Another Loss to the Pirates,
Looking ahead to '09
Wow. After coming out of April with a, "That was better than we expected," things have hit a season low. This series against the Pirates was dreadful - and if this was all you saw of the Giants, you'd probably make a lot of jokes about this team too. Rather than recap, I'd rather write about something this early morning game had me thinking about - Of the guys on the field for the Giants right now, where do you envision them next season?
I don't have any hopes of a pennant chase this season, but I would like to see the Giants in some kind of contention in 2009. This is possible considering that the only team in the West really worth fearing is Arizona. (Sorry Dodgers, I just know you're going to collapse come August). Since we are evaluating the talent of the youngsters, let's think about which ones should be in the starting nine next season.
The only staples of this season's lineup who I see as a lock for '09 would be Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand, and Fred Lewis. Ideally, I see Lewis in the number two hole, with Rowand hitting behind him, and Molina hitting sixth. The Giants will have to pick up two bats to hit fourth and fifth because nobody on this roster could fill those holes just yet.
John Bowker and Dan Ortmeier have shown promise - but whether each of them is ready to start at first is another question. A platoon could work, but seeing as how both are actual outfielders, that would leave first is a good position to look for in the offseason. Same for third where Jose Castillo is a solid temporary fix, though not a long-term solution. Bowker or Ortmeier could platoon in left, along with Eugenio Velez, or the Giants could acquire a slugger for that spot. Either way, I'd like to say Randy Winn traded sometime this season. He obviously isn't in the future plans and even if we can get just one Double-A prospect, that's something for the future.
The middle infield is where I see the biggest question mark for the Giants. Ray Durham will not be back - ideally he'd also go in a trade but that seems unlikely. Hopefully, Kevin Frandsen will be at full strength to compete for a job at second. I like Velez and his blazing speed, but he needs to work on both hitting and defense. I like him as a bench player at least for one full season. There was some speculation early on as to whether the Giants should not have re-signed Omar Vizquel and stuck Brian Bocock or Emanuel Burris out there. Clearly, the two rookies weren't quite ready for major league pitching. They need to spend a little more time in the minors getting their batting averages up. I may campaign to bring Vizquel back one more year, his health permitting. Even if he splits time with one of the youngsters, it alleviates pressure on them while allowing them to study under one of the best.
That leaves two veterans - Dave Roberts and Rich Aurilla. Roberts should be released in my opinion, with the Giants eating the contract. I like Aurilla, but I don't see him coming back - except as a coach.
On the plus side, I feel very confident about the pitching. With either Kevin Correia or Noah Lowry in, the rotation is solid. The bullpen is great too, and would only be more dominant with the addition of a veteran arm.
I imagine we will be revisiting this throughout the season.
I don't have any hopes of a pennant chase this season, but I would like to see the Giants in some kind of contention in 2009. This is possible considering that the only team in the West really worth fearing is Arizona. (Sorry Dodgers, I just know you're going to collapse come August). Since we are evaluating the talent of the youngsters, let's think about which ones should be in the starting nine next season.
The only staples of this season's lineup who I see as a lock for '09 would be Bengie Molina, Aaron Rowand, and Fred Lewis. Ideally, I see Lewis in the number two hole, with Rowand hitting behind him, and Molina hitting sixth. The Giants will have to pick up two bats to hit fourth and fifth because nobody on this roster could fill those holes just yet.
John Bowker and Dan Ortmeier have shown promise - but whether each of them is ready to start at first is another question. A platoon could work, but seeing as how both are actual outfielders, that would leave first is a good position to look for in the offseason. Same for third where Jose Castillo is a solid temporary fix, though not a long-term solution. Bowker or Ortmeier could platoon in left, along with Eugenio Velez, or the Giants could acquire a slugger for that spot. Either way, I'd like to say Randy Winn traded sometime this season. He obviously isn't in the future plans and even if we can get just one Double-A prospect, that's something for the future.
The middle infield is where I see the biggest question mark for the Giants. Ray Durham will not be back - ideally he'd also go in a trade but that seems unlikely. Hopefully, Kevin Frandsen will be at full strength to compete for a job at second. I like Velez and his blazing speed, but he needs to work on both hitting and defense. I like him as a bench player at least for one full season. There was some speculation early on as to whether the Giants should not have re-signed Omar Vizquel and stuck Brian Bocock or Emanuel Burris out there. Clearly, the two rookies weren't quite ready for major league pitching. They need to spend a little more time in the minors getting their batting averages up. I may campaign to bring Vizquel back one more year, his health permitting. Even if he splits time with one of the youngsters, it alleviates pressure on them while allowing them to study under one of the best.
That leaves two veterans - Dave Roberts and Rich Aurilla. Roberts should be released in my opinion, with the Giants eating the contract. I like Aurilla, but I don't see him coming back - except as a coach.
On the plus side, I feel very confident about the pitching. With either Kevin Correia or Noah Lowry in, the rotation is solid. The bullpen is great too, and would only be more dominant with the addition of a veteran arm.
I imagine we will be revisiting this throughout the season.
posted by Will at
3:40 PM
1 Comments:
I think there's a chance bengie gets traded as well, at least once alfonzo's suspension is over. i agree that winn's probably gone. i'd like to see an outfield of lewis, rowand, and nate schierholtz. if frandsen's healthy, he's the 2b. The rest of the infield is a mess though. We'll proably make a run at some free agents, although mark teixeira seems unlikely.
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