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Can the Giants return to the postseason in 2012? It all begins in Arizona.
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The Giants are ready to kick off their season, taking on the D-backs in the desert for a three game set this weekend. For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
On the last day of the Cactus League, the Oakland A's avoided a sweep in the Bay Bridge Series with a 8-1 victory at AT&T Park.
With the final cuts being made on the San Francisco Giants 25-man opening day roster, catcher Chris Stewart found himself the odd man out on Wednesday. Without a contract with a minor league option like Eli Whiteside and the impressive spring of Hector Sanchez, Stewart wound up on the trading block, and is on his way to the New York Yankees for right handed releiver George Kontos.
Per Andrew Baggarly on Twitter:
Stewart traded to Yankees for RHR George Kontos.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) April 4, 2012
Stewart is a career .200 hitter though is certainly known more for his catching abilities than his offensive prowess. As for Kontos, he saw time in seven games for the Yankees in 2011, sporting a 3.0 ERA in six innings pitched. Hopefully he'll find some more success out in the Big Apple.
For more news and notes on the Giants, please head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants are just about set for opening day after their last round of roster cuts Wednesday afternoon. And just about every Giants fan can breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that Brandon Belt has made the opening day roster, as have relief pitchers Dan Otero and Clay Henlsey, outfielder Gregor Blanco, catcher Hector Sanchez, and utility man Brett Pill have all made the squad.
Belt and Pill are both on the team.— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) April 4, 2012
So, right now, 12 pitchers including Otero, Cs Posey, Stewart, Sanchez. IFs Huff, Pill, Theriot, Burriss, Crawford, Sandoval. ....— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) April 4, 2012
OFs Cabrera, Pagan, Schierholtz, Blanco.— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) April 4, 2012
infielder Joaquin Arias and relief pitcher Steve Edelfsen did not make the squad, while catcher Eli Whiteside was reassigned to triple-A Fresno as well. As for catcher Chris Stewart, Schulman wonders if he could have been claimed off waivers or traded, as he is packing his bags to head elsewhere. His contract did not have a minor league option.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
It's a tense and strenuous day for some prospects around the league this Wednesday as players on the bubble of making the opening day roster wait to hear their fate. Two of those players are San Francisco Giants catcher Hector Sanchez and utility man Brett Pill who, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea, have both made the opening day squad for the Black and Orange.
Coaches congratulating C Hector Sanchez, and you don't get congratulated for being sent to Fresno.— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) April 4, 2012
Now Brett Pill is being congratulated.— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) April 4, 2012
Sanchez has certainly proved his worth at the plate, batting .372 as a switch hitter this spring along with four homers and 10 RBI, a far, far cry from the lackluster production of both Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart. It still remains unclear which of those two will not make the squad, as the Giants certainly won't keep four catchers around.
As for Pill, the team has enough belief in his ability as a bench/utility man that he will make the opening day club as well. The 27-year-old isn't exactly a young prospect anymore, but his .254 average in 63 spring at bats along with his versatile glove were enough to merit a spot on the 25-man roster.
Unanswered questions include what's up with Brandon Belt, as well as who will get the last spot in the Giants bullpen.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Matt Cain made his first post-payday appearance on the mound Tuesday night for the San Francisco Giants, getting the call for the second installment of the preseason Bay Bridge Series against the Oakland A's. Cain was solid, as was th bullpen, and thanks to just enough offense from Brandon Belt, Pablo Sandoval and Co. the Giants would prevail for the second straight night, earning the 3-2 victory at the O.Co.
Cain lasted for five innings on the night, giving up two runs on five hits along with six strikeouts and only one walk. He didn't induce much solid contact, but Josh Reddick certainly did, launching a first inning solo shot to get the A's on the board. Brandon Allen got an RBI groundout in the fourth, but aside from that the A's remained in check.
The A's tried to make it interesting in the ninth against Sergio Romo after Seth Smith drew a walk. Romo would settle down to strike out Yoenis Cespedes and get Kila Ka'aihue to groundout to earn the save.
Pablo Sandoval finished the game 1-3 with an RBI single in the first, as did Brandon Belt getting his in the fourth. Aubrey Huff's RBI groundout in the fifth would prove to be the deciding run, finishing the game 1-4.
As for the A's, Tyson Ross was solid in his five innings tonight, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, along with one walk and four strikeouts. Yoenis Cespedes continued his hot start, raking two doubles off Cain to finish the game 2-4 with two strikeouts, while Coco Crisp finished 1-3 with a walk.
Yusmiero Petit will take the mound for the A's against TBD for the Giants on Friday back at AT&T. First pitch is set for 12:45 p.m.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
The Giants are going to have a hard fought battle in their division this year with the entire NL West improving during the offseason.
It was a beautiful night for baseball at AT&T Park Monday evening as the San Francisco Giants returned home from Arizona to meet the Oakland A's in the first of three exhibition meetings of the Bay Bridge Series. Madison Bumgarner's lone mistake looked like it might cost the Black and Orange, but thanks to a big night from Melky Cabrera the Giants earned the 4-2 victory in their last stretch of Spring Training.
Bumgarner lasted only four innings, allowing both runs on a two run blast by Eric Sogard in the third. Madison finished with only four hits, three walks, and an impressive seven K's in his shortened outing. Santiago Cassila (W 2-1) would get the win for his perfect seventh inning of work.
Melky Cabrera continued to impress this Spring, finishing the game 3-4 including a solo shot to left field and an RBI single as part of the Giants three-run fourth. Angel Pagan earned an RBI with a groundout to short, while Emmanuel Burris plated Ryan Theriot after a throwing error on his sacrifice bunt. Brandon Belt went 2-3 with a double, while Pablo Sandoval finished 1-4.
The Giants bullpen certainly did it's job, retiring the final 17 A's hitters in order, including Brian Wilson striking out the side in the ninth for the save, his first of the spring. Yoenis Cespedes went 1-2 with a double and a walk for Oakland.
The Giants now head to the O.Co for their second helping of this series, with moneyman Matt Cain (3-0 1.74 ERA) taking on Tyson Ross (2-0. 0.90 ERA) for the A's. First pitch is set for 7:35 p.m. PT.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
More: The urgency of the Matt Cain deal
Matt Cain is sticking around the Bay Area for a few more seasons after signing his new five-year deal on Monday with the San Francisco Giants. CBSSports.com had some extra details on the deal, as well as some interesting information on the contract historically speaking.
Cain was already set to earn $15 million in 2012 before he began his free agency after the season, so his contract is actually worth around six years, $127.5 million. The player option for $21 million for the 2018 season can be actuated by Cain if he remains a "healthy, full-time starter" in 2017. If he doesn't it becomes a club option. Approximately $108 million of the deal is guaranteed.
Looking at the $127.5 million figure, this contract makes Cain the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in history. Only CC Sabathia and Johan Santana, both lefties, have ever had more guaranteed money than Cain.
In a statement from the team, Giants President & CEO Larry Baer noted the importance of bringing their workhorse back:
"The success of our franchise depends on developing and retaining homegrown talent like Matt Cain," said president and CEO Larry Baer in a statement. "I want to commend Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Matt and his representatives for their hard work to keep Matt in the Orange and Black. This is an exciting day for Giants fans everywhere and a fantastic way to kick off the 2012 season."
Cain becomes the 11th player in MLB history to reach the $125 million mark, joining Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Matt Kemp, Troy Tulowitzki, Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman.
With all this guaranteed money flying around it's got some to thinking, like National Football Post's Andrew Brandt, who had quite the intriguing tweet earlier about the deal:
Matt Cain receives an extension worth $108M guaranteed, per @Buster_ESPN.$10M more than Brady/Manning/Rodger/Brees combined.— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) April 2, 2012
Some very tasty food for thought indeed.
Was Matt Cain worth this much? Was he worth more? For more discussion and analysis, make sure you head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in ont he action.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea on Twitter, the San Francisco Giants and right handed pitcher Matt Cain have come to terms on a new long-term contract, effectively keeping him with the Black and Orange through the next five years and a large chunk of his free agency as well.
Shea notes that the deal comes with a $5 million signing bonus, as well as a $7.5 million club/vesting option in 2018. All in all that brings the deal to around $107.5 million for Cain, dishing out about $22 million to the seventh year veteran. CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly notes that Cain has no-trade protection throughout his contract as well.
This is a much more team friendly deal than the two-year $40.5 million deal taken by Tim Lincecum back in January, though it will keep their one-two punch intact for at least two more seasons in San Francisco.
Cain owns a 69-73 career record along with 3.35 ERA, 1085 strikeouts, and a 1.20 WHIP.
For more on Cain's new deal and the Giants in general, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants and pitcher Matt Cain have been working diligently to get a new contract signed before the start of the 2012 regular season, and according to the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea, sources have told him that Cain will indeed ink a new deal before the Friday start of the season.
Per John Shea on Twitter:
BREAKING NEWS: Two people familiar w/ talks told me Cain will sign "in the neighborhood of" 5 years and $110 mil before opener. #sfgiants— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) April 2, 2012
Willingness on both sides to get Cain extension done before season prompts the confidence, urgency to wrap it up by Friday.— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) April 2, 2012
Cain had been talking like he was willing to wait to test out the markets after the season, a la Albert Pujols and the Cardinals last season, but also has noted his love for the Giants and the Bay Area. We will have more on this soon, hopefully with a official update on Cain remaining with the Black and Orange.
For more on the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants would love for nothing more than to ink their invaluable No. 2 right-handed starter, Matt Cain, to a long-term contract extension. Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have new owners who are flush with cash and looking for big returns on their enormous investments, all bets are off regarding the future of the National League West. Cain and his representatives have set a soft deadline of Friday for suspended contract talks for the duration of the season.
According to Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area, the Giants are still attempting to get a deal done with Cain before that deadline passes and negotiations are said to be heating up.
The Giants certainly want to lock up their starter before he becomes a free agent at season's end and bots for greener pastures. Any deal with Cain is expected to be in the five-year/$100 million range.
For more on the Giants, head to McCovey Chronicles and for more spring training updates, follow SB Nation Bay Area's StoryStream.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Steve Henson, San Francisco Giants' young first baseman Brandon Belt is one of 2012 MLB spring training's winners. Last season, Belt was handed the keys to first base, but after a terrible start to his professional career, in which he had a .192 batting average over 17 games, he was sent down to the minors.
He was called back up to the majors for the last two months of the season and he played better, but he still didn't prove that he had what it took to be an everyday infielder.
However, after given a second chance this season, he has really turned some heads.
Top prospects are granted second chances, and this spring Belt has tightened his game a notch. He's batting .397 with a sky-high 1.086 OPS while playing nearly every day. Belt might not make the team out of spring training - only because the Giants want to try a different approach and quietly promote him after a month or so rather than anoint him again as the opening-day savior of a subpar offense.
But make no mistake: Belt will be a fixture in San Francisco soon enough.
The Giants finished the 2011 season with an 86-76 record, missing out on the playoffs. They were 16 games behind National League leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies, and four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who got the National League's last spot.
For more on the Giants, head to McCovey Chronicles and for more spring training updates, follow SB Nation Bay Area's StoryStream.
One of the most popular players amongst the fanbase of the San Francisco Giants remains to be Brandon Belt, but the the team has continually struggled to find a place for him in the lineup with Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey likely splitting time at first and a crowded outfield for the Black and Orange as well.
