San Francisco Giants
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/284/1/San-Francisco-Giants.html
Seth Glasgow
By Seth Glasgow
Published on 03/30/2006
The Giants will go as far as Barry Bonds takes them in 2006. that could mean they're playing for a ring, or playing to stay out of the NL West basement. Seth Glasgow breaks down San Fran.
Amid the chaos and media frenzy that Barry Bonds has brought to the Bay Area, the Giants are still a baseball team on which Bonds is merely a player. A team that was disappointing at best without the help of Bonds last year, finishing third in the pitiful NL West with a 77-85 record. When healthy, the Giants have proven in past years that they can be a force at playoff time; they just weren’t able to keep their players healthy for very long last season. The signings of Randy Winn and Steve Finley and a positive outlook on the condition of Barry Bonds’ knee, elbow, and at this point mental status, could help to fix the Giants offensive woes of last season.
Clearly, losing Barry Bonds from any lineup will lead a dramatic change in offensive production numbers, and the Giants proved that last year, by sinking to 27th in the league in home runs with 128, down from 183 the previous season. Although the Giants did hit moderately well for average last year, they truly struggled when it came to getting runners across the plate; finishing with the second least runs scored, 649, a complete freefall from their 2004 total of 850.
Given Bonds’ performance so far this spring, the Giants have to be pretty excited.
Thus far, Bonds has managed to swim through the typhoon of controversy and speculation to hit .692 with four home runs in his six games this spring. Elbow problems have kept Bonds out of the lineup for a few days, but Giants head trainer Stan Conte has remained optimistic stating, “If everything continues like this, it will be just a blip on the radar.” Bonds’ has said that he will be able to play in one of the Giants’ final exhibition games against the Angels next week in San Francisco.
In all reality though, how healthy is Bonds? Spring games are great for some sort of measuring stick, but it has to be understood that during spring games Bonds’ was able to play at the DH position, a luxury he’ll rarely enjoy during the regular season. It remains to be seen if Bonds’ knees and the pressure coming down on him from all angles will have a negative impact on his performance during the regular season.
The Giants though, understanding Bonds’ fragile condition, have made some efforts to strengthen their outfield and their lineup. Winn and Steve Finley will both be key additions for San Francisco this year. Winn was recently signed to a three-year contract extension, and played extremely well in his 58 games with the Giants last season (he came over in a midseason trade with Seattle), batting .359. A full season with Winn at the top of the lineup should be a major boost to San Francisco’s run production. Not to mention players returning who have proven in the past that they are capable of hitting the ball; namely Moises Alou and Lance Niekro, who has had a phenomenal spring, hitting .368 and 11 RBI in 15 games.
The Giants pitching staff was mediocre last year ranking 17th in the MLB in ERA. They solidified their rotation by picking up Matt Morris from the Cardinals. Morris will fit into the No. 2 slot in the rotation and pitched well in St. Louis last season, posting a 14-10 record and a 4.11 ERA. Returning ace Jason Schmidt appears to be past his shoulder, elbow, and groin troubles of previous years. He’s unbeaten in the spring so far and is on schedule to start April 3rd against the Padres on Opening Day, despite not being officially named by Alou as the starter. The bullpen got a shot in the arm as well with the addition of Tim Worrell from the Arizona Diamondbacks and left-hander Steve Kline from Baltimore. Both should serve as the primary setup men in front of closer Armando Benitez.
The infield remains largely intact. Seasoned veteran Omar Vizquel is past his prime, but he still plays to a Gold Glove level at shortstop, and in recent years has swung the bat better than he ever has. Lance Niekro seems ready to handle the every day starting role at first base, and actually providing one of the only glimmers of youth on the Giants and allowing the club to cut ties to longtime first baseman J.T. Snow.
For better or worse, the Giants are without a doubt an old team. The theme of age and health seems to extend to all parts of the team. It remains to be seen how much gas is left in the tank for Vizquel, Alou, and Finley. In the infield Jose Vizcaino should be able to platoon with second baseman Ray Durham and Vizquel in positions he’s played at some point during his career. As for the outfield, the questions rest squarely on Barry Bonds and his ability to stay healthy and focused as controversy swirls around him.
If the Giants are able to stay healthy in the lineup and starting rotation, they will definitely make the NL West a much more exciting place than it was last year. So much of this team is built around the omnipotence of Bonds that the rest of the lineup will produce significantly higher if he is in the lineup on a consistent basis. But given Barry’s recent psychological trauma (“My life is in shambles right now”), it remains to be seen if Bonds’ true weak point is actually his knee or if the pressure is finally starting to get to him. Depending on how it all pans out, the world might even have to deal with Barry playing for a ring.
