In a conference call Tuesday with San Francisco Giants General Manager Brian Sabean, skipper Bruce Bochy, and team Vice President Bobby Evans had some offseason updates for a number of Giants players, including Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford.
Kung Fu Panda is mulling over the idea of shortening his trip to Venezuela to just about a week according Sabean and team Vice President Evans. His original plan was to play 10 games in his homeland. Pablo really wants to focus in on on his offseason conditioning program with Triple Threat Performance in Arizona, the group that helped him drop upwards of 40 pounds last Winter.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford will be a 'spirited topic' according to Sabean moving forward, who was impressed with his improvement in the Arizona Fall League this year. Skipper Bruce Bochy and Sabean agreed that the Giants might have to deal with Crawford's low offensive production if they can't improve through free agency or trades, though will not name him as the starter just yet.
As for Brandon Belt, Sabean wouldn't talk about his playing time next year, but had some nice things to say about his work in the Dominican winter league thus far.
"He should be proud of his efforts," Sabean said. "Fewer kids want to take on winter ball. He saw the value in getting more at-bats and finishing off what he wasn't able to do because of the time he lost with the injury and somewhat (because of) the lack of performance.
Moises Alou, the GM of Belt's Dominican team Escogido, has been sending Sabean positive reports on his progress and even saw some of him on tape as well:
"I was able to watch a couple of his games on Dominican TV and video and he made a concerted effort to make some adjustments. He was playable in the outfield, although we know his best position is first base. This was a nice step for him.
For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.