THE giants
Players to watch + projected opening day roster BY andrew baggarly
M
att Cain doesn’t need to be the ace of the Gi-
ants rotation — Madison Bumgarner has that role good and lassoed — but it’s vital that he re-establish himself as a consistent performer amid a high-mileage starting staff that has the potential to blow a gasket or two. Watching Cain throw off a mound this spring, you’d never guess he was coming off surgeries on his elbow (to remove bone chips) and ankle (to remove a bone spur) that wiped out the second half of last season. He had pitched with reduced range of motion in his right arm for several years yet hardly missed a turn, exceeding 200 innings in six consecutive seasons. The early signs are promising that Cain will pitch effectively deep into games once again. That will be vital to a team that still plans to win with pitching and defense — and probably will be forced to weather some short starts from Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy, Tim Lincecum and potentially Ryan Vogelsong.
Angel Pagan told Bruce Bochy that he wants to play in 160 games. Presumably, he meant this season and not spread out over the final two years of his contract. It’s a fact, not a knock: Pagan has trouble staying on the field. Another fact: The Giants have had a miserable time replacing him. Over the past two seasons, which were chopped up by hamstring tendon and back surgeries, the Giants are 96-70 when he starts and 68-90 when he does not.
Brandon Belt needs to put together a complete
Jake Peavy gave the Giants exactly what they needed
Tim Lincecum had the highest ERA of any qualified
as a midseason acquisition last year. His 2.17 ERA in 12 starts was pure bugles and horses for a banged up rotation. When efforts to lure Jon Lester were unsuccessful, the Giants re-signed Peavy because they believed in his tenacity and competitiveness. He’ll fight the good fight. The Giants need him to land some punches.
season this year and finally live up to his potential at the plate. While the Giants already won a World Series in 2012 while hitting the fewest homers in the majors, every lineup requires at least a couple of power threats to keep pitchers honest. When Belt broke his thumb May 9 of last season, he owned nine homers and was on a pace to hit 41. Yes, please.
N.L. starting pitcher in 2012. His no-hitter aside, he pitched so poorly in 2014 that he couldn’t keep his place in the rotation. There are things like legacies to protect, and Lincecum, the most accomplished pitcher in Giants history, will be a free agent after this season. Everyone loves happy endings. Two-time Cy Young Award winners, too.
Pitchers No. Name Pos. Ht. 41 Jeremy Affeldt LHP 6-4 40 Madison Bumgarner LHP 6-5 18 Matt Cain RHP 6-3 46 Santiago Casilla RHP 6-0 17 Tim Hudson RHP 6-1 55 Tim Lincecum RHP 5-11 49 Javier Lopez LHP 6-4 RHP 6-0 63 Jean Machi 22 Jake Peavy RHP 6-1 52 Yusmeiro Petit RHP 6-1 54 Sergio Romo RHP 5-11 32 Ryan Vogelsong RHP 6-4
Wgt. IP 225 55.1 235 217.1 230 90.1 210 58.1 175 189.1 170 155.2 220 37.2 255 66.1 195 202.2 250 117.0 185 58.0 215 184.2
W-L SV ERA 4-2 0 2.28 18-10 0 2.98 2-7 0 4.18 3-3 19 1.70 9-13 0 3.57 12-9 1 4.74 1-1 0 3.11 7-1 2 2.58 7-13 0 3.73 5-5 0 3.69 6-4 23 3.72 8-13 0 4.00
WHIP Comment 1.102 Made 168 regular-season appearances in past three seasons; allowed total of four home runs. 1.090 Can he compete with Clayton Kershaw for a Cy Young Award, too? 1.251 Hadn’t missed a start due to injury in his career until last season. 0.857 Knocked down 17 of 18 save chances after taking over closer role in July. 1.231 Remains active major league leader with 214 wins, but is coming off his first losing season. 1.394 Hopes to be more competitive in what’s likely his final season as a Giant. 1.327 Following Derek Jeter’s retirement, Lopez’s four World Series rings lead all active players. 0.950 Made team-high 71 appearances after a busy winter ball and was fatigued at end of season. 1.278 Acquired from Boston in late July, posted a 1.35 ERA over his last nine outings. 1.017 Was 3-4 with a 5.03 ERA as a starter and 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 27 relief appearances. 0.948 Re-signed to reprise setup role; toss out 11 games against Rockies, and his ERA was just 2.20. 1.278 Will be used in a swingman role, but he was more than serviceable as a starter last year.
Catchers No. Name 28 Buster Posey 34 Andrew Susac
Pos. Ht. Wgt. HR RBI SB AVG. OBP Comment C 6-1 215 22 89 0 .311 .364 No extra-base hits in postseason, but leadership, catching acumen more than made up for it. C 6-1 215 3 19 0 .273 .326 Rated club’s top prospect by Baseball America; no better training than studying with Posey.
Infielders No. Name 1 Ehire Adrianza Joaquin Arias 13 9 Brandon Belt 35 Brandon Crawford 14 Casey McGehee 12 Joe Panik
Pos. Ht. IF 6-1 IF 6-1 1B 6-5 SS 6-2 3B 6-1 2B 6-1
Wgt. HR RBI SB 170 0 5 1 165 0 15 1 220 12 27 3 215 10 69 5 220 4 76 4 190 1 18 0
AVG. .237 .254 .243 .246 .287 .305
OBP Comment .279 Switch hitter had a strong showing in winter ball and is a solid defensive shortstop. .281 Really struggled against right-handed pitching, but provides versatility at four infield spots. .306 Poised for breakout season after fractured thumb and concussion halted him last year. .324 His 10 triples were second most in the big leagues behind Dee Gordon. .355 Returned from a year in Japan to win N.L. Comeback Player of the Year with the Marlins. .343 Hit .373 against lefties and should rank as one of toughest players in N.L. to strike out.
Pos. Ht. OF 5-9 OF 5-11 1B/OF 6-3 OF 6-2 OF 5-11
Wgt. HR RBI SB 180 1 43 17 175 5 38 16 220 2 15 0 200 3 27 16 185 1 3 0
AVG. .285 .260 .274 .300 .170
OBP Comment .349 He’s a pesky presence at the plate and is expected to play every day. .333 In 226 total chances, committed one error — his first since 2012. .333 Became a valuable bat off the bench and a surprise left fielder in the postseason. .342 Switch hitter has topped 125 games just twice in his career; coming off lower back surgery. .224 Tremendous defender went up and down six times between Giants and Triple-A Fresno.
Outfielders No. Name 23 Nori Aoki 7 Gregor Blanco 45 Travis Ishikawa 16 Angel Pagan 2 Juan Perez
Starting the season on the disabled list: Hunter Pence (OF) PLAY BALL ||| BAY AREA NEWS GROUP ||| 45