2. Giants
-Season story lines: The Giants view last year’s second-place finish as an aberration — albeit an 86-win aberration. Their offense should be improved with the return of catcher Buster Posey, the 2010 National League rookie of the year, and the additions of outfielders Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan. The team resisted temptation to move Posey to first base after he broke his ankle on a play at the plate in May. Patience won’t be a virtue with this team. They can’t continue to waste superb efforts by their rotation. If first baseman Aubrey Huff struggles, he could be replaced quickly by Brandon Belt.
-Season stat: 866. Games missed by players in 24 stints on the disabled list last season. The Giants again don’t have the depth to survive major injuries to their front-line starters and will open the year with second baseman Freddy Sanchez and starter Ryan Vogelsong on the DL.
-Sco-ts’ take: They’ve had a good spring, but you still wonder if they’ll have enough offense. I wonder about their pitching, too. If Brian Wilson is healthy, they won’t have to worry about their bullpen. But you just wonder how healthy he is. I don’t know if they’re protecting his elbow. They have some nice scrappy extra infielders, but someone is going to have to start at second base for Freddy Sanchez. He won’t be ready. The biggest surprise on their team might be (outfielder) Gregor Blanco. He has a nice, compact swing, and he’s looking a lot better against left-handers. To me, Brandon Belt should be the first baseman, but they’re stuck with that contract for Aubrey Huff.