Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt is the 26th ranked player on MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo’s Top 50 Prospects List for 2011.

If there are 25 prospects having a better spring than Belt, then I need my eyes checked.

Belt went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a solo home run in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday. It was his second dinger of the spring and he’s now hitting .302 with 10 RBI over 43 at bats. The kid is absolutely tearing the cover off the ball and making the Giants’ decision about whether or not he should break camp with the big league club.

But there are a couple of problems.

Problem I: Aaron Rowand
Rowand still has two years left on his ridiculous contract and if Belt makes the Opening Day roster, he’ll force Aubrey Huff to move into an already crowded outfield. The Giants would likely either have to eat Rowand’s contract and/or bend over and take less value in a trade, neither of which they seem ready to do.

Problem II & III: Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa
Both are out of minor league options and one can make a case that both deserve a roster spot. Schierholtz has a cannon attached to his right arm and is a left-handed bat, while Ishikawa plays an outstanding first base and proved to be a nice bat off the bench last year. Teams would probably be more interested in trading for Schierholtz than either Rowand or Ishikawa, but if the Giants were to keep Belt then they would need to part with at least one other player. (Thus, Belt, Schierholtz, Rowand and Ishikawa are all fighting for two roster spots.)

Problem IV: Belt’s service time.
This might be the biggest issue when it comes right down to it. If the Giants send Belt down to the minors and keep him there for a couple of months, they’ll gain another year of control when it comes to his contract. If they absolutely don’t need him to play (which they don’t, even though most SF fans want him to), then why rush him up to the big league club? NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey didn’t even crack the Giants’ big league roster last year, so it seems unlikely that Belt will, too.

GM Brian Sabean was adamant at the start of spring training that Belt needs more Tripe-A bats and while he’s softened his stance on those comments of late, it still seems likely that the next Buster Posey will start the season in Fresno and not San Francisco. (Or L.A. if you want to be Mr. Literal.) Consider this, too: Huff, who would need to play LF if Belt makes the big league club, hasn’t played one inning in the outfield this spring.

Should Belt crack the Giants’ Opening Day roster? If this were purely a baseball decision, then yes, he should. But because business also factors into the situation, it’s not a matter of “should” but “will” he make the big league roster. And that answer is most likely no.

Like any red-blooded sports fan, there are players I root against. I’m supposed to be somewhat objective with in my job so I won’t list those players’ names, but I’m like most fans: I don’t mind seeing certain players fail.

Brooks Conrad isn’t one of those players.

I love self-made guys because they never have the best talent, they’re not flashy and they usually appreciate what they have. Conrad, the 30-year-old journeyman who was forced into regularly playing time because of injuries to Chipper Jones and Martin Prado, is a self-made player. He was a nobody until May 20, when hit his first career major league grand slam by helping the Braves beat the Reds, 10-9.

But because of his three errors in the Giants’ 3-2 come-from-behind win on Sunday in the NLDS, now Conrad is somebody. And unfortunately for him, he’s somebody for all the wrong reasons.

Conrad’s three errors tied a record for most errors in a single divisional series playoff game. Two of his errors led to Giants’ runs, including the eventual winning run when a Buster Posey routine ground ball traveled through his legs to score Aubrey Huff in the top of the ninth.

Of course, had Billy Wagner not gotten hurt in Game 2 of this series, Craig Kimbrel would have never pitched the top of the ninth on Sunday. And had Kimbrel gotten one more strike on Freddy Sanchez, the Giants’ second baseman wouldn’t have reached on a base-hit and Atlanta would be up 2-1 in the series.

But Kimbrel didn’t get him out and manager Bobby Cox went to his bullpen. He wanted a lefty-on-lefty matchup, so he called upon Mike Dunn to get Aubrey Huff out, but he couldn’t. Huff lined a pitch into right field to score Travis Ishikawa (who Kimbrel had walked earlier in the inning), and then Conrad’s blunder led to the Giants’ second run of the inning. Closer Brian Wilson then retired the Braves in the bottom of the ninth and now San Fran holds a 2-1 lead in this best-of-five series.

