In a disappointing season plagued by injuries, the San Fransisco Giants finished last in the NL, last in the NL West and second to last in the MLB with a 64-98 record. But, the Giants still felt like contenders, but had to do some retooling. So, let\’s take a look at what the Giants did this offseason.
Notable additions: OF Andrew McCutchen, 3B Evan Longoria, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Derek Holland, SS Andres Blanco, 2B Josh Rutledge, OF Gregor Blanco, INF Chase d\’Arnaud, INF Alen Hansen.
Notable subtractions: CF Denard Span, 3B Christian Arroyo, LHP Matt Moore, RHP Matt Cain, RHP Kyle Crick.
What they did well: The McCutchen trade was an absolute steal.
What they did bad: The Longoria trade wasn\’t.
Sneaky sleeper: You won\’t normally see someone with no MLB experience here, but Steve Duggar is their biggest sleeper. Duggar has a serious shot at the Giants CF spot, assuming McCutchen plays LF. At 24, the Giants really like Duggar, and I think he can be a late round fantasy bargain.
Incoming outbreak: The stats show that Ty Blach had a bad year. He had a 4.78 ERA in 163.2 innings. But, his 1.35 WHIP wasn\’t horrible. I believe that Blach can have a better year.
Unsuspected slump: For years, Evan Longoria was a star on a lowly Rays team. But, he\’s now on a Giants team that has many players better than him. I think Longoria will take a step back this season.
Blue-chip Bopper: Gary Sanchez is making a run for his best catcher spot, but Buster Posey is still a star. He had a .400 OBP, leading the team by far. Posey is very good, and I think most people forget that.
Astounding ace: Though him and Jeff Samardzija will both be missing from the projected roster due to injuries, Madison Bumgarner is their ace by far. Bumgarner had a 3.32 ERA in just 111 innings, showing everybody he\’s still good. \”Mad Bum\” will be sidelined for about two months once again, but he\’ll come back hungry.
Here\’s their projected roster, starting with their lineup.
CF Steve Duggar (L)
LF Andrew McCutchen (R)
1B Brandon Belt (L)
C Buster Posey (R)
3B Evan Longoria (R)
2B Joe Panik (L)
RF Hunter Pence (R)
SS Brandon Crawford (L)
Pitcher
Here\’s their rotation.
RHP Johnny Cueto
LHP Ty Blach
RHP Chris Stratton
LHP Derek Holland
Trade for a 5th starter?
Mark Melancon (R) is their closer, with Sam Dyson (R), Tony Watson (L), Hunter Strickland (R), John Osich (L) and Cory Gearrin (R) in the bullpen.
C Nick Hundley (R), OF Gorkys Hernandez (R), OF Austin Jackson (R) and 2B Kelby Tomlinson (R) are on the bench.
Finally, for my prediction, I think the Giants, a contending team, will miss the playoffs in 2018 due to pitching.
CarterHud 