Giants Announce 22 Non-Roster Invitees

It’s getting close to that famous spring training day where pitchers and catchers report and for the World Champions (god, I love saying that) that means it’s non-roster invitees time.

Brian Sabean announced today that the following 22 players will get an invite to Spring Training with the big club:

Pitchers: Casey Daigle (RHP), Waldis Joaquin (RHP), Shane Loux (RHP), Guillermo Mota (RHP), Felix Romero (RHP), Jason Stoffel (RHP), Ryan Vogelsong (RHP), Wilmin Rodriguez (LHP), Ryan Verdugo (LHP), and Matt Yourkin (LHP)

Catchers: Tommy Joseph, Hector Sanchez, Chris Stewart, and Jackson Williams

Infielders: Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Charles Culberson, Brad Eldred, and Nick Noonan

Outfielders: Gary Brown, Terry Evans, and Juan Perez

Of the players that are on this list Guillermo Mota, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford are the only ones that could end up staying with the big club. Belt could possibly make the team as the starting first baseman if he shows good in the spring and Crawford could make the team as the backup shortstop.

To read more about each of these players being invited you can read the Giants press release.

Aubrey Huff: Did Brian Sabean Make the Right Move?

Was the San Francisco Giants signing Aubrey Huff to a two-year deal the right move?  It depends on who you ask, Giants fans seem to be in love with this guy for the Rally Thong and for him being an integral part of winning the World Series.  But does that make him worth $22 million?  Probably not.  Bill James 2011 projections have him as a .269/.348/.453 hitter that will hit about 19 homeruns and drive in 68.  Would you pay a guy that does that $11 million per?  I don’t think so.

Keith Law seems to agree as well.  On Law’s blog (Insider required), he says the Giants made a huge mistake by resigning Huff when they have Brandon Belt in the wings.  Here’s an excerpt from his blog post:

The San Francisco Giants, meanwhile, made the worst mistake a GM can make after winning the World Series -- they're overpaying one of the guys who got them there, just because he got them there. After pulling a left-for-dead Huff off the scrap pile last offseason and getting far more than they paid for from him in 2010, the Giants re-upped Huff for two years and a vesting option at more than twice the annual salary they gave him on the just-expired one-year deal. I've outlined many times why I think Huff's 2010 season was a fluke, from the fact that he's 33 to his regression in the final two months (plus October) to his history of bad defense at several positions, and paying him more than he's likely to be worth just ten months after nobody wanted the guy makes little sense. It's worse when you consider that San Francisco's best prospect, Brandon Belt, is a first baseman who finished the year in AAA and was the best everyday player in the Arizona Fall League. There's every indication that he'll be ready for a major league role by midyear. The Giants have to put one of these two in left field, unless they intend to use Belt as trade bait for something else, but the ideal move was to let Huff walk if he wanted more than a year, given his age and the big performance risk in giving him a multi-year deal.

Giants Resign Aubrey Huff to Two-Year Deal

The San Francisco Giants have made their first move in free agency.  According to a report by Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, the Giants have agreed to re-sign Aubrey Huff to a two-year deal worth approximately $22 million which will include a club option for 2013.  The official Giants twitter feed (@SFGiants) is also confirming the same details as Morosi and adds that the deal is pending a physical.

There was a wonder whether Huff would resign with the Giants as he was likely looking for a three-year deal coming off such a good season.  Based on this signing it would seem to suggest that Huff was not being offered anything longer than a two-year deal and all things being equal he preferred to come back to San Francisco to defend the World Series title.

Aubrey Huff is coming off one of his best seasons as a major leaguer in which he won a World Series Championship and came in 7^th place in MVP voting.  Huff played in 157 regular season games for the Giants with a line of .290/.385/.506 and hit 26 homeruns with 86 RBIs.

