The Giants have no offense and a young, average bullpen; but they own three of the best young starting pitchers in the MLB. San Francisco has flamethrowers Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez locked up until at least 2011, which is the brightest spot on a team in an otherwise dire situation.
Bochy Calls up Prospects, Continues to Rebuild Giants
Before the trading deadline, San Francisco had to play veterans such as 2B Ray Durham, utility infielder Rich Aurilia and SS Omar Vizquel while the Giants shopped those players for potential trades. Only Ray Durham got traded (to the Milwaukee Brewers), but Bochy has significantly reduced the playing time of Aurilia and Vizquel now that the trading deadline has passed.
This has given way to a new double-play combination in San Francisco. Emmanuel Burriss can play shortstop and second base, but it appears he will get most of his playing time at second base while fellow prospect Ivan Ochoa gets a chance to play shortstop in the MLB.
Rookie speedster Eugenio Velez will also get some time at second base as well as the outfield if his hitting struggles do not force him back to the minors. Another Giant rookie outfielder, Fred Lewis has gotten considerable playing time this season, and he has made the most of his opportunity.
- Emmanul Burriss has hit .277 with nine stolen bases in only 141 at-bats so far this season with the Giants big-league ball club. With Velez slumping badly and losing playing time, Burriss has taken over at second base where he has been impressive with the glove—no errors through 16 games.
- Ivan Ochoa has hit .323 in his first 12 games with San Francisco and has earned more playing time by outperforming Eugenio Velez.
- Eugenio Velez is one of the fastest players in the MLB, but he is hitting just .209. The Giants see a tremendous upside in Velez, but Bochy has said it is hard to find him playing time with Burriss and Ochoa performing better.
- Fred Lewis has done a brilliant job hitting leadoff and playing left field for the injured Dave Roberts in 2008. Even with Roberts healthy again, Bochy continues to give Lewis most of the starts in left. In 105 games this season, Lewis has hit .278 with an impressive 20 steals and whopping 67 runs scored for a poor offensive club. Bochy has announced the decision to move Lewis to the third spot in the lineup starting in August. This experiment will test whether Lewis can increase his power numbers by allowing him to swing more freely and not concentrating as much on working the count.
Minor Leaguers and Free Agents Also Important for the Rebuilding Giants
The catastrophic Barry Zito contract (still owed about $19 M annually through 2013) will harm the team’s ability to sign free agents, but not kill it. Omar Vizquel and Rich Aurilia’s multimillion-dollar deals expire after this season, and San Francisco already traded Ray Durham. Also, the contracts of catcher Bengie Molina and outfielders Dave Roberts and Randy Winn expire after next season giving the Giants plenty of flexibility in the free agent market.
San Francisco’s top pick in 2007, big left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner is dominating in A ball with a strikeout-walk ratio of 125-18. In a couple of years, Bumgarner could be ready to join the likes of Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez to create one of the most feared starting rotations in recent memory.
