Anyone want ot talk SF Giants baseball?

I'll give you Robertson, but Tomko? The guy is on what his 5th team? If he were that good he wouldn't travel as much. Reuter? He's all yours. I'm with 26 on this one. I like the Padres coming out. Great young pitchers in Eaton and Peavy and now some bats behind them with Ramon Hernandez and Giles. yes the Phillies. The Braves have cut back on the salary and have rely on very youngster at the corners and other teams cast off (Thomson) in the rotation. Ortiz enjoyed great run support last year but Sheffield and Lopez are history. This fairytale is over Braves fan. The division will be fought for by the Marlins and the Phils.

 

ok, i can talk giants........giants, watch out for the padres.


PP, you keep tellin yourself that about the braves. thats cool. good luck with the wildcard this year.

 

I used to be a bigger Giants fan than I am now, but they're still my favorite NL team. That said, I fear the Padres this year. As usual, the Giants have a band aid pitching staff of greenhorns and mediocre journeymen behind one proven starter. How does Nen look this spring? If not, Can Rodriguez close or is he still in the funk he's been in for over a year? Not enough bats in that lineup either, and they lost Santiago, a good defensive catcher who calls a good game.

The padres have a good core, but I'm not sure about middle relief or table setters in the batting order.

The Braves will continue their downward slide. They've lost too much over the past few years and their stars arent young anymore (who believes Furcal anyway?)

If the Atsros staff can keep the ball in the Park, they will roll. Octavio Dotel is about to emerge as a stud closer. The Cubs look really good too.

 

Looks like Jason Schmidt is not going to be ready for opening day. His shoulder really worries me. When healthy, he is as good as it gets. But his shoulder problems have me worried going into the season. Looks like Dustin Hermanson will get a spot in the rotation until Schmidt is ready. Brett Tomko may actually get the opening day nod right now, but only because their opening day opponent (the Astros) are predominantly right handed. Tomko is about a .500 pitcher, but has been an inning gobbler the past two years...pitching over 200 innings in each season.

I like Jerome Williams a lot. This kid has some good stuff, but still has a lot to learn about pitching. I am looking forward to seeing this guy develop.

I have concerns about Reuter staying healthy all year too. but he could win 15 games or so if he stays off the DL.

Jesse Foppert is another young guy i like. but he will not be ready until june after having Tommy John surgery last year.

Offensively, everything obviously revolves around Bonds. some questions:

Will Ray Durham stay healthy this year? He had two extensive trips to the DL last year. A nasty ankle injury in Atlanta lead to some other leg and hip problems later in the year. He was very durable prior to last season playing in at least 150 games for 7 straight seasons. it was no secret that they were better with #5 in the lineup than without.

Can Alfonzo protect Bonds? a miserable first half last year (barely over .200 by the all-star break) had me questioning this signing. but he finished strong and could be a huge piece of the puzzle. the will pitch around bonds no matter who is hitting behind him...but you gotta find a way to make teams pay for that.

How will AJ Pierzynski work out? Santiago was a positive influence in the clubhouse. and Pierzynski is known as a trash talker and instigator. but he put up some really nice numbers in Minnesota. But will probably be a step down when it comes to handling the pitchers.

Who is the closer? The bullpen as a whole is a concern. Scott Eyre (their #1 lefty setup guy) had some back problems this past weekend. but most of all, Rob Nenn is not 100% yet. he has yet to face a batter this spring training. Felix Rodriguez could probably close...he has some electric stuff.

I am not big on predictions, but i think they have as good a chance as anyone to make it out of the West. but i have to agree with some of the other guys here...they had better watch out for the Padres.

 

to bad the braves arent still in the NL west

 

update. eyre still havin problems, and nenn is on the DL now.

 

they put Eyre on the DL too...15 day. Schmidt was scheduled to throw a couple or three innings in a minor league game today. Jerome Williams has been getting rocked this spring...0-5 with an ERA over 8. Reuter was named the opening day starter.

 

missed the eyre DL thing. schmidt is still not lookin good.

 

schmidt threw three shutout innings against Oakland's AAA team yesterday. 43 pitches and was hitting 92-95 mph on his fastball. he was pain free afterwards. he will start the season on the DL, but as long as there are no setbacks in the next couple of weeks, he could make his debut in the second week of the season.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Does anyone know who the Giants everyday RF'er will be? Is it going to be Micheal Tucker or Jeffrey Hammonds? Will they platoon?

Does Neifi Perez have what it takes to be the everyday SS? I don't think he does. Losing Rich Aurillia was a bad mistake.

I still like JT Snow at 1B.

Durham at 2B is great as long as he stays healthy.

Edgardo Alfonso will do good things this year. He'll get a lot of good pitches hitting in front or behind BONES!

Benito Santiago was one of my favorite Giants. He is also on of the best defensive catchers that has played the game. I like Pyzienski's bat, but he's no Santiago behing the plate.

I think the key to the season rests in chemistry. Felipe Alou is in that same category as Dusty Baker in the sense that he can get alot of guys with less talent to play above their potential. That ultimately brings his team in line with many of the high dollar/talent teams in baseball.

NL WEST Predictions:


1.Giants
2. Padres
3. Dodgers
4. Diamondbacks

This is a three team race. Giants win the division by 2 games over the Padres. Dodgers will be 3 to 5 games out. The team that wins the division does so by winning 82 games or less. Lots of parity in this division.