The Giants have made some much needed improvements this offseason but there are still questions to be answered before the '09 season starts.

1. Who will be starting second come Opening Day?
Kevin Frandsen, Emmanual Burriss and Eugenio Velez are all fighting for the second base job this spring. Professional opinions differ on who has the leg up but I feel like it has to be Frandsen. Frandsen has been with the club longer and was up for the job last spring til he tore his Achilles tendon. Frandsen made a much quicker recovery than previously thought and even got an AB in the last game of the season. Frandsen tore up the AFL hitting .331 and has a minor league average of .322. He also plays great defense.

Burriss shared time at both SS and second last year and showed a lot of promise hitting .283 in just under 100 games. He had a terrible showing at SS in the AFL which left many thinking he was better off at second. The signing of Renteria left no other option for Burriss. Burriss possess a lot of speed but very little pop in his bat. He too plays good defense at second to go along with that speed.

Velez is the guy that doesn't belong amongst this group. I have made it no secret that I don;t like this guy but Bochy is giving him a shot. Velez possesses a lot of speed and might be the fastest player in the Giants organization as he showed last year. He also showed he was not able to hit MLB pitching and was not a very good fielder. Velez hit .262 with an awful OBP of .299. How hit .262 is a miracle. Velez has hit well in the minors sporting a .295 average but is a man with no true position. I don;t see him being a viable option at becoming the everyday second baseman but you never know with Bochy.

Prediction: Frandsen wins the job, Burriss starts the year off at AAA but not for long.

2. Who's on first?
The Giants have Travis Ishikawa, Pablo Sandoval, Rich Aurilia, Josh Phelps and John Bowker competing for first base. Sandoval and Aurilia are also up for the third base job but they still are options. If Sandoval can;t handle third then he will move to first. Ishikawa has to be the front runner here. Ishikawa has the best glove out of all of them and has finally found his power stroke. It took time but last year he hit a combined 27 HRs last year at three different levels. He's left handed and 24 years old with more room to improve. Ishikawa hit .274/.337/.432 at the MLB level last season and showed his defensive skills.

Josh Phelps is a non-roster invitee who plays first and the OF. Phelps has eight seasons under his belt at the MLB level and has a .273/.343/.472 batting line with 64 HRs in 465 games. Phelps is coming off a year in the minors where he hit .291 and 31 HRs driving in 91 runs. He's right handed and has some pop making him a good platoon partner with Ishikawa if he wins the job. Phelps could very well win the spots having a good showing this spring. Phelps is 30 so he is right in the prime of his career. Definitely a good pick up on a minor league contract.

John Bowker can also play OF and first but one thing he showed us last year is that he has a lot to learn about hitting. I have never seen a guy swing at the first pitch so many times as I did Bowker. I can go to high school games and watch kids with more patience. Bowker can hit the ball a long way but still needs to learn the position. He hit .255 with an OBP of .300. Reminds me a lot of Pedro Feliz but not even Feliz swung at as many first pitches. Bowker is on the outside looking in at this point.

Sandoval will get the first base job by default if he cannot handle third base. Aurilia is really competing for a bench spot at this point in his career. He is no lock for a spot since he is on a minor league deal but given his experience and decent play last year, he'll make the team. There is also 37 year old Scott McClain who is on his third minor league contract with the Giants. He got a chance last year and can hit for power but like I said, he is 37.

Prediction: Ishikawa will win the everyday spot, Phelps and Bowker go to AAA with Phelps being called up first.

3. Can Sandoval handle third?
This is a question I can't even answer. Obviously we all hope he can but there is no definite answer. Sandoval did on OK job last year after being called up and after hardly playing third in the minors. He hadn't played third since '06 in A ball. Sandoval sure didn't get any help this fall or winter playing most of his games at first. Why? I have no clue. Sandoval is not being viewed as a catcher anymore so he can focus solely on third base with some looks at first every now and then. If Sandoval can't handle third, the Giants will be forced to look at Aurilia and Juan Uribe to fill the void. Neither are good backup plans. They could be good backups but not starters. If Sandoval sheds a little weight making him more agile, he has a good chance of sticking at third. Giants need him and his bat as we all saw last year when he hit .345 in 41 games last year. He hit a combined 23 HRs last year at three different levels so the Giants need him to succeed.

Prediction: Sandoval handles the position after a slow start with Aurilia being his backup.