Post by stinie3 on Oct 16, 2007 21:30:40 GMT -5
Despite winning 92 games last year, the Giants finished a disappointing 3rd in the NL West. Management felt it was time to shake things up. In an attempt to spark a team that had gotten old and stale, a change was made at the top of the organization. Josh Steinkamp comes in as the new GM, and has vowed to shake things up. That process is underway, as the Giants have 9 players on their major league roster that were not in the organization in 2003, and 2 more that spent the season with the AAA affiliate Fresno Grizzlies.
The Giants have their hands full, having lost leading hitter and Hall of Famer Barry Bonds to retirement, and NL Cy Young Award winner Kevin Millwood to free agency. Management was not happy with the previous GM’s inability to extend Millwood prior to the free agency season.
When asked about the challenges facing the Giants this off-season, all Steinkamp would offer was “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be fun.”
The 2003 Giants featured a middle-of-the-pack offense, finishing 13th in the league with 818 runs scored and a very good pitching staff which finished 6th in the league with 712 runs allowed. The strength of the offense was their patience; the Giants lead the league with 719 base on balls. However, it was station-to-station from there as they finished near the bottom of the league with just 51 stolen bases. The rotation appeared to be a two-headed monster with Jason Schmidt and Kevin Millwood, but it was mediocre with the 3-5 spots being held by Kirk Rueter, Damian Moss, and Kurt Ainsworth. While the staff was solid, it was light in pitchers who could miss a bat. That has changed.
The Giants will boast a revamped rotation this year with 60% of the starters joining the Giants this off-season. Javier Vazquez was signed to a big-money deal coming off a successful campaign with the Washington Nationals, Vicente Padilla was acquired via trade with the aforementioned Ainsworth and a minor league arm, and Escobar was imported after winning 14 games for the Toronto Blue Jays. All three have the ability to strike out 170 batters this season. While it’s impossible to replace a guy like Millwood, the rotation appears to be deeper on paper. Vazquez will attempt to fill the void left by Millwood, and Padilla should join Schmidt and Vazquez as a third front-line starter. Padilla was battered around in Colorado last year, but the Giants felt he was cheap enough to take a chance on; they view him as a guy that compares to Millwood. The change of scenery going from a hitters’ park in Colorado, to a pitchers’ park in San Francisco should benefit him. Jason Schmidt, the ace of the staff, and crafty southpaw Kirk Rueter are the only starters to return from 2003.
Key losses in the bullpen include 2003 closer Tim Worrell and lefty specialist Scott Eyre. Joe Nathan, who spent last season working in middle relief, is likely to become the closer. Cliff Politte, also imported from north of the border, and Felix Rodriguez, who wasted away last season for the Fresno Grizzlies are live arms that should anchor the bullpen. Damian Moss, last season’s #4 starter who went 9-14 finds himself in the bullpen joining holdovers Matt Herges, Chad Zerbe, and Nathan. Awaiting a call-up at AAA will be Jerome Williams.
On offense, in addition to losing Bonds, the Giants also lost starting catcher Benito Santiago (retirement) and shortstop Rich Aurilia (free agency). Part time players Andres Galarraga and Marvin Benard left willingly, and utility players Neifi Perez and Pedro Feliz were dealt to Seattle. The positional players were aging and stagnant last season, but one thing they had to work with was speed which was not utilized last season. Look for the Giants to be more aggressive on the basepaths this season, with more stolen base attempts coming from Ray Durham, Jose Cruz, and Bobby Abreu. Gary Sheffield was signed to a reasonable 2-year deal to attempt to replace the hole left by Barry Bonds retirement in left field. Sheffield put up a huge season in Atlanta and will likely fill the 3-hole that was occupied by Bonds last season. AJ Pierzynski was signed to a 3-year pact from Minnesota to replace Santiago as the primary catcher. Last season’s backup, Yorvit Torrealba, will also see significant time. Mark DeRosa was a nice find in free agency and he will see several at-bats at shortstop and will also spend some time backing up Durham and Alfonzo on the infield. Slick-fielding shortstop Juan Uribe was acquired from the Rockies for seldom-used Jimmy Anderson and will see significant time at shortstop his rookie season due to his defensive abilities. Kevin Young was brought in from Pittsburgh to provide a veteran right-handed bat off the bench mainly because of his success against southpaws last year. Francisco Santos was called up for his pinch hitting abilities, and will see minor time at first base and right field. Finally, on the eve of opening season, the Giants struck a deal with the Florida Marlins to bring Jason Lane to town. Lane will be a key player off the bench as he will likely see time at both outfield corners, first base, and as a pinch hitter.
Projected Roster:
SP Jason Schmidt
SP Javier Vazquez
SP Vicente Padilla
SP Kirk Rueter
SP Kelvim Escobar
RP Felix Rodriguez
RP Matt Herges
RP Damian Moss
RP Chad Zerbe
SU Cliff Politte
CL Joe Nathan
C AJ Pierzynski
1B Jim Thome
2B Ray Durham
3B Edgardo Alfonzo
SS Juan Uribe
LF Gary Sheffield
CF Jose Cruz, Jr.
