Giants are winning again...what odd year curse?

The San Francisco Giants are in third place. That may not seem impressive, but just 12 games ago, they were 4-10 and in last place. Giants fans were already convinced that the "Odd Year Curse" was real and that they would have to spend the summer and fall waiting for the 2016 championship run. Oh how things have changed. Suddenly, the Giants have won 9 of their last 12 and are already back to .500 at 13-13. While they are still looking up in the standings to the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, they are just a half game back of the Padres and only 3.5 games out of 1st place in the National League West. For a team that was doomed, that sounds pretty great.

When the Giants were sitting at 4-10, Buster Posey, was hitting .229 with two extra base hits, Casey McGehee, was hitting .194 with two extra base hits, and Brandon Belt, who was suppose to be having his breakout season, was hitting .152, with zero extra base hits.  Madison Bumgarner had a 5.29 earned run average and had given up 10 earned runs over 17 innings. In other words, 4 more runs than he gave up in the entire 2014 post season over 52 and 2/3 innings.

In the 12 games since then, Posey's batting average has risen to .274 and has a .421 slugging percentage. McGehee has actually been worse as his .194 average has dropped to .181 with only 2 doubles to add to his extra base hit total. Belt's average has bumped up to .234, which still looks terrible, but is a far cry from the .152 he was hitting just two weeks ago.  The biggest difference has been Bumgarner, who has been dominant, including a retribution game last night vs the Padres that saw him take a no hitter into the 7th inning.

Bumgarner's last two starts against Dodgers and Padres: 15 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts.

— Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) May 5, 2015

Hunter Pence, the life blood of the team, is still on the disabled list and has yet to play an inning in 2015. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy are both still on the DL as well, with no set timetable for their returns.

That's what makes this 9-3 run even more impressive is that not that much has changed. While Posey and Belt have been better, they haven't been great yet. And McGehee is been worse. The one big turnaround has been the pitching, led by Bumgarner, with some tremendous contributions from rookie Chris Heston and the Timmys, Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum.

#SFGiants' 7-game home win streak: Rotation: 1.55 ERA Bullpen: 1.13 ERA

— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiantsFans) May 5, 2015

There is such a long season ahead as we are barely into the month of May. Teams who are going to be contenders may very well be under .500 right now and teams who may sell at the trade deadline might not make those decisions for at least two months. Many things can happen in the next few weeks as we head into to the summer that will give us a better idea if the 2015 Giants will be more 4-10 or 9-3. With the injuries they have, there can be optimism that health could lean them into the 9-3 direction.


However, we still live in a day and age where people voice their opinions 140 characters at a time and prefer to shorten their attention span only to what is trending. So for all the fans who said the Giants were awful at 4-10, there are just as many voices out there now who are saying the Giants are great at 9-3. Such is fandom and baseball. No team wins 140 games and no team loses 140. Outside of extreme seasons like the 43 win Detroit Tigers of 2003 and the 1962 Mets who went 40-120, nearly every team finds a way to win at least 50-70 games no matter how awful they are. That's the beauty of baseball. Take the Milwaukee Brewers game last night vs the Los Angeles Dodgers. Clayton Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers. He's facing the Brewers, who have the worst record in baseball and just fired their manager. They've replaced him with Craig Counsell, who has never coached at any level. So, of course, the Brewers win the game.

The Giants are still going to be in a lot of trouble if Matt Cain and Jake Peavy end up sidelined for an extended length of time this season. It was magnified by the fact that every team in the National League West was off to a better start and that is primarily because of the head to head games vs the Giants. The hole the Giants have dug for themselves is not due to a tougher schedule. It is due to losing to the teams they will be competing with for a division title. Now that the NL West has come back to earth, the Giants have crawled back up. It is clear that the Dodgers are not going away, and no matter how much the Padres, Diamondbacks or Rockies struggle to pitch, they will still pose dangerous lineups for the Giants staff. That has always been the key for the Giants success. If they can outpitch their opponent, the potent lineups will be minimized and the Giants can take control of their own playoff destiny.

