Results tagged ‘ Kevin Correia ’

Bolstering the Bullpen

 

Giants fan everywhere can smile!

The Giants made good on their promise of upgrading the bullpen this off-season before the winter meetings have even begun. The Giants signed Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry to complement the youngsters slated to be members of a bullpen that should be handed many close games next season.

Affeldt comes over from Cincinnati after a season of setup work for the Reds. In 78 innings last year Affeldt struck out 80 batters and posted a 3.33 ERA while pitching in hitter friendly Great American Ballpark. This was a huge move by the Giants getting a lefty that has proven he is more than a left handed specialist. The Giants lacked this last year as Hinshaw and Taschner both were significantly better to lefties then they were to righties.

Howry comes back to the Bay Area after a 11 year absence. Originally drafted by the Giants, Howry was part of the “White Flag” trade with the White Sox’s back in the summer of 1997. A proven veteran, Howry’s coming off a rough year in Chicago. He signed a one year deal and is expected to share the setup role with Affeldt.

The Giants started their off-season by dumping Tyler Walker, Brad Hennessey, and Kevin Correia. Walker had a rough season coming back off of Tommy John surgery becoming the respiring of many “Boo Birds” in the later part of the season at AT&T Park. Hennessey and Correia both had been the fifth starter candidates for some years now and the Giants decided instead of making a decision on one or the other, to just go another direction.

No one will be more excited to see the new faces in the bullpen then the Giants starters. The Giants bullpen last year ranked 14th in the N.L. with a 4.45 E.R.A. and gave up the third most home runs despite pitching the fourth fewest innings and pitching in the enormous AT&T Park. Bochy can now go to his bullpen with a much higher level of confidence.

Hinshaw, Romo, Sadler, and Taschner will round out the much improved bullpen as the Giants go after their first NL West Title since 2003.

Who’s the Fifth Starter

The question for Giant’s fans going into spring training in recent years was who will take the final spot in the rotation: Kevin Correia or Brad Hennessey? Last year the job was Correia’s to lose, and unfortunately, due to injury, it looks like he lost it for good. The Giants cut ties with both the starting pitchers and reliever Tyler Walker in October creating a spot in the 5 man rotation.

Anchored by Lincecum and Cain the rotation is complemented by Lefties Jonathon Sanchez and Barry Zito. So the question remains who will round out one of the best rotations in the majors.

The Giants 2007 wins leader Noah Lowry didn’t throw a pitch in 2008 and had yet another surgery on his throwing arm in September. While Giants fans remain hopeful to see Noah pitch next season he cannot be the only option the Giants have.

Many fans have been calling for the return of Vallejo native C.C. Sabathia, but let’s be somewhat realistic here. One free agent option may be often injured Mark Prior. If he isn’t looking for a long term deal, he may be a perfect fit for the Giants. The Giants need a lot of help in the bullpen, and Prior could help there if he didn’t win the fifth spot in the rotation. If he did win the fifth spot, he could revive his career in a pitcher friendly ball park and give the Giants another year or two to develop their minor league pitchers.

If the Giants don’t go to the free agent market for their fifth starter, they will have some options out of their farm system. They recently received Minor League Baseball Pitcher of the Year honors at three levels. Class A Advanced stand out Tim Alderson, Class A starter Madison Burngarner, and Class A short season pitcher Kyle Nicholson all took the award at their respective levels.

The likelihood of any of these young flame throwers being ready for the beginning of the 2009 season is a long shot, but depending how they do at a higher level, don’t be surprised if you see one of them mid season.

Another option for the lack of offense Giants is trading one of their current starters. While no GM in baseball is going to take on Zito’s contract, Sanchez and Cain both have the stuff to land a big bat in a trade. Neither have very large contracts, and both have amazing stuff. If the Giants cannot find the offense their looking for in the free agent market, expect one of these two starters to be traded.

At that point the real question will be; who will be the fourth AND fifth starters?

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