Were on the eve of the 2012 Giants Fanfest, which in other words says to baseball fans "it's time to forget football and shift focus to the diamond". The two guys who will be monitored closely and brought along a bit slower than the other players are Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez.
Listening to both on KNBR interviews over the last few days certainly has me optimistic about each players health, but only time will tell and we won't really know what kind of shape these guys are in until they get a few games under their belt in March. Obviously, being a catcher and coming off the injury he suffered last
season, most eyes will be on the Giants young backstop, as they have to determine just how often he'll be able to catch early on in the season. It's already been stated by both Posey and Bochy that both expect Posey to get a lot more time at first base than he has in his professional career so far, but he did play a lot of games there in 2010 when the team still had Bengie Molina on the roster, so it's not like he'd be uncomfortable over there when he does start at first. Plus, he's such a good athlete and has extensive experience at the collegiate level playing every position on the diamond that he'll be playing every single day that his leg will allow him to, whether it's first base or catcher. I'll tell you one thing, to me, it's seemed like it's been years since we've got to watch Buster Posey play, I've almost forgotten just how good of player he is and the dude should be primed for his best season of his career if he can avoid any prolonged DL stints.
The Giants will also be monitoring Freddie Sanchez's progress extremely closely as full-squad workouts begin in a few weeks. Sanchez lives in Arizona during the offseason and has been working out at lot at the Giants complex in Scottsdale, and he sounded really well in his interview Friday. This is a
contract year for him and as good a hitter and defender he can be when healthy, he's getting a little older and if he has another injury plagued season in '12, it will handicap any hopes of getting himself one last multi-year contract. Ever since his trade over from Pittsburgh in 2009, Sanchez has spent the majority of his time in San Francisco on the DL, and that has to change in 2012, not only for his sake entering free agency, but most importantly, the team's offense needs that .300 hitting, slick-fielding Sanchez they thought they trading for back in '09. I mean, he's had his moments, and was big for the team down the stretch in 2010, but he'd be the first to tell you that he hasn't played as well as he'd hoped during his tenure here, and the only reason for that is because he hasn't been able to stay on the field. Luckily for the Giants, the injury suffered in 2011 was kind of a "freak accident" injury as his shoulder just snapped out of it's socket, and as long as it heals properly, which it is, it shouldn't be an issue for him going forward once it's fully healed.
Coming Up: Final prediction for the 2012 opening day roster, including projected lineup, bench, bullpen and starting rotation. With the recent adds of Ryan Theriot and Clay Hensley, it changes things up a bit since our last projection in December, and unless the Giants do something unexpected and bring in another outfielder, it looks like their roster is pretty much set.
Listening to both on KNBR interviews over the last few days certainly has me optimistic about each players health, but only time will tell and we won't really know what kind of shape these guys are in until they get a few games under their belt in March. Obviously, being a catcher and coming off the injury he suffered last
season, most eyes will be on the Giants young backstop, as they have to determine just how often he'll be able to catch early on in the season. It's already been stated by both Posey and Bochy that both expect Posey to get a lot more time at first base than he has in his professional career so far, but he did play a lot of games there in 2010 when the team still had Bengie Molina on the roster, so it's not like he'd be uncomfortable over there when he does start at first. Plus, he's such a good athlete and has extensive experience at the collegiate level playing every position on the diamond that he'll be playing every single day that his leg will allow him to, whether it's first base or catcher. I'll tell you one thing, to me, it's seemed like it's been years since we've got to watch Buster Posey play, I've almost forgotten just how good of player he is and the dude should be primed for his best season of his career if he can avoid any prolonged DL stints.The Giants will also be monitoring Freddie Sanchez's progress extremely closely as full-squad workouts begin in a few weeks. Sanchez lives in Arizona during the offseason and has been working out at lot at the Giants complex in Scottsdale, and he sounded really well in his interview Friday. This is a
contract year for him and as good a hitter and defender he can be when healthy, he's getting a little older and if he has another injury plagued season in '12, it will handicap any hopes of getting himself one last multi-year contract. Ever since his trade over from Pittsburgh in 2009, Sanchez has spent the majority of his time in San Francisco on the DL, and that has to change in 2012, not only for his sake entering free agency, but most importantly, the team's offense needs that .300 hitting, slick-fielding Sanchez they thought they trading for back in '09. I mean, he's had his moments, and was big for the team down the stretch in 2010, but he'd be the first to tell you that he hasn't played as well as he'd hoped during his tenure here, and the only reason for that is because he hasn't been able to stay on the field. Luckily for the Giants, the injury suffered in 2011 was kind of a "freak accident" injury as his shoulder just snapped out of it's socket, and as long as it heals properly, which it is, it shouldn't be an issue for him going forward once it's fully healed.Coming Up: Final prediction for the 2012 opening day roster, including projected lineup, bench, bullpen and starting rotation. With the recent adds of Ryan Theriot and Clay Hensley, it changes things up a bit since our last projection in December, and unless the Giants do something unexpected and bring in another outfielder, it looks like their roster is pretty much set.
Comments
I'm so excited for this season, I think it's going to be a good year. I like the comparison to the 2010 feel. Posey and Sanchez each look healthy and let's just hope they can stay that way. I'm optimistic though!