57-year old manager Bruce Bochy is one of the best in the business as evidenced by his two World Series’ championships in the last three years.  Bochy led the Giants to a 94-68 (58%) record during the regular season and he was also 11-5 (68.8%) in the playoffs.  He is now 503-469 (51.7%) in his first six regular seasons as the Giants’ manager and he is also 22-9 (71%) for them in the playoffs.  Bochy is now 1,454-1,444 (50.2%) during the regular season in his first 18 years as a major league manager.  He is also 30-25 (54.5%) in the playoffs so far in his career.  I look for Bochy to have the Giants right in the mix for the World Series again in 2013.

The Giants’ starting rotation gets all the headlines, but the bullpen slams the doors.  They are loaded with quality righties and lefties for the 2013 season.  30-year old righty Sergio Romo will be the closer when the 2013 season begins.  He pitched in 69 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 4-2 with 14 saves, a 1.79 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 276 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 20-9 with 17 saves, a 2.20 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.  33-year old lefty Jeremy Affeldt and 32-year old righty Santiago Casilla will be the top set-up men for the Giants in 2013.  Affeldt pitched in 67 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 1-2 with 3 saves, a 2.70 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 621 games (42 starts) in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 36-37 with 28 saves, a 4.01 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  Casilla pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 7-6 with 25 saves, a 2.84 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 326 games (0 starts) in his first nine years in the majors and he is 22-14 with 37 saves, a 3.62 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.  35-year old Javier Lopez and 28-year old Jose Mijares give the Giants a couple of really quality lefties in the pen along with Affeldt.  No team can match that quality or depth from the left side in the bullpen.  Lopez pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 3-0 with 7 saves, a 2.50 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 560 games (0 starts) in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 23-11 with 12 saves, a 3.83 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.  Mijares pitched in 78 games (0 starts) for the Royals and Giants last year and he was 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 264 games (0 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 6-8 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  27-year old righty George Kontos, 27-year old lefty Dan Runzler, 31-year old righty Ramon Ramirez and 29-year old righty Chad Gaudin will be competing for bullpen jobs this spring.  Kontos pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 2-1 with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 51 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.  Runzler pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 89 games (1 start) in his first four years in the majors and he is 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  Ramirez pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 3-4 with 1 save, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  Ramirez has now pitched in 417 games (0 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 23-21 with 9 saves, a 3.32 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.  Gaudin pitched in 46 games (0 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 4-2 with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.  Gaudin has now pitched in 314 games (75 starts) in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 40-42 with 2 saves, a 4.63 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2013:  A

Every single member of the Giants’ 2013 starting rotation won at least 10 games in 2012.  It all starts with 28-year old righty Matt Cain.  Cain pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 236 games (235 starts) in his first eight years with the Giants and he is 85-78 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  The bigger the game, the better Cain pitches.  23-year old lefty Madison Bumgarner is a rock solid #2 starter, as he is a pitcher on the rise.  Bumgarner pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 16-11 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 87 games (84 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 36-30 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.  28-year old righty Tim Lincecum’s 2012 season was a complete disaster.  He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Lincecum has now pitched in 189 games (188 starts) in his first 6 years in the majors and he is 79-56 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  The Giants have their fingers crossed, hoping that Lincecum can have a solid year in 2013.  35-year old righty Ryan Vogelsong is a late bloomer to say the least.  He pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 14-9 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 181 games (82 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 37-38 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  The Giants hope that Vogelsong has another good year in him.  34-year old lefty Barry Zito rose up out of the ashes in 2012.  He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 15-8 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 400 games (394 starts) in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 160-132 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  The Giants hope that Zito has another good year for them in 2013.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2013:  A

The Giants are expecting big things out of 29-year old righty swinging RF Hunter Pence in 2013.  Pence played in 160 games for the Giants and Phillies last year in which he was 156 of 617 (.253 avg, .743 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 24 homers, 104 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Pence played in 159 games (all starts) in RF last year and he had 11 assists and 7 errors there while showing poor range.  Pence has now played in 894 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 991 of 3,473 (.285 avg, .813 OPS) with 475 runs scored, 138 homers, 516 RBIs and 67 stolen bases.  Gregor Blanco can also play RF if the need arises for the Giants in 2013.  He played in 54 games (50 starts) for the Giants last year in RF and he had 1 assist and 1 error there while showing poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RIGHT FIELDERS IN 2013:  B+

