SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Have 4 1/2 months really passed since Pablo Sandoval hit his 25th home run on the final day of the 2009 season, hoisting the Giants to their 88th win?
Time flies when expectations rise.
Despite their inability to land a monster bat this winter, the Giants, on the strength of their pitching, could become a boutique pick to win the National League West in 2010.
They answered their biggest offseason question straightaway when ownership gave fresh two-year contracts to general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy. As usual, many questions remain. With pitchers and catchers reporting to Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday, here are the top five:
1. Can they score enough runs? Like the cactus flowers that bloom in Arizona in spring, this question has become a perennial.
The Giants scored 640 runs in 2008 and 657 in 2009 - in other words, not nearly enough one year and not enough plus 17 the next. By signing Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, then re-signing Bengie Molina and Juan Uribe, Sabean hopes he has built a deeper offense with fewer automatic outs.
The fans' biggest fear is that one of the best pitching staffs in team history is being wasted because of a terrible offense. If the pitching is that good, the hitters theoretically need not score 800 runs to make a playoff run. However, 725 would be a fair target.
2. Freddy Sanchez - boom or bust? The second baseman is a big key to answering question one. So far, his Giants tenure has been a near disaster, marked by knee and shoulder surgeries.
The Giants kept Sanchez's late December shoulder operation a secret at his behest. He reportedly did not want the press and fans discussing his health all winter.
Sanchez is supposed to bat second, ahead of Pablo Sandoval, so his surgeries justifiably will be a significant topic this spring as he labors to prove he has not become a creaky old player at 32.
3. Is this the year of the young'uns? The Giants will not become a year-to-year force until their homegrown offensive players make more of an impact.
Sandoval, 23, seems to be a sure bet to avoid a sophomore jinx in his second full season, as long as he stays healthy. Randy Winn is gone, so Bochy has no excuse not to play 26-year-old Nate Schierholtz in right field.
Though Molina's re-signing seemed to stamp Buster Posey's ticket to Fresno, the 22-year-old still could get his shot in '10. The brass also is intrigued by another 22-year-old, outfielder Thomas Neal, who hit 22 homers with 90 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS for Single-A San Jose last season.
Finally, 20-year-old Madison Bumgarner enters camp as the fifth starter. It is his job to lose.
4. Is this the year of Zito love? Barry Zito is 31-43 as a Giant, not much of a return for a seven-year, $126 million contract. Still, he had his best season in San Francisco last year.
Zito lowered his ERA more than a full point from 2008, 5.15 to 4.03. It was a superb 2.83 in 15 starts after the All-Star break.
Now three years removed from signing the contract, perhaps 2010 will bring enough consistency to turn Zito into the strong bridge the Giants need between their two power righties, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and the bottom of their rotation, presumably Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner.
5. Can a team win without speed? After the 2002 World Series loss, Sabean said he admired the Angels' consistent ability to go from first to third on a single, which the Giants could not do.
The '10 Giants might be even more of a station-to-station team with Huff, DeRosa, Molina, Uribe and Edgar Renteria in the lineup.
That is where the bench comes into play. The brass envisions a lot of pinch-running from the likes of Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss and so forth.
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