Things a Giants Fan Can Look Forward to in ‘09

For the last four years the Giants have fielded a weak product.  With the exception of Lincecum, the team has been mediocre, and frankly, just not very interesting (especially offensively).  I don’t know if it’s just irrational hope, but it feels like a more competitive team taking shape.  And there’s no doubt that there are a lot more compelling storylines to follow as a fan.

Here are some of the most intriguing events / storylines that I’m looking forward to in this 2009 Giants season:

Jeremy Affeldt in.  Tyler Walker out. I’m just excited to see a new face in the bullpen.  Every time the Tyler Walker came in huffing and puffing, we’d hear Krukow’s “he’s a gamer” bravado, but that guy was just flat-out not a competitor.  Affeldt is a big lefty who had a lot more K’s than walks last year and who can chew up a lot of innings.  The bullpen was a real source of frustration last season, so it’s nice to have some fresh blood in there (and a guy who appears to have some upside).  I can’t wait to see what this guy can do.

Will this be the year that Matt Cain steps up? I keep waiting for Cain to have his big season.  He’s got potentially dominating stuff, but just hasn’t been able to put it all together.  Everybody points to his hard luck with run support, and there’s no doubt he should have racked up more wins over the last couple of years with his ERA hovering around 3.50.  But it’s just sort of surprising this guy hasn’t had 200 strikeouts any of the past three seasons, with the stuff he’s got.  And he seems to get touched up late in his starts too often.  I think / hope this is the year that something clicks in his head and he puts it all together.  He’s got awesome stuff and you can tell he’s a big time competitor.

Is Pablo Sandoval for real? How do you know what to expect from Pablo Sandoval?  A terrific showing in 145 ABs is enough to earn a starting spot the next season, but it’s anybody’s guess what this guy’s production is going to be through the full course of a season.

Barry Zito can only get better. There’s no doubt that Zito lost “it” when he came to San Francisco.  Nothing on those fastballs.  Struggling to find the strikezone.  When things get bad for Zito (which it does in most starts these days it seems), it goes really bad.  But I also felt like Zito was somewhat snakebitten last season.  Groundballs that could’ve been a foot to the right or the left and gone to a middle infielder for a double play seemed to find the outfield every single time.  Not only was Zito not pitching well, but he also wasn’t getting any breaks.  I don’t think it can get any worse for Zito.  And as much schadenfreude as there is around Zito’s suffering, I think Giants fan sentiment would turn around in an instant if he could get off to a decent start.  I’m certainly not counting on it, but it would be nice to see Zito get off to a decent start and get some confidence early in the season.

No more Omar ABs. I guess it’s sort of sacrilegious to say anything ill of Omar – the ultimate nice guy and beloved shortstop.  But watching his ABs in a Giants uniform was painful.  No matter how bad Renteria’s fielding might be by comparison, at least when he comes up in an RBI situation there is a reasonable chance he’s going to drive the ball somewhere.  Omar looked truly lost at the plate last season, and I’m just happy not to have to watch that trainwreck anymore.

Can Randy Johnson get on a roll? I can’t remember being more excited about a new Giants player.  Randy Johnson is such a freak of a nature and such a bizarre dude – he should be a constant source of entertainment.  I love seeing the guy throw.  He’s as competitive as they come, and he doesn’t put up with crap from anybody.  I heard Rex Hudler (Angels announcer) on Jim Rome the other day telling a story about Randy Johnson calling him a “puss” after he tried to lay down a bunt against the Big Unit.  The guy just has this total badass persona that’s both intimidating and hilarious.  I hope he gets win #300 at home.  If he gets on a roll it could light a real fire on this team.

No matter the outcome of the case, the Bonds story is over. I get the sense that whatever happens in this court ruling, the life has finally been sucked out of this story.  I’m feeling / hoping that it will just crawl into a hole and die in the very near future.

Lincecum! Based on last season, how nasty his stuff is and what a fierce competitor he is, it doesn’t seem absurd to imagine him becoming one of the greats.  Nothing is better than heading off to the ballpark on a night when Lincecum is throwing.

The NL West is weak, and the Giants can win it. The Dodgers by no means have any sort of foothold on that #1 spot this season.  Manny or not, their offense is more competent than the Giants offense.  And their bullpen is exceedingly better as well.  But their starting rotation doesn’t even belong in the same conversation as the Giants.  It’s even odds on a Giants / Dodgers series this season, IMO.  And nobody else in the division is looking very competitive this year.  It’s truly up for grabs.

View Tvan415's Profile      Subscribe via RSS