So Long Freddy, and Then There were 11

Yesterday, it was announced that Freddy Sanchez was having back surgery which essentially ended any hope - however slim - of him returning to the Giants lineup this year. As most of said, this just might be the end of the road for Freddy's career. His service time in the Bigs was just over eight years, most of which was spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he won a batting title and appeared in three All-Star Games.

He was traded to the Giants in 2009, for then hot pitching prospect, Tim Alderson. His tenure with the Giants was a short one, he appeared in 196 games over a 2.5 year span, but he will always be remembered as being one of the key players to the 2010 World Championship team. In 2010, we as fans witnessed what a healthly Freddy could do - provide clutch hits to any part of the field, and play a steady second base. In '10, Freddy ended the season batting .292 with seven home runs and 47 RBI. However, his greatest accomplishments were in the postseason ... there he saved the Giants in Game 3 of the NLDS by getting a clutch hit in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and two strikes against him. That hit sparked an incredible comeback win for the Giants, which led to a Game 4 win and a date with the Phillies in the NLCS. His other big moment in the postseason was in Game 1 of the World Series, where he knocked three doubles - setting a single game World Series record. He also played some great defense throughout the series which eventually led to a World Championship win.

What makes the news of Freddy's season ending surgery so interesting is that now we have only 11 players from the 2010 squad on the current 25-man roster. We know that Aubrey Huff and Dan Runzler are rehabbing and that Eli Whiteside is in AAA, but as of now, the club has only three position players from the 2010 season on the current team (Posey, Burriss, Schierholtz) and eight pitchers (Affeldt, Bumgarner, Cain, Casilla, Lincecum, Lopez, Romo, and Zito).

It's just hard to believe how quickly a team roster can turnover in just under two years after winning a World Championship.

Freddy Sanchez

Game 5 of the 2010 World Series