The Giants need some offense!!

While the new arrivals to the Giants: Sanders, Shinjo, Bell, et al are excellent defensive players–especially Shinjo–the team’s real need is more offense. Maybe a system of roatating players such as Feliz and Minor into the lineup along with some use of Benard and Martinez could generate some hitting into the lineup. When Feliz joins the lineup Bell can play too giving Snow or even Kent a rest.

With Bonds hurting maybe he should go on the DL until he can be 100% in the field. The idea of Bonds, a multi Gold Glove outfielder, making errors on consecutive days is just proof that he is not at his best and it isn’t just his power loss I am talking about.

The pitching looks OK especially the starters who have performed well enough that the Giants record could easily be 20-7 or even 22-5. Livan has lost two well pitched games. The bullpen has blown three others, and Rueter has pitched well enough to have a 5-0 record. Maybe Fultz is the only reliever to have had really bad outings.

Maybe the biggest problem for the long haul is that the Giants seem to have no faith in their younger players–and this goes back to at least 1997. How long did it take before Rich Aurilia could land the starting shortstop job away from journeymen like Jose Vizcaino and Rey Sanchez? While having veterans gives the team stability, I think that prospects such as Feliz and Minor ought to get some playing time especially when the veterans are not really producing. Snow seems to have lost his knack for driving in runs, so there are a couple of solutions available on the roster: Kent can play first and David Bell move to second base. Then Feliz, who seems to be hitting much better this year, could get into the lineup–and I don’t mean batting eighth. This would seem an excellent idea when the Giants face lefthanders. Snow always looks paralyzed against lefties. And Minor will never develop as a power hitter getting to bat five times a week. Maybe the Giants need to use Minor at first with Bell sitting out against some right handers and Snow out of there most of the time.

Also, Torrealba should get more than an occasional start to see if he has a big league bat. Besides Santiago needs a rest at least two games a week so his leadership on the field is available in August and September.

Shinjo is the best in center field and after the past two years going with non center fielders like Benard and Dunston–or a non hitter like Murray–he looks even better as a fielder. But he doesn’t give the Giants what they need–a leadoff hitter who plays center field. Shinjo not getting on base means his great speed is not utilized to set up Aurillia, Bonds, and Kent. Having him hit seventh means the bottom of the order is almost non productive much of the time especially when Santiago is out of the lineup. Bell is passable at leadoff because he can get on base–but he is not fast enough to move himself to second and often dies there when the job of bringing in runs gets past Kent to Snow or Sanders who haven’t been hitting.

16-11 is a miracle given the Giants lack of production so far, but it would seem that they need to take steps to vary their offense when they can go through weeks losing games by scores like 2-1, 4-3, 9-2, 8-4.

Bill Graff