As a diehard, life-long Giants fan, visiting Spring Training has always been on my bucket list. Everyone always says how memorable and amazing Spring Training is, and I finally got my chance to go this year. I just graduated from UC Davis and finished my last final on Saturday the 23rd, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to catch the end of Spring Training. My dad and I left Sunday the 24th around 12, and after a brief night in Blythe, CA, we ended up in Scottsdale, AZ Monday morning before the Giants game at Hohokam Park in Mesa, AZ against the Cubs. As soon as we parked the car, I could already feel the excitement and the Giants spirit. I could hear the “Let’s Go Giants!” cheers all the way from the parking lot. We arrived to the game an hour early, and there were already a ton of fans there. This game was a sellout at Hohokam Park (13,374 people were in attendance), and the crowd was pretty evenly divided between Cubs and Giants fans. We sat on the lawn in the outfield for this game, and it definitely felt like the atmosphere in the bleachers at AT&T Park. We were right near the Giants bullpen, so we got an up-close look at Vogelsong warming up and Buster catching.

The lineup for Monday’s game was:
1. Pagan CF
2. Scutaro 2B
3. Arias SS
4. Posey C
5. Gillespie LF
6. Torres RF
7. Linden 1B
8. Noonan 3B
9. Vogelsong RHP

Vogelsong looked okay in his last Spring Training outing. He allowed six hits, two walks, three strikeouts, and three runs in his six innings. However, the Giants’ offense exploded for nine runs off of three hits from Buster Posey and Joaquin Arias, and a two-run double from Andres Torres. Angel Pagan and Nick Noonan also each had two hits. Noonan certainly bolstered his case to make the team as an extra utility infielder with his two doubles and stellar defense. Kontos, Lopez, and Romo pitched in relief as well, and they all looked ready for the regular season to start. The Giants won 9-3.

My dad and I were also able to go see Tuesday’s game at Scottsdale Stadium against the Padres. Scottsdale Stadium looks and feels almost like a mini-AT&T Park. We arrived an hour and a half before the game, and, again, there were a lot of fans there already. Unlike the last game, it seemed like 90% of the people in attendance at Tuesday’s game were Giants fans. I didn’t see many Padres fans at all. In fact, I saw more Angels and Dodgers fans, and even a couple Yankees and Royals fans. We sat along the first base line at this game, and fans were lined up shoulder-to-shoulder to get autographs from any Giants player they could. Being able to watch part of batting practice and pre-game warmups so close to the field for the first time was amazing in itself. But seeing how the some of the Giants, like Hunter Pence, would interact with the fans before the game was truly incredible. These little moments were why Spring Training was so memorable.

The lineup for Tuesday’s game was:

1. Pagan CF
2. Scutaro 2B
3. Pence RF
4. Posey 1B
5. Belt LF
6. Arias 3B
7. Crawford SS
8. Quiroz C
9. Petit RHP

With Sandoval still out with a nagging elbow injury and with Hector Sanchez still out with shoulder and calf injuries, Arias and Quiroz filled in at 3B and catcher, respectively. Other than that, this lineup was pretty close to the everyday lineup that Bruce Bochy will use in the regular season when Posey is taking a day off from catching. Matt Cain was supposed to start this game, but in order to preserve his pitch count and hide him from a division foe, the Giants started Petit instead, and Matt Cain started a simulated game earlier in the day.

Brandon Belt continued his incredible spring with three hits in four at bats, bringing his Spring Training batting average to .453 and .619 in his past six games. Brandon Crawford also had a great game going 2-4 including an RBI-double. His Spring Training batting average is now .365. Hunter Pence had a stellar game as well with a tie-breaking, two-run double, which brought his batting average to .361 in Spring Training. Petit went four innings giving up only four hits and one run, while walking two and striking out two. Mijares, Affeldt, Casilla, Proctor, and Machi all got in some relief work, and Casilla was the only one that allowed a run in the remaining innings. Mijares looked much better in this outing after having a bumpy first outing since an injury sidelined him, and Affeldt looked superb. The Giants won 4-2.

Overall, my first Spring Training experience was unforgettable. I can now see why people always say that if you’re a Giants fan, you have to go to Spring Training at some point in your life. Some people might not ever get another chance other than Spring Training to see the game so close, see the players so close, and possibly get some autographs and conversation from the players. Whether the game’s at Scottsdale Stadium or at another team’s home stadium in Spring Training, the atmosphere is incredible and, generally, more intimate than a normal MLB stadium.

