The San Francisco Giants are once again in contention. That fact bodes well for them as since 2010, they’ve won a championship every other year with rings in 2010, 2012, and 2014. It was already being discussed shortly after the Kansas City Royals 2015 Championship, that the Giants would reclaim their even numbered year World Series crowns in 2016. With teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of them again, and the electric Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays, it is a wonder if this year’s Giants squad can live up to being World Series champions again in 2016.
The San Francisco Giants Can Still Win It All Again in 2016
Current Position Helps San Francisco’s Chances
The Giants are a good team. They currently stand two games behind the Dodgers in the National League Western division with a record of 73-62, and currently hold a two and a half game lead in the Wild Card. The Giants are familiar with the Wild Card, as it was the start of the path to their 2014 World Series victory, with hefty thanks to Madison Bumgarner. Being in close range of the Dodgers helps as the Giants will face the Dodgers six more times, including three games at home. With this current position in both races, barring a total collapse, earning a Wild Card spot at minimum is highly likely, and being in the win or go home playoff games right off the bat is a position the Giants have thrived in all three of their recent World Series runs.
Giants Will Be A Threat in The Postseason
For the first half of the season, it certainly looked like it was going to be a good Giants year. They rolled off a couple hot streaks and almost always seemed one of the best teams in baseball. Then as happens with many teams, their important offense leaders got injured. The team started to slump and the Giants slumped mightily. The team has improved in recent weeks, but still feels a bit unstable. Currently they are 4-6 in the last ten games, but still have plenty of time for a September run that places them firmly in the postseason.
This Giants team should remind fans of past teams, where the offense was rather unimpressive, but not terrible. No starter is hitting above .300, only Buster Posey is hitting around .289. However; Brandon Crawford, Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt, Denard Span, and Hunter Pence are hitting a solid .273 or better, making the middle of their lineup quite productive.
The Giants do not have a lot of power, and don’t have a single player hit 20 home runs this season. Brandon Belt leads the team with 14 currently. However, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Joe Panik have at least 10 and will likely add before end of this season. Hunter Pence has been injured, but is returning to the lineup. If Pence can stay healthy, and that is a big if, then the team’s offense is bound to improve greatly.
San Francisco’s pitching has been pretty solid, and it is what has kept them in contention. Johnny Cueto and Bumgarner have been solid once again for their team, makes the Giants stronger in the short postseason. Matt Moore was a great pick up from the Tampa Bay Rays, and Jeff Samardzija while not at his best, still is a solid number four starter when the team need’s him, winning 11 games this year keeping ERA under 4.00.
The weakness for this team was once its strength: its bullpen. George Kontos and Hunter Strickland however have been fairly consistent year round. Santiago Casilla has been roughed up as the closer and Sergio Romo has never quite returned to form either. The weakest part of this team going into the playoffs right now is the bullpen and that is often the most crucial aspects to winning a title.
Despite Recent Woes, The Chances Are Giant
As history shows, Giants are not a team anyone wants to face in the playoffs. The one game wild card favors the Giants as they have several starters like Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Moore to turn to.
The bullpen has struggled at times this season, but there is enough talent that can come up big in the clutch on the roster, especially in the young reliever category. As for the offense, when the team is healthy it has often shined in previous postseason runs even when others thought it couldn’t possibly. The Giants may be missing the power they had of Pablo Sandoval in previous runs, but the collection of those who have remained on the roster have proven to be collectively better and more consistent.
The Giants may not be best in the National league in 2016, but they have the ability to get hot and if healthy can be a major threat. Fans have seen countless times in the last six years how the Giants have overcame the greatest of obstacles, winning one elimination game after another. This team has talent on offense, their starting rotation is fierce, and potential still resides in that bullpen. The fact of the matter is, the Giants can’t be counted out until they are officially eliminated.
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