Belt pushed his spring batting average to .407 after his pair of doubles Thursday night against the Rangers, but a 2011 of yo-yoing between San Francisco and Fresno earned him only a .225 average in 63 game for the Giants. Basically, no one really knows if he will or won't make the Opening Day roster at this point. Mike Fontenot's departure certainly helps, but guys like Hector Sanchez and Gregor Blanco are also pushing to take a roster spot, possibly leaving Belt out to dry once more.
"My personal opinion? If you want to reach a certain level, you have to play at that level," Belt said. "If I need to get better against big league pitching, I need to face big league pitching."
Obviously, Belt feels he is ready, though the Giants may hold some reservations. Hitting coach Hensley Muelens has been working with Belt on his hitting mechanics to have more consistency at the major league level, as he tends to want to move up a bit in the box which he's grown more comfortable with. Belt's fielding certainly isn't in question as he explains to CSN Bay Area, and is fully confident in his glove wherever the Giants use him. He also has some interesting comments on his time in the Dominican League and his goals for this season.
Hopefully the Giants can find room for him come Opening Day, it would certainly be a shame to have a talent like him not given the chance to show he's ready for the Show.
For more discussion and analysis of the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get your fix.
Matt Cain was sharp aside form a pair of back-to-back home runs against the Texas Rangers Thursday night in the Cactus League, looking ready for another strong season for the Black and Orange. He still has his mind set on the April 6th 'cutoff date' off contract negotiations with the San Francisco Giants though, wanting to stay focused on the season instead of dealing with his contract.
Cain noted that he hasn't been keeping up with his agent everyday, but that talks are ongoing with the team. Giants president Larry Baer calls them 'a work in progress', using phrases like 'a fair process' when speaking to reporters. Cain spoke to the media after his outing Thursday night, talking not only about his mechanics and how he felt out on the mound, but also couldn't avoid talk of his looming free agency and possible contract extension with San Francisco.
Ken Rosenthal reports that he and the Phillies Cole Hamels are still a long ways away from getting any ink on paper as well, meaning both will likely enter the 2012 season free to focus on their jobs and showcase their stuff to other possible suitors. Something tells me both are going to have outstanding seasons once again.
For more on the Giants, please head over to McCovey Chronicles.
According to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, the San Francisco Giants have placed a number of players on the DL to begin the season, including second baseman Freddy Sanchez and starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong.
Per Andrew Baggarly on Twitter:
Surkamp, Runzler and Freddy Sanchez placed on DL retro to 3/26. Vogelsong placed on DL retro to 3/27.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 30, 2012
This will give Freddy the few extra weeks to heal up and get as close to 100 percent as he possibly can. His surgically repaired shoulder has been coming along much slower than the team would have liked, but hopefully will be ready to go in a few weeks. He's been getting AB's in minor leauge games and recently had a cortisone shot in his nagging shoulder as well.
As for Vogelsong, his back strain suffered early in camp will haunt him a little bit into the season, though Vogelsong recently made his Cactus League debut and is slated to get the opening day start for the Fresno Grizzlies. His stint on the DL will end just in time to pitch in the opening series at AT&T Park against the Pirates, likely the April 15th matchup.
Pitchers Eric Surkamp and Dan Runzler will start on the DL as well, limiting the Giants pitching depth to start the season. Neither were likely to make the opening day roster, but were seen as backups if and when injures occured. Hopefully they won't be long on the DL either.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
According to multiple reports including CSN Bay Area's Jaymee Sire the San Francisco Giants have reportedly placed veteran infielder Mike Fontentot on waivers, letting the strugglng infielder try to take his talents elsewhere for the 2012 season.
Fontenot hit an unimpressive .227 last season for the Black and Orange along with only four homers and 21 RBIs in 85 games played. He hasn't shown much more life this spring either, and with other players making a strong push to make the roster, Fontenot was simply the odd man out.
Backup catch Hector Sanchez is making a big push to make the opening day roster this spring, as is Brandon Belt, whom many a Giants fan may have a panic attack over if he doesn't. Placing Fontenot on waivers also leaves the door cracked for Joaquin Arias to posibbly make the squad, who has been impressive in the field this spring as well.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
For those of you who watch San Francisco Giants baseball, you may know that shortstop Brandon Crawford isn't known too much for his prowess at the plate.
Here' Crawford describes his home run he hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday as part of the Giants 4-1 victory, going into detail about the mechanics of the swing he used to hit said home run. Crawford would also go on to describe how he has been working on some things in his swing this spring trying to get it more consistent and ready to face major league pitching every day.
Crawford currently is sitting around a .333 batting average for the Spring, which he likely won't keep up into the season, but it's looking like he's becoming more or a everyday pro with each passing at bat.
For more news and notes of the Black and Orange's spring thus far, please make sure to head over to McCovey Chronicles, the absolute best place to discuss your favorite team, the San Francisco Giants.
The sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Guggenheim group of Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten, Peter Guber and Co. is still yet to be officially finalized, but the pressure of the $2 billion plus deal is already being felt around the league, especially in the NL West.
The San Francisco Giants' growth since 2010 has seen their payroll make a big leap the last few seasons, but will unfortunately be overshadowed by the pending 'Boston Red Sox West' in waiting better known as the Dodgers. CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly got ahold of team President Larry Baer to get his thoughts on the Dodgers sale:
"We are going to compete our brains out against L.A. and every other team," said Baer, who participated in the 30-0 approval vote. "But off the field, we want the other 29 clubs to do well and be in good, stable hands. We want them to get good TV deals. We want them to sell tickets. We want them to excel in every area, except we want to beat them on the field."
"We're partners off the field. You don't want teams in bankruptcy. You want the industry to be strong from top to bottom and that includes all 30 teams."
Now, there's no rulebook stating the Dodgers have to go out and spend like trust-fund babies, but with the price tag paid and the likely large streams of revenue that will soon be flowing into Chavez ravine it would make sense that LA would go after so high-end targets in free agency. One of those targets could be Matt Cain, who the Dodgers assuredly would love to seen in Blue alongside Clayton Kershaw in the rotation. Heck, they'd even have enough to try and grab Cole Hamels from Philly as well.
Either way, a new era is underway in Tinsel Town, and a new fold to the Dodgers-Giants rivalry may just have come to pass.
For more on the Giants, please head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Wheter it's in the middle of March or the middle of August, a 0-24 slump at the plate is going to start to weigh on you. Just as San Francisco Giants outfielder Angel Pagan, who recently broke his slide with a double last night against the Angels.
But according to San Jose Mercury News beat writer Alex Pavlovic all Pagan needed was to look at some film, and get used to his new surroundings.
"I'm feeling better at the right time," Pagan said. "I wasn't feeling great at the beginning of spring, but I knew at some point I was going to get my feeling back. To me it's very important to feel good at the end of the spring like I am now."
Pagan went back and studied some of his 2010 film and noticed a change needed to be made with his hands. He's also a player who's notoriously started slow, which skipper Bruce Bochy notes that the team did their research over and was prepared for.
"Sometimes it takes guys longer to get going," manager Bruce Bochy said. "He has had a couple of rough spring trainings, we did look into that."
Gregor Blanco and Melky Cabrera are having great springs, but with Nate Schierholtz constantly nagged by injuries and Brandon Belt looking toward the outfield as his likely spot to land playing time, Pagan's slump has been somewhat concerning as they are looking for him to be a staple in the outfield. Luckily he's been solid with the glove and hopefully will be getting into the groove at the plate as well.
"These guys have taught me how to play hard day in and day out and be a winner," he said. "I came here to help this team win a championship."
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Andrew Baggerly, of CSNBayArea, reported Tuesday that Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will start his season with Triple-A Fresno, making two rehab starts, before joining the team in earnest this year.
I'm told that Ryan Vogelsong is expected to start the season opener for Triple-A Fresno on April 5 (at Tucson). Then one more rehab start.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 27, 2012
Vogelsong was Fresno's opening-day starter last year, too. The rest of the year turned out OK for him, I think.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 27, 2012
Vogelsong went 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA last year and was inked to a two-year, $8.3 million contract with an option for 2014 this past offseason. He'll be looking to improve upon his breakout 2011 campaign but will have to play it safe to avoid major injury after suffering from a strained lower back that forced him to miss three weeks of Spring Training.
The goal is to have him re-join the team on April 15th for a game against the Padres at AT&T Park.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
According to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly the San Francisco Giants backup catcher battle between Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside will go 'down to the wire' and will be based off of how well that can call a game much more than their offensive abilities at the plate. That doesn't make it any easier for the Giants braintrust though.
Both are comfortable with the pitching staff, but are also strikingly similar when it comes to the plate. Whiteside is currently hitting .240 in 25 spring at bats thus far, while Stewart currently owns a .231 clip in 26 plate appearances. Neither are anywhere closer to Hector Sanchez's monster spring though, busting out with a .452 BA along with 4 homers in only 31 AB's. Sanchez isn't likely to make the roster unless some sort of setback happened with Buster Posey (knock on wood), despite being a switch hitter and admirable battery mate. But with a few extra spots open with Ryan Vogelsong and Freddy Sanchez likely on the DL, maybe they could find a spot for Hector.
Eli has a minor-league option in his contract, Stewart does not. Whiteside has more experience with the Giants staff as Stewart got his first taste of consistent action last season after Buster's injury. Stewart is two years younger, and also has a better caught stealing percentage in his career (39 percent to Eli's 30).
There are arguments for both, but there's still too much time to make a final decision.
For more on the Giants head over to McCovey Chronicles.
With the San Francisco Giants apparently shopping utility infield super-friends Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, GM Brian Sabean and skipper Bruce Bochy are somewhat moving away from their veteran mindset, likely using more youngsters to fill in the diamond to start the season this year at least.
Neither Fontenot or Theriot have really established themselves as the primary backups at either second base or shortstop, showing decent defense and sub-par offense from the both of them. Theriot has batted an even .200 in 35 at bats this spring, while Fontenot owns a .269 clip in 26 at bats. Needless to say, the LSU duo isn't exactly showing a lot of value at the moment.
Bochy has stated his desire to use Brandon Crawford as the starting shortstop, and with Freddy Sanchez likely starting the season on the DL, Emmanuel Burriss is in line to get the most game time at second base at the moment. Burriss' .436 average in 39 at bats is amongst the best on the team this spring, while adding another speedster to the line as well. Burriss has five stolen bags in eight attempts in Cactus League play this year.
Without guaranteed contracts from the Giants, the team could drop them by March 29 and only have to pay one-fourth of their salaries. Theriot is set to make $1.25 million this year, while Fontenot $1.05 million, which is a good chunk of change to be used elsewhere.
The Phillies apparently are wanting some utility infielders, maybe the Giants can make a package deal for both of them for a year's supply of cheesesteaks or something.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants are looking to deal either of their utility infielders, according to a report from Jayson Stark and MLB Trade Rumors. Freddy Sanchez and Brandon Crawford figure to be the primary starters at second base and shortstop, meaning both Theriot and Fontenot will serve as nothing more than backup middle infielders. With both set to earn around $1 million dollars this season, it makes sense for San Francisco to shop them to other teams.
There may be an issue for general manager Brian Sabean: neither of those two are particularly good at baseball these days. Both are pretty average defensively, and neither has done much with the bat for years. They could potentially serve as middle infield depth, but most teams either already have that or can find it for cheaper at this point in the season.
