The Giants might have been the only folks celebrating Barry Bonds’ breaking the all-time home run record, and now they must deal with a considerable hangover. They have posted three consecutive losing seasons, and their prospects for competing in the NL West appear slim among younger, more talented clubs.

Rotation 
If the Giants have a saving grace, it’s a young rotation anchored by Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. GM Brian Sabean spent most of the winter fending off trade offers for the two young pitchers, though he seriously considered a deal for Lincecum with Toronto that would have netted All-Star outfielder Alex Rios. Neither of the 23-year-old studs will be forced to carry the staff; Barry Zito is being paid to serve as the ace, though he might be more of a No. 3. Noah Lowry won 14 games before a bone spur in his elbow cut short a fine season. Kevin Correia emerged as a solid starter in the second half and seems to have found his niche. Jonathan Sanchez may work his way into a few starts.

Statistician
28	Home runs by Barry Bonds, giving him an all-time best 762.
22	Home runs by all other Giants outfielders.
.387	Giants team slugging percentage, last in the majors.
4-16	Record in games tied after eight innings. (They were 2–9 in extra-inning games.)
33	Losses by the Giants’ bullpen, the most in the National League.
244	Consecutive appearances as a starter by Barry Zito before making his first relief appearance Aug. 5.

Bullpen 
The Giants hope to win with starting pitching and a meager offense, which means their relievers will be pitching with little margin for error. The pen was the worst in the division last year, and the same group returns, but there is reason to expect improvement. Brian Wilson had a strong showing in September (4.50 ERA) and has the stuff to close, with upper-90s heat and a nasty slider. Tyler Walker also made a nice comeback from Tommy John surgery and looks to be a good setup option, while also serving as a fallback in case Wilson cannot shoulder the load. Brad Hennessey is a serviceable arm as well, though the Giants could use more from the left side. Jack Taschner and Steve Kline were abysmal against left-handed hitters. Merkin Valdez and Vinnie Chulk will log innings this season as well.

Middle Infield 
Omar Vizquel didn’t win his 12th Gold Glove, but he hasn’t slipped much, if at all, in the field. He will pass Luis Aparicio in April for the most games played by a shortstop in major league history — another milestone that should firm up his Hall of Fame credentials. Vizquel had a miserable year at the plate, though he refused to believe it was because of age or a slow bat. The Giants re-signed him largely because his glove is so important to their young pitching staff, but they are counting on a bounce-back year at the plate, too. They’ll need an even bigger resurgence from Ray Durham, who might have been the worst regular player in the NL at the plate last season.

Corners
The Giants haven’t had an All-Star first baseman since Will Clark in 1996, and they aren’t likely to break that streak this season. Daniel Ortmeier, who hadn’t worn a first base glove before last August, is the incumbent. He is a switch hitter with some potential, but he is stronger from his natural right side. Rich Aurilia is the best option at third.

Outfield 
Aaron Rowand might not appear to be a classic No. 5 hitter, but that’s where the Giants expect to use him. He also might not appear to be worth $60 million, though that’s what it took over five years to sign him. Rowand should bring fire to a soulless clubhouse, along with his usual scrappy play in center field. Randy Winn is coming off a quietly solid season and will return to right field. Dave Roberts is likely to platoon with Rajai Davis in left field; both are speedsters whose leadoff abilities will be vital as the Giants hope to manufacture runs with little power. The defense should be much improved now that the statuesque Bonds is no longer in left.

Catching 
Nobody told Bengie Molina that the Giants were a sideshow as Bonds chased the home run record. He was one of few players who seemed to care as they slipped further from contention. Molina is coming off perhaps his best offensive season, but he also had his struggles behind the plate as he learned a new league and often second-guessed his pitch selections. The Giants will be in trouble if they need Molina to bat cleanup. They’ll get more out of him if they hit him lower in the order and allow him to concentrate on developing the staff.

Bench 
The Giants couldn’t win many games in the late innings, and one factor was the utter lack of power on the bench. Guillermo Rodriguez did a nice job backing up Molina after Eliezer Alfonzo tore a knee ligament in June. The two backups will compete for at-bats, perhaps all season. Outfielders Nate Schierholtz and Fred Lewis both have ability, and the team would like for them to force their way into larger roles.

