San Francisco Bay Area Sports

In June 2008, the Giants' young lefty Jonathan Sanchez recorded a 5-1 record with an ERA below three. However, in the rest of his starts that came in other months, the Giants hurler went 4-11, including a 1-7 mark in his last eight decisions. For the year Sanchez finished 9-12 with a 5.01 ERA.

I admit to riding the Sanchez bandwagon back in June 2008, but I was also the first one off come July. Apparently I was one of the few that jumped off.

No matter where Pablo Sandoval ends up playing on the field for the San Francisco Giants in 2009 and beyond, there's one thing that's for certain: The kid is going to hit.

The burly Venezuelan has done nothing to diminish his standing as one of the Giants' best young hitters this spring. In 38 at-bats in March, Sandoval has hit .447 with two home runs and six RBI.

That's right...a .447 batting average.

I recently wrote that the San Francisco Giants could possibly land Miguel Cabrera. You can read about it here. 

There would be a few obstacles to such a deal. Cabrera’s contract runs through 2015, and due to past busts on long-term deals, the Giants might be unwilling to make such a long financial commitment. 

Last season, the Detroit Tigers finished 74-88, last in the AL Central, in large part due to their disastrous pitching. The Tigers' 4.90 team ERA in '08 was the fourth worst in the major leagues.

Detroit's hyped lineup was good, but it didn’t produce the galactic numbers that a lot of people expected. The Tigers may be facing some difficult financial decisions if their disappointing play continues. 

The Tigers were top three in player spending in 2008, along with the Yankees and Mets. They spent about $138 million.