Granted, the lineup -- especially the infield -- is drastically different from last April's. Not only does Renteria replace Omar Vizquel, but first baseman Daniel Ortmeier, second baseman Ray Durham and third baseman Jose Castillo are gone.

Sandwiched around clutch hitter Bengie Molina, who's penciled in at No. 4 in the lineup, are No. 3 Fred Lewis and No. 5 Pablo Sandoval. It's not exactly Kent-Bonds-Burks, but it'll have to do.

The right side of the infield is young. While Travis Ishikawa already has earned a job at first base -- he shined both on offense and defense in spring training -- second base is up for grabs, a hot competition between Kevin Frandsen and Emmanuel Burriss, both of whom were solid in training camp.

The rotation is the strength, especially with Randy Johnson, 45, joining reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, hard-throwing Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and the $126 million man, Barry Zito, who's entering the third year of his seven-year contract.

General manager Brian Sabean, while not adding a big bat to the only team that failed to hit 100 homers last year, did bolster the bullpen with free agent relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry. They'll set up Brian Wilson, who saved 41 games in his first full big-league season.

The Giants are much younger than in recent years, losing many players from the end of the Barry Bonds era, including Durham, Vizquel and Dave Roberts. Rich Aurilia was re-signed as a utility player.

Speaking of youth, Sandoval won over fans last year by hitting .345 in the final six weeks, and Lewis, Burriss and utility man Eugenio Velez provide something Bonds' Giants rarely displayed: speed.

But without bona fide power, the Giants must rely on pitching and defense, and that'll put pressure on the rotation and bullpen to eke out a lot of low-scoring victories.

THE GIANTS WILL CONTEND IF ...: The rotation emerges, as expected, as the deepest in the division. They get just enough hitting after adding just one new bat from the end of last season, SS Edgar Renteria. New relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry prove to be an upgrade over last year's setup men.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: RHP Matt Cain is due for a breakout year after going 15-30 the past two seasons. He sported decent ERAs (3.65 and 3.76) but often found himself a victim of little run support or poor relief.

ON THE DECLINE: CF Aaron Rowand is entering the second year of his five-year, $60 million contract and coming off a season in which he hit .271 with 13 homers and 70 RBIs -- one year after his numbers were .309, 27, 89 in Philadelphia. He also sometimes struggled defensively last season. The Giants are hoping for a bounce-back year.