Huff was considered a defensive liability at first base coming into Spring Training.  Surprisingly, he played superb defense at first base (9.7 UZR/150, 5.4 UZR) which was not expected based on his career numbers at first (3 UZR/150, -6.5 UZR).  It is very possible that he may not see first base next year though and could be moved to the outfield.  With top prospect Brandon Belt looming and a question about whether Pablo Sandoval is a viable option at third base it is likely that Huff will the starting left fielder in 2011.

Brandon Belt Update: According to Keith Law

I thought I would pass this along to those of you who do not pay for ESPN's Insider service.

In his blog, Keith Law was giving some updates on the top prospects that are playing in the Arizona Fall League:

As if Giants fans don't have enough to celebrate, at some point in 2011 they should see the debut of Brandon Belt, a steal in the fifth round whose fortunes changed when the team overhauled his stance and swing last fall. Belt is now much more upright, gets good weight transfer and excellent hip rotation. There's some exaggerated movement as he gets his weight back and his hands loaded, but once he starts moving forward he's fine. I'd like to see how he can handle the hard inside pitch, between that extra movement and the length of his arms (he's 6-foot-5), but when he gets his arms extended he should produce above-average or better power.

Giants prospects named in Baseball America's top 20 list

Brandon Belt is in the running to be named the Best Class A Advanced Hitter and the good news keeps on coming.  Belt was also recognized by Baseball America as one of the Top 20 prospects in the California League.  

Belt continued his banner season with the Richmond Flying Squirrels batting at a .337 clip with nine homers and 40 RBI's in 46 games. BA has also rated Belt the #4 prospect in the Eastern League. He finished the year playing in 13 games with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies (.229, 4 HR, 10 RBI).

The former San Jose Giant is joined by current San Jose players Francisco Peguero (#11), Ehire Adrianza (#13), and also Eric Surkamp (#19).

Peguero was the fourth-highest outfielder on the top 20 list after a terrific season offensively and defensively. The 22-year old finished the year fourth in the California League in batting average (.329), tied for third in hits (168), tied for second in stolen bases (40) and first in triples (16). Peguero also connected for 19 doubles and 10 home runs.

Baseball America has also named 2009 first-round pick Zack Wheeler and fellow Augusta GreenJackets Chris Dominguez in the top 20 prospects for the South Atlantic League.  Wheeler was named the 12th best prospect while Dominguez was named #20.

Vote for Brandon Belt for Best Hitter

Giants minor leaguer, and current Fresno Grizzlies' star, Brandon Belt is up the award of Best Class A Advanced Hitter.  This is an award that is voted on by the fans and so you can vote for Brandon Belt.

Belt was only in San Jose for 77 games but during that time he hit .383 with 10 home-runs.  He then was promoted to Double A where he hit .337 with 9 home-runs in 46 games.  Belt ended his first minor league season by at Fresno where he hit .229 with four home-runs.

A look at Brandon Belt by ESPN

Now that Buster Posey has been called up, Giants fans have attached themselves to the next top offensive prospect, Brandon Belt.  I thought that with September callups and the fact that most people don’t have insider this would be as good as time of any to relay the info.

Jason Grey of ESPN has broken down Brandon Belt and suggests that he is the next real star first baseman.  So much for Buster Posey moving to first.

Belt has quick hands and good bat speed. A more upright, open stance helps keep him from getting his long levers jammed on the inner half of the plate and lets him get his arms extended more often, and he has incorporated a little more loft in his swing to turn more of his good raw power into game power, yet still allowing his zone to stay in the bat a long time. (Too much of an uppercut stroke makes your bat get out of the zone too quickly for consistent, hard contact.) He’s still mostly a line-drive hitter who squares balls up to the gaps, but he now gets better hip turn and doesn’t cut himself off as much, which gets him more carry on the ball. Belt also references being able to see the ball a bit better, and thus far he has demonstrated an ability to handle the strike zone well, walking almost as many times as he has struck out. He also has solid pitch recognition. Scouting reports say he stays back on offspeed stuff well.