The countdown to baseball's Opening Day has begun as teams get set to kick off the 2010 season, a week from tomorrow. With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the Giants have only one thing on their mind for the new season, and that's winning the pennant. Since the 2003 season, the Giants have been idle from the playoffs and are still seeking their first World Series championship since relocating to the bay area in 1957. The Giants haven't won a World Series tittle since the 1954 season in New York, giving them a championship drought of 55 years, currently the third longest behind the Chicago Cubs (101 years) and the Cleveland Indians (61 years). But with the Barry Bonds era over and years of rebuilding, many believe the future is bright for the team that lay's low in the city by the bay.
With the lack of offense over the past few years, pitching has truly become the team's hallmark. But with a slimmer Pablo Sandoval and Aaron Rowand returning from spring workouts, the team hopes to improve at the plate. One area the team addressed from last season, is the issue at first base. This offseason, the Giants took a chance by acquiring Aubrey Huff who's coming off a poor year hitting just .241. But so far this spring, Huff has continued to look a lot like the power hitter the Giants have been seeking. His defense however, is still a work in progress. But with a stellar glove in Travis Ishikawa, the battle for first base may be a close one. And with the return of Bengie Molina behind the plate who re-signed with the club for a 1-year deal, don't rule out any possibility of prospect Buster Posey playing at first either.
Another key acquisition the Giants made in the offseason, was the signing of veteran Mark DeRosa. Granted how versatile the 12-year veteran is, skipper Bruce Bochy will be able to move him around the field where ever and whenever he needs to. With last year's Giants squad often showing offense from time to time, GM Brian Sabean is confident enough that with the addition of these two bats, the team can be lethal. One player that made a splash last season that will be returning to the San Francisco ball club, is Juan Uribe. With second baseman Freddy Sanchez expected to start the season on the disabled list, Uribe could fill the void when needed if he isn't platooned at shortstop with Edgar Renteria. With the growth of Pablo Sandoval, the team will no longer have to rely on the slowest guy in the organization -- Bengie Molina. Despite his snail pace speed, the team has relied heavily on the 2-time Gold Glove Award winner as he earned the nickname 'Money Molina'. But with Buster Posey under his wing, his speed will no longer be a liability in the future.
The Giants are coming off a year in which they won their most games since 2004, and as mentioned before, are eying their first playoff appearance since 2003. Carrying the ball club for the past few seasons, Giants starters combined for a 3.58 ERA last year which ranked 2nd best in the majors, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.41 ERA). Much thanks came from another Cy Young campaign from Tim Lincecum. Both Lincecum and righty Matt Cain had strong seasons, being named to the 2009 All-Star game NL roster. Last year's Giants pitching also posted an opposing batting average of .234 which was the lowest in the big leagues and the 63 combined wins matched those posted by the starters of the World Series champion New York Yankees. As this franchise has proved over the past few years, pitching is key and it'll be nice to have a lot of last year's arms on the team for many years to come. And as any pitching dominant team should do, the Giants re-signed most of their young arms.
In his first year in which he was eligible for arbitration, both the Giants and Tim Lincecum avoided the situation hours before the two met in court by agreeing to a 2-year deal worth $23 million dollars. And as early as today, the Giants made it official that starter Matt Cain, set-up man Jeremy Affeldt and closer Brian Wilson all signed extensions with the club through the 2012 season. Affeldt, who signed last season as a free agent, was named Setup Man of the Year in 2009 by MLB.com's This Year in Baseball Awards, posting a Major League-Best 33 holds. For what it's worth, he also led all left-handed relievers and ranked third overall with a 1.73 ERA last year. Wilson on the other hand, appeared in 68 games in 2009 and has accumulated 79 saves over the past two seasons. With Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Barry Zito and now Cain all under team control through the 2012 season, its nice to see the Giants show some commitment, recognizing young talent locking players and giving extensions for what looks to be a very bright future for many seasons to come in San Francisco.
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