San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart (4/21/15 Edition)

2015 San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart
Put together by @CandlestickWill & @CoveChatter

C Buster Posey (MLB)
C Hector Sanchez (MLB)
C Andrew Susac (MLB)
C Guillermo Quiroz (Triple-A)
C Trevor Brown  (Triple-A)
C Jeff Arnold (Double-A)
C Jackson Williams (Double-A)
C Eliezer Zambrano (Double-A)
C Ben Turner (Single-A)
C Matt Pare (Single-A)
C Ty Ross (Single-A)
C Geno Escalante (Single-A)
C Brad Moss (Low-A)
C Aramis Garcia (Low-A)
C Jared Deacon (Low-A)
C John Riley (Low-A)

1B Brandon Belt (MLB)
1B Travis Ishikawa (MLB)
1B John Bowker (Triple-A)
1B Ricky Oropesa (Double-A)
1B Angel Villalona (Double-A)
1B Brian Ragira (Single-A)
1B Skyler Ewing (Low-A)

2B Joe Panik (MLB)
2B Matt Duffy (MLB)
2B Ehire Adrianza (Triple-A)
2B Brandon Hicks (Triple-A)
2B Ronny Cedeno (Triple-A)
2B Blake Miller (Double-A)
2B Kelby Tomlinson (Double-A)
2B Austin Slater (Single-A)
2B John Polonius (Single-A)
2B Jeremy Sy (Low-A)

SS Brandon Crawford (MLB)
SS Carlos Triunfel (Triple-A)
SS Juan Ciriaco (Triple-A)
SS Randy Moreno (Double-A)
SS Christian Arroyo (Single-A) 
SS Ydwin Villegas (Single-A)
SS Travious Relaford (Low-A)

3B Casey McGehee (MLB)
3B Joaquin Arias (MLB)
3B Adam Duvall (40 Man/Triple-A)
3B Mitch Delfino (Double-A)
3B Ryder Jones (Single-A)
3B Brandon Bednar (Single-A)
3B Jonah Arenado (Low-A)
3B Will Callaway (Low-A)

LF Nori Aoki (MLB)
LF Gregor Blanco (MLB)
LF Juan Perez (Triple-A)
LF Darren Ford (Triple-A)
LF Elliott Blair (Double-A)
LF Devin Harris (Double-A)
LF Ryan Lollis (Single-A)
LF Rafael Rodriguez (Single-A)
LF Brennan Metzger (Single-A)
LF Shawn Payne (Single-A)
LF Cristian Paulino (Low-A)

CF Angel Pagan (MLB)
CF Brett Jackson (Triple-A)
CF Daniel Carbonell (40 Man/Double-A)
CF Jesus Galindo (Single-A)
CF Randy Ortiz (Low-A)
CF Johneshwy Fargas (Low-A)

RF Hunter Pence (MLB)
RF Justin Maxwell (MLB)
RF Jarrett Parker (40 Man/Triple-A)
RF Javier Herrera (Double-A)
RF Mac Williamson (Double-A)

RF Tyler Horan (Single-A)
RF Chuckie Jones (Single-A) *Suspended
RF Hunter Cole (Low-A) 
RF Andrew Cain (Low-A)
RF Gustavo Cabrera (INJ)

SP Madison Bumgarner (MLB)
SP Matt Cain (MLB)
SP Jake Peavy (MLB)
SP Tim Hudson (MLB)
SP Tim Lincecum (MLB)
SP Chris Heston (MLB)
SP Ryan Vogelsong (MLB)
SP Yusmeiro Petit (MLB)
SP Ty Blach (Triple-A) 
SP Jake Dunning (Triple-A)
SP Austin Fleet (Triple-A)
SP Robert Coello (Triple-A)
SP Braulio Lara (Triple-A)
SP Nik Turley (Triple-A)
SP Kevin Correia (Triple-A)
SP Kyle Crick (Double-A)
SP Clayton Blackburn (Double-A)
SP Chris Stratton (Double-A)
SP Adalberto Mejia (Double-A) * Restricted List
SP Matt Lujan (Double-A)
SP Joe Biagini (Double-A)
SP Jack Snodgrass (Double-A)
SP Tyler Beede (Single-A)
SP Keury Mella (Single-A)
SP Luis Ysla (Single-A)
SP Nick Vander Tuig (Single-A)
SP Martin Agosta (Single-A)SP D.J. Snelten (Single-A)
SP Chase Johnson (Single-A)
SP Matt Gage (Low-A)
SP Mark Reyes (Low-A)
SP Samuel Coonrod (Low-A)
SP Nathanial Santiago (Low-A)
SP Jose Reyes (Low-A)
SP Nicholas Gonzalez (Low-A)
SP Michael Santos (Low-A)

