Kuzul

You’ll notice I said “largely”. Of course, it’s not totally meaningless but as the season winds down there’s going to be a ton of attention focused on the American League East. Two regular season series match-ups remain between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and I think everyone reading knows they will receive no shortage of media attention and hype. 

In some ways, that makes sense. After all, they really are one of sports’ greatest rivalries. Two franchises who have now been linked for nearly 100 years by an ill advised trade that sent Babe Ruth who would go on to become arguably the most important baseball player in the history of the sport from Boston to New York for nothing more than a bag of cash. It’s a cautionary tale for anyone looking at a short-term gain over a long term investment. 

This season once again finds the old rivals neck-and-neck as the regular season winds down. New York has a division lead of merely a half-game over Boston as of this weekend. The two teams are one and two for best record in the American League and two and three for best record in baseball, trailing only the Major League leading Philadelphia Phillies for best overall record. 

Two old rivals locked in a race for a division title that only one of them can have. Sounds like a big deal right? Well not so fast. This isn’t 1978 when the team crowned American League East Champ moves onto the post-season while the second place finisher slumps off into the sunset waiting for spring training to start and another chance at a run for World Series glory. No, this is 2011 and the loser of the American League East will in all likelihood simply move onto the playoffs as the American League Wildcard entry to the playoffs. 

The Boston Red Sox are currently 8.5 games ahead of division rivals Tampa for the AL Wildcard slot and that’s following a week when the Rays managed to take two of three from the Sox in Boston. Tampa still has seven games against the Red Sox and six against the Yankees.  That might give Rays fans some hope but the Rays just don’t appear to have the offense needed in spite of their solid pitching to go on a run against either of their division rivals.

Meanwhile the Yankees and Red Sox trade spots in the standings almost weekly. Both Boston and New York are very good but both teams also have some weaknesses. The Yankees have relied on a collection of largely veteran pitchers who could falter at any moment. Guys like Freddy Garcia and 2005 Cy Young award winner Bartolo Colon both of whom are having much better seasons than even the most optimistic Yankee fans could have predicted back in April. Meanwhile AJ Burnett continues to be a mystery and Phil Hughes has been plagued by injuries. 

The Red Sox are battling some injuries to middle of the order bats such as Kevin Youklis and David Ortiz. Even more worrisome for Sox fans is that the starting rotation, thought to be one of the league’s best when the season started, has not come together in the manner that most thought it would. Daisuke Matsuzaka cemented himself as an all-time Boston free agent bust back in the spring when the chronically inconsistent starter was lost for the remainder of the season and likely for the remainder of his career in Boston with a severe arm injury. John Lackey the big free-agent signing of the 2009-2010 offseason is still trying to find his groove in a Boston uniform and currently sports an e.r.a. of 6.02 on the season. Clay Buchholz is on the disabled list with a back injury that may or may not keep him as an observer through the end of the regular season.

These injuries have turned the Boston rotation once thought to be one of their greatest strengths into a bit of a question mark. Yes, the team is getting Cy Young caliber stuff out of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester but the names Andrew Miller and Eric Bedard were not on the tips of many Red Sox fans tongues as possible starters in October back in April. Veteran Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield has done his usual admirable job by filling in when needed but he’s never been dominant and is unlikely to be a viable starting option come the playoffs.

 A race for home field is important but pales in comparison to what is going on in the American League Central where three teams, The Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox are all fighting for their postseason lives. In the National League West the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants are facing the very real possibility of missing the post-season all together as the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks show no signs of letting up and currently sport a 2.5 game lead over the Giants who are 7 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wildcard race.

Everyone in baseball knows it’s all about October and the postseason is a tougher entry in baseball than in any of the other three major professional team sports. Home field is really nice but gaining entry to the playoff field is the most important thing and that appears likely for both Boston and New York no matter who wins the division.  

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It is a dubious distinction, but someday it will be “underpassed.”

