The Giants hope that 36-year old righty swinging shortstop Miguel Tejada still has something left in the gas tank because they are depending on him. Tejada played in 156 games for the Orioles & Padres last season in which he was 171 of 636 (.269 avg, .692 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 15 homers, 71 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He is not the same hitter he was before the Mitchell Report came out, so don’t expect him to hit over .300 with 30+ bombs in 2011. The numbers he had last season is probably his likely ceiling this year for the Giants. Tejada only played in 58 games at SS last season and he made 3 errors while showing slightly below average range.

26-year old switch hitting Emmanuel Burriss will likely be Tejada’s backup at SS this year. He played in 7 games for the Giants last season and he was 2 for 5 (.400 avg, .800 OPS) with 3 runs scored. Burriss also played in 72 games in A+AAA-ball last year in which he was 80 of 287 (.279 avg, .664 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 0 homers, 23 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE GIANTS SHORTSTOPS IN 2011: C+

The Giants really hope that 33-year old righty swinging Freddy Sanchez can stay healthy in 2011. He played in 111 games for the Giants last season and he was 126 of 431 (.292 avg, .739 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 7 homers, 47 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Sanchez only had 4 errors in 109 games at 2B last season but he showed terrible range. Part of the reason for the range problem could have been his health. If Sanchez can give the Giants 500 ABs in 2011 they will be very happy with him.

30-year old lefty swinging Mike Fontenot will back up Sanchez in 2011. He played in 103 games for the Cubs & Giants last season and he was 68 of 240 (.283 avg, .706 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 25 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Fontentot made 6 errors in only 49 games at 2B last season (that’s way too many) but he showed good range. Fontenot gives the Giants a solid option in case Sanchez breaks down again in 2011.

26-year old switch hitting Emmanuel Burriss is the #3 option for the Giants at 2B in 2011. Burriss played in 5 error-free games at 2B last season while showing terrible range. It’s a small sample on defense and he’s a natural SS, so I think he can handle 2B defensively. He has speed to burn on the basepaths but absolutely no power as he is a banjo hitter.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE GIANTS 2B IN 2011: C

The Giants have signed 34-year old righty starting pitcher Brian Lawrence to a minor league deal. Lawrence pitched in 26 games (25 starts) in AAA-ball for the Marlins last season and he was 11-8 with a 4.42 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2007 with the Mets. Lawrence has now pitched in 168 games (152 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 50-63 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He will probably start the season in 2011 and get a call to San Francisco if the need arises and he’s pitching well in the minors. This was a nice low risk signing for the Giants.

The Giants have signed 32-year old righty swinging infielder Edgar Gonzalez to a minor league deal. He played in Japan last season and it didn’t go too well for him over there. Gonzalez has played in 193 games in parts of two years in the majors and he is 122 of 478 (.255 avg, .693 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 11 homers, 51 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Gonzalez is a big longshot to make the Giants in spring training.

The Giants have signed 40-year old righty reliever Elmer Dessens to a minor league deal. Dessens pitched in 53 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has now pitched in 441 games (140 starts) in his first 14 years in the majors and he is 52-64 with 5 saves, a 4.44 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. I really like this pickup for the Giants as Dessens proved last season that he still has a lot left in the gas tank. I fully expect him to make the Giants’ bullpen out of spring training, working in the middle innings.

UPDATE: (2/14/2011) - The deal with Elmer Dessens has fallen through for some reason. That’s too bad because Dessens would have helped the bullpen.