RP Santiago Casilla (MLB)
RP Sergio Romo (MLB)
RP Jeremy Affeldt (MLB)
RP Javy Lopez (MLB)
RP Jean Machi (MLB)
RP George Kontos (MLB)
RP Hunter Strickland (40 Man/Triple-A)
RP Erik Cordier (40 Man)
RP Cody Hall (40 Man/Triple-A) 
RP Steven Okert (Triple-A)
RP Brett Bochy (Triple-A)
RP Juan Gutierrez (Triple-A)
RP Curtis Partch (Triple-A)
RP Mike Broadway (Triple-A)
RP Clay Rapada (Triple-A)
RP Derek Law (40 Man)
RP Ray Black (40 Man)
RP Joan Gregorio (40 Man/Double-A)
RP Josh Osich (Double-A)
RP Kelvin Marte (Double-A)
RP Jose Casilla (Double-A)
RP Pedro Rodriguez (Double-A)
RP Stephen Johnson (Double-A)
RP Phil McCormick (Double-A)
RP Tyler Rogers (Double-A)
RP Christian Jones (Single-A)
RP Ian Gardeck (Single-A)
RP Jeff Soptic (Single-A)
RP Mason McVay (Single-A)
RP Daniel Slania (Single-A)
RP Connor Kaden (Low-A)
RP Raymundo Montero (Low-A)
RP E.J. Encinosa (Low-A)
RP Carlos Diaz (Low-A)
RP Rodolfo Martinez (Low-A)
RP Reyes Moronta (Low-A)
RP Ramon Del Orbe (Low-A)

Giants are 4-10, Let's Keep Calm and Panik

The San Francisco Giants are in last place. Only two teams in baseball, the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers have a worse record than the Giants 4-10 mark. The Giants are next to last to only the Boston Red Sox in hard hit ball percentage.

Buster Posey, the team's cleanup hitter and former league MVP, is currently hitting .229 with two extra base hits. Casey McGehee, who has been the Giants replacement for Pablo Sandoval, is hitting .194 with two extra base hits. And Brandon Belt, who was suppose to be having his breakout season, is hitting .152, with zero extra base hits.  Madison Bumgarner, the Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year, NLCS and World Series MVP and Silver Slugger winner last season, has a 5.29 earned run average and has given up 10 earned runs over 17 innings. In other words, 4 more runs than he gave up in the entire 2014 post season over 52 and 2/3 innings.

Hunter Pence, the life blood of the team, has been on the disabled list and has yet to play an inning in 2015. Matt Cain and Jake Peavy are both currently on the DL as well, with no set timetable for their returns.

The famous World War II poster, Keep Calm and Carry On, has been reshaped and renamed many times over in recent times and the current 2015 Giants new motto has become "Keep Calm and Panik."

This isn't coming from management or from the public relations staff and it has not yet come from the team's official store. Bruce Bochy isn't preaching it to his players either. It's coming from the fanbase. An awkward mix of die hards who have gone through the five decades of struggles and the new generation that believe in odd year curses and demand titles every season.


Fans have raised expectations of this franchise to a level that few organizations have ever felt in the history of baseball. The New York Yankees, arguably the greatest franchise in sports for their unparalleled success, are one of the only franchises to make a run like the Giants have in recent history. The Boston Red Sox have also won three World Series over a ten year span, as well as the Oakland A's and Cincinnati Reds who both had runs in the 1970's. Besides those four franchises, you have to go to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940's or the Yankees again to find a team with the type of success the Giants have had since 2010.

