AGRI Biz

The Madison Bumgarner that made his major league debut last September wasn't the same Madison Bumgarner we had heard so much about the past two years. Instead of the low-to-mid-90s heat he used to blow away South Atlantic League hitters in 2008, Bumgarner was barely hitting 90 in his first career start. There was no specific reason as to why the readings on the radar gun was showing 88 or that ...

Just a few hours remain before San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Giants enter 2010 with raised expectations after a 16-game improvement on their record. That was good enough to get GM Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy sparkly two-year extensions. Sabean stayed away from the big-name free agent hitters and instead decided to go with short-term solutionsùsomething he has done time and time ...

It had been a long time coming since the San Francisco Giants had a winning season. One of the best pitching staffs around overcame major deficiencies on offense, and for the first time since 2004, the Giants found themselves above the .500 mark when the season came to an end. Not only did the big club win 88 games, the organizationÆs minor league teams combined to win the most in all of ...

The arbitration deadline has come and gone and now is the time for the rumors to start to fly even more than they were before. For some teams, adding a veteran pitcher to the rotation or bullpen is priority No. 1. For others, adding some offense to go with a quality pitching staff will take up most of the front office's time. The San Francisco Giants have only one thing to upgradeùit's ...

Ah, November baseball. Not the part of the month where frigid temperatures make players taking part in the World Series dress like theyÆre about to embark on a voyage to the Arctic. This is the part where the Major League Baseball hot stove gets going and gets going awfully quick. The San Francisco Giants won 88 games this past season and you would think that they would be knocking on the door ...

Sept. 19, 2009 has two very different meanings for the San Francisco Giants organization. On one end of the spectrum, their High-A affiliate, the San Jose Giants, celebrated yet another California League championship after completely steamrolling the competition. On the other, their teammate Angel Villalona, who was in the Dominican Republic after being sent home to visit family before beginning offseason conditioning, was being accused of murder. From top prospect to being 19 ...

The day after GM Brian Sabean got a new two-year contract, it's only fitting that the two deadline deals that didn't exactly live up to the billing during the stretch drive. With the clear need to add offense, Sabean hit the trade market in both the National and American League's Central Division, and reworking the entire right side of the infield. Sabean acquired first baseman Ryan Garko from the Cleveland Indians for ...

With SundayÆs 4-3 win in extras over the San Diego Padres a thing of the past, the 2009 San Francisco Giants season is officially completed. Every one of the 162 games has been completed, and the book has been written. The final record for the beloved Gigantes reads 88 wins, 74 lossesùsomething few, if any, of us thought was possible back when the team reported to camp in the spring. For many ...

The aftermath of the crucial nine-game stretch for the San Francisco Giants against two division rivals, has come and gone with the results many expected two weeks ago. The combination of the Giants' second consecutive crushing loss to the Dodgers, and the Rockies racking up yet another come-from-behind victory against the Diamondbacks, means the deficit in the National League Wild Card race is now four-and-a-half games. If it was the beginning of ...

It had been 11 days since Tim Lincecum toed the rubber for the beloved orange and black. Those 11 long days have seen the San Francisco Giants get back into, fall out of, and now kind of get back into the National League Wild Card race with the Colorado Rockies. So with the Rockies opening a three-game set in San Francisco on Monday, it only made sense that Lincecum made his triumphant ...