sixth in series - the outfield

[west coast orange and black]

this is the sixth in a series of 7 weekly stories on mlb.com examining the giants, position by position.

outfielders

"It all comes down to No. 25. Again.

"Barry Bonds' 41-year-old knees are at the heart -- well, make that ligaments and cartilage -- of the Giants' 2006 season, and if those creaky old bones can stay viable, so will San Francisco."
-rich draper, mlb.com

here is the story (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060207&content_id=1308253&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)


and in case you missed 'em, here are the 5 prior mlb.com installments on the giants:

the starting rotation (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060111&content_id=1294115&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)

relief pitching (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060103&content_id=1290877&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)

catching (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060118&content_id=1297500&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)

corner infielders (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060124&content_id=1300216&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)

middle infielders ( http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060131&content_id=1304505&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf)

[west coast orange and black]

bonds is expected to be bonds... except the giants have warned us to expect him to start in about 110 games. i got him down for 130 starts, and playing in 145.

if winn shows a hefty percentage of what he did in the latter months of last season, i say offer that dude an extended contract.

hopefully, alou will stay off the disabled list. if so, and he starts 130 games, he will be an adequate #5.

good things will come from finley if he stays healthy. if any one of these guys goes down for an extended length, the giants are in trouble.

[KHenry14]

Well, on paper, the first 4 guys are all solid players with Bonds obviously being a superstar. But three of them are 40, which means injuries are always a possibility. Finley's history indicates that last year's problem were unusual, so there's some hope there. But if they stay healthy this could be a major strength of the team.

All in all I think I'll be having my fingers crossed all season about these guys.

KH14