2016 Season Preview

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The final days of the pre-season baseball are finally upon us, and that means that Opening Day, the unofficial national holiday dedicated to all things American, is finally almost here. The Giants are set to face-off against the Milwaukee Brewers five days from now, officially kicking off the every-other-year tradition known as even year shenanigans. Unlike 2010, 2012, and 2014, there is an unparalleled optimism in the air because, for the first time, the team looks like a championship contender, not just plays like one. Before the season starts, let’s preview your 2016 San Francisco Giants.

The Lineup

Starters: Denard Span, Joe Panik, Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, Matt Duffy, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Angel Pagan

Reserves: Gregor Blanco, Kelby Tomlinson, Ehire Adrianza, Trevor Brown

This lineup is no longer the Giants team that struggled to grind out two or three runs a night. San Francisco’s offense has completely turned on its head and, on paper, is projected to be one of the most potent and dangerous offenses in baseball. Even in AT&T Park, the most pitcher friendly park in all of Major League Baseball, the Giants’ produced the fifth-most runs in the league during 2015, which is flat-out insane.

The calling card for the Giant offense will be its homegrown infield, composed of the consistently improving Brandon Belt, the “Crawnik” combination of All-Stars Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford, up-and-comer Matt Duffy, and the man himself, Buster Posey. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Giants had assembled the best infield in all of baseball. Simply put, these guys play on both sides of the ball with the best. Each one of these players has the potential to be in San Diego come the All-Star game. A scary thought is that these guys are still very young, with an average age of 27. This core is going to improve continually together and will be the best infield combination in all of baseball for years to come. Should this core continue to produce during the 2016 campaign, it’s going to be a long year for opposing pitchers.

Backing up the infield are veteran outfielders Angel Pagan, Denard Span, and Hunter Pence, all of whom have proven themselves at the big league level. There are more questions than answers that revolve around that outfield. Will Pagan’s body hold up? Will Span continue to be the same lead-off man that he was in the nation’s capital? Is Hunter Pence still capable of playing nearly every game of the regular season? It’s hard not to think about the uncertainties, especially when the fate of the infield seems so certain. Even with doubts, the fact remains that these three are a group who have proven themselves at the big league level for some years. They might not have the same bodies from years back, but Giants fans can expect these three to produce consistently.

The primary concern in the lineup centers around Angel Pagan, the only starter who has begun to show real signs of decay. Although he may not be the same top of the lineup presence that he was in 2012, seven other guys can make up for Pagan’s lack of production. If Pagan even shows glimpses of his former self, all the better for the offense.

Rounding out the bench will be Gregor Blanco, Kelby Tomlinson, and Ehire Adrianza. Blanco has been one of the most underrated and underappreciated Giants during his tenure in San Francisco. His speed, get on-base, and play all three outfield positions makes him one of the best players off the bench in all of baseball, and it won’t be surprising if another team tries to snatch him from the Giants’ hands come free agency. In limited time in 2015, Tomlinson showed glimpses of how he can be productive at the big-league level. Similar to Blanco, Tomlinson great speed, the versatility to play at either first, second, third, or short while, and the ability to hit for average, all of which could cement him as a necessary piece off the bench for the Giants going forward. Having these two off the bench gives the Giants more than a couple of options towards the end of games, and will help the regulars maintain their bodies over the course of the season.

The Rotation

Starters: Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy, Matt Cain, Chris Heston

On paper, the Giants have may have one of the better rotations in all of baseball. The three-headed monster of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija backed up by Jake Peavy, Matt Cain/Chris Heston is a scary thought for the opposition.

There was ample hype around the rotation going into Spring Training, but as the days of March started passing by, the hype turned into rational fear. The projected starting rotation of Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzija, Peavy, Cain had a combined ERA of 9.26. Although it’s easy to say that it’s just spring and that these early struggles won’t be an indication of what happens during the season, it’s discouraging, and it’s easy to get scared.

Needless to say, this is a group of veterans, all of whom know what it takes to succeed. Bumgarner is coming off of a career year, and he’s going to continue to be one of the best in the business. Cueto and Samardzija are both coming off of shaky years in which they failed to meet the enormous expectations placed on them, but they’re coming into a good situation with one of the best defenses and the most pitcher-friendly park in all of baseball. If the Giants are going to succeed, Cuteo and Samardzija are going to have to bounce back to their dominant forms and consistently pump out six to seven innings. Peavy and Cain are far past from being the pitchers they used to be, but lucky for the Giants, Heston and prospect Clayton Blackburn are waiting in the wings and ready to jump in if either of the veterans struggles or go down with an injury.

The Bullpen

Bullpen: Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Javier Lopez, George Kontos, Hunter Strickland, Josh Osich, Cory Gearrin

The Giants took several hits to its bullpen, losing Yusmeiro Petit to free agency and Jeremy Affeldt to retirement. With a significant amount of money invested in Cueto and Samardzija, the front office decided to leave the bullpen as it stands and let prospects Josh Osich and Cory Gearrin try to fill the holes.

The Giants have had one of the most reliable bullpens in all of baseball for the past several years, and that’s due in large part to the unparalleled work of veterans Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, and Javier Lopez, all three of whom have been with San Francisco since the first championship run in 2010. This trio excelled in 2015 and hadn't shown any signs of slowing down in 2016. Kontos and Strickland come into their own on the mound and should continue to churn out quality appearances out of the pen.

What to Expect

It’s very strange to look at the Giants and see a team that has the potential to score five runs a game, but no longer have five starters that can dominate back to back to back to back to back. In short, this team is going to hit the ball very well, and they’re going to be one of the elite defenses in baseball, but the pitching is going to be the biggest question. If the pitching can come anywhere close to 2010, the notion of another even year championship wouldn’t be out of the question.