The article mentions the Phillies could be a suitor, which makes sense given the injuries to Chase Utley and Michael Martinez. The Braves are also mentioned, which seems unlikely given they already have Jack Wilson and Drew Sutton projected to make the 25-man roster as utility guys.
It's tough to see the Giants getting much of anything other than a bit of salary relief for either Theriot or Fontenot, but a deal is certainly possible given the need around the league for capable backup infielders.
For more on the Giants and their trade rumors, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.
According to the San Jose Mercury News Alex Pavlovic, San Francisco Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez and starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will both likely start the 2012 season on the disabled list, bringing another interesting twist to some positional battles this spring.
"It's fair to say," Sanchez will start on the DL, Bochy said. "Nothing official yet, but we're at the stage where that's a strong possibility."
Freddy is scheduled to make his debut at second base in a minor league game this weekend, but his surgically repaired shoulder has not progressed as quickly as all would have hoped, and is certainly under the gun to be ready for opening day. The team figures it better to err on the side of caution with the 2006 NL batting champion than try an push him.
The duo of Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot could see some more action if Freddy is on the DL to start the year, but Emmanuel Burriss has been stellar so far this spring, batting .436 in 39 at bats with five stolen bases and five strikeouts. He's averaged a hit a game that he's played in, while his speed makes him more valuable in the infield and on the bathpaths.
As for Vogelsong, he threw on Friday but Bochy noted that they "don't want to push him" figuring on a April 15th start against the San Diego Padres to be his first start of the year. That technically would make him the fifth starter behind Lincecum Bumgarner, Cain, and Zito, effectively spitting up the lefties, and keeps the team from having to call anyone up because of an off day the first week of the season. We'll see how Bochy re-shuffles the rotation later on in the season.
"We're being cautious and (Vogelsong) knows that," Bochy said, "He's on his way, but we'll take it slow with him."
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants took on their NL West rivals on Tuesday afternoon in sunny Arizona, but a late home run surrendered by reliever Wilmin Rodriguez cost them the game as they fell 4-3 to the D-backs. San Francisco is now 11-6 in Spring Training.
Barry Zito made the start for the Giants and was not particularly sharp. The southpaw worked five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks. He struck out three batters. Shane Loux worked a perfect inning in relief, as did lefty Jeremy Affeldt.
Ryan Theriot recorded the lone extra-base hit for the Giants on Tuesday -- a double -- and also drew a walk. The team went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Trevor Bauer worked three innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out two. Takashi Saito continued to struggle and allowed a run in his inning of work.
For more on the Giants and their Spring Training schedule, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.
For a large part of his career with teh Black and Orange Freddy Sanchez has been hampered by injuries, and this offseason and spring have been so different, working through his surgically repaired throwing shoulder to get himself back into game shape.
But according to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, who wrote about the chance of him not being ready for opening day for the San Francisco Giants.
"I guess you have to say it's a possibility," Bochy said Sunday. "We're down to two weeks and he hasn't gotten out there yet. We're still optimistic we'll get him out there, but each day that goes by, the possibility grows a little bit that he's not going to be ready."
Sanchez has been ramping up his efforts at making athletic throws in the infield, really his last hurdle to clear before getting into some game action, though it hasn't been as smooth of a process as the team or Sanchez would like. Bochy told Sanchez he looked tentative still when trying to turn double plays and the like, but could see some game action in the field later on this week if all goes well in practice.
"Once he takes good infield and feels he can play in a game, we'll throw him out there," said Bochy.
For more on the San Francisco Giants, please head over to SB Nation's Giants blog, McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants played two Spring Training split squad games on Saturday against two of their biggest rivals. The good news is, they didn't lose either game!
In the late game, half of the Giants squad (which could be considered, for the most part, "the young team") took on the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a game which ended in a 3-3 tie. The Giants jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning oh a wind-assisted Brandon Belt home run. The Dodgers tied things up with some well-timed hits in the first and fifth innings. The Dodgers took the lead in the sixth on a solo home run by Luis Cruz, which came off of Andrew Kown, who went 2.2 innings, giving up three hits, two walks and a strikeout. The Giants evened things up in the eighth inning with a double by Gregor Blanco (his second hit of the night) and a sacrifice fly by Belt. All three Giants runs were driven in by Belt, which certainly does not hurt his stock any. He also helped record a key out, as he threw out Trent Oeltjen in the eighth inning, who tried to stretch a double into a triple.
Giants hitters drew no walks and struck out seven times, including two Ks by Brandon Crawford.
Earlier in the day, the Oakland Athletics split squad did not fare so well against the other half of the Giants roster at Scottsdale Stadium, where the Giants won, 7-2. Tim Lincecum picked up his second win of the spring, pitching six innings and giving up six hits and only one run, while striking out four. The good news for the A's was that five of those six hits off of Lincecum were for extra bases. Coco Crisp and Collin Cowgill each managed a triple against the Giants ace, while Daric Barton, Derek Norris and Kila Ka`aihue all picked up a double against the right-hander. The Giants roughed up Oakland pitching with home runs from Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Theriot and Angel Pagan, while Melky Cabrera and Nate Schierholtz had doubles.
For more on the Giants, please head over to McCovey Chronicles.
After seven or so at bats in the Cactus League with nothing to show for it, some fans were starting to get a bit ancy as to whether or not San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is having issues at the plate. Well, he quelled some of that on Wednesday with his first hit of the spring, an opposite field homer in the Giants 2-2 tie with the Cleveland Indians.
Buster sent a a Tony Sipp 1-1 fastball just around the right field foul pole in his sixth inning, his eighth at bat of the spring. He got to test out his ankle on his home run trot, which I'm sure felt excellent after that swing of the bat. Buster was professional about it, of course, knowing that he's still got some work to do before he's regular season ready:
"I still think it's just about getting ready and preparation and getting at-bats and seeing pitches and trying to work on timing as much as anything," Posey said. "I feel like I'm seeing the ball, so that's No.1."
Pablo Sandoval had the other RBI with a groundout that scored Gregor Blanco from third. Blanco showed some smarts and speed on the base paths after he drew a walk, then advanced to third on a Melky Cabrera ground out in the bottom of the first, setting up the easy score.
Skipper Bruce Bochy noted that Buster will take the day off on Thursday after playing DH on Wednesday, and will take up his place behind the plate Friday when the Giants take on the Chicago Cubs.
As for Ryan Vogelsong, he threw a 45 pitch bullpen session today, taking a five minute water break in between two 20-25 pitch sessions. Bochy even stepped in the box to take a look at the movement on his pitches, and noted that he'll see some live hitters next before possibly getting seeing game action.
For more on the Giants, please head over to McCovey Chronicles.
As the San Francisco Giants' get closer to opening day their roster begins to get smaller and smaller, having a number of younger players pack up their stuff and get back to their minor league teams while the big boys get down to work.
RHP Seth Rosin, RHP Shawn Sanford, C Andrew Susac and IF Joe Panik were reassigned to minor league camp Monday evening, while IF Ehire Adrianza was optioned to Triple-A. OF Francisco Peguero was also optioned to Triple-A while C Tommy Joseph was reassigned to minor league camp. Joseph had two home runs on Saturday.
RHP Stephen Harrold, RHP Jake Dunning, RHP Austin Fleet and LHP David Quinowski were all moved before the game as well.
What that leaves is a few players still making a push for the 25-man roster, including Brett Pill, who isn't making the first base positional battle any either with Aubrey Huff and Brandon Belt as well. He went 2-4 on Monday boosting his average to .321 in 28 at bats. THose numbers are very comparable to Huff and Belt's , and Pill's versatility in the field may make him one of the last to leave camp or last to be put on the 25-man roster.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants are slowly but surely getting healthier with every passing day under the Arizona sun, with closer Brian Wilson making his first appearance of the spring in Sunday's 7-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners after taking it easy on his nagging throwing elbow.
Wilson needed only six pitches to get himself out of his inning of work, forcing a Justin Smoak ground out on the first pitch then a Carlos Peguero poked an opposite-field single to left. Wilson and Buster Posey would end up finishing off the inning with a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play on a Vinnie Catricala strike out.
Melky Cabrera kept up his impressive spring, finishing 2-3 with two RBI, while Hector Sanchez launched his second homer of the spring in the sixth inning, finishing 2-2 with 3 RBI and two runs scored.
Next the Black and Orange head to Surprise, AZ to take on the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. on Monday with Tim Lincecum set to take the mound against Luke Hochevar.
For more on the Giants, please make sure to check out McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants played a pair of Spring Training games on Saturday, sending a split squad against the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels.
In their game against the Brewers, the Giants did exceptionally well, winning 13-3 on the strength of 16 hits and a strong start by Barry Zito. Zito threw three innings, giving up just one hit and no walks while recording a strikeout. He is now 2-0 in March with a 3.60 ERA Justin Fitzgerald gave up all three runs to the Brewers in 0.2 innings in the fourth inning. On the offensive side, it was a doubles fest, as Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt, Melky Cabrera, Ryan Theriot, Chris Dominguez, Brandon Crawford and Nick Noonan all hit two-baggers. Crawford also had a triple. Tommy Joseph hit the only Giants home run of the game.
Against the Angels, the Giants did not fare quite as well, suffering a 9-5 loss. They fell behind 3-0 early but Eli Whiteside hit a two-RBI double to tie it as part of a three-run fourth inning. The Giants would take a brief 4-3 lead before the Angels went ahead again. Aubrey Huff hit a leadoff home run to once again tie it 5-5 in the top of the sixth inning, but the Angels tacked on another three runs in the bottom of the frame and never looked back.
The Giants are now 6-3 in the Cactus League. In the first baseman positional battle, Huff is now hitting .294 with 2 HR and 2 RBI in 17 at-bats, with an OPS of 1.015. Brandon Belt is hitting .381 in 21 ABs with 2 HR, 2 RBI and 1.197 OPS. Brett Pill is hitting .292 in 24 at-bats, with 1 HR, 5 RBI and an .891 OPS.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit McCovey Chronicles.
According to a report for CSN Bay Area the San Francisco Giants and left handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner have agreed on a one-year deal, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that the one-year deal is likely similar to the one Buster Posey signed before the start of last season with Posey making around $575,000.
Some speculate that the Black and Orange might try to ink Bumgarner to a longer deal this spring, but the contract negotiations with Matt Cain may have played a role in how they're deal with the 22 year old. The Giants now have until March 11 to determine the salaries for other players not arbitration eligible yet.
Bumgarner earned $450,000 in 2011, owning a 13-13 record along with a 3.21 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 204.2 innings pitched.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
When you look at all the talented arms in San Francisco Giants camp this spring, it's even more impressive to see the youngster of the bunch performing arguably the best of them all. That, of course, is LHP Madison Bumgarner.
Bumgarner shined in his three innings of work on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, giving up no runs and only two hits along with five strikeouts and a walk. It seems that the 22 year old has carried over his great second half of 2011 when he went 9-4 with a 2.52 ERA and a .239 BAA after the All-Star break.
Here Bumgarner discussing his outing after the game, and how his spring has been going in general:
After watching Tim Lincecum get shelled for five earned runs in two innings against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, it was nice to see Bumgarner remaining consistent who has a 9/1 BB/K ratio along with only a single earned run in 5.2 innings pitched thus far. Of course it's only the spring and the regular season is a horse of a different color, but hopefully his success continues well into the fall this year.
For more on the the Giants' spring thus far, make sure to head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the discussion and show off your fanhood.
