San Francisco Giants: First-Quarter Progress Report
Apr 22, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) and teammates watch from the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 22, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) and teammates watch from the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have officially completed one quarter of their 2014 schedule. They currently have a 28-18 record, which puts them in first place in the NL West and gives them one of the best records in all of MLB. They’ve gotten off to a blazing start so far, and they haven’t shown any signs of slowing down yet.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

Golden State Warriors: Is A Kevin Love Trade Realistic?
Nov 6, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) plays tight defense on Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love (42) as he attempts to drive to the basket in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 6, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) plays tight defense on Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love (42) as he attempts to drive to the basket in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors had one of the best starting lineups in the NBA last season, but for the 2014-2015 season, what if the Warriors had a starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, and Andrew Bogut?

Many fans are more than willing to trade David Lee in order to get Love, in the hopes that the Warriors could potentially win a title with Love. The Warriors have been connected to Love in trade rumors for a few seasons now, but the trade rumors have started up again.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

San Francisco 49ers: Examining the Depth at the Wide Receiver Position
Dec 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

One of the San Francisco 49ers’ biggest weaknesses in 2013 was their lack of depth at the wide receiver position. With Michael Crabtree sidelined for much of the season and Quinton Patton also missing time due to injury, the 49ers had to rely on Anquan Boldin and Kyle Williams, which proved to be not enough for the 49ers’ offense.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

Golden State Warriors: Offseason To-Do List
July 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers addresses the media in a press conference after a sign-and-trade deal for Andre Iguodala (not pictured) at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

July 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers addresses the media in a press conference after a sign-and-trade deal for Andre Iguodala (not pictured) at the Warriors Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors have a lot of prove entering this upcoming season. They need to prove that they can seriously contend for an NBA title, which is easier said than done. Joe Lacob and Bob Myers have some major decisions to make this offseason in order to give this team a chance at contending.

Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.

San Francisco Giants: Who Will Step Up in Brandon Belt’s Absence?

Apr 3, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The San Francisco Giants are facing some serious adversity. Brandon Belt fractured his left thumb after being hit by a pitch in Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and will be out for at least six weeks. Where does this leave the Giants?

Belt was having a breakout season. He is currently tied for third in the National League with nine home runs, just behind Giancarlo Stanton and Troy Tulowitzki. Belt is a heart-of-the-order hitter for the Giants, so they will certainly miss his offense.

The Giants will greatly miss his defense as well. He’s an elite first baseman defensively. He has great instincts, and he can make tough plays because of his height and quickness.

So who will step up for the Giants in Belt’s absence?

The player that needs to step up is Michael Morse. He is already having a great season. He’s hitting .264 and has eight home runs, 24 RBI, and a .520 slugging percentage. Morse is going to have to dig deep and step up even more though.

Bruce Bochy has said that Morse will be the everyday first baseman in Belt’s absence. Bochy likes Morse’s height, his long arms, and his “condor wingspan.”

Morse told Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group that he’s versatile and is fine with playing first base.

“No big deal to me,” Morse said. “You just try not to think about it. You go out and let your talent take over.”

Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez could occasionally get starts there too, but Morse will start most of the time at first base. Bochy decided this was the best move, even over bringing up Adam Duvall from the Fresno Grizzlies, because Morse has the most experience at first base, and this move will give the Giants more speed in the outfield.

Morse will most likely not be able to match Belt’s defensive prowess, but more importantly, the Giants need him to be consistent at the plate and continue to hit for power and get hits with runners in scoring position.

As for left field, Bochy has said that he will go with the hot hand, which is Tyler Colvin right now. In his first start with the Giants and his first game at AT&T Park last night, he hit a home run and triple. He had been hitting well in Fresno recently, and it seems as if he’s brought that confidence at the plate with him into the big leagues.

Bochy told Pavlovic that he wants to see how Colvin does with more playing time.

“Colvin has picked up his play,” Bochy said. “He’s healthy and playing well down in Fresno. He’s swinging the bat much better after getting off to a slow start. He has experience and he’s a good outfielder.”

