Take me out

Continuing to preview the 2013 Giants just a week (!) before pitchers and catchers officially report to Scottsdale for Spring Training, let's tackle the outfield.

Brian Sabean continues to make up for the Bonds years with great off-season signings, bringing back all three of the starting outfielders that played in the World Series in 2012.

Centerfielder Angel Pagan joined the Giants last offseason, when they traded Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for him. He finished the season batting .288 with 56 RBIs and fourth on the team with eight homeruns. He set a San Francisco Giants record (and led the major leagues) with 15 triples on the season. When Allstar game MVP Melky Cabrera was busted for steroid use on August 15, taking with him the Giants leader in average and hits, Pagan stepped up to fill the void. He batted .406 in August after Cabrera was suspended. And while he didn't have the best average in the postseason, he had some big hits in key games for the Giants. In Game 4 of the NLDS, Pagan hit the first leadoff homerun in Giants postseason history to help propel the San Francisco offense that had barely shown up in the playoffs. He also led off Game 2 of the NLCS with a homerun, helping to give the Giants their first lead at home in the 2012 postseason.

Once again, right field will be patroled by Crazy Eyes, himself. Hunter Pence was also resigned this offseason by Sabean. Even though Pence batted only .219 in the regular season, he had seven homeruns and 45 RBIs in 59 games for the Giants. And despite a .210 postseason average, Pence saved his biggest impact for the playoffs.

We've all heard the story of his inspirational speech prior to Game 3 of the NLDS against the Reds. The Giants, having lost the first two games of the series at home, now faced elmination in Cincinnati. Pence pulled his teammates into a huddle and encourages them to fight and to play for one another. And they did just that. The Giants would win an MLB-record six elmination games in this postseason. And Pence provided a speech for just about every one of those. His performance and leadership as a teammate more than makes up for any struggles at the plate, and I can't wait to see what a full season in a Giants uniform looks like for Hunter Pence.

The Giants also spent this offseason bolstering their left field. Gregor Blanco, who made great defensive play after great defensive play during the 2012 regular season, hightlighted of course by his hit-saving catch in Matt Cain's perfect game, will be the starter for the 2013 Giants (barring any sort of injury in Spring Training). Blanco batted .253 during the regular season, but, like his outfield counter parts, had a big impact during the Giants postseason run. Blanco started the six-run inning of Game 5 of the NLDS with a single. He laid down the "bunt heard round the world" in Game 2 of the World Series against the Tigers, and in Game 3 he drove in a run and then scored a run in a game the Giants won 2-0. He won't hit .300, he probably won't even hit .270 in 2013, but he will save you runs with his defense, and that's never a bad thing.

Finally, to share playing time in left field with Blanco, the Giants brought back fan favorite Andres Torres. Torres was an integral part of bringing the first World Series championship to San Francisco in 2010. Torres spent most of this last year playing for the New York Mets, batting .230 with with three homeruns and 35 RBIs. However, he committed just two errors in 124 games and had six assists. Again, he's not a player who's going to hit 20 homeruns or .300. But, like Blanco, he will save you runs with his defense.

All four of these players also provide a lot of speed on the basepaths and in the field. I'm not sure about you, but I feel pretty confident knowing those guys are going to be roaming the outfield at AT&T park come April.