The San Francisco Giants are one of the most well-run sports franchises in American sports. They always seem to be competitive, you never hear about them having a barren farm system and they always get the most out of their roster.
The Giants will battle the Dodgers for a playoff spot this season. Neither team has a glaring weak spot. If you’re pressed to find one, the Giants bullpen was a problem last year, but they made some big additions this offseason.
They have one of the best ballparks in the country. I need to make it out to see a game at AT&T Park before that area gets too gentrified and I can afford the cheapest hotel.
Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the San Francisco Giants.
2016 Win/Loss Record: 87-75
Key Additions: RP Mark Melancon, C Nick Hundley, SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Aaron Hill, C Tim Federowicz, RP David Hernandez, RP Bryan Morris, 1B Michael Morse, C Josmil Pinto, RP Neil Ramirez & OF Justin Ruggiano
Key Losses: OF Gregor Blanco, RP Santiago Casilla, RP Sergio Romo & RP Joe Nathan
Interleague Schedule: AL Central
Projected Starters: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Eduardo Nunez, Brandon Crawford, Jarrett Parker, Denard Span & Hunter Pence
Projected Starting Rotation: Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Moore & Matt Cain
Closer: Mark Melancon
Fantasy Sleeper: 3B Matt Moore – Moore pitched nearly 200 innings last season and he put up decent numbers. He won’t blow you away with his numbers, but if you’re looking for a consistent guy who will strike out 8ish K/9 on a good team (better chance you can get wins), Moore is worth a late round pick. He is being picked around the 21st round in 10-team leagues. You could even get him later since teams start drafting for depth at that point in drafts.
Prospect To Keep Your Eye On: SP Tyler Beede – Beede is currently the best pitching prospects in the Giants farm system. San Francisco always seems to have one in the chamber when it comes to solid starting pitching prospects. Beede had a pretty good season in Double-A last year. He went 8-7 with a 2.81 ERA in 24 starts and had a 1.28 WHIP. He does struggle with control and walked 3.24 per nine innings.
Team Analysis: The Giants spent a lot on starting pitching before last season and their purchases paid off. Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija both pitched over 200 innings and won more games than they lost, Cueto much more than Samardzija. The Giants rotation ate up innings and the bullpen was able to pitch without getting worn out by the end of the year.
The Giants focused on their bullpen this offseason by signing closer Mark Melancon after losing Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla to free agency. Melancon will close games while Hunter Strickland will take over as the setup man. That’s a pretty nice one-two punch. The unit as a whole has improved and hopes to improve on their franchise-record 32 blown saves last year.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy is arguably the best manager in the Majors. He seems to get the most out of his lineup and has won World Series titles with less talent than what is on this roster. The Dodgers are expected to win the NL West this season, but you can never count out the Giants. I believe the Giants, at the very least, will earn a Wild Card, but don’t count them out on catching the Dodgers. San Francisco is a well-built lineup with a deep bench.
2017 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 87.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2017 Projected Win/Loss Record: 90-72 (2nd in NL West)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.