Happy Holidays!

I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season! Stay safe and enjoy the time you have with loved ones.

I recently changed the background on the page, and I plan to start writing again starting in the new year.

Who's out in the outfield?

The San Francisco Giants currently carry six outfielders on their roster. The average amount of Outfielders for a major league club to carry is 5. However, what's unique to the Giant's situation is that all of these players are good enough to be starting for a team in Major League Baseball. The Giants have acquired 3 of these players midway through the season in hopes that they would improve the team. Each player brings their own unique skill set to the table. And with the playoffs looming, the Giants are going to need to find the best combination of outfielders to win games. Who should be seeing regular playing time? and who should be on the bench?


Breakdown
Aaron Rowand - Rowand is a Gold Glove winning outfielder who also possess some power in his bat. He may not hit 30+ homers anymore, but it is not unrealistic to think that he can blast 20 home runs given that he plays an entire season. This season, Rowand has lost his starting job in CF but it's important to remember that he is playing with a broken jaw. Most people who suffer an injury that severe would struggle to tie their shoes, let alone play professional baseball. Prior to the pitch from Vincente Padilla, Rowand had started the year on a hot streak. Aaron Rowand is not much a base-stealer and given the Giants' lack of team speed, they need a player who is able to steal some bases. Rowand will be a Giant for awhile, because his contract expires after the 2012 season. He is making $12 million a year which is way too much for a bench player. However, he is playing injured, and should be able to rebound from this season. Rowand is still a threat that can be used as a pinch-hitter, and an excellent late inning defensive replacement. Aaron Rowand is renown for always giving 100% effort on every play.
-His current stats for the season: .237 Batting Average, 10 home runs, 32 RBIs in 302 ABs.

Andres Torres - Torres is a perfect fit for the San Francisco Giants. He's defensive skills are outstanding, and like Aaron Rowand, always gives 100% effort. Perhaps more importantly, Andres can fly. If Guillen and Burrell are playing in the outfield, then the Giants need Torres to cover significant more ground in the spacious outfield of AT&T park. Not only can he cover ground, but he can steal bases. He is currently ranked in the top 10 in stolen bases for the NL. Batting in the leadoff spot, Torres has been a spark for the Giants. He has surprising power, which is evident by his 13 homers (ranks 3rd among Giants), and has already set an AT&T park record for doubles in a season. He can hit for average and finds ways to get on base. Not only that, but Andres can play all 3 outfield positions. Torres is the only outfielder who has a starting spot locked up. In fact, on my poll where I ask "If you were Bruce Bochy, which 3 players would you start in the outfield?", Torres is the only player who has recieved a vote from every person who has answered.
-His current stats for the season: .284 Batting Average, 13 home runs, 59 RBIs in 436 ABs.

Cody Ross - I'm going to be honest, I don't know much about Cody Ross. Last season Ross hit 24 home runs and his speed is above average. However, he was pushed out of Flordia to make room for Cameron Maybin. Showing that he is an exandable player. He is also not much of basestealer, never achieving more than 10 stolen bases in a single season. Ross has the ability to play all three outfield positions, and seemingly is the perfect #4 outfielder. He has pop in his bat and hits for a decent average. He is a big threat as a pinch-hitter as well. Defensively he is not great, but he is definatelty not a bad defender either.
-His current stats for the season: .266 Batting Average, 11 home runs, and 60 RBIs in 467 ABs.

Jose Guillen - Jose Guillen has the power in his bat the Giants have lacked for the past few seasons. Reggie Sanders was the last Giants RF who had similar power to Guillen. The one extreme downside to Guillen's game is his speed. His range is not what you would hope for in an outfielder. With that being said, his arm is outstanding. He can hit for a decent batting average, and can produce when runners are in scoring position. Also, Guillen has the ability to play LF, although he is mostly used as a Right Fielder.
-His current stats for the season: .265 Batting Average, 17 home runs, and 67 RBIs in 441 ABs.

Nate Schierholtz - Nate "The Great" Schierholtz is a great assest for the San Francisco Giants. If he played everyday, there is no question that he would win a Gold Glove. Also, with more consistent playing time I believe Schierholtz could be a .300 hitter. His speed is terrific, but he isn't a base stealer. Physically, Schierholtz is built solid and looks like he should be able to pound over 20 homers a year. But he isn't much of a power bat. For the runs he may not always produce with the bat, he will save more with his glove and arm.
-His current stats for the season: .249 Batting Average, 3 home runs, and 14 RBIs in 205 ABs.

Pat Burrell - Pat Burrell is a weaker version of Jose Guillen in my mind. He is an extremly streaky power hitter, who lacks speed. He has carried the team at two different points in the season when he was hot, but the incositenticy is difficult to deal with. He lacks the ability to play multiple outfield positions. Burrell's throwing arm is inaccurate, and is an offense minded player. He comes up in big at-bats late in the game, which is why I see him as a perfect pinch hitter, with the occansional start. The same way Jim Thome and Jason Giambi were used when they joined the NL West last season.
-His current stats for the season: .247 Batting Average, 14 home runs, and 49 RBIs in 295 ABs.


Who Should Play
If I were Bruce Bochy, I would start Andres Torres, Jose Guillen, and Nate Scheirholtz. The combination of great defense, speed, and power is hard to pass up. This would also give the Giants three great players coming off the bench. Cody Ross or Aaron Rowand would have the oppurtunity to be late inninng defensive substitutions, while Pat Burrell would be the biggest threat as a pinch hitter. In any case, each player will get their chance to play and help the Giants continue their playoff push.

One Year Anniversary

Today marks the one year anniversary since I created this blog! Posting in not as consistent as I would like it to be, regardless one year is a huge milestone. I am going to be posting a lot more regularly now as I am settling into college life.

I am thankful for every single person that has read or followed my blog. I appreciate all the feedback I have received over the past year. As well as realizing the differences of opinions I share with other Giants/49ers fans. This has been a wonderful experience, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to share it with others. Readers are my sole motivation to continue, and I would like to thank you.

I am hopeful that this blog will continue to grow. I look forward to get a bigger audience and to butt heads with more fans. Big things are planned for SanFranSports in the upcoming year!

As always, I am open for feedback on how to improve.

Again, THANK YOU!

Caffeine Free

A few weeks ago, Glen Coffee decided to end his football career. After only playing one season of professional football, enough was enough for last year's third-round draft pick.

The #74 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft looked like he would be a keeper from day one. In the 2009 preseason, Coffee was tied for the NFL league in rushing yards with 249, on 42 carries. He averaged almost 6 yards a carry and was the subject of a few posts on this blog. He also sparked talk about the 49ers having a two-back system, with him getting almost similar carries to Frank Gore.

However, things panned out differently in the regular season. Glen Coffee ran for only 226 yards, on 83 carries, only scoring 1 touchdown. Despite nearly double the rushing attempts in the regular season, Coffee ran for less yards than he did in the preseason. Coffee even started two games (week 3 and 4) when Frank Gore was injured, but never quite lived up to the expectations he set in the preseason. Of course when playing against second-team defenses, stats are going to be better in the preseason, but they should never be to the extent of what Coffee's statistical differences were. In fact, Coffee only averaged 3 yards per carry in a single regular season game two times during his rookie season.

Some reports indicate that Glen Coffee was getting destroyed on the practice field by Anthony Dixon before he decided to hang up his cleats. I am skeptical to believe these reports, but even if this was true, Coffee was still basically ensured a spot on the San Francisco 49ers' roster, because of the lack of depth at running back.

Upon further research, I read this quote from Glen Coffee explaining why he left the game,
"It was a struggle for a long time. Actually when I look back I feel I never should have entered the draft in the first place. Football was no longer my dream. I found Christ in college. It changed my views on everything. But I still was a football player because it was expected of me, it was something I did all my life. I was basically wasting the (49ers') time."

