The teams' final homestand of the season gets started Thursday night and it could be the final time Giants' fans get to see Barry Bonds wearing the orange and black at AT&T Park. Bonds is going to become a free agent after the world series ends and while I have a tough time picturing him in any other uniform, I don't think Bonds will be back with the Giants next year. He had his spurts at times early this season in which he carried the club with his bat, but it's clear that he no longer is the offensive catalyst he once was. Bonds currently has 28 home runs on the year and is hitting .279 which are still very good numbers for a 43 year old, but his play has dropped off significantly over the second half of the season and he just isn't worth the 18+ million dollars he's being paid this season. September has been the roughest month of the year so far for Bonds as he's gone deep just once and has battled nagging injuries. As much as I support Bonds and appreciate what he's done for the Giants over the years, I will not be upset to see the Giants part ways with him after the year. It's a move that has to be made in order for this organization to take the next step forward in rebuilding. So Giants fans, try your best to get to the ballpark during this last week because it's likely to be the last time you see the great Barry Bonds playing for the good guys.In addition to Bonds' potential farewell homestand, I am also looking forward to getting a better look at the rookies who Bruce Bochy has pledged to play consistently over the last 2
weeks of the season. The two guys I am most intrigued with right now are Nate Schierholtz and Dan Ortmeier. Both these guys could have significant roles with this team next season and both have been getting a lot of playing time lately. Schierholtz is especially intriguing because he's only 23 and has hit .300 or better at every level in his pro career and is hitting .306 through 85 big league at-bats this season. In my opinion, he has the best shot of any of the young players on the club at eventually becoming an everyday player. The one area I would like to see Schierholtz improve on is his plate discipline. He's walked only 2 times in his 87 plate appearances with the Giants and had only 17 walks in over 400 at-bats in Fresno this year. I'd also like to see him show some pop. After hitting 16 jacks in 4 months at Fresno, he's still looking for his first major league home run.
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April: 8
May: 4
June: 4
July: 4
August: 7
September: (so far) 1
Altogether, he has 28 homers, and in his career so far, he has 762 homers. So, he needs 38 homers to get to 800. So, it's not likely that he'll hit his 800th next season, but it IS likely that he'll get his 3000th hit. He needs only 65 more of those to join another elite club that he doesn't deserve to be in.