Pablo Sandoval

Dear San Francisco Giants Management,

Don't make the Buster Posey situation more complicated than it needs to be. History shows that a big—time player can emerge as a star without spending all his time playing one position until he finally earns a big league starting job.

When you think of someone with bad vision you tend not to think of baseball players who hit .330 with 25 home runs. 

Pablo Sandoval may have not had terrible vision, the Panda is getting some brand new Oakleys to help him "see" the ball better. 

I know what you're thinking. 

A guy who hit .330 is getting glasses so he can see the ball better? Cue the Tim The Toolman Taylor soundbite please. 

Apparently Sandoval has been wearing his new specs when he was playing in the Venezuelan league this past off season and the numbers speak for themselves. 

The 2009 season saw many players break out of mediocrity in America's Pastime, but only a select few of them can be expected to continue their newfound success into 2010.

You can ask Ryan Ludwick or Geovany Soto: at any rate, players that put together a career year without any moderate success before hand can be expected to see a drop in their statistics.

In this article I have identified the top breakout players of 2009 and analyzed whether or not they can be expected to follow it up with a big season this year.

Mark Reynolds

Just a few hours remain before San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Giants enter 2010 with raised expectations after a 16-game improvement on their record. That was good enough to get GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy sparkly two-year extensions.

Sabean stayed away from the big-name free agent hitters and instead decided to go with short-term solutions—something he has done time and time again in the past.

The San Francisco Giants, like most teams, won't find the answer to all their 2009 problems via the free agent waters. There are no magic bullets available this year—even the biggest catches aren't panaceas.

Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are wonderful Major League Baseball players, but neither is capable of singlehandedly turning around an anemic offense.

Bay was arguably surrounded by more hitting talent during his days in Pittsburgh than would accompany him in 2010 under the fog, and we all saw how ferocious those clubs were.

It is no secret that the San Francisco Giants are looking to bolster their offense this offseason.

But with both center fielder Aaron Rowand and shortstop Edgar Renteria holding down lineup spots due to their large contracts, signing two impact hitters will prove difficult for GM Brian Sabean.

From 2008-2009, the San Francisco Giants had their starting catcher Bengie Molina hit cleanup. Now despite being the most lackluster everyday cleanup hitter in the entire league, Molina was San Francisco's most productive offensive threat during that time frame.

However, with the emergence of Pablo Sandoval and a lineup featuring veterans like Freddy Sanchez, Edgar Renteria, Aaron Rowand, and hopefully another year of Juan Uribe; Buster Posey would not be forced into a situation where the spotlight is entirely on him.

Also featured on Rotoprofessor.com !

What does a player do after he finishes his first full season in the major leagues with the fifth highest batting average, finish sixth in the NL in slugging, and seventh in the NL in OPS? Oh yeah, and you constitute your team’s offense and only fantasy-worthy hitter in the lineup.

For those distracted by football and basketball, Major League Baseball is in the process of recognizing its outstanding players from the 2009 season. The biggies are still in the pipe, but those generally go to the right individual. At the very least, the final voting shows an appropriate depth of consideration and analysis even if the you don't agree with it.

Ultimately, a good faith effort is all anyone can reasonably demand during an entirely subjective exercise.

With the news that both GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy have received two-year extensions to stay in their respective roles for the San Francisco Giants, fans and media alike are starting to look for a new scapegoat.

Managing partner Bill Neukom and the rest of the Giants ownership group saw it fit to retain both men in their respective roles.  Why they made such a decision is a question fans will be pondering for a long, long time.