Pill, a leftright-handed hitter, worked with new hitting coach Roberto Kelly Hensley Meulens earlier this month at AT&T Park and his inclusion was not a surprise after a banner year at Double-A Connecticut. He wasn’t considered a top prospect out of Cal State Fullerton and he’s still got to prove himself at every level, but he’s hit gobs of doubles while thriving in two pitcher’s parks (Connecticut’s Dodd Stadium, and two years earlier, Augusta’s ballpark). He’s also rated a better defensive first baseman than Travis Ishikawa, which is a nice compliment.

Peguero is a toolsy outfielder who has a plus arm and profiles as an above average center fielder or a dynamic presence at one of the corners. He’s a long way off, but his exuberance reminds coaches of a young Pablo Sandoval. Unfortunately, Peguero shares Sandoval’s lack of selectivity, too. He’s not trying to walk off the island, that’s for sure. Peguero isn’t close to the major leagues, but he’s been in the system long enough to be Rule 5 eligible and the Giants understandably don’t want to lose him.

Darren Ford is coming off a rollercoaster year for San Jose. He was barely hitting .200 at the All-Star break, but ended the year with a .300 average. How’d he do it? Well, the Giants turned him into a switch hitter a yer ago in instructional league. But he just wasn’t able to make it happen from the left side. San Jose Manager Andy Skeels told me Ford learned a lot about hitting in the process, though, and when he went back to being exclusively a right-handed guy, he had a much better approach against RHPs and LHPs alike. By the end of the season, he might’ve been the best player in the league. Ford could be the fastest player in the minor leagues, which allows him to play shallow and run down everything in center field. He’s a bit old for his level, but if he continues ot develop, he’ll certainly be a great acquisition considering he came as part of a salary dump from the Brewers in exchange for Ray Durham.

Pucetas is the guy you’re probably most familiar with. He’s the only guy on this list who won’t appear in my top-30 prospects for Baseball America, mostly because he had a terrible spring and then proved to be very hittable in the PCL. But that’s happened to pitchers with better pure stuff than Pucetas. He’s a strike thrower and he competes well in all aspects. The Giants always seem to have an affinity for those types of guys. Now that he’s on the 40-man, it’s more likely he’ll ride the Triple-A shuttle next year, helping out in the majors anytime the Giants face those invariable innings deficiencies.

Let’s step back to look at the balloting. It’s clear that the dichotomy between “old” and “new” analysis of pitching excellence had a major impact on the way the votes shook out.

Generally, we can infer that those BBWAA committee members who value wins above all else made Adam Wainwright their top choice. He got 12 first-place votes — more than Lincecum (11) or Carpenter (9).

Those who gave greater weight to other metrics — whether they stopped at WHHIP and ERA or they also paid attention to newer ones like FIP, etc. — most likely valued Carpenter and Lincecum as clearly superior to Wainwright in 2009.

That’s why Wainwright finished third overall even though he had the most first-place votes. For most of the “new school” voters, Wainwright clearly couldn’t crack the top two. And incidentally, I would’ve put Wainwright third, as well.

So why would I put Carpenter over Lincecum?

Look, it’s close. Their WHHIPs are almost identical. The difference in ERA is not insignificant, but it’s no chasm. You can’t be “wrong” in voting for either pitcher. (I’d go on, but Henry Schulman did a tremendous job breaking down his choice between the two and I’d echo nearly all of what he wrote.)

OK, so what about wins? Carpenter was 17-4 and Lincecum was 15-7. On paper, that’s a pretty big swing.

Does it matter? Should it matter?

Well, to risk standing in the middle of the road, I believe it does and it doesn’t.

Obviously, win total is not an overriding factor. Along with most folks who try to take a well-rounded approach to analyzing the game, I agree that wins often are misleading and fail to show the true worth of a pitcher because of the myriad factors out of their control. That’s why if Carpenter never got off the DL in 2009, and the choice was between Wainwright and Lincecum, I’d take Timmy every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I do think wins are important, though. You can’t completely discard them. Some pitchers just know how to win, whether it’s 6-5 or 2-1. That’s just as much a skill as anything else. There is a human element to this game that doesn’t fit in any computer simulation. There’s no stat to measure fortitude. But it’s an important component in a performance-driven industry. There’s a reason teams spend a lot of time assessing makeup and personality when they research draftees and potential free-agent signings. It matters. Just ask Matt Cain.

I’m not saying Tim Lincecum doesn’t have the fortitude to be a big-game pitcher. But I do believe he wasn’t at his best in the second half. He didn’t get consistent run support. He played for an inferior team, despite its 88 wins. And yes, his ERA demonstrates that he certainly pitched well overall. But at the end of the day, wins and losses are what matters. And a Cy Young Award winner doesn’t allow his team, a contending team, to go 7-7 in his starts after the All-Star break.

Lincecum is a fantastic talent. He’s already one of the best pitchers of his generation. He’ll go down as one of the greatest Giants in franchise history. And he’s getting better. I understand the fierce devotion. Really, I do. And while it doesn’t matter, I like him, too, and I’m happy for him that he won.

But in 2009, I watched Lincecum all season. I didn’t think it was a Cy Young season. And if anyone should’ve come away with that sense, it’s the beat writers who cover him.

Of course, this is all academic because I didn’t have a vote.

Come back in another day and I’ll tell you why I voted Ryan Howard for MVP.**

**=sarcasm

Here is his full statement:

“I made a mistake and regret my actions earlier this month in Washington. I want to apologize to the Giants organization and to the fans. I know that as a professional athlete I have a responsibility to conduct myself appropriately both on and off the field. I certainly have learned a valuable lesson through all of this and I promise to do better in the future. In the meantime, I am focused on preparing for the 2010 season.”

Lincecum didn’t take questions on the marijuana matter and he couldn’t make further statements because the matter is pending a legal conclusion. As you probably know, he’ll have to appear in Clark County, Wash., in front of Judge Darvin Zimmerman on Dec. 22, at which time the judge will choose whether to accept Lincecum’s deal with prosecutors (two misdemeanors dismissed, guilty plea to a lesser infraction and $250 fine).

On the conference call, Lincecum said he “almost jumped out the window” when he learned of his second Cy Young award. Late in the call, he made reference to the marijuana charges when he said, “Definitely, with what’s happening now, it makes me want to push to get better for the 2010 baseball season.”

There will be a conference call with Tim Lincecum in a half-hour and I’ll post his comments on the award, and maybe hash out a few other topics, once it concludes.

For now, I’ll just say that I’m really, really surprised. I guess I figured there was a scenario where Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright could cancel each other out and provide an alleyway for Lincecum to win the award.

But I have to back my beat colleague, Henry Schulman, who wrote that he voted for Carpenter. In my estimation, Henry is absolutely right. I didn’t have a Cy vote this year (I had NL Manager and MVP), but if I did, I would’ve gone 1. Carpenter 2. Lincecum 3. Wainwright.

I would’ve been swayed by the fact that Carpenter had a lower ERA and more victories — unlike Johan Santana last year, who won the ERA title with other, less convincing stats. But mostly, I would’ve been swayed by the fact that the Giants were just 7-7 in Lincecum’s starts after the All-Star break. He got fatigued and didn’t pitch like an ace at times. We all know he had to miss a start on short notice.

True, Carpenter also missed time earlier in the season. But he was more of a big-game pitcher.

Put another way, I’ve come to realize there’s a clear bias when you see the same team every day. You see their faults but you also tend to appreciate the little things they do every day. And when there’s a tie on a ballot, you tend to vote for your guy. That’s not because it’s to curry favor. It’s because it’s easier to value what you see every day.

But even after seeing Lincecum every day, deep down, I didn’t get the sense he was the best pitcher in the NL. And if someone like me, who followed the Giants every day, didn’t get that sense, I guess I didn’t expect a large segment of voters from elsewhere in the country to see it any differently.

But hey, Lincecum was a better pitcher than the previous year. The four complete games tell you that. The improved WHHIP tells you that. The lower ERA tells you that.

Maybe next year he kicks it up another notch — and becomes a big-game pitcher in the second half.

From everything I’ve been told, the Giants are open to bringing back Molina on a one-year contract, but probably not for anything more than the $6 million he made last season.

Molina has said on more than one occasion that he wants a two-year deal, minimum, and he feels he deserves a raise. So I’d put the chances of him re-signing somewhere between “remote” and “unlikely.”

Even though Molina probably would get a salary bump in arbitration, I’d expect the Giants will offer it to him in order to be eligible for the draft picks. The Giants have reason to believe that Molina would decline the offer because he’s expected to have other suitors.

He might get the deal he wants from the New York Mets. And I hear there’s another unnamed AL team that expects to get involved.

But what about the deterrent of losing a draft pick? Well, it might not be an overriding factor for the Mets. Because they choose in the upper half of the first round (seventh overall), they wouldn’t lose their top selection. It’d be a second-rounder– or later, if they sign another higher-ranked Type-A guy.

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The Giants also have a few Type B guys: Bob Howry, Randy Johnson and Randy Winn. But the team would have to offer arbitration to be eligible for a sandwich pick, and I don’t think that’s going to happen.

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If the Giants don’t re-sign Molina, they’re expected to bring in a veteran to buy time for Buster Posey and mentor the rookie. Pudge Rodriguez sure seems like a fit, and I know the Giants have tried to acquire him a couple times in recent years.

As you know, this organization is huge on signing experienced winners for their intangibles: Randy Johnson, Omar Vizquel, etc. Pudge and his bazillion Gold Gloves would make sense on a lot of levels. He’s still pretty good defensively, too.

Pudge to the Giants is the prediction on this SI.com list, by the way.

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Nice blog post from Giants consultant Joan Ryan on Hensley Meulens’ first hitting session with Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz, John Bowker and Brett Pill at AT&T Park on Monday.

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A lot of fan sites are having spirited discussions comparing Jason Bay to Matt Holliday. No doubt, they’re the two best offensive outfielders on the free-agent market.

For the Giants’ purposes, though, it might be more about perceived attainability than the beauty contest. There are other realities to consider. Holliday has said he dislikes hitting at AT&T Park, and as a Scott Boras client, his negotiations are expected to be difficult and drawn out. The Giants would have to pay a premium — trump the best offer by far — to get Holliday to come to San Francisco.

It’s the same reason they barely discussed Mark Teixeira last winter. This is the same franchise, remember, that was spurned after trying to sign Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee. Some of that money eventually ended up going to Aaron Rowand. Most hitters just don’t want to come to AT&T Park.

Bay won’t be cheap by any measure — the bidding floor appears to be four years and $60 million — but he might be a more realistic target for the Giants. He’s from British Columbia, and while he has stated no geographic preference, he isn’t an anti-West Coaster. His defense grades well below Holliday’s according to most metrics, but Giants officials were shocked at how much Holliday had regressed in the field last year.

And Bay’s agent, Joe Urbon, might be more likely to get something done by the winter meetings. Ideally, for the Giants, it’d be nice to have a shiny new cleanup hitter in December while they’re hard-selling those season-ticket renewals.

Villalona, 19, had been jailed since Sept. 20, one day after he was accused of a fatal shooting at a bar in his hometown of La Romana, DR.

Prosecutor Jose Antonio Polanco told the AP that while relatives of the deceased man have withdrawn the indictment, “this is a case of public policy and we intend to continue to the end with this accusation.”

The rumors are that Villalona, who received a $2.1 million bonus from the Giants as a 16-year-old, paid $150,000 to the family of the slain man.

Villalona still faces as much as 20 years in prison if found guilty, but we’ll see if there are any witnesses remaining when and if the case goes to trial. We’ll also have to see what Giants officials plan to do if Villalona is freed. Talk about your awkward situations…

The Giants contacted agent Craig Landis prior to the World Series and thanked Winn for his services, but said they have a number of young outfielders and advised him to seek employment elsewhere.

It was expected the Giants would part ways with Winn, 35, who was the club’s everyday right fielder for most of the past four seasons. A switch-hitter, Winn slumped badly from the right side and finished with a .262 average after hitting over .300 the previous year. He also hit just two home runs — the first time he failed to record double-digit homers since 2001 — yet still batted in the No.3 spot until late in the season.

Giants Manager Bruce Bochy loved Winn, and that might explain why the front office won’t look to bring him back in a reserve outfielder role. Even if they were to re-sign Winn to get 200 at-bats as a reserve, Bochy might be tempted to play him more often.

Besides, Landis said Winn is looking for an everyday job and he believes he’d be a good fit on a team that is looking to add athleticism to a lineup that already has plenty of power production.

Winn has to be disappointed. Even late last season, he maintained hope the Giants would bring him back. He’s a Danville resident who graduated from San Ramon Valley High School and Santa Clara University, where he played on the basketball team with eventual NBA great Steve Nash.

Winn’s subtraction would appear to open up an everyday role for another San Ramon Valley High alumnus, Nate Schierholtz. But I expect the Giants will be looking aggressively to add offense at any position they can. Plus Schierholtz still has a lot to work on — especially his pitch recognition skills. That’s why the Giants prodded him into going to Puerto Rico this winter.

The Giants acquired Winn from the Seattle Mariners in July, 2005, for Yorvit Torrealba and Jesse Foppert. In September, 2005, Winn had one of the greatest months by a Giant in franchise history. (He hit .447 with 51 hits. He hit 11 homers in 30 games after Sept. 1.) He parlayed that month into a three-year, $23.25 million extension.

While his production tailed off, nobody could dispute that Winn was a good Giant. He played hurt without complaint and got himself ready to be on the field every day. He gave a consistent effort. He’s a smart defensive player and baserunner. Those are the kinds of things managers appreciate most in players. From a beat writer’s perspective, he was accessible and his dry sense of humor made him an asset in the clubhouse. He was our Good Guy award this past season after finishing high in the balloting in previous years.

As Landis said to me today, “If anyone tells me they don’t like Randy Winn, that makes me wonder about who I’m talking to.”

Winn owns an unfortunate distinction among current major league players: He has played in more regular-season games than anyone without a postseason appearance. I think he realized the Giants were building toward a contender and hoped to see the process through.

While Landis said he’ll be glad to listen if the Giants change their minds, that isn’t expected to happen. Maybe he’ll latch on with another contending team and experience some October baseball. You never know how life works. Timing is everything. But you’d like to believe that good things usually happen to good people.

The report is not new, but there doesn’t appear to be anything more recent to come out of the Dominican media over the past month.

No trial date has been set, to my knowledge. But when Villalona turned himself into police Sept. 20, reports indicated he would be jailed for two months pending trial. So following that timeline, the proceedings should begin soon.

Giants officials have gone to the Dominican in recent days, but that’s a typical trip this time of year. They conduct a minicamp of Latin American players, mostly from the DR and Venezuela, and decide which of their players to bring stateside for the coming season. While there, they hoped to find out more information on Viillalona. I haven’t spoken to one coach, manager or former teammate who didn’t express shock over this incident.

In other news, I’ve been told it’s not safe to assume the Giants will sign Wagner Mateo, the teenage outfielder who received a $3.1 million bonus from the St. Louis Cardinals in July but had his contract waived after a physical revealed a potential issue with his eyes. According to his agent, he has 20/30 myopia in one eye and recently went to Miami for a consultation — presumably to have laser surgery.

The Giants made a strong offer for Mateo before the Cardinals signed him. A few media outlets have reported that it’s all but assured the Giants will strike a deal with him now. My sources are telling me the Giants are keeping tabs on the situation, but they are a long way from an agreement and don’t necessarily expect to reach one.

Taking a broader view …

There is inherent risk in signing or drafting any player. Injuries happen. Bodies and skills don’t always develop the way a scout projects. Life and death intercedes. In rare cases, it does so tragically.

There’s little doubt that the risk is higher on the international stage. Your scouts have to do much more projection on a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic than a 17-year-old high school senior in the U.S. That’s because the American kid has played against more reliable competition. You’re able to get a better read on his baseball skills. Obviously, physically, he’s at least a year or two older. And, of course, the difference is even greater when you’re comparing a 16-year-old from San Pedro de Macoris to a 21-year-old junior from UCLA.

So with the exploding market for Latin American teenage talent, I’d imagine every major league club is critically rethinking the dollars they spend in this arena. With increased media attention, we’ll be able to keep score, too.

He will be at AT&T Park on Monday for an intensive hitting clinic with four of his most important pupils: John Bowker, Nate Schierholtz, Travis Ishikawa and Brett Pill.

If you haven’t heard of Pill, he’s a slick-fielding first baseman from Cal State Fullerton who became a legitimate prospect after a huge season at Double-A Connecticut. He had 109 RBIs. Nobody else in the pitcher-friendly Eastern League broke 100. I expect the Giants will add him to the 40-man roster shortly.