It was the Braves that had drove a stake through the Giants’ hearts on Friday night by coming from four runs down in the eighth to eventually beat San Fran on a Rick Ankiel 11th-inning home run. It appears as though the law of averages caught up with the Braves and now both of these teams have pulled victory from the jaws of defeat in this series.

But back to Conrad. When they showed his grand slam against Cincinnati on the big screen in centerfield yesterday in the bottom of the ninth, the Atlanta faithful booed it. While I don’t blame Braves fans for showing their frustration, I can’t help but feel for Conrad. No player wants to be the goat – no player wants to have one travel through the wickets and have it lead to a game-winning run for the other team.

But unfortunately for him, his gaff put a spotlight back onto the Braves’ biggest issue: Their defense. Coming into the playoffs, Atlanta had the worst fielding percentage of any of the eight teams and it was their defense that ultimately doomed them in Game 3.

Damn that law of averages.

We’ll see if Conrad (who may get benched after yesterday’s performance) and the Braves can recover in Game 4 tonight, as Derek Lowe takes on rookie Madison Bumgarner. If Bumgarner can pitch as well as Jonathan Sanchez (whose gem was overshadowed by Eric Hinskie’s 2-run go-ahead homer in the 8th and Conrad’s errors) did on Sunday, then the Giants could be moving on to the NLCS tonight.

Jose Guillen can’t play defense, can’t get on base and he can’t hit for average.

So naturally Giants’ GM Brian Sabean had to have him.

On Friday, the Giants acquired the 34-year-old former Royal, who is well known for having a poor clubhouse reputation. That’s something the close-nit Giants don’t need right now heading into a huge weekend series with the first place Padres (the team the Giants are trailing by 2.5 games in the NL West).

Clearly hypnotized by his 16 homers this season, Sabean felt the need to add the outfielder despite the fact that Guillen is more useless than a chair with only two legs. Plus, his acquisition means that Aaron Rowand, Travis Ishikawa (assuming Aubrey Huff moves back to first base) and Nate Schierholtz will receive less playing time than they already are, which is befuddling when you consider that Guillen isn’t a better option than any of them.

If I punch myself in the side of the head enough times and squint hard enough, I might see the need for Guillen as a pinch hitter. But there’s no way that the Giants actually believe this schmuck is a starter. Do you know how much ground there is to cover in right field at AT&T Park? Guillen would be an absolute train wreck and for what? A couple of home runs down the stretch? I thought that’s what Pat Burrell was for? Didn’t Sabean already acquire Pat Burrell already? I’m confused.

The worst part is, Sabean traded away two capable outfielders earlier this season in Fred Lewis and John Bower – two homegrown players that were better defensively than Guillen and who came with zero baggage. How does trading Lewis and Bowker and trading for Guillen make any sense? Tell me what the difference is between those players, or how Guillen makes the Giants better than Lewis and Bowker? And what happens to Schierholtz? The kid entered spring training as the favorite to start in right field and after a poor couple of weeks at the plate, he became Lewis’d, Bowker’d and Kevin Frandsen’d in the blink of an eye. If I were a Giants’ farm player, I’d want to be dealt immediately because Sabean will eventually block my position with a crusty old vet. It’s only a matter of time.

Sabean doesn’t have the slightest clue what it takes to build an offense. For every Burrell, Huff and Juan Uribe, there’s a Rowand, Edgar Renteria and Mark DeRosa (who clearly wasn’t healthy when Sabean decided to hand him a two-year deal this past offseason). For every Bengie Molina trade, there’s a Guillen, Ryan Garko and Freddy Sanchez deal right around the corner.

I’ve never see a man make so many stupid decisions and yet retain his job for 14 years. If Brian Sabean were the President of the United States, half the nation would be underwater right now.

If you were to have gotten Giants general manager Brian Sabean all liquored up in a private setting (I know you’re probably weirded out by the start of this sentence, but stay with me here) and asked him which players he wouldn’t mind giving up in a trade to acquire a bat, he almost certainly would have uttered this name: Jonathan Sanchez.

Hell, there’s a great chance he would have uttered that name first. But that was before Sanchez’s no-hitter against the Padres on Friday night, when he struck out 11 batters and was a Juan Uribe-error away from throwing a perfect game.

