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San Francisco Giants: Remember Who You Are, With or Without Buster Posey |
As Buster Posey’s fibula cracked and his ankle ligaments tore apart in the now infamous home plate collision at AT&T Park on May 25, a traumatic scene was seared into the memory of every Giants fan, one that placed the fate of the defending world champions in the balance and left them with no inkling as to what comes next. The question now becomes, how will this story end? Many observers of the game lamented the Posey injury as the end of the Giants’ title defense, effectively destroying any hopes San Francisco has of repeating as world champions after a magical postseason run last October. But the doubters discount some compelling evidence that points to the contrary: the Giants still have the requisite tools to not only make the postseason, but to thrive once they get there.
With and Without Buster Posey Buster Posey sparked the San Francisco Giants in 2010. From the day he was called up a year ago last Sunday, Posey injected the fuel the Giants needed to morph from a .500 ball-club into a playoff contender and eventual World Series winner. Posey’s rise is legendary. His veteran demeanor and graceful display of pure baseball intuition, in just his first season in the big leagues, gave fans of the Giants and even fans of the game at large reason to pause and witness what they knew deep inside was the beginning of a historic career. But even with his uncanny abilities and leadership qualities, Buster Posey would probably tell you that his Giants have what it takes to win and win consistently, even without him in the lineup. And aside from skipper Bruce Bochy, Buster would be the best man to explain why: pitching, pitching, and … ah yes, pitching.
Remembering What Carried San Francisco in 2010 In 2009 the San Francisco Giants won 88 games and missed the postseason. In 2010, they won 92 games and became world champions. While the presence of Buster Posey in 2010 was much greater than just the four additional wins would indicate, the fact remains that San Francisco won 88 games without Posey in 2009. That’s right, with all of the magic and excitement that embodied 2010 for San Francisco baseball, the difference between defeat and ultimate victory was a mere four games. The Giants are not a team built to run away with a division title, and they proved that last season by clinching the NL West on the final day of the regular season. But the number of wins a team records means little when it comes to the postseason. The playoffs mark the beginning of a new season, a fresh start, a clean slate. When a team reaches the playoffs, all that matters is winning eleven games, because that’s how many it takes to win the World Series. So how did the 2010 Giants, who won just four more games than in 2009, manage to win it all? Pitching. Simply put, the Giants out-pitched every other team in the 2010 postseason and ended up with the commissioner’s trophy when all was said and done. San Francisco’s arms produced four shutouts, posted a 2.47 ERA, and held opponents to a meager .196 batting average in the 2010 postseason. Their performance was historic, and it led to a historic outcome. The Giants also, believe it or not, scored the second-most runs out of any team in the postseason (59), showing just how hot they were in October. Though as a team they only hit .235, the offensive production stood up because of the outstanding pitching. While Buster Posey hit well in the postseason (.288), he was not the club’s leading run producer. Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff were second and fourth, respectively, in the entire postseason field of players, in RBI. Both remain in the lineup today for the Giants. While Buster Posey is a huge presence for the Giants behind the plate and in the lineup, the Giants still have arguably the best pitching corps in all of baseball. Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong have all pitched extremely well this season, and there is no reason to think they won’t continue to perform well, or even better than they have thus far. The staff is extremely comfortable with Posey’s replacement, Eli Whiteside, and as long as San Francisco’s arms put up zeros, the Giants are always within striking distance of a victory, day in and day out.
The Hits Will Come The hitters in San Francisco’s lineup are good enough. And that’s all the Giants’ pitching staff needs: enough. Giants hitters will not light up the scoreboard, we all know that. But even without Buster Posey, veteran hitters such as Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff are going to get the job done, along with young infusions of energy from Brandon Belt and now Brandon Crawford. The Giants won’t score much, but they’ll score enough.
It’s All About Being Hot At the Right Time Last season the Giants made a huge push in September, playing very well and clinching a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. Once they got into the playoffs, they continued playing the best baseball Giants fans have seen in a long time, going 11-4 in the postseason and even blowing out opponents in some games (think games one and two of the World Series against the Rangers). Will the pitching staff lead San Francisco back into the postseason in 2011?
Will the pitching staff lead San Francisco back into the postseason in 2011?
In the NL West this season, the Giants will always be in the running for a postseason berth, and what really matters is how the club is playing at the end of the regular season when they approach the finish line. With the type of pitching this team has, from the starting rotation all the way through the bullpen down to Brian Wilson, the Giants should be (though they probably won’t, knowing the baseball media establishment) one of the favorites to go deep into the playoffs, and possibly repeat as world champions.