The San Francisco Giants will be all smiles at Scottsdale Stadium Friday morning as two of the main cogs from their 2010 World Series championship run make their Cactus League debuts in catcher Buster Poset and second baseman Freddy Sanchez.
Buster is expected to catch two innings as the Black and Orange take on the Cincinnati Reds, with Matt Cain scheduled to take the mound for the Giants. As for Freddy, he'll be making his first appearance in a bit more limited fashion as he will be the designated hitter as he still isn't fit to play the field in a game just yet with his surgically repaired right shoulder. First pitch is at 12:05 p.m. PT.
As for the rest of the weekend the Giants have a pair of spilt squad games as they take on Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Saturday at Tempe Diablo Stadium with Shane Loux taking the mound in that game and Barry Zito taking on the Milwaukee Brewers at Scottsdale Stadium. Both games start at 12:05 p.m. PT with coverage of the Angels game on MLB.TV.
Eric Surkamp will take the mound on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. PT. (remember daylight savings time!)
For more news and notes on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.
Ryan Vogelsong gave fans of the San Francisco Giants a bit of scare at the start of Spring Training by injuring his lower back, rehashing up some of the painful memories from their injury-plagued 2011 campaign (pun intended). But he took to the mound Thursday, throwing his first bullpen in about a month seemingly without missing a stride.
"I was letting it go," said Vogelsong, after his 25-pitch session. "I threw everything. I don't dial back in bullpens, ever. I don't during the season. I never have, never will. I throw my bullpens like I'm pitching in a game. I want to get after it. That's the way I pitch."
Unfortunately he's way behind the rest of his battery mates in terms of game shape, and will need to stay on track the rest of the Spring if he wants to be ready for the start of the season. Any more setbacks he could be in Fresno come opening day, but Vogey isn't too worried about it:
"I wasn't too concerned about it, to be honest, after everything we've done, we've tested it [lower back] pretty good. I was more curious about how my pitches were going to come out, and it was better than I thought it would be, but not by a lot. The location was pretty good for not throwing off a mound for a month."
If somehow Vogelspong isn't ready the Giants could look to a guy like LHP Eric Surkamp to fill his position. San Francisco would need to do some rearrangement with three lefties in the 3-5 spots in the rotation, moving Madison Bumgarner into the No.2 slot between Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain to help right-left-right balance.
For more discussion and analysis of the Giants' spring thus far, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get you fix.
According to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy will likely use Buster Posey as catcher in Friday's one of the team's split squad matchups with the Cincinnati Reds, marking the first game time Posey has seen since May 25 of last year.
Bochy said Posey could catch' a few innings' and will catch battery-mate Matt Cain for his first game back. He'll also have to face Reds' flamethrower Aroldis Chapman in his first action at the plate, who's been clocked at 105, the fastest pitch ever recorded in an MLB game.
Second baseman Freddy Sanchez could also be making his Spring debut as well, but only as the DH as he is still to be cleared for full infield activities with his surgically repaired shoulder.
For more news and notes on the Giants this spring, head over to McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera was making his debut as the leadoff hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, and made a statement with two home runs in a 8-4 Giants victory at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, AZ.
The Melkman made his presence felt in his first at bat, launching a leadoff bomb into the Arizona sky to give the Giants an early lead. Emmanuel Burriss and Brett Pill backed up him, with Pill's second homer of the Spring giving the Giants the early 3-0 advantage off Dodgers starter Ted Lilly, who got lit up for five runs on six innings in two innings of work for the loss. Barry Zito got the win for the Giants, allowing two runs in two-plus innings, looking sharp at points in his outing.
Burriss, Pill, Cabrera and Nate Schierholtz all finished 2-4 on the day, while highly touted prospect Joe Panik got some time in at second base, going 2-2 including a triple. Hector Sanchez went 0-4 as the DH today.
The Giants will send Tim Lincecum back out on the mound Wednesday to take on the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium at 12:05 pm PT.
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Buster Posey took another big step in his road to returning to the San Francisco Giants, taking some time on Tuesday to run some bases on a back field at the team's Scottsdale Stadium Training Facilities, according to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly.
Posey told reporters that he ran about "65-70 percent" making sure not to push his surgically repaired ankle too much. He practiced some first-to-third and second-to-home scenarios out on the base paths, though he had been running curves but not the sharp angles needed to run the bases for a week or so.
"There was definitely a significant improvement today from then," he said. "It's how my rehab has gone. When I challenge it to do more things, it progressively gets better and better each time I do it."
Buster is expected to do some more base running on Wednesday, and could see some action as a DH as soon as Friday. Obviously the team will reamin cautious with Buster, but things really are looking better every day.
"I'm happy I've been able to do baseball activities. We knew from the time I was injured (May 25) that bases would be the last thing to come. We've been lucky everything has gone as smoothly as it has."
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For the first time this spring the San Francisco Giants have recently acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera in the leadoff spot against the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving everyone their first taste of what the the Melkman may have in store for the rest of the season.
Along with Melky, we'll also have our first full glimpse at Brett Pill at first as both Brandon Belt and Aubrey Huff are scheduled to have the day off. Pill's status as a prospect is running out of time as he is already 27, so day's like this he needs to have a good showing.
Emmanuel Burriss gets his first shot at left field, while Hector Sanchez will be the DH, who gets another chance to show off some of his switch-hitting abilities. Barry Zito will be making his first appearance in the Cactus League this year, while flame-thrower Heath Hembree is scheduled out of the bullpen.
Matt Cain made his Cactus League debut under the lights at Scottsdale Stadium Monday night, throwing two scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, though the Brew Crew would eventually prove too much, wining by the score of 7-3.
San Francisco took an early 3-0 lead on a Aubrey Huff homer in the fourth, and a pair of manufactured runs generated by Gregor Blanco, who scored score after his singling and stealing second base in both the third and fifth innings.
The Brewers battled back to tie it 3-3, and Giants right-hander Sergio Romo caught himself a bad break. He issued a one-out walk to Caleb Gindl, then Jeff Bianchi's two-out single. Former Giant Travis Ishikawa popped one up to right fielder Justin Christian, who dropped the lazy fly ball, allowing two runs to score. Ishikawa also had a solo shot in the ninth.
The Giants take one the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday with first pitch set for 12:05 p.m. PT in Glendale, AZ with coverage on MLB.TV. Barry Zito will make his debut Cactus League outing.
The San Francisco Giants have been looking for offense for the past few seasons, and a pair of youngsters flexed their muscle on Sunday as the Giants took out the Arizona Diamondbacks by the score of 11-1 in front of a record crowd at Salt River Fields.
Brett Pill, Hector Sanchez and Mike Fontenot combined for nine hits and six RBIs against Arizona as both teams had a tough time getting into the groove of the game after a 41 minute delay in the top of the second inning when a large swarm of bees showed up on the field.
The delay cost Ian Kennedy, the D-backs starter Sunday and scheduled Opening Day starter, a chance to finish the second inning as he departed after throwing only 29 pitches, as did Giants starter Brian Burres who threw only one inning.
San Francisco scored four runs in the third with RBIs from Pill and Fontenot, taking the early 5-0.One inning later, the Giants scored a run a Pill sacrifice fly, then two more in the fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 10-0 lead, never looking back.
As for the other squad, they finished in a 1-1 tie with the Milwaukee Brewers, with Brandon Crawford earning the lone Giants RBI, continuing his hot start at the plate finishing 2-3 with two singles.
The Giants will play their first of seven Cactus League game under the lights Monday night as the Brewers come to Scottsdale Stadium for a 6:35 p.m. PT game. Matt Cain will be making his Cactus League debut.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Much to the chagrin of many a San Francisco Giants fan, CSN Andrew Baggarly is reporting that skipper Bruce Bochy and the Giants medical staff are yet to 'circle a date' for Buster Posey's Cactus League debut this spring, making sure he gets all the reps and takes all the precautions necessary to make a full return.
Needless to say Posey won't be taking part in the Giants split-squad action on Sunday, nor will he likely see much action in the first full week of games. He wil be catching bullpen sessions and taking BP on Sunday, and could try to tackle some base running early next week, the last major hurdle he has to clear before seeing some game time.
Posey reiterated the fact that 'everything is still good' an that he isn't concerned being left out of games this week. His goal, as is the team's, is for him to be ready to go opening day, and he still seems to be on track for that.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
A couple of three-run spurts in the fourth and fifth innings on Saturday ensured that the Arizona Diamondbacks began their Cactus League schedule with a bang, beating the split squad San Francisco Giants by the score of 9-6.
Tim Lincecum and Josh Collmenter each threw two innings Saturday, with Timmy allowing one run on four hits while striking out two. He allowed three consecutive one-out singles in the first inning before taking care of four of the last five batters.
Arizona's Josh Collmenter allowed three hits and three runs, all in the second inning. The Giants loaded the bases with singles by Nate Schierholtz and Brandon Belt and a walk from Mike Fontenot, then an RBI single from Brandon Crawford scored Schierholtz and Belt. Fontenot would later come home on a Chris Stewart double-play grounder.
San Francisco added a fifth-inning run on Angel Pagan's single and a Melky Cabrera double. Hector Sanchez homered off the right-field pole in the seventh, while Belt launched a solo shot of his own in the ninth.
A Chris Young's homer off Eric Surkamp started the D-backs rally the fourth inning, and they never looked back. Schmidt's bases-loaded groundout and Krauss' two-run single accounted for two more off Guillermo Mota. Then a Ryan Roberts' sixth-inning homer and a Jake Elmore seventh-inning RBI single were icing on the cake for Arizona.
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Things heat up in the 2012 Cactus League, as one would expect in a thing called the Cactus League, this weekend. Play begins Friday and many of the teams will play their first official game by Sunday.
The Giants will begin play on Saturday, hosting a split squad of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale. They'll then split themselves, playing one split squad game against Milwaukee and one against Arizona on Sunday.
Check the full weekend schedule below:
Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland A's - Phoenix
Cleveland Indians @ Cincinnati Reds - Goodyear
Oakland A's @ Seattle Mariners - Peoria
Arizona Diamondbacks (ss) @ Colorado Rockies- Salt River
Arizona Diamondbacks (ss) @ San Francisco Giants - Scottsdale
Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers - Surprise, noon
Cincinnati Reds @ Cleveland Indians- Goodyear
San Francisco Giants (ss) @ Milwaukee Brewers - Maryvale
Oakland A's @ Chicago Cubs - Mesa
San Diego Padres @ Seattle Mariners- Peoria
San Francisco Giants (ss) @ Arizona Diamondbacks - Salt River
More Cactus League information can be found here and you can check out the full schedule PDF here.
For more news and notes on the San Francisco Giants, make sure you check out McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action and show off your fanhood.
The San Francisco Giants are getting ready for the start of their 2012 Cactus League season on Saturday, and on Thursday manager Bruce Bochy spoke about some of the faces who'll be seeing take the field in their preseason premiere. One of those faces unfortunately won't be Buster Posey, but a slew of starters are slated to take on the Brewers on Saturday.
Per Andrew Baggarly On Twitter:
Saturday exh opener lineup includes 1B Huff, 2B Fontenot, SS Crawford, 3B Pablo, OF Melky, Pagan and Nate. Stewart at C.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 1, 2012
Buster isn't really struggling per se, the team is simply remaining cautious with him, knowing that he still has a few things to work on before getting completely back to the grind:
Bruce Bochy said they could push Posey, but he hasn't checked off all sliding, baserunning boxes. "But I'll say he's close," Bochy said.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) March 1, 2012
For more news and notes on the San Francisco Giants, make sure you check out McCovey Chronicles to get in on the action and show off your fanhood.
