It is nice to dream. I will just be happy if our lineup looks like that at any point in the next 3 years backed up by Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Alderson. Makes me all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

And props to the sweet Paint skillz.

I love Sandoval as a hitter, but is he really a 3B?

Here is what BA said in last year's prospect book: "He's talented enough to reach the majors before his 20th birthday...". Even if he makes it when he turns 20, that's at the end of 2010, perhaps right after the trade deadline that clears the position for him.

Lots of prospect experts are really downgrading him, so what he does will be interesting, and will ultimately hurt their reputation, in my mind. I think they are not fully accounting for the fact that he was a high school senior with almost zero experience in organized ball, facing guys who knew the bunt sign when they were in t-ball and the vast majority of them also had at least 3 years in college or pros, then additional years in pros. Yet still he: 1) did above average OPS, 2) was 12th in HR, 3) improved from beginning to end in terms of strikeout rate while improving BABIP, BA, and keeping his HR power. There's probably at most 1-2 who can be compared with him, as I doubt many other 17 year olds have played in A-ball.

Even Miguel Cabrera started out in rookie ball and SS A-ball. And at age 18 played A-ball and Angel out hit him there, mainly in the HR power department (he didn't break 10 HR in the minors, making the majors at age 20) and comparable batting line (Cabrera was better with walks and strikeouts, but also had a year on him).

It's the minor league equivalent of rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, AnVil had all that against him, plus learning a new language, learning to live on his own, battling to lose weight (which he did, to his credit, 40 pounds is not trivial), yet still excelled while trying to keep his fielding skills up at 3B still, in hopes of convincing the Giants he can play there.

I know I couldn't have done all that when I was 17, I was happy staying up late night to see David Letterman and Johnny Carson, playing video games on my Apple II, praying I got into the college of my choice, and being the nerdy good-boy at high school.

And look at how Bumgarner emasculated the hitters in Level A. That's like what Lincecum did to Advanced A in his short stint, and is even better than what Sanchez did in A-ball before he made the majors the next year. TINSTAAP and all, you know, time's a-ticking on the arm. I would think that he could conceivably make the starting rotation, taking Johnson's place in 2010, if he has another year like 2008 at San Jose (and above, assuming he does dominate like that again, I can see him and Alderson both moving to AA together, when the weather is warm enough for Alderson to go there).

Alderson, as much as we Giants fans like him, has been pegged as a middle of rotation guy, which is valuable, but not like a Bumgarner or Lincecum top of rotation guy, so I can see him making the majors in 2010 as a reliever, ease his way in, some scouts said he was reliever material, even when we drafted him. Given his experience being able to throw well while in the stretch position, I imagine he would be very good in a set-up role, a la the Phillies Madsen, until a rotation spot opens for Tim2.

Posey just looks like it's a matter of time before he comes up, as you noted. I've been very pleased with his play this spring - hit bat looks ready, don't it?, pinch me! - and it will be all a matter of when the Giants think he's ready enough to handle the defensive chores at the major league level. From spring reports, it sounds like he's taking to it pretty well.

The scenario I can see is he gets into a bunch of games in the minors (probably Advanced A and AA, probably moving up to AA with Bumgarner and Alderson, who he'll be catching for a number of years in majors), get put in league to get more games in playoffs (probably San Jose), get called up in September and probably give Molina a rest or two each week, kind of like Sandoval last year, about one start every 5-6 games, then get into AFL to get some more games under his belt, and finally hit a winter league somewhere and catch some more games.

I think the number is 200 starts to be ready defensively, and by doing all of the above, he should be pretty close to that number, along with spring training in 2010, by the start of the 2010 season.

So, while I would not bet on all four of them making the majors in 2010, I would not bet against it either. Pitchers are pretty binary, either they are or they aren't ready for the majors, that's the basic point of TINSTAAP.

Posey was the leading hitter in college last season and has just continued hitting in the pros and giving observers no reason to believe, yet, that he can't make the majors by 2010. Mauer took 3 years, but was HS and was ready for majors at age 21; I-Rod at age 20; McCann at age 21; Russell Martin age 23.

However, the caution is that Weiters is probably a better hitter and probably won't make the majors until mid-season 2009, so the Giants might need a stopgap starting catcher for the start of the 2010 season, if Posey follows the same path. From my gut, I think Posey is more advanced than Weiters defensively and, while perhaps not totally ready defensively to start 2010, I don't think it would hurt him to start in the majors in 2010 and learn on the job, much like Robin Yount long ago.

Villalona is the biggest question mark of the four. Scouting believes in his ability to eventually figure out how to hit for average and power in the majors; sabers tsk-tsk his strikeouts. I think the gap in 2008 was like a high schooler older brother facing a JV player young brother (that's Angel), he's going to school the JV player because he's more physically developed and has more experience, but soon the JV player catches up because of his talent, and the little brother starts schooling the older brother. I think he's going to show websites like Project Prospects, that severely downplay his abilities, that he's the real thing in 2009.

The only thing I fear is the Giants promoting him to AA and forcing him to play in Dodd Stadium; I hope they leapfrog him over that to AAA if he deserves the promotion, or keep him in SJ all year, put him in AFL, then AA when their affiliate moves to Richmond, VA, where the park is neutral for the most part, over its recent history, unlike Dodd.

What about Noonan and Gillespie? The other kid they signed out of the Dominican at age 16 to play outfield is another who is a ways away but seems to have the frame to be a homerun machine (I can't remember his name but he is something like 6'4" and 240 at age 16, anyone have a clue who I am talking about??) I personnaly am looking forward to getting a chance to yell "Noooooooonan" from the stands and don't forget that this year we have another top 10 pick that hopefully sabean doesn't waste...