San Francisco Giants

This past fall, I spoke to my little brother far more often than I normally do.  He’s away at college, I work and we live on opposite coasts, so our schedules rarely seem to match.  

A couple days ago, I took a look at the Giants non-roster pitchers that they invited to Spring Training, mainly because I believe that the lack of pitching depth is one of the biggest Achilles' heels of this team.

But as I stressed in the last post, there is always a possibility of someone making such a name for himself this spring that he works his way onto the Opening Day roster and contributes. Again, see Juan Uribe and Andres Torres.

In 2010, Brandon Belt (talk about a perfect baseball last name) went from being a virtually unknown prospect to being mentioned as one of the best players in Minor League Baseball.

Power hitters are always at a premium because of their ability to instantly change a game.

Here's a list of ten power hitters the Giants could acquire to improve their 2011 outlook.

And no, Prince Fielder is not on the list. He's too fat.

Oh, one other thing. It isn't cutesy or clever to say well what if Pablo Sandoval has a comeback year, or Brandon Belt breaks out.

They're already on the team, knuckleheads.

Feel free to add any suggestions in the comments section below.

The NL West was arguably one of the best divisions last season thanks in large part to the Giants bullpen and the Padres' early success.

With young talent running deep, the NL West looks to continue its exciting play and eventually sponsor a squad in a playoff run in October.

Let's look at 25 guys that could make that a reality, or a repeat.

Begin Slideshow

Spring Training is a time for hitters to get back into the swing of things, for pitchers to shake off the rust and for coaches and managers to figure out what their strategy for the upcoming year is going to be. 

Spring is also a time for non-roster invitees, mainly top prospects looking to make a splash and prove they can hit big-league pitching, journeyman major-leaguers looking to latch on with a team, or proven players coming back from injury.

Perusing the internet as I do, I came across the latest piece by Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci, which was a very interesting read.

The best-selling author discussed young pitchers in the major leagues and claimed many have been overworked by their teams.

When the offseason began (and Jazz Hands Uribe bolted for a multi-year deal in LA), talk trended towards the San Francisco Giants going after Tampa Bay SS Jason Bartlett, Minnesota SS JJ Hardy or free-agent Miguel Tejada.

The Texas Rangers made headlines recently with the signing of Adrian Beltre. The next question they have to answer is concerning their former third baseman, Michael Young.

Young is not new to big league position changes, however. He's had time at all infield positions besides first base, although it's been some time since he's had to consider a switch. In 2008 he spent time at SS, and back in 2003 Michael Young was primarily a second baseman.

Word out today is that 2010 World Series MVP Edgar Renteria is to sign with the Cincinnati Reds for one-year, $3M deal.