The reigning World Series Champions will not repeat as champions this year. Why? Well some would say it’s not an even year, i.e., not 2016 yet. My thought process concludes otherwise. The 2015 San Francisco Giants have been sapped of their power from 2014 and need a year of play with the roster they have before they can make a real case for a return to the World Series. Other National League West teams like the Padres and Dodgers will give the Giants a hard time in the division, while the Wild Card spots in the National League are up for grabs for anyone. The bullpen in San Francisco still remains one of the best, and the rotation gets an extra boost with Matt Cain returning after elbow and ankle surgeries, which have him feeling like he’s 18 again.
Team Overview: 2015 San Francisco Giants
There are two big names the 2015 Giants are hoping have an impact on how the season plays out: Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. A healthy Cain, who added more range to his delivery to save the pressure on his elbow, retired all eight Dodgers batters he faced in a Spring Training game recently, giving hope to the Giants that he can return to the one or two spot in the rotation. Lincecum is a whole other question. With great depth at starting pitcher now (World Series hero Madison Bumgarner is first, followed by Cain, Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy and Lincecum or Ryan Vogelsong, preliminarily, with Yusmeiro Petit an option in case of emergency).
The Giants line-up was sapped of some power when Pablo Sandoval signed with the Red Sox and Michael Morse with the Marlins. They were replaced with Nori Aoki and Casey McGehee, both of whom are consistent hitters but lack big power like Sandoval and Morse. It’s even worse that star right fielder and team clown/motivator Hunter Pence is out until at least May with a broken arm, which seriously hurts the line-up. Pence was one of the Giants best hitters in 2014, especially during the play-off run, and without him a platoon of Juan Perez and Gregor Blanco will have to play left field, shifting new addition Aoki over to right.
Roster Moves
He’s Here: OF Nori Aoki, 3B Casey McGehee
Non-Roster Invitees with chance to make roster: P Alfredo Aceves, INF Brandon Hicks
He’s Gone: OF Tyler Colvin, OF Michael Morse, 3B Pablo Sandoval, 2B Marco Scutaro
Champions of the West Coast
Despite an 88-74 record and only a Wild Card, second place finish in the NL West, the Giants still proved that even teams below the 90-win mark can still put a dent in the aspirations of others, especially since San Francisco’s two previous appearances in the World Series, 2010 and 2012, they finished first in the National League West.
A battle will most likely be waged in the rotation for the five spot, with Lincecum as the favorite despite his struggles as of late and Vogelsong’s potential after returning to the majors in 2011. The rotation is solid enough at the beginning with Bumgarner and Cain that they can make up for a few “off” starts by Lincecum at the back end. The bullpen is good enough to make up for a five or six inning start by Lincecum, especially with Affeldt, Casilla and Romo at the back end.
The line-up remains the same for the most part, with the big changes being McGehee for Sandoval and Aoki for Morse, along with Perez/Blanco for an injured Pence. Angel Pagan returns from an injury-laden 2014 season, and another postseason hero in Travis Ishikawa looks to remain on the roster as an insurance policy for first base and left field. Standout second baseman Joe Panik looks to reacquaint himself with Major League pitching, which he did fairly well with last season, and he is followed by catcher Buster Posey, who has a chance at the Hall of Fame in the distant future if he keeps putting up the numbers he is. Near the end of the order is the two Brandons, Belt and Crawford, who both have been consistent hitters for the Giants.
Team Outline
(Red indicates a new acquisition)
C: Buster Posey
1B: Brandon Belt
2B: Joe Panik
3B: Casey McGehee
SS: Brandon Crawford
LF: Juan Perez/Gregor Blanco
CF: Angel Pagan
RF: Nori Aoki
*Hunter Pence injured until at least May (broken arm)
1. Madison Bumgarner
2. Matt Cain
3. Tim Hudson
4. Jake Peavy
5. Tim Lincecum/Ryan Vogelsong
Bottom Line
The three time in five year World Champion Giants won’t repeat this season as champions for two reasons: 1) it’s not an even year (I don’t believe in this theory just yet) and 2) they lost enough power from their line-up and the other NL West teams bulked up enough that the Giants will have a tough time competing. The pitching staff is no joke, though, and this is their counteraction. Pitching trumps offense when it’s good most days, and if Bumgarner repeats his previous success, Cain can recover fully, Hudson and Peavy don’t show their age and Lincecum/Vogelsong perform well as a five starter, the Giants seem pretty set in that regard. This is really the year to see if the theory of even years in San Francisco exists. A second or third place, 85-88 win season seems likely for the Giants in 2015.
Main Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
