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Twenty games is a small sample size—we all know that.  When the season is 40 games old, we can make a better assessment of where the Giants stand and their postseason chances.  

Certainly four games back behind the Dodgers is nothing to get too nervous about.

Even though the 2012 season is young, we’ve seen some pretty amazing baseball already.  

The Cain vs. Lee battle will go down in history as one of the truly great games played at AT&T.  The streak of the Panda and the remarkable return of Buster are also things that the fans can rally behind.

There are some troubling trends as well though—question marks that GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy will be addressing in the coming weeks.  Tell me if you agree with the potential problems that I think the Giants need to fix ASAP.

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There is no way I can hide my excitement.

Watching the Angels and Nationals play today will be equal to my tearing open a retail pack of baseball cards as a 12-year-old.

Last night I wrote a piece on Bryce Harper. In that story, I said I would be glued to my television screen when Harper makes his Major League Debut versus the high flying Los Angeles Dodgers.

When I first heard Harper was coming to the show, I could not help but feel for Mike Trout, who still had not gotten the call.

I could see Trout sitting at his locker in Salt Lake and screaming to the heavens, “What more must I do to get the call?”

To this Trout is right. He is hitting .403 with 31 hits and an OPS of 1.091 through 20 games with the Bees.

Apparently, the baseball gods heard Trout’s question and were like, “yeah, what the heck are the Angels thinking?”

Divine intervention or not, now that Trout has gotten the call, he has a golden opportunity to become the 2012 version of Buster Posey from 2010.

Never will I forget how Posey electrified the Giants, not only in spirit but in offense. After getting called up in May, Posey hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in just 108 games. Nor will I forget Posey’s poised play during the playoffs. It was like watching a seasoned veteran on the baseball diamond.

Giving Tim Lincecum utmost credit, I have to beg the following question. 

Would the Giants have won the World Series that year without Posey?

Not sure.

Back to Trout, he can provide the spark the Halos critically need at a point they cannot afford to fall any further behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West. At 6-14, the Angels are already nine games back.

Should Trout excel, he will give the Angels much needed potency at the top of the lineup. 

In time the Angels can place Trout in the two spot of the batting order, smack between Bourjos at the top and Albert Pujols in the three hole. The Angels can also take the training wheels off Mark Trumbo by placing him in the cleanup spot. Or they could put Bourjos in the nine spot and put Trout up top. Either way, you keep speed back to back.

This gives the Halos the ability to combine bunting and scrappy hitting. This puts speed on base for the middle of the lineup to feast on. This will not only create nightmares for opposing pitchers, but it will also take pressure off guys like Howie Kendrick, Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells.

This speed meets power kind of offense excites baseball fans, as Texas Rangers fans can surely attest to.

It makes me want to go get a blaster box of baseball cards and go buck wild like a 12-year-old!

James is a huge baseball fan who loves to write and make new friends. You can follow James on Twitter by clicking HITHA!  

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The Washington Nationals are already the feel-good story of the early 2012 Major League Baseball season. They are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the National League at 14-6, plus they have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

They have been winning despite the early season injuries to their top hitter from last year Michael Morse and the closer Drew Storen who have yet to see action this season.  

This early-season showdown between the Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, the two best teams in the National League, is a marquee matchup. But early yesterday afternoon things became much more interesting and far more dramatic on a national scale.  

It all started when Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced that star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was going on the 15-day disabled list. He knew he needed a big bat to help the team’s struggling offense.

At around 5 p.m. ET yesterday, Rizzo announced that Bryce Harper would be called up to the Nationals from Triple-A Syracuse and the word spread as fast as you can say Twitter.

Considered one of the top prospects in baseball, Harper, the 2010 overall No. 1 pick in the MLB draft was selected at the young age of 17. Now at the age of 19, he is going to start in left field for the Nationals tonight. Oh, and by the way, Stephen Strasburg is pitching for Washington this evening to add yet another reason to watch.

The MLB Network announced that they would be airing the game nationally starting at 9 p.m. ET as part of their Saturday Night Baseball package. ESPN and FOX offices in Los Angeles are ready to report on all things Harper the moment he strides onto the green grass of Dodger Stadium about 6 p.m. ET.

Like the debut of his teammate Strasburg, young Harper will get the media crunch that is expected of a Sports Illustrated cover boy. You can bet that the MLB Network will be adding more Nationals games to their roster and ESPN had already scheduled May 6^th for Sunday Night Baseball as the Philadelphia Phillies are headed to town to face the Nationals in prime time.  

