• John Parker of MiLB.com recently did a Q & A with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft, Jameson Taillon.  Ranked by MLB.com as the #18 prospect in baseball – and yet to appear on the Sombrero’s list – the 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander provides a colorful interview in which he discusses his baseball upbringing, rise to prominence, and lifestyle.  Taillon also mentions that Shelby Miller is a “really good” golfer.

• Although Bruce Bochy has stated that 1B Brandon Belt has a shot to make the club out of Spring Training, Crazy Crabbers still believes that it is highly unlikely.  By delaying Belt’s arrival until late April or early May – provided that he’s still mashing – the Giants retain control of his contract through the 2018 season, as opposed to 2017 if he were to make the team out of Spring Training.  Considering that the two rookies, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, were arguably the main reason that the team made the playoffs and went on to win the World Series, perhaps this could be the year that Brain Sabean mixes things up.

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• Our friends over at Splashing Pumpkins were lucky (not in the sense that they were undeserving!) enough to attend Giants Media Day this week, and capture a candid video interview with Madison Bumgarner.  Among the topics discussed in this must-watch interview: the Verducci effect, the Giants’ new Showtime series, and his hitting prowess.

• At the beginning of the week, MiLB.com sat down for an interview with San Francisco Giants’ prospect – a fan favorite here at the Sombrero – Brandon Belt.  After just one year in the Minor Leagues, Belt was recently named the #26 prospect in baseball by MLB.com.  Considering how careful the Giants were with their development of Buster Posey, I really don’t know what to think of GM Brian Sabean’s claim that Belt could break camp with the parent club.

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• There’s no better holiday present than the Chicago White Sox new ticket package, “The Ozzie Plan.” Better yet, there’s no better way to promote it than with a commercial featuring the man himself.

• I was happy to hear that the Reds’ decided to extend Jay Bruce’s contract, which of course means that Mevs was beside himself with excitement.  Be sure to read his sincere thoughts on the Bruce’s new contract and the impact it will have on the organization.

• Speaking of extensions, the folks at Splashing Pumpkins analyze the risks of locking up the Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, with a contract extension.  Although the idea is beyond tempting, it might be potentially detrimental to the development of the entire organization.

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Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I went strong for a little over an hour. Topics for discussion included but weren’t limited to:

-Thoughts on the Justin Upton trade rumors
-We skim through the free agent class and the moves that have taken place thus far around baseball
-Thoughts on the NL Rookie of the Year
-Thoughts on Felix Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young Award
-Final thoughts on the AL/NL MVP awards

The San Francisco Giants selected Buster Posey 5th overall in the 2008 MLB First Year Player Draft.  After being called up on May 29th, Posey played a major role in the Giants’ late-season surge to reach the playoffs, and ultimately win the World Series.  In just 108 games, he hit .305 with 23 doubles, 18 home runs and 67 RBI.  On Monday, the 23-year old was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year after receiving 20 1st-place votes.  Here is a video of the always-impressive Posey taking batting practice as a California League All-Star in 2009: