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2009 San Francisco Giants Predictions

Written March 3, 2009 by Jason Lowry

The San Francisco Giants haven’t been in the playoffs since 2003, and the most wins they have had since the 2004 season is 76, back in 2006. The Giants were a meager 72-90 in 2008, but the future looks bright for a team that has arguably the best young pitcher in the game, 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. The Giants have some great young bats working there way into the everyday lineup this season, and once they mature into more consistent big league hitters, the Giants could be a threat in the West once again. There is a chance the team will be very competitive this season, as they went out and added some veteran help in SS Edgar Renteria, SP Randy Johnson, and RP Bob Howry.The subtractions weren’t very big, as the two biggest names departing from last season were veterans Omar Vizquel and Rich Aurilia. Here is a closer look at the 2009 San Francisco Giants and how I see them finishing in the NL West this season. Bet Giants + 3000 to win World Series at Sportsbook.com

Offense:

If the Giants are going to surprise everyone and compete for the NL West this season, they are going to need big years from some key youngsters like 3B Pablo Sandoval, 1B Travis Ishikawa, and 2B Emmanuel Burriss. These three combined to play just 166 games last year, and they are hoping their numbers will sore their first full season in the majors. CF Aaron Rowand’s power numbers dropped in 2008 as he went from hitting 27 home runs with the Phillies in 2007, to just 13 last year with the Giants. Right fielder Randy Winn is a good contact hitter, and is expected to jump to the top of the order in 2009 after hitting .306 with 38 doubles and a team-best 25 stolen bases. Fred Lewis was the lead-off hitter a year ago, but the Giants are moving him down in the lineup, hoping that he is ready to produce some bigger power numbers, after hitting .282 with 9 home runs, 11 triples, and 25 doubles in his first full season in the majors. Renteria has potential to put up solid numbers, but is coming off his worst average in the last 7 years, hitting just .270 with the Tigers last year. Veteran catcher Bengie Molina is coming off arguably his best season at the plate as he hit .292 with 16 home runs and a career-best 95 RBI. A lot has to go right for this unit, but the future looks bright for the slumping organization. Bet Giants +1200 to win NL Pennant at Sportsbook.com

Pitching:

With ace Tim Lincecum heading the rotation, the Giants pretty much know they have a real shot at winning every 5 days. Lincecum went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA, and led the NL in strikeouts with 265. Behind him there is a lot of potential, but it’s hard telling what to expect from the veteran Randy Johnson. The 45-year-old can’t have much left in the tank, even though he started 30 games and went 11-10 last season with the Diamondbacks. Barry Zito has had a rough go of things since joining the Giants, as he is now just 22-30 in his two years with the team, but did show some signs of returning to form at the end of last season. The Giants are also waiting for Matt Cain to have a breakthrough season, as he has went 15-30 after going 13-12 in his first full season back in 2006. His 3.76 ERA and 186 strike outs in 34 starts give hope that 2009 is going to be just that year. The fifth spot will likely go to Jonathan Sanchez who was a mediocre 9-12 with a very high 5.01 ERA. The Giants also get back Noah Lowry, who missed all of last season after going 14-8 in 2007, and he could push for the 5th spot or take over for Johnson if his arm decides to fall off. The bullpen is headed by closer Brian Wilson, who was excellent for a bad Giants team last season, converting 41 of 47 save opportunities. The newly acquired Bob Howry will likely take over the main set-up duties with Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo right behind. The pitching staff might have the best young pitcher in the game, but it doesn’t get much better after that, and the Giants need a lot to go right for this unit as well if they want to compete in 2009. Bet Giants +400 to win NL West at Sportsbook.com

Prediction: 4th in NL West

I am a big fan of what the Giants organization is looking to do with this team, and now we get to see how all that young talent plays out during an entire season. The Giants will compete, but it will likely be a couple years before they are back towards the top of this division.

For those of you looking to bet on the MLB this season, be sure to check out our expert MLB picks and get the very best MLB lines for every game at Betfirms.

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1 Comment

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One Response to “2009 San Francisco Giants Predictions”

Tom Ragsdale on March 3rd, 2009 7:23 pm

The first three pitchers in the rotation are excellent. The hitting is anemic. The team has got to get hits or move the runners on base around and score if the Giants are going to win more games than they did last year. They need to take a chance and use some of their newly drafted players rather than let them die in the minors. Buster Posey is one of the young men who can help the team right away if they would give him the opportunity.

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