Like I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite parts of Spring Training was seeing the players interact with fans, whether it was giving them an autograph, saying hi as they entered the field, waving, etc. Since the atmosphere of Spring Training is more relaxed and casual than the regular season, it’s great to see the players more interactive and aware of the fans, and it really seems like they made the extra effort to connect with fans, even if it just waving. I’d love to go back to Spring Training next year. As a sports fan, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life. As a college graduate, it was a great way to celebrate graduation through my love of sports. As a daughter, it was very special for me to be able to experience something as unforgettable this with my dad. Spring Training was even more memorable that I thought it would be, and I hope going to Spring Training becomes a tradition in the Pilloton household.

Some more pictures:

Bruce Bochy has been very quiet about what his postseason roster is going to look like. Now that the Giants have formally announced that they won’t bring Melky Cabrera with them to the postseason, the Giants’ coaches and management can bring along the players that truly helped them win the NL West. Bochy says that he is close to finalizing the 25-man roster, and one of the last things he has to consider is whether to have 11 or 12 pitchers. If he only has 11, he has to decide which position player will take that extra spot. When discussing this idea, Bochy brought up the disastrous 2003 playoffs that continue to haunt Giants fans today.

In 2003, the Giants decided to carry 12 pitchers on the roster because Jason Schmidt had a lingering elbow injury. Because of this, they were forced to leave off their fast outfielder, Eric Young. In Game 4 of the Division Series, the Marlins held a 2-1 lead in the series over the Giants and had a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Jeffrey Hammonds hit a single, and J.T. Snow tried to score from second. Snow was never known for his speed and was tagged out at home on a throw from Jeff Conine. Snow tried to hit the catcher, Ivan Rodriguez, hard enough that he might drop the ball, but Rodriguez, a future Hall of Famer, was able to hold on and give the Marlins the series win. If Young had been on the postseason roster, he could’ve pinch run for Snow and easily scored on the play. Therefore, the Giants are being cautious about bringing on too many pitchers, which could cost them speed.

So who could the Giants bring on for speed? The two most likely options are Justin Christian or Emmanuel Burriss. Francisco Peguero has been used in several pinch-running situations, but both Christian and Burriss have more experience and could provide some more versatility than Peguero would. Both Christian and Burriss aren’t known for their hitting, but both can play solid defense, and, of course, both are fast enough to steal some bases and give the Giants an advantage in their running game. Christian provides depth in the outfield, and Burriss provides depth in the infield. If Hector Sanchez really is going to catch Lincecum and possibly Zito in the playoffs and Buster Posey plays first base, then Belt would most likely play in left field those games, which would give the Giants some extra outfield depth. Since Blanco, Nady, Pagan, and Pence will also be on the postseason roster as well, it might make more sense for the Giants to bring on Burriss if they want to add some speed, but it’s a very close call. Burriss also has more major-league experience than Christian, which could be imperative in the playoffs.

Bochy also hasn’t fully decided on what the starting rotation will look like either. It’s pretty certain that Matt Cain will start Game 1 of the Division Series and that Madison Bumgarner will start Game 2. Tim Lincecum might be starting Game 3, but his recent performance in San Diego might make the Giants re-think this idea. Bochy has said that Zito and Vogelsong will both make the playoff roster and could potentially start based on matchups. If not, one or both of them will be available as a long reliever, if Lincecum is one of the starters. There are also a lot of questions involving relief pitchers. The five relief pitchers that are pretty much guaranteed a spot are Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, and Jose Mijares. This leaves one more spot open for a relief pitcher and it will most likely come down to George Kontos and Guillermo Mota. Kontos has been solid all year, but is young, which might give an edge to Mota. The fact that the Giants brought Mota back after his suspension shows that Bochy really believes in Mota and his abilities, which suggests that he will most likely be the 11th pitcher. If the Giants do decide to bring a 12th pitcher, then it seems as if Bochy would choose Kontos in that case.

The Giants have to also consider some players that could come off the bench in pinch-hitting situations. It’s almost entirely certain that the Giants won’t bring on Eli Whiteside, Brett Pill, and Peguero. Some of the backup position players to consider for roster spots are Huff, Theriot, and either Christian or Burriss for speed. This season, Huff hasn’t been a starter, which is what he was used to being throughout his whole career. With Belt’s emergence as a reliable hitter, Huff has had to accept his role as a bench player, and, as of recently, has been pinch hitting pretty well. He can provide a left-handed bat off the bench, which is valuable to have in the playoffs. However, if Huff makes the roster, it makes even more sense to go with 11 pitchers and bring on Burriss, because Huff will need a pinch runner if he can reach base. Theriot is a solid, veteran player with lots of playoff experience and he also provides some infield depth. He could be the primary right-handed batter off the bench too. Then, if the Giants decide to carry only 11 pitchers, either Christian or Burriss could take the 25th roster spot.

