Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez strolled into camp looking a bit different this year.

The 6'2" lefty is 12 pounds heavier than in 2009.

Normally that's a reason for face palms, mumbles, and grumbles from an already impatient fanbase.

Now if Sanchez weighed 245 pounds (ahem, Pablo Sandoval), that could prove problematic fatigue-wise down the stretch. The Giants need to stay fit in order to continue producing during September.

But Sanchez’s weight gain is meant to help, not hurt.

It is believed that his velocity and durability will improve thanks to his heavier figure.

There is a lot of skepticism concerning Jonathan Sanchez, and for good reason. While he threw a No-Hitter last season and was re-signed to a $2.1 million extension this offseason , a lot of Giants fans still question Sanchez's ability to pitch at the next level.

Say what you want about San Francisco GM Brian Sabean (I'm personally not a fan), but the man can build a defense.

The Giants were the fourth-best defensive team of 2009 according to UZR, behind the Mariners and Rays (by quite a bit), and just falling behind the Reds.

In particular, San Francisco's fielders showed incredible range, saving about 60 runs with range alone, according to the team's UZR breakdown. They were actually below-average at the other three components (arm, double plays, and errors), but only slightly, so the defense saved about 51 runs overall.

Intimidation can be utilized in any sport and when it comes to baseball, there is no player that brings the intimidation factor better than starting pitcher Brad Penny.

At 6' 4" and 230 pounds, "The Bull", as fans like to call him, is the guy who, when you pass him walking down the street, you'd expect him to be able to chuck a baseball 98 MPH.

His size and personality are fit for an NFL tight-end. (In fact, I would be surprised if he isn't already friends with colorful Jeremy Shockey of the New Orleans Saints.)

Let's just be honest, nobody around baseball figured Jonathan Sanchez would be the first San Francisco Giant to throw a no-hitter since 1976.

If anyone was willing to venture a guess, the most likely Giant would be either Tim Lincecum or perhaps Matt Cain. Even double-A prospects Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson were more likely to throw a no-hitter than Jonathan Sanchez.

The no-hitter Friday night by San Francisco Giants hurler Jonathan Sanchez is a reminder that one of baseball’s most hallowed accomplishments is not just reserved for pitchers with lofty career statistics. Instead, for one night anyone (even a pitcher with a 16-26 career record) can look like a Hall of Famer and stamp himself a place in baseball immortality.

No-hitters have a special place in baseball lore because, while there are other accomplishments that occur with less frequency, a no-hitter is one feat that can seemingly come out of nowhere.

A few weeks ago, Bay Area sports personality Shooty Babitt attributed Jonathan Sanchez’s lack of success to his lack of nickname. San Francisco has The Freak (Lincecum), Cainer (Cain), the Big Unit (Johnson), Big Z (Zito), but Sanchez is sans-pseudonym so far this year.

What a way to make history.

On a night that he wasn't even supposed to start, Giants lefthander Jonathan Sanchez tossed the first no-hitter in team history since 1976, when John "the Count" Montefusco did it at Atlanta. It was also the first no-hitter in the majors this season.

His dad, Sirgfredo, chose the perfect time to go to San Francisco and watch his son pitch.

"Right now I'm just going to go home and hang out with my dad," Sanchez said afterwards. "I was pumped that he was here watching the game."

This article is about no-hit bids by young or not ussualy good pitchers. Some of the weirdest no-hitters ever, like the Houston Astros 2003 bid, Dock Ellis's LSD game, and Bill Stoneman's 1969 no-hitter was in just the 9th game for the Expos.
You probably won't agree with me on most of my selections, and this article is in chronoligical order.
If you there's a major 'weird' no-hit pitcher that you think I've left off, just leave me a comment and I'll add them.

Just 24 hours ago, a pretty good portion of San Francisco Giants fans were wondering what the heck Jonathan Sanchez was doing back in the rotation after struggling so mightily before his demotion to the bullpen.

But because Randy Johnson was placed on the disabled list and, with much fanfare beforehand, Sanchez was put back in the rotation for the immediate future. It was one last shot to either show he is a valuable trade commodity or an arm that can stick with the club through the rest of the season.