San Francisco Hopes to Avoid Giant Catastrophe in 2008. Before I really dive into this breakdown of the 2008 San Francisco Giants, it should be stated that I have absolutely no clue what the overall plan is for this team nor do I have any idea how the folks who created this disaster still retain jobs. That being said, Bruce Bochy has scrapped together another 25 man roster that has little hope of contending in an increasingly competitive NL West yet will somehow coax 70 wins out of this band of misfits because players “love to play for him.” Barry Bonds is gone in San Francisco, as are any memories of his bloated head and tainted records. Certainly going to Giants games will be less satisfying for me as a fan because of my inability to wear my asterisk shirt or throw plastic syringes on the field but in the general scheme of things Bonds dismissal will be a great burden lifted off an already weighed down team.
Bats. The Giants major acquisition of the off season was centerfielder Aaron Rowand, a guy who has quietly put together great seasons for both the Phillies and the White Sox. The Giants stroked it too much to Rowand’s all-out style of play and rewarded him with a $60 million deal over 5 years, a price no other team was willing to pay. Don’t worry Brian Sabean, I have your back on this one. He’s going to jump out and surprise everyone and prove the haters wrong just like that guy you signed last year. Right? He was worth all that money, right? He’s not just gonna put your team in financial hell in a few years with declining play and increasing salary? Sigh.
Rowand’s acquisition immediately makes him the bona fide power threat in the lineup. He’ll play center in front of Fred Lewis, a young guy who saw playing time at the end of last year and really, in my opinion, brought a youthful spark to an otherwise walking dead lineup. The same situation befalls left field where Father Time Dave Roberts takes the starting job over young and highly touted Rajai Davis, the outfielder that the Giants essentially stole from the Pirates in exchange for Matt Morris. The mindless decision to reward starting jobs to old saggy veterans instead of the young players on a team that has no direction is a theme that runs rampant through the Giants, so don’t get discouraged.
In the infield, the Giants have said out with the old and in with the older. Pedro Feliz was given his long overdue walking papers and the Giants employed the services of Jose Castillo, a guy who hit an eye-opening .244 last year and failed to hit a ball over the outfield fence. The veteran movement was put on hold at shortstop because of Omar Vizquel’s broken hip knee surgery so young farmhand Brian Bocock was given the starting job. Bocock was slinging frozen ropes from the 5.5 hole last year in Single A with the Inland Empire 66ers while myself and the handful of other drunk college students fans in the stadium cheered on dollar beers and ultimately made immature remarks about his last name (that aren’t worth repeating). Now he’ll get his shot at the major league level until Vizquel returns to take his job back.
First baseman Rich Aurilia returns for his 32nd major league campaign, 28 of which have been with the Giants. Aurilia, the new first baseman, will be called upon to play defense (I can’t say solid defense, that’s asking too much) and improve his .252 average from a season ago. Next to him will be Ray Durham, a guy who has seriously been playing in the Majors since I first learned to ride a bike. Durham would probably prefer to ride a bike of his own to retirement instead of endure another 162 game marathon, but the fairly easy opportunity to lead the team in home runs, RBI’s, and age are all too tantalizing for the crafty veteran.
Pitching. More than anything, Barry Zito is going to make you scratch your head about why someone who sucks so bad at their job can make so much money. Think about if the guy next to you in the office did half the work you did, turned it in late, and had a shitty change up while making three times the money you were. You’d be pissed too. Not only does Barry Zito not particularly care what you think about his salary, he’s going to blow your mind with his antics and under achievement. Did I mention his musical talents? Like Zito’s fraudulent Cy Young, his guitar talents are something that will never be taken away from him. I’m beginning to understand why Zito’s contract was so big. All it took was him singing an acoustic rendition of Scott McKenzie’s hippy-ass song ‘San Francisco’ to bring a tear to GM Brian Sabean’s eye and to earn an extra $20 mill on the back end of the deal.
Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are two guys who don’t necessarily get the credit they deserve while playing in ‘Frisco. Lincecum has one of the most electric arms in the game and, all things considered, his season last year showed great promise for the future. Matt Cain’s 16 losses are in no way a representation of the way he pitched last season and are entirely a result of the guys around him. Cain had an ERA under 2 for a while and finished with a 3.65 ERA, better than guys like Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Harang. With the nucleus of these two (not you, Zito), the Giants have promise for their rotation for a long time. Noah Lowry is another young guy who has lofty expectations for this Giants team, though arm troubles are a bit discouraging for a young guy like Lowry.
Bruce Bochy went fishing in the Bay before the season started. He caught a tire, a boot, and a book of cliche’s and threw it in his bullpen. Brad Hennessey is one of the few recognizable names in the bullpen and had a decent year last year, saving 19 games and posting an ERA of 3.42. His reward for his loyalties and successes was demotion to a set up role. In his place will be Brian Wilson, a guy who has seven career saves but apparently showed something noteworthy in 24 appearances last year. It’s a shame Armando Benitez isn’t carrying around his gas can with the Giants anymore and imploding nightly but I suppose his welcome was pretty worn. If you’ve heard of Keiichi Yabu, you obviously spend too much time flipping through media guides and are reading way too much into the season. He’s part of this Giants bullpen, but I doubt many of us will know or care about him as the season progresses.
Prediction. There’s never anything easy about rebuilding. The problem the Giants face is that they suck at rebuilding. There are too many old guys, too many contracts, and too many bad decisions for this team to move anywhere but down in 2008. Don’t expect much from the Giants other than a run to the cellar.
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I thought this was one of the best articles written about the Giants and their upcoming season. I couldnt have said it better myself , im a long time Giants fan , but have no hopes other than to have a better record than Tampa Bay this year.
70 wins? You’re generous. I would be surprised to see anything more than 60. This team is awful and everyone else in the NL West is going to happy to pick on them. They won’t finish with a better record than anyone.