The Giants Have an Identity, and They Can’t Forget That The Giants are a team built around pitching during an age of pitching. As the steroid era has now come to a close, the era of the pitcher now reigns. And the San Francisco Giants lead the charge, becoming the first team in the pitching-dominant era to win with the new formula: pitching + timely hitting = world championship. To the Giants I would say this: Buster is your captain, but pitching is at the very core of your identity. Remember that and you’ll be standing at the end. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in giants-news | Comments Off
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2011 San Francisco Giants: Can Team Recover From Loss of Buster Posey? |
I am sure this last week has been torturous for the people of San Francisco. Posey, the pride and joy of San Francisco, gets injured trying to block home plate. The first report was that it was a broken leg and that he would be out six-to-eight weeks, much like the Josh Hamilton injury earlier this season. Then there was ligament damage and all hell broke loose in San Francisco. The Giants lost Posey for the season, instantly. It is, of course, too early to tell when Posey will return from an injury that may set-back his career a year or so. His return is unknown, but the team is optimistic that he will be ready for Opening Day 2012. “The fracture will be fine,” Giants trainer Dave Groeschner told ESPN. “The ankle injury is most concerning to us.” That would be the left ankle that had three torn ligaments in it and the one that Posey had surgery on this past Sunday, causing him to be out indefinitely. More reports will come out in the next couple of months, but do not expect Posey on your television set anytime soon. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in giants-news | Comments Off
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San Francisco Giants Minor League Affiliate Review: Zach Wheeler Fans Career High 12 for San Jose Giants |
With another week gone by, it’s time once again for the San Francisco Giants Minor League affiliates weekly review. The Fresno Grizzlies and San Jose Giants have sent a lot of their talent to the big leagues over the last week, but they are still going strong along with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Augusta Greenjackets. Let’s take a look at how each team fared, with one setting historic team records in their division…
Fresno Grizzlies (AAA): Fresno was definitely hit the hardest by the Giants call-ups, and they managed to go only 2-6 last week including a 8-6 loss to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Monday. The Grizz currently are 22-30 on the season, now sitting 11 games back of the Sacramento Rivercats in the Pacific Coast League South. Brett Pill still managed to have a nice week, including a 2-4 game on Sunday where he launched a homer and racked up three RBI. Pill is batting .304 for the season with 40 RBI so far. Next up for Fresno will be four more against the Sky Sox than another four game set at home against the Las Vegas 51′s. Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA): Skipper Dave Machemer and his Squirrels have had an up and down season so far, and their 4-4 record last week including a 3-2 loss to the Akron Aeros on Monday goes to show it. They currently sit 5 games back in the Eastern League West at 24-26, though that division is very tight so far. Pitcher Eric Surkamp has been very effective in the 10 games he’s started so far this year, posting a 3-2 record with a 1.33 ERA in those games. Surkamp pitched very well on Sunday, going for eight full innings allowing eight hits, but no earned runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. Next up for Richmond will by a three game set in Bowie to face the Bay Sox, then three at home against the Reading R-Phils. San Jose Giants (A): By far the most successful club in the Giants minor league system thus far, these Giants are currently riding a franchise record 11 straight games, including a 5-3 win over the Stockton Ports on Monday. Their winning streak has pushed their lead in the California League North to nine games ahead of Stockton, and will have 4 more game against them coming up this week. Gary Brown has still by swinging the lumber in San Jose, sporting a eye popping .374 with 39 RBI and 30 stolen bags. He went 3-4 on Sunday against the Ports with two runs, an RBI, and two stolen bases. As for on the mound, Zach Wheeler had a carrer high 12 strikeouts in his outing on Sunday as well, allowing only three hits, no runs, and one walk in his seven innings of work. Augusta Greenjackets (A): The Greenjackets are another team searching for consistency, going 3-4 last week including a 10-3 victory over the Rome Braves on Monday. At 21-30 on the season, Augusta currently sits 6.5 GB in the Southern Atlantic League South in second to last place. Second baseman Carlos Willougby has been a nice story for them thus far, including a 4-5 night on Monday with three runs, two RBI, and two stolen bags. Willougby currently is rocking a .284 average with 15 RBI and 30 stolen bases for the year. The Greenjackets have one more with the Braves in Rome, then four in Asheville to face Tourists, then three at home against the Charleston Riverdogs. Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in giants-news | Comments Off
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San Francisco Giants Won’t Change Their Draft Strategy After Posey Injury |
Following Buster Posey’s season-ending injury it was a fair question to ask the Giants if they were going to draft a catcher as an insurance option or even as Posey’s future replacement. The answer to that question appears to be no. Even if the Giants do eventually decide to move Posey to another position, it won’t affect their draft strategy in 2011. Expect the Giants to take the best player available with the No. 29 pick. There are three first-round catchers in this draft: Blake Swihart, Austin Hedges and Andrew Susac. All three could potentially be available for the Giants at No. 29, and at least one could be around or the Giants’ second selection at No. 49. Most recent updates:
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What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited? Flag This Article That’s all the news for today. Posted in giants-news | Comments Off
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Posey injury hurts Giants |
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San Francisco Giants: 5 Young Players Ready to Step Up |
Nate Schierholtz has been a contributing member of the Giants’ big league club for the last four years, but until this season he really hasn’t been given a fair opportunity to win the job. First it was Dave Roberts blocking him in 2007, then Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn. Last season, the job was expected to be his before the overachieving John Bowker swiped it in spring training, and then when it opened up, Pat Burrell, who had just been released by another team, was given an outfield spot. Well, now, with untimely injuries to Cody Ross and Andres Torres and the inconsistency of Burrell and Rowand, the 27-year-old Schierholtz is getting the chance to step up. Schierholtz is primarily (and properly) known for his highlight-reel arm and above-average defense out in right field. While the Giants’ lack of offensive punch sides with playing Burrell, Huff and Rowand in the outfield more often, I would argue that having Schierholtz’s impeccable defense out there for nine innings would actually be a better strategy. If Schierholtz hits even a little, that instantly makes him an upgrade to the lineup. The Giants are clearly a pitching and defense team. Here’s a strategy: Put your best defensive lineup out there, limit the other team’s runs to two or less and win the close game with timely hitting. With a full-time gig, I think the Bay Area native is capable of a .280 average with double-digit home runs on the season. His defense, especially at AT&T Park, warrants playing time, and the Giants would be smart to give him a legitimate chance. I mean, after all, a 32-year-old Andres Torres came out of nowhere last year. I would have to say, Schierholtz making the jump would be less of a shock than that was. What do you guys think about this. Posted in giants-news | Comments Off
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