This brief history lesson is to remind all of the new "die hards" that this type of thing we have seen with the Giants is rare in Major League Baseball and that the expectations, ultimately, are unrealistic, from a historical point of view.

However, we live in a day and age where people voice their opinions 140 characters at a time and prefer to shorten their attention span only to what is trending.

The Giants are going to be in a lot of trouble in Matt Cain and Jake Peavy end up sidelined for an extended length of time this season. It is magnified by the fact that every team in the National League West is off to a better start and that is primarily because of them already winning series against the Giants head to head. The hole the Giants have dug for themselves is not due to a tougher schedule. It is due to losing to the teams they will be competing with for a division title.

Ultimately, the Giants will either need to get healthy quickly, or look to make a trade or two to upgrade the starting staff or the middle of their order.  Fans today don't want to wait until July when the trade deadline approaches, so expect more complaints from a fanbase that has watched their favorite team build a dynasty.

The 2015 San Francisco Giants have reported!

Today really should be a holiday. The day that all of baseball is reporting to work. Not just pitchers and catchers, but second baseman and right fielders too. On this glorious day, let's take a look at the defending champs, the San Francisco Giants, and their chances at a return trip to October baseball in 2015.

The Lineup:
CF Angel Pagan
2B Joe Panik
1B Brandon Belt
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
3B Casey McGehee
LF Nori Aoki
SS Brandon Crawford

If everyone stays healthy, this could very well be the 2015 Opening Day lineup April 6 in Arizona, and it would almost certainly be the lineup at the Oakland A's new training complex March 3 for the Spring Training opener.

The top three in the order will all come into 2015 with one specific question mark that will get asked over and over again.

1. Can Angel Pagan stay healthy?
2. What can Joe Panik do in his 1st full season?
3. Can Brandon Belt hit 25-30 home runs?

There are other questions for those three, like any baseball player, but the conversations over the next month will start and end there.  Ultimately, if Pagan can stay healthy, Panik can be productive all season, and Belt can hit for power, this is a team that can play October baseball. 

The 4-5 hitters don't come into 2015 with question marks. Buster Posey and Hunter Pence have been the most consistent performers in the Giants lineup since their arrival in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Their abilities as two way players and their leadership on and off the field make them nearly immune to scrutiny during batting slumps.

Fans will continue to push for Posey to play first base more to take pressure off his legs during the season. However, those same fans want more production from Brandon Belt. Hard for both to happen since only one can play first at a time.

Hunter Pence has become such a cult hero in San Francisco from his speeches, to his effort, to his signs across baseball that he really doesn't get criticized much at all in the Bay Area. For a game that sees players only have success 3 out of 10 times, that is pretty remarkable.

The bottom three in the order also come into the 2015 seasons with specific questions on their performance.

6. Can Casey McGehee earn the 3B job and keep it throughout the season?
7. Can Nori Aoki earn the LF job and keep it throughout the season?
8. Can Brandon Crawford improve his defense and become the elite shortstop we all know he can be?

McGehee (pronounced Mah-Gee) and Aoki come in with the same question because they are both new to the team. This is the generic question for anybody brought in to start for any team.  Aoki isn't as crucial because Gregor Blanco has proven he can start in spurts as well. McGehee doesn't have any real competition at this point at third base in the organization, so there is more pressure for him to succeed. 

Crawford has improved as a hitter each season he has been in the big leagues, so whether he struggles at the plate or improves again isn't as important as his defense. His defense is what got him to the big leagues in the first place, and the amount of errors he has committed over his career is much more than any elite shortstop should be committing. If he is able to cut down on the mistakes in the field, he will not only become a contender for a Gold Glove, but more importantly, the leader of a defense that has been a critical element to October success. To Crawford's credit, he has always performed better at shortstop in October than any other month in his career.


