Thursday, April 30, 2009

A look at the first month of Giants baseball

So the Giants finished April with a 10-10 record which is good enough for 3rd in the N.L. West. At some points they looked like a playoff caliber team, and at other points they looked like the worst team in baseball. But so far they have been what I expected. A .500 team with no power whatsoever and good pitching.

Giants MVP of the month: Bengie Molina, C
Molina has been the Giants best hitter to this point. He is 7th in the National League with 18 RBI. He is leading the team with a .329 average and 4 homeruns. Where Molina really impresses me is his .592 slugging percentage and .913 OPS. Molina isn't the ideal #4 hitter, but he is doing a nice job of driving in runs when the table is set.

Honorable Mention: Fred Lewis, LF
Lewis is down to a .299 average after his hot start, but he is the one person on the Giants who will actually take a walk. Lewis has 11 BB's on the season and a .420 OBP.

Cy Young of the Month: Matt Cain
Cain has been stellar so far. Through 4 starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.08 era. Cain looks slimmer this year, and it seems like he is ready to break out. He could be 4-0, but the bullpen has blown late leads in two if his starts. All 4 of Cain's starts have been considered Quality Starts. And don't forget, he is younger then....

Honorable Mention: Tim Lincecum
Lincecum struggled in his first two starts of the year, but he has been dominant since. He is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA. Most pitchers would be extatic about those kinds of numbers, but we all know Timmy can do better. He also has notched 43 K's in 31 IP, which is average of about 13K's per 9 innings.

Bum of the Month: Randy Johnson
Johnson has gotten off to a rough start. He is 1-2 with a 6.16 era. Johnson's control has been way off this season, and to show he has given up 13 BB's in 19 Innings. The killer for Johnson has been the 5 homeruns in 4 starts. Johnson is a Hall of Fame pitcher who will eventually find his groove, but unfortuantely for now he is the Giants Bum of the Month for April.

Other Notes:
-Edgar Reneria is hitting his stride now, and he is second on the team with 11 RBI's. He was struggling until about a week ago, and the fear of being lister SFsports bum of the month scared him into hitting well. Renteria also leads the team in runs with 13.

-After being rumored to be traded quite often this offseason, Jonathan Sanchez has done quite well. In 17 Innings, Sanchez has a 2.60 era and 17 K's. The Walks are still a problem though, he has given up 12 BB's.

-Free agent acquisition Jeremy Affeldt has been effective so far. He has 4 Holds and a 2.79 era in 12 apperances.

-The Giants are 2nd to last in the majors in runs scored and homeruns. But the pitching is keeping the team afloat. Their 3.90 era is 6th in the league right now.