The injury bug has taken yet another top Giants hitter. Freddy Sanchez went down hard on his throwing shoulder Friday dislocating it. Sanchez will hit the 15-day DL as a result of this and is to undergo an MRI today.
Freddy Sanchez will be dearly missed in the Giants lineup as he leads the team with a .289 average and a .332 OBP. Sanchez was hitting out of the three slot and provided the team with three HRs and 24 RBI. His 24 RBI is good enough for second best on the team.
The Giants have seen plenty of players hit the DL thus far. Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Barry Zito, Pablo Sandoval, Mike Fontenot, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and now Freddy Sanchez have all seen time on the DL.
Mike Fontenot would have been the guy to fill in for the injured Sanchez, but he suffered a setback to his groin on Friday during his rehab assignment.
Pablo Sandoval is very close to a return, as he has shown that the hand is feeling good during his rehab assignment. His power is needed now more than ever. Sandoval did lead the team with a .313 average, five HRs and 14 RBI prior to the injury in only 24 games.
Bill Hall was signed early today in order to replace Freddy Sanchez. Hall had been cut by the Astros earlier this month, and the Giants went in and swooped him up. Hall will only be payed $300,000 as the Astros will have to pay the rest of his original $3 million contract.
Hall will not hit for the same average as Freddy Sanchez, but he has very good power. Hall has struggled this year, only hitting .224 with two HRs and 13 RBI in 46 games.
Hall hit 18 HRs and 46 RBI with a .247 average in 120 games last year with the Red Sox. He hit 35 HRs and 85 RBI back in 2006 with the Brewers, and the Giants are hoping that he can come up big in Sanchez’s absence.
Bill Hall can play third, short and second. He has also played some outfield.
The only down part about Hall’s game is the fact that he strikes out at a very high rate. In 146 ABs, Hall has struck out 55 times. He has struck out 100+ times in seven seasons in his young career.
Hall is only 31 years old and will help fill in at second. Hall may not turn out to be a star, but he is a decent option under these circumstances.
If the Giants want to repeat, they will need guys to stay healthy. Injuries are a part of the game, and sometimes they are simply unavoidable.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com