Manager Bruce Bochy spoke at length about his pitching staff on Wednesday, and had some most interesting things to say about young Madison Bumgarner, who may be bumped up as the No. 2 starter in the Giants rotation this season.
Not only is it a vote of confidence in the team's youngest pitcher in camp (yes, you read that right) it also signals concern over Ryan Vogelsong, who might not be coming along enough to be ready for the beginning of the season. Even though his injuries are said to be minor, the team is erring on the side of caution with all of their injured players, and rightfully so after the pain-plagued season of 2011.
"We'll see how it goes with Vogelsong," Bochy said. "Knock on wood, it'll go well. We don't think it's something we'll need to do. ... But if he has a hiccup or we don't think he's quite ready, that's a way we could go."
Bumgarner will get the ball in one of the team's Sunday split-squad games against the Brewers.
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San Francisco Giants skipper Bruce Bochy spoke with the media Wednesday afternoon at the team's Scottsdale Stadium facilities, speaking about their pitching options heading into the start of the Cactus League schedule. And as multiple beat writers are reporting on twitter, Tim Lincecum will get the start on Saturday, though Buster Posey will likely not be catching him:
Timmy to pitch one inning in opener Saturday. Posey not likely to catch.— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 29, 2012
Now, Alex Pavlovic on Twitter:
Also scheduled to throw in Saturday's opener: Surkamp, Affeldt, Romo and Mota— Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) February 29, 2012
Finally, Andrew Baggarly on Twitter:
Bumgarner will start Sun. and Cain Mon. Bochy said Bumgarner could open as No.2 starter to split up lefties in case Vogelsong can't go.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 29, 2012
Bochy also noted that Lincecum will be the likely opening day starter as well, when the Giants take on the Diamondbacks April 6 at Chase Field.
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San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has been taking it easy so far this spring training, easing his way back into his normal activities after missing most of 2011 with injury. Now the question isn't whether or not Buster will be ready come opening day of the regular season, but his status for their Cactus League opener on March 3 is still very much up in the air.
CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly reported that Posey still has one big hurdle to overcome in practice which is run the bases as part of his practice routine. He had done some baserunning as part of his rehab, but is yet to try as part of practice:
"Yeah, that will be important," Posey told me. "Just because of the pounding you're putting on it. We're happy with how everything is feeling but you're right. That will be a big test."
Skipper Bruce Bochy has been sticking with his day-to-day mentality with Buster, keeping him to bullpen sessions and full team workouts every other day to keep fresh. Posey will have to perform his baserunning before he gets a chance at suiting up this Saturday for the team's Cactus League opener with the Diamondbacks.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Everyone has been so worried about how San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has been healing up this spring, having a proverbial 'Buster watch' constantly with how he is progressing. As for Buster himself, he's worried about getting back to doing his job, which is working with his pitching staff to make everyone better.
Buster took some time to speak with the media after practice on Wednesday at the team's Scottsdale Stadium facilites, touching on a number of subjects including how he feels Madison Bumgarner has been doing this spring, what Brian Wilson means to the club, and of course, where he is in the rehab process, which he claims he has already gotten past:
Only a few more days until the Cactus League schedule kicks in and it will certainly be a treat seeing No. 28 take the field once again for the Black and Orange.
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San Francisco Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez was performing at a solid clip last season before he got injured last year and couldn't come back.
Although it's early, this is a bit of a worrying sign. Sanchez says his back is causing him problems.
Freddy Sanchez's lower back flared up. Bochy called it a hiccup, said he hopes Sanchez can take part in workouts in next day or two.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 27, 2012
If the back heals up, Sanchez is in pretty good shape in general to make a splash if he returns. Alex Pavolvic of the Bay Area News Group reports that almost everything else seems to be a go, particularly the shoulder that sidelined him last season.
Sanchez is a quality second baseman who really needs to be on the field as much as possible if the Giants offense is to be maximally efficient. The Giants struggled at the plate last year once Sanchez went down, leaving them absolutely reliant on their pitching to win baseball games, and that won't be enough to help them get their second World Series in three years.
To discuss Sanchez and the Giants, check out McCovey Chronicles.
During the San Francisco Giants' first day of live BP with it's pitchers and position players, two of the team's main cogs had themselves some scary moments right out of the gate, and CSN's Andrew Baggarly was there with the scoop:
Matt Cain took one in the leg from catcher Hector Sanchez's liner right back at the mound, leaving Cain on the ground for a while. He shook it off and got back to work, he should be OK.
Just minutes later, Jeremy Affeldt threw a bit of a wild pitch that caught Pablo Sandoval in the ribs, knocking him to the ground as well. He got up a few moments and got back in the box:
"See? I don't throw hard," Affeldt said, after checking to make sure Sandoval was OK.
Sandoval, Melky Cabrera, Nate Schierholtz and Aubrey Huff all hit live BP from Cain as well, though Sanchez was said to have hit the only ball hard. Affeldt pitched with an L screen to protect himself after Cain.
Buster Posey caught Cain and, got the chance to hit against Affeldt. He saw 15 pitches from Affeldt and battery mate Sergio Romo. Buster found his groove late against Romo with two solid contacts to the outfield.
Alex Pavlovic of the San jose Mercury News had this great tweet about Romo and Posey:
Romo said competitive juices got going when he faced Buster, who hit a slider to RF track. "I had to whip out the good (stuff) already."— Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) February 26, 2012
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The San Francisco Giants certainly have no shortage of storylines to keep track of during their 2012 Spring Training in Arizona. The team is currently involved in contract talks with Matt Cain, pitchers Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson are battling injuries and there are still large question marks hanging above the returning Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez.
In addition to all of that, there are a few new faces on the roster this year. Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury relays some info about one of the newest Giants, center fielder Angel Pagan, who came to the team in a trade with the New York Mets in exchange for fan favorite Andres Torres.
Bochy surprised reporters when discussing his new center fielder, saying he thought Angel Pagan was "probably a hair faster" than former center fielder and noted speedster Andres Torres. I'll believe it when I see it...
"It's very exciting, the burst of speed he has," Bochy said. "We're looking at him to be a catalyst."
Pagan does seem to have at least one other thing in common with Torres: He's usually smiling and looks to be a good addition to the clubhouse.
While I was sad to see Torres go, I've been a fan of Pagan for a while now and am eager to see how well he meshes with the rest of the team. Hopefully his performance on the field will bring smiles to some Giants fans this year.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit the inimitable McCovey Chronicles.
San Francisco Giants 27-year-old starting pitcher Matt Cain had a good season in 2011. In fact, he's had a pretty good career in San Francisco. Last season, he started 33 games, allowed 71 earned runs, nine home runs, struck out 179 batters, went 12-11 and finished the season with a 2.88 ERA. He and the Giants are in negotiation for a contract extension to keep Cain in the Bay Area, but according to an Associated Press report on ESPN, those negotiations may take a while.
Giants president and CEO Larry Baer wants to keep Cain and Tim Lincecum together on the team's starting rotation, but Baer also said that the team is looking "fair value" in their negotiations with Cain.
"We're listening to anything that's of fair value. That's the way we're taking it," Cain said.
Fellow starting pitcher Lincecum, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, received a $40.5 million, two-year contract less than a month ago to avoid arbitration, which may be slowing down talks with Cain, but Baer says that even if negotiations are slow, the fact that they are negotiating is a good thing.
"I don't want to comment on status but any time you're talking, it's a good thing, and we'll talk," Baer said of dealings with Cain. "It's been a lot of back and forth conversations. All I will say is that if there are conversations, that's a good thing. We care about all of our players and the homegrown players, obviously, carry some special qualities. Matt or any of our guys are people that we're going to put big energy into."
It's believed that Cain is looking for a five-year extension worth somewhere around $100 million. Baer didn't say what the team is offering at this point, but he did say that both sides just want a decision to be made soon, whether that means Cain will stay in San Francisco or he leaves.
"I believe both sides would like to have something resolved, whether it's signing back or whether it's not," Cain said.
For more on the San Francisco Giants, head to McCovey Chronicles.
Last year at this time the San Francisco Giants were still basking in the glory of their World Series title a few months prior, with Showtime video camera's following the team around to highlight their quirky, contagious personalities for the masses to see.
This year the distractions are gone, and skipper Bruce Bochy is ready to get down to business. He echoed that to his players in a team meeting at their first full squad workout on Friday:
"It's something we talked about," said Bochy, who met with the players for 20 minutes before they took the field for the first full-squad workout of the spring. "We had our distractions last year. They earned that. That goes with winning the World Series. I think we can do a better job with pregame preparation. That was a subject that we covered today."
Bochy said that the meeting consisted of a lot of introductions with all the new faces in the crowd, but also that they talked about being more prepared in all facets of the game:
"We talked about things we wanted to accomplish," he said. "We've got to get better. You look at last season, and I thought about it quite a bit ... Sure, you look at the offense, but there were other facets of the game we've got to get better at. We've got to get away from being too one-dimensional."
They'll have eight more days to work out some kinks before the team's first Cactus League game next Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
As the full squad of San Francisco Giants took to the field for the first time this spring at Scottsdale Stadium Friday, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey stole the show, showcasing skills that haven't been seen lately from either of them at the plate and in the field.
Pablo struggled from the right side of the plate down the stretch last season, dealing with a tender shoulder that robbed him of much of his power from that side. He was quick to squash any concerns of that this season though, hitting towering homers into the desert sky from both sides of the plate, much to the delight of the 200 or so fans in attendance.
Sandoval told CSN Bay Area's Andrew Bagarly on Twitter that the Lasik surgery he had during the offseason helps him 'to see rotation on the ball' more clearly and that his shoulder is 'powerful, no pain.'
As for Buster, he was busy with infield drills at first base along with Aubrey Huff, Brandon Belt, and Brett Pill. Skipper Bruce Bochy said he wanted Buster to focus on catching early in camp, but getting the reps for him to feel comfortable at first is important as well. Something to keep an eye on moving forward in camp.
Brandon Crawford had a nice showing in BP as well, while newcomers Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan looked fit and ready to go. Bochy noted that he'd like to have Pagan leadoff and play center, with Melky in left and Nate Schierholtz in right.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Spring Training will officially be kicked up a notch on Friday when the San Francisco Giants conduct their first full-squad workout at Scottsdale Stadium.
Every one of the team's 67 players will report except for minor league first baseman Angel Villalona, who's trying to untangle visa problems in the Dominican Republic.
Along with all of the players arriving are the many battles for starting spots and lineup placement that will commence.
At catcher, all Giants fans and front office personnel are hoping that Buster Posey will return to form. He will have Chris Stewart, Hector Sanchez and Eli Whiteside duking it out all spring in hopes of becoming his major-league backup.
In the infield, Brandon Belt will be competing with Aubrey Huff and Brett Pill at first base, a situation that will likely continue all year unless Belt really starts tearing the cover off the ball and never stops. Freddy Sanchez will return as the everyday second baseman, with Emmanuel Burriss available to spell him. At shortstop, Brandon Crawford is expected to earn the everyday role, but Burriss, Mike Fontenot and new acquisition Ryan Theriot are around to be the middle infield platoon, with minor leaguers Conor Gillaspie, Charlie Culberson and Ehire Adrianza waiting in the wings as potential breakout stars. Third base is set with Pablo Sandoval, of course.
