{"id":163,"date":"2016-09-04T02:13:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T06:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=163"},"modified":"2016-09-04T22:19:54","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T02:19:54","slug":"the-san-francisco-giants-can-still-win-it-all-again-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2016\/09\/04\/the-san-francisco-giants-can-still-win-it-all-again-in-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The San Francisco Giants Can Still Win It All Again in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Francisco Giants<\/strong> are once again in contention. That fact bodes well for them as since 2010, they\u2019ve won a championship every other year with rings in 2010, 2012, and 2014.\u00a0 It was already being discussed shortly after the Kansas City Royals<\/strong> 2015 Championship, that the Giants would reclaim their even numbered year World Series<\/strong> crowns in 2016. \u00a0With teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/strong> in front of them again, and the electric Chicago Cubs<\/strong> and Toronto Blue Jays<\/strong>, it is a wonder if this year\u2019s Giants squad can\u00a0live up to being World Series champions again in 2016.<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Giants Can Still Win It All Again in 2016<\/h2>\n

Current Position Helps\u00a0San Francisco’s Chances<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0currently hold a two and a half game lead in the Wild Card.\u00a0 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.<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Being in close\u00a0range of the Dodgers\u00a0helps as the Giants will face the Dodgers six more times, including three games at home. With this current position in both races,\u00a0barring a\u00a0total 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.<\/p>\n

Giants Will Be A Threat in The Postseason<\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

This Giants team should remind fans\u00a0of past teams, where the offense was rather unimpressive, but not terrible.\u00a0 No starter is hitting above .300, only Buster Posey<\/a><\/strong> is hitting around .289.\u00a0 However; Brandon Crawford<\/a>, Angel Pagan<\/a>, Brandon Belt<\/a>, Denard Span<\/a><\/strong>, and Hunter Pence<\/a><\/strong> are hitting a solid .273 or better, making the middle\u00a0of their lineup quite productive.<\/p>\n

The Giants do not have a lot of power, and don’t have\u00a0a single player hit 20 home runs this season.\u00a0 Brandon Belt leads the team with 14 currently. However, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, and Joe Panik<\/a><\/strong> 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\u00a0is a big if, then the team’s offense is bound to improve greatly.<\/p>\n

San Francisco’s pitching has been\u00a0pretty solid, and it is what has kept them in contention. Johnny Cueto<\/a> and Bumgarner have been solid once again for their team, makes the Giants stronger in the short postseason. \u00a0Matt Moore<\/a><\/strong> was a great pick up from the Tampa Bay Rays, and Jeff Samardzija<\/a><\/strong> while not at his best, \u00a0still \u00a0is a solid number four starter when the team need’s him, winning 11 games this year keeping\u00a0\u00a0ERA under 4.00.<\/p>\n

The weakness for this team was once its strength: its bullpen. George Kontos<\/a><\/strong> and Hunter Strickland<\/a><\/strong> however have been fairly consistent year round. Santiago Casilla<\/a><\/strong> has been roughed up as the closer and Sergio Romo<\/a><\/strong> has never quite returned to form either.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Despite Recent Woes, The Chances Are Giant<\/h3>\n

As history shows,\u00a0Giants are not a team anyone wants\u00a0to face in the playoffs. The one game wild card\u00a0favors the Giants as they have\u00a0several starters like Johnny Cueto, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Moore to turn to.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 As for the offense, when the team is healthy\u00a0it 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\u00a0Pablo Sandoval<\/a>\u00a0in previous runs, but the collection of those who have remained on the roster have proven\u00a0to be collectively better and more consistent.<\/p>\n

The Giants may not be best in the\u00a0National 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\u00a0years how the Giants have overcame the greatest of obstacles, winning one\u00a0elimination game after another.\u00a0 This team has talent on offense, their starting rotation is fierce, and potential still resides in that bullpen.\u00a0The fact of the matter is, the Giants can’t be counted out until they are officially eliminated.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n