I watched Glen Coffee interviewed on ESPN's Firstake, where he expressed interest in becoming a full time minister. A very similar situation happened to the Oakland A's earlier this year when Grant Desme, one of the A's top prospects, left baseball to enter priesthood. Coffee left tons of money on the table, as now the 49ers will be able to recover $621,000 in signing bonus on the four-year deal Coffee signed as a rookie.

For the interview on ESPN here is a link: http://search.espn.go.com/espn-firstake-glen-coffee/videos/6

Aaron Rowand

Throughout the year Aaron Rowand has been thrown under the bus by fans of the San Francisco Giants. There have been many comments made around the internet about how the Giants should have never signed Rownad. These comments are completely ridiculous. Considering the situation the Giants were in at the time, and what Rowand can still bring to the team, I'm sure the signing would be done over again.

All Giant fans know that in order to get a good offensive player to come and play for San Francisco that the team is going to have to overpay for his services. With that being said, the Giants did not really overpay for Aaron Rowand. Entering the 2008 season, San Francisco desperately needed a center fielder. If you remember correctly, before the Giants offered a contract to Rowand, they had already been rejected by two other "prime" center fielders at the time -- Gary Matthews Jr., and Juan Pierre. Both of these players were offered by the team 5 yr, $50 million dollar contracts. Instead of signing with San Francisco, Matthews signed with the Angels and Pierre signed with the Dodgers. I'm still thankful that both players decided not to accept a contract from the Giants.

At the time(and still today) Aaron Rowand is a better player than either Gary Matthews Jr. or Juan Pierre. So his 5 yr, $60 million dollar contract was not him being vastly overpaid. Statistically Rowand had a monster all-around year in 2007, much better than either of the other options the Giants tried to get.

In 2007, Rowand batted .309, with 27 home runs, and 89 RBIs. He also won a gold glove that year, and was only 29 years old. He was selected to the All-Star game and was a huge force in the Phillies' lineup. He was also unique in the ability to bat at the top, middle, or bottom of the lineup.

In comparison, Matthews Jr. was 32 and coming off his only really good season as a pro. He hit .313 with 19 homers, and 79 RBIs. It should be noted that this was in the powerful Ranger offense. In 2007 was also the year he made the catch of the year(pictured to the left), which alone caused a huge pay increase for him during free agency.
What has happened in the 2+ seasons since he did not sign with the Giants? Matthews quickly became the 5th outfielder for the Angels, and was traded to the New York Mets with the Angels being forced to eat most of his salary.
**picture is from the USA Today


Juan Pierre, the Giants other choice that off-season also managed to lose his starting job. The Dodgers have since traded him. He is a renown one-dimensional player. Pierre is gifted when it comes to running the base paths, but defensively he is horrendous. Also, if you consider how much power the Giants offense has lacked the past few seasons, by taking out Rowand (averaging 14 home runs) and putting in Pierre(averaging 1 home run) the Giants' offense struggles would only be bigger.
Aaron Rowand is a gold glove caliber center fielder. There is no denying that his defense is great, and another bonus is that you never have to worry about the amount of effort Rowand gives. He gives 100% effort, 100% of the time. In his first year as a Giant he was snubbed of an All-Star selection. Obviously moving from a hitter friendly park in Philadelphia to a pitcher friendly park in San Francisco, you would expect Rowand's power numbers to go down. They have gone down, but he has finished 2nd or 3rd -- and is currently 3rd -- for the team lead in home runs.

On the negative, Rowand's batting average for this season is a dismal .238, but with the half the year laying ahead of him, he is sure to turn it around. In fact, over the past 10 games his average has risen 15 points. Still, he has lost control of his starting role in the outfield. With this new competition aspect in effect, I expect to see Rowand to be pushed into finding his groove at the plate and being a huge contributor for the rest of the Giants season.

Giant Power

So far in the month of June, the San Francisco Giants led the National League in home runs. Over the 18 games played in June, the Giants have hit 21 home runs. The Giants have not led the National League in home runs over a full month since August 2002, when they hit 42 homers, including 14 by Jeff Kent and 11 by Barry Bonds.

It's no secret that the Giants offense is the weak point of the team. But recently, Bruce Bochy has been sacrificing defense for offense. Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff have been playing the corner outfield regularly. They both are not good defense options, however it has paid off for the Giants offense.

For the month of June, Aubrey Huff is batting .350. His OBP (.452), Slugging Percentage (.783), and OPS (1.235) all led the Giants. He also leads the Giants in home runs for the month with 6.

Very similarly, Pat Burrell has been racking the ball since becoming a Giant on June 4th. He has hit 3 homers, and is batting .341. His OBP (.404), SLG (.634), and OPS (1.038), all rank second on the team behind Aubrey Huff.

During this month the Giants are 11-7 (.661) so the plan of offense first seems to be paying off. San Francisco's pitching remains phenomenal (especially since Todd Wellemeyer is on the DL). Adding in the return of Freddy Sanchez, and the calling up on Buster Posey -- who are both batting above .300 -- and are good defensive players. Taking a few steps back defensively with Huff and Burrell starting in the outfield for the exchange of few more runs a game will continue to work out.

Pat Burrell?

Former Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Pat Burrell has signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. Signing the former #1 overall pick is a mistake for the Giants organization. I have created a list of the Pros and Cons of Pat Burrell and what he brings to the Giants. There is also a poll on the right side of the page to voice your own opinion on the signing.

The Good:
- Because Pat Burrell was released by the Tampa Bay Rays, the Giants would only be responsible for paying the minimum salary. This would be less than $400,000. It would be the same financial situation as Brad Penny was last year.
- If not a starter, Pat Burrell would become one of the most feared pinch hitters in the National League.
- Pat Burrell went to high school in San Jose and would be coming "home" to play for the Giants
- Between the years 2001-2008 Burrell hit 21 or more homeruns. He averaged 29 homeruns during that span.
- Mark DeRosa will most likely not be able to finish out the season, and Burrell is a veteran presence that could help team in similar ways.
- Pat has a good eye, and walks a lot.
- Burrell is only 33 years old which isn't "old" in baseball terms.

The Bad:
- Pat Burrell owns a career .253 average.
- Last season, his first with Tampa Bay, Burrell batted .221 with 14 homeruns. By far his worst career numbers.
- This season Burrell was batting .202, with 28 strikeouts (33 K%), and hit only 2 homeruns
- Pat Burrell has never been good defensively. Spending the past 1+ year as a DH will have only lessened his defensive ability.
- Burrell is not fast, and isn't a great baserunner either.
- He would take a roster spot away and basically be used as a PH.
- In the Rays offense, Burrell was a bottom-of-the-order guy. With all the offensive talent around him in Tampa Bay, there was not much pressure for him to be the "big bat", but he still did not perform.
- He is widely known to be a streaky hitter
- His power numbers will go down playing at AT&T Park.

Overall:
I understand this signing is a low risk situation with not much to lose. However, I believe the negatives outweigh the positives. He's on the downside of his career and lacks consitency. Being able to pinch-hit in late game situations is nice, but he would be a liabilty on the base paths and with the glove. If he played in the outfield, he would be limited to left field. A streaky hitter that may get one at-bat per game is not worth a spot on the Giants roster.

Popping Zito's

Since Barry Zito has put on a Giants' uniform, he hasn't lived up to his infamous 7 year $126 million contract. That was until this season. Barry Zito has completely transformed himself in 2010.

By picking up a win today against the Astros, Zito has improved his record to 6-1. He now leads the San Francisco Giants in victories.
How many people thought that would happen?
Last season it took Barry Zito until July 23rd to reach 6 victories. Victories are not the only statistic that Zito has impressively improved on. He ranks 3rd in NL in W (6), ranks 7th in NL in ERA (2.15), and ranks 9th in NL in IP (54.1). To top it off, Barry Zito has only allowed one homerun this year.

