Giant All-Star's.

This year Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Marco Scutaro, and Sergio Romo will be headed to the All-Star Game which will take place at Citi Field New York City.

This will be Scutaro's very first All-Star Game, even after almost 20 years in the Major League's.

Unfortunately, none of these men will be starters in this game, but they have all voiced how excited they are to be able to be a part of it.

Go National League!!! :)

Tim Lincecum throws first career No Hitter!

On Saturday July 13, 2013 everything seemed to be going right for the 29 year right-hander Tim Lincecum, who  mowed through the Padres line up (with a little bit of help from his Giants defense).

In 9 innings, Lincecum surrendered 148 pitches, while striking out 13 batters, walking 4, and hitting 1.

But this game was no walk in the park. Their were several terrific plays made by 3rd baseman Pablo Sandovol, who had to scramble over and grab the ball and then throw it over to first base in order to keep the No Hitter intact.

One play in particular came with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Alexi Amarista was at the plate and he hit a rocket towards the right fielder Hunter Pence. With a tremendous leap towards the incoming ball, Pence did a half somersault and the ball soured right into his glove!

Lincecum also got quite a bit of help from his offense, which was able to score 9 runs throughout the game, which most likely helped to take the pressure off of Lincecum.

The day after Lincecum threw his No Hitter, I was watching Baseball tonight on ESPN. I don't remember who was talking , but they were discussing how risky it was for Bochy to allow Lincecum to finish the game and throw that many pitches. The announcer then said that this could be an indication that Bochy does not intend for Lincecum to be with the Giants for too much longer (since his contract ends after this season).

I can understand the announcer's argument: 148 pitches is a lot of stress to put on your arm (if your pitcher), but I think if we are going to judge Bochy's decision, we have to put ourselves in his shoes. Lincecum was so close to a dream that every pitcher hopes to pitch at least once in his career.
As the 9th inning approached, Lincecum had already thrown 131 pitches, but he only had to get 3 more outs to accomplish his goal. If I were in Bruce Bochy's shoes, I think I would give Lincecum a chance to accomplish his goal....if he walked another batter I might have pulled him.

As to Lincecum leaving after this season, I think (at least I hope) the Giants will sign him to a more long term contract, just like they did for Matt Cain and  Buster Posey, who both started their career with the Giants. During the off season, the Giants signed Posey to a nine year deal, and Matt Cain to a 6 year deal. Lincecum has been through so much with the Giants! I hope they aren't willing to let him go so soon.

Matt Cain gets Opening Day start.

On April 1, the Giants will play their rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This year, Bruce Bochy decided to give Matt Cain the first start of the year. Cain will pitch against the Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

Bochy has also mixed up the rotation, just a little bit.
For the last few years, the Giants have went in to the season with Tim Lincecum leading.
This year the rotation will go: Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Ryan Vogelsong.

Translation: Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
Sounds pretty good if you ask me.

Should the Giants re-sign Brian Wilson?


Opening Day is creeping up on us! On April 1st the Giants will begin the 2013 season with a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One thing that hasn't yet been settled though is: Brian Wilson.
For now the Giants seem to be a bit wary of re-signing him, only because he has had the Tommy John surgery twice already, and they are unsure whether or not it will have benefited him at all...
For now they have kept in contact with him, but the chances of him being re-signed seem a bit slim.

Keeping that in mind, do the Giants really even need Wilson?
They seem to have been alright without him last year..... Romo, Casilla, Affeldt, Lopez and so many others seem to have done exceptional without Wilson on the mound.
But, mentally they will always be relievers. That doesn't mean they can't close though.
Romo did amazing as a closer during the Post-Season. But he didn't step into that role until the Post- Season, and he didn't stay a closer for very long. He will still always be a reliever.

I like Wilson as a player. His cheerfulness and his sense of humor are something that every clubhouse should have. It helps to keep the players loose and pumped up.
I would honestly hate to see him go to another team, and excel somewhere else. I do think that he still has enough life left in his arm.

Hopefully the Giants will see the effect that he has on the team (on and off the mound), and maybe ask him to come back and give him one more chance!! Who knows what could happen!

Giants re-sign Santiago Casilla to a three year, $15 million deal.

I believe that it was a wise decision to re-sign Casilla.
He is a very talented right handed pitcher. He adjusted nicely to his role as closer (during the 2012 season) in the absence of Brian Wilson.
 He did happen to go through a very long and grueling slump last summer, but he seemed to have regained his full form during the World Series.

Now that the Giants have re-signed Casilla, they basically have the exact same bullpen that they had throughout last season. With that thought in mind, they may be able to reclaim the World Series title again! I'm not saying it will definitely happen again, but they definitely have a shot at it!

The Giants have one of the strongest bullpen's in the league. The have pitchers like Romo and Lopez and Affeldt, who have the ability to overpower any hitter, whether they bat right or left handed. The strength and depth of this bullpen is something all Giants fans take pride, and it causes a lot of people to respect them, rather than overlook them.

Giants re-sign Scutaro!!
 
Merry Christmas!!
I apologize that I am little late in reporting the latest signings and re-signings. I was a little tied up with school. But now I'm off for a few weeks, so I have some time on my hands.

Within the last few weeks the Giants re-signed Marco Scutaro to a 3 year, $20 million deal.
Considering Scutaro's amazing year last year, I think that the re-signing is a great thing!!
The Giants needed a second baseman, and Scutaro is able to provide an impressive amount of defense, and he also adds a spark to the Giants lineup. Not to mention the fact that he is a long time Veteran, and he was on the team last year during the World Series. He also won MVP during the NLCS.

Scutaro, 37, will be with the Giants for the next three years. By the time his contract ends he will be 40 years old, but I don't think his age will hinder his ability to play. His ability to do what he did during the Post- Season last year proves that!

Scutaro was one of the most valuable trades that was made last summer. He was the only player who provided a dramatic effect on his new team. He helped to carry the Giants all the way to the World Series. Then he helped them win a World Series trophy.
 I am very excited to know that he will be coming back in 2013!!

Giants resign Pagan!

Well, its official. The Giants have resigned Angel Pagan to a four year, $40 million contract.

Pagan is probably not most well known for his bat, although he was always able to provide clutch at bats for the Giants, especially when he is their lead-off hitter.

I was mostly impressed with his defense though...

He is an incredible defensive player. He made some pretty amazing plays in center field last season, and he is a great weapon for the Giants to have!

I think that it was a wise decision to bring back Pagan, especially considering the impact he made for the Giants last season. He provides a certain depth to the outfield. Plus he is a great player to have in the clubhouse because he is always optimistic, and he believes in his team, and supports them to the end.

Pagan was one of the quiet weapons that the Giants had in the 2012 World Series. He wasn't one of the players that was able to come up with a hit at every at bat, but he was there doing what needed to be  done without a whole lot of fanfare.

I think the reason the Giants were able to win the World Series because they worked as a team. There isn't one player on the Giants who is their only big bat. There is a new player and a new story every single day. And Angel Pagan was definitely one of those players last season!