2019 Pre-Season Profile: San Francisco Giants

#24

The San Francisco Giants have a new front office to try and restart one of the most storied franchises in the league.  Is greatness coming back to the Bay in 2019?

2018 Predictions

3rd in NL West

Half of the Giants' Opening Day roster will not be on the Opening Day roster in 2019.

2018 Results

73-89, 4th in NL West

The Giants made a bunch of fascinating moves heading into the 2018 season that ended up not working that great.  Andrew McCutchen ended up traded mid-season, Evan Longoria did not return to his All Star level, and the top arms in their starting rotation spent significant time on the DL.  What some (like me) saw as a team that had the potential to compete for a playoff spot turned into a team that just disappointed.

Additions / Subtractions

There were several significant moves this offseason for the Giants that had very little to do with trades or free agency.  The first of these would be Farhan Zaidi being named the new President of Baseball Operations.  Zaidi comes over from the Dodgers and is known for his use of advanced metrics in his player evaluation.  This is a brand new venture for what has been known as one of the most "old school" organizations in the game.  At the start of Spring Training, manager Bruce Bochy announced this would be his last season as Giants manager.  Moving to the field, ace Johnny Cueto will be out most if not all of the season with Tommy John surgery.  As for actual offseason moves, the biggest move made was the fish they didn't catch.  The Giants were one of the last teams in the running for Bryce Harper.  This left them with the most significant acquisition of the offseason being Drew Pomeranz.

Most Important Hitter

Steven Duggar

One of the biggest mysteries of the Giants offseason is how they didn't make a move to improve their outfield.  Yes, they were in late on Harper, but they needed something as none of their Opening Day starting outfielders are currently on the roster.  Instead, the Giants seem to be going with some unproven young players as their outfield in 2019.  The most notable of these is Steven Duggar, a 25 year old lefty that will be starting in centerfield.  Duggar needs to have a good season to justify the lack of help given to the outfield.  Duggar has the potential to be a solid outfielder, but the question will be is he ready to be the anchor of their outfield already.

Most Important Pitcher

Dereck Rodriguez

The biggest surprise for the Giants in 2018 was the emergence of Dereck Rodriguez.  The son of Hall of Fame catcher Pudge Rodgriguez, Dereck is a hard throwing starting pitcher that posted a 138 ERA+ over 118 innings in 2018.  As the Giants start to look at a future youth wave coming into San Francisco, this 27 year old starter might be a future ace of this staff if he can follow up last year with another great season.

Prospect to Watch

Tyler Beede

The Giants may have won 3 World Series titles in the last 10 years or so, but the biggest knock on this organization has been a lack of development among their prospects.  They are starting to turn things around as they have two players in the top 100 prospects (their last two first round draft picks), however they are far from the big leagues at this point.  The prospect most likely to make an impact this season is Tyler Beede.  Beede, the 7th ranked prospect in their system, made his debut for the Giants last season in limited time.  Once looking like a top starting pitcher prospect (was my Prospect to Watch in 2017), he is now projecting to be a power bullpen arm.  Beede has a shot at being a major contributor to the Giants in 2019.

2019 Prediction

5th in NL West

The Giants are starting to enter a transition in their organization.  Although they still have a lot of quality veterans on their roster, the learned in 2018 that retooling around the current core might not be a viable option anymore.  They need to start over, and this season might finally be what convinces them to do it.

Fearless Prediction

Madison Bumgarner will be traded to the Brewers mid-season.

There were many rumors surrounding Madison Bumgarner this offseason, speculating whether he would be moved to start replenishing their farm system.  Although the right offer never came through, if MadBum returns to his dominant self and stays healthy this season, what for him to be traded to a team that really needs an ace, like the Brewers.

2017 Pre-Season Profile: San Francisco Giants

#11

The streak was broken!  For the first time since 2008, the Giants did not emerge as champions on an even numbered year.  Another streak that has lasted just as long as missing the playoffs on odd numbered years.  Will that continue in 2017?

