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jingo
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Angel Pagan prides himself as the Giants' new leadoff hitter. The No. 1 man. So allow him to be the first to make a bold statement about the 2012 Giants in the National League West:
"I'm very, very confident that this is the team to beat," Pagan said.
Coming off their worst offensive season in the Third and King era, the Giants finished eight games behind division-champion Arizona in 2011 because their bats were light-years behind their arms.
The additions of Pagan and Melky Cabrera, coupled with less foot traffic in trainer Dave Groeschner's quarters - not to mention an Aubrey Huff sighting - are supposed to enhance an offense that finished last in the National League in runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and hitting with runners in scoring position.
And was similarly lousy in a whole bunch of other categories.
None of that deters Pagan, the enthusiastic outfielder who was acquired from the Mets in December for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez.
"We have what we needed," said Pagan, fully aware of the voids and who filled them. "We have speed. We have power. We have the pitching. We have everything. We have a very balanced team, and it seems like everybody gets along well.
"When I was with the Mets, I saw this team was in desperate need of a speedster at the top of the lineup that'll get on base for the RBI guys, and that'll be me. I'm ready. I'm healthy."
If Pagan is as good as he is eager, the offense is on the verge of an upgrade - but he needs tons of help if the Giants are to scare anyone. How scary were they last year when hitting .173 in two-out/runners-in-scoring-position scenarios - a buck-73?
That's the worst average in the 37-year history of the stat. The more important the at-bat, the tighter the grip, the worse the outcome.
"There's no excuse," batting coach Hensley Meulens said. "We have to be better. We have to find a way to give our pitchers more freedom. Turn this torture upside down."
Now along come Pagan and Cabrera, both switch-hitters with speed. They combined for 52 steals (32 for Pagan) and 170 runs (102 for Cabrera). Torres has speed, too. He simply didn't play enough or hit enough.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he'll try different lineup combinations in spring training, but it seems a no-brainer to bat Pagan first and Cabrera second (where he was positioned 144 times last year) or fifth/sixth (based on his 87 RBIs).
"I like the moves they made. I like the speed," said Tim Lincecum, who received zero run support in 10 of 33 starts last year and two runs or fewer in 21 starts. "I feel like in those games you're talking about, that one run could be made up with guys we have. It changes the game. Those 1-0, 2-0 games are winnable games."
Pablo Sandoval said, "It'll be a big difference to have those guys on base."
Speed on the bases isn't merely about stealing. It's about third-base coach Tim Flannery doing the get-your-butt-home dance. Giants runners, for years comfortable moving station to station, scored from second base on singles 57 percent of the time last season (90 of 157), ranking 12th in the league.
More speed should make Flannery boogie more.
"I'm pretty sure that's going to help our offense," said Meulens, who's welcoming more consistent at-bats in the leadoff spot from either Pagan or Cabrera, both of whom have much longer track records than Torres does. Plus, with more speed, Meulens is envisioning "perhaps a little calmer" approaches in RBI situations.
"Toning down anxiety," Meulens said.
Meulens watched all of Cabrera's 2011 at-bats on DVD and got enthused, saying, "He looked great from both sides." Cabrera was fifth in the majors with 201 hits, and Pagan is two years removed from a career-high 168. Let's not forget that Ryan Theriot, another newcomer who'll push Brandon Crawford at shortstop, hit .310 off lefties.
With those hitters, complemented by a healthier Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez and perhaps a Huff bounce-back, it would be nearly impossible to be as awful offensively. The Giants scored a league-low 570 runs, a drop from 697 (ninth in the NL) in their championship season.
"These guys are capable of it. They really are," Meulens said. "We have to utilize our park. Our park is more conducive to doubles or triples. We'll concentrate in spring training on attacking the ball and hitting line drives. ... If it's a lazy flyball, we've got a problem."
More than likely, it all starts with Pagan.
"I know they're counting on me at the top of the lineup," he said. "We've got a great pitching staff, the best in the league. If we score runs early, that'll be the difference. I have confidence I'll have a big year, and we're looking forward to building the best atmosphere and building a great team and winning the West Division.
"I can't wait to play in October."
No offense
The Giants' hitters were the least productive in the National League in 2011. Here's where they ranked among the 16 NL teams in some key categories:
Category/Total/NL rank
Runs/570/16th
On-base pct./.303/16th
Batting avg./.242/15th
Bases on balls/448/14th
Hits/1,327/13th
Stolen bases/85/13th
Home runs/121/11th
John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. [email protected]
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
"I'm very, very confident that this is the team to beat," Pagan said.
