SAN JOSE GIANTS
Giants Welcome New Manager, Top Prospects in 2009

The San Jose Giants, now in their 22nd season affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, embark on a new journey in 2009 with a new manager at the helm and several exciting young prospects.

Gigante and fan. Photo: Chris Talley.

Last year, the Giants set a California League record by winning their fourth consecutive First Half Northern Division title en route to securing the best record in the league. Additionally, San Jose set a franchise attendance record for the fourth straight season with over 192,000 fans enjoying games at historic Municipal Stadium, an average of over 2,600 per contest.

The Giants welcome a new manager this season as Andy Skeels takes the reins. In 2008, Skeels directed the Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A) to the best record in minor-league baseball among full-season teams and a South Atlantic League championship. Several players from that Augusta team are now expected to earn a promotion with Skeels, making San Jose one of the favorites in the California League this year.

Pitcher Madison Bumgarner and catcher Buster Posey are both former first-round draft picks and are widely considered the top two prospects in the San Francisco farm system. Both players have bright futures in the organization and each is expected to begin the 2009 season in San Jose.

Bumgarner led all of minor-league baseball last year with a spectacular 1.46 ERA while compiling a 15-3 record as the ace of Augusta's pitching staff. The 19-year-old left-hander features a mid-90s fastball and pinpoint control that led to an impressive 164 strikeouts in just 141 innings last season. Bumgarner was named the 2008 San Francisco Giants Minor League Pitcher of the Year and is undoubtedly on the fast track to the major leagues.

Posey, 22, played briefly for San Jose during the playoffs last year and is expected to anchor the Giants offense this season. Drafted fifth overall in 2008, Posey won every major national Player of the Year award at Florida State University, where he hit an amazing .463 with 26 home runs during his final collegiate season. This year the San Jose Giants could feature one of the youngest, but most talented, teams in their history.

For more than 20 years, the San Jose Giants have been providing fun, affordable family entertainment in a traditional baseball environment at Municipal Stadium. Fans enjoy some of the best food in baseball at Turkey Mike's BBQ while being close to the on-field action. Kids and kids at heart have a ball at the Family Fun Zone's Bounce House, Speed-Pitch, T-Ball, Inflatable Slide and Batting Cage, while adults enjoy drinks on the Beverage Deck and Martinelli's VIP Deck.

The San Jose Giants will feature promotions throughout the season, including KRTY Country Thursdays, KFOX Family Fridays and Alliance Credit Union Kids Eat Free Sundays with a coupon from the Mercury News, to name a few of their popular theme nights. Additionally, the Giants have continued their partnership with Comcast to present Free Movie Nights, when classic family films can be watched on the video board from the outfield.

Join the San Jose Giants tradition at Municipal Stadium this summer! Tickets start at just $7 for children and seniors, $10 for adults, and kids 4 and under are FREE. Or bring your group out to the ballpark for "Baseball and BBQ", where they'll receive one ticket, a drink and mouth-watering food from Turkey Mike's BBQ (for groups of 15 to 1,000, prices range from $14 to $25 per person).

To keep up on all the latest San Jose Giants news and promotions, visit www.sjgiants.com or call (408) 297-1435.