The San Francisco Giants are hoping for another big season in 2013 out of 31-year old switch-hitting CF Angel Pagan.  Pagan played in 154 games for the Giants last year and he was 174 of 605 (.288 avg, .778 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 15 triples, 8 homers, 56 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.  Pagan played in 151 games (148 starts) in CF last year for the Giants and he had 7 assists and 5 errors there while showing off outstanding range there.  Pagan has now played in 695 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 678 of 2,414 (.281 avg, .757 OPS) with 358 runs scored, 41 homers, 265 RBIs and 124 stolen bases.  Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres can also handle playing CF whenever Pagan needs a day off.  Blanco played in 30 games (14 starts) in CF for the Giants last year and he had 0 assists and 1 error there while showing out of this world range.  Torres played in 124 games (101 starts) in CF for the Mets last year and he had 6 assists and 2 errors there while showing off outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTER FIELDERS IN 2013:  B+

29-year old lefty swinging Gregor Blanco and 35-year old switch-hitting Andres Torres will probably share time in LF in 2013.  Blanco played in 141 games for the Giants last year and he was 96 of 393 (.244 avg, .676 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 5 homers, 34 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  He played in 53 games (25 starts) in LF last year for the Giants and he had 2 assists and 0 errors there while showing poor range.  Blanco has now played in 394 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 279 of 1,103 (.253 avg, .680 OPS) with 144 runs scored, 7 homers, 87 RBIs and 52 stolen bases.  Torres played in 132 games for the Mets last year and he was 86 of 374 (.230 avg, .664 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 3 homers, 35 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  Torres didn’t play at all in LF for the Mets last year.  He played in 124 games (101 starts) in CF last year and he had 6 assists and 2 errors there while showing outstanding range.  Torres has now played in 547 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 394 of 1,638 (.241 avg, .708 OPS) with 244 runs scored, 30 homers, 153 RBIs and 73 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LEFT FIELDERS IN 2013:  C-

26-year old switch-hitting 3B Pablo Sandoval came to spring training heavy again this year and that has the Giants’ brass a little angry with him already.  That being said, the Giants hope that Sandoval can stay healthy in 2013.  He played in 108 games for the Giants last year and he was 112 of 396 (.283 avg, .789 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 102 games (101 starts) at 3B last year and he made 13 errors there while showing outstanding range.  Sandoval has now played in 571 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 636 of 2,102 (.303 avg, .844 OPS) with 278 runs scored, 76 homers, 310 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.  28-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias will be the Giants’ top backup at 3B in 2013.  He played in 112 games for the Giants last year and he was 86 of 319 (.270 avg, .693 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 5 homers, 34 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Arias played in 74 games (39 starts) at 3B for the Giants last year and had four errors there while showing off good range.  Arias has now played in 225 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 157 of 576 (.273 avg, .685 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 5 homers, 57 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.  28-year old switch-hitting Tony Abreu and 34-year old righty swinging Wilson Valdez could also get some P.T. at 3B in 2013 for the Giants.  Abreu played in 6 games (4 starts) at 3B for the Royals last year and he didn’t make any errors there while showing out of this world range.  Valdez played in 14 games (5 starts) at 3B for the Reds last year and he had 2 errors there while showing outstanding range.  25-year old lefty swinging Conor Gillaspie is a longshot to play 3B for the Giants.  He played in 6 games for the Giants last year and he was 3 for 20 (.150 avg, .350 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 0 homers and 2 RBIs.  He played in 5 games (all starts) at 3B for the Giants last year and he made 2 errors there while showing below average range there.  He also played in 108 games in AAA-ball for the Giants last year and he was 116 of 413 (.281 avg, .786 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 14 homers and 49 RBIs.  Gillaspie has now played in 29 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 9 for 44 (.205 avg, .566 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THIRD BASEMEN IN 2013:  B+