Coming off their worst offensive season in the Third and King era, the Giants finished eight games behind division-champion Arizona in 2011 because their bats were light-years behind their arms.
The additions of Pagan and Melky Cabrera, coupled with less foot traffic in trainer Dave Groeschner's quarters - not to mention an Aubrey Huff sighting - are supposed to enhance an offense that finished last in the National League in runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and hitting with runners in scoring position.
And was similarly lousy in a whole bunch of other categories.
None of that deters Pagan, the enthusiastic outfielder who was acquired from the Mets in December for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez.
"We have what we needed," said Pagan, fully aware of the voids and who filled them. "We have speed. We have power. We have the pitching. We have everything. We have a very balanced team, and it seems like everybody gets along well.
"When I was with the Mets, I saw this team was in desperate need of a speedster at the top of the lineup that'll get on base for the RBI guys, and that'll be me. I'm ready. I'm healthy."
If Pagan is as good as he is eager, the offense is on the verge of an upgrade - but he needs tons of help if the Giants are to scare anyone. How scary were they last year when hitting .173 in two-out/runners-in-scoring-position scenarios - a buck-73?
That's the worst average in the 37-year history of the stat. The more important the at-bat, the tighter the grip, the worse the outcome.
"There's no excuse," batting coach Hensley Meulens said. "We have to be better. We have to find a way to give our pitchers more freedom. Turn this torture upside down."
Now along come Pagan and Cabrera, both switch-hitters with speed. They combined for 52 steals (32 for Pagan) and 170 runs (102 for Cabrera). Torres has speed, too. He simply didn't play enough or hit enough.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he'll try different lineup combinations in spring training, but it seems a no-brainer to bat Pagan first and Cabrera second (where he was positioned 144 times last year) or fifth/sixth (based on his 87 RBIs).
"I like the moves they made. I like the speed," said Tim Lincecum, who received zero run support in 10 of 33 starts last year and two runs or fewer in 21 starts. "I feel like in those games you're talking about, that one run could be made up with guys we have. It changes the game. Those 1-0, 2-0 games are winnable games."
Pablo Sandoval said, "It'll be a big difference to have those guys on base."
Speed on the bases isn't merely about stealing. It's about third-base coach Tim Flannery doing the get-your-butt-home dance. Giants runners, for years comfortable moving station to station, scored from second base on singles 57 percent of the time last season (90 of 157), ranking 12th in the league.
More speed should make Flannery boogie more.
"I'm pretty sure that's going to help our offense," said Meulens, who's welcoming more consistent at-bats in the leadoff spot from either Pagan or Cabrera, both of whom have much longer track records than Torres does. Plus, with more speed, Meulens is envisioning "perhaps a little calmer" approaches in RBI situations.
"Toning down anxiety," Meulens said.
Meulens watched all of Cabrera's 2011 at-bats on DVD and got enthused, saying, "He looked great from both sides." Cabrera was fifth in the majors with 201 hits, and Pagan is two years removed from a career-high 168. Let's not forget that Ryan Theriot, another newcomer who'll push Brandon Crawford at shortstop, hit .310 off lefties.
With those hitters, complemented by a healthier Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez and perhaps a Huff bounce-back, it would be nearly impossible to be as awful offensively. The Giants scored a league-low 570 runs, a drop from 697 (ninth in the NL) in their championship season.
"These guys are capable of it. They really are," Meulens said. "We have to utilize our park. Our park is more conducive to doubles or triples. We'll concentrate in spring training on attacking the ball and hitting line drives. ... If it's a lazy flyball, we've got a problem."
More than likely, it all starts with Pagan.
"I know they're counting on me at the top of the lineup," he said. "We've got a great pitching staff, the best in the league. If we score runs early, that'll be the difference. I have confidence I'll have a big year, and we're looking forward to building the best atmosphere and building a great team and winning the West Division.
"I can't wait to play in October."
No offense
The Giants' hitters were the least productive in the National League in 2011. Here's where they ranked among the 16 NL teams in some key categories:
Category/Total/NL rank
Runs/570/16th
On-base pct./.303/16th
Batting avg./.242/15th
Bases on balls/448/14th
Hits/1,327/13th
Stolen bases/85/13th
Home runs/121/11th
John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. [email protected]
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
