View The MLB Cappers Leaderboard For 2009 \u00a0– Picks Packages for 2010 On Sale Now! \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/p>\n They say pitching, not hitting, is the key to building a championship team in Major League Baseball. If that statement is true, the San Francisco Giants are on the right track. Only four teams scored fewer runs than they did in 2009 \u2013 including the lowly Pirates and Padres \u2013 but San Fran more than made up for the lack of pop with stellar pitching.<\/p>\n It ranked second in the majors with a 3.55 team ERA. We know the pitching is for real. The question is whether the Giants can ramp up their offense enough to improve on last season\u2019s 88 wins. <\/p>\n The Giants may have the National League\u2019s best top four in a pitching rotation. Tim Lincecum, fresh off back-to-back Cy Young Awards in his first two full major-league seasons, is arguably the league\u2019s most dominant pitcher. Close behind him is Matt Cain, who always had bigtime talent but never got run support until last season. <\/p>\n Barry Zito has devolved from ace to innings eater but he\u2019s certainly no slouch in the middle of the rotation. At No. 4 is Jonathan Sanchez, a strikeout artist who was stellar after the All-Star break. If he can harness his control for a full season, he\u2019ll be dynamite. <\/p>\n It looks like Todd Wellemeyer will fill out the rotation. But watch out for Madison Bumgarner \u2013 yet another blue-chip pitching prospect in the Giants\u2019 system. He\u2019ll start the year in the minors but he looked good in his cup of coffee last fall (10 IP, 1.80 ERA, 10 K). <\/p>\n San Francisco doesn\u2019t have the deepest bullpen in the majors but it did well to lock up its two key late-inning guys, Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson, with contract extensions. Affeldt led all pitchers in holds last season and Wilson saved 38 games despite sometimes making Giants fans sweat and pitching out of jams. The key to the Giants\u2019 season is the offense. Can it improve? If the glass is half full, it can. Pablo \u201cKung Fu Panda\u201d Sandoval was one of baseball\u2019s absolute toughest outs last season \u2013 a true bad-ball hitter who makes violent contact. He exploded for a .330 average and 25 homers; his power could still improve, as he\u2019s just 22 years old. <\/p>\n But Sandoval may be the only given in San Francisco\u2019s lineup. Can the Giants really count on brittle Aaron Rowand and Freddy Sanchez? Aging Edgar Renteria and Bengie Molina? Hacker Juan Uribe? Even Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa, though they should drive in a decent amount of runs, are on the wrong side of 30. If rookie catcher Buster Posey eventually gets his shot, he could be a nice midseason shot in the arm for the offense. <\/p>\n What you see is what you get with San Francisco: great pitching and subpar hitting. It\u2019s still a recipe for decent success in the NL West and the veteran bats at least won\u2019t embarrass themselves. But, in the end, I\u2019m not convinced the Giants will improve their offense enough to reach the postseason. A win total similar to last year\u2019s sounds about right. <\/p>\nMLB Team Preview \u2013 San Francisco Giants <\/h3>\n
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