The Harper hype started yesterday on ESPN and the MLB Network and don’t look for it to die down anytime soon.

Locally, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the home of both the Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles are doing all they can to make sure that everyone in their four-state region from Harrisburg, Pa. to Charlotte, N.C. knows which channel on the cable system that MASN2 and MASN2-HD is on for tonight’s coming-out party.

Las Vegas, Harper’s hometown, is excited and there will be plenty of new Nationals fans making the trip over to Dodger Stadium. His debut in the majors was the top sports story on all the local television stations in Las Vegas, as well as on the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal sports section. The Vegas media will be making the trip to LA to cover the local hero. 

So, ready or not, Harper will be in the big leagues and you will be seeing plenty of him nationally and, of course, locally starting tonight.            

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In January of this year, the New York Times ran a story that said the Yankees are saving now for a potential free-agency splash next winter. The story highlighted hurlers Matt Cain of the Giants and Cole Hamel of the Phillies as potential targets for the pinstripes.

But could the Yankees be loading up the ole piggy bank for the heir apparent to Derek Jeter?

Could it be that the Bronx Bombers are eyeballing Starlin Castro, the sweet-swinging shortstop for an annually afflicted Chicago Cubs franchise?

At first this question seems preposterous, especially in light of how well Jeter has been playing thus far this season.

But looking big picture, a few things have occurred in the past month that points to the potential for Castro to eventually become a Yankee.

First, Castro is eligible for arbitration after the 2012 season. While the Cubs have signed Castro through 2012, new Cubs GM Theo Epstein has yet to commit to Castro long-term. Reasons for this vary, which will be highlighted in a moment.

Second, Castro’s at-times attention deficit at shortstop has sparked Chicago radio pundits to float the opinion balloon that Castro should move to the outfield.  

To this, I say perfecto!

Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher is a free agent after this season.  According to ESPN New York writer Wallace Matthews, Swisher intends to test the free agent market in 2013.

Andruw Jones will also become a free agent. And there is no guarantee the Yankees will re-sign him.

The Cubs could give Castro some serious on-the-job-training in right field. Castro could then learn the ins and outs of the position, en route to becoming the right fielder for the Yankees next season.

Once a Yankee, Castro would receive mentorship from Jeter on how to properly prepare to play shortstop every day for one of the greatest baseball teams in world history.

Who better for a young phenom like Castro to receive mentorship from?

Then when Jeter finally hangs the spikes up in a few campaigns, the Yankees can seamlessly slip Castro into Jeter’s position.

Castro and Cano.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

Two .300-hitting ballplayers playing middle infield together in New York over the next decade.

Let daydreaming by Yankee fans out school and office windows begin.

Let collectors of skyrocketing Castro rookie cards and memorabilia feel like kids once again.  

Hark the Herald Angels [who for the record love the New York Yankees] Sing…

All right, all right; snap out of it!

Back to reality, we all know Mr. Epstein is much smarter than letting the Cubbies best player in years get away without receiving anything in return. After all, Epstein did not shrewdly transform the Red Sox into World Champions without some intelligent aggressiveness.

Barring insanity, Epstein will keep Castro at shortstop for now, amid a backdrop of taking trade offers from other ball clubs. Perhaps in time, Epstein will ship Castro out of Chicago as part of a mega deal. 

What a great way for a struggling club to load up on young arms and bats, than to trade away a phenom like Castro to a contender. A phenom, by the way, who makes just $567K. In baseball, this is chump change.

And do not think for one hot second the Boston Red Sox do not have their scopes set on Castro, either. If Jose Iglesias’ bat does not join his spectacular defense at shortstop, Boston will also enter the Castro sweepstakes.

Then again, Epstein could just step in and sign Castro this summer, and thus make him the face of the Cubs for the next decade. Trade or sign, the opinion Castro becomes a New York Yankee will thus become null and void. And Castro could go on to become our generation’s Ernie Banks.

But as all baseball fans can attest, the Yankees have proven time and time again throughout their history, when they want someone, they usually go all-out to get them.

James is a huge baseball fan who loves to write and make new friends. You can follow James on Twitter by clicking HITHA!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Atlanta Braves are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, having won nine of their last 10 games.

And, they’ve done it with a combination of pitching and hitting.

With their recent success, and the early-season questions of needing to acquire another outfielder to take the place of Martin Prado, I’m wondering if it’s best for the Braves to stand pat with their lineup.