The Giants had been waiting for that kind of performance all season out of Sanchez. Granted, they weren’t expecting that good of a performance, but they did have high expectations for him coming into the 2009 season.

He did show flashes of brilliance earlier this season, most notably in a two-hit, 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks on April 17. But ’09 has mostly been a season of massive frustration for not only Sanchez, but also a Giants organization that had hoped the 26-year-old lefty would be the third leg of a tripod that also featured pitching sensations Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

Sanchez has always been a strikeout pitcher, but for much of this season he struggled mightily with his control and he seemed to be racking up K’s only because he was wildly effective. And when he would start to struggle during games, he appeared to be a mental midget on the mound and could never recover.

At the end of June, Sanchez was demoted to the bullpen and the only reason he got the opportunity to start on Friday night against San Diego was because Randy Johnson suffered a shoulder injury swinging a bat in his last outing. But as Sanchez noted after his no-hitter, the move to the pen allowed pitching coach Dave Righetti to work with him on his lower half, getting the lefty to slow down and cock his leg back more upon his delivery. This also slowed his arm action down and it allotted Sanchez more control of all his pitches.

And he was certainly in control last night, striking out 11 batters with a barrage of fastballs, sliders and breaking balls that befuddled a weak San Diego lineup. His performance wasn’t a fluke; Sanchez was just that good last night and maybe the young man is finally turning the corner.

That said, the Giants need to hang onto Sanchez now. Even for as bad as he’s looked this year, maybe Friday’s performance will serve as a steppingstone for Sanchez to become the pitcher San Fran had always envisioned him becoming. With Johnson expected to miss at least another week or so, Sanchez will get another start or two and if he’s lights out again, Sabean can’t trade this kid with the Giants leading the Wild Card race.

San Fran’s offense is bad, but it might not be as bad as everyone initially thought. “Kung Fu Panda” Pablo Sandoval has ignited this team with his bat, Aaron Rowand has been revived in the leadoff spot and even young players like Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa are starting to come around. If role players like Uribe, Randy Winn and Edgar Renteria can help fill in the gaps, the Giants might not have to part with an arm like Sanchez in order to get a bat on the trade market.

Plus, with Lincecum and Cain, the Giants already had one of the best pitching rotations in the NL – if not the best. If Sanchez has finally turned the corner, the Giants could potentially have the best starting rotation in the entire league (don’t forget about Johnson and Barry Zito, the latter of which has pitched well this season). San Fran would be incredibly tough to beat in the postseason with that rotation, even with a weak lineup.

Now, I know what some are thinking: Sanchez has had more bad outings this season than good and one no-hitter doesn’t mean he’s Cy Young-bound now. But Sanchez isn’t some journeyman that came out of nowhere; the Giants loved his potential coming into the season. And if he has finally turned the corner, SF should reap the benefits of developing his talent.

Plus, with minor leaguers Buster Posey and Angel Villalona on there way to the big leagues soon, maybe the offense is on its way and the Giants don’t have to go outside of the organization in order to acquire bats.

Maybe Sabean is thinking he can turn Sanchez’s no-hitter into trade gold. Maybe Sabean can now get the bat the Giants have needed all season long. Or maybe Sabean keeps Sanchez and builds a starting rotation that resembles the Braves of the mid-90s or the A’s of earlier this decade. After all Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez look like one hell of a trio right now and the sick part is, the Giants still have two more studs in the waiting in minor league arms Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson.

Sabean might be sitting on a pitching gold mind here. Now isn’t the time to trade one of those pieces.

1. Nice start for Josh Beckett
This season hasn’t gone the way of the ace so far, with CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander and Tim Lincecum all struggling for their respective teams. But one No. 1 that didn’t struggle in his ’09 debut was Boston’s Josh Beckett, who fanned 10 in the BoSox’s 5-3 victory over the Rays on Tuesday. You hate to make claims that a pitcher is already in midseason form after only one outing, but Beckett’s two-hit, one-run effort against Tampa was impressive.

