Fan News

Pablo Sandoval may be back at third base for the San Francisco Giants, but after his dismal performance on Sunday, there is cause for concern.

Yes, the Panda has only been back two games, but with his latest string off-the-field issues, how good will Sandoval be?

With the 2012 MLB first-year player draft now in the books, and with prospects signing left and right due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, baseball fans will get an early look at many of their team’s new players.

But how early can we expect to see some of these players? While some of the college players that were drafted may only be a year or two away, there are many prep players who are still years away from making an impact at the big-league level.

What is going on with Tim Lincecum?

The San Francisco Giants would sure like to know.

The two-time Cy Young award winner has gotten off to a horrific start this season, and after dropping to 2-7 on the year this past Sunday, something has to be done.

As the summer continues to heat up, so will talk of trade potentials and teams looking to make adjustments for a late-season push.

Although it is still fairly early, injury, slumps and poor records have already began to plague major league clubs.

Some teams like the Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros and, perpetually, the Oakland Athletics will enter rebuilding mode and begin to sell off contracts for prospects.

Bruce Bochy, general manager of the San Francisco Giants, is clearly one of the most underrated coaches in all of baseball.  Ranking third in wins among active managers, Bochy has flown under the radar for most of his managerial career, which is absolutely by design.

Brandon Morrow has been dominant this season but is in a bit of trouble once again after leaving his start after nine pitches on Monday night.

The New York Yankees have some pretty bad contracts on their hands these days. Alex Rodriguez isn't coming close to earning his $30 million salary, Mark Teixeira isn't worth his $23 million fee and even Derek Jeter is overpaid at close to $16 million.

Thank goodness for CC Sabathia. The Yankees are paying him over $24 million this season, but Sabathia is somehow managing to give them their money's worth.

What exactly is an All-Star?

After seeing the latest All-Star Update (NL/AL) and talking with experts such as Danny Knobler, I decided to take a closer look at this year’s possible selections.

The San Francisco Giants have started the season well, as they are in second place in the NL West at 34-27.

However, they still have one gaping hole: shortstop.

While you could argue that they have a hole in the rotation because of Tim Lincecum's slow start, Brandon Crawford's inconsistent play at shortstop has hurt the Giants. He has a .219 batting average and a 24.5 percent strikeout rate.

Oh, and his defense hasn't been too great either (as you may have noticed from the picture above). 

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will take the mound tonight in anticipation of his sixth win of 2012.

Wainwright, who is still getting back to form following Tommy John surgery in 2011, has seen more success in his last four outings than all season.

His sinker sinks again. His curve moves again. That wasn't the case earlier in the season.