago, where in his final season he won every award he qualified for. In this past season, his first season in the minors, Posey split time between A and AAA ball. He produced nicely batting .325, 18 homers, and 80 RBI's.

Posey has a rare ability to hit and play well defensively. Any back-up type catcher the Giants sign will not be able to produce offensively like Bengie Molina did. It is really a no-lose situation if Posey starts. If he plays poorly, the Giants will have a veteran catcher that will replace Buster Posey, and play solid baseball. However, if Posey plays well they will have a catcher that can produce offensively, and have decent speed, unlike Bengie. Regardless of how Posey plays this year, he will only improve in future years.

A few year ago, Minnesota was faced with the decision similar to the Giants. Minnesota had a prospect by the name of Joe Mauer. They ended up trading their starting catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, to allow Mauer to play. Now Mauer is an elite player, and MVP of the AL. I'm not saying that Posey will be as phenomenal as Joe Mauer, but he has all the tools to make him into a great player.

The Giants Need For A Bat

The past season was the first time for years the Giants had a realistic shot at the postseason. Barry Zito showed signs of his former self, and Cain improved considerably. Tim Lincecum remained the league's best pitcher, and the Giants bullpen was one of the best in the league. Much of the Giants pitching staff will remain for this year and from that alone will have a great shot at the postseason. However, a great shot is far from a spot in the playoffs. If they want a chance of making the playoffs this coming year they will need a big free agent acquisition. Brian Sabean, the Giants GM, has said that he does not plan on going after one of the two elite outfielders in this year's free agent class, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. But I believe they need too.

The Giants have shown interest in "second tier" talent but that will not improve they offense of the team by much. Many of these players are already in or past their mid 30's and are on the decline of their career. Not to mention they were all playing in contract years. A few minimal upgrades are not going to improve the team as much as a big player would. Some of the "second tier" talent in the past few seasons that the Giants have acquired are: Edgar Renteria, Ryan Garko, Dave Roberts, and Juan Uribe. Some of these players have worked, some haven't, but it's obvious you are taking a chance with a player like that. With Randy Winn, and Randy Johnson both leaving San Francisco, the Giants will have the money to sign one of the elite players.

Out of the two free agents, I would perfer Jason Bay as a Giant. I think Matt Holliday is a better player, however he is much more likely to get more money and years in a contract than Jason Bay would. Matt Holliday is also not great away from hitter's ballparks, where his numbers drop tremdinously. Jason Bay is more of a complete player in my mind. Scott Boras, the agent for Matt Holliday, has called Holliday the elite talent in the free agency market, while the agent for Jason Bay has compared his client to Holliday. Holliday who is 29, is two years younger than Jason Bay really finished off the year incredibly well. Defensively, each outfielder is decent at their posistions, but none is outstanding. Offensively is where these two players are special.

In 2009 Jason Bay hit 36 homers, 119 RBI's, however his average was down, batting only .267. However, he drew nearly 100 walks, a stat the Giants were last in the league in. Jason Bay's slumped in the middle of the season really affected his batting average. Holliday hit .313, 24 homers, and 109 RBI's in a season split between the A's and the Cardinals. Homerun totals will be expected to drop a little after a move to the bay area, but they should still remain high.

The Giants need an impact bat if they want to contend for a playoff spot. Bengie Molina, who had 20 home runs and was the Giants #4 hitter is most likely going to leave the team due to free agency. Pablo Sandoval is only 23 years old and you can not expect him to be able to carry the team offensively like he did much of last season. A 3-4 punch in the lineup of Sandoval-Bay would give the Giants a great chance in every game. With Bay batting behind Pablo, The Panda will see better pitches to swing at and should be able to better control his free swinging tendencies.

Signing an elite outfielder needs to be a priority for the Giants. They will vastly improve a struggling offense, and together with Pablo Sandoval will be one of the best 3-4 punches in the league. If the Giants sign a big bat, pressure will be put off the shoulders of the pitching staff and their playoff chances will greatly improve.

Tim Lincecum Wins Cy Young

For the 2nd straight year, Tim Lincecum has won the National League Cy Young. This has also been Tim Lincecum's second full season in the Major Leagues putting him in a category all by himself. The 25 year old stud only won 15 games this past season, but that was not the deciding factor for the award.

Lincecum posted a 2.48 ERA, a 15-7 record, 261 Strikeouts, and a 1.05 whip. His ERA was second in the league, and led the league in strikeouts, and whip. Despite his Win-Lose ratio decreasing, Timmy clearly improved overall upon his first Cy Young season. He trimmed his ERA down from 2.62 to 2.48. Opponents hit .206 off him this season, compared to .221 in 2008. His walks also decreased from 84 to 68 walks in nearly identical innings pitched.

I think the deciding factor for Lincecum's narrow Cy Young victory was his strikeout total. Power pitchers often are more popular and get more awards than finesse pitchers, much like power hitters compared to finesse hitters. Strikeouts are the Home Runs for pitchers. With that being said, I take nothing away from Lincecum who obviously deserved to win the award for the second straight year.