The 2005 National League Western Division Champion San Diego Padres are the only division winners to finish the season with a below .500 record. It wasn’t easy.

The Padres finished the season at 82-80, five games ahead of the runner-up 77-85 Arizona Diamondbacks.

Manager Bruce Bochy did a tremendous job with a team that scored 684 runs—while allowing 726 runs—which calculates to a Pythagorean expectation of 77-85.

On July 31, the Padres and Diamondbacks were tied for first. But the Padres played a little better, while the Diamondbacks played a little worse. It was almost a contest of futility—Arizona was more futile than San Diego.

In 1973, the New York Mets won the Eastern Division with 82 wins, but they lost “only” 79 games—the last game of the season against the Chicago Cubs was canceled because the Mets had clinched—and won a best of five playoff series against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Padres faced the Cardinals in the first-round of the 2005 playoffs. The Cardinals had won 100 games. It wasn’t close.

In the first game at St. Louis, the Cardinals roughed up Padres ace Jake Peavy for eight runs in four and one-third innings, as they coasted to an 8-5 win.

The Padres overall 2005 record was now 82-81.

The next day was an off day. When the series resumed, Mark Mulder bested Pedro Astacio, 4-2.

The Padres were now 82-82 on the season, with the series moving to San Diego where Woody Williams would face the Cardinals’ Matt Morris.

The 2005 Padres were, as is the case with most Padres teams, offensively challenged.

Former Atlanta Braves slugger Ryan Klesko led the team with 18 home runs. Brian Giles, the only .300 hitter, was the top RBI man…with 83.

Peavy had won 13 games while losing seven, with a 2.88 ERA and a 134 ERA+. No other starting pitcher had an ERA below 4.27 (Adam Eaton).

The Cardinals averaged just under five runs a game. Led by Albert Pujols (.330/.430/.609) and his 41 home runs, the Cardinals had a potent offense. Jim Edmonds hit 29 home runs and Reggie Sanders chipped in 21.

Chris Carpenter won 21 games with a 2.83 ERA and a 150 ERA+. Mark Mulder and Jeff Suppan each won 16 games.

The third and final playoff game was over almost before it started. The Cards jumped all over Williams, touching him up for five runs, five hits and two walks in one and two-thirds innings.

The Padres trailed 7-0 before scoring a pair of runs in the fifth inning, but it was too little too late.

The Padres finished the season at 82-83.

Many baseball “purists” have criticized baseball for having a structure that could allow a team that loses more games than it wins to become division champions. This is a valid point, but it also creates a situation in which a team could be embarrassed.

The Padres won two more regular season games than they lost, but when they were swept in the playoffs, they finished the season at 82-83, becoming the only playoff team to lose more games than they won.

Of course one never knows. A baseball axiom is that anyone with a bat in his hands is dangerous, even Preacher Roe or Bob Buhl…but the 2005 Padres didn’t belong on the same field as the Cardinals.

In contrast, the 1998 Padres, a solid team that included Tony Gwynn, Greg Vaughn, Ken Caminiti, Kevin Brown and Trevor Hoffman, were swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees. But the Padres were far from embarrassed by a team that many consider to be the best of all Yankees teams.

The Padres might have won the first game if Mark Langston had gotten the call on a 2-2 pitch to Tino Martinez. The only game they didn’t have a chance to win was the second game.

In sharp contrast to all of the above, just one year later the Cardinals again won the Central Division, but this time they had only 83 wins.

What did the Cardinals, who won only one more game than the 2005 Padres, do in the post season?

Why, they won the World Series.

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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Bruce Bochy

Manager, San Francisco Giants

24 Willie Mays Plaza

San Francisco, CA

Dear Bruce,

We don’t know each other. I’m just a lowly amateur scribe trying to comprehend some of the personnel decisions you’ve been making. 

I know, I know. Seems audacious that an average Joe like me would be second-guessing decisions by a World Series champion manager like you.

