Winning back-to-back world championships is hard. The San Francisco Giants have learned that three times over now, with their latest quest to defend their title coming to an end last night. But unlike the previous two odd years, this one left Giants fans with good feelings and hope that the even year thing may continue in 2016. Decimated by injury, no one would have been surprised if the Giants had been eliminated from contention by late summer. Instead, an impressive crop of rookies helped keep the team in the division race until the last week of the season. There will be no parade this year, but 2015 wasn’t a total loss for the defending champions.
Preseason Prediction: The Giants overcame quite a lot last year to win the World Series, and they’ll have to do the same this year if they hope to even sniff the postseason. They’re not an easy team to bet against, though– if history has shown us anything, it’s that the Giants find ways to win when nearly everyone seems to count them out. But their path to the playoffs is a tough one this time around. They lost quite a bit from last year’s team and added next to nothing in response. They’ll be competitive, and finishing better than .500 isn’t that hard to imagine. But it’s awfully tough picturing them in the playoffs again with the roster they have right now (which means they’ll probably win it all again, of course). (Dave Tobener, March 27th)
What Went Right: Buster Posey had his usual year, one that would have him on the fringes of the MVP race if the Giants made the playoffs. He hit .321/.383/.477 while deftly handling a shaky pitching staff all season long and was once again the team’s best hitter. Matt Duffy took the third base job in May and went on to have one of the best rookie seasons anyone has had over the past few years, hitting third in the lineup, playing excellent defense, and posting an impressive 4.7 WAR. Brandon Crawford had his breakout year at the plate and led the team in home runs, and should finally win the Gold Glove that’s eluded him throughout his career. The team offense as a whole was one of the best the Giants have produced in a long time.
The pitching side of things wasn’t as rosy, but there were bright spots. Madison Bumgarner followed up his postseason heroics with another impressive regular season and would be in the Cy Young conversation if a few guys weren’t having historic years. Rookie Chris Heston saved the rotation early on before fading badly down the stretch; still, his no-hitter in New York ranks as one of the season’s best moments. The bullpen was solid yet again thanks to excellent years from George Kontos, Javier Lopez, Hunter Strickland, and Santiago Casilla.
And it would be remiss not to mention the rookies and call-ups who helped keep a broken Giants team in contention through September: Kelby Tomlinson, Jarrett Parker, Trevor Brown, Mac Williamson, and a few others all made positive impressions in their time with the big club.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 24: Outfielders Gregor Blanco #7, Angel Pegan #16 and Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants talk while they wait during a pitching change in the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at AT&T Park on July 24, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
What Went Wrong: The season can be summed up with two facts: the Giants currently have five players on the 60-day DL (not counting Marco Scutaro), and they used 119 different batting orders this year. Their most common batting order was used only 6 times.
Hunter Pence, the team’s emotional leader and a fixture in the middle of the lineup, was limited to just 52 games while battling a myriad of injuries that started with a broken bone near the end of spring training. Matt Cain returned from elbow surgery and looked like a shell of his former dominant self. All-Star Joe Panik injured his back and missed most of the last two and a half months of the season. Nori Aoki, who looked like a potential All-Star, was hit by a pitch, broke a bone in his leg, and never regained his pre-injury form before succumbing to a concussion. Speaking of concussions, they also fell Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco. And don’t forget the season-ending injuries suffered by key reserves Andrew Susac, Hector Sanchez, Ehire Adrianza, and Juan Perez.
The starting rotation deserves special mention, too. Injuries kept Jake Peavy on the shelf for almost two months before he returned strong. Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong both struggled, and while Hudson is retiring it may be the end of the line for Vogelsong, too. Deadline pickup Mike Leake injured himself while stretching, missed a big chunk of time, and then looked awful. And Tim Lincecum started strong before falling apart and missing the rest of the season after hip surgery.
PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 08: Matt Duffy #5 of the San Francisco Giants hits a RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on September 8, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Most Surprising Player: Duffy had a few moments in 2014 that might’ve made a Giants fan think he could be a good utility player in the future, but no one expected this. Once the Giants realized that Casey McGehee was a disaster, they gave the job to Duffy and discovered they had a franchise building block right under their noses. He hit .297/.336/.429 while slugging 11 homers and driving in 74 runs. He helped anchor the middle of the lineup in Pence’s absence and looked totally comfortable doing it. Duffy showed he’s an every day player, a potential All-Star one at that, and probably made the Giants’ front office ecstatic that Pablo Sandoval turned down their contract offer last winter.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 28: Hunter Pence #8 of the San Francisco Giants stands in the dugout during their game against the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park on August 28, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Most Disappointing Player: No player truly under-performed to the point where he’d be considered a disappointment, so we’ll go with a slightly different definition. Of all the players who missed time, Pence was missed the most. It was clear that the Giants were a different team with him in the lineup, a dangerous and deeper a team that was capable of out-scoring anyone in the league. Without Pence, the Giants were just missing something. His frantic energy, his leadership, whatever you want to call it – when he was gone, the Giants just weren’t the same. It wasn’t through any fault of Pence’s, since injuries happen and he’s had a clean bill of health every year of his career except this one. But it was definitely disappointing to lose him for so long.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants stands on the mound after giving up back-to-back home runs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the six inning at AT&T Park on September 29, 2015 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Future: The Giants have an infield of home grown players all under 30, a strong bullpen with a number of young arms coming up, an ace starting pitcher, and a roster full of guys with championship pedigrees. Those facts all bode well for 2016, but the Giants have some work to do, too. The starting rotation needs a total makeover, as the only two pitchers with guaranteed spots are Bumgarner and Peavy. They have to decide whether to bring back Aoki and Marlon Byrd in a left field platoon, or go with a rookie like Parker or Williamson. They’ll have to decide whether or not to try and bring back Leake, or use the money he’d command on a better option. And they’ll likely have to say tough goodbyes to franchise stalwarts like Vogelsong and Jeremy Affeldt.
The Giants actively pursued Jon Lester last winter and it’d be a surprise if they weren’t in on this year’s crop of free agent starters. David Price might be too rich for their blood, but he’s not totally out of the question. The same goes for Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmerman, Johnny Cueto, or anyone who could slot in behind Bumgarner. Expect them to be one of the winter’s most active teams in free agency and the trade market, since they’re still a team on the brink of contention. With a little more luck in the health department and an improved rotation, the Giants will be right there with the other National League powers in 2016. Plus, it’s an even year.
