03-22-2024, 08:07 AM
Some thoughts…
1. What Bowden knows about baseball can be placed in a thimble with room left to fit an elephant. I stopped reading his stuff years ago. For whatever reason, he is a Negative Nancy when it comes to writing about SF.
2. 4-6 more wins is enough to put SF in play for a WC spot. As we have seen repeatedly, WC teams have performed very well in baseball. And this year, the Giants are set up to be at their best late in the season after Ray returns. In a best of three series, he could be the difference-maker. In a longer series, Webb, Snell, Ray, Cobb may be as good a rotation as any team in the game. Add to that, the improvements on the defensive side and you have a recipe for postseason success.
3. The concerns are twofold: a) Injuries - are the Giants deep enough to overcome an injury to a key player? What happens if Bailey goes down? b) Power - can the Giants produce enough runs on a consistent basis? Can Soler and Conforto combine for 55+ HRs?
4. Whither Luciano and Matos? While they will probably start the year in Sacramento, I think the Giants expect them to move up at some point. Will this be the year they finally make the jump and produce at the level scouts have been predicting? If so, they could be the X factor offensively later in the season.
I am not as positive as some regarding the team this year but I am certainly intrigued by the possibilities. Heck, if nothing else, at least SF has manager who will bring some structure to the clubhouse and believes in a fixed line-up. The days of bus station baseball with players constantly shuffling in and out are over.
1. What Bowden knows about baseball can be placed in a thimble with room left to fit an elephant. I stopped reading his stuff years ago. For whatever reason, he is a Negative Nancy when it comes to writing about SF.
2. 4-6 more wins is enough to put SF in play for a WC spot. As we have seen repeatedly, WC teams have performed very well in baseball. And this year, the Giants are set up to be at their best late in the season after Ray returns. In a best of three series, he could be the difference-maker. In a longer series, Webb, Snell, Ray, Cobb may be as good a rotation as any team in the game. Add to that, the improvements on the defensive side and you have a recipe for postseason success.
3. The concerns are twofold: a) Injuries - are the Giants deep enough to overcome an injury to a key player? What happens if Bailey goes down? b) Power - can the Giants produce enough runs on a consistent basis? Can Soler and Conforto combine for 55+ HRs?
4. Whither Luciano and Matos? While they will probably start the year in Sacramento, I think the Giants expect them to move up at some point. Will this be the year they finally make the jump and produce at the level scouts have been predicting? If so, they could be the X factor offensively later in the season.
I am not as positive as some regarding the team this year but I am certainly intrigued by the possibilities. Heck, if nothing else, at least SF has manager who will bring some structure to the clubhouse and believes in a fixed line-up. The days of bus station baseball with players constantly shuffling in and out are over.