The biggest improvement that seems to have taken place within Barry is that his curveball is back. The life and movement of the ball have returned. He is also pitching to his strengths as a contact-pitcher not trying to strike everyone out. In his last start, 30 pitches (30.9 percent) from Barry Zito were curveballs. That is a season-high amount of curveballs for Barry. However, all four of Zito's strikeouts came off of his fastball. This means he used his beautiful curveball to set-up his fastball.

In his first season as a Giant, Zito's fastball was between the low to mid-80s in miles per hour and averaged 84.5 mph. This season, his fastball is averaging over 86 miles per hour. A 1.5 Mile per hour increase may not seem like a lot, but it's definitely an improvement.

Also, this season Zito isn't as heavily relied on. Even though he has stated that he wants to be a top of the order guy, he doesn't have to be. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain begin the year as legit Cy Young candidates, while Jonathon Sanchez is now known throughout the league as one of the best pitchers. He is able to pitch without much pressure (which he did in Oakland because he pitched along with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder), which despite what he says, caters to his laid-back attitude and approach.

The strides Barry Zito has made this year, compared to his previous years in a Giants' uniform will not go unnoticed.

Sanchez Nears Return

If all goes well, Freddy Sanchez could return to the San Francisco Giants on Monday. After signing his new two-year deal in the offseason, it will be the first chance to see him play. With the recent struggles the Giants have had offensively, Freddy Sanchez is exactly what the Giants need.

The most important thing Freddy Sanchez adds is consistency. He is an ideal #2 hitter in any lineup. He gets on base, gets timely hits, and can provide some extra-base hits. Before his injury last season, He was hitting .296, and ranked fifth in the major leagues in doubles. In 2006 he won National League Batting Title. His lifetime average is .299 and has been an All-Star three of the past four years.

The Giants are not a power driven offensive team. Freddy Sanchez fits into the system. Since Edgar Renteria has gone to the DL, Matt Downs has batted well. Downs' batting .283/.361/.434 is just slightly under what you would expect from Sanchez. However, Freddy has proven he can be relied on the whole year, while Downs is far from proven. And the sample size is minimal. In three games with high-Class A San Jose, Sanchez has gone 6-for-9 (.667) with six runs, five doubles, four RBIs and three walks. It's good to see that he hasn't rusted over the winter.

In at-bats, Freddy Sanchez sees a lot of pitches. His patience alone can cause stress to an opposing pitchers. Not to mention, his presence of as a baserunner can cause additional stress. Stress for the opposing pitcher can lead to higher pitch counts, more mistakes, and runs scored. Furthermore, Sanchez will be hitting in front of Pablo Sandoval, and should see plenty of good pitches to hit.

Although Sanchez is not as fast as most athletes his size, he makes up for it defensively. Due to his recent knee injury, his range may not be as great as it was, but it's still good. Juan Uribe, or Matt Downs can be defense liabilities. While with Sanchez you never have to worry about his defense.

Freddy Sanchez adds a lot to the team. The San Francisco Giants are getting a huge boost to their offense.

Fred Lewis Trade

This is an old post that I originally wrote nearly a month ago. I never got around to posting it, and noticing how much Fred Lewis is playing I now decided to publish the post.

The San Francisco Giants have traded outfielder Fred Lewis to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Trading Fred Lewis was bound to happen, and I know he wasn't always well liked by fans, but I am sad to see him go.

Simply, the Giants do not have room to keep Fred Lewis on their major league roster. He is also out of minor league options, so sending him to the minors would have placed him on waivers. Once on waivers, he would have definitely been picked up by another team. So, it was a wise decision to at least get something in return for Fred Lewis.

While in San Francisco, Fred Lewis had expectations set too high. He was the next African American Left Fielder after the Barry Bonds era. That alone put tons of pressure on him. He’s super athletic, fast, and just looks like he should be able to hit balls for miles. He was expected to hit 25+ homeruns, steal numerous bases, play above-average defense, and drive in runs. In 2009, he did not accomplish any of these things. Some people can not handle pressure, but when you're expected to do much more than realistically possible, it will surely get to your head.

Just one year ago, Fred Lewis was the opening day left fielder for the Giants. He was the team's #3 hitter, and was going to be the meat in the Giant's offense. However, he lost his starting job fairly early in the year. He was a highly talented prospect, and expected to show his full potential. Lewis did not. He batted .258, and more shockingly Fred only got 20 RBI's in nearly 300 at bats. His major flaw offensively was striking out, and he managed to do that last season. He did it 84 times, equalling nearly 30% of his at-bats. Defensively he did not always play with 100% effort, and at times did not seem interested in the games. Much of this I saw through his body language, but people express their body language differently.

Lewis is still only 29 years old, and his 2008 numbers were promising. He is not going to be a Hall of Famer, but is capable of being a solid starter in Major League Baseball. His athletic ability, and speed is still there. He walks a lot, and despite a bad year, he is far from reaching his maximum potential. I would rather have seen the Giants sent a player like John Bowker down to the minors in replace of trading Fred Lewis. Unfortunately, I do not make these decisions. I wish the best of luck to Fred Lewis in Toronto.

That was then.
Since, Lewis is batting .309, with 2 homeruns, 11 doubles, 13 RBI's, 14 Runs, 3 steals, and a .847 OPS. Consquently, he has become a starter in Toronto. I am glad to see Fred Lewis succeed.

The Series: Florida Marlins

I would like to apologize for this being late. I am fried, and quite frankly tired from multiple AP tests and trying to finish up my plans for college. With the being said, I did not want to miss writing on here. Plus it's always better to be late than never.

The San Francisco Giants swept the Florida Marlins ending a three series pattern of failing to complete the sweep.

With Todd Wellemeyer skipping a start previous scheduled in the series the starting pitching was magnificent. Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Matt Cain each went seven strong innings in each game of the series. Together, Giants starters combined to allow six runs in 21 innings -- an ERA of 2.57. Zito improved his record to 5-0, while lowering his ERA to 1.49. His 5-0 record is the best start he has had in his career. On ESPN I saw a statistic that said that opponents have only hit 1 ball off Zito's curveball all season long. Barry is really in the groove to begin the year.

Bengie Molina, who has batted 6th in the Giants' lineup all season long is now batting 4th. Bengie has been producing very well lower in the order so it should be interesting to see how he handles the additional pressure. Huff, and DeRosa are now lower in the everyday lineup.

Nate Schierholtz has been incredibly hot lately. He missed the second game of the series because he was hit by a pitch in the earlier game. He bounced back nicely hitting a homer, and going 3-3 for the game. He also stole a base, his third of the year. Nate is the fastest everyday player the Giants have. With his speed, Schierholtz could be a great base stealing asset for the Giants. On hitter who has been impressive is Matt Downs. Since being called up he has batted .400 and has been sharp defensively.

The San Francisco Giants share the National Leagues best record. The team is now currently playing the New York Mets.

The Series: Colorado Rockies

The San Francisco Giants followed a recent trend against the Rockies. In the past past three series, the team has won the first two games of a series before losing the series finale. Overall, San Francisco went 6-3 on a homestand playing only against 2009 playoff teams St. Louis, Philadelphia and the Rockies.

Pitching once again led the Giants to a winning series. Matt Cain picked up his first win of the season in a dominating game two performance. Cain pitched 8 innings of 1 hit ball, and completely dominated the game. He ran his pitch count up early, but fatigue was never a factor. In those 8 innings, Matt stroke out a season-high 8 batters, and did not allow a run. In the Giants other win of the series, Barry Zito had a similar performance. In 8 innings, Zito allowed two runs, and appears to be in his top form. Zito is 4-0 on the year and his curveball is as sharp as it has ever been. This is an excellent sign for both Barry, and the Giants.

