San Francisco Giants

With Buster Posey remaining in the San Francisco Giants' camp, the idea of him actually opening the season on the major league roster is becoming more of a reality.

Does it make sense to have one of your premier prospects simply watching from the sideline instead of getting at-bats at Triple-A? Not in the slightest, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.

The San Francisco Giants are one of baseball's toss-up teams this season. They could either have sustained success due to the depth of their starting pitching rotation, or miss the playoffs once again based on their offensive deficiencies. These five factors could make the difference between a long playoff run and an early end to to the season.

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Lets face it, no one ever gets the predictions for the season anywhere close to perfect. Every year new players blossom and new teams show up and act ready for the big show.

Some have been waiting for years for the right moments, others appear out of nowhere and even surprise themselves. Small money clubs are able to strive in a small division and sometimes even peak so fast that they are able to achieve the postseason status as underdog. I didn't predict the Cardinals by a longshot last year, and neither did many.

The San Francisco Giants competition for pitching roster positions is heading down to the wire as the 2010 season opener approaches. 

“Pitching wins championships.”

If the Giants are to win the National League West title—which I believe they will—it’ll have to be on the basis of its pitching staff because its offense certainly doesn’t look like it’s capable of scoring a bevy of runs. The offense finished 25th in MLB last season in batting average (.257), 26th in MLB in runs scored (657), and dead last in OPS (.699). This is not an offensive juggernaut.

But as bad as the offense was, the pitching staff was just that good; actually, it was even better.

If you're a true Dodger Blue fan in Los Angeles or elsewhere, Monday morning can't have been a pleasant one. At least as long as Major League Baseball was on your mind.

Sure, you've got the bristling young talents of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, and James Loney to go with still-coming Chad Billingsley (I'm not sold on Jonathan Broxton). Russell Martin ain't too shabby behind the dish either.

Of course, you also have an owner in Frank McCourt who seems loathe to part with a penny to better the franchise unless it's for maximum return.

The San Francisco Giants' Waldis Joaquin is on the bubble to make the 2010 Opening Day roster.

The ’10 bullpen staff already features a plethora of live arms and young talent, so the 23-year-old may have a tough time cracking the 25-man roster to start the year.

Joaquin began his career in 2005 at the age of 18 for the Giants' Rookie squad. He showed immediate potential, striking out 37 batters in 31.0 innings. 

Okay, so I did part one (a look at the one-two starting pitchers of each NL West squad) a couple of days ago.

I figured, with all the hoopla about Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson getting two-year extensions (which I'm not exactly thrilled about), that a look at all the late-inning specialists of each NL West squad was in order.

Love him or hate him, agree or disagree with his maneuvering, you cannot accuse San Francisco Giants General Manager Brian Sabean of being timid.

Given Sabes' recent run of iffy transactions—the Barry Zito-Scott Boras debacle, prematurely inking Edgar Renteria, the pending merit of the Freddy Sanchez swap, and so on—you might think the guy would lay low for a while. Enjoy the shelter of his new two-year extension.

Guess not.

As the Spring Training days count down, the Opening Day roster gets more and more set, and the battles for those final roster spots get more and more heated. This year is no exception, but due to injuries and some surprising spring performances, the spots open at the beginning of the offseason are not the same spots we see open now.

For example, most people thought that after his impressive debut, Madison Bumgarner was the favorite for the fifth starter spot. And he was.