The Rotation
Madison Bumgarner
Matt Cain
Jake Peavy
Tim Hudson
Tim Lincecum

Ryan Vogelsong
Yusmerio Petit

Madison Bumgarner will be fine. Throwing 270 innings last season has been talked about all off-season, but Bumgarner is 25, stronger than most his age, and clearly is Paul Bunyan. If you don't believe me, here's proof:

ICYMI: #MadBum was looking like a BOSS in the parking lot yesterday. http://t.co/zEjyg60vDl #BusterPosey #FaceOfMLB
— #BusterPosey (@SFGiants) February 24, 2015

The rest of the rotation is loaded with question marks. It starts with the most consistent pitcher the Giants have had in their organization since Juan Marichal, Matt Cain.  Cain hasn't been himself since the 2013 All-Star break, and it's because of bone chips he's had in his elbow for the last 10 years. For eight of those years, Cain pitched with them without much problem at all, becoming one of the greatest pitchers in the organization's history.  Now that he has had surgery to remove the bone chips, Cain has come into 2015 with a renewed sense of health.  Cain was quoted as saying he felt "18 again" and was looking forward to a "new beginning" in 2015. This doesn't stop fans from being pessimistic, but it certainly allows be to be optimistic.

Peavy, like Panik, has never played a full season for the Giants, but unlike Panik, he is 33 and has pitched 12 seasons in the major leagues. There is some hope that he can repeat the regular season success he had in San Francisco last year. There is also some concern that he might repeat the post season performances he had in October that weren't as good. There is also the obvious worry that his struggles with Boston were severe enough for the Red Sox to trade him to San Francisco in the first place last year and that those performances could return. His presence in the locker room and his attitude on the mound are both big pluses for most Giants fans, and that will minimize some of the concern as well

Hudson had an All-Star appearance in 2014 for his tremendous performance in the first half of the season. He also was pulled in the 2nd inning of Game 7 of the World Series because his 2nd half was not nearly as productive. The tale of two seasons is the story line for Hudson in 2015. Will we see more of his 2014 1st half or 2014 second half?

Lincecum will get the first shot at the fifth starter spot, and if the reports are accurate, Lincecum enters 2015 with a "chip on his shoulder" and something to prove. He went back to his father, Chris Lincecum to work on his mechanics and feels he has found something that has been missing the last three seasons. If that is true, Lincecum could end up being one of the main pieces of the rotation instead of it's fifth starter. If Lincecum doesn't show improvement, the team has two capable starters on the roster already in Vogelsong and Petit.

The Bullpen

Bullpens always have turnover, but what has kept the Giants successful over the last five seasons is the consistency they have had at the back end of the bullpen. Despite many changes in their roles, the "core four" of Jeremy Affeldt, Javy Lopez, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla have made the Giants bullpen one of the strongest in baseball.

Casilla will enter 2015 as the closer, and that should allow Romo and Lopez to continue to thrive in their previous roles as matchup guys in the late innings. Affeldt, like Casilla, has shown the ability to pitch late as well as pitch multiple innings, and that versatility to what makes the bullpen so effective.

2015 Expectations
Despite all the question marks, there are two things that make the 2015 season look promising.

First is the financial flexibility the team will have in 2016 that could allow the organization to make moves at the trade deadline if anyone gets hurt or struggles through July or August. 

Second, the combination of Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy, Posey, Bumgarner and Pence are hard to match with any team in the game. Other teams may even have a better top three players on their team, but no team has the combination of an elite, general manager, elite manager and three elite players at key positions.

Even though it's an odd year, the Giants have set themselves up to compete again for some October baseball.

San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart (1/29/15 Edition)

2015 San Francisco Giants Organizational Depth Chart
Put together by @CandlestickWill & @CoveChatter

C Buster Posey (MLB)
C Andrew Susac (MLB)
C Hector Sanchez (40 Man)
C Guillermo Quiroz (Triple-A)
C Jeff Arnold (Triple-A)
C Trevor Brown  (Triple-A)
C Brad Moss (Triple-A)
C Eliezer Zambrano (Double-A)
C Myles Schroder (Double-A)
C Ben Turner (Single-A)
C Aramis Garcia (Low-A)
C Jared Deacon (Single-A)
C Geno Escalante (Single-A)
C Matt Pare (Single-A)
C John Riley (Low-A)