Thing is, I think many of our readers are as curious as I am about some of your recent moves. 

Oh, if you’re wondering: these things were bugging me before Buster Posey’s injury; I’m not interesting in fueling any of the post-Posey panic.

Yours,

Barry

Begin Slideshow

Bruce Bochy called a team meeting on Thursday evening in the Giants’ clubhouse in San Francisco. The Marlins had just finished a three-game sweep of the team that almost seemed to be in a state of mourning after the dramatic loss of one of their most prized possessions. 

“We talked today about a few things—the loss of Buster and how important it is for us to move forward here,” Bochy said. “That’s what Buster would want. There will be questions about how good we will be without Buster. We have to answer that question.”

“You can’t always control what happens on the field. But you can control how you respond. We have to respond the right way, and that’s to keep fighting.”

Sounds to me like something from Angels in the Outfield. These words of wisdom may just further prove how talented of a manager Bochy is. San Francisco was able to defeat a hot Milwaukee team on the road the next day. 

All we know for sure is that his message got through to at least one player on the team.

Some fans called the end of Buster Posey in 2011 “The Day the Magic Died” at AT&T Park. A clever play on the Giants’ 2010 marketing campaign. One unlikely young player proved that “There’s (still) Magic Inside.” And he did it on the first-pitch hanging curveball that he saw in the seventh inning with the Giants trailing 3–1. 

Brandon Crawford’s first big league hit was what turned out to be a game-winning Grand Slam to right field.

The Giants know Crawford’s potential and were cultivating him well in their highly acclaimed farm system. Crawford was excelling at the minor league level before being called up. He pulled through and gave the team the spark that they could not find anywhere else. 

Perhaps a new slogan for 2011 will be a combination of magic and torture. Regardless, I can tell you that many Giants fans will agree—“Magic never felt so good.”

Crawford was the story of the night, deservedly so. Only five other players in the history of the game have ever achieved such a feat. That gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it? 

However, the fresh rookie was not the only unlikely character of the Giants’ story to make a difference. The Posey injury has been highlighted by the media as a tragedy for the team, which isn’t a stretch. But we must keep reminding ourselves in situations such as these—the game must go on.

There is one particular player that found himself right in the wake of the loss. He takes on a very challenging role, replacing the “irreplaceable.” Under the radar, he also fought to snap the Giants’ three-game skid. Not surprisingly, Eli Whiteside’s offensive performance has been frustrating. Nevertheless, the backup catcher displayed an act of courage, the significance of which may have been dwarfed by other events in the game. 

The Giants were trying to preserve their treasured lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Prince Fielder, Milwaukee’s first basemen power house, weighs 275 lbs, but it sure seemed like twice that much as came toward home plate and made an aggressive play on Whiteside. It was a legal play, but arguably inappropriate given recent events. Giants fans everywhere held their breath and closed their eyes, having flashbacks to the events of that fatal Wednesday night. 

But when they opened them, Fielder was punched out by the home plate umpire. And Whiteside was alive, with the ball in his glove. An act of courage and strength from another unlikely character. 

Oh yeah, and don’t forget that Tim Lincecum was pitching. The Giants ace is held to such a high standard of performance because of his raw talent that his hard work often goes by unnoticed when he doesn’t strike out 14 batters or pitch a complete game shutout. Timmy gave up three runs on six hits and had four strikeouts with no walks. A relatively impressive performance, that is, when comparing the young righty to actual human beings. 

We can be superstitious and say that the Giants just may have had the “Baseball Gods” on their side Friday night in Milwaukee. The events of the night may or may not be representative of what is to come in the San Francisco Giants increasingly uncertain 2011. However, they certainly will go in the record books, and be remembered for a long time by many. 

