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Tim Lincecum was rewarded for his excellent performance in 2008 by receiving the National League Cy Young Award. In his breakout season Lincecum posted an 18-5 record with a 2.62 ERA and 265 strikeouts. Lincecum is only the twelfth pitcher to win the Cy Young on a below .500 team and only the seventh pitcher to finish at least 13 games above .500 on a team at least 13 games below .500. Best of all, Lincecum is only 24 years old!

2009 Opening Day Roster Locks

Starting Pitcher:

1. Matt Cain
2. Tim Lincecum
3. Barry Zito
4. Jonathan Sanchez
5. open
   

Bullpen:

1. Brian Wilson
2. Sergio Romo
3. open
   
4. open
5. open
6. open
7. open
   

Catcher: Bengie Molina
First Base: Pablo Sandoval
Second Base: open
Third Base: open
Shortstop: Emmanuel Burriss
Outfield:

1. Aaron Rowand
2. Randy Winn
3. open

All of these are barring injuries or trades.

Lincecum Deserves Cy Young!

The 2008 National League Cy Young will be announced in just a few days! We are all pulling for Tim Lincecum!

Post Trade Deadline

The Giants were only able to unload one veteran before the trade deadline, Ray Durham. In return for Durham, the Giants received to prospects. Many thought that it would be in the Giants best interest to trade away more veterans than just Durham, but General Manager Brian Sabean did not complete any other deals. Who else do you think should have been traded, if anyone? Comment with your input.

Stats at the Break

Batters

AVG:
Ray Durham: .293
Aaron Rowand: .291
Bengie Molina: .287
Emmanuel Burriss: .286
Randy Winn: .285
Fred Lewis: .275

HR:
John Bowker: 9 home runs
Rich Aurilia: 8 home runs
Aaron Rowand: 8 home runs

RBI:
Bengie Molina: 56 runs batted in
Aaron Rowand: 48 runs batted in

R:
Fred Lewis: 60 runs
Randy Winn: 48 runs
Ray Durham: 43 runs
Aaron Rowand: 40 runs

SB:
Randy Winn: 18 stolen bases
Fred Lewis: 17 stolen bases
Eugenio Velez: 8 stolen bases
Emmanuel Burriss: 7 stolen bases

Pitchers

W:
Tim Lincecum: 11 wins
Jonathan Sanchez: 8 wins
Matt Cain: 5 wins

SV:
Brian Wilson: 25 saves

K:
Tim Lincecum: 135 strikeouts
Matt Cain: 121 strikeouts
Jonathan Sanchez: 115 strikeouts

ERA (starters only):
Tim Lincecum: 2.57
Jonathan Sanchez: 3.97

Two for sure, Maybe Three

When the All-Star rosters were announced, the Giants had two names on the list. They were starting pitcher Tim Lincecum and closer Brian Wilson. The Giants also got one player in the final vote, which is a vote between five players to fill the final roster spot. One of those five players is a Giant, Aaron Rowand. What do you think of the three potential Giant All-Stars? Do you think that Bengie Molina should be an All-Star as well? Comment with your ideas.

2008 First Round Draft Pick

With the fifth overall selection in the 2008 Draft, the Giants selected catcher "Buster" Posey out of Florida State. While his main position now is catcher, Posey was originally a shortstop entering college. That's not all. In one game Posey played all nine positions! That is quite versatile. When do you think Posey will make it to the big leagues and what kind of impact do you think he will have? Comment with your input.

All-Star Hopefuls

The Giants have four All-Star hopefuls. They are Tim Lincecum, Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina and Brian Wilson. Lincecum has been one of the best starters in the major leagues this season (8-1, 2.54 ERA), Rowand and Molina have been key hitters in the meat of the Giants order (.305, 8 HR, 41 RBI and .308, 6 HR, 48 RBI, respectively) and Wilson has been consistent in his save opportunities (19/21). Which of these four players do you think will be All-Stars and which do you think will be snubs? Comment with your input.

Helping Himself Out

Throughout last season and so far this season, Matt Cain has been given very little run support. Hence, Cain decided to take matters into his own hands yesterday by blasting a home run. Cain now has 2 home runs so far this season and 4 home runs in his young career. Here are the home run leaders on the Giants:

• Aaron Rowand: 4 home runs
• Bengie Molina: 4 home runs
• John Bowker: 4 home runs
• Fred Lewis: 3 home runs
  
• Rich Aurilia: 3 home runs
• Jose Castillo: 2 home runs
• Matt Cain: 2 home runs

That's amazing! Cain is tied for sixth place on the Giants in home runs.

The Savior

Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum has done it again, putting a halt to the Giant five-game losing streak. Lincecum has been the undoubted ace so far this year, posting a 5-1 record with a 1.61 ERA, including a perfect 3-0 record in games following a Giants loss. What do you think of this? How many wins do you think Lincecum will compile this season? Comment with your input.