2. Speaking of Tim Lincecum…
Boy did he struggle yesterday for the Giants. But the good news for San Fran and the reining NL Cy Young winner is that his velocity wasn’t down, it just looked like he had a major case of the yips in his Opening Day debut. He looked too pumped up from the start and just never settled down. Fortunately, Aaron Rowand, Bengie Molina, Travis Ishikawa and the rest of the G-Men offense helped Lincecum out as SF romped the Brewers 10-6. Huh, what a concept – the Giants offense bailing out the pitching for once…who would have thought?

3. Dombrowski better be taking heat today in Detroit
In the offseason, Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski’s answer to solving the bullpen issues in Detroit was signing former Arizona closer Brandon Lyon instead of pursuing other avenues like J.J. Putz (who is now a setup man for the Mets). At least for one day, the decision backfired as Lyon blew Edwin Jackson’s (7.1, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 K) gem in Toronto by giving up three runs on three hits as the Jays knocked off the Tigers 5-4. Granted, Lyon has plenty of time to bounce back but if he doesn’t, the Tigers will be left with mental midget Fernando Rodney to close games, who didn’t necessarily earn the role this spring with a 7.00 ERA. Considering Joel Zumaya may never pitch again due to freak injuries and Nate Robertson (who Dombrowski just gave a 3-year, $21 million deal in January of ’08) is pissed about being taken out of the starting rotation, Dombrowski has quite a mess brewing in Detroit.

4. Speaking of Dave Dombrowski mistakes…
On October 29 of 2007, Dombrowski traded outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitcher Jair Jurrjens to the Braves in exchange for shortstop Edgar Renteria. Long story short, Renteria started for the Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday following one horrible season in Detroit, while Jurrjens shut down the Phillies in Philadelphia by allowing four hits and no runs in 5.2 innings of work. Jurrjens looks like one of the better young arms in baseball and it looks like people better keep an eye on Atlanta this year in the NL East.

5. Speaking of the Phillies…
I absolutely love the panic surrounding the defending champs already. They’re 0-2 and have scored just one run in two games, which of course has led to ESPN and every other media outlet to ask, “What’s wrong with the Phillies?” Let’s relax a little, shall we? No, this isn’t a good start for the World Series champs, but there’s still 160 games left in the season. Maybe these first two games are an indication of things to come, or maybe this is just a slow start and we should let the season roll on little before everyone hits the panic button.

6. Who the hell is Emilio Bonifacio?
If you’re a baseball fan, how do you not like the Marlins? Every year this team rolls out new young talent and this year looks no different. In November of last year, Florida traded pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham to the Nationals in exchange for Jake Smolinski, P.J. Dean and a young infielder named Emilio Bonifacio. In his first two games of the season, Bonifacio hit an inside the park home run and is 6 for 11 with three steals, four runs scored and has driven in four. He still might drop off the face of the earth soon, but you gotta love this kid’s start – and the Marlins’, who have started off 2-0.

I know this guy (I’ll stop short of calling him a friend but wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the phone if he called) that at the start of all the major sporting seasons will throw out his list of “sleeper teams” to watch out for.

What’s funny about this guy is that he knows if he’s wrong he’ll never be called out because hey, they were just sleeper teams anyways right? But if he’s right, well hell, he’ll look like some kind of sports sleeper team Nostradamus.

This is the same guy that’ll pick a No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 every year in the March Madness Tournament, so on the rare chance it happens he’ll have the opportunity to say that he called the upset of a lifetime. The funny thing is that he would have been wrong the previous 34 years of predicting 16’s over 1’s, but that would be beside the point.

Anyway, this piece is dedicated to him – the “Sleeper Team Guy.” For fans, there’s nothing like predicting a perennial loser (i.e. the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays) to rise from the ashes and make a postseason run no matter what sport it is. And with Opening Day right around the corner, I think it’s a perfect time to hand out some potential sleeper candidates of my own.

Below are five deep sleepers to make a postseason run this year in baseball. Most pundits assume that none of the five will finish better than third in their respective divisions, which is why I can get away with calling these teams “deep sleepers.” If any of them make the playoffs, I’ll wax poetically about it in my sleeper teams piece next year. If none even sniff a postseason berth, then in honor of “Sleeper Team Guy” don’t expect me to admit I was wrong. Yeah, that’s right – accountability is for losers.