Here’s a look at what the 2012 Giants postseason roster would mostly likely look like with 11 pitchers:

1. Bumgarner
2. Lincecum
3. Cain
4. Zito
5. Vogelosong
6. Affeldt
7. Casilla
8. Romo
9. Lopez
10. Mijares
11. Mota
12. Posey
13. Sanchez
14. Arias
15. Belt
16. Crawford
17. Sandoval
18. Scutaro
19. Blanco
20. Nady
21. Pagan
22. Pence
23. Huff
24. Theriot
25. Burriss

Here’s what the 2012 Giants postseason roster would most likely look like with 12 pitchers:

1. Bumgarner
2. Lincecum
3. Cain
4. Zito
5. Vogelosong
6. Affeldt
7. Casilla
8. Romo
9. Lopez
10. Mijares
11. Mota
12. Kontos
13. Posey
14. Sanchez
15. Arias
16. Belt
17. Crawford
18. Sandoval
19. Scutaro
20. Blanco
21. Nady
22. Pagan
23. Pence
24. Huff
25. Theriot

The final decisions on the postseason roster will come down to Kontos and Burriss. Even though the starting rotation isn’t totally set yet, Bochy has already said that all five starters will make the postseason roster. In terms of the final positions available, Bochy has to decide if he wants to add some speed to the roster, which could pay off in close-game situations near the end of the game, or whether he wants to have an extra pitcher available and not have to potentially overwork Romo, Lopez, etc.

The 2012 All-Star Game MVP, Melky Cabrera, has been suspended without pay for 50 games for taking performance-enhancing drugs. According to CSN Insider Andrew Baggarly, Cabrera tested positive for testosterone sometime during the All-Star Break, but the Giants weren’t informed of the suspension until yesterday before the final game of their three-game series against the Nationals. In a statement released by the player’s union, Melky Cabrera said, “My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used. I accept my suspension under the Joint Drug Program and I will try to move on with my life. I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down.” Cabrera will miss the remainder of the season and the first five games of the postseason, if the Giants make the playoffs. However, if the Giants make it to the National League Championships, the timing of the end of his suspension will affect if he will be able to make the final playoff roster, since that is when he could be eligible.

Cabrera was having an MVP-like season while leading the National League in hits with 159 and was second in batting average, behind Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen, with .346. He also had 11 home runs and 60 RBI’s. Cabrera showed off his fantastic throwing and accuracy in left field on numerous occasions for the Giants. Despite the offensive and defensive prowess that Cabrera has displayed so far this season, Giants fans will miss their everyday left fielder and newfound hero. The “Melk-Man” became a fan favorite almost immediately, and many fans hoped that the Giants would be able to re-sign Cabrera in the offseason.

Cabrera’s future with the Giants is now in question. After the Giants traded for Hunter Pence, Giants GM Brian Sabean said that they would still have cap space to try to re-sign Cabrera in the offseason. Given the current circumstances though, it seems unlikely that the Giants will re-sign Cabrera. Although he is a beloved figure by Giants fans, Bochy and Sabean might find it too risky to re-sign him, and, frankly, not trust him anymore. When asked about the likelihood of bringing back Cabrera next season, Bochy said he couldn’t answer that question yet. “This guy is a really good player, and he’s a good person,” Bochy said. “These are questions I can answer a little bit later, but not right now.”

The Giants have had unfortunate luck with drug suspensions this season with this one being their second. Guillermo Mota was suspended in May for 100 games, and this was his second drug suspension in his career. Buster Posey said of the Giants’ latest drug suspension, “Ultimately it’s just a bad decision, and that’s all I’m really going to say about that.” Clay Hensley said, “It’s tough, because you don’t know what’s going through someone’s head. He’s going to suffer the consequences, and we’ve got to move on. But he’s a big bat, so that’s easier said than done.”

It’s a little unclear and quite suspicious when exactly the Giants found out about Cabrera’s drug use because of the timing of his drug test and then later his suspension. The Giants were talking to Cabrera and his agent about a potential contract extension around the All-Star break, around when the supposed drug test happened. Instead of signing an extension, the Giants suddenly announced that they would continue discussing an extension in the offseason, which seemed a little abrupt and unexpected. Perhaps the Giants found out about the positive drug test and wanted to wait to see if it resulted in a suspension before an extension was signed. If a suspension was never announced, maybe the Giants would decide to re-sign him, and vice versa. According to Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO who went to prison for steroid distribution to MLB players, Cabrera is not alone in using performance-enhancing drugs, but he is one of the few that will actually be suspended for it. Conte estimated that about half of all MLB players use some type of performance-enhancing drugs. Based on those odds and the low number of suspensions handed out, the Giants could have perhaps had an incentive to wait and see, regarding Cabrera’s possible contract extension.