1B Brandon Belt (MLB)
1B Travis Ishikawa (MLB)
1B Angel Villalona (Triple-A)
1B Brian Ragira (Double-A)
1B Ricky Oropesa (Double-A)
1B Skylar Ewing (Single-A)

2B Joe Panik (MLB)
2B Matt Duffy (MLB)
2B Brandon Hicks (Triple-A)
2B Blake Miller (Double-A)
2B Kelby Tomlinson (Double-A)
2B Alberto Robles (Single-A)
2B Travious Relaford (Low-A)
2B Trevor Brown (Low-A)

SS Brandon Crawford (MLB)
SS Ehire Adrianza (40 Man)
SS Carlos Triunfel (Triple-A)
SS Ydwin Villegas (Single-A)
SS Christian Arroyo (Single-A)
SS Kelvin Beltre (Low-A)
SS Rando Moreno (Low-A)
SS Jameson Henning (Low-A)

3B Casey McGehee (MLB)
3B Joaquin Arias (MLB)
3B Adam Duvall (40 Man)
3B Chris Dominguez (DFA)
3B Adalberto Santos (Triple-A)
3B Mitch Delfino (Double-A)
3B Brandon Bednar (Single-A)
3B Sam Mende (Single-A)
3B Ryder Jones (Single-A)
3B Jonah Arenado (Low-A)
3B Nathaneal Javier (Low-A)

LF Nori Aoki (MLB)
LF Gregor Blanco (MLB)
LF Juan Perez (MLB)
LF John Bowker (Triple-A)
LF Juan Ciriaco (Triple-A)
LF Darren Ford (Triple-A)
LF Elliott Blair (Double-A)
LF Devin Harris (Double-A)
LF Tyler Horan (Double-A)
LF Ryan Lollis (Single-A)
LF Shawn Payne (Single-A)

CF  Angel Pagan (MLB)
CF Gary Brown (40 Man)
CF Brett Jackson (Triple-A)
CF Justin Maxwell (Triple-A)
CF Daniel Carbonell (40 Man)

RF Hunter Pence (MLB)
RF Jarrett Parker (40 Man)
RF Javier Herrera (Triple-A)
RF Mac Williamson (Single-A)
RF Austin Slater (Low-A)
RF Mikey Edie (Low-A)
RF Gustavo Cabrera (INJ)

SP Madison Bumgarner (MLB)
SP Matt Cain (MLB)
SP Jake Peavy (MLB)
SP Tim Hudson (MLB)
SP Tim Lincecum (MLB)
SP Ryan Vogelsong (MLB)
SP Yusmeiro Petit (MLB)
SP Chris Heston (40 Man)
SP Joan Gregorio (40 Man)
SP Ty Blach (Triple-A)
SP Kyle Crick (Double-A)
SP Clayton Blackburn (Double-A)
SP Chris Stratton (Double-A)
SP Adalberto Mejia (Double-A) * Restricted List
SP Tyler Beede (Single-A)
SP Keury Mella (Single-A)
SP Luis Ysla (Single-A)

RP Santiago Casilla (MLB)
RP Sergio Romo (MLB)
RP Jeremy Affeldt (MLB)
RP Javy Lopez (MLB)
RP Hunter Strickland (MLB)
RP Jean Machi (MLB)
RP George Kontos (40 Man)
RP Erik Cordier (40 Man)
RP Derek Law (40 Man)
RP Cody Hall (40 Man)
RP Ray Black (40 Man)
RP Steven Okert (Triple-A)
RP Brett Bochy (Triple-A)

Way too early 25 Man Roster Predictions for 2015

Since fans are always trying to piece together the 25 man roster, it makes sense to do some analysis of my own and make some predictions about the last few spots that will be open for competition.

The Starting Lineup:

LF Nori Aoki
2B Joe Panik
C Buster Posey
1B Brandon Belt
RF Hunter Pence
CF Angel Pagan
3B Casey McGehee
SS Brandon Crawford
SP Madison Bumgarner

• I'm predicting that Aoki takes over the leadoff spot and Pagan moves into an RBI role as the #6 hitter.
• I'm also predicting Brandon Belt breaks up Posey and Pence to have a R-L-R middle of the order and so Belt is in a prime spot for extra base hits.
• Pagan batting 6th slides a switch hitter in between Pence and McGehee as well. 
• When Blanco plays for Pagan, I have a feeling McGehee would move to the 6 hole.