Vizquel Almost Back

Omar Vizquel, the Giants starting shortstop in each of the last three seasons, is about to come off the disabled list and is likely going to rejoin the team this weekend. Vizquel will replace slumping hitters Brian Bocock and Emanuel Burriss at shortstop. What impact do you think Vizquel will have on the Giants both on the field and in the clubhouse? Comment with your input.

Bowker's Big Flies

Maybe Dave Roberts getting injured was a blessing in disguise for the Giants. Due to his injury, the Giants called up the youngster John Bowker. Since being called up, Bowker has belted 3 home runs and batted in 9. What impact do you think Bowker will have on the Giants this season? Comment with your input.

Back to Back Walk Offs

In each of the last two games, the Giants have won in the form of a walk off. Two days ago, it was Bengie Molina who hit a walk off home run in the eleventh inning to win 3-2. Yesterday, it was Dan Ortmeier who doubled in Rajai Davis for a walk off in the ninth, giving the Giants a 1-0 victory.

Bengie's Big Flies

Yesterday, Bengie Molina hit two home runs, leading the Giants to a 3-2 victory. One of them was in the second inning and the other was a walk-off in the eleventh inning. Amazingly, Molina currently has more home runs (3) than the Giants have wins (2). Do you think that Molina will go on to be a force as a power hitter in the Giants lineup, or do you think that he his just on a hot streak. Comment with your input.

Opening Day

Today kicked off the regular season for the Giants in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Things did not go well, especially from the hitting. The Giant's hitters were held to just five hits while the pitchers gave up a total of five runs. Do you think the Giants will bounce back from this bad start or do you think this game was a sign of bad things to come? Comment with your input.

Frandsen Out

Kevin Frandsen, the Giant's second basemen, has torn his right achilles tendon in a spring training game. Hence, he is likely out for the season. What impact do you think this will have on the Giants? Comment with your input.

Cactus League Opener

The Giants played their Cactus League Opener today against the Chicago Cubs. The Giant pitchers
Noah Lowry and Kevin Correia were rocky, leading to a 12-6 Cubs victory. The bright spots on the team were Randy Winn, who belted a home run, and Aaron Rowand, who had two hits of his own. Do you think anything in this Cactus League Opener is a sign for things to come this season. Comment with your input.

Crede Coming?

Aaron Rowand, the Giant's All-Star and Gold-Glove center fielder, tells the team that they should trade for third baseman Joe Crede. Rowand, a teammate of Crede's on the 2005 World Series winning Chicago White Sox, says that he would do wonders for the team with his fielding at third base and his power at the plate. Currently, the Giants have only one realistic third baseman, Rich Aurilia, who is coming off of an injury-riddled season. Do you think the Giants should stick with Aurilia as their starting third baseman or do you think the Giants should trade for Crede? Comment with your input.

Closer Questions

Following and awful season in regards to the bullpen, the Giants hope that one of their youngsters will step up and become this years closer. There are many options for this spot, including young pitchers Brad Hennessey, Brian Wilson and Tyler Walker. Who would you give the ball to with a lead in the ninth inning? Comment with your input.

Not Out of Outfielders

Many people have predicted that for this coming season, Dave Roberts, Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn will be the Giants starting outfielders for this coming season. While this may look likely, the Giants do have three other possibilities for the outfield in this coming season, Rajai Davis, Fred Lewis and Nate Schierholtz. Which of these six players do you think we will see starting in the Giants outfield this coming season? Comment with your input.

Bringing Back Brad

Three days ago, the Giants re-signed pitcher Brad Hennessey to a one-year deal. Hennessey has pitched for the Giants in each of the past three seasons, going back and fourth between starter and reliever. Last season, Hennessey pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, going 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA, and was even the Giants closer at one point in the season, where he got 19 saves. What type of impact do you think Hennessey will have on the Giants in the 2008 season. Do you think he will be a rotation starter, spot starter, long reliever, set up man or closer? Comment with your input.

Race For Second Base

The Giants have quite a race going for who gets to start at second base. There are three main people who are contending for the starting position. The first player is veteran Ray Durham, who has started at second base for the Giants in each of the past five years, but has just posted one of the worst seasons of his career. The second player is Kevin Frandsen, who is a young developing player that hasn't yet had the breakout season everyone thought he would have last year. The third player is Eugenio Velez, who has proved himself as the fastest player on the Giants roster, but not much else. Who do you think will be starting at second base this coming season? Comment with your input.

Starting Position Players

The Giants roster still has many question marks. Will Dan Ortmeier be the Giants first basemen next season, or will the Giants look into the market for one? What will they do with Kevin Frandsen at second base? Does he deserve to start there, or should someone else get a chance. Comment with you input.