Inbox: Should Panda get extension with Giants?

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Away we go.

Do you think the Giants should extend Pablo Sandoval?
-- @SFPandaBlog

I would be shocked if the Giants don't sign Sandoval to a multiyear deal. They have to take a gamble that Pablo has learned his lesson and realizes he has to be careful about his weight and conditioning. There are few two-way third basemen who are capable of hitting in the middle of a lineup and playing top-level defense. Sandoval is one of them.

How important is trust in the clubhouse? Who needs to step up (on the Rockies) besides Tulo and CarGo to take pressure off of them?
-- @CandTJensen

On quality teams, there is a trust among players that each person is capable of handling his job and will do what it takes to be ready to get the job done. As far as real team leaders, they are few and far between. The two who stick out in my mind are Hal McRae with the Royals in the 1970s and '80s, and Don Baylor, wherever he was. The key for Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez is to stay healthy and in the lineup. The pressure is for them to play. Michael Cuddyer has been in Colorado long enough to establish his personality, and he's really the strongest force in the Rockies' clubhouse in that regard. He understands the game and realizes the importance of accepting limitations and maximizing abilities.

How is it looking for Charlie Blackmon to start?
-- @mocoughlin1

I would imagine center field for the Rockies will be a platoon of Blackmon as the left-handed hitter and Drew Stubbs as the right-handed hitter. Defense is so critical in center field. Blackmon is a solid center fielder, which at least initially gives him the edge, I would think, over Corey Dickerson.

Why couldn't Jonathan Herrera work out for the Rockies at second base? I thought he had good hip movement and speed.
--@cabbyJeff

Herrera was a good player and could fill in at second base, shortstop and third base. However, he didn't have a major upside offensively, and the feeling was that he wasn't strong enough for extended playing time. DJ LeMahieu showed last year that he can definitely play second, even if at 6-foot-4 he is among the tallest everyday second basemen in history. He also handles a bat well and is developing an understanding of how to generate power.