In the outfield, Belt will again be fighting for a spot in the lineup, as he will be trying to get playing time in left field. New Giants Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera are expected to be fixtures in the everyday lineup and Nate Schierholtz seems ready to be penciled in as the starting right fielder. The minor league outfielders on the 40-man roster are Tyler Graham, Roger Kieschnick and Francisco Peguero.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
Since dislocating his shoulder diving for a ball back in June, San Francisco Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez has been putting in his work and then some to ensure that he'll be ready to go come Opening Day 2012. He's been showing lots of progress but still has work to do, and only time will tell now whether or not he'll be a go for the Black and Orange come their first regular season game on April 6.
Sanchez is still to be cleared by the Giants medical staff despite playing catch five times a week, making throws of upwards of 140 feet, having no problems hitting and taking lots of grounders. It's still the athletic throws that a second baseman makes regularly that is worrisome for the Giants, which his arm isn't completely strong enough to handle yet.
CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly spoke with Sanchez on Thursday at the team's Scottsdale Stadium facilities, who was confident that when he gets the OK from team doctors, he'll back raring to go:
"I'm throwing as good as I have for awhile," Sanchez said. "As long as I can get out there and make throws, I'm fine," he said. "I won't be out there worrying about it or throwing soft or not diving for balls."
Sanchez boasted similar confidence back in 2010 when he was coming off of surgery on his other shoulder. He didn't make his first appearance until 38 games into the season, but had World Series ring to show for it anyway by November. This time around it's different, according to Sanchez:
"(In 2010), I didn't have enough time to get it as strong as it needed to be. That's what we realized later on," said Sanchez. "This year it's a lot stronger."
Sanchez could be the DH come the Giants first Cactus League game March 3, and get some at bats in minor league scrimmages as well this Spring before he's ready to take up his mantle at second. He'll need to build some continuity with shortstop Brandon Crawford, whom he's only starting 12 career games alongside.
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
After some early concern over the status of San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson and his troublesome elbow, those are beginning to slowly disappear after he threw a more intense bullpen session on Thursday, looking more like his normal self that earlier in camp.
Wilson threw a 27-pitch bullpen session with manager Bruce Bochy, pitching coach Dave Righetti and head medical trainer Dave Groeschner watching his every move, and did very well in the process. Wilson was mixing it up, even putting a couple of hard fastballs right down the pipe, a far cry from his session on Monday when he was throwing only 80 percent or so.
CSN Bay Area's Giants insider Andrew Baggarly tweeted this about Wilson's status earlier Thursday, a very good sign indeed.
Bochy on Brian Wilson: "It just keeps getting better each time." Photo attached: twitter.com/CSNBaggs/statu…— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 23, 2012
For more on the Giants, please check out McCovey Chronicles.
More: Spring!
It was a bit of a quiet day at Scottsdale Stadium Wednesday on the eve of the position players for San Francisco Giants arriving to camp, but CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly was on hand for the inside scoop of what went down today with the Black and Orange.
Tim Lincecum resumed his normal activities after missing a day with some back stiffness on Tuesday. He took part in team stretching and calisthenics work, as well as playing some catch with Barry Zito. His day was a cut a little short as a precaution, but skipper Bruce Bochy fully expects him to take part in his normal bullpen session on Thursday.
Closer Brian Wilson did not throw with his group off the mound today, instead the team decided that he'll throw his bullpen sessions every other day as a precaution with his pesky elbow. He will be on the docket in the 'pen with Timmy tomorrow. "It's all mapped out," Bochy said.
Buster Posey had another rest day from catching, sticking with his every other day schedule with team medical staff right now, but that could pick up depending on how Buster's leg responds. Once again, erring on the side of caution is fine when it comes to #28.
Freddy Sanchez pushed his throwing to 140 feet today, which is a good sign that he's recovering well. He's still to make athletic throws in the infield though.
Aubrey Huff made an appearance a day early, taking some swings in the cage and making his rounds before he get's to work tomorrow.
For more on the Giants, make sure you check out McCovey Chronicles.
CSN Bay Area's resident San Francisco Giants insider Andrew Baggarly with some extra news and notes from the third day of Spring Training at the team's Scottsdale Stadium facilities:
Along with Pablo Sandoval newly acquired outfielder Angel Pagan and rehabbing second baseman Freddy Sanchez arrived a bit early to camp on Tuesday. Sanchez lives in Arizona and has been in Scottsdale most of the offseason working on agility drills, hitting and some throwing as he tries to get back into game shap.
Sanchez still hasn't taken infield practice, other some grounders as his throwing is still limited to just playing light catch. His reconstructed shoulder still isn't completely ready to attempt any off balance or across the body throws. Skipper Bruce Bochy hadn't decided what Sanchez will take part in during the team's first full-squad practice on Friday.
Baggarly expects Sanchez to DH during the first week of Cactus league action at the very least.
Buster Posey returned to full activities after taking it easy on Monday, catching Barry Zito and Jeremy Affeldt off the mound. All the catchers practiced swipe tags as well as the team doesn't want Posey or any other catcher to block the plate, attempting to ingrain the swipe tag into their repertoires.
Lastly, Ryan Vogelsong was back in camp Tuesday after a bit of 24-hour sickness came over him. He'll still be out at least another week with his sore back though.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Last spring San Francisco Giants third baseman was the talk of Spring Training after dedicating himself to a rigid workout regimin that left his around 40 pounds lighter entering camp then when he finished the 2010 season on the bench.
No a full year removed, Pablo remained diligent in his offseason workouts this winter as well, and arrived to the Giants' Scottsdale Stadium training facility a few days early, eager to get back to work. Here he tells CSN Bay Area's Jaymee Sire about how he feels heading into camp this year:
CSN's Andrew Baggarly spoke with Ethan Banning, head trainer at Triple Threat Performance in Tempe, where Pablo has been doing his offseason work the last few winters now, and had nothing but great thing's to say about what Pablo's done. Twice a day for six days a week Pablo has been working his tail off, even more so heading into camp according to Banning, and will be more than ready physically when the rest of the squad arrives on Thursday.
Now it's time to get the baseball juices flowing again for Kung Fu Panda.
For more insight on the Giants this spring, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants once saw prospect Angel Villalona as one of the best up-and-comers in the game a few years back, but now can only scratch their heads and wonder what the future lies in store for him.
Villalona's P1 work visa from the U.S. Consulate in Santo Domingo, Dominic Republic has still not been approved because he has been unable to prove his status as an 'elite athlete, keeping him from joining the Giants in Arizona. This is the first time anyone in the Giants organization can remember a player not being granted a visa for this reason. The team said it was a 'conditioning and medical issue' but would not disclose anything further.
"We don't know if this delay is 24 hours or two weeks," team Vice President Bobby Evans said. "We're hoping we can convince them he is in the condition he should be. We're pleased with where he's at on the baseball side, his weight is down from where we started and it's close to what we were targeting. So we're disappointed by the delay. ... We're also hopeful we'll be able to cross this line."
Villalona, 21, was charged with the murder of a man in a bar near his hometown of La Romana during an approved visit to the D.R. while on the disabled list with the San Jose Giants back in 2009. Charges eventually were dropped, and MLB removed Villalona from its restricted list in December of 2011; He was put on the Giants' 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft.
Villalona received a $2.1 million bonus way back when as a 16-year-old, a team record at the time.
For more on the Giants head over to McCovey Chronicles.
According to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum is seen as day-to-day after being diagnosed by team medical staff to have some lower back stiffness on Tuesday in Scottsdale, sitting out of the majority of his workout at the team's Scottsdale Stadium training facilities.
Lincecum didn't throw in his usual scheduled group bullpen session Tuesday morning, instead deciding on throwing on a back field away from the other pitchers under the supervision of head team medical trainer Dave Groeschner.
According to Baggarly the session lasted merely a few minutes before Timmy called it quits with Groeschner accompanying him into the clubhouse for further treatment. Baggs reported on Sunday that Lincecum looked perfectly normal during his bullpen session two days ago.
Hopefuly the Freak won't miss much time but comes as the second Giants starter to already have back issues, joining Ryan Vogelsong who will miss about another week still with his sore back.
For more on the Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training this past weekend and have begun throwing their bullpen sessions. Position players report Thursday February 23 and the team will conduct its first full workout on Friday February 24. The schedule flies by after that as the team begins their spring training game schedule a week later on Saturday March 3 with a split squad game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
If you are planning on heading down to Arizona for some Giants spring training action, Scottsdale Stadium is a great place to catch a few games. The Giants spring training home is located just north of downtown Phoenix in Scottsdale at 7408 E. Osborn Road. It is located at Osborn Road and Civic Center Drive, 1/2 mile east of Scottsdale Road. Tickets range from $5 for lawn seats to $22 for reserved grandstand seats. Tickets are easy to get at the stadium, or you can order them online ahead of time.
The Cactus League setup in the greater Phoenix area does require some driving to get to the various stadiums. The closest stadiums to the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium include the A's at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the Rockies and Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and the Cubs at HoHoKam Stadium. Here is a complete map of stadiums in the greater Phoenix area.
Buster Posey should be on his way back into the lives of San Francisco Giants fans very soon. But will he be as feared as he once was?
It's looking like Posey will be hamstrung in ways that don't have to do with his overall physical health. ESPN filed this report from spring training.
"I'll take this out of Buster's hands," Bochy told reporters Sunday as the Giants opened spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz. "As a manager, that's my job. I certainly don't want people to think he's backing off on his own. It's something we'll work on with him this spring."
Bochy, a former major league catcher himself, explained there are ways to make the tag at home plate without putting your body in harm's way.
"I've already talked to Buster about this. There are ways to make the tag without putting yourself in jeopardy,'' Bochy said, according to USA Today. "I don't want him to block the plate right now."
You have to imagine such a decision would be tough for Posey to follow at all times. A catcher's first instinct when a player is coming up to tag home is to block the plate. It's what makes a catcher a fierce adversary in the trenches, someone who really makes you think twice about making that plunge for home. Could this sort of decision hamper the Giants fielding defense and make it easier to score runs on them when hitters reach base?
On the flip side, having Posey out for an entire season and having to deal with long periods of Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart handling catching duties is probably even less optimal. Keeping Posey healthy overrides all else.
To discuss Posey, check out our SB Nation site dedicated to all things Giants, McCovey Chronicles.
After being bothered with hip and elbow problems for much of his 2011 season San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson came into Scottsdale this spring doing more cardio and baseball related activities instead of heavy lifting to easy up on some of his previous issues. And after his bullpen session on Monday was pain free, Wilson hopes to have smooth sailing here on in.
Wilson told reporters after his dialed back session (he threw about 80 percent) that injuries played a factor last year, but was far from making excuses:
"Probably pitching with a hurt elbow the whole year, and a bad hip. You could blame a ton of things. But I'm the one throwing the ball."
Wilson will throw again in two days under the supervision of pitching coach Dave Righetti and likely head trainer Dave Groschner. All parties involved seemed pleased with Wilson's session even 'testing the waters' with a couple of hard thrown heaters towards the end. This pleases the bearded one, who's definitely ready to get back to work:
"I feel like I'm right on schedule," Wilson said. "It's a check on the checklist. It's a standard bullpen. I don't look too deep into it. But as far as pain, I was pain-free. No ailments, no tweaks, no inflammation."