Aubrey Huff also had a big series. He picked up an extra base hit in each game, including two homers. Huff entered the series batting .227, and left it batting .271. He, along with Pablo Sandoval lead the team in BB's with 10. Having Pablo being able to control his swing shows his maturity, and that he is improving over weaknesses in his game. Mark DeRosa who isn't hitting well offensively is still managing to show his excellent plate discipline recording 9 walks. Adding DeRosa and Huff in the off season has helped the Giants in a category the team struggled tremendously with last season.

I would like to give a big shoutout fans to all fans of the San Francisco Giants. According to a national study by the Nielsen Company, the Giants have the most positive buzz on the internet. They are the "sentimental" favorite team among baseball. The Oakland Athletics are second on the list. Here is a link to the study: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/giants-as-tops-among-baseballs-sentimental-favorites/

San Francisco will now Florida Marlins in their next series. Tim Lincecum will start the series, meaning Todd Wellemeyer's turn in the rotation has been skipped. The Giants' starting staff boasts a 2.59 ERA, which includes Wellemeyer's 6.33 ERA as a starter. Last season, the San Francisco Giants were 4-3 against the Marlins.

The Series: Philadelphia Phillies

The San Francisco Giants took two out of three games against the defending National League Champions Philadelphia Phillies.

I am going to experiment and change the format of how I write the series, please let me know which way you prefer.

PROS:

• Jonathon Sanchez - In five innings of one run ball, Jonathon Sanchez beat Roy Halladay. In the start, he threw for 6 big strikeouts, and only 3 hits. Halladay, the best pitcher in baseball according to the east coast biased ESPN, allowed 10 hits, and 5 runs.
• Eli Whiteside - He only started in one game this series, but he called an excellent game, and went off with the bat. He went 2-3 with a double, and a homerun, both off Holliday
• Edgar Renteria - After a horrific slump, Renteria seems to be on track again. He entered the series batting .274, and left it batting .320. Every game in the series Edgar Renteria picked up multiple hits. Additionally, Renteria picked up a stolen base in the series finale.
• Tim Lincecum - Not a big surprise here. Lincecum pitched 8 1/3 innings, with 11 strikeouts, and only allowed 4 baserunners (3 hits, 1 walk). He left the game with a 5-1 lead in the ninth, but due to a blown save by Brian Wilson, did not get a W.
• Nate Scheirholtz - Nate the Great played outstanding defense in the series. He picked up two great outfield assists, and he kept runners from trying to advance an extra 90-feet. In the final game of the series, Nate went 5-5 with a walk, and picked up two doubles in the game. He came through in clutch situations, and now without a doubt is the starting right fielder for the team.
• Todd Wellemeyer - Wellemeyer picked up his first win of the season. It was the first time he did not pitch against the opposing team's opening day pitcher.
• Giants Offense - As a whole, the Giants offense now leads the National League in Batting Average (.282). Led By Pablo Sandoval (.373) the Giants are hitting unlike years past. Nate Scheirholtz (.378) actually leads the team in batting average, but due to his lack of at-bats he is not eligible to be a league leader in the category. Bengie Molina is succeeding down in the batting order. Now that he is not a clean-up hitter, he is batting .350.
• Giants Pitching - The pitching staff of the Giants is incredible. They are 1st in the NL in Quality Starts (15), WHIP (1.15), Opposing Batting Average (.215), and OPS (.614). They are also second in ERA at 2.78.

CONS:

• Eugenio Velez - On the year, Eugenio Velez is batting .190. You can easily blame him for the loss in the Giants series too. He dropped two balls in the 11th inning. The first one was a tough play, but in an extra inning game, you need to make the catch. The second drop was on a routine fly ball that there is no excuses for dropping. He came up to bat in the bottom half of the 11th, and with the tying run on third base, Velez failed to knock him in.
• Brian Wilson - Every reliever is going to blow a save. It's hard to blame Wilson because the ball hit the foul line. It's just the luck in the game. If the ball was hit a little bit softer, Nate Schierholtz would have took a better route to the ball, and hypothetically could have held the runners on.

San Francisco will now play the Colorado Rockies. They are currently 1 1/2 games behind the Padres for first place in the NL West.

Taylor Mays - Perfect Fit

Drafting Taylor Mays in the second round was an exceptional pick in my opinion. He is a great value at this spot, and will help the secondary of the 49ers immediately.

If Taylor Mays would have left college for the NFL last season, he would of been on the top 10 player on all Big Boards. So he probably would have been a top 10 pick as well. He has all the physical tools necessary to be an elite safety in the NFL. Depending on who's stopwatch you were watching, Mays ran between 4.24 - 4.4 40-yard dash at the combine. That is incredible considering he is 6'3", and 230 pounds. Speed, size, aggressiveness are all part of Mays' game.

Statistically last season was the best year that Taylor Mays had, so it is hard to believe the declined so many draft spots. The one knock on Taylor Mays is that he's not great instinctively, and doesn't make enough interceptions. In his 4-year career at USC, he only recorded 5 interceptions. However, last season at USC, Mays was forced to be responsible for covering more ground than he should have. This happens simply because in USC had a young defense that wasn't all-around as good as it has been. Taylor Mays -- or the 49ers -- do not play that style of football.

Mike Singletary wants his players to hit people in the mouth. There is no question that with the speed, and strength possesed by Mays that he will punish opposing players. He is a hard hitting safety, and fits the mold designed by Singletary perfectly. He can cover well enough, and is terrific in the box. Adding him with the existing cornerback combo of Walt Harris / Nate Clements will help the 49ers with their already great run stopping defense.

Mays has blamed his ex-coach Pete Carroll for dropping down in this year's draft class. Now with Pete Carroll in the NFC West, Taylor Mays will definitely play with a chip on his shoulder, and will go out to prove Pete Carroll wrong. MAys is a perfect fit, and was still widely considered a 1st round draft pick. He was a great value in the draft.

Underneath this is a video of Taylor Mays highlights I have found on Youtube. This is the first time I have done this, please tell me if you like this.

The Series: St. Louis Cardinals

The San Francisco Giants bounced back nicely from a sweep in San Diego. They took 2 of 3 games from the St. Louis Cardinals, despite only managing to average 2 runs a game in the series.

Barry Zito appears to be back his Cy Young form. In his four starts this season, Zito is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA, and and amazing 0.84 WHIP. His WHIP is 4th in the NL though this point in the season. To put this stat in perspective, Tim Lincecum's WHIP in his four starts is 0.93. Having any stat better than Tim Lincecum is very impressive. Barry Zito has not allowed a homerun all season, a problem he has had since putting on a Giants uniform. Zito's dominating start in this series against the Cardinals is extraordinary. In 8 Innings pitched, Barry allowed 0 Runs , 3 hits, and recorded 10 Strikeouts. One thing that I think needs to mentioned about Zito is that this season is basically a contract year. After this season, the Giants have a 7 million dollar buyout option that if purchased would terminate the rest of Zito's contract. Zito has not lived up to to his 7 year-127 million dollar contract he signed over 3 years ago, but if he has an incredibly season, the Giants would most likely not purchase this option, and let him play through the remaining three years of his contract.

Continuing on the dominance of starting pitching in the series, Tim Lincecum also had a monstrous start. The Freak pitched 7 innings, allowed only one run, 6 hits, and stroke out 8. The earned run that was allowed caused Timmy's ERA to soar to 1.00 on the year. Lincecum has received a win in every start this season making him 4-0 on the year. Opposite of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain -- who started the series finale against the Cardinals -- received his first decision of the year. Of course that decision was a loss. Matt pitched a season-low 5 innings, and despite numerous quality starts, failed to pick up his first win of 2010.