The San Francisco Giants hope that 26-year old lefty swinging Brandon Crawford starts to hit better in 2013.  Crawford played in 143 games for the Giants last year and he was 108 of 435 (.248 avg, .653 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 4 homers, 45 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 139 games (122 starts) at SS last year and he had 18 errors while showing off out of this world range.  He has now played in 209 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 148 of 631 (.235 avg, .632 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 7 homers, 66 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  34-year old righty swinging Wilson Valdez and 28-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias can handle playing SS if the need arises.  Valdez played in 77 games for the Reds last year and he was 40 for 194 (.206 avg, .463 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 0 homers, 15 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  He played in 33 games (27 starts) at SS last year and he had 1 error there while showing pretty poor range.  Valdez has now played in 439 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 270 of 1,142 (.236 avg, .594 OPS) with 131 runs scored, 6 homers, 107 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  Arias played in 50 games (38 starts) at SS last year and he had 4 errors while showing off pretty horrible range there.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHORTSTOPS IN 2013:  C-

The Giants will have 37-year old righty swinging Marco Scutaro for the whole season in 2013 and he will be the starting 2B.  Scutaro played in 156 games for the Giants and Rockies last year and he was 190 of 620 (.306 avg, .753 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 7 homers, 74 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.  He played in 118 games (109 starts) at 2B last year and he had 8 errors there while showing out of this world range.  Scutaro has now played in 1,259 games in his first 11 years in the majors and he is 1,209 of 4,388 (.276 avg, .731 OPS) with 625 runs scored, 75 homers, 478 RBIs and 53 stolen bases.  28-year old switch-hitting Tony Abreu and 34-year old righty swinging Wilson Valdez will be trying to make the Giants as a back up this spring.  Abreu played in 22 games for the Royals last year and he was 18 of 70 (.257 avg, .641 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 15 RBIs.  He played in 11 games (10 starts) at 2B for the Royals last year and he had 1 error while showing slightly below average range there.  Valdez played in 77 games for the Reds last year and he was 40 for 194 (.206 avg, .463 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 0 homers, 15 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Valdez played in 22 games (8 starts) at 2B for the Reds last year and he had 1 error while showing horrible range.  Valdez has now played in 439 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 270 of 1,142 (.236 avg, .594 OPS) with 131 runs scored, 6 homers, 107 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  28-year old righty swinging Joaquin Arias is the Giants’ top backup at SS and 3B for the Giants, but he could fill in at 2B if needed.  He played in 4 games (2 starts) at 2B last year and he made 1 error there while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SECOND BASEMEN IN 2013:  B+

24-year old lefty swinging Brandon Belt was essentially the starting 1B except when Barry Zito was starting (Buster Posey played 1B in most of those games).  Belt played in 145 games for the Giants last year and he was 113 of 411 (.275 avg, .781 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 7 homers, 56 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.  Belt played in 139 games (102 starts) at 1B for the Giants last year and he had 8 errors.  Belt has now played in 208 games in his first two years with the Giants and he is 155 of 598 (.259 avg, .762 OPS) with 68 runs scored, 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  The Giants hope that Belt steps up both with his glove and his bat in 2013.  25-year old righty swinging Buster Posey is a catcher by trade, but he plays a lot of 1B when he’s not catching.  Posey played in 29 games (all starts) at 1B for the Giants last year and he had 2 errors.  I look for him to play 25-30 games at 1B for the Giants once again in 2013.  28-year old righty swinging Brett Pill is #3 in line at 1B for the Giants.  Pill played in 48 games for the Giants last year and he was 22 of 105 (.210 avg, .618 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 4 homers, 11 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 24 games (18 starts) at 1B for the Giants last year and he made 2 errors there.  Pill has now played in 63 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 37 of 155 (.239 avg, .702 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 6 homers, 20 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Pill is going to be hard pressed to make the opening day roster for the Giants in 2013.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE FIRST BASEMEN IN 2013:  C+