Skipper Bruce Bochy noted that Wilson's workhorse status will likely mean he won't need a lot of rust-shaking to do this Spring, and that everything is where it should be with him at the moment:
"I don't think he needs a lot of outings, to be honest," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's pretty simple with his delivery and I think that's going to help with his command. He was getting extension there. I liked where he was with his arm slot, with everything. I was happy today. He's on pace."
We'll keep you updated on his status, but it's looking like all systems will be a go for Wilson sooner than later baring any setbacks.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
After his horrendous collision at the plate with Scott Cousins in late May of last year, and the grueling months of rehabilitation to follow, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has been the main attraction at Spring Training for the San Francisco Giants to say the least.
It was Buster-Watch all day, with him jumping from bullpen sessions with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, to batting practice, where the fans were out in full force:
More Posey play-by-play: Just took first round of BP wearing ankle brace. Hit one onto grass past LF fence. 200-300 fans cheering evry swing— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 19, 2012
Then it was Q & A with manager Bruce Bochy, who had some interesting things to say about Buster's future behind the plate with the Giants:
Bochy says there may come point when Giants discuss whether its in best interests for Posey to play another pos. but he's their catcher now.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 19, 2012
As for Buster himself, the thought crossed his mind as well, but not for long:
Posey acknowledged he thought about not catching again but it was fleeting. He's determined to catch. Wants to be back there for exh opener.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 19, 2012
As for future colisions at the plate, Buster said he'll have to work on protecting himself better this Spring:
Buster said learning not to block plate will come in spring drills. But he reminded us he wasn't on the plate when Cousins hit him.— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 19, 2012
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
After the injury-plagued 2011 campaign for the San Francisco Giants, the last thing they want tot hear on the second day of training camp is that they have an injury. But, thanks to CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly, starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will miss some time down in Scottsdale thanks to a strained back revealed by an MRI on Sunday morning:
Per Andrew Baggarly on Twitter:
Ryan Vogelsong had MRI that showed strain in his lower back. Did it while squatting in weight room a week ago. Out 7-10 days as precaution.— Andrew Baggarly (@CSNBaggs) February 19, 2012
Now that isn't a significant injury but an injury none the less, meaning Vogelsong will have to play catch up in the early part of spring training, hopefully not missing toom mich action in his absence. Vogey wasn't all too concernedabout the injury though:
"It's just to make sure that once we get going there are no more setbacks," Vogelsong said. "(We'll) make sure that it's fully healed, and when I'm out there I'm there to stay."
Vogelsong led the Giants starting rotation in 2011 with a 2.71 ERA, a 13-7 record, and his first All-Star appearance after beginning the season in AAA Fresno.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The first day of spring training for the San Francisco Giants is in the books, many folks wondered how two of the team's main cog's would fare health wise heading into Arizona in closer Brian Wilson and catcher Buster Posey.
Both took part in some workouts on Saturday in a limited fashion with Wilson throwing about '80 percent' according to Skipper Bruce Bochy, taking some time to throw about 20 pitches, a rest to simulate an inning, then another 20 or so pitches, all without a hitch. Bochy said Wilson likely won't see any game time until the second week of camp, who was hampered by an elbow strain during the 2011 campaign.
As for Buster, it's also unlikely that we will see him in any game action until the second week as well, but was catching some side sessions with some of the guys, even Tim Lincecum. Bochy wants to be extra careful with his budding superstar though, making sure not to push it too hard too early.
"The second week of games, it'll pick up. There's a breaking in period here. We like where he's at, but you've got to see how he'll respond."
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on Saturday, with position players set to arrive next week.
Although he has not yet made it to Arizona, Brandon Belt is on the minds of many Giants fans. Specifically, how the young player will fare in his spring-long competition against Aubrey Huff and Brett Pill to impress enough to gain significant playing time, either at first base or in left field.
Belt's constant promotion, benching and demotion in favor of the perpetually-slumping Aubrey Huff was a source of frustration for many fans last year and almost certainly for Belt, as well. The Giants front office has also been high as of late on the power and RBI-generating potential of longtime minor league first baseman Brett Pill. On top of all that, the team is expected to have found their everyday outfielders in Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan and Nate Schierholtz. It would seem that Belt has an uphill battle ahead of him.
Andrew Baggarly, the newest addition to the CSN Bay Area family, recently spoke to Belt and made the young player the focus of his column on Saturday. He notes that Belt had a productive offseason, sharpening his skills in the Dominican League over the winter. Belt will come into Spring Training having accrued an additional six weeks of plate appearances and playing time.
But if Belt doesn't tear the cover off the ball in the spring, there is a chance that he could still find himself back in Fresno to start the year.
To a large extent, the situation is out of Belt's control. For example, suppose Posey's ankle doesn't respond well and he has to play more first base as a result. Not only would that take away opportunities for Belt at first base, but it also might necessitate a third catcher - and the need for an additional roster spot.
Perhaps showing a maturity beyond his years, Baggarly reports that this situation isn't fazing Belt.
But here's the key: Belt understands all this now. He doesn't plan to let his self esteem ebb and flow with every clue or every roster decision, as it did last year. He mentioned a conversation in the Dominincan with scouting director John Barr, who gave him a simple message: "We believe in you. We know the kind of player you are and who you will be." He said those words made an impact.
And listening to him speak in casual conversation, Belt did strike me as having a different edge in his voice and look in his eye. He spoke of feeling a sense of belonging, and if he starts to go into a tailspin at the plate, he knows it's a matter of mechanics and not mentality.
Regardless of what ends up happening, it is likely that Belt's season will be much like last year's: anything but boring. Hopefully, it will be a positive experience for Belt and the breakout year that fans hoped they would see in 2011.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit McCovey Chronicles.
Matt Cain and the rest of the San Francicso Giants pitchers and catchers reported to their Scottsdale Stadium complex on Saturday to get down to business for the 2012 season.
Cain was asked about his possible free agency at the end of the year, telling CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly that he'd like to have the situation resolved by the end of the Spring to avoid distraction during the season, and that there remains a lot of mutual interest to get it done:
"We'd all like something resolved by the end of spring training," a relaxed Cain said after reporting to Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday. "I don't think either side wants that to linger into the season."
Baggarly also noted that Cain looked a bit slimmer, trying out new things to help keep up his All-Star performance throughout the long haul of the season:
"In September and October, I want to feel as fresh as I can," Cain said. "I want to keep finding out ways to get better."
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
Pitchers and catchers reported to camp for the San Francisco Giants Saturday, and skipper Bruce Bochy was on hand to answer a few burning questions heading into Spring Training. Bochy touched on the health of some of his most notable players, but also the status of some positional battles heading into opening day as well:
"All of it....Freddy [Sanchez], we'll try to get him at-bats early. But we're probably looking at him starting around the second week of spring, playing second base. He's come along with the throwing, but he probably won't be in a game the first few games. I don't want you all to be alarmed if you don't see him out there.
"You've got [Aubrey] Huff and [Brandon] Belt and [Brett] Pill - those three will be playing first base and left field. We'll mix that up. We'll see how the outfield shapes up. We've got some questions to answer here, but we've got some good candidates. It's going to be competitive, more so probably than some earlier years. I look forward to seeing how it shapes up."
"Not the contract. I think you have to look at what Huff has accomplished, his track record and what he did in 2010 for us. You've got a very highly thought of player like Brandon Belt, and of course Pill has fought his way into the mix, too. He's a right-handed bat that we're going to look at. I'll be trying to mix it up at first base and left field, and of course Cabrera is going to get a lot of playing time in left field, too."
"I saw him a couple of days ago, watching him throw his 'pen. He threw 20 pitches, sat down, threw 20 more. Felt fine. Threw some breaking balls. He's coming along just fine. You probably won't see him the first few games of action, but you'll see him out there the second week.
"He was throwing fairly well. Probably 80 percent. He wasn't favoring anything or changing his delivery. He didn't feel any aches or pains, and like I said he threw some breaking balls and cutters - mixed it up."
"We've got to make a decision behind the plate, whether we go with two or three catchers. Normally you go with two, but there's Whiteside and Stew, and of course Sanchez. There will be the last spot on the pitching staff, and whether we go with an extra outfielder or infielder. All these things will be competitive."
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants will be relying heavily on Buster Posey in 2012 to carry a big chunk of the load offensively. The star catcher missed a majority of last season with a horrific ankle injury and has been recovering from it ever since. Fortunately for Bruce Bochy, Posey has worked very hard in the offseason to get healthy and will be ready to go when pitchers and catchers report on Sunday.
As for his availability for the Spring Training opener? That is still up in the air. Andrew Baggarly has the update:
The Giants plan to take it very, very slow with Posey while their all-important leader, catcher and cleanup hitter eases his way back following devastating left ankle and leg injuries he sustained in a home-plate collision May 25.
"I'll sit down with Buster today or early tomorrow," said Bochy on Saturday, as pitchers and catchers reported to Scottsdale Stadium. "He's good to go and he's swinging the bat. He's catching fine. But we'll probably take it easy on him early and pick up the pace the second week (of games)."
It sounds like the Giants will be very cautious with Posey going forward, as they should. There is absolutely no reason to rush him back and risk his future for a few meaningless Spring Training games. Should Posey play to his full ability once the regular season begins, San Francisco becomes a completely different team.
For more on the Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.
Baseball will officially be underway on Saturday, as pitchers and catchers for the San Francisco Giants report to Spring Training in Arizona. We've got a list of all of the battery players who are scheduled to report right here for you.
Returning Starting Pitchers:
Tim Lincecum
Matt Cain
Madison Bumgarner
Ryan Vogelsong
Barry Zito
Eric Surkamp
Returning Relievers:
Jeremy Affeldt
Santiago Casilla
Javier Lopez
Guillermo Mota
Sergio Romo
Dan Runzler
Brian Wilson
40-Man Roster Pitchers:
Hector Correa
Steve Edlefsen
Clay Hensley
Danny Otero
Non-Roster Invitee Pitchers:
Travis Blackley
Brian Burres
Jake Dunning
Justin Fitzgerald
Austin Fleet
Stephen Harrold
Heath Hembree
Andrew Kown
Mitch Lively
Shane Loux
Jean Machi
Ramon Ortiz
David Quinowski
Wilmin Rodriguez
Seth Rosin
Shawn Sanford
Matt Yourkin
Buster Posey
Hector Sanchez
Chris Stewart
Eli Whiteside
Non-Roster Catcher Invitees:
Tommy Joseph
Andrew Susac
Jackson Williams
With the pitchers, there are no real surprises among the starters, as the rotation appears set. It will be worth keeping an eye on how well Surkamp performs in Spring Training, to see whether he is improving or could be a viable call-up should something go wrong with the starting five. Minor league prospects like Edlefsen and Hembree could force Runzler out of his spot in the bullpen, unless they are still attempting to transition him to a starting role.
On the catcher front, it should be a heated three-way battle between Sanchez, Stewart and Whiteside to see who starts the season as Posey's backup. It would be safe to say that, barring an extreme case of Bochyball breaking out, Whiteside is the odd man out there. If Sanchez's bat outshines Stewart's in Arizona, he may find himself with the job.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants are getting ready to kick of their 2012 Spring Training in Arizona. Pitchers and catchers report on Saturday, with position players scheduled to report the following week. There will be many players and positions to keep an eye on during Spring Training, including offseason acquisitions, young prospects and non-roster invitees.
