San Francisco Giants: Grading the Giants at Every Position

Opening Day is just over a month away. The San Francisco Giants have upgraded their offense for the 2012 season, and their pitching staff remains largely intact. There are high hopes for the 2012 season in San Francisco, but how good are the Giants?

This slideshow will break down their weapons at every position.

Pitcher: A+

The only staff that can (potentially) match the San Francisco Giants in 2012 is the Philadelphia Phillies’ “tremendous trio” of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Don’t let the near-.500 winning percentage of Giants starters fool you; they posted some of the best numbers league-wide in terms of strikeouts and ERA.

I would predict that, given the new offense, the Giants will have at least three 15-game winners.

Their bullpen should be just as sound last year, which is definitely saying something. When your offense cannot score many runs, games are often (and were often in 2011) decided in the late innings. With Sergio Romo, Brian Wilson, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt back (not to mention the other stalwarts), the bullpen should be terrific. 

Catcher: A

This “A” is contingent upon one thing and one thing only: Can Buster Posey perform at his pre-injury levels for the San Francisco Giants? If he can, he will immediately be considered as one of the premier catchers in Major League Baseball.

Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart are capable enough as backups, but should they be forced to shoulder the majority of the workload, expect the Giants’ grade in this position to drop from A to F. 

First Base: C

The San Francisco Giants have a wealth of possibilities at first base. Aubrey Huff, who was instrumental in the 2010 World Series victory, is back once again. He faces tough competition from highly praised newcomer Brandon Belt and the out-of-nowhere story of Brett Pill.

While each of these options are attractive, my money is on Huff winning the starting job. I do not expect a stellar season out of Huff, and even with a .260 batting average and 20 home runs, he will still lack in productivity behind the average player at his position. I wouldn’t count on either Pill or Belt to perform much better. 

Second Base: B+

Freddy Sanchez will not win a batting title in 2012. He might, however, successfully rebound from injury. If this happens, the San Francisco Giants will have an excellent defensive second baseman who can hit for average. If Freddy can do this, he will prove his value once again to the Giants and should help them catapult into first place in the National League West.

If he cannot, however, there will be a significant drop in grade due to the relatively less-wonderful performance of the backups. 

Shortstop: C

For all the love Brandon Crawford has gotten due to his defensive prowess, there has been equal animosity due to his inability to consistently drive the ball out of the infield. Crawford’s bat is the question here.

His glove shows the potential to be a future Gold Glove recipient. But unless he can bring his average well above .200, he will not have a place on the team for too long. 

Third Base: A-

Pablo Sandoval is one of the best hitters on the San Francisco Giants, if not the best. He is also an All-Star and one of the best players at his position. So why the minus?

I believe that the Kung Fu Panda has not reached his potential. He is capable of driving the ball into McCovey Cove, can hit for average from both sides of the plate and frequently displays above-average agility in the field. The question is: Can he put it all together for an entire season?

If he can, we may very well be talking about a potential MVP later in the season. 

Left Field: B

There really is no getting around it: Left field is where the loser of the first base job will end up.

Assuming Aubrey Huff wins the job at first base, that means Brandon Belt (likely) will be playing in left field for the San Francisco Giants. Belt could potentially have a breakout year, in which case his stock will soar and he will succeed in filling the expectations of all Giants fans. But for now…he’s just not there yet.

Of course, there is always the possibility of Angel Pagan or Melky Cabrera starting here (if Nate Schierholtz wins in right field), in which case the grade may change slightly. 

Center Field: B+

To my limited understanding, Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan are battling out for this position. Both players seem motivated and extremely talented. While neither will likely be an All-Star-caliber player for the San Francisco Giants, I would be completely surprised if their productivity does not eclipse the totals of 2011.

These guys know how to play—and I expect they will. 

Right Field: B

The occupant of right field for the San Francisco Giants will be either the loser of the center field gig or fan favorite Nate “The Great” Schierholtz. Schierholtz has never been more than a milquetoast outfielder, although he has shown flashes of greatness with his bat and has one of the most respected arms in Major League Baseball.

The Giants could have potentially used an upgrade at this position—but as things are, they aren’t looking all that bad either. 

Bench: B+

The San Francisco Giants have a reasonably deep bench. With Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot, one of the first base competitors and one of the outfield competitors (plus anybody else who is left over), the team should have a deep enough bench to be competitive after defensive substitutions in the late innings.

I expect that the win/loss percentage in extra innings this year for the Giants will be very high.