Everything went right for the Giants in 2012, and not much went right for them in 2013. Actually, let me rephrase that – not much went right for them on the mound in 2013. The only starters to have an ERA under 4.00 were Madison Bumgarner and Chad Gaudin, who made more appearances out of the bullpen than in the rotation. The Giants trotted out nine pitchers last year that provided neutral or negative value over double digit innings. Shockingly, San Francisco's offense was a strength rather than a weakness, and if they repeat that performance while the pitching turns things around, it could be a fun season in the Bay Area.
Depth Chart (as of 2/26)
C: Buster Posey
1B: Brandon Belt
2B: Marco Scutaro
SS: Brandon Crawford
3B: Pablo Sandoval
LF: Michael Morse
CF: Angel Pagan
RF: Hunter Pence
SP: Madison Bumgarner
SP: Matt Cain
SP: Tim Lincecum
SP: Tim Hudson
SP: Ryan Vogelsong
CL: Sergio Romo
New Faces
The Giants welcomed a familiar face back to the Bay Area, though he's never been a Giant before – Tim Hudson. The former A's and Braves hurler signed a two-year deal to replace Barry Zito in San Francisco's rotation, and he fits right in with Brian Sabean's veteran fetish. The Giants also have a new left fielder after faking it last year with Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres, inking former National and Mariner Michael Morse. Aside from those two, it's pretty much the same general crew that occupied AT&T Park last year, though outfielder Tyler Colvin did sign a minor league deal and could push Blanco or Roger Kieschnick for a bench job.
Departures
Barry Zito's club option was declined, and he subsequently decided to take some time off from baseball while keeping the door open for a possible return to the game that has made him a multi-millionaire. The aforementioned Chad Gaudin and Andres Torres also left town as free agents, though both are currently unemployed (Gaudin had a minor league deal with the Phillies, but it was voided after he failed his physical). Aside from those three, the Giants only lost role players – guys like Brett Pill, Francisco Peguero, Jose Mijares, and Eric Surkamp all found new homes this winter after being let go by the Giants.
Impact Rookies
This is the San Francisco Giants. They never have any impact rookies.
OK, that's me just being snarky, but seriously, the Giants don't have much young talent that could contribute in 2014. Middle infielder Joe Panik could get some time in the majors in the event of an injury as could catcher Andrew Susac, but neither is expected to contribute significantly in 2014. If I had to pick one rookie to make an impact this year for the Giants, it would probably be reliever Heath Hembree, who performed very well in a September call-up and really shouldn't be in AAA for a third straight season.
Position Battles
The aforementioned Hembree really needs to be given a spot in the bullpen on Opening Day, and it looks like he'll be battling George Kontos, Jean Machi, and Yusmeiro Petit for one of the final three spots. Aside from that, Tyler Colvin will be looking to grab a bench spot from either Roger Kieschnick or Gregor Blanco, and maybe one of Tony Abreu or Joaquin Arias could lose their bench spot to Nick Noonan. That's about it for position battles in San Francisco this spring – it's going to be a boring one if you're in the mood for chaos.
Injury Concerns
This club is relatively healthy going into the Spring, but that doesn't mean that there aren't concerns about their health. Michael Morse is a walking MASH unit, and has spent time on the DL in three out of the last four seasons. He'll also turn 32 in March, so don't think that's going away any time soon. Tim Hudson's ankle snapped in half in July, but the injury isn't expected to affect him into 2014. Pablo Sandoval is another guy who gets hurt a lot, and he's had DL stints in each of the last three seasons. Angel Pagan missed three months last season with a strained hamstring, and is currently limited in camp with lower back stiffness…so that's not good. Ryan Vogelsong missed two and a half months last year after breaking a finger. Really, the only warning signs are coming from Morse, Pagan, and Sandoval…which isn't a good thing.
Best Case
If the Giants' pitching staff pitches like it did during their 2010 and 2012 World Series runs, and the offense hits like it did over the last two seasons, this team will battle for a division title and their third World Championship in five years.
Worst Case
Well, what if the Giants pitching staff has another season like 2013, and their offense has a season like 2011, when they were one of the worst hitting teams in baseball? Uh…I guess you'd be looking at a team with a payroll approaching $150 million in the cellar of the NL West.
Realistic Scenario
Everything will probably end up balancing out. Morse and Sandoval will miss time, and the key Giants offensive players probably won't be as good as they was in ether of the last two years. But on the other hand, I highly doubt that their rotation in 2014 will be "Madison Bumgarner and four dudes off the street", and that will more than make up for any decline in the team's offensive production. The Giants aren't better than the Dodgers unless everything falls apart in Los Angeles, but I do think they're better than every other team in the division.
