From 2010 – 2014, the Giants were able to dumbfound baseball analytics and traditionalists alike, winning the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014; the Giants won 76 games in 2011, 86 in 2013, and 84 in 2015. With similar rosters throughout each of these years, with a few players coming and going, as well as prospects arriving.
2017 has been another chapter in bad San Fran teams during odd numbered years. On pace to contend with the Phillies for the top pick in the draft, will there be any saving graces for the Giants this year?
1st Story: Do the Giants have anyone of value for the trade deadline?
When you look up and down the lineup, this year for the Giants is a tough one. Buster Posey is the only offensive player performing well enough to justify any team having interest. Yet, the 30-year-old primary catcher with an average of $22M/year left until 2022 is hard to move.
There are good arms in the Giants bullpen. Gearrin, Strickland, and Kontos have all pitched well in 30+ games this season. Unfortunately for the Giants, they are all role pitchers currently and don’t necessarily project as closers. These players also yield low returns for their value.
2nd Story: Who should they take with the Number 1 pick?
A player like Brice Turang would do wonders for the Giants farm system.
This is a way too early portion, but when teams get this far behind this early, it’s almost impossible to not think about the “what ifs” in the upcoming draft. Assuming that the Giants manage to lose more than the Phillies, they would likely gain the No. 1 overall pick. MLB.com reports that the top 3 prospects are Brice Turang, SS, Brady Singer, RHP, and Jarred Kelenic, OF.
At this point in the draft, it’s still a crapshoot which player will be a for sure thing. Looking at the Giants current situation, and assuming a path through the minors of 2 years for each of these players, which one suits the needs of the organization best?
Crawford is 30 years old now and has a contract through 2021. Using the assumption that it would take Turang 2 years to get through the minors, this would leave a year of overlap between Turang and Crawford. This experience from an establish veteran shortstop could be immensely beneficial to Turang’s development, and give the Giants back to back good shortstops.
3rd Story: What is going wrong?
In a short word, everything. Bumgarner missing May and June definitely put the Giants in a hole that will be incredibly hard to get out of. The bullpen losing Will Smith reduced the depth, and Melancon going on the DL recently put more pressure on the guys in the back end of it.
Offensively, Posey, Span, and Panik are all performing admirably to try and support the pitching staff that’s allowing an average of 4.69 Runs Per Game Against, according to TeamRankings.com. However, no one in that list is hitting the ball out of the ballpark at a prodigious rate, while the team leader in HR’s, Brandon Belt, is hitting .228.
In short, similar to the Chicago Cubs predicament, the starting pitching has just not been able to manage the game, making it nearly impossible for the offense to win ball games. Unless there’s a major shift soon, the Giants will be at the bottom looking up for the rest of 2017, maybe beyond.
Previous entries in the “3 Stories” series: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres
