The San Francisco Giants didn’t have a lot of power with their infield players last year, but with the addition of a few new faces their may be an offensive upswing for the G-Men this season. Here’s a little breakdown of the infielders on the Giants roster for 2011:
Pablo Sandoval: Arguably the biggest story of Spring Training was how Kung Fu Panda transformed his body with a rigorous offseason workout regiment, but he also retooled his game. His his new physique Pablo will be more active at third base, be able to have freer swings at the plate, and might even steal a base or two. He will definitely be looking to improve on his .268 batting average and 63 RBI of last season, and I think he will by leaps and bounds.
Miguel Tejada: The veteran shortstop was acquried from the Padres during the offseason, and will be looking to bring some of the succes he had with the Oakland A’s earlier in his career back to the Bay. The 2002 AL MVP has definitely lost some pop at the plate and a step in the field, but can still be an active leader on the team and hopefully bring some clutch ABs to the team. Tejada hit .269 last year with 15 HR and 71 RBI, and I’m sure the team’s braintrust will be happy with similar production this year.
Freddy Sanchez: The 2006 NL batting champion is finally 100% healthy to start a season, and will hopefully bring some more production with the extra playing time away from the DL. Freddy always brings it with the glove, but could definitely improve his production as he had only 47 RBI last year (in 111 games). I think Freddy is ready to have a big season this year as long as he can keep away from the injury bug.
Brandon Belt: The rookie sensation was elated to make the regular season squad, and so was the Giants’ fan base. But the question is can he produce in the big leagues? Well he only hit a measly .352 in 136 minor league games with San Jose, Richmond, and Fresno last year as well as 23 HR and 112 RBI. Not too shabby huh? Everyone would love if the Giants had back-to-back rookies of the year, and I think it is a possibility this year.
Mark DeRosa: The Giants ‘super-utility’ guy this year, DeRosa is versatile enough to play any infield position as well as even fill in in the outfield. DeRosa has got to be chomping at the bit to get out there and play since his season lasted 9 games long in 2010, and with his wrist all healed (knock on wood) he will be a key component to the Giants success this year.
Mike Fontenot: Fontenot was another midseason pick up for the Giants last year, and played in only 28 regular season games for them. But he finished the season with a respectable .283 average for the season with the Cubs and the Giants, and will be a valuable addition as a late game defensive replacement, a fill in to give a guy like Tejada a day off, and a pretty clutch pinch hitter. Good guy for the Giants to keep stashed away.