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The Giants offense has been lifeless over the past week and now, their best offensive threat is injured.  Third baseman Pablo Sandoval broke the hamate bone in his right hand while taking a swing in Washington on Friday and will have surgery to remove it this Tuesday in Arizona.  He will likely miss at least 4-6 weeks, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The injury to Sandoval couldn’t come at a worse time for a Giants lineup that is struggling to score runs.  The Giants have been shutout twice in the past four games and many of their key hitters currently have batting averages in the low .200s.

Ryan Rohlinger, who got some playing time with the Giants last season, has been called up from Triple-A Fresno and should be with the club for Sunday’s game against the Nationals.  On Saturday, Bruce Bochy moved Miguel Tejada, who has played the last several years at third base, to the hot corner and gave Mike Fontenot a start at shortstop.

After their dismal offensive start to the current ten-game road trip, questions arose about what the Giants need to do to wake up at the plate.  Now those questions will only intensify, as the Giants’ leading hitter, Sandoval, is out for at least a month.

One of the questions that is certain to come up is whether the Giants should recall Brandon Belt, who was sent down to Fresno to work on what has been called a minor tweak needed for him to square up fastballs.  Belt, since being sent back to Triple-A, is hitting .429 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI’s in just five games.

It appears that Belt has made the minor adjustment to his swing and, from all accounts, he looked to be a very patient hitter at the plate during his 17 games with the Giants, walking eight times in 52 at-bats.  His high strikeout total and lack of productivity when swinging, however, led to his demotion to Fresno.

The Giants will need to give serious thought to the idea of bringing Belt back to bolster a lineup that is in dire need of new blood.  Last season, when Buster Posey was called up from Fresno in May, his presence gave the Giants a spark that led to a remarkable turnaround, from a .500 ballclub just prior to the All-Star break to a postseason berth and eventually, a world championship.

Perhaps what this club needs now is another infusion of new blood in the form of Brandon Belt’s bat.

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                                   2011 SF Giants Season Preview

It is a good time to be a San Francisco Giants fan. Great even. The Gigantes are fresh off an improbable World Series championship, the farm system is a veritable horn-o-plenty in comparison to recent  history, and leading the way is arguably the best starting rotation in baseball—that’s right Philadelphia, I went there.

But with the start of a new season, anything is possible, and new questions are raised. Will the Giants training staff find a way to resurrect the corpse of Aaron Rowand? Will Barry Zito be a serviceable fifth starter, or will he be released by the Giants and banished to a baseball purgatory like Baltimore or Kansas City to finish out his career? Is Buster Posey in fact the baseball Messiah?

The (possible) answers to these questions, and more are less than an inch away!

Part 1: The Pitching, Oh God, The Pitching!

Any 2011 preview of the Giants has to begin with pitching. It was pitching that ran roughshod over baseball’s best and captured the Giants first World Series in over 50 years. I argue that this pitching staff would have dominated absolutely any team from any era last year. That’s how good they were during the 2010 Playoffs.

Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are so awesome they don’t even need to be previewed. They are so awesome that, as I was typing this, Lincecum just ruined some Minor Leaguer’s shot at the bigs with a ridiculous changeup, and Cain threw eight scoreless innings with zero media attention. Barring injury, two more excellent seasons can be expected from the top of the Giants’ rotation.

On most other teams, Timmy and Cain would be seen as what they are—two young guns entering their primes. On the Giants, they are the wise old sages tasked with leading the way for the really young guns, like 2010 MLB Playoff insta-hero Madison Bumgarner.

Of all the players on the 2011 roster, Bumgarner is one of the most interesting to me. He burst through last year with dominating performances on baseball’s biggest stages, against the games’ best. He clearly possesses the testicular fortitude to succeed, and dominate as a starter.

But Giants’ fans know that at this time last year there were reports of decreased velocity and increased hittability from the young MadBum, and for a little while there was something of a Chicken Little scenario brewing within the fan base.

