In a couple of major ways, the San Francisco Giants are in an unenviable position heading into 2012. Their offense remains a huge stack of question marks and their rotation, while still among the best in baseball, lacks the depth to which fans have become accustomed.

There is one area, though, in which the G-Men are comfortable in the closing days of Spring Training – the bench. It’s stacked. They’re left in the tough position of deciding which viable options fit the team best as they approach opening day.

By far the biggest decision skipper Bruce Bochy and General Manager Brian Sabean have to make is at the catcher position, where the classic feud between young phenomenon and veteran savvy is as pronounced as ever. Or at least since the beginning of 2010 when the pudgy Bengie Molina was allowed to waddle his way into the cleanup spot every day while Buster Posey languished in the living hell which is Fresno, Calif.

Young slugger Hector Sanchez is lighting it up so far this spring, and although he is just 22, he is making a strong case to be kept in San Francisco as the backup to rehabbing star Posey. In 11 games so far, Sanchez has a slash line of .480/.444/.920 with three home runs. Obviously, for a team that ranked near the bottom of every meaningful offensive category just a year ago, this kind of pop off the bench could come in handy.

The question facing Bochy and Sabean now is whether the experience of Eli Whiteside in handling the Giants’ stellar starting five is worth the lack of offensive production. But truth be told, all five of the team’s projected starters have been around the block at this point, and don’t really need a veteran catcher to hold their hands. Both Whiteside and Chris Stewart should start the year in Fresno, and Sanchez should get a chance to start once a week or so.

The next question which needs answering centers around the middle infield situation. The Giants have room to carry two utility infielders but have three guys vying for the spot in Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot and Emmanuel Burriss.

Burriss is having an explosive spring, notching 15 hits in 36 at bats and stealing five bases. The Giants have added a lot of speed this offseason to their starting lineup, but an extra set of wheels never hurt anybody. Burriss is an obvious choice to keep around. Fontenot has had success over the past two years as the Giants’ fifth infielder and is also having a marginally better go of it at the plate so far, so he should get the nod over Theriot, who is out of minor league options and will probably become a free agent after he is cut.

After the question of the backup catcher, though, the toughest choice will be what to do with budding prospect Brandon Belt. Belt seems to be the odd man out, since Aubrey Huff’s status as a “veteran presence” and the fact that he’s making a king’s ransom this season virtually guarantees that he will open the season as the starting first baseman, and Posey will likely see some reps at first as he continues to rehab his shattered leg.

Belt most likely fits into the outfield fold if he is to remain in the show at all. The new additions of Melky Cabrera and Angel (oddly pronounced like it is in the Bible) Pagan means that left and center are locked up, and Nate Schierholtz is simply too valuable in right with his Howitzer of a right arm. This means that Belt and breakout star Gregor Blanco, whose nine steals this spring have virtually guaranteed him a spot on the 25-man roster, are vying for the fourth outfield spot.

But is this good enough for Belt? Likely not. Someone of his talent and promise is more likely to start the season in AAA where he can see regular action and stay warm for when Huff inevitably soils the sheets and needs someone to replace him at first base. It’s just a shame to see Belt, who unquestionably is the future of the position for the Giants, waste his energy in the bus leagues when his skills could be so valuable in the bigs.

If Bochy is smart, he will keep Belt and start him at first, allowing Blanco and Huff to duke it out for the second string in the outfield. But instead, the Giants will retain elderly rookie utility man Brett Pill to warm the last spot on the bench, and send Belt packing.

So there it is, the five-man bench that will likely start the year in San Francisco: Sanchez, Burriss, Fontenot, Blanco and Pill. Aside from the absence of Belt, it’s a strong backup squad with a lot of pop and speed.

And God knows, with the fragile nature of the starting nine, they should get plenty of playing time.

Alex Grotewohl can be reached at [email protected].