The Giants Future Looking...Not So Bad???

The Giants finished their 2007 campaign with an 11-2 rout of The Dodgers. The team was playing primarily young players and for the first time in too long The Giants looked like a real offense. Granted, The Dodgers starting pitcher was Eric Stults, but nonetheless, The Giants were raking today. In fact, the younger half of their roster has been playing very well throughout the month of September. After being the forgotten back-up for most of the summer, Kevin Frandsen came alive down the stretch. In his 69 AB's this month, he has posted a line of .377/.429/.449 and really put himself in a situation to start somewhere in the infield next year. Dan Ortmeier also bought himself a starting role next year with his performance in the past couple of weeks. In 157 AB's he was .287/.317/.497 with 6 HR's while playing a good 1st base, a position he is playing for the first time. You could make an argument that The Giants had a more productive offense when they were playing the young guys.

Positional Possibilities For 2008

C- Molina----maybe Alfonzo
Bengie Molina had a better than expected season this year. He was third on the team with 19 HR's, and lead the team with 81 RBI's. However, at the tender age of 33, he does not appear to be a part of The Giants long term plans. He has also expressed great frustration with The Giants losing ways, and it won't get any better next year. His trade value might be too hard to resist trading him. He could bring in some decent bullpen help for when The Giants really make a run at things in a couple of years. At 29 on opening day 2008, Eliezer Alfonzo wouldn't be that bad of a compromise.

1B- Ortmeier
Dan Ortmeier proved to The Giants he could be an everyday player during his time in the majors. I was skeptical at first about Ortmeier, he had only batted .262 in a hitter friendly Pacific Coast League while at the prospect borderline age of 26. He did have some upside (switch hitter, 10 HR's, 16 SB in 79 games), but he looked like another career back up to me. While in the majors, he has shown decent gap to gap power while playing 1st base, a position where The Giants are not so deep.

2B- Frandsen---maybe Durham
Kevin Frandsen was coasting through much of the year as a back up utility man. He couldn't really get on a role because he was only having 4-5 AB's a week. However, after starting more games in succession during September, he showed The Giants that he really did know how to hit. He also played a good SS, and 3B when necessary. I doubt Ray Durham will be with The Giants next year no matter the size of his contract. He batted .218 while being The Giants everyday 2B for most of the year. It has been rumored that he badly wants out of San Francisco, and I don't think The Giants will mind.

SS- Vizquel---maybe Frandsen
Omar Vizquel did not have a productive offensive year (.246/.305/.316), But he did have another classic Omar Vizquel defensive year. He had the highest Zone Rating (the percentage of balls fielded in a particular defensive zone) of any Short Stop in the entire major leagues. He also had the 2nd highest fielding percentage among MLB Short Stops (.986), just behind Colorado's super rookie Troy Tulowitzki. It has been rumored that The Giants are trying to sign Vizquel to a one year deal, but if they don't succeed, Frandsen will likely take over.

3B- Feliz---maybe Frandsen
Pedro Feliz had another "Pedro Feliz" year, 20+ homers, a lot of strikeouts, and a lot of really good defense. He should win the gold glove award at 3B but his offensive inconsistence might overshadow his defensive accomplishments. The free agent market for 3B is limited, Mike Lowell is likely to stay in Boston, and A-Rod is going to demand $300+million (and get it). That 300 million dollars really isn't worth it for The Giants at this point so they should just resign Feliz for another year (not 2!) and build from there.

LF- Winn---maybe Scheirholtz
Randy Winn was probably The Giants most consistent hitter not named Barry Bonds. He batted .300 with with 14 HR's and 15 SB's while playing a decent RF. He might have some trade value but if he were to be traded I think The Giants offense might be even worse than it was this season... I know its scary.

