The defending champs enter a new season and pitchers and catchers have reported with a few regulars arriving early. Burrell, Ross, Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez all arrived early, determined to get a head start on defending their title. Bochy has already named Lincecum the Opening Day starter (no shit) and Lincecum looks to be in a lot better shape. His conditioning was put in question last year and he looks great early on. Posey said he was already throwing bullets. Speaking of Posey, he went deep in his first spring swing. Romo and Wilson still have their beards so it looks like business as usual in Giants camp. Here's what I am going to be focusing on throughout Spring Training:
- Pablo Sandoval's plate discipline. We all know he lost the weight but that was only a small part of the problem. I want to see a much better approach and him having better pitch recognition and being aware of the count. He swung at a lot of pitches with men on base that no one could drive and that's what resulted in him leading the league in GIDP.
- The rotation. Lincecum looks like he's ready to go right now according to Posey so that is a great sign. The rest of the rotation is up in the air. Bumgarner pitched around 80 innings more than he ever has before, Sanchez's velocity was down at the end of last year and Zito was left off the playoff roster. I am anxious to see how Zito will react this year. Last year he pitched behind Lincecum to start the season, this year he will likely pitch 5th.
- Brandon Belt. Belt is our top prospect and could make the team out of ST but it is highly doubtful. I just can't to see what this kid can do with the big boys. ST is not the best way to evaluate talent but you can get a good idea of what a player can do. I want to see Belt facing MLB pitchers, not invitees.
-Mark DeRosa's wrist. How will it hold up? Can he turn on the high heat? How will affect his fielding? Lots of questions around him. DeRosa would be the super utility guy for this team which would be great but wouldn't make or break this team. It would be nice to see him have a good start and possibly move him later in the year if necessary.
Just a few things I will be keeping an eye on. The Giants title defense has started. No more champions, its a brand new year. I am just hoping for a lot less torture but I doubt I will get my wish.