To say the least, Sergio Romo(notes) of the San Francisco Giants is an elite relief pitcher. In fact, he was one of the best relievers in the Majors during this past season. He debuted in 2008 and has not been around for long, but he is quickly establishing himself as a capable pitcher. That is nothing but good new for the team. Fortunately, the good times should continue into 2012 for Romo, so here are some predictions!

1. He will get more save opportunities during the regular season.

In the last couple seasons, Romo has been given the occasional save opportunity during close games when Brian Wilson(notes) is unavailable. He is 3-for-8 in career saves and will more than likely see more chances to prove himself capable of closing out games during 2012. There is no indication that the Giants are considering him for the role of closer, but it never hurts to give him a chance from time to time.

2. Romo’s WHIP will stay under 1.00, which is insane.

In 2011, his walks plus hits per innings pitched stood at an untouchable 0.71 and his career mark is 0.89. Both of those figures are absolutely fantastic. That stands as the lowest WHIP during the season for any pitcher with at least 20.0 innings pitched. Technically, it ties Stephen Strasburg(notes) of the Washington Nationals, but he appeared in only five games. Amusingly, they both sported a 1.50 ERA too. Expect Romo to stay under a 1.00 WHIP for the third time in his career.

3. Finally, he will appear in 70 games after almost reaching that mark in 2010 and 2011.

He appeared in 68 and 65 games in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Coming so close to the coveted 70 games played mark yet failing can be disappointing. However, Romo looks to be healthy in 2012 and should have no problem reaching that mark for the first time in his career as long as he avoids major injuries. That is just a testament to his durability and skill as a reliever.

4. Romo’s earned run average will stay under 2.00 for the second straight season.

No, he did not lead all MLB relievers with his 1.50 ERA in 2011, but that does not matter. Romo should have no trouble keeping his earned run average under 2.00 again. He is an elite pitcher that knows how to get batters out. Plus, he almost never walks or hits batters, so nobody is getting a free base. Obviously, that is going to stop runners from crossing the plate when he is on the mound.

5. His strikeout-to-walk ratio will decrease slightly.

Somehow, Romo posted a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio this past season. He issued 70 strikeouts in only 48.0 innings and only allowed 5 walks. The guy did not even hit a single batter either. Undoubtedly, those numbers are astounding, but he probably will not be able to repeat such a performance. I would expect the ratio to decrease in 2012 even if only by a little. His ratio should still be around 13:1 at the very least though. Of course, nobody is complaining about a slight decline in that area since he strikes out so many and walks so few.

Sergio Romo is going to be dominant for the San Francisco Giants again.

In the end, all that matters is that Romo is going to be an elite reliever for San Francisco for another season. He is nowhere near free agency, so the team will have him at a low rate for the next few seasons. That is perhaps the best deal you are going to find out there. Without a doubt, it will be difficult for him to improve upon such an impeccable season in 2012, but he might have it in him to do exactly that.

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site .

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

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The San Francisco Giants will play 33 preseason games in Arizona starting March 3.

The G-men released their 2012 Cactus League schedule on Friday.

The preseason schedule includes an additional three games in the Bay Area – two at AT&T Park and one in Oakland, the team said.

Of the 33 Cactus League games in Arizona, 16 will be played at Scottsdale Stadium.

The Giants have trained in Scottsdale since 1982. They drew 160,574 fans last spring, an average of 10,036 per game. Their overall attendance ranked second in the Cactus League behind Arizona, the team said.

The Giants’ tentative 2012 regular season schedule was released last month. Their season opener is in Arizona on Friday, April 6, and their home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates is on Friday, April 13.

Just one season removed from helping bring San Francisco its first World Series championship, Bill Neukom is on his way out as Giants managing general partner and CEO.

After reports surfaced Wednesday that Neukom was being forced out over disagreements with the team’s ownership executive committee, the Giants issued a statement saying the former Microsoft lawyer would be retiring Dec. 31.

“The Giants have been planning for a transition in which Managing General Partner and CEO Bill Neukom will retire from his position effective December 31, 2011,” the statement said. “Mr. Neukom will serve as Chairman Emeritus in 2012.”

Team president Larry Baer will succeed Neukom as CEO. Baer and Neukom are expected to make an official announcement at a news conference today.

“I don’t think shock is too strong a word,” said Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News, who broke the initial story of Neukom’s leaving due to disagreements with the team’s executive committee.

In an interview with KNBR radio on Wednesday evening regarding the departure of Neukom, Purdy added, “I spent last week touching bases with people to make sure it was real. Pro sports operate in strange ways.”

The 67-year-old Neukom took over as the organization’s managing general partner October 2008, stepping in for the retired Peter Magowan, who spent 17 years in the Giants’ top ownership position.

When Neukom was introduced to the public as the team’s new boss, much was made of his idea called the “Giants Way,” an outline of how to build a successful organization on and off the field. To that end, many think he was successful with last year’s World Series championship.

Until the Giants captured the franchise’s first World Series title since moving West in 1958, Neukom had been best known for more than two decades of work as a Microsoft attorney and as a president of the American Bar Association. He served as top counsel for Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates.

According to reports, Neukom sparred with the team’s executive ownership committee over the influx of revenue that came after the team won the World Series. Neukom was under the impression the money was his to spend, but the committee thought it should be consulted, reports said.

Wire reports contributed to this story.

All about Neukom

- Age: 67

- Family: Married, four children

- Education: San Mateo High School, Dartmouth College (bachelor of arts, 1964; served on board of trustees, 1996-2007), Stanford University (law degree, 1967)

- Background: Executive vice president of law and corporate affairs, Microsoft Corp. (1985-2001); became a member of Giants ownership group (1995); elevated to Giants general partner (2003); president of American Bar Association (2007-08); named Giants managing general partner (Oct. 1, 2008)

- Top achievements with Giants: Team won World Series championship in 2010, its first since moving to San Francisco in 1958; team named Organization of the Year in 2010; dynamic-pricing system created for seats; “Giants Way” implemented to foster culture of hard work, collaboration and ingenuity; contract extensions given to manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean

San Francisco Giants prospect Angel Villalona is expected to return to the team after having murder charges against him dismissed in the Dominican Republic, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

Villalona, who was signed by the Giants as a 16-year-old in 2006 for a then-record $2.1 million dollars, was charged in the 2009 murder of a 25-year-old man at a nightclub in the Domincan Republic.

The case is a quite complicated one. After spending three months in jail, Villalona settled with the man’s family for a reported $139,000 dollars. The family then asked police to stop pressing charges, but the prosecutors refused to up until this summer, when the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Villalona then sued the Giants, claiming that they owed him over $10,000 and asking for $5 million in damages.

Now, the 21-year-old has apparently reconciled with the team and it appears that he will rejoin the Giants organization once he reapplies for a visa to return to the United States.