Article Written by: Julian Beck
San Francisco Giants
2013 Record: 76-86 (Tied for 3rd in NL West)
Key Additions: Tim Hudson, Michael Morse
Ley Loses: Barry Zito (unsigned), Chad Gaudin, Andres Torres (unsigned)
Most important players for 2014: Tim Hudson, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Michael Morse,
Expected to be in a good position to defend their title with essentially the same roster returning, the San Francisco Giants instead took a big step backward in 2013 and needed a late-season run to avoid a last-place finish.
Signing veteran Tim Hudson gives a boost to a very solid rotation. Bringing in his leadership and ability to go deep into games will help the team win games. Hudson is the type of pitcher that makes the batters get themselves out, by pitching for contact and allowing his defense to work. He has made a great career out of this and will continue with Buster Posey calling the pitches for him.
The Giants have a great rotation with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, and Tim Lincecum. Cain is the ace of this staff and looks to bounce back to his ace-form after a down 2013. When his pitches are on, he is unhittable. Bumgarner has an unorthodox left handed delivery and frustrates hitters when he takes the mound. Vogelsong is the dark horse of this rotation, being able to eat innings and stop a team in it’s tracks if they have been on a winning streak. Lincecum will also try and bounce back from a down 2013 season. He has lost a lot of velocity on his fastball and will rely on his defense to help him gather wins in 2014.
Sergio Romo will be the closer once again in 2014 and will be called upon a lot to complete the win. Romo will have plenty of save opportunities with this great pitching staff. He doesn’t have over powering pitches but his slider is deadly. Look for Romo to collect 40 or more saves in 2014.
As for the offense, it remains average at best, though Michael Morse has a chance to be a nice low-cost source of some much-needed power in left field.
Morse is a pitchers nightmare. Not only does he hit for insane power, he is also a great contact hitter. He is able to hit to all parts of the field and is able to reach base with his good batters eye. Morse doesn’t strikeout much for a power hitter and is able to gather walks. If he is able to stay healthy in 2014 he will be one of the best signings this off-season.
This offense is carried by Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, though. These two hitters are dangerous at the plate. Posey is a former NL MVP and can hit any pitcher that takes the mound. He has no holes in his swing and is able to feast on any mistakes pitchers throw at him. Pablo Sandoval is a great switch-hitter that slaps the ball all over the diamond. His power swing is from the left side and when he switches to the right side he is able to reach base by hitting to the opposite field. If there are runners in scoring position look for both Posey and “Kung-fu Panda” to drive them in.
The San Francisco Giants look to bounce back in 2014, and they have all the pieces to do so. They have five reliable starters in their rotation and balanced offense to score them runs. The offense has enough batters that know how to reach base and have great 3-4-5 hitters in Morse, Posey, and Sandoval to drive them in. If the game is close and it’s the bottom of the 9th, look for Romo to come in and shut the game down. Look for the Giants to compete for a Wild-Card spot in 2014.
Ryan Vogelsong*