It Begins...
To be honest, I’ve been suffering from major writer’s block all week; all I can think about is spring break--I burned out so quickly this year. So I’m just going to go ahead and write about what I know: baseball. In a few days I’ll be at Giants spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the anticipation is too much. As short as the off-season may have been, I’ve definitely been feeling the void deep in my soul. Seriously, I can feel it in my soul when the Giants aren’t playing. I expect a lot from this season, and with such a deep roster, the competition for the starting lineup is going to be tight. The starting pitchers pitch in the order as follows: Tim Lincecum (RHP), Jonathan Sanchez(LHP), Matt Cain(RHP), Barry Zito(LHP), and Madison Bumgarner(LHP). That lineup in and of itself upsets the sort of natural order of things, but players and clubs evolve. The (less than graceful) departures of Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria left room in the batting order for some new (and old) faces. I’m pulling for Emmanuel Burriss on second, though I know it’s not likely, as Freddy Sanchez is an ace. Burriss is my favorite player on the Giants and he’s had a rough go of it; I think he deserves his chance to shine. Then there’s always Charlie Culberson for second, a minor league player with huge promise. On the note of minor leaguers, Brandon Belt at first. It’s going to happen. A future all-star, he’s definitely getting a roster invite this year (barring injuries inhibiting his ability to play), which would take Aubrey Huff off of first base and into left field, presumably. With Rowand only playing center, that means Torres in right, taking another one of my favorite players, Nate Schierholtz, out of the lineup. Bummer. We have a lot of outfielders, which means that a lot of players won’t get the starting spots they deserve, but that’s the nature of the beast I guess. The infield is pretty deep too. The addition of Miguel Tejada should prove to be pretty positive, and I’m very excited to see how that will work out. Pablo Sandoval is really one to watch this season too; he met his off-season goals and is actively working on his hitting discipline; I think the panda’s back. And of course Buster Posey can’t go unmentioned. The 2010 Rookie of the Year who caught all of the postseason jacked his first pitch of spring training out of the park. If that’s not a sign of things to come, I don’t know what is. I can’t exclude, of course, Cody Ross and Pat “the Bat” Burrell, who are more flexible in their positions, but will still displace other guys in their inclusion in the roster. Of course, the starting line-up isn’t the end-all be-all; it is malleable and it evolves, but there can only be 40 men on the full roster, and spots fill up fast. Regardless of how Spring Training goes, I’m so excited for the regular season and to see my team defending their title as champions. Regardless of how we do this season, it’s going to be so great to see these guys playing together, many of them looking better than ever.
-kelsey laubscher
2 Comments:
Great article!..the yahoo sports writers let me down each day, i'll go to you for my sporting news now
I foresee a career in sports journalism, you have much baseball knowledge. Just remember, Padres>Giants.
--Weston Finfer
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