After a surprising offensive start to the season, it seemed this might be the year the Giants could manage to score runs effectively. This has been taken back into reality over the past two series, in which the Giants have averaged 1.6 runs per game. Edgar Renteria who began the season as one of the hottest hitters in the world, has seen his average drop to .273. John Bowker who started the season as a the opening day right fielder has seemed to have lost his job. Bowker who took a roster spot away from Fred Lewis, is batting .175 for the year. Once Aaron Rowand returns from injury, it will be interesting to see if Bowker -- who has one minor league option left -- will be sent down to the minors.

Another key note for the Giants is that Pablo Sandoval is batting .361 for the year, and is currently 3rd in the NL in batting average. He is 7th in the NL for OBP (.432), and 9th in OPS (1.015). Pablo cannot carry the team by himself, and for the Giants to be successful this year, the team will need another player to step up his batting.

San Francisco remains 1 game behind San Diego in the National League West standings. The Giants will play the Philadelphia Phillies in their next series.

The Series: San Diego Padres

The San Francisco Giants continued their failure at PetCo Park. The Giants got swept, and lost the lead they had in the National League West.

There are not a whole lot of positives the Giants can take away from this series. Matt Cain had a stellar performance, but failed to get a decision. He is currently 0-0 through three starts, although in every start he deserved a win. Jonathon Sanchez threw 7 innings of ball allowing only 1 hit, and got a loss. The hit allowed was a single, and not even a homerun. Another positive is that Pablo Sandoval is still hitting well, and with a little help from his teammates, the team should be able to end the current four-game losing streak the Giants are on.

Todd Wellemeyer did not pitch effectively once again, and it's no secret that his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy. He lasted only four innings in his start, and is clearly the weak spot in the rotation. Something I saw as interesting was that despite being the Giants #5 starter, the pitchers he has opposed have all been #1 starters. One would not expect a fifth starter to beat a number 1 starter, so seeing this his 0-3 record is more understandable. However, there is no excuse for the his 8.16 ERA, and his 11:11 K:BB ratio over 14.1 innings. He has allowed a homerun in every start, even though he has pitched at two HUGE pitcher parks at AT&T and PetCo Park.

Another dismal stat in the series is batting with runners in scoring position. As a whole for the series, the Giants hit 1-23. That's a .043 batting average. The lone hit came from Pablo Sandoval, who only came up once in this situation.

An important note to mention is that Mark DeRosa did not play in much of the series with a hamstring injury. He was able to play in the series finale, but only at second base(where he committed an error) because he was not well enough to play the outfield. Aaron Rowand, and Mark DeRosa are players that help the Giants score runs, so with them out of the lineup the scoreboard is expected take a minor hit.

San Francisco will play theie next series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants are now 1 game behind the Padres in the NL West. Tim Lincecum will take the mound to try and stop the team's current four-game losing streak.

49ers' First Round

In the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, the 49ers selected two offensive lineman. Anthony Davis, and Mike Iupati were the choices by San Francisco.

The 49ers followed the basic outline I had said. I wrote a post in December basically saying that in the first round, the 49ers need to draft two offensive lineman, unless an elite talent would have fallen to them. Eric Berry, C.J. Spiller, and Joe Haden were the elite talents that had the opportunity to fall, but did not. Instead of getting a second tier talent in other positions, San Francisco decided to improve the biggest hole on the team - the offensive line.

Anthony Davis is a beast. As an offensive lineman he has one of the biggest upsides in the draft. I'm not sure why the 49ers felt they needed to trade up (to #11) to get Davis. It only cost them a 4th round pick, and to ensure you draft the guy that you want, it's a reasonable price. Anthony Davis isn't perfect as a run blocker yet, but given a few years and he could turn out to be one of the best tackles in the league. With Mike Singletary as the head coach, he will make sure to get the maximum effort from Anthony on every play. Singletary should also be able to end the character concerns that come with Davis. In my mind the tiny character concerns of Anthony Davis are not going to be a factor down the road. Davis is far from a "project" and just having raw talent. He should be able to start right away, and contribute to the much improved offensive line.

With their second choice in the draft, the 49ers picked Mike Iupati from Idaho. Iupati is an excellent lineman that can play either Guard, or Tackle. Unless an injury occurs, he will be a Guard in the 49ers offense. He has a unique combination of size (6' 5, 331 lbs) and power. Because he played in the WAC he did not always play against the top defenses, but that doesn't take away from his ability. He shined at the Senior Bowl, and has little flaws in his game. He is a power lineman, that will allow plenty of gaps for Frank Gore, and Glen Coffee to run through.

Both these first round draft picks will help the 49ers succeed. They already have big play makers at all the skill positions, and their defense was perhaps the best in the league among teams that didn't make the playoffs. These players will contribute to Mike Singletary's smash mouth football philosophy. The team that wins in the tranches usually wins the game. Not to mention the extra protection it will give Alex Smith, and the bigger, more consistent holes Frank Gore will be allowed to run through. It always adds quality depth to the offensive line, that suffered with injuries last season. The 49ers have turned their weak link from last season, into a strong link over the course of one day.

The Series: L.A. Dodgers

The San Francisco Giants lost their first series of 2010. It is a statement that was bound to happen, but it's especially tough when you lose a series while facing the Dodgers.

The suffered another huge loss in the series besides the two games they lost. Aaron Rowand, the team's center fielder got hit in the head by a Vincente Padilla pitch. He suffered two small fractures in his left cheekbone and a mild concussion. Rowand has since been placed on the 15 Day DL. In his place it seems like a platoon of Eugenio Velez, Andres Torres, and Nate Schierholtz will play. Schierholtz would seem as the best option to take over an everyday role, however he is not a Center Fielder. Current starting outfielders, John Bowker and Mark DeRosa don't play Center Field, so an outfield with all three playing would not go smoothly.

The Giants also found out that they have to worry about the 5th spot in their rotation. In the opening game of the series, Todd Wellemeyer pitched poorly. He allowed 7 earned runs, all of which came of homeruns, in 4 innings. Combined with his other start of the year, he now has a 9.58 ERA. Wellemeyer won the job out of spring training, but he will have to improve over the next 3-4 starts or he will be sent to the bullpen. The Giants have many options for the #5 spot in rotation in the Minor Leagues. Most notably Madison Bumgarner, Kevin Pucetas, and Joe Martinez. Any of these three pitchers could fill in the rotation if Wellemeyer doesn't improve. Still though, he only has 2 starts, and deserves more chances to prove himself.

Lincecum, and Zito pitched wonderfully in their starts during the series. Timmy picked up the lone victory of the series against the Dodgers, while Zito got a no decision, but deserved a win. An interesting stat I saw was that Tim Lincecum is the first Giants pitcher since 2007(when Noah Lowry did it) to record three RBI's in a game.

San Francisco also found out some good news while playing the Dodgers. Unlike some recent years, this team is going to fight late in games. In game 1 of the series, the Giants entered the top of the 9th inning losing the game 3-10. They could have easily gave up, and thrown in the towel. However, they managed to rally and score 5 runs in the ninth. This is a good sign for the team, and hopefully this effort will continue for the entire season.

Even though it is early in the season, the Giants offense has improved drastically. This season they rank 3rd in the NL in Batting Average, Runs, On Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, and OPS. This is incredibly impressive. Just last season the Giants were lower than 10th in all of these offensive categories. What hasn't changed from last season is the pitching, and to follow suit, the pitching statistics. The Giants are at least 2nd in the NL for all major team pitching stats.

The Giants are currently tied for the best record in the National League, and hold a 2 game edge in the National League West. San Francisco will now play the San Diego Padres in their next series. In 2009 the Giants were 2-7 in PetCo Park.

Ginn-tastic Trade By 49ers

I think the move the San Francisco 49ers made to get Ted Ginn Jr. from the Miami Dolphins for only a 5th round draft pick is fantastic. It fills multiple needs the 49ers had, and gives the 49ers more freedom in the upcoming draft.