CF- Davis/Lewis/Hunter???
Fred Lewis and Rajai Davis might have to duke it out during spring training to decide who patrols CF at Mays Field on opening day. Fred Lewis, 26, has more offensive upside while Rajai Davis, also 26, is a better defender and an elite base stealing threat. Torii Hunter also comes into the situation. He is probably the best thing out there on the market this winter and The Giants have a legit shot at signing him. He has been a consistent .285/.335/.500 hitter and a perennial gold glover for the past few years now. He would be able to replace a lot of the offense that is going to leave with Barry Bonds. He also fits well into The Giants scheme of position players with speed and good defensive skills. On the other hand, he is 32 and will be 34 or 35 when The Giants start to make a legit run for a championship. It is probably a good idea to wait until the 2009 class of free agents rolls around to make a big splash.

RF- Scheirholtz----maybe Winn
At only 23, Nate Scheirholtz is The Giants best prospect within reasonable reach of the majors right now. He is a good fundamental hitter with decent power (that really hasn't been there in his stint in the majors). He also has an above average arm and decent range in right field (likely better than Randy Winn's). His performance at the plate will really be a key factor in next year's offense.

Rotation
1. Matt Cain
Enough said.
2. Tim Lincecum
Enough said.
3. Noah Lowry-Not sure on how he will perform next year after having his elbow problems. He is still a real good guy to have as your number 3.
4. Barry Zito- If he performs like he did in the last 2 months of the season, he will be the best number 4 pitcher in the game.
5. Kevin Correia- Proved he is worthy of a starting spot (2.54 ERA in 46 innings as a starter).

Bullpen
Relievers:
Messenger, Chulk, Taschner, Kline, Misch, Walker

Set-up: Hennessey

Closer: WILSON!!

Random Prospect Jottings...

I was very pleased to see Angel Villalona really turn it on near the end of the Rookie League season. He ended up finishing .285/.344/.450 with 5 home runs in 200 at bats. Not too bad for someone who would just be starting his senior year in high school if he lived in the states. He even ended up as the 8th honorable mention (33rd overall i guess) on the Project Prospect Top 25. He is not far behind Josh Vitters, Mike Moustakas, and Matt Wieters, who were all top 5 picks in this past June's draft. He will likely start next year as a 17 year old playing in Low-A which is pretty unheard of.

Speaking of Project Prospect

Project Prospect also released their Top 100 Under 25. Topping the list for The Giants was Tim Lincecum at number 10 who was rated just behind Felix Hernandez, and in front of other pitchers like Yovani Gallardo, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Scott Kazmir. Someone who I thought would be much higher than 21 is Matt Cain. He is younger, and has put up better numbers than Justin Verlander who was rated higher than him. To put the icing on the cake, Angel Villalona holds down the 84th position. The only other 17 year old on the list (Carlos Triunfel), is 6 months older than Villalona and is 97th on the list.

Kevin Pucetas Wins MSPA

Kevin Pucetas of the Augusta Greenjackets, The Giants Low-A affiliate, won the Most Spectacular Pitcher Award. The award is given to the minor league pitcher with the lowest E.R.A. that qualified with 112 IP, or 45 IP if you were to play with a short season team. Pucetas was a pleasant surprise after being drafted in the 17th round last year and will likely start next season as a 23 year old in either High-A or AA, depending on his performance in Spring Training.

Draft Notes

With another lost today The Giants have fallen to 66-83. They are in a three way tie for the 7th worst record in the league (the draft order for the MLB draft is based on regular season records). At one point, The Giants were in line for at least the 3rd or 4th overall pick, but a streak of mediocrity (oh no!!) has sent them flying (well not really) up the standings. The Giants end the season with series at Arizona, Cincinnati, San Diego, then at LA. With the way they have been trying to protect their young arms, I could really see The Giants tanking as the season ends. This years draft is not that deep so it is important that The Giants get a pick somewhere in the top 5 (whoever thought that tanking for a better draft pick would exist in baseball). As I see it, this season has been over for months, so why not play some younger guys (AKA not Durham, Feliz, and Bonds), get them some experience, and maybe lose a few games. Its probably the best thing for the organization at this point. I am hoping that The Giants can get someone like 1B Justin Smoak out of South Carolina, or Isaac Galloway, a So-Cal high school outfielder.