Mar 31, 2006 3:12 pm US/Pacific
Season Preview: Giants At A Glance
(AP)
Giants Team PageSan Francisco Giants2005: 75-87, third place.
Manager: Felipe Alou (fourth season).
He's Here: RHP Matt Morris, OF Steve Finley, RHP Jamey Wright, INF-OF Mark Sweeney, LHP Steve Kline, RHP Tim Worrell, INF Jose Vizcaino, C Todd Greene.
He's Outta Here: 1B J.T. Snow, 3B Edgardo Alfonzo, RHP Brett Tomko, LHP Scott Eyre, RHP LaTroy Hawkins.
Projected Lineup: CF Randy Winn (.306, 20, 63, 19 SBs, 47 2Bs), SS Omar Vizquel (.271, 3, 45, 24 SBs, Gold Glove), 2B Ray Durham (.290, 12, 62, 33 2Bs), LF Barry Bonds (.286, 5, 10 in 14 games), RF Moises Alou (.321, 19, 63), 3B Pedro Feliz (.250, 20, 81, 30 2Bs), 1B Lance Niekro (.252, 12, 46) or Mark Sweeney (.294, 8, 40 with San Diego), C Mike Matheny (.242, 13, 59, 34 2Bs, Gold Glove).
Rotation: RH Jason Schmidt (12-7, 4.40, 165 Ks in 172 IP), RH Matt Morris (14-10, 4.11 with St. Louis), LH Noah Lowry (13-13, 3.78; 8-4, 2.43 post All-Star break), RH Matt Cain (2-1, 2.33, .151 BA against in 7 starts), RH Jamey Wright (8-16, 5.46 with Colorado).
Key Relievers: RH Armando Benitez (2-3, 19/23 saves, 4.50), RH Tyler Walker (6-4, 23/28, 4.23), RH Tim Worrell (1-2, 4.07 with Philadelphia and Arizona), LH Steve Kline (2-4, 4.28 in Baltimore).
Hot Spot: One of the biggest questions for the Giants is which Schmidt will take the mound. Will it be the ace who went 35-12 with a 2.79 ERA as he overpowered hitters in 2003-04 or the pitcher who struggled to find his stuff last season when his ERA rose to 4.40? Schmidt says he feels much better this spring and is poised for another big campaign.
Stat Sheet: .295. While Bonds is an on-base percentage machine, reaching safely more than half the time in each of the past four healthy seasons he's had, the Giants have three players in the lineup who all finished with a .295 OBP last season. Feliz, Niekro and Matheny will need to push that number well past .300 if the Giants are to have the more balanced offense they need.
Bottom Line: The focus in San Francisco is on one player: Bonds. From his chase of Hank Aaron's home run record to baseball's investigation into his alleged steroid use, from the retirement talk to his new TV show, Bonds will provide a circuslike atmosphere all season. He also might be the most important player for his team. When he is in the lineup, drawing walks and launching homers, San Francisco is one of the best offenses in the league. When he's not, as happened last year when he underwent three knee operations, the Giants struggle to score. With Bonds playing only 14 games, the Giants scored 201 fewer runs in 2005 than the previous year and won 16 fewer games. The Giants improved their depth with the acquisitions of Finley, Sweeney and Vizcaino, but it's Bonds and Moises Alou who need to be the big cogs in the offense. Bonds can't be counted on for 150 games anymore, but if he can play 120 the
Giants believe they will be contenders in the NL West.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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