Ted Ginn Jr. is an elite return man. He is considered to be one of the five best returners in the NFL. The 49ers could not find a returner with the ability of Ted Ginn Jr. in the 5th round of the upcoming draft. Not only can he return, but he is also a big play wide receiver. He has burning speed, and is athletically gifted. He was a selected #9 overall, so there is no question whether the talent of Ted Ginn is there. Mike Singletary has a way of getting maximum talent out of his players, as is clear through Vernon Davis. In addition, Ginn can compliment Michael Crabtree very well. Crabtree is more of a possession receiver. Perhaps more importantly, Ted Ginn Jr. gives another legit target to Alex Smith in the passing game.

As is true with every player, there is a downside to Ginn's game. He is not consistent at catching balls. In fact, he was 4th in the league last season in dropped pass percentage. However, With Mike Singletary as the head coach, Ginn will have to change this trend if he plans on seeing any playing time. If nothing else, Ginn should be able to run deep passing routes and open up space underneath for both Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree.

Receiving wise, Ted Ginn's numbers were not very good as a Dolphin. However, he never had the chance to excel for two reasons. First off, the Dolphin fans never liked him. He was booed from the second he was picked 9th overall by the team. The fans of Miami wanted Brady Quinn. Hindsight tells us that selecting Quinn would have angered the fans as well. Finding a new place of scenary should relieve tons of pressure. Secondly, Tedd Ginn Jr. never had the quarterback to help his game. Ginn is a deep threat receiver, and his quarterback in Miami -- for the most part -- was Chad Pennington. Chad Pennington is an accurate short ball passer, but doesn't possess the arm strength to through deep routes. Alex Smith doesn't have the strongest arm either, but his is considerably stronger than that of Pennington.

Another aspect the trade accomplished is that now the 49ers do not have to spend a draft pick on a kick returner. Ted Ginn Jr. fills the hole of kick returning, and does so tremendously. This allows much more flexibility in the draft to add depth to other positions in higher need.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful trade for the 49ers. They get a big play, fast, and talented wide receiver/return specialist for almost nothing. Even without a GM, the 49ers front office is still improving the team.

Who will fall?

As the draft gets nearer, the more exciting it becomes. With two first round picks this season, picks #13 and #17, the 49ers are poised to improve the team dramatically. The question becomes: who will fall? Last season it seemed unrealistic that Michael Crabtree would be available for the 49ers to draft.

With that being said, there is a lot of players that should be drafted in the top ten, that could fall. Eric Berry (S), C.J. Spiller (RB), Joe Haden (CB), Dez Bryant (WR), Ronaldo McClain (LB), Bryan Bulaga (OT), Trent Williams (OT), or Anthony Davis (OT) are the most likely players to fall in the 2010 draft.

With one of the first two picks in the draft the 49ers NEED to draft an offensive tackle. Outside of tackle, the team does not have an immediate hole on their team that needs to be filled. This leaves the 49ers in a position to draft the best player available with one of their two first round picks.

Previously I wrote that Joe Haden would be the best pick if available, but I'm changing my mind to C.J. Spiller. Along with Frank Gore, and Glen Coffee, the 49ers would now possess one of the best NFL running back tandems in the league. He would also electrify the return game, plus he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He would also take playing time away from Frank Gore, and decrease his chance of injury. It would also give the 49ers great depth at the Running Back position, in case an injury does take place. The only downside to selecting C.J. Spiller would be the concern of only having one football in the game. Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree all are great players that want the ball, and need to have the ball for the 49ers to be successful. Adding another great Running back will take away opportunities for these stars to shine, and egos could start to erupt causing issues for the team.

Spiller falling to the 49ers is still an IF. There is no guarantee that he will be available for the 49ers to draft.

Joe Haden, the cornerback out of Florida would still be a great option, if available. He is the only elite cornerback prospect in the draft this season. He would certainly improve the secondary of the 49ers. However, with Walt Harris returning from injury, the improved play of Shawntae Spencer, Nate Clements still as a solid cornerback, and Tarrell Brown's recent progression, I'm unsure if the little improvement the 49ers would gain at secondary, would be worth such passing on Spiller.

I think the 49ers should draft a player who has fallen to them. Whether Spiller, Haden, or anyone else that falls. On draft day, the top of the 1st round will have stretches made by teams that will mock drafts ripped apart across the country. Like last season when Michael Crabtree, a top 3 prospect, fell down to the 49ers, another elite talent will fall down the draft board again this year. Hopefully the 49ers will make the right choice, and draft that player.

The Series: Pittsburgh Pirates

Pitching, pitching, pitching. Pitching was once again the main factor for the San Francisco Giants winning the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Barry Zito, Matt Cain, and Jonathon Sanchez, all had great starts for the team. Barry Zito has continued his transformation this season pitching six strong innings. Following in Zito's footsteps, Matt Cain had a similar game... pitching 6 strong innings. To close out the series, Jonathon Sanchez had a wonderful game. In 8 shutout innings, Sanchez only allowed 3 hits, and recorded 11 strikeouts. He had control of the game, and completely dominated.

Edgar Renteria's hot streak has mellowed out, yet he still hitting .382. He made a costly error in the Giants lone loss of the series, but overall his defense has still improved over last season. This is extremly rare to say for a player who is in their mid-30's. Bengie Molina has taken off since Renteria has cooled down, now leading the team with a .455 batting average. Pablo Sandoval has also begin to destroy the ball recently, prompting my conclusion that he will become an all-star, for the first time, this season.

New addition to the team Aubrey Huff has played well. He is currently 4th in the National League in runs scored. This statistic is vital to the Giants, who finished last season near the bottom of the league for runs scocred. Huff also hit an inside-the-park homerun in the series finale. It was his first homer in a Giants uniform. The Giants now have 10 players who have hit a homerun this season, however not one of these 10 players has managed to hit more than 1 homer.

San Francisco is currently tied for the most wins in the major leagues this season. Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, the Giants new hitting coach has a lot to do with this. In every game this season, the Giants have scored at least 5 runs, except for two. In comparision to last season, through the first 9 games of the season, the Giants scored less than five runs in 7 of those 9 games! New additions to the team have helped the team produce runs, but the change in batting coaches seems to be working out terifficly. It's still extremly early in the season, however if the Giants can continue to score runs, there will be no stopping this team considering the way they dominate on the pitching mound.

The Giants will play their next series in Los Angelos to take on the much hated Dodgers. Last season, the Dodgers won the season series 11-7 over the San Francisco Giants.

Benefit of Cain as the #3 Starter

Unlike most rotations in baseball, the San Francisco Giants have their two best pitchers, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, not #1 and #2 in the pitching rotation. Looking across baseball, the Giants are in a unique situation. The Cardinals, Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox all have their two best pitchers at the top of the rotation.

The simplest reason for splitting up Cain and Lincecum in the rotation is because they have two left-handed pitchers in the rotation. You never want to have two left-handers start back-to-back games. Left handed starting pitchers are unique, and pitching them on consecutive games will cause them to lose their advantage. It's just a rule in baseball that you avoid starting two lefties in a row. Todd Wellemeyer is an obvious #5 pitcher, and should not be moved up to the #4 slot just so Timmy, and Cain can pitch after each other.

Trying to look deeper at the situation, there are many benefits. For example, in any series the Giants play, their opponent will have to face one of these elite pitchers. An opposing team can not get a lucky break, and avoid facing Lincecum or Cain. It essentially guarantees that the Giants will have a chance to win at least one game every series. Of course this applies to a normal three game series. Although Zito has turned into an excellent performer dating back to the all-star break last season, there is a reason he has never won more than 10 games in a Giant uniform. Despite the talent of Jonathon Sanchez, he is still not reliable. It's important to remember that he was sent to the bullpen after his horrible first half of the season last year, and only got the opportunity to shine by throwing his no-hitter because of an injury to Randy Johnson.