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The Giants will go as far as Barry Bonds takes them in 2006. that could mean they're playing for a ring, or playing to stay out of the NL West basement. Seth Glasgow breaks down San Fran.
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Amid the chaos and media frenzy that Barry Bonds has brought to the Bay Area, the Giants are still a baseball team on which Bonds is merely a player. A team that was disappointing at best without the help of Bonds last year, finishing third in the pitiful NL West with a 77-85 record. When healthy, the Giants have proven in past years that they can be a force at playoff time; they just weren’t able to keep their players healthy for very long last season. The signings of Randy Winn and Steve Finley and a positive outlook on the condition of Barry Bonds’ knee, elbow, and at this point mental status, could help to fix the Giants offensive woes of last season.
Clearly, losing Barry Bonds from any lineup will lead a dramatic change in offensive production numbers, and the Giants proved that last year, by sinking to 27th in the league in home runs with 128, down from 183 the previous season. Although the Giants did hit moderately well for average last year, they truly struggled when it came to getting runners across the plate; finishing with the second least runs scored, 649, a complete freefall from their 2004 total of 850.
Given Bonds’ performance so far this spring, the Giants have to be pretty excited.
Thus far, Bonds has managed to swim through the typhoon of controversy and speculation to hit .692 with four home runs in his six games this spring. Elbow problems have kept Bonds out of the lineup for a few days, but Giants head trainer Stan Conte has remained optimistic stating, “If everything continues like this, it will be just a blip on the radar.” Bonds’ has said that he will be able to play in one of the Giants’ final exhibition games against the Angels next week in San Francisco.
In all reality though, how healthy is Bonds? Spring games are great for some sort of measuring stick, but it has to be understood that during spring games Bonds’ was able to play at the DH position, a luxury he’ll rarely enjoy during the regular season. It remains to be seen if Bonds’ knees and the pressure coming down on him from all angles will have a negative impact on his performance during the regular season.
The Giants though, understanding Bonds’ fragile condition, have made some efforts to strengthen their outfield and their lineup. Winn and Steve Finley will both be key additions for San Francisco this year. Winn was recently signed to a three-year contract extension, and played extremely well in his 58 games with the Giants last season (he came over in a midseason trade with Seattle), batting .359. A full season with Winn at the top of the lineup should be a major boost to San Francisco’s run production. Not to mention players returning who have proven in the past that they are capable of hitting the ball; namely Moises Alou and Lance Niekro, who has had a phenomenal spring, hitting .368 and 11 RBI in 15 games.
The Giants pitching staff was mediocre last year ranking 17th in the MLB in ERA. They solidified their rotation by picking up Matt Morris from the Cardinals. Morris will fit into the No. 2 slot in the rotation and pitched well in St. Louis last season, posting a 14-10 record and a 4.11 ERA. Returning ace Jason Schmidt appears to be past his shoulder, elbow, and groin troubles of previous years. He’s unbeaten in the spring so far and is on schedule to start April 3rd against the Padres on Opening Day, despite not being officially named by Alou as the starter. The bullpen got a shot in the arm as well with the addition of Tim Worrell from the Arizona Diamondbacks and left-hander Steve Kline from Baltimore. Both should serve as the primary setup men in front of closer Armando Benitez.
The infield remains largely intact. Seasoned veteran Omar Vizquel is past his prime, but he still plays to a Gold Glove level at shortstop, and in recent years has swung the bat better than he ever has. Lance Niekro seems ready to handle the every day starting role at first base, and actually providing one of the only glimmers of youth on the Giants and allowing the club to cut ties to longtime first baseman J.T. Snow.
For better or worse, the Giants are without a doubt an old team. The theme of age and health seems to extend to all parts of the team. It remains to be seen how much gas is left in the tank for Vizquel, Alou, and Finley. In the infield Jose Vizcaino should be able to platoon with second baseman Ray Durham and Vizquel in positions he’s played at some point during his career. As for the outfield, the questions rest squarely on Barry Bonds and his ability to stay healthy and focused as controversy swirls around him.
If the Giants are able to stay healthy in the lineup and starting rotation, they will definitely make the NL West a much more exciting place than it was last year. So much of this team is built around the omnipotence of Bonds that the rest of the lineup will produce significantly higher if he is in the lineup on a consistent basis. But given Barry’s recent psychological trauma (“My life is in shambles right now”), it remains to be seen if Bonds’ true weak point is actually his knee or if the pressure is finally starting to get to him. Depending on how it all pans out, the world might even have to deal with Barry playing for a ring.
Seth Glasgow can be reached at seth.glasgow@atomicsportsmedia.com