2009 San Francisco Giants Odds & Predictions

Since winning 91 games in 2004, the Giants have not managed more than 76 wins in any of their last four seasons. The club has made strides in the starting pitching department, but what this team is missing is a guy they can count on to put up big power numbers. In other words, they could use another Barry Bonds. The San Francisco Giants are listed at +4000 to win the 2009 World Series.

Pitching
The Giants have themselves a keeper in ace Tim Lincecum, who blew away all other Cy Young contenders to bring home the award. It’s hard to wrap your head around a guy going 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA on a team that only won 72 games. Lincecum led the league in strikeouts as he mixed in a nasty change up to offset his upper 90’s heat. Matt Cain looks like a winner and pitches like one, but was just 8-14 in 2008 despite posting a 3.76 ERA. That’s because he has had the NL’s second lowest run support numbers in each of the past two seasons. It’s obvious that Barry Zito is not the pitcher he once was in Oakland, but he did post double digit wins for the eighth straight season as he performed well down the stretch. The Giants have also brought in future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson and they are confident that he will thrive in spacious AT&T Park. The Big Unit still posted a sub-4.00 ERA and had 173 Ks last season. We should see either Jonathan Sanchez or Noah Lowry taking the fifth starter spot.

Brian Wilson is a solid closer. His 41 saves tied for second in the NL and only two other pitchers have reached such a mark in franchise history (Robb Nen and Rod Beck). His performance was strong enough to earn him his first All-Star nod. The Giants problems were in the setup roles last season and they are hoping that Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt can be reliable guys in the seventh and eighth innings.

Lineup
Right fielder Randy Winn gives the Giants some nice speed at the top of the order. Winn stole 25 bases in 27 attempts last season and he also tied a career-high by hitting .306. The Giants have brought in shortstop Edgar Renteria, and they are hoping that he will be able to return to his 2007 form when he posted an on base percentage of nearly .400 for the Braves. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval showed glimpses of brilliance when he hit .403 with runners in scoring position in his 41 games with the club. The question is if he’ll be able to be as productive over the course of the entire season. Catcher Bengie Molina led all NL catchers with 95 RBIs and also proved his worth in the field by throwing out 35 percent of base stealers. As many expected Aaron Rowand’s numbers took a dive in spacious AT&T. He actually hit .287 on the road and just .256 at home. He still remained a solid contributor with 70 RBIs and he always plays hard in the field. Left fielder Fred Lewis’ 11 triples came up one short of matching Willie Mays and Steve Finley for the club mark. First baseman Travis Ishikawa hit 27 combined homeruns at all of his stops and second baseman Kevin Frandsen could be the next Dustin Pedroia.

Prediction: 3rd Place NL West
The Giants upgraded their starting rotation by signing the Big Unit and that should be worth a few more wins in 2009. But the Giants failed to sign an impact hitter and that will keep them from challenging for the division title.  The Giants are listed at +450 to win the NL West.

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