Bruce Bochy hasn't made anything official regarding the Giants roster for the upcoming NLDS vs. Cincinnati besides the starters for games one and two.
That said, we're going to take an educated guess on which 25 guys will fill out their active roster, as well as the expected playoff rotation, and this is who we expect to get the nod:
Catchers: Buster Posey, Hector Sanchez
Infielders: 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Marco Scutaro, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Joaquin Arias, IF Ryan Theriot, 1B Aubrey Huff
Outfielders: RF Hunter Pence, CF Angel Pagan, LF Xavier Nady, OF Gregor Blanco
Starting Rotation: 1. RHP Matt Cain 2. LHP Madison Bumgarner 3. RHP Tim Lincecum 4. RHP Ryan Vogelsong
Bullpen: RHP Sergio Romo, LHP Javier Lopez, RHP Santiago Casilla, LHP Jeremy Affeldt, RHP Guillermo Mota, LHP Jose Mijares, RHP George Kontos, LHP Barry Zito
The only two real question marks here, to me at least, is whether the Giants will roll with Francisco Peguero as the 5th outfielder and who will get the ball after Cain, Bumgarner and Lincecum. I think Peguero should get the call because of his versatility and speed. The Giants don't really have an everyday left fielder right now, and have been mixing and matching with Nady and Blanco for the most part. If Peguero makes the roster, he'll give Boch another capable glove that can play any outfield position and it would also allow Boch to use Blanco more freely as a pinch runner. Also, Nady has been having problems with his hamstring off and on since coming up to the Giants, and Francisco would give the team insurance in case that hammy acts up on him again. They could also go with Aubrey Huff to have his bat off the bench.
Other than that, the toughest decision Bochy is facing is which four starters will fill out his starting rotation. Based on the fact Vogelsong has a 6.75 ERA over his last 10 starts, and the Giants just don't seem to lose when Barry Zito takes the hill, I think it's very realistic that the man left of the 2010 Postseason roster, could get a start in the NLDS. Another thing besides recent success in Zito's favor is the Reds two best hitters bat from the left side, and Bochy may want to get that 2nd lefty in their to try and neutralize Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Vogey has returned to form in has last 3 starts though, and Zito is more of a fly ball pitcher, which could hurt him vs. a team like the Reds. There's really a strong case to be made for both, and wouldn't be surprised to see Bochy hold off on an announcement on it until after game one or two.
We'll update our list above when the rosters become official, and we'll be back tomorrow after game one to do our recap, so stay posted here for Giants coverage throughout the playoffs!
Also, in celebration of the Giants winning the West, we here at The Giants Baseball Blog will be giving away a few of A&E Sports Baseball's Greatest Games DVD's, The Matt Cain Perfect Game Edition. For your chance to win the first round, e-mail us (contact info on site) with your pick for team MVP for 2012 (excluding Buster Posey), and a brief reason why. Please put "Cain DVD" in subject line and we'll post the winning e-mails here at The Giants Baseball Blog at the conclusion of the promotion!
That said, we're going to take an educated guess on which 25 guys will fill out their active roster, as well as the expected playoff rotation, and this is who we expect to get the nod:
Catchers: Buster Posey, Hector Sanchez
 |
| Cain Preps for Gm. 1 |
Infielders: 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Marco Scutaro, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Pablo Sandoval, IF Joaquin Arias, IF Ryan Theriot, 1B Aubrey Huff
Outfielders: RF Hunter Pence, CF Angel Pagan, LF Xavier Nady, OF Gregor Blanco
Starting Rotation: 1. RHP Matt Cain 2. LHP Madison Bumgarner 3. RHP Tim Lincecum 4. RHP Ryan Vogelsong
Bullpen: RHP Sergio Romo, LHP Javier Lopez, RHP Santiago Casilla, LHP Jeremy Affeldt, RHP Guillermo Mota, LHP Jose Mijares, RHP George Kontos, LHP Barry Zito
The only two real question marks here, to me at least, is whether the Giants will roll with Francisco Peguero as the 5th outfielder and who will get the ball after Cain, Bumgarner and Lincecum. I think Peguero should get the call because of his versatility and speed. The Giants don't really have an everyday left fielder right now, and have been mixing and matching with Nady and Blanco for the most part. If Peguero makes the roster, he'll give Boch another capable glove that can play any outfield position and it would also allow Boch to use Blanco more freely as a pinch runner. Also, Nady has been having problems with his hamstring off and on since coming up to the Giants, and Francisco would give the team insurance in case that hammy acts up on him again. They could also go with Aubrey Huff to have his bat off the bench.
Other than that, the toughest decision Bochy is facing is which four starters will fill out his starting rotation. Based on the fact Vogelsong has a 6.75 ERA over his last 10 starts, and the Giants just don't seem to lose when Barry Zito takes the hill, I think it's very realistic that the man left of the 2010 Postseason roster, could get a start in the NLDS. Another thing besides recent success in Zito's favor is the Reds two best hitters bat from the left side, and Bochy may want to get that 2nd lefty in their to try and neutralize Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Vogey has returned to form in has last 3 starts though, and Zito is more of a fly ball pitcher, which could hurt him vs. a team like the Reds. There's really a strong case to be made for both, and wouldn't be surprised to see Bochy hold off on an announcement on it until after game one or two.
We'll update our list above when the rosters become official, and we'll be back tomorrow after game one to do our recap, so stay posted here for Giants coverage throughout the playoffs!
MATT CAIN PERFECT GAME DVD GIVEAWAY
Also, in celebration of the Giants winning the West, we here at The Giants Baseball Blog will be giving away a few of A&E Sports Baseball's Greatest Games DVD's, The Matt Cain Perfect Game Edition. For your chance to win the first round, e-mail us (contact info on site) with your pick for team MVP for 2012 (excluding Buster Posey), and a brief reason why. Please put "Cain DVD" in subject line and we'll post the winning e-mails here at The Giants Baseball Blog at the conclusion of the promotion!
Comments
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