A Healthy Brian Wilson Should Rebound For Giants

Published: 20^th Feb 12 10:41 pm

Randy Holt
NHL Network Manager

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Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

After winning the World Series in 2010, the 2011 follow up campaign was a rough year for the Giants and their fans, all over the diamond.

They struggled to score runs, even more than in 2010. They struggled to stay healthy, from their franchise player, Buster Posey, to their closer Brian Wilson.

As the Giants head into the 2012 season, though, they’ve solved at least one of those problems. They’ve gotten healthier. Part of that was proven when Brian Wilson came into spring camp over the weekend and threw without pain.

After an incredible year in 2010, in which he posted a 1.81 ERA and notched 48 saves, Wilson fell off quite a bit in 2011, mostly due to his lack of healthy. His ERA jumped to 3.11 and his WHIP jumped from 1.18 in 2010 to almost 1.5 in 2010.

His health limited Wilson to nearly 20 less innings last season, falling from almost 75 in ’10 to just 55 last season. Not only was he dealing with elbow pain, but also had issues with his hip and back. That limited his appearances and already has him doing limited work this spring.

For at least the rest of the month, Wilson is not going to be throwing everyday. There’s very little doubt he’ll be ready for the ninth inning on Opening Day, but the Giants are going to be very careful with Wilson this spring. He’ll throw every couple of days and will throw in at least some of the Giants’ exhibition games in Arizona next month.

Obviously, Wilson’s health is a big plus for the Giants. If he’s as healthy as he is expected to be when the season gets underway, that’s a huge plus for the Giants. One can only hope, however, that his issues last season don’t turn into the nagging variety.

But as long as Wilson remains on schedule this spring, and the Giants continue to take it slow with him prior to the regular season opening up, it could be time to, once again, Fear the Beard.

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