In other news …

Triple-A Fresno manager Dan Rohn wasn’t invited back for 2010, but it wasn’t a reflection on the job he’s done skippering the Grizzlies over the past three years. (Indeed, Rohn wasn’t out of work long. He was hired to manage the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.)

I think the Giants considered Rohn a good steward at the Triple-A level until the organization could bring its own managerial talent up the ranks. And while a lot has been said and written about former big league catcher Steve Decker, who is poised, justifiably, for a promotion from Double-A, you shouldn’t ignore the job Andy Skeels has done over the past two seasons, either.

Skeels managed High-A San Jose to the best record among all full-season minor league affiliates, and a league championship. A year earlier, he did the same thing with Low-A Augusta.

It would take an eon to look it up, but I’d be surprised if anyone had done that before. There’s roughly 120 full-season affiliates in the minor leagues. For the same guy to manage two different clubs to the best record … well, it needs no more explanation.

As a fan of all things New Zealand (except this and this), I should point out that Skeels is a Kiwi by birth and holds dual citizenship. He’s really a fascinating guy and our own Mark Emmons wrote a great profile on him earlier this Fall. Check it out here.

Minor league coaching assignments haven’t been communicated yet, but it’s a good assumption that Decker will be at Triple-A Fresno and Skeels will move up to Double-A, where he’d have the distinction of becoming the first manager in Richmond Flying Squirrels history.

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Nobody’s really mentioned this, but Alex Rodriguez made history when the Yankees won the World Series. It was the first time in 23 years that the highest-paid player in baseball won a World Series ring.

The 1986 Mets released George Foster in August when he had the game’s fattest salary — $2.8 million. But the second-highest salary belonged to their catcher, Gary Carter.

Yes, that’s right. $2.8 million.

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After watching this commercial, I expect to save the company thousands in airfare next season.

(My original lede was Tim Lincecum is a budding superstar — apparently in more ways than one.)

I can’t condone illicit drug use, but we know what the overriding reaction is going to be. Especially in the Bay Area. Lincecum won’t face any disciplinary action from the league, nor would I expect these misdemeanor charges to impact the salary arbitration process. He’ll pay his fine, maybe attend a state-mandated screening of “Reefer Madness” and be sent on his way toward earning multimillions.

No, the real impact of Lincecum’s bust will be felt the first time he pitches on the road — and hears every manner of clever insult from the stands.

“Forget the Ryan Express. Timmy’s on the Pineapple Express.”

“Hey Timmy, just tell ‘em you have glaucoma.”

“Save some hits for the game.”

The embarrassment might be the worst thing to come out of this. I’d be surprised if Lincecum loses any endorsements. And besides, it’s not like this comes as a shock. Lincecum dresses like he’s a cross between Jimbo Jones from “The Simpsons” and Jay from “Clerks.” Maybe he’ll drop all pretenses and start wearing dreads.

Here’s another way to put this in context: A marijuana charge looks so sweetly innocent after more than a decade of vicious controversy over artificial muscle and injected juice. Hash or horse steroids? Most folks will find one far less objectionable than the other.

But today’s news is still a hit to Lincecum’s reputation, no pun intended this time.

Over the past two years, various people have whispered things to me about Lincecum having a little too much fun on the town. I’ve talked to him about it, myself. If it ever presented itself as an issue, if it ever appeared to affect his performance, I’d have pursued it and reported it. But the numbers are pretty clear. It hasn’t. I’ve never seen him hung over before a game, or impaired or restricted in any way while in uniform.

One time, as a rookie in 2007, he overslept and missed a team flight to Cincinnati. And that’s about it.

As they say, though, the appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging. And in light of today’s news, there will be people who question Lincecum’s drive, desire and work ethic.

They’ll also bring up his mysterious disappearance from the 2008 All-Star Game, when he never made it to Yankee Stadium because of dehydration stemming from flu symptoms.

To that, I can only say this: I’ve looked into it. And yes, I know he had at least a couple of drinks that night. But he also had his father with him and was meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. From everything I’ve gathered, he wasn’t out late.

I can also tell you, having accompanied the team on the road trip prior to that All-Star break, a respiratory virus had been circulating through the clubhouse. Several guys got knocked down pretty hard because of it. I remember slathering myself in hand sanitizer because I knew I’d have to work my tail off in New York and couldn’t afford to get sick.

If it’s all a smokescreen, it’s well played. But I do believe Lincecum really had the flu that night in New York.