While Bumgarner did his best to put these concerns to bed in last years playoffs, keep in mind that he still has not pitched a full Major League season, and spent most of last season stashed in the minors, enjoying the glorious benefits of extra days off (not to mention bus rides to and from Fresno). Realistically, he is still a very young pitcher who needs to learn how to pitch in the majors, and work through the growing pains of a young starter. However, I don’t think a 14-15 win, 3.50 ERA would disappoint anyone, nor do I think it’s unrealistic.

Bruce Bochy and Dave Righetti have proven their abilities to manage a young roster extremely well, and part of me secretly believes there’s a chance that Bumgarner goes Lincecum all over everyone’s A’s and continues to dominate to the tune of 16-17 wins, with an ERA somewhere between his 2010 regular season 3.00 and his otherworldly 2010 postseason 2.18.

Part of the reason I am less concerned than others about his inconsistent velocity throughout his career is that, despite his top-of-the-rotation stuff, his K rate has never been in the Lincecum-circa-2009 range anyways. He may only strike out roughly 6-8 batters per 9 IP, but he pitches to contact with movement that keeps the ball in the park. Most young pitchers arrive in the Majors relying on velocity to get them through their first year or two. Bumgarner relies on movement and control, which makes him a likely candidate to pitch in the bigs for many years to come.

One of the most impressive MadBum stats is his stellar walk rate. In his first Major League season (2009), he walked only 2.7 batters per 9 IP, and lowered that 2.15 last season including the playoffs. Even factoring in a learning curve, Bumgarner clearly has the stuff and the approach to be a successful third or fourth starter at worst, and an ace at best.

My official projection for the 2011 version of Madison Bumgarner looks something like 16 wins, 6.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, with a 3.25 ERA, while maintaining his always impressive WHIP at about 1.200. This factors in some growing pains, but also the flashes of blinding brilliance we have seen from the young lad in the very recent past.

Speaking of pitching to contact, we arrive at everyone’s favorite punching bag, Barry William Zito. These last few years have been tough for Barry and I. I was intrigued by him as he junkballed his was to a Cy Young Award in Oakland. I was mostly mortified when the Giants outbid themselves by $30 million for him, and overpaid him by roughly $90 million, but was secretly happy that he was on the light side of the Bay, and was optimistic about how that knee-buckling curve would play in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park.

Then reality hit. Zito has been incredibly, unbelievably hittable, and rumors have floated out of Spring Training this year that, after not making last year’s playoff roster, Zito would be cut from the team, and paid his money to walk away. To which I say….RIDICULOUS! Listen, even I, the biggest Zito apologist outside of his immediate family, has found it hard to defend him recently—but I’m going to try anyway. Here are the salient points on the Zito Defense:

1. The Giants have no other options for a fifth starter. Here’s an update I just received: Jeff Suppan is not good. He is not better than Barry Zito, neither is Dontrelle Willis. So unless a legitimate offer comes along for an affordable, durable, 200 inning-throwing, preferably hippie-minded starter, Barry is the best option the team has. By far. I know the anti-Zito haze is hard to see through sometimes, but when Jeff Suppan is standing on the other side of that haze, you’re better off sticking with Barry. 

2. The Giants are paying him. I don’t understand ever paying a player to play for another organization. It absolutely never works out well. Unless some team is willing to step up and pay Zito’s salary (stop salivating, Giants fans), there is absolutely no point to not rostering him. 

3. He fits in. Let’s face it, the Giants are a team filled with allegedly pot-smoking dirty hippies, and goofballs. And Barry Zito fits right in. He plays guitar, keeps it mellow, doesn’t rock the boat, and is a good teammate. Lincecum likes him. Cain likes him. Posey and Sandoval like him. Therefore I like him.

A statistical projection for Zito seems not only futile, but potentially disappointing. We have all seen both the best and worst of Zito, and most of us know what to realistically expect. However, with lowered expectations comes lowered responsibility.

There has been talk of making Jonathan Sanchez the No. 2 starter, in order to break up the lefties and righties, as well as the pitchers who are capable of consistently pitching late into games (Lincecum and Cain), from those who struggle in that area (Sanchez, Zito, and the youngster Bumgarner, who will not be expected to reach the innings totals of his starter brethren).