The starting pitchers that will be returning in 2012 are Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito. This is the rotation that should be set on opening day, as it is doubtful that Eric Surkamp will impress enough during the spring to force any of those five out of their place in the order. The bullpen will once again consist of Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Guillermo Mota, Sergio Romo, Dan Runzler and Brian Wilson. Pitchers not likely to start the year in the majors are Hector Correa, Steve Edlefsen, Clay Hensley and Danny Otero.
In the infield, Brandon Belt will be competing with Aubrey Huff and Brett Pill at first base, a situation that will likely continue all year unless Belt really starts tearing the cover off the ball and never stops. Freddy Sanchez will return as the everyday second baseman, with Emmanuel Burriss available to spell him. At shortstop, Brandon Crawford is expected to earn the everyday role, but Burriss, Mike Fontenot and new acquisition Ryan Theriot are around to be the middle infield platoon, with minor leaguers Conor Gillaspie, Charlie Culberson and Ehire Adrianza waiting in the wings as potential breakout stars. Third base is set with Pablo Sandoval, of course. The only real wild card in the infield at Spring Training will be Angel Villalona, who has not been in the Giants organization, or in the United States, since 2007.
At catcher, all Giants fans and front office personnel are hoping that Buster Posey will return to form. He will have Chris Stewart, Hector Sanchez and Eli Whiteside duking it out all spring in hopes of becoming his major-league backup.
In the outfield, Belt will again be fighting for a spot in the lineup, as he will be trying to get playing time in left field. New Giants Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera are expected to be fixtures in the everyday lineup and Nate Schierholtz seems ready to be penciled in as the starting right fielder. The minor league outfielders on the 40-man roster are Tyler Graham, Roger Kieschnick and Francisco Peguero.
The non-roster invitees for the Giants are, of course, the true x-factors in Spring Training. We all know what happened with Ryan Vogelsong last year and likely every MLB team is hoping for a potential Vogelsong to come out of Spring Training in 2012.
The Giants have invited pitchers Travis Blackley, Brian Burres, Jake Dunning, Justin Fitzgerald, Austin Fleet, Stephen Harrold, Heath Hembree, Andrew Kown, Mitch Lively, Shane Loux, Jean Machi, Ramon Ortiz, David Quinowski, Wilmin Rodriguez, Seth Rosin, Shawn Sanford and Matt Yourkin.
Non-roster catchers consist of Tommy Joseph, Andrew Susac and Jackson Williams. Joseph and Susac have been turning heads in the Giants' minor league system and, behind Sanchez, demonstrate how much depth the franchise has at this position.
Non-roster infielder invitees are Joaquin Arias, Chris Dominguez, Nick Noonan and 2011's first-round draft pick, Joe Panik. Non-roster outfielders are Justin Christian (who Giants fans may remember had a terrific catch in Colorado last season), Gregor Blanco, Juan Perez and the system's number one prospect, center fielder Gary Brown.
It's going to be an exciting Spring Training with a lot of different questions left to be answered.
For all news and information regarding the San Francisco Giants, please visit McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants are searching for another Ryan Vogelsong before the start of Spring Training as they have inked two veteran pitchers to minor league contracts in Ramon Ortiz and Travis Blackley.
Blackley, 29, hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2007, though he posted a 4.61 ERA and 45/34 K/BB ratio in 23 minor league appearances last season. He was with the Giants back in 2007, but has been doing work in the Austrailian Baseball League (ABL) for a while now, where he has been pitching in the ABL Championship Series with the Melbourne Aces. He'll likely start in Fresno come opening day.
As for Ortiz, another former member of the Giants organization, turns 39 in March and posted a 4.86 ERA and 25/11 K/BB ratio over 33 1/3 innings with the Cubs in 2011. He will likely serve as rotational insurance due to injury or Zito-ness during the season, also likely down in Fresno depending on his showing in Spring Training.
Grant Brisbee over at McCovey Chronicles has a great take on both Ortiz and Blackley retuning to the Black and Orange, definitely worth checking out.
Heading into Spring Training, the Giants have some major questions at first base and about the health of Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez.
After his rally thong-wearing, home run banging 2010 campaign that led the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series victory since moving West, first baseman Aubrey Huff had an abismal 2011 season that saw his numbers decline immensely, and his confidence at the plat slide even more.
But thanks to a new dedication during the offseason and an increased workout routine including Pilates, the fun loving Huff is ready to get back to business in 2012, and get back to his 2010 form that made him a fan favorite and a World Series Champion as well.
CSN Bay Area got a chance to catch up with Huff recently, and spoke with him about his thought on 2011 and of course 2012:
Huff and Brandon Belt will be competing for the starting spot at first base this Spring, hopefully Huff will be back to his fighting weight to take his spot back form the youngster.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
One of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area's ost popular segments about the San Francisco Giants are their Inside the Clubhouse interviews they have from time to time with players and caches alike, giving the fans a chance to better know some of their favorite players inside and out, and what types of thought processes they put towards playing the game that we all love.
Well, CSN Bay Area will have their latest installment of Inside the Clubhouse airing this Tuesday on CSN Bay Area, and here is an exclusive sneak peek provided from CSN Bay Area of Pablo Sandoval's interview with Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow from the Giants Town Hall that took place before FanFest that took place10 days ago at AT&T Park.
Pablo discissues some of his adventures during the offseason, including the purchase of a new tattoo. Inside the Clubhose will air this Tuesday (2/14) at 7 p.m. PT.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
As the San Francisco Giants prep for Spring Training down in Arizona in less than a month, general manager Brian Sabean announced on Wednesday the 25 non-roster invitees they will have down at Scottsdale Stadium this Spring.
Amongst the 25 invitees include a veritable who's-who of the Giants farm system, from minor-league stud Gary Brown all the way down to the Black and Orange's 2011 first-round pick Joe Panik.
Below is the entire list, separated by position:
Right-handed pitchers: Jake Dunning, Justin Fitzgerald, Austin Fleet, Stephen Harrold, Heath Hembree, Andrew Kown, Mitch Lively, Shane Loux, Jean Machi, Seth Rosin and Shawn Sanford.
Left-handed pitchers: Brian Burres, David Quinowski, Wilmin Rodriguez and Matt Yourkin.
Catchers: Tommy Joseph, Andrew Susac and Jackson Williams.
Infielders: Joaquin Arias, Chris Dominguez, Nick Noonan and Joe Panik.
Outfielders: Gregor Blanco, Gary Brown, and Juan Perez.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chroniclesto get your fix.
The San Francisco Giants are down to just two players left to deal with that are arbitration eligible. One of them just so happens to be a two-time Cy Young Award winner. This complicates things.
The Giants and All-Star Tim Lincecum exchanged contract numbers Tuesday afternoon before the filing deadline, with Lincecum asking for a record $21.5 million, while the team countered with a $17 million offer of their own.
Both offers are record-setters for a player in the league less than six years, beating out the $18.5 million Derek Jeter offer from 2011 that was countered with the Yankees $14.25 offer.The Arbitration talks will take place over the course of February.
San Francisco and Lincecum narrowly avoided the negotiation table two years ago when they pulled out a two-year, $23 million deal. If they head there this time around, Lincecum's mid-point would be $19.25 million.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
In a day chock full of signings for the San Francisco Giants, they avoided arbitration with another member of the team as outfielder Nate Schierholtz was signed to a one-year $1.3 million contract to remain with the Black and Orange.
Per Giants beat writer Andrew Baggarly via Twitter:
The Giants and Nate Schierholtz agreed to a $1.3 million contract with an additional $150,000 in incentives. Reached b4 figures exchanged.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) January 17, 2012
This was Scherholtz's first time eligible for arbitration, and made himself a simple deal to remain with his the tem he started with. Nate batted a decent .278/.326/.430 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 2011, and showed some of his sneaky speed seven stolen bases.
Nate will vie for playing time in the outfield with newcomers Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera, but is seen as a likely candidate to be a starter this season for San Francisco.
For more on the Giants head over to McCovey Chronicles.
In a season full of tough news for the San Francisco Giants, Kung Fu Panda will be sticking in the Bay for awhile longer.
Pablo Sandoval has agreed to a three year, $17.15 million deal that'll keep him with the Giants through 2014. The deal lands him $3.2 million in 2012, $5.7 million in 2013, and $8.25 million in 2014 according to Andrew Baggarly. All in all, it's a relatively cheap deal for the talented Giants infielder.
Sandoval struggled in 2010 during the run of the Giants toward a World Series championship, but recovered to form in 2011, notching him his first All-Star bid. The Giants need a hitter like Sandoval to complement the excellent pitching San Francisco currently has in order to make another run at a title. And of course it's always good to have the fan favorite and the Panda hats sticking around as well.
To discuss Sandoval and the Giants, head on over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants avoided arbitration with two other key pieces of their team as newly acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera and relief pitcher Santiago Casilla were both signed to new one-year deals, according to MLB Daily Dish.
Cabrera, 27, joins the Giants in his 8th season in the big leagues, and will get $6 million for his services in 2012. The Melkman hit a very solid .305/.339/.470 with 18 dingers and 20 stolen bags last season for the Kansas City Royals, making only $1.25 million. Not a bad pay raise, no?
As for Casillia, 31, he's getting a nice bump in pay as well by earning $2.2 million in 2012, almost a million dollars more than he made in 2011. His new contract also has around $200,000 in performance bonuses. Casilla finished the season with a 1.74 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 51 2/3 innings pitched for the Black and Orange.
Some noteable names still on the arbitration docket for the Giants: Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, and of course, Tim Lincecum.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
The San Francisco Giants avoided arbitration with newly acquired outfielder Angel Pagan on Monday as both sides have agreed upon a one-year, $4.85 million deal according to the Associated Press's Janie McCauley.
Pagan, 30, batted .262 with seven home runs and 56 RBIs last season, taking over in center field after Carlos Beltran headed for the Giants midseason. His numbers were down from his 2010 posting of .290 BA, 11 hr and 69 RBI, but his switch-hitting abilities coupled with his speed make him a nice candidate for the lead-off spot the Giants have so desperately needed.
Pagan's deal also includes $150,000 in performance bonuses: $50,000 each for reaching plate appearance benchmarks of 550, 600 and 650 respectfully. Still, Giants beat writer Andrew Baggarly had another way to look at the signing of Pagan:
Put another way, Pagan will get nearly a third of what Aaron Rowand will receive for not showing up for work every day.— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) January 17, 2012
The Giants still have six arbitration eligible players left to deal with, including Tim Lincecum, so getting Pagan out of the way is at least one less thing to worry about for San Francisco. Lincecum and the Giants hit the negotiation table on Tuesday as both sides try to hash out some numbers in what should be a historic arbitration case for the two-time Cy Young award winner.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.
With the San Francisco Giants about a month away, it's a good time to think about making a possible trip to the desert to check out the Black an Orange.
There are a number of intriguing games on the docket, including meetings with the Brewers (March 5, 10,) Rockies (March 3, 7, 24), A's (March 17), and Cubs (March 13), as well as a 2012 World Series rematch with the Rangers (March 23). Scottsdale Stadium is waiting for some Giants faithful, and there's always fun in the sun to be had in Arizona.
For ticket information, travel packages and more this Spring Training, make sure to check out the Giants' Spring Training headquarters.
Via SFGiants.com
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The San Francisco Giants have announced the beginning of Spring Training as pitcher and catchers are to report Feb. 18 while the rest of the team to join them Feb. 23.
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