RF Bobby Abreu
C Yorvit Torrealba
1B Kevin Young
1B/RF Francisco Santos
IF/OF Mark DeRosa
OF Marquis Grissom
1B/OF Jason Lane
The Giants have their hands full, having lost leading hitter and Hall of Famer Barry Bonds to retirement, and NL Cy Young Award winner Kevin Millwood to free agency. Management was not happy with the previous GM’s inability to extend Millwood prior to the free agency season.
When asked about the challenges facing the Giants this off-season, all Steinkamp would offer was “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be fun.”
The 2003 Giants featured a middle-of-the-pack offense, finishing 13th in the league with 818 runs scored and a very good pitching staff which finished 6th in the league with 712 runs allowed. The strength of the offense was their patience; the Giants lead the league with 719 base on balls. However, it was station-to-station from there as they finished near the bottom of the league with just 51 stolen bases. The rotation appeared to be a two-headed monster with Jason Schmidt and Kevin Millwood, but it was mediocre with the 3-5 spots being held by Kirk Rueter, Damian Moss, and Kurt Ainsworth. While the staff was solid, it was light in pitchers who could miss a bat. That has changed.
The Giants will boast a revamped rotation this year with 60% of the starters joining the Giants this off-season. Javier Vazquez was signed to a big-money deal coming off a successful campaign with the Washington Nationals, Vicente Padilla was acquired via trade with the aforementioned Ainsworth and a minor league arm, and Escobar was imported after winning 14 games for the Toronto Blue Jays. All three have the ability to strike out 170 batters this season. While it’s impossible to replace a guy like Millwood, the rotation appears to be deeper on paper. Vazquez will attempt to fill the void left by Millwood, and Padilla should join Schmidt and Vazquez as a third front-line starter. Padilla was battered around in Colorado last year, but the Giants felt he was cheap enough to take a chance on; they view him as a guy that compares to Millwood. The change of scenery going from a hitters’ park in Colorado, to a pitchers’ park in San Francisco should benefit him. Jason Schmidt, the ace of the staff, and crafty southpaw Kirk Rueter are the only starters to return from 2003.
Key losses in the bullpen include 2003 closer Tim Worrell and lefty specialist Scott Eyre. Joe Nathan, who spent last season working in middle relief, is likely to become the closer. Cliff Politte, also imported from north of the border, and Felix Rodriguez, who wasted away last season for the Fresno Grizzlies are live arms that should anchor the bullpen. Damian Moss, last season’s #4 starter who went 9-14 finds himself in the bullpen joining holdovers Matt Herges, Chad Zerbe, and Nathan. Awaiting a call-up at AAA will be Jerome Williams.
On offense, in addition to losing Bonds, the Giants also lost starting catcher Benito Santiago (retirement) and shortstop Rich Aurilia (free agency). Part time players Andres Galarraga and Marvin Benard left willingly, and utility players Neifi Perez and Pedro Feliz were dealt to Seattle. The positional players were aging and stagnant last season, but one thing they had to work with was speed which was not utilized last season. Look for the Giants to be more aggressive on the basepaths this season, with more stolen base attempts coming from Ray Durham, Jose Cruz, and Bobby Abreu. Gary Sheffield was signed to a reasonable 2-year deal to attempt to replace the hole left by Barry Bonds retirement in left field. Sheffield put up a huge season in Atlanta and will likely fill the 3-hole that was occupied by Bonds last season. AJ Pierzynski was signed to a 3-year pact from Minnesota to replace Santiago as the primary catcher. Last season’s backup, Yorvit Torrealba, will also see significant time. Mark DeRosa was a nice find in free agency and he will see several at-bats at shortstop and will also spend some time backing up Durham and Alfonzo on the infield. Slick-fielding shortstop Juan Uribe was acquired from the Rockies for seldom-used Jimmy Anderson and will see significant time at shortstop his rookie season due to his defensive abilities. Kevin Young was brought in from Pittsburgh to provide a veteran right-handed bat off the bench mainly because of his success against southpaws last year. Francisco Santos was called up for his pinch hitting abilities, and will see minor time at first base and right field. Finally, on the eve of opening season, the Giants struck a deal with the Florida Marlins to bring Jason Lane to town. Lane will be a key player off the bench as he will likely see time at both outfield corners, first base, and as a pinch hitter.
Projected Roster:
SP Jason Schmidt
SP Javier Vazquez
SP Vicente Padilla
SP Kirk Rueter
SP Kelvim Escobar
RP Felix Rodriguez
RP Matt Herges
RP Damian Moss
RP Chad Zerbe
SU Cliff Politte
CL Joe Nathan
C AJ Pierzynski
1B Jim Thome
2B Ray Durham
3B Edgardo Alfonzo
SS Juan Uribe
LF Gary Sheffield
CF Jose Cruz, Jr.
RF Bobby Abreu
C Yorvit Torrealba
1B Kevin Young
1B/RF Francisco Santos
IF/OF Mark DeRosa
OF Marquis Grissom
1B/OF Jason Lane