The San Francisco Giants endured a very long dry spell without winning the World Series. 46 years went by without the Giants winning the World Series, but that changed in 2010 when San Francisco defeated the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic. Winning has now become contagious for the Giants who were able to claim another World Series Championship in 2012. In 2013, the Giants suffered their first losing season since 2008, but they have rebounded strong to start this Major League Baseball campaign.
The Giants have started this season with a record of 28-17 which has them in first place in the National League West. Their hot start to the season is also currently the best record in the NL. The Giants have a three-game lead over the Colorado Rockies and a five-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers within the division. At the start of the season the NL West was expected to be a two-team race between the Giants and the Dodgers. But in head-to-head competition this season, the Giants are 6-3 against the Dodgers while they have won every series against them. Overall the Giants have also won their last three series.
When the Giants won their two recent World Series Titles, they rode their dominant starting pitching. Now they are getting contributions from their offense as well. In the off-season I was critical of some of the moves that were made by Giants general manager Brian Sabean, but he has hit it big with outfielder Michael Morse. Morse signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Giants this past off-season and he may have found a home in San Francisco. Morse’s 10 home runs are tied for fourth in the NL while his 28 runs batted in are tied for 9th. Morse has always had some pop in his bat, but it has just been a matter of him staying healthy as he has only appeared in more than 140 regular season games once for his Major League Baseball career.
Morse is not the only Giants player this season that has been keen on the long ball. Prior to going to the disabled list on May 9 with a broken thumb, he had launched 9 home runs. Catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Brandon Hicks each have hit 7 homers so far this season for a San Francisco team that is second in the National League in home runs with 51.
For his nine-year MLB career, Giants outfielder Angel Pagan has been a player with tremendous potential, but like Morse he has been unable to stay healthy. Last year hamstring injuries limited Pagan to just 71 games and the Giants sorely missed their table setter. Pagan has rebounded strong this year as his .321 batting average is eighth in the NL.
In just six MLB seasons Posey has accomplished everything that a ball player wants to do. Posey was selected as the NL’s Rookie of the Year in 2010. In 2012 Posey was named the National League’s MVP and to top it all off he has a pair or World Series rings. Now with a .278 batting average, 7 homers, and 23 runs batted in, Gerald Dempsey Posey is right in the middle of a potent Giants team.
This season the Giants offense has given the team a new wrinkle, but pitching is still their bread and butter. This season the Giants team earned run average of 3.21 is third in the National League and only one of their starting pitchers (Matt Cain) currently has a losing record on the season. The Giants pitching staff has not beaten themselves as they have only surrendered 111 walks this year which is the lowest of any National League team.
In 1997 starting pitcher Tim Hudson began his professional baseball career when the Oakland Athletics drafted him in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Hudson made his debut with the A’s in 1999 and he would be there for the next six years. After spending the last nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Hudson returned to the Bay Area this year as a 38-year old veteran for the Giants. In the process Hudson has looked and pitched like a 28-year old to the delight of the Giants organization. In 60.1 innings of work this season Hudson has compiled a 4-2 record while only allowing 14 earned runs on the campaign.
When the Giants won the World Series in 2010, relief pitcher Sergio Romo was the setup man for Brian Wilson. In 2012 Wilson was injured down the stretch and it was Romo who closed out games for the Giants. By 2013, Romo became a National League All-Star as he recorded 38 saves. This season Romo is second in the NL in saves with 15 as he has become lights out in the ninth inning.
The man that is keeping this Giants team together is their manager Bruce Bochy. Prior to taking over as the Giants manager in 2007, Bochy spent the first 12 years of his managerial career with the San Diego Padres. While in San Diego, Bochy led the Padres to the World Series in 1998 for only the second time in franchise history. Since coming to San Francisco, the Giants have given Bochy more resources to work with than he had with the Padres and the proof is in the pudding as far as what he has been able to do in leading this club. More importantly Bochy treats his players like men and they have responded in a positive manner to his hands-off approach.
One-fourth of the way through the Major League Baseball season there have been some surprises, but the Giants are indeed putting their stamp on things in the National League West.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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