A rotation of Lincecum, Sanchez, and Cain, followed by Bumgarner and Zito, puts Barry in the fourth slot at best, and the fifth at worst.

Do I think this demotion will result in a return to Cy Young form? Obviously not. But matching up with Jon Garland and Wade Leblanc is surely more advantageous than, say, Clayton Kershaw and Mat Latos. Just saying. 

A potential answer to Zito’s expected inconsistency could be Jonathan Sanchez, AKA the mystery wrapped in a riddle bundled up in an enigma. I think if I had one wish for the Giants organization, it would be for consistency from Sanchez, because when he’s on, he’s as good as anyone in the league including his battery mates. But when he’s off, he’s a frustrating, frustrating man to watch. He sprays crisp 94 MPH fastballs all over the place. He twists off incredible sliders that would break hitters down if it weren’t a foot off the plate. His arm action frustrates hitters to the point that, were they to swing at the fastball whizzing a foot over their heads, their timing would definitely be off.

With the need to give Bumgarner some extra rest days as often as possible, a good season from Sanchez would be a key shot in the arm for this team. And there’s reason to be hopeful. In 2010 not only did Sanchez lower his ERA to 3.07, he maintained his stellar K rate, at over 9 per game. He also seemed to be more able to work through a difficult or stressful inning. He still gave up the occasional big hit(s), but his composure on the mound just seemed to be headed in the right direction.

I’m optimistic about Sanchez in 2011. I have faith that he will put it all (or at least some of it) together enough to finally have the season we’ve all been waiting for. For me, a projection of about 175-180 IP, 3.15 ERA, 9.5-10 K/9 and, good God let’s hope for, a sub 4 BB/9 ratio, seems about right. Although I have felt this way in the past, and have been proven wrong before on this topic, and let’s be honest, a 4.00 ERA with 4.8 K/9 wouldn’t surprise anyone. 

While the starting rotation is clearly the strength of this ball club, the bullpen remains somewhat of a mystery to me. While they can be fully expected to lead the league in ridiculous haircuts and outlandish facial hair, this is not a group for whom consistency is a strength.

I, like all Giants fans, have been tantalized and disappointed by Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt more times than I can count. When I watch Romo pitch, I see sliders that should be unhittable, starting in the strike zone and breaking three feet off the plate, leaving batters looking foolish and confused. In nearly every game that Romo appears in, he has at least one moment that makes you stop and think “this guy has incredible stuff. He should be one of the best relievers in the league”. Problem is, these thoughts are often followed by a slider that hangs over the plate and is promptly deposited in the outfield bleachers by subpar NL West utility players.

Affeldt presents a similar quandary: is he the guy with the Zito-esque curve and the 96 MPH fastball, or is he the guy who struggles with his control, and gets knocked around by patient-yet-below-average hitters, like the David Eckstein’s of the world?

For me, Romo and Affeldt are the key to the success of the bullpen. Brian Wilson will undoubtedly be Brian Wilson—that is to say he will throw 98 MPH gas, walk one or two hitters too many, and generally give Giants fans a collective heart attack on his way to racking up his 40+ saves.

Javier Lopez, I’m assuming, will continue to own left handed hitters like Cody Ross owns Roy Halladay. And guys like Santiago Casilla and “Razor” Ramon Ramirez will prove serviceable enough to eat up some innings and spell the studs.

But Affeldt and Romo are the key.

With a little consistency, the Giants will have arguably the NL’s best bullpen again. But bullpen’s are fickle mistresses. Elite closers turn into overpaid specialists seemingly overnight, and one injury can decimate a relief crew (just look at former-Giant Joe Nathan’s Twins last season). Healthy and productive years from Affeldt and Romo would give San Francisco the depth to withstand an injury or two (just plug in a Dan Runzler here and an Alex Hinshaw there), but anything less than that could present real problems. Runzler and Hinshaw are great as innings-eaters/injury replacements, but asking them to step up and play major roles is a lot to ask, and I am dubious as to whether they are up to the task.