Another benefit of Matt Cain being the third starting pitcher in the rotation is the fact that starters don't always match up. I mean #1 starters do not only pitch against other #1's, and so on. An excellent example is in the Giants first loss of the season. Todd Wellemeyer, the Giants number 5 starter, pitched against Derek Lowe, the Atlanta Braves number 1 starter. This gave the Braves a huge advantage. So coming back to the point of Matt Cain, instead of pitching second in the rotation where he will mostly face top pitchers on opposing ballclubs, he will pitch mostly against middle of the rotation pitchers. This in turn, will give the Giants a huge advantage.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe Jonathon Sanchez and Barry Zito will help the Giants win this season, but it's also important to keep reality in check. Barry Zito is notorious for starting slow, and this season has been opposite. He should easily surpass his win total, and lower his ERA compared to his previous Giants season. Sanchez is poised for a breakout year with double-digit wins, and an incredible strikeout total.

The Series: Atlanta Braves

In the home opening series of the year, the San Francisco Giants took two of three games from the Atlanta Braves this weekend. It was also the first opportunity for many fans, including myself, to watch the much anticipated Jason Heyward play.

The most important fact I took away from this series is the strength of the Giants bullpen. In the 13 inning thriller, after a mediocre performance from Jonathon Sanchez, the bullpen went on to pitch 8 2/3 innings allowing only 4 hits, and one run. Every pitcher in the bullpen threw during the game. In game 2 of the series the bullpen wasn't as sharp, but still managed the game effectively, especially considering their labor the previous night. Game 3 only needed bullpen help from Jeremy Affeldt, after a spectacular performance by Tim Lincecum. Affeldt appears to be right where he left off last season, as one of the truly elite relievers in the majors.

Lincecum threw 7 innings in the series finale, allowing only one pitch to hurt him. The pitch is of course the two-run homer to Brian McCann. In the game Lincecum pitched wonderfully, allowing only 6 base runners to reach base, and striking out 10 batters. Todd Wellemeyer pitched a good game, prior to the seventh inning is his start, and showed how he can be a key contributor to the best rotation in baseball. Jonathon Sanchez wasn't too sharp in his start, but thanks to resilient play by the Giants, still managed to win the game.

Once again, Edgar Renteria was key. In the first game of the series he belted the two-run shot in the bottom of the 9th off Billy Wagner to send the game to extra innings. He had a total of 3 hits in the game. His individual play is going to be a major part of how the Giants will fair this season.

Pablo Sandoval racked the ball in the absence of Edgar Renteria, who was resting in game 3. Pablo homered, singled, and tripled, scoring 3 runs, and recording 2 RBIs. Kung-Fu Panda also displayed his aggressive nature at the plate, getting only 6 pitches thrown to him in 4 at bats. This issue should be addressed as the season progresses. Despite his amazing offensive outburst in the series' final game, Sandoval has struggled defensively. In the early part of the season he has recorded three errors, including two errors in this series.

Additionally, in the series Jason Heyward lived up to the hype. His defense was better than I had expected. Not to mention that the ball does electrify off his bat... when he hits it. He struck out five times in the series, but he did hit two homeruns, and got on base 7 times.

The Giants are now 5-1, and will play the Pittsburgh Pirates in their next series. Coming to town will be Garrett Jones, who single handedly destroyed the Giants last season.

The Series: Houston Astros

Welcome to a new segment, The Series. Instead of daily recaps or breakdowns of individual games, I will instead be doing it of the series as a whole.

The Giants started 2010, in terrific fashion. Like last season, the Giants are led by their starting pitching, which hopes to remain the best in the majors. Starting Pitchers Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Matt Cain combined for a 1.37 ERA, 13 hits, and only 1 walk in the entire series. Each pitcher lasted at least 6 innings in their starts.

Besides the starting pitching, the Giants also showed why they have one of the best, if not the best, pitching staff in baseball. The bullpen was fantastic. Brian Wilson picked up 2 saves, and the only reliever to give up a run was Brandon Medders. For added emphasis on the strength of the bullpen, every reliever pitched in the series.

However the most important breakthrough player in the series was Edgar Renteria. If he can play to the standard the Giants believed he could when they signed him last off-season the Giants will surely contend for the pennant this season. In the series against the Astros he batted .727, recording hits in every game, including 5 hits in the series finale. He also walked in every game of the series. Walks were the Achilles' heel of the team last season. Offensively Edgar was impressive, but defensively he was as well. He looked much younger, and seemed to have an extra bounce in his step. With Freddy Sanchez out for at least the rest of the month, the Giants will need Renteria to produce.

With the pitching staff the Giants have, it's no secret they only need a few runs a game to win. New signings Mark DeRosa, and Aubrey Huff, batting .333 and .286 respectfully, also showcased some of their some of their offensive talent in the series. Each accounted for both runs, and RBI's as well.

The Giants new slogan "It's Magic Inside" looks to be true, because the San Francisco Giants are appearing like they are poised for a magical season.

49ers Draft Options

As the 2010 NFL Draft quickly approaches, the 49ers have a big oppurtunity to improve the team. This offseason the San Francisco 49ers have done little to do so through the free agency market, leaving the draft to improve the team.

The two biggest moves the 49ers have made this offseason has been keeping back-up lineman Barry Sims, and signing back-up Quarterback David Carr. Both these moves add depth to the 49ers in key posistions, but neither improve the starting lineup for the team. However, with Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis, and Alex Smith hitting the free agent market next year, the 49ers need to save money in order to keep these stars on the team.

This year is the year the 49ers are poised to take control of the NFC West. Arizona has lost Kurt Warner to retirement. St. Louis is coming off a 1-15 year. And Seattle, had just 5 wins last year, and have many holes on their team.

With that being said, the 49ers have many different ways to go in the Draft. They have holes on the Offensive Line, Secondary, Kick Return, and Linebacker positions. C.J. Spiller would give the 49ers a great Running Back tandem, and could electrify the Return game. Joe Haden would add a Cornerback that is ready to play now, and is the only elite cornerback in this draft. Taylor Mays is a hard hitting, safety with one-of-a-kind speed. Also, Trent Williams, and Anthony Davis, are both Offensive Tackles could solidfy the right side of the Offensive Line.

I personally believe either Tackle will be a starting Right Tackle at best, and one of them will fall to the 49ers at #17 in the draft. With that being said, the 49ers should address another need with the #13 pick in the draft. I know Kick Returners are available later in the draft, and that Frank Gore-Glen Coffee tandem will do good enough to advance the teams to the playoffs. Joe Haden has much more value than Taylor Mays, so with the #13 pick the 49ers should draft Joe Haden, assuming he falls to them. The #17 pick should be used on an Offensive Lineman. In the 2nd round, the 49ers can draft a middle linebacker, a hole that will be left behind when Takeo Spikes retires, or if an injury occurs.

I have set up a poll on the right side of my my blog to see who YOU would like to see the 49ers draft.

Congratulations Don Nelson

Last night, Don Nelson, coach of the Golden State Warriors set the all time win record in the NBA. Although it is not an achievement for the city of San Francisco, it is still in the Bay Area. The Warriors are the lone team in the Bay Area, and setting such an achievement by the bay is terrific. Not to mention, Nelson also contributed to the Warriors draft decision to bring future NBA Star Stephon Curry to the team. For this contribution he should also be congratulated. Congratulations again, on setting the record for most victories in the NBA by a head coach.

Baseball is Coming..

The grass is green, the sun is out, and baseball season is about to begin. The Giants are set on improving from last season, and hope to reach the playoffs once again. Life does not get much better than this.