The Other Starters:

SP Matt Cain
SP Jake Peavy
SP Tim Hudson
SP Tim Lincecum

• I don't expect Ryan Vogelsong or Yusmeiro Petit to make the rotation out of camp, assuming everyone is healthy out of camp of course.

The Bench

C Andrew Susac
1B Travis Ishikawa
IF Joaquin Arias
IF Matt Duffy
OF Gregor Blanco

• I do see Susac beating out Hector Sanchez for a roster spot. It would be interesting if Sanchez proves to be healthy if the team would consider keeping both catchers so that Posey isn't the only backup when he plays 1st or gets a day off.  Both Susac and Sanchez have the bats to warrant a pinch hit role as well as a backup catcher slot.
• I think Matt Duffy will prove to be more valuable to the roster heading into 2015 to warrant keeping him Ishikawa and Arias over Juan Perez. 
• If Juan Perez is out of options, Matt Duffy becomes the odd man out

The Bullpen

RP Ryan Vogelsong
RP Yusmeiro Petit
RP Travis Blackley
RP Jeremy Affeldt
SM Javy Lopez
SM Sergio Romo
CL Santiago Casilla

• I think there is only 1 opening now in the bullpen with the re-signing of Ryan Vogelsong
• Hunter Strickland, Jean Machi, George Kontos, Travis Blackley, Juan Gutierrez, Derrick Law, Chris Heston, Steven Okert and others will all be fighting for the single spot.
• I'm choosing Blackley to simply relay to the fanbase that we are bringing him to camp and I'm not sure everyone knows that. I do hope he earns that spot though. Another Vogey story!

Circa 2007 a tattoo less me. I'm happy to announce that I am back again. I love the Bay Area and the teams that play there. Can't wait for this new opportunity and to see some familiar faces again this season. Thanks to the @SFGiants for believing in me enough to bring me back. I'm very grateful and excited to make it worth your while. #sanfrancisco #giants #guesswhosback #backagain #thirdtimesacharm #baseball #mlb #milb

A photo posted by travisblackley (@thejerseycollectordtd) on Jan 12, 2015 at 1:26pm PST

Giant Points on the 2015 Off-Season

Photo Courtesy of @Buelna37 on Twitter

• Tim Flannery is the biggest loss of the off-season
• Pablo didn't want to come back.
• Michael Morse wanted to live in Florida where he's from with his wife and newborn baby.
• Jon Lester would not have cost us a 1st round pick in June draft.
• James Shields & Max Sherzer would have cost us our 1st round pick.
• Jon Lester took richest offer. 
• Casey McGehee and Nori Aoki are 1 year options that create depth & flexibility
• If we need to upgrade during the season, McGehee & Aoki could be great bench options too.
• Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez having better competition than Gary Brown is a good thing.
• Adam Duvall and Chris Dominguez having more competition to make team is good too.
• Jake Peavy for an entire year will be great for our staff off the field as well as on.
• Bringing back a motivated Sergio Romo could make him elite vs RH again.
• Tim Lincecum motivated to earn another contract can be a great thing.
• Tim Hudson needs Derek Jeter treatment from the fanbase in final year.
• That's $30M we can move around and add players with in 2016.
• Marco Scutaro wants to play, and if he somehow gets healthy, what a bat off the bench.
• Angel Pagan and Matt Cain coming back is huge.
• Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford are still getting better.
• Having Andrew Susac and Hector Sanchez could mean more time at 1st for Buster Posey.
• Our bullpen will still have Jeremy Affeldt, Javy Lopez and Santiago Casilla
• We will be getting a full season of Joe Panik
• We still have Hunter Pence
• And we still have Madison Bumgarner
• And we still have Bruce Bochy
• And we still have Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow and John Barr
• Oh, and we are the defending Champs! "I know, because I won" ~ Barack Obama