In addition to Morse, Colvin will also have to step up with Belt out. This is the ultimate opportunity for him to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. He needs to stay confident, and hopefully for him, that will translate into consistency.

The Giants could really use a stronger bench. If Colvin can be consistent and have good at-bats, he might get a chance to stay with the Giants even after Belt comes back. Colvin has an opportunity to get consistent playing time at the big league level with Belt out, and he needs to take advantage of it.

In addition, Morse has already helped bolster the Giants’ offense so far this season, but he will be called upon even more. Morse will potentially be the key to the Giants’ success in Belt’s absence.

San Francisco Giants: Can They Keep the Power Bats Hot?

Apr 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Morse (38) is congratulated by first baseman Brandon Belt (right) after a home run during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

So far this season, the San Francisco Giants are surprisingly one of the best power-hitting teams in MLB. They currently rank third in all of MLB with 43 home runs, which is even more impressive given the fact that they play their home games in the pitcher-friendly AT&T Park.

Much of the Giants’ power has been supplied by Brandon Belt, Michael Morse, and Buster Posey. Belt has hit nine home runs so far, Morse has hit eight, and Posey has hit seven. Brandon Hicks has even hit six, some of them coming at big moments.

Belt, Morse, and Posey are all on pace to hit at least 20 home runs this year, if they stay healthy, and many believe that Belt could possibly hit 30.

Belt, Morse, and Posey are just the second trio in Giants franchise history to hit six or more home runs prior to May 1st. The other trio was Willie Mays with seven home runs, Orlando Cepeda with six, and Ed Bailey with six in 1962. That’s certainly good company to be in.

Belt got off to a hot start in 2014, and he finished the month of April with six home runs and 12 RBI. Belt really got the Giants’ power bats going. He has also homered in every park the Giants have played in so far.

When the Giants first signed Morse, there were questions about if his power would translate to AT&T Park. Morse was confident when he gave Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group his answer to this question in February.

“I look at the bright side,” Morse said to me this February when I asked about moving to AT&T Park. “To me, it’s a ballpark – just like every other ballpark. It plays the way it plays and I don’t think about stuff like that. If you hit the ball good, it’s going to go out. If you don’t hit it good, it’s not going to go out.”

Morse is certainly hitting the ball hard this year, as he’s averaging 427.6 feet per home run this season. Bruce Bochy couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from Morse so far, and he shared his thoughts on Morse’s power with Pavlovic.

“For a guy to hit a ball where he hit it, a man has to do that,” Bochy said afterwards. “I guess that’s why he got nicknamed The Beast. There’s not a ballpark that can hold him, including this one.”

Posey added about 10-15 pounds of muscle in the offseason, and it has certainly translated to his power-hitting. Last season, he started to wear down in the second half of the season, and it affected his hitting. If Posey can stay healthy and stay strong throughout the season, he can certainly hit 20 home runs this year.

Not only have these players supplied the Giants with a lot of power, but Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence haven’t even gotten going yet, in terms of hitting home runs. Both Sandoval and Pence have only two home runs each so far this season.

Sandoval has been in a hitting slump this whole season. Giants fans know he’s capable of hitting at least 20 home runs though, like he did in 2009 and 2011.

Pence got off to a slow start, but he’s starting to heat up with the bat. He hit 27 home runs for the Giants last season, so it’s just a matter of time until he starts hitting for power. Also, ever since he became a full-time big leaguer, his home run totals each season have been: 25, 25, 25, 22, 24, and 27. Pence is always a threat to hit at least 20 home runs in a season.

It’ll be nearly impossible for the Giants to keep up this type of power production all season long, but with the addition of Morse, the Giants can certainly be a legitimate power threat, as a team. If Sandoval and Pence get going, the Giants will stay near the top of the standings for home runs.

The Giants will continue to get some occassional power from Hicks, Brandon Crawford, Hector Sanchez, Angel Pagan, and others. With Belt, Morse, Posey, Sandoval, and Pence though, the Giants are stacked in terms of power, and hopefully for Giants fans, they’ll hit for power all year.