Bridge Ball

Budding Prospects
Now that Brian Sabean is on record as saying that the team's pitching prospects were too good to trade, maybe it's time to say what the one loyal reader of the blog says and break down the Giants future rotation.

1. Jason Schmidt (Age 31)
Schmidt is having another career year after logging one last year. He probably is the most consistently dominant starter in the National League and could well be in line for a Cy Young, an award that was only wrested from him last year by The Beast. Long term however Schmidt has faced injuries a multitude of times in his career. This past offseason he had surgery on his forearm that slowed him early in the season. That was on top of shoulder surgery that scuttled parts of two seasons. Expecting that he'll remain healthy and effective is a huge leap of faith.

2. Jerome Williams (Age 22)
Now Jerome. He didn't make his way through his first full season after having bone chips and a spur removed from his right tricep/tricep, depending who you ask. He's expected to be out the rest of the season. Not surprising, since he's suffered throughout the season with the ailment. Williams velocity has been all over the place throughout his two year major league career. This does not bode well for his long term healthy. When healthy, Williams looks like a guy who can be a quality major league pitcher. Interestingly head trainer Stan Conte says that the problem could be related to work ethic. "Conditioning with Jerome is always an issue," he told the Mercury News. Hmmm.

3. Jesse Foppert (Age 24)
Conditioning will never be a problem with the gym rat Foppert. When questioned about the rehab from last year's Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery, Foppert said he really enjoyed working out and couldn't wait to start rehab. True to his word, after working hard, he's way ahead of schedule. A September callup is possible. After gunning through the minors, Foppert got hit hard as his velocity went from the high 90s to the high 90s. So we really don't know what kind of success he's going to have until he gets healthy.

4. Merkin Valdez (Age 21)
The pitcher formerly known as Manuel Mateo has seen his stock rise like Google since his trade to the Giants in the Russ Ortiz fire sale. Last year he collected 166 strikeouts in 156 innings pitched in the South Atlantic League. During spring training the Gaints were making noise that he could make the major league squad until a bout of shoulder tendintis shut that talk down. He finally got his season going in July and has seen time in three levels before making his major league debut this past Sunday. Although he got knocked around but good in his five day stint in the majors, the Giants feel like Valdez is a serious pitcher. They sent him back down to double a to get more experience as a starter.

5. Matt Cain (Age 19)
And then there is Matt Cain, the current gem in the Giants organization. He of the blazing fastball and the unhittable curve. Playing in high a ball and double a this year, he's compiled a 2.08 era, with 144 strikeouts in 138 innings pitched. Most impressive for a kid who won't turn 20 until October. This is after destroying his south atlantic league opposition in 2003 while pitching for Hagerstown. But, once again, health is an issue. Cain has been a strict pitch count this year after suffering a stress fracture in his elbow last season. The Giants have changed his delivery to take pressure off the elbow. Most likely, he'll get only a couple more starts and be done for the season under 150 innings, which nearly doubles his innings total last season. Let's see if he can bring it back next spring.