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The 2011 SF Giants - The Year of the Injuries

It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. You almost expect to see a key Giant get hurt once a week at the rate they're going.

I did the list last post and since then the Giants officially added 4 more men to the Disabled List: Mike Fontenot, Darren Ford, Buster Posey, and Brandon Belt.

Fontenot and Ford's injuries are relatively minor and both probably could have avoided the DL had the Giants not needed their roster spots. But Posey is gone for the year. There's been a lot of debate about the play but I'm not going to get into it.

My official take? Clean play, awful result, and it could have been avoided. Cousins had the lane and the hit to Posey was completely unnecessary but it wasn't dirty. And in regards to Sabean's comments regarding Cousins, I have no opinion other than he is acting as a lioness would in protecting her cub. Sabean drafted Posey. Saw him ascend the ranks. Watched him win the franchise a World Series ring. And then saw him get plowed in a horrific home plate collision. Tim Lincecum carries the nickname "The Franchise" but Posey was the real franchise player. The star player the Giants planned on building around for years. And now his future is clouded. And Sabean is understandably pissed. He is protecting his star player like a vicious cornered lioness protecting her young. That's all I have to say about that.

The Giants are without their star catcher, the cornerstone of their present and future, for God knows how long. The most negative nelly would say it's a career threatening injury. The most optimistic says he'll be back by Spring Training as the catcher with no lingering issues. No one knows what to expect. We know Buster himself wants to be the catcher when he returns and Sabean and Bochy have gone on record to say that'll be his call. But we'll just have to see how the rehab goes. In the meantime, the Giants top prospect has also hit the shelf after being hit by a pitch.

To recap: The Giants have lost their star player (Posey), their best hitter at the time of injury (Sandoval), and their top hitting prospect (Belt).

Yet somehow they have managed to linger around first place (where they sit currently by a half game over the not-for-real Diamondbacks).

I'd say bad karma is hitting the Giants after a glorious 2010 but they're still hanging around! They're hanging around with one of the worst offenses in all of baseball. That's how good the pitching has been. And the pitching will have to continue to be dominant if the Giants have any dreams of repeating as NL West champs without Posey.

Sandoval will be returning shortly despite a minor setback but the Giants needed help even with Posey and Sandoval IN the line-up.

The weak spots are clearly shortstop and catcher. It'll be interesting to see what Sabean does to address Posey's missing bat because it will be something the team will have to face before the trade deadline.

My guess? This is the year Jonathan Sanchez is shipped out for a much needed bat. Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner would remain as a strong threesome with Vogelsong continuing to pen his Disney movie career comeback. And yes, that means Zito comes back and is the 5th starter but you didn't actually think they'd cut him did you?

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