Statline Most Pitches Thrown Since 2001
1.	Barry Zito	25,702
2.	Livan Hernandez	25,615
3.	Javier Vazquez	24,061
4.	Mark Buehrle	23,791
5.	Tom Glavine	23,339

Management 
It’s hard to say Bruce Bochy was a disappointment in his first year with the Giants. Any manager would have looked bad as Bonds undermined his authority and made it impossible to police the rest of the clubhouse. After the season, Bochy said he wanted more of a “warrior spirit,’’ and Rowand should help in that area. Still, Bochy and Sabean are used to trusting veterans, and they might be out of step with the Giants’ new direction in the post-Bonds era. Both are signed through 2009, but it’s easy to see them going in a package firing if the Giants are a mess in 2008.

Final Analysis 
The Giants are trying to go younger and they have a few intriguing players like Schierholtz and Lewis, but the rest of the NL West got a major head start on them. The Giants are feeling the effects of losing their first-round draft picks in ’04 and ’05 for signing free agents while their division rivals stocked themselves with blue-chip talent. The lineup might be the worst in the major leagues, and it certainly won’t be competitive in a division full of emerging greats like Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, etc. Even if they are able to play competitive games behind their starting staff, it’s hard to envision their bullpen being able to shut the door with consistency. The Bonds hangover will be severe. The Giants just hope it won’t last more than a season or two.

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Difference Maker

Brian Wilson is different, all right. He has a giant water serpent tattooed on his arm, and it’s hard to tell when he’s joking because he says everything in a deadpan manner. The Giants believe his offbeat personality could be as well-suited to the closer role as his terrific stuff, but the proof will come on the field. A durable and effective closer is an absolute must for the Giants to finish with a winning record, let alone contend. Manager Bruce Bochy says that Wilson is expected to break camp as the closer, even if he struggles in the spring.

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Beyond the Box Score

Swan song Nobody knew it at the time, but Barry Bonds might have hit the last home run of his career Sept. 5 at Coors Field off Colorado rookie Ubaldo Jimenez. It established the all-time home run record at 762, and it came on a 99 mph fastball. A month earlier, Bonds hit No. 756 to break Hank Aaron’s record. Bonds wanted to return for a 16th and final season with the Giants, but the club informed him in late September that he wouldn’t be re-signed. Bonds made a brief appearance in the home finale on a sprained toe, and flied out to the warning track in his final at-bat. A few months later, he was indicted on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from his testimony in a federal steroids case.

Standing tall at short Omar Vizquel will have his own celebration in April when he passes Luis Aparicio for the most games played by a shortstop in major league history. Vizquel enters the year 13 games away from passing his fellow Venezuelan, who played in 2,583 games at short. Vizquel, who turns 41 in April, is one of few 40-year-old shortstops in major league history to play more than 50 games at the position. The others (Luke Appling, Honus Wagner, Ozzie Smith) are all in the Hall of Fame.

Cain was able It sounds crazy to say Matt Cain had a terrific year with a 7–16 record. But Cain was a victim of awful run support and handled the adversity with uncommon poise. The righthander ranked 10th in the National League with a 3.65 ERA.

Putting the K in rookie Tim Lincecum made just five starts at Triple-A Fresno before forcing his way to the major leagues in May. Once there, he led all major league rookies with 150 strikeouts. That’s more than even Detroit’s Justin Verlander had during his Rookie of the Year season in ’06.

The other Barry Barry Zito was a $126 million disappointment with a 5.12 ERA when he volunteered to make his first career relief appearance Aug. 5 at San Diego. Zito finished well with a 3.52 ERA over his final 11 starts, but was 11–13 and ended the season with a losing record for the first time in his career.

Farewell The Giants received a blow when former closer Rod Beck died at 38 of an apparent drug overdose in June. Beck was a franchise icon with his flowing hair and intimidating moustache, though he had a tender heart and supported pediatric AIDS charities.

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