The loss of Cabrera for the rest of the season will force the Giants to step up more than they ever have this season. They are going to have to play near perfect the rest of the season to compete with the Dodgers for the NL West title. Cabrera did not seem like a guy who would use PED’s. He seemed too kind and grateful to be one of those players, but, unfortunately, that is not the case. The Giants are still probably in shock about his suspension, but they need to get over this quickly and start winning games more consistently. As Hensley said, it’s one thing for the players to say that they need to step up without Cabrera, but actually doing it and executing, that’s a whole other ballgame.

The Giants acquired Hunter Pence yesterday from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Nate Schierholtz, one of the Giants’ top prospects, Tommy Joseph, and Class A pitcher Seth Rosin, who is not considered a top prospect. In addition, the Phillies also sent over $500,000 to the Giants to help cover part of the $3.8 million left on Pence’s contract for 2012. The pros of this trade definitely outweigh the cons.

Let’s start with the pros. One positive aspect of the trade is that Pence is not a “rental player.” One of the reasons why so many fans disliked the Beltran trade is because his contract was up at the end of the 2011 season, meaning he would become a free agent after being with the Giants for only a couple months, and there was no guarantee that he would re-sign with the Giants. Pence’s contract ends in 2013, so he will be with the Giants through next season, unless the Giants decide Pence is too expensive and trade him at the end of the season (that seems unlikely though).

One potential negative aspect is that taking on Pence’s contract could mean that it would be hard to re-sign Melky Cabrera in the offseason. However, Brian Sabean said after acquiring Pence, “There is some flexibility in the budget hopefully to sign Melky and plug what our holes will be in off-season.” Cabrera is a player that the Giants cannot let get away, so it appears as if Sabean will do everything he can to keep Pence and Cabrera around. If the Giants can have Cabrera and Pence in the corners of the outfield next year, that would be a pretty unstoppable combination.

Some fans could see trading away the number two prospect, Joseph, in the Giants’ system as a negative, however, it really is not. Joseph is a catching prospect, but the Giants already have plenty of catchers in the system with Andrew Susac rising in the ranks of prospects, Eli Whiteside, Hector Sanchez, and, obviously, Buster Posey. With the Giants’ depth at the catching position, trading Joseph is not a big loss. Rosin wasn’t a highly-ranked prospect, so losing him wasn’t too significant.

One negative is seeing Schierhotltz go. Giants fans will surely miss “Nate the Great” for his good attitude, all his years with the Giants, his incredibly accurate arm, and his excellent defense in AT&T Park’s strange right field. Schierholtz also had some great clutch, game-winning hits too. The bottom line is that Schierholtz played an important role on the Giants. He was a defensive specialist and a strong bench player who could come in to pinch hit and give the Giants a great at-bat. He was named the starter in right field a few times in his tenure with the Giants, but he was never able to consistently play in the starting lineup. Schierholtz has a natural power swing, and in a hitter’s park like Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Schierholtz will definitely show off his power that he wasn’t able to fully display at AT&T Park. Giants fans wish him nothing but the best in Philadelphia, especially since the Phillies lack outfield depth, he will get the starts that he deserves.

The main positive aspect of the trade that basically trumps all other aspects is Hunter Pence. The addition of Pence more than makes up for the loss of Schierholtz, who could never find offensive consistency, which cost him starts. His defense might not be as great as Schierholtz’ (although that’s an unfair comparison since Schierholtz’ defense in right field at AT&T Park is superior to anyone), but his hitting ability and his power is quite remarkable. In Pence’s career, he has hit a .290 average, .342 OBP, .481 slugging, 131 home runs, and 471 RBI’s. Pence is a two-time All-Star, and in 2011, when he was an All-Star, he hit a .314 average, .370 OBP, .502 slugging, 22 home runs, and 97 RBI’s. This season Pence is hitting .269, with 17 home runs, and 59 RBI’s. Pence, obviously, has incredible power and will fill the number five batting spot while Pablo Sandoval is out. The Giants needed outfield depth with Blanco and Pagan struggling, so Pence and his strong hitting will help the Giants immensely in their playoffs push. Hopefully, Pence can help the Giants win the NL West title.