Royally beat

Today I got to watch my beloved Giants for the first time in 2013. I had been waiting four months for this and was beyond excited. My mom and I got to our seats a half hour before first pitch, talked to the fellow fans around us, and settled in to watch our Boys of Summer take the field.

They got beat 13-2 by the Kansas City Royals. And they were actually getting no-hit through the bottom of the 6th inning. Rough.

However, there were some positives to take away from today.

1) Nick Noonan.

Noonan was brought in as a mid-game replacement for Joaquin Arias at 3B when the Giants still had no hits in the game. When Gregor Blanco broke up the no-no in the bottom of the 6th with a triple, Noonan drove him home with a three-bagger of his own. He also played solid defense, stabbing at hits and diving at balls that could have easily driven past him. Noonan was drafted 32nd overall by the Giants in the 2007 draft. In six years in the minor leagues, he owns a .267 average, a .322 OBP, 36 homeruns, and 305 RBIs. This spring, he's batting .095 and collected his first RBI today. Watching the energy and agility that he brought to 3B, and his aggressive approach at the plate, I'd say today was a step in the right direction for the (possible) future third baseman.

2) Brock Bond.

The 2B prospect for the Giants is currently at Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Today he went 0-1, but it was on a fairly questionable call. He could've been called safe at first on an infield hit, and the hustle to first base was impressive. But all-in-all, the "accidental draftee" has been nothing short of impressive this entire Spring. Bond was drafted by the Giants in the 24th round of the 2007 draft, when they intended to take outfielder Casey Bond. San Francisco took Casey in the next round and decided to keep Brock around, despite scouts declaration that Brock wasn't a Major League player. Since that fateful draft, Brock has hit .313 over six minor league seasons, with a .410 OBP, but with only four HRs. But this Spring, he's blowing his already-impressive stats out of the water. After going 0-1 today, he's batting .462 and has a .462 OBP. He also already has two homeruns.

3) And finally, the Brandons (yes, again).

Belt and Crawford continue to impress this Spring and watching them live today only reinforced what we've (I've) been hoping for. When the Giants were getting no-hit through the first five innings of the game, their only two baserunners were Crawford and Belt, who both drew walks. Crawford had a leaping catch to save a run in the first inning (not that it mattered much, seeing as how Yusmeiro Petit gave up six runs that inning anyway, but still, it was impressive to see). And despite going 0-1 today, B Craw is still batting .375 this Spring.

Belt crushed his fourth homerun of the preseason (tied for fourth in the league) to straightaway center in the 7th inning. He leads the Giants with nine homeruns and is 2nd in the league with a .467 average (among players with at least 30 at-bats). I'm telling you, I cannot wait to watch these two in the regular season.

And I'd like to put it out there right now, Brandon Crawford for the Gold Glove at shortstop in 2013. I know, I know. I've only seen him play one game so far in 2013. But still, I'd like to call it now. If he plays every day (no injuries slow him down), I fully believe he will win a Gold Glove this year.

Overall, a great first day here in Scottsdale. More tomorrow after Giants-Brewers. Thanks for reading!