Five Days before opening day begins the Giants still have one major decision to make affecting their starting outfield. Who will play right field? Nate Schierholtz entered Spring Training as the leading candidate for the position. However, John Bowker has been racking the ball batting .308, and leds the team in homeruns, and RBIs with 5 and 20. On the other hand, Nate is hitting .241, with 1 homer, and 7 RBIs in 10 fewer at bats.

John Bowker is notorious with Giant fans about swinging the bat well against lower-level competition, but when it comes to the big show, he doesn't produce. Evidence is shown through his 2009 campaign. In AAA, Bowker batted .340 and won MVP of the Pacific League. HOWEVER, at the major league level he batted .194, with a measly .247 OBP. He also is strikeouts much more than Nate Schierholtz.

Schierholtz is incredible defensively. It would not be surprising to see him have multiple gold gloves before his career is over. He is fast, but not a basestealer. And for his size (6'2", 220 lbs) he lacks power. Last season in just about 300 ABs he hit 5 Homeruns. With the being said, he can still hit for a good, solid average, and can run the bases efficinetly.

With defensively liable players such as Aubrey Huff, and Mark DeRosa now in the starting lineup I believe the Giants should start Nate Schierholtz. His defernse is truly magnificent, and he can hit for average. With Fred Lewis now likely starting the year on the Disabled List, it appears that Bowker will begin the year with the major league club, and given a chance to earn more playing time.

Giants Re-Sign Bengie Molina

In shocking news, Bengie Molina is a Giant again. He's agreed to a 1 year, $4.5 million contract with the club after negotiations for a multi-year contract with the New York Mets failed to go through.

This signing was made possible by the signing of Aubrey Huff. Before Signing Huff to a $3 million dollar contract, the Giants offered Adam LaRoche a 2 year, $17 million deal. LaRoche declined the offer and then choose to sign a $4.5 million dollar contract with the Diamondbacks. That money saved from not signing LaRoche has worked great. I am optimistic about Huff, and even if he isn't a huge threat like he has been previously, he will add depth to the Giants already deep bench.

This year Molina should be more comfortable in the lineup as well. As opposed to last year, he will not be the clean-up hitter. As of now Aubrey Huff is expected to be the team's #4 hitter, although Pablo Sandoval or Mark DeRosa could step into that role. Molina has admitted he is not a clean-up hitter, and with this pressure off of him, it will only bring good things.

Buster Posey will now also have another year to develop. Because he is only 22 years old and a rookie, he should be given the chance to develop into major contributor. Posey has only participated 132 professional games, and this year should help him in development.

Molina is a far better choice to fill the Giants' veteran catcher void. 20 home runs and 80 RBIs is better than any other alternatives could have offered. Even after his averaged dropped to .265 last season, Molina is still clearly better than the other candidates. With much of the NL's best pitching staff returning for this season, the Giants are destined to compete even harder for a playoff spot. Here is the comparison of the opening day starting lineup from last year, and the projected one for this year. It is obviously this year's opening lineup is better, and will consist of a deeper bench.

'09 Starting Lineup | Projected '10 Lineup

Winn rf |||||| Rowand cf

Renteria ss |||||| Sanchez 2b

Lewis lf |||||| Sandoval 3b

Molina c |||||| Huff 1b

Sandoval 3b |||||| DeRosa lf

Ishikawa1b |||||| Molina c

Rowand cf |||||| Schierholtz rf

Burriss 2b |||||| Renteria ss

(pitcher) |||||| (pitcher)

Aubrey Huff Signing

The Giants signing of Aubrey Huff to a 1 year contract for $3 million dollars is a good decision in my mind. This signing is a low-risk high reward type of deal that can have a positive effect on the team.

First off, this will add depth to the Giants team. It gives them another left handed bat, and also gives them an extremely deep bench. Juan Uribe and Travis Isihikawa are both going to be bench players now. In case of an injury or poor play by a starter, the team will have se3veral outstanding options to turn to. This move presumably makes recently signed Mark DeRosa the left fielder for the Giants, and will give the Giants greater depth in the outfield positions. This recent depth will help the Giants in late game situations, giving them more speed, quality bats, and great defensive substitutions coming off the bench.

Huff is coming off his worst season as a big leaguer. Last season he batted .242, with 15 home runs, and 88 RBIs. The previous season he hit .304, with 32 home runs, and 108 RBIs. Huff is a career .282 hitter, and should be able to jump back from his drop in production last season.

Huff seems to be in the same situation that Jose Cruz Jr. was in a few seasons ago. Cruz was coming off a down year, and signed a one year, $2.8 million deal with the Giants. He exceeded expectations by playing terrific defense and belting 20 home runs. His drop in left field during the post season will always be remembered, but none the less, he was a terrific sign and significantly helped the Giants get to the post season.

Huff is very versatile, he is able to play first base, third base, and both corner outfield positions. This only adds to the many combination of players Bruce Bochy will have to choose from when setting the lineup. The $3 million dollars due his way is easily worth the risk. It gives the Giants more depth as well as a player who has proven he can hit.

49ers Draft: 1st Round

As the season has ended for the 49ers, it is time to focus on the NFL draft. The San Francisco 49ers have made significant strides this season. Following an 8-8 season, the 49ers have the 13th pick in the draft. They also control the 17th pick from a trade they made last season with the Carolina Panthers.

The 49ers clearly have holes that need to be filled. Last season the Offensive Line was the weak link on the team. Injuries are a part of the NFL, so no excuses should be made. The team also struggled in the defensive backfield. These two holes have to be filled in the upcoming NFL draft.

With their 1st pick in the NFL draft the 49ers should address their biggest problem, the Offensive Line. It's hard to say now who will be available, but there is a lot of first round talent for linemen in this year's draft. After the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Combine, it will be easier to see which linemen fill the 49ers needs. The only reason the 49ers should not draft a O-Lineman here is if an elite talent, such as Eric Berry, falls into their laps.

The secondary of the 49ers should improve over last season with Walt Harris, and Nate Clements returning from injuries. So with the #17 overall pick, I think the 49ers should draft another Offensive Linemen. By fixing the Offensive Line, it will solve many problems with the Offensive. It would allow Frank Gore more opportunities to run the ball, and give better protection for Alex Smith. It would also allow the 49ers to spread the ball more, feeding Alex Smith's strengths.

Spending two first round picks on Offensive Lineman is not "sexy". However, following Mike Singletary's smash mouth football philosophy, the team does not have to be sexy. Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree are all set in place as the team's skill position players. The defense also improved this season. In the case of the 49ers it will improve the team the most by being "unsexy" and drafting two lineman in the first round. If you can win in the trenches, you usually win the game.

What DeRosa Adds

The signing of Mark DeRosa seems like a great deal. DeRosa is the type of player that you want on your team, he isn't amazing, but is consistently in the right place at the right time.

On the downside of this deal, the Giants get a player that is injury-prone, and is on the decline of his career. Mark DeRosa is 34 years old, and missed several weeks last season with a wrist injury. He also posted a .250 batting average, which is below his career marks. His averaged dropped .35 points last season. That could be compared to Edgar Renteria who prior to last season suffered a 62 point batting average decrease (.332 in '07, and .270 in '08). Renteria has not lived up to his 2 year contract he signed last season.

DeRosa brings a lot of upside though. Over the past two seasons he has average 22 homeruns, and 83 RBI's. His home run total is expected to drop moving to AT&T park. He also is a hitter that performs in clutch situations, as well as a great clubhouse personality. Moreover, DeRosa is a good defender that fits the Giants team philosophy of pitching and defense.

Mark DeRosa is a good player, but he is not a savior. The Giants still need to make some more transactions if the plan to contend in the improving NL. If no moves are made the Giants offense looks like it would be the same, if not worse than last season. Bengie Molina the team's #4 hitter is leaving, and they will have to rely on the very young Pablo Sandoval to contribute much more.