Giants Rotation

MLB.com (Giants) 12/22/04 Giants mailbag: Up in arms
If pieces fall into place, rotation could be formidable

Coincidentally, this could be the year. Imagine a Big 4 of Jason Schmidt, Brett Tomko, Jerome Williams and Noah Lowry, with the perplexing problems of veteran Kirk Rueter in the mix. It could be a sensational pitching year, if ... Schmidt is injury-free (those 200-plus innings cause a lot of wear and tear), Tomko avoids first-half blues and Rueter can stay away from the long winless stretches he's had the past two seasons.

Foppert underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2003, but unlike in the case of Jason Christiansen, who suffered a slow, deteriorating tear of his ligament, Foppert's "popped" on one pitch. That, along with his young age (24) spells out a relatively quick recovery time.
Foppert has pitched exceptionally well in Puerto Rico this offseason, and went six innings on one occasion. The Giants expect the 24-year-old right-hander to be the long man in the bullpen to begin the season, but the former USF star will likely be a spot starter as well.