Breaking NewsSponsored by The Sullivan Auto Group
Subscribe: Home Delivery Special!
Giants report card
By Nick Peters - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:02 am PDT Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C4
CATCHER: A
Reliable Bengie Molina proved to be the club's finest free-agent signing, handling a young staff well and providing clutch hits and inspiration.
FIRST BASE: D+
A failed experiment, with Rich Aurilia, Ryan Klesko and rookie Daniel Ortmeier providing merely 16 home runs when power and production were sorely needed.
SECOND BASE: F
Ray Durham plunged from an A to an F in one year as the primary culprit of a short-circuited offense. He provided little batting around Barry Bonds.
THIRD BASE: B
Pedro Feliz improved dramatically by staying consistent throughout the season, contributing some power and playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.
SHORTSTOP: B
OK, so he lost some touch at the plate, but Omar Vizquel, the best shortstop in San Francisco history, still was a dazzling marvel afield at age 40.
LEFT FIELD: B
Bonds, the other ageless wonder, punctuated a remarkable 15-year run with the club by setting the career home run record and hitting beyond expectations.
CENTER FIELD: D
Another disaster, with Dave Roberts unable to ignite the offense and providing fewer thrills on defense than rookie acquisition Rajai Davis.
RIGHT FIELD: B
A nice season for Randy Winn, who bounced back from his 2006 slump and performed well at the plate and in the field. He might be used as trade bait.
ROTATION: B
Better than the numbers suggest despite Barry Zito's rough start. Matt Cain should sue for non-support, Tim Lincecum is a keeper and Noah Lowry a potential trade chip.
BULLPEN: D
Too many late-inning meltdowns exposed a lack of consistency in the closer and setup roles. Brian Wilson's emergence was the most encouraging sign.
BENCH: D
Pinch hitting suffered when Mark Sweeney was traded, but youngsters Kevin Frandsen, Nate Schierholtz, Freddie Lewis and Davis flashed promise.
MANAGER: D
Bruce Bochy depended on a stout bullpen to perform some magic in San Diego, but most of the rabbits he pulled out of the hat as a San Francisco rookie died.
GENERAL MANAGER: D
Brian Sabean didn't get enough bang for the buck last winter, but he has proven effective when given a mandate for change, and that's imperative with Bonds gone.
OVERALL: D
A few higher grades kept this from being an F, but the Giants were the majors' most disappointing team and a collective failure despite Bonds-fueled popularity.
Recommend this story at Yahoo! Buzz:
Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Most Popular
More Stories in Sports
RELATED STORIES
QUICK JOB SEARCH
News |
Sports |
Business |
Politics |
Opinion |
Entertainment |
Living Here |
Travel |
Blogs |
Cars |
Homes |
Jobs |
Classifieds/Shopping
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map | Advertise | Guide to The Bee | Bee Jobs | FAQs | RSS
Contact Us | e-edition | Subscribe | Manage Your Subscription | E-newsletters | Sacbeemail | Archives
sacbee.com | Sacramento.com | Capitol Alert | SacMomsClub.com | SacPaws.com | SacWineRegion.com
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St. P.O. Box 15779 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 321-1000