My lack of skill in posting tables notwithstanding, what is shown here is a summary of offensive statistics for Giants with more than 2 plate appearances (PA). It begins with, and is ordered by, weighted on base average (wOBA), which applies a number to all outcomes (walks, singles, doubles, etc.) based on their statistical relationship to run production. The league average is about .320, thus we have 7 players above average if you count Justin Christian. Next to wOBA are plate-appearances-per-rbi and plate appearances per run. The other statistics are pretty well known. wOBA is viewed by many as superceding OPS as an overall measure of offensive production.

Looking at wOBA and PA/RBI, Cabrera, Sandoval, Posey and Belt form a pretty clear top 4, with Hector Sanchez crashing half that party with a freakishly low PA per RBI (with a respectable 125 PAs). Belt and Sanchez both have high strike out percentages (25% and 23% respectively); actually most of the rookies or players with few MLPAs have high strike out percentages. (Posey is fairly high as well, perhaps that may be related to his missing much of last year.)

Going forward, one can assume that Cabrera, Sandoval and Posey are pretty much solid gold as offensive producers. Belt has been a bit erratic, but has generally been at or near the top 4 in key offensive stats. His wOBA dropped more than 10 points in the last week or so before the break. If Belt returns to his "June form", then we are pretty well set at first base and, between Cabrera, Sandoval, Posey and Belt, have 4 somewhat feared and potentially dangerous hitters. Christian was a huge bright spot before the AS break. His 3.6 PAs per run is awesome and his low (6%) strike out rate is promising and may reflect maturity. He is not young and seems to be very focused on making the most of this opportunity. Pagan has ups and downs. Sometimes his hitting seems very timely and clutch. His wOBA is just barely above average. His RBIs are respectable. Blanco has impressed many since spring training. He sees a lot of pitches and steals bases. He is outstanding on defense. He strikeout ratio is high for a leadoff hitter. Theriot is a tough, gritty player. A great asset with strong intangibles. He knows how to win, in my opinion.

In my view, the giants are in a position where the offense could be improved by adding an outfielder with power or a middle infielder who hits well. The outfielder would presumably compete with Pagan, Blanco and Christian for time (or leave them to compete for the 3rd spot). The middle infielder, if we got one, would presumably compete with Theriot for the starting job at 2nd. Shortstop is probably a harder position to shop for and tends to be costly, so Crawford is probably safe and not that easy to replace. He is young and hopefully he will continue to improve. I like the kid and I have no problem with that. His fairly light hitting , however, creates more pressure on the orginization to get offense from every other position. At first base, I think at this point we may just sink or swim with Belt. I think some, in the Giants org, have underestimated him. True, he strikes out too much, but you don't get that many walks because the other team thinks you are a weak hitter. His wOBA and high Rbi per at bat rate speak for themselves.

So I would suggest that, while we could go with what we have, we might be casually shopping for a middle infielder and outfielder, as well as bullpen help. There is a lot of talk about a right handed bat being a priority, and that may be so, however, switch hitters Cabrera and Sandoval are excellent against left-handed pitching, as is Posey and, to some degree, Belt, in terms of power.

=====================================================================