1. Florida Marlins

What to Love: I’ll be completely honest – I want to make sweet, sweet love to this team. I want to take them out to a nice Mexican dinner, treat them to some fried ice cream and then take them back to my place so I can show them my rare collection of Roy Orbison collectable plates and hopefully top off the night by making some bad decisions. Hanley Ramirez, Cameron Maybin, Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez comprise one of the most promising lineups in all of baseball and the young rotation of Ricky Nolasco (thanks to regular reader “T-Bone” for pointing out that I had somehow forgot Nolasco originally), Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Andrew Miller and Anibel Sanchez screams of potential as well. This club will be fun to watch this year and its youthful ignorance could carry them all season.

What to Hate: Young teams like the Marlins have a tendency to explode out of the gates, only to run out of gas after the All-Star Break. Their inexperience will come into play at some point this season, whether it’s at the start, end or throughout. The Fish also play in the toughest division in the NL, which features the defending World Series champion Phillies, the stacked Mets and the veteran infested Braves. But the bottom line is that Florida finished a mere 5.5 games back in the Wild Card race last year and should only be better this season.

2. San Francisco Giants

What to Love: Take a look at the starting pitching and tell me your Mickey Mouse watch doesn’t go from 6:00 to midnight. 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is a freak and anyone waiting for him to suffer a sophomore slump needs to get a grip; “The Franchise” is the real deal. Believe it or not, No. 2 Matt Cain has just as much potential as Lincecum, but his record is always brutal because the Giants never give him any run support. Randy Johnson might be 89 years old, but he was a solid offseason addition to a rotation that also features a young, emerging arm in Jonathan Sanchez. Ironically, Barry Zito is the worst of the group, but even he could turn in a decent year now that he’s a No. 4. Position players-wise, Pablo Sandoval, Travis Ishikawa and Emmanuel Burriss are having solid springs and if they can produce, they’ll add to a lineup that features steady bats like Bengie Molina, Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand, who should be better now that his rib injury has healed.

What to Hate: Even though players like free agent acquisition Edgar Renteria should help, the lineup looks pitiful on paper. The starting pitching is solid, but the G-Men ranked second to last in runs scored last year and will rely mostly on unproven players again this season. This club better hope that Sandoval, Ishikawa, Fred Lewis and Kevin Frandsen produce this year or else the starters will have to pitch shutouts all season.

3. Texas Rangers

What to Love: There’s no doubt about it – the Rangers will score runs again this year. Ian Kinsler hit .319 with 18 dingers, 71 RBI and even swiped 26 bases last year. He’s entering his prime and at only 26, Texas can probably count on solid production from him for years to come. Josh Hamilton, who was easily the best story in baseball last year, will once again join Kinsler in the lineup. Hamilton hit .304 with 32 home runs and 130 RBI and will be the centerpiece of the Rangers’ offense again this season. Toss in quality bats like Michael Young, Hank Blalock and emerging youngster Chris Davis and the Rangers’ lineup is stacked.

What to Hate: The starting lineup makes you want to jump for joy but the starting pitching makes you feel like you’re hooked up to one of those diabolical contraptions in the “Saw” movies. None of the top four starters – Kevin Millwood, Vincente Padilla, Matt Harrison and Brandon McCarthy – had an ERA lower than 4.74 last year and Millwood even posted a 5.07 mark as the supposed ace. Unless young prospects Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz get the opportunity to shine (which is doubtful because the club doesn’t want to rush them), then the Rangers will once again have one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball.

4. Cincinnati Reds

What to Love: The Reds have quietly amassed one of the better young lineups in the National League. The headliners are Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, but the offseason addition of Willy Taveras was key and hopefully he can team with Jerry Hairston Jr. to form a decent 1-2 punch at the top of the order. Edwin Encarnacion is also a possible breakout candidate and this club has a couple of nice young pitchers in Edinson Volquez, Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto. (Assuming Dusty Baker doesn’t ruin their arms, that is.)