All that said, the Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy, and Dave Righetti seem to have a knack for piecing together excellent relief crews. They did pick up Javier “sit DOWN, Ryan Howard” Lopez and Ramon Ramirez for nothing last season, and despite their penchant for high-wire acts, both Romo and Wilson have developed nicely overall, with Wilson emerging as an elite closer and the only modern-day pirate (swashbuckling variety, not Pittsburgh variety) to achieve MLB fame and fortune.

Well that does it for Part 1, hopefully you didn’t’ hate my initial foray into sports blogging, and hopefully you will stay tuned for Part 2: The Offense

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Bruce Jenkins’s column in the San Francisco Chronicle this past week sent waves throughout the San Francisco Giants community.

Jenkins’ report? Barry Zito may be released.

So now, an offseason where the team had no distractions and could focus on repeating has turned into a game of, “What If?”

The report, bogus in itself, was that the Giants were frustrated with Zito because they only made the playoffs by one game, and it wouldn’t have been that close if Zito had given them a just a few better outings.

Huh?

Jenkins is credible and very respected in the industry, but this isn’t supposed to be serious, right?

That’s baseball, Bruce.

I don’t doubt the Giants are frustrated with Zito—$126 million and barely any production? Plus, he was left off the playoff roster. Yeah, they should be disappointed. He’s not quite the investment they were hoping for.

On top of that, he has shown up to spring training out of shape—and apparently he’s had close to no offseason conditioning. Oh, and he botched his spring debut. That may have fueled this fire.

But are the Giants going to release Zito? No, no , no. From a financial stand-point, why would they?

Zito’s $126 million/seven years still has $57.5 million and three years left on it. You think the Giants are going to eat that? Doubt it. Not even if Zito starts the season 0-10 are they going to eat that. Although, don’t quote me on that.

The hefty $126 million contract aside, from a production stand-point, will the Giants release him? Never.

Zito is one of the best fifth starters in the MLB. Although he gets paid No. 1 starter money, his 4.09 ERA over the last couple seasons is nothing to be released over.

Take him for what he’s worth. He is a decent starter who happens to make a ridiculous sum of money that he doesn’t deserve.

But he isn’t going anywhere. Bruce Bochy came out and said Zito is the team’s fourth starter, no questions.

Actually I have one. No. 4? Really?

You’re telling me Zito is the fourth best pitcher on this team? Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner are worse than Zito? Check yourself Boch.

So Zito is their guy through thick and thin. Not because the Giants want him to be their guy, but because he has to be their guy. $65 million through 2013 will remind them of that.

This isn’t to say Zito’s spot in the rotation will be safe the whole season. He’s going to have to earn it whether the team acknowledges it or not.

The leash will be short.

The No. 5 spot in that rotation is fully functional because the Giants have four pitchers who are horses and they can easily get away with a four-man rotation if they want to get crazy.

Remember, the Giants do have a farm system, and a decent one at that. They did sign Jeff Suppan in the offseason, and Clayton Tanner from AA may be making some strides and will one day pitch in San Francisco. So Zito’s spot isn’t fully secure. They’ll make him work for it.

It should be that way. Zito coming to spring training out of shape is no way to get respect back. It only fuels the fire more.

I don’t doubt Zito and the Giants organization are on the same page from a public relations standpoint, but you have to believe that Zito’s act is getting old.

Who knows how long the Giants will let him go before they finally snap?

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Sweet Lou is coming to the City by the Bay.  Yep, that barrel-chested man famous for profanity-laced on-field tirades has been hired as a special consultant to San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean.

On the surface, this appears like another Sabean genius move.  Pick up a smart baseball mind, particularly one with an offensive lens on the game, to complement what has become a pitching-heavy club. 

