32-year old righty swinging Ryan Theriot will take over as the Giants’ starting SS in 2012. Theriot played in 132 games for the Cardinals last year and he was 120 of 442 (.271 avg, .662 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 1 homer, 47 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 795 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 816 of 2,894 (.282 avg, .697 OPS) with 401 runs scored, 17 homers, 229 RBIs and 108 stolen bases. Theriot had 17 errors in 91 games at SS last year while showing off pretty awful range. The Giants are hoping that Theriot improves in the field while providing a nice batting average and some steals in 2012.

25-year old lefty swinging Brandon Crawford struggled in his first taste of the majors in 2011. He played in 66 games for the Giants last year and he was 40 for 196 (.204 avg, .584 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 3 homers, 21 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Crawford also played in 43 games in A+AA-ball last year and he was 44 of 166 (.265 avg, .757 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 4 homers, 24 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Crawford had 7 errors in 65 games at SS for the Giants last year while showing below average range. Crawford will likely have to start the 2012 season in AAA-ball and work his way back to San Francisco.

Mike Fontenot and Emmanuel Burriss could get some P.T. at SS for the Giants in 2012. Fontenot played in 37 games at SS last year for the Giants and he had 4 errors while showing awful range. Burriss played in 9 games at SS for the Giants last year and he had 1 error while showing pretty awful range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2012: C

The Giants hope that 2012 is the season that 34-year old righty swinging Freddy Sanchez plays in 130+ games. Sanchez played in 60 games for the Giants last year and he was 69 of 239 (.289 avg, .730 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 3 homers and 24 RBIs. He has now played in 196 games in his first three years with the Giants and he is 224 of 772 (.290 avg, .720 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 11 homers, 78 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Sanchez has now played in 904 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 1,012 of 3,402 (.297 avg, .748 OPS) with 434 runs scored, 48 homers, 371 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Sanchez only had 3 errors in 58 games at 2B in 2012 but he showed pretty awful range. The Giants need Sanchez to stay healthy in 2012 and hit around .300.

31-year old lefty swinging Mike Fontenot will likely be the Giants’ top reserve infielder in 2012. He played in 85 games for the Giants last year and he was 50 of 220 (.227 avg, .681 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Fontenot has now played in 113 games in his first two years with the Giants and he is 70 for 291 (.241 avg, .671 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 4 homers, 26 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Fontenot has now played in 535 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 346 of 1,316 (.263 avg, .738 OPS) with 162 runs scored, 26 homers, 158 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Fontenot had 3 errors in 23 games at 2B for the Giants last year but he showed awful range. The Giants are hoping for improvement both offensively and defensively out of Fontenot in 2012.

27-year old switch-hitting Emmanuel Burriss is going to try to win a job on the Giants’ bench this spring. Burriss played in 59 games for the Giants last year and he was 28 of 137 (.204 avg, .465 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He has now played in 222 games in his first four years with the Giants and he is 146 of 584 (.250 avg, .592 OPS) with 72 runs scored, 1 homer, 35 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. Burriss had 3 errors in 39 games at 2B in 2012 while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE OF THE 2B IN 2012: B-

23-year old lefty swinging Brandon Belt is a natural 1B. With that in mind, the Giants should move Aubrey Huff to the outfield to make Belt more comfortable defensively. Belt played in 63 games for the Giants last year and he was 42 for 187 (.225 avg, .718 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 9 homers, 18 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Belt also played in 53 games in A+AAA-ball last year and he was 57 for 178 (.320 avg, .989 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 8 homers, 36 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Belt has nothing left to prove in the minors. Belt only made 1 error in 31 games at 1B last year, where he is a better defender than Aubrey Huff is.

35-year old lefty swinging Aubrey Huff won’t give up playing 1B without a battle this spring. Huff played in 150 games for the Giants last year and he was 128 of 521 (.246 avg, .676 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 12 homers, 59 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 307 games in his first two years with the Giants and he is 293 for 1,090 (.269 avg, .789 OPS) with 145 runs scored, 38 homers, 145 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Huff has now played in 1,629 games in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 1,684 of 6,026 (.279 avg, .808 OPS) with 799 runs scored, 241 homers, 897 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Huff played in 120 games at 1B for the Giants last year and he made 5 errors there. I see him playing a lot of RF in 2012 for the Giants.

27-year old righty swinging Brett Pill comes into this season as the Giants’ #12 prospect according to Baseball America. Pill is the darkhorse in the competition at 1B for the Giants this spring. Pill played in 15 games for the Giants last year and he was 15 for 50 (.300 avg, .881 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 2 homers and 9 RBIs. Pill also played in 133 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 167 of 536 (.312 avg, .871 OPS) with 82 runs scored, 25 homers, 107 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Pill didn’t have any errors in 14 games for the Giants at 1B last year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2012: B

24-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey missed a large chunk of last season after he had his leg tore up in a home plate collision. The Giants are hoping that he will come back in 2012 at 100%. Posey played in 45 games for the Giants last year and he was 46 for 162 (.284 avg, .756 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 160 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 172 of 585 (.294 avg, .815 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 22 homers, 88 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Posey played in 41 games behind the plate for the Giants last year and he had 2 errors and 3 passed balls. Posey also threw out 11 of 42 (26.2%) base stealers and Giants’ pitchers had a 3.34 ERA with him behind the dish. The Giants need Posey’s bat in 2012, so they hope he can stay healthy.