What to Hate: The Reds are kind of a poor man’s Marlins when it comes to young sleeper teams. I want to get in bed with the Marlins and share my deepest feelings. I want to get in bed with the Reds too, but I want to make sure they know that I have a big day the next day and therefore it would be best if they left after we were done so I can get some sleep. Cincy doesn’t have the talent that Florida does and unless they get breakout performances from a slew of players, than the Reds will likely sink to the bottom of the NL Central once again this year.

5. Kansas City Royals

What to Love: The addition of Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs to a lineup that already features Jose Guillen and breakout candidate Billy Butler was solid. The offense is above average and the top of the rotation is pretty good with Gil Meche (14-11, 3.98 ERA) and Zach Greinke (13-10, 3.47 ERA) leading the way. The No. 3 spot in the rotation belongs to youngster Kyle Davies, who hasn’t allowed a run yet in spring training. KC also plays in a division of uncertainty, with the Indians, Tigers, White Sox and Twins all entering 2009 with plenty of question marks.

What to Hate: The offense is good, but it’s probably only above average at this point. The lack of stars on this club is staggering and for as good as the starting three could be in the rotation, the Royals don’t have a No. 4 or No. 5 at this point. The AL Central isn’t a powerhouse, but the division still features a ton of talent and two teams in the Tribe and Tigers that could bounce back in a major way after disastrous ‘08 campaigns.

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

Offseason Movement: The G-Men added a solid piece to their starting rotation in former Cy Young-winner Randy Johnson. The club also signed free agent Edgar Renteria to play shortstop, and added Jeremy Affeldt and Bob Howry in hopes to strengthen their bullpen. Rich Aurilia and Josh Phelps were given minor league contracts, although Phelps was already reassigned to minor league camp.

Top Prospect: Madison Bumgarner, LHP
Who would have thought that the farm system that produced Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson and Jonathan Sanchez would have a pitcher as its top prospect? While catcher Buster Posey, corner infielder Angel Villalona and starter Tim Alderson deserve mention here, Bumgarner earns the Giants’ top prospect tag for his “ace” potential. While he isn’t expected to take Lincecum’s No. 1 spot any time soon, Bumgarner could turn out to be a San Fran’s No. 2 in the next couple seasons. He dominated his first full year in the minors after being selected in the first round out of high school, posting a 1.46 ERA in A-ball. He has a fastball that reaches 97 mph and once he develops his secondary pitches, Bumgarner should make his first big league appearance in no time.

The Big Question: Will this team score any runs?
Out of all the teams in baseball last year, only the Padres (637) scored fewer runs than the Giants (640). And all San Fran did to reshape their roster was give youngsters Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa full-time roles. While Sandoval has a ton of potential, he is largely unproven and along with Bengie Molina and Fred Lewis, he comprises one of the weakest 3-4-5 middle-of-the-orders in baseball. From top to bottom, the Giants once again have one of the worst offenses in the league and unless they can add a big bat at the trade deadline, they’ll likely play in a ton of low scoring ballgames this year.

Outlook: This team actually has scattered potential, but they’re just not there yet. 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is already one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball and it seems like his popularity has grown overnight. Randy Johnson, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Jonathan Sanchez join Lincecum to form one of the better young rotations in the National League. Unfortunately, they’ll once again have little to no run support because GM Brian Sabean has ignored drafting top position players for years. Instead, he has chosen to overpay for guys like Aaron Rowand, and therefore must hope that youngsters Pablo Sandoval, Fred Lewis, Travis Ishikawa and Kevin Frandsen have breakout years. Randy Winn, Edgar Renteria and Bengie Molina are fine role players, but they’re being counted on as the core of the Giants’ lineup, which limits this club’s potential. The starting pitching will once again be solid and the bullpen actually looks decent with closer Brian Wilson leading the way, followed by free agent addition Jeremy Afeldt and promising youngsters Alex Hinshaw and Sergio Romo. But the lineup will once again hold the Giants back this year and unless Sabean has a trick up his sleeve at the trade deadline, San Fran will have to wait another year or two before they’re competitive again.

Projection: 3rd NL West