My 2016 Predictions

1st in NL West, win World Series

The San Francisco Giants come home with MVP, Cy Young, and World Series trophies.

2016 Results

87-75, 2nd in NL West, WILD CARD, lost in NLDS

Last year, I was sticking with the streak until it proved me wrong.  Well, it proved me wrong in 2016.  The Giants even made the playoffs!  They had shown over the last decade that they were unstoppable as long as they make the postseason.  Madison Bumgarner did prove he is more than just a postseason pitcher as he had a dominant season, finishing 4th in the Cy Young voting.  Buster Posey was solid but not quite dominant in his season.  They were really good, but they ran into history when they lost to the Cubs.

Additions / Subtractions

The Giants had a huge offseason in 2016, signing both Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to bolster the rotation.  Picking up Matt Moore and Eduardo Nunez in mid-season trades are huge bonuses moving into 2017.  However, if there has been one weakness for the Giants during this amazing run they have had, it has been their bullpen.  In 2010, 2012, and 2014, three different pitchers closed out the final game, including MadBum in 2014 because Bruce Bochy didn't trust anyone in the bullpen.  They tried to address this this offseason by signing closer Mark Melancon.  For the first time in awhile, the ninth inning will be taken care of in 2017.

Most Important Hitter

Joe Panik

The core of the Giants have been together for awhile.  They are starting to age.  One of the younger kids in their lineup is second baseman Joe Panik.  Panik burst on the scene in 2014 as he became one of the stars of their postseason run.  He followed that up with a strong 2015, making his first All Star Team.  2016 was a massive disappointment as his bat fell asleep for the entire season.  With the age of the Giants' roster, guys like Panik need to step up and show they can become stars for this team.

Most Important Pitcher

Jeff Samardzija

The Giants were expecting great things from their two big signings last year.  Johnny Cueto didn't disappoint as he competed with Madisno Bumgarner for best pitcher on the team.  Although Jeff Samardzija wasn't bad, he also was much less than dominant.  Samardzija has had a few down seasons recently since he left the Cubs.  The Giants were hoping he would emerge as the third ace on the staff, making them near unbeatable.  Now, he is entering the 2017 season not even as their third starter as Matt Moore has passed him up.  Samardzija needs to start to pitch like he is being paid; as an elite superstar in the game.

Player to Watch

Tyler Beede

Outside of the bullpen, another weakness of the Giants' organization over this current run has been their farm system.  They have maintained their aging core, trading prospects to help win now.  This has led to a system that is in the bottom third of the league, sporting just two prospects in baseball's Top 100.  Their top prospect might be a difference maker down the stretch in 2017.  Tyler Beede is a 23 year old starting pitcher that has been working his way up through the Giants' system since he was drafted in 2014.  Look for him to either be a contributor near the end of the season or be a key piece in another trade to help the Giants win now.

2017 Prediction

3rd in NL West

Ten teams make the playoffs.  I have the Giants 11th.  They will be the best team to not make October this season.  They have a strong roster top to bottom as they do every year, however it is hard for a team like this to hold up throughout the full season.  Their age is going to catch up with them, leading to potential injuries.  Injuries will challenge depth, which the Giants lack.  Look for a bounceback in 2018, but the window for this current Giants group is closing quickly.

Fearless Prediction

Buster Posey and Hunter Pence will miss a combined total of 162+ games.

When the Giants struggle, it is because of injuries to key bats in their order.  The heart and soul of their lineup are Buster Posey and Hunter Pence.  When Posey stays healthy, the Giants succeed.  To help with this, Posey is playing more and more first base to avoid the grind of catching every day.  Hunter Pence has been marred by injuries the last two seasons.  Before that, he played every day.  His body appears to be breaking down though.  Injuries to these two will slow this team down enough to keep them away from where they want to be.