2010 Record: 92-70
Hitting:
1 Andres Torres OF
2 Freddy Sanchez 2B
3 Buster Posey C
4 Aubrey Huff 1B
5 Pat Burrell OF
6 Pablo Sandoval 3B
7 Miguel Tejada SS
8 Cody Ross OF
The key to this lineup will be how Tejada and Sandoval play. If Tejada can hold it together at 36 years old and put up similar numbers to what Uribe gave them last season (24 HRs) then they will have a solid lineup. Saying that, Sandoval needs to have a serious bounce back year. In 2009 he his .330 with 25 HRs and 90 RBIs, but last year he batted only .268 with 13 HRs and 63 RBIs. That is just not going to cut it. Early reports say that he is much better shape, so hopefully that will help him out. The Giants do have a much of underrated guys in this lineup. Aubrey Huff is a guy who quietly puts up numbers every year. Last season he batted .290 with 26 HRs and 86 RBIs. I expect he will have very similar numbers this year. Obviously Buster Posey is one of the best young catchers in the game. Another big question for the Giants though will be the health of Freddy Sanchez, who is coming off his 2nd shoulder surgery. He hasn't been able to really stay healthy since 2008. It would be nice is Cody Ross played anything like he did during the playoffs for them also.
Pitching:
1 Tim Lincecum SP
2 Matt Cain SP
3 Jonathan Sanchez
4 Madison Bumgarner
5 Barry Zito SP
Brian Wilson CL
Other then the Phillies this is the best rotation in baseball. Still, there are some things to be alarmed about. Lincecum’s ERA was almost a full run higher than the previous season. He was a double-digit loser for the first time, and he lost all his starts in August. He was able to bounce back in the playoffs, but there are always some concerns about how he will hold up longer term due to his frame. Matt Cain might be the most underrated pitcher in the majors, but he made a name for himself last playoffs not allowing an earned run over his 3 playoff starts. Jonathan Sanchez is coming off his best season as a pro, and is just a strikeout machine. Madison Bumgarner is still only 21 years old, and he seemed to just get better and better as last season went on. Obviously Barry Zito is the weak link in this rotation, but for a #5 guy he isn't that bad. They also shouldn't have too much concern about their bullpen with "fear the beard" Wilson closing out games.
Overall:
Their pitching will put them in contention once again this year, but I do worry about this offense. It is asking a lot to have a 36 year old player play SS, and on top of that Pat Burrell is no spring chicken either. The Giants need everything to work out perfectly again this year for them to keep up this run. Sandoval putting up 2009 number would certainly help.
2011 Record: 89-73
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