32-year old righty swinging Eli Whiteside will likely backup Posey in 2012. Whiteside played in 82 games for the Giants last year and he was 42 for 213 (.197 avg, .574 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers, 17 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 187 games in his first three years with the Giants and he is 101 of 466 (.217 avg, .616 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 10 homers, 40 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 196 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 104 of 478 (.218 avg, .613 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 10 homers, 41 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Whiteside played in 81 games behind the plate for the Giants and he had 5 errors and 7 passed balls. He also threw out 13 of 71 (18.3%) base stealers and Giants’ pitchers had a 3.30 ERA with him behind the dish.

30-year old righty swinging catcher Chris Stewart is going to compete against Eli Whiteside this spring for the right to back up Buster Posey in 2012. Stewart played in 67 games for the Giants last year and he was 33 for 162 (.204 avg, .592 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. He has now played in 93 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 42 for 210 (.200 avg, .563 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 3 homers and 13 RBIs. Stewart played in 63 games behind the plate for the Giants last year and he had 7 errors and 2 passed balls. He threw out 19 of 56 (33.9%) base stealers and Giants’ pitchers had a dazzling 2.70 ERA with Stewart behind the dish.

22-year old switch-hitting Hector Sanchez comes into this season as the Giants’ #10 prospect according to Baseball America. Sanchez played in 13 games in his first taste of the majors last year for the Giants and he was 8 for 31 (.258 avg, .646 OPS) with 1 RBI. He also played in 98 games for the Giants in A+AAA-ball last year and he was 104 of 365 (.285 avg, .780 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 12 homers and 84 RBIs. Sanchez didn’t have any errors in 11 games behind the plate for the Giants last year but he had 2 passed balls. Sanchez threw out 2 of 14 (14.3%) runners trying to steal against him last year and Giants’ pitchers had a 5.29 ERA with him behind the plate.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CATCHERS IN 2012: B

Forget the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation, as the Giants are just as stacked in the starting rotation heading into the 2012 season. Here is a look at how the rotation stands right now:

#1: Tim Lincecum: 27-year old righty Tim Lincecum is one of the best pitchers on the planet Earth. He finished 6th in the Cy Young Award voting last season as he pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year in which he was 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Lincecum has now pitched in 156 games (155 starts) in his first five years with the Giants and he was 69-41 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Lincecum has already won 2 Cy Young Awards in his career, and there is no reason to think he can’t win another one if he gets improved run support.

#2: Matt Cain: 27-year old righty Matt Cain is really close to being a legit ace for the Giants. He finished #8 in the voting for the Cy Young Award last year. Cain pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Cain has now pitched in 204 games (203 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 69-73 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Cain, like Lincecum, is going to be a finalist…if not the winner of the Cy Young Award in the N.L. in 2012. Remember, it was Matt Cain that led the Giants to winning the World Series with flawless pitching in the post-season a couple of years ago.

#3: Madison Bumgarner: 22-year old lefty Madison Bumgarner really pitched his butt off last year for the Giants. Bumgarner pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has now pitched in 55 games (52 starts) in his first three years with the Giants and he was 20-19 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The sky is the limit for Bumgarner as he has outstanding stuff combined with pitching know how.

#4: Ryan Vogelsong: 34-year old righty Ryan Vogelsong came out of nowhere to pitch excellent for the Giants in 2011. He pitched in 30 games (28 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Vogelsong has now pitched in 47 games (28 starts) in his first three years with the Giants and he is 13-10 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has now pitched in 150 games (61 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 23-29 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The Giants hope that 2011 wasn’t a mirage, but a sign of things to come for Vogelsong.

#5: Barry Zito: 33-year old lefty Barry Zito will have to win the #5 job in the starting rotation this spring. Zito pitched in 13 games (9 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 3-4 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 146 games (140 starts) in his first five years with the Giants and he is 43-61 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Zito has now pitched in 368 games (362 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 145-124 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Zito will need to step up if he wants to be in the starting rotation in 2012.

Eric Surkamp: 24-year old lefty Eric Surkamp is a very serious threat to Barry Zito’s spot in the starting rotation this spring. Surkamp pitched in 6 games (all starts) for the Giants last year and he was 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games (23 starts) in A+AA-ball last year and he was 11-4 with a 1.94 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Surkamp has a very nice upside.

Clay Hensley: 32-year old righty Clay Hensley will also get a shot to win the #5 job in the Giants’ rotation this spring. Hensley pitched in 37 games (9 starts) for the Marlins last year and he was 6-7 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has now pitched in 211 games (49 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 24-29 with 7 saves, a 3.94 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. If Hensley doesn’t win a job in the starting rotation this spring, he might pitch out of the pen for the Giants.

Brian Burres: 30-year old lefty Brian Burres is a huge longshot in the competition for the #5 job in the rotation. He pitched in 5 games (2 starts) for the Pirates last year and he was 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Burres has now pitched in 106 games (56 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 18-25 with a 5.75 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2012: A