Oct 11, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; A general view inside AT&T Park during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports The Giants had a rough go of things this past season.
San Francisco Giants fans have slowly come to terms with it, but the window of world series contention has long past. In 2014 the Giants were world champions. In 2015 the Giants fell short, but it was an odd year, and the G-Men do nothing in odd years anyway. In 2016 the Giants won the NL Wild Card game and the magic was real once more. Fans could feel a 4th World Series in 8 years on the horizon, facing the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. The moment Jake Arrieta sent one into the seats off of postseason king Madison Bumgarner, the magic faded slowly. Before long the Cubs had moved on, the window of opportunity was closing fast. Cut to 2017, and the Giant have morphed into lovable losers, sitting at 64-98, good enough for the bottom of the National League. This is the first of a recurring series looking at the worst in baseball, and what went wrong.
Offensively the Giants continue to be powered by one of the best catchers in baseball. Buster Posey missed the memo that the Giants offense was among the worst the in the league, posting one of his best seasons in 2017. The Giants have taken special care to preserve Posey for the long run, he is in the early phases of a Joe Mauer-esque transition to first base. Posey played roughly a quarter of his games this year at first base. At an OPS+ of 129, Posey is among the highest batting averages (.320) in the NL. The only concern about Posey’s stat line is his evaporating power, with only 12 home runs. Brandon Belt led the team in home runs with 18 round-trippers. Giants fans are divided over the future prospects of Brandon Belt. Belt missed a portion of season and recorded an unusually low .241 batting average. Regardless, Belt had a fantastic glove throughout the season, and his OBP of .355 alongside a .469 SLG% give Giants fans something to cling to. In an off-year, he still recorded a 117 OPS+. Joe Panik had a solid year, and although his once stellar glove has taken a step back, he remains the Giants long-term 2nd baseman. Outside of these sluggers the Giants lineup is a disaster-laden mix of washed-up veterans and prospects who were called up too early. Brandon Crawford, fresh off of turning 30, had a season he wants to forget, but it’s likely he will bounce back and his glove remains among the best in the NL. Hunter Pence and Denard Span both may be on the way out. Pence lost his defensive edge and his bat was underwhelming. Denard Span did some good work with the bat but he was the worst fielding center fielder in baseball. The offense has some talent left over from the glory days, but the farm system has yet to produce anything to fill the gaps, and Giants fans were left watching the turnstile of prospects who each played their part in an anemic offense.
The starting rotation was without Madison Bumgarner for half of the season. Forced to lean on Johnny Cueto, his 4.52 ERA was a disappointment. Jeff Samardzija led the NL in innings pitched, however, his numbers are marginally better than Cueto. The future of the rotation is strong if the Giants can count on Cueto and Bumgarner to bounce back. The 4 and 5 slots in the rotation depend on Matt Moore, Ty Blach, and Chris Stratton, who can all be hit or miss. The bullpen was capitalized by the signing of Mark Melancon, and his subsequent disappearance from the closer role, marred by injury and underwhelming stats. The bullpen saw unexpected standout seasons from Hunter Strickland as well as Cory Gearrin, but a majority of the minor league call-ups blew leads and gave up crucial runs before they could reach the later innings.
The lineup retains plenty of all-stars and useful bats, but there is no power to be found and the fielding must support their pitching staff better. There are lots of good arms amongst the rotation and bullpen, and the perfect storm of slumps will likely dissipate in 2018. The Giants have many reasons to be optimistic about .500 ball next year, but if they want to mix it up in the playoff chase, the farm system is going to have to churn out some Major League ready players.
