2012 Lineup

Here is mlbdepthchart.com's projected lineup for the Giants this upcoming season:

1 CF Angel Pagan
2 LF Melky Cabrera
3 3B Pablo Sandoval
4 C Buster Posey
5 1B Aubrey Huff
6 RF Nate Schierholtz
7 2B Freddy Sanchez
8 SS Brandon Crawford


I think it's obvious that future generations will look at this lineup and remember it as one of the best. OK, maybe not so much, but a man can dream.

I think Freddy Sanchez should be the second place hitter and it's likely that he will be in that spot once the season starts because that's where he's been his whole Giants career. I see Cabrera as more of a 5th hitter, anyway.

Also, Brandon Belt needs to be in this lineup. Yes, he struggled mightily last season but we need to see if he will become the solid hitter so many expect him to be, or if he'll continue to struggle. I don't care if he plays 1st base or OF but he needs to be in the starting lineup at the start of the season. Pinch-hitting and/or an occasional start isn't sufficient playing time to really tell how good he is.

I think Schierholtz can become a solid everyday starter but don't expect him to light it up. I'm not sold on Crawford at all and we might see Ryan Theriot at shortstop fairly early in the season (yippee).

There are a lot of "ifs" in this lineup and I can see anywhere from a top-half MLB offense to the worst in baseball. Hopefully, the new acquisitions and the young guys outperform the expectations of the pessimistic/realistic.