The Giants have six contenders for the 1B job and they will be competing for it this spring. In pencil the Giants have written in the name of 25-year old lefty swinging Travis Ishikawa. Ishikawa played in 33 games for the Giants last season and he was 26 for 95 (.274 avg, .769 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 15 RBIs. He also played in 112 games in AA+AAA ball last year and he was 121 for 405 (.299 avg, .955 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 24 homers and 94 RBIs. Ishikawa does need to improve his defense if he wants to win the starting job at 1B in 2009 for the Giants as he made 3 errors there in only 29 games.

37-year old righty swinging Rich Aurilia will likely get some playing time at 1B for the Giants this season. He played in 140 games for the Giants last season and he was 115 for 407 (.283 avg, .745 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 10 homers and 52 RBIs. He played surprisingly well on defense for the Giants at 1B last season only making 4 errors in 82 games there.

25-year old lefty swinging John Bowker will likely make the team as either the 1B or a backup outfielder this spring. He played in 111 games for the Giants in 2008 and he was 83 for 326 (.255 avg, .708 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 10 homers and 43 RBIs. Bowker is not a good defender at 1B as he made 6 errors there in only 71 games last season.

31-year old righty swinging Josh Phelps is a long shot here but there is no disputing that he has the power needed for the position. He played in 19 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 9 for 34 (.265 avg, 600 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 1 RBI. He also played in 126 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 134 for 461 (.291 avg, .941 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 31 homers and 97 RBIs. Phelps is not a good defender but if he hits it won’t matter.

36-year old righty swinging Scott McClain keeps putting up huge numbers in AAA and the Giants keep calling him up every September. He played in 14 games for the Giants last season and he was 9 for 33 (.273 avg, .853 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He also played in 134 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 143 for 477 (.300 avg, .941 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 29 homers and 108 RBIs.

22-year old switch hitting Pablo Sandoval will likely be the starting 3B for the Giants in 2009 but he could also handle 1B. He only made 1 error in 17 games for the Giants at 1B in 2009. Sandoval has the best bat of this bunch.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D

34-year old righty swinging Bengie Molina is coming off the best season of his major league career and he’s looking for an encore in 2009. He played in 145 games for the Giants last season and he was 155 for 530 (.292 avg, .767 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 16 homers and 95 RBIs. Molina was also solid on defense throwing out 32 of 100 (32%) basestealers last season and Giants’ pitchers had a 4.30 ERA throwing to him. The Giants might want to give Molina a little more time off next season to keep him fresh.

22-year old switch hitting Pablo Sandoval is one of the best prospects the Giants have. He will likely start at 1B or 3B this season for the Giants but he could still also serve as the backup catcher when Molina needs a break. Sandoval played in 41 games for the Giants last season and he was 50 for 145 (.345 avg, .847 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. He threw out 3 of 10 (30%) basestealers and Giants’ pitchers had a 4.38 ERA throwing to him. Sandoval also played in 112 games in A+AA ball last year and he was 157 for 448 (.350 avg, .972 OPS) with 90 runs scored, 20 homers and 96 RBIs. He has a very bright future with the Giants.

If the Giants choose to leave Sandoval at 1B or 3B this season then 29-year old righty swinging Steve Holm will have a chance to win the backup job. He played in 49 games for the Giants last year and he was 22 for 84 (.262 avg, .762 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. Holm also played in 22 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 18 for 66 (.273 avg, .700 OPS) with 7 runs scored and 11 RBIs. Holm only threw out 2 of 23 (9%) basestealers for the Giants last season and Giants’ pitchers had a 4.71 ERA with him behind the plate.

29-year old righty swinging Eli Whiteside is a long shot to win the backup job for the Giants in 2009. He played in 57 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 40 for 175 (.229 avg, .600 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 3 homers and 23 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B+

The Giants have signed 35-year old righty starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz to a minor league deal. He pitched in 17 games (all starts) in Japan last season and he was 4-7 with a 5.82 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Ortiz has now pitched in 258 games (210 starts) in his major league career and he is 84-80 with a 4.90 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Ortiz will be a long shot to win a spot on the Giants’ pitching staff out of spring training but he’s worth the risk.

The Giants have re-signed 37-year old righty swinging infielder Rich Aurilia to a minor league deal. He played in 140 games for the Giants last season and he was 115 for 407 (.283 avg, .745 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 10 homers and 52 RBIs. Aurilia has now played in 1,592 games in his major league career and he is 1,550 for 5,599 (.277 avg, .767 OPS) with 735 runs scored, 184 homers, 740 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Giants as Aurilia will likely get some P.T. at both 3B and 1B in 2009.

The Giants weren’t afraid to spend some cash to improve the roster for the 2009 season. Edgar Renteria should have a good season returning to the National League where he’s always played his best baseball. The Giants also brought in veteran infielder Juan Uribe to battle for either the 3B or 2B job this spring. The Giants really improved an already strong pitching staff over the winter and the prize signing was Randy Johnson who proved last season in the second half that he has a lot left in the gas tank. He should also be a good influence to the younger pitchers on the Giants’ staff. Adding lefty Jeremy Affeldt and righties Bobby Howry and Justin Miller should really help set up the bullpen in front of closer Brian Wilson. The only thing the Giants have not addressed this off season is the need for a big bat in the middle of the lineup, but, with prices coming down on free agents they might make a big signing in the next couple of weeks.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE GIANTS: B+

The Giants have signed veteran infielder Juan Uribe to a minor league contract. Uribe played in 110 games for the White Sox last year and he was 80 for 324 (.247 avg, .682 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 7 homers and 40 RBIs. He has now played in 986 games in his major league career and he is 870 for 3,438 (.253 avg, .718 OPS) with 432 runs scored, 111 homers and 459 RBIs. Uribe could battle 24-year old switch hitting Emmanuel Burriss for the starting job at second base in 2009. Even if Uribe doesn’t win the starting job at 2B this was still a good move for the Giants as he will likely help off the bench.