Currently, I believe the Braves don’t have to make a move since the offense and defense are performing well.

After an offseason in which they tried to trade away Prado and pitcher Jair Jurrjens, the Braves saw nothing interesting on the trade front, bringing both back for this season.

This alone caused crying among Braves’ fans who felt that general manager Frank Wren needed to make a move to improve the lineup.

With the 0-4 start, many were sitting back saying the same things due to the lack of offense.

Then, the bats came alive in the fifth game of the season against the Astros. Since then, nothing has been different at the plate, with the Braves getting the best of opponents’ pitchers.

Those fans who were calling for a move to be made have been silenced and the offense is clicking. And, there’s an old saying that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Well, it’s not broke right now, so there’s no reason to fix it.

Sure, it would be nice if Dan Uggla could display more power, but we all know he struggles at the beginning of the season.

It would also be nice if Chipper Jones could stay healthy and be in the lineup more than he has, but Juan Francisco hasn’t been a disappointment in his place, so there should really be no complaints there. Although, there is no arguing that Jones is a lot better than Francisco.

At some point before the trading deadline or during the offseason, this subject is going to be approached again.

And, eventually, there’s going to be a move that has to be made because guys like Jurrjens and Prado aren’t going to be under contract much longer. Tim Hudson is also getting up there in age, and guys like Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado can’t stay in the minor leagues that much longer.

Sure, Delgado is in the Braves’ rotation right now, but will be sent back to Triple-A once Hudson gets back. But you can’t keep those guys from the big leagues that much longer. They’ve earned big-league opportunities.

So, the lineup and rotation are going to have to be addressed at some point. But now is not the time.

Now is the time to go with what is working, and if that keeps certain guys out of the lineup or rotation, then that’s what it means.

One thing is for sure, the trading deadline and this offseason will be very interesting.

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It seems as though Theo Epstein has finally found a suitor for struggling veteran outfielder, Marlon Byrd. Reported by ESPN Chicago, Byrd is apparently shipping up to Boston. 

The trade is reported as “imminent” and may be officially announced at any time now. This deal would mark the first major in-season trade for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s administration in Chicago as well as Ben Cherington’s first in Boston.

Byrd, a 35-year-old center fielder, has struggled this season, much as he did at the end of his 2011 campaign, after a hit-by-pitch sidelined him with a face injury midseason.

He only has three hits in 43 at bats thus far, all of them singles. Ben Cherington will hope a new environment will help Byrd turn around.

With Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, as well as Jason Repko injuring himself on Friday, Boston is in dire need of outfield depth. As of now, their outfield is primarily composed of back ups and Triple-A caliber talent. The acquisition of Byrd provides Boston with at least more experience in the outfield.

Throughout his 10-year career, Byrd is a .278 hitter with some power. An All-Star in 2010 with the Cubs, Byrd actually had his best season in 2009 when he hit 20 home runs and had 89 RBI with the Texas Rangers. In 2011, he battled with injuries, but when he was on the field, he hit fairly well.

While exploring other options, most notably speedster Scott Podsednik, Boston really had little to no options on the open market or in the farm system. This is likely the worst possible time to trade for Byrd, who is currently hitting .071.

The deal seems more and more likely by the hour, as Ken Rosenthal deems the trade “probable.” Also, according to the Boston Herald, manager Bobby Valentine responded to the rumors.

“The talks have been good talks, from what I gather,” Valentine said. “Ben [Cherington] will try to get as good a player as he can get.”

The Red Sox skipper’s words ring true here. The best possible option at the moment for the Boston Red Sox is Marlon Byrd, whether anyone likes it or not. Options are scarce and there is hope that he does pick things up with a change of scenery. He may not be the ideal replacement out in center field, but bringing him in is a must at this point.

While it is unknown what Chicago will get in return, it will likely be a left handed arm in the bullpen from Boston’s major league squad or Triple-A level. Needless to say, they will not receive a whole lot for Byrd.

Update: 2:30P.M. According to Ken Rosenthal’s latest Tweet, it seems likely that the Chicago Cubs will pay a chunk of Byrd’s contract. There are currently “timing issues” between both sides, pushing the deal to take longer. Also, Michael Bowden is the assumed pitcher to be sent to the Cubs as part of the deal.

Update: 6:03 p.m. Previously Tweeted by Bruce Levine of ESPN, Marlon Byrd has confirmed that he has been traded to Boston. The deal is now official and details will be released following the Red Sox game against the Yankees.

