It's been awhile

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Life's been a little hectic (in a good way). But I feel it's definitely time for another blog and more Giants discussions.

Let's first look at the positives:

A few weeks ago, I said that, in order to remain competitive this season, Jonathon Sanchez would have to keep pitching the way we know he can and Aubrey Huff would need to keep hitting the way he was. Well, those 2 things are in-tact so far. Jonathon is currently 4-4 (a record that is deceiving, considering he has yet to give up more than 4 runs in any start and took the loss in a 1-hitter) with a 2.63 era and 68 strikeouts. He's also 2nd in the MLB with opponents batting .183 against him. With Timmy struggling a little bit this season and Cain and Zito being a little inconsistent, it's great to see Sanchez have such a nice 2 months of baseball. We can expect great things from this pitcher in the years to come.

Aubrey Huff has also very pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't the biggest Huff fan when they signed him in the off-season, but he has gone out and, unlike many of the veterans on the team, has earned his starting spot every day. He plays hard, his defense has surpassed expectations, and he's almost always in the middle of a scoring rally. He's currently batting .298, and is 3rd among the starters (behind Posey and Freddy Sanchez) with an OBP of .389. This is exactly the kind of production the Giants should be getting from a big free agent signing and Huff has certainly not disappointed.

It's also been great having a healthy Freddy Sanchez back. While he's only been back for 17 games (going into tonights), he's leading the team in batting avg. at .381 and he's 2nd on the team with a .438 OBP. Let's cross our fingers and hope Freddy can stay healthy, cause this struggling offense could really use him.

Lastly, (and probably my favorite positive of the season so far) is Buster Posey. Several people didn't think Posey was ready to be brought up to the big leagues so soon, but he has proved them all very wrong. 8 games in, Posey owns a .433 avg and a .452 OBP. (as I'm typing this, he just got another single, bringing his avg to .469) Tonight he is finally getting a start behind the plate, where he belongs. Seeing Posey thrive up here in the majors should be a huge wake-up call to Sabean and Bochy on who to play the rest of the season.

The Negatives:

Starting with the most obvious, Aaron Rowand. While he may be a likable guy and a good teammate in the clubhouse, there is literally no excuse for him starting everyday. He can make some great catches, but his arm is not nearly as good as Schierholtz (Rowand has 3 assists this season to Schierholtz' 6 in more games than Schierholtz). Rowand is also basically an automatic out at the plate. His .222 batting avg (and falling) and .254 OBP put him dead last on the team in both categories, and it's not even close. Some say to give the guy a chance, he'll find his swing again. But Rowand's avg has dropped consistently every year since 2007 (coincidentally, every year he's been a Giant). A guy who plays as hard as Rowand and who's been in the big leagues for 10 years already does not provide hope for a breakout future. Rowand is on a downward spiral. While he'll get some hits the rest of the season (obviously, he won't bat .000), don't expect him to do much to help this team win. And, if Bochy is smart and can get past the money, Schierholtz will get a chance to solidify his role as starting right fielder.

Another problem for the Giants is shaping up to be Pablo Sandoval. While slumping at a respectable .281, he's .40 points lower than his career avg. of .322. He's only got 4 HRs this season (on-pace to hit about 12 this season, compared to 25 in 2009) and his .333 OBP puts him behind every starter except Rowand and Molina. Whether it's a case of needing a couple days off or being on a stricter diet-and-exercise plan, the Giants need to figure out what is happening to the Panda. At 23, the odds are in his favor. He's still learning, he's open to new ideas, he's capable of growing as a player, but he needs to be willing to, and this coaching staff needs to be willing to help him.

And lastly (for now), is the problem of Bengie Molina as everyday catcher. Now that Posey has proven that he can hit at a major league level, the next step is to assimilate him into being the catcher everyday. They didn't draft him to play 1B (and they signed a big free agent in the off-season to play there, so sticking Huff in LF isn't a good long-term solution). The Giants drafted Posey to be the catcher of the future, a solid guy behind the plate for the next several years. Now that he's up here, why delay the inevitable? Molina's .248 avg and .313 OBP aren't impressive numbers offensively and his 18% for throwing out guys stealing is not impressive. Like Rowand, he is more of a hindrance out there than a help. And that's a scary thought.

Overall, the Giants need to finally learn to let go. Let go of Rowand in the outfield and put in Schierholtz. Let go of Molina behind the plate and let Posey have his spot. Posey and Schierholtz have done nothing this year but earn a spot, only to have it taken from them and given to an older, slower, weaker player. If the Giants want to compete this year (remember, they're still in 3rd in their division), they need to get younger and give the young guys a chance. And Panda could stand to lose some weight. Just sayin'.

Jen