On the other hand, Lou’s been in the dugout for the last 40 years, which means showing up at game time in street clothes will be an unfamiliar role for him.

Piniella’s arrival in San Francisco begs the obvious question: How might Lou help (or hurt) the Giants’ chance to repeat as World Champs?

First, five reasons why Piniella will be a boon for the Giants’ chances to repeat in 2011.

1. He knows the game as well as anyone, and his experience as a position player will come in handy as the Giants struggle to find the right lineup with the chemistry needed to win games down the stretch and in the playoffs like the 2010 team.

2. He’s won in the postseason (including twice as a player with the Yankees and once as a manager, guiding the 1990 Reds to a World Series title over the favored Oakland A’s), so he’s got some good pattern recognition when it comes to what needs to come together on the field and in the clubhouse for a team to win it all.

3. He can be a great sounding board to Bruce Bochy and someone the current Giants skipper can trust as a guy who’s not there to take his job if the team starts scuffling around the All-Star break.

4. He can be a great sounding board to Brian Sabean, particularly in the context of deciding which of the Giants farmhands down in Fresno might be able to have the kind of impact Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner had on the team last season.

5. He will add another personality to an already personality-rich organization, whether it’s as a post-game guest with the KNBR Radio crew or on CSNBayArea’s TV coverage.  Lou will be a great ambassador for Giants baseball and someone who can help deflect some of the heat that would be directed at Bochy or the players if things hit a rough spot during the year.

Now, despite all of the positive points above, there at least five good reasons why Piniella’s presence could hurt the Giants’ chances of winning in 2011.

1. He’s never been a guy who minces words, so it’s not clear he’ll understand when he’s supposed to be toeing the “company line.”  Imagine the first time he gets quoted questioning one of Bochy’s game decisions or one of Sabean’s player personnel decisions.

2. He’s a former Rookie of the Year and All-Star, so what happens when he’s roaming around the field before games? What if he decides to help Buster Posey tinker with his swing during a slump?  That won’t exactly go over well with Giants coaches.

3. He may show up one day a bit confused and put on a uniform, walk in to the dugout and start filling out the line up card and then waltz out to home plate to go over the ground rules with the umpiring crew.  I’m guessing that one would create a bit of an issue for the Giants.

4. See No. 2 above, but imagine this time he mentally shifts back to his days managing the Reds when he probably thought he was the genius behind the Nasty Boys’ pitching success, and he decides to start giving Tim Lincecum a few pointers on his mechanics. I can just see Dave Righetti and Lincecum’s dad Chris gang-tackling Lou out by the bullpen mound.

5. By all appearances recently, Lou looks like a healthy eater.  San Francisco is not an easy town on healthy eaters…in fact, it’s down right unfair.  There’s some real risk here that Lou gets distracted running around town from great restaurant to great restaurant, and he doesn’t stay focused on the job at hand: advising Sabean.  I can see it now, Lou showing up late to a meeting with Sabean and Bochy and explaining, “But guys, I’ve never even heard of pumpkin creme brulee, I just had to try it!”

Giants fans, enjoy your season of Lou!

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Coming off their first World Series championship in 56 years, the San Francisco Giants are flying high. They return the bulk of their squad and aim to make another championship run in 2011.

How do the Giants size up heading into spring? Read on to find out.

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Ranking Major League Managers can be a tricky business. Managing can be, like standing on a razor edge; one wrong move and you’ll get cut. 

It seems that no matter, what the city, or team, managers are always on the hot seat.  Security in this job, is never guaranteed, so it comes as no surprise that, entering the 2011 season we have twelve teams sporting new managers. 

What may come as a shock, is that seven of these men, are rookie managers; untested in any way, shape, or form. This makes it as difficult, to rank these seven men, as a blind man judging a beauty pageant. 

With this in mind, I am going to give it, that “ole college try” and rank these men from bottom to top, heading into the 2011 season. 

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