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Although the Cincinnati Reds lost in a wild 13-inning ordeal to the Washington Nationals on Friday night, one player’s performance was good news for the struggling Reds.

Bronson Arroyo, who struggled in his first start of the 2012 season, threw a gem for Cincinnati while the Reds’ bats lay dormant.

In 7.1 innings pitched, Arroyo gave up no runs on only four baserunners (3 hits, 1 walk). He displayed improved command and managed fewer than 100 pitches through his seven-plus innings performance.

As a side note, while the Reds’ bats managed only five hits through 13 innings, Arroyo helped himself by knocking in the Reds’ only run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning. Arroyo also had one of the team’s five hits.

Friday’s start was a much-needed improvement over Arroyo’s first start, in which he gave up four earned runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings pitched. Arroyo was on the hook for a loss after departing in the seventh inning before the Reds’ bats responded with a walk-off win in the ninth inning.

Arroyo struggled through most of 2011, posting a 9-12 record and 5.07 ERA through 199 innings. The 2011 campaign was the first season since 2005 that Arroyo did not post at least 200 innings pitched (albeit he missed by a single inning).

For much of the 2011 season Arroyo was speculated to be either sick or hurt. Velocity was down on his fastball, and his breaking pitches just didn’t seem to break as much as before.

Arroyo was diagnosed with mononucleosis early on, but it was later reported he had gotten over the illness. Yet his pitching improved very little.

Reds fans everywhere must be hoping Arroyo will continue to put out performances like Friday night throughout the rest of the season. The Reds will need Arroyo performing if they are going to make a playoff run in 2012.

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One year ago on Opening Day, a Cubs’ pitcher Ryan Dempster gave up six runs off six hits with four walks, earning a loss against the Pirates.

Today, like last year, Ryan Dempster opened the season for the Cubs with a loss. However, Dempster’s performance today was near perfect against the Nationals.

Facing the strikeout superstar Stephen Strasburg, Dempster struck out 10 batters allowing two hits in seven and two-thirds innings. He actually recorded twice the amount of strikeouts that Strasburg recorded (yet Sportscenter seems not to have noticed).

Dempster pitched a solid seven innings, and almost finished the eighth, before he was pulled in favor of Kerry Wood, a decision manager Dale Svevum likely would redo.

Officially, Ryan Dempster was charged with one run in the game. This appears to be his slight gaffe of the game.

In the eight inning, Ian Dresmond recorded a hit off of Dempster. Dempster would eventually get pulled and Dresmond would eventually score. However Dempster was pulled because of pitch count and Dresmond scored because Kerry Wood walked the next three consecutive batters, sending Dresmond home.

Wood walked Dresmond from first to home without recording an out, making the run hardly the fault of Dempster. But as stats go, Dempster was charged with the run. However he did not record a loss.

Let’s look at the pitching battle between Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Dempster.

Both pitched seven full innings and recorded one run. Dempster allowed three fewer hits, and Strasburg walked two fewer batters. The real difference comes in strike outs and Dempster proved dominant.

Pitching inside strikes and taking control with his cutter, fastball, splitter and slider, Ryan Dempster struck out twice as many batters (10 total) than Strasburg.

Even though the “W” flag isn’t flying over Wrigley Field, Ryan Dempster should be proud of his performance today. With more pitching like that and hopefully more offense, Chicago is bound for wins and lots of them.

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If the New York Mets are going to have any chance of finishing over .500 this season, then they are going to need to get a lot of outstanding performances from their starting pitchers.

The Mets’ rotation is set entering the season, but they still have a number of questions about the health and abilities of their starters.

It is very possible that the Mets’ rotation looks a lot different at the end of the year. Pitchers may be dealt and prospects may come up from the minors to replace ineffective starters.

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David Wright sounded optimistic after his first spring training game on Monday.

“I feel good,” he told reporters after his four innings of play. “I feel healthy. I got a chance to dive around a little bit, run the bases a little bit, see some pitches, get some at-bats. Now it’s just a matter of getting reps.”

That isn’t a small matter.

The Mets third baseman sat out most of the spring recovering from a torn abdominal muscle. Now he’s got just two weeks to get ready for Opening Day.

For a player of Wright’s caliber, that’s not too much to expect. But there are other factors that are likely to slow Wright’s progress.

Here are five reasons why Wright may not have the right stuff in April.

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