San Francisco Giants: Ranking the Best Fantasy Options from the Bay
Come draft day, fantasy baseball owners must consider nabbing talent from the San Francisco Giants' roster.
They've got pitching.
Now the Giants have an upgraded lineup as well.
San Francisco plays in the NL West, so year-long success in the batter's box and on the hill shouldn't be a problem.
Here are the 10 best fantasy options from the bay.
No. 10: Brandon Crawford
1 of 10Brandon Crawford is expected to start at shortstop for the San Francisco Giants in 2012, and everyday play should allow him to develop a rhythm at the plate.
Last season in 66 games, he hit just .204 and drove in 21 runs. But so far in 16 spring training games, he's hitting .333 with nine RBI.
Look for Crawford to produce a respectable .271, eight home runs and 63 RBI.
No. 9: Melky Cabrera
2 of 10Owners should be wary of Melky Cabrera's performance in 2011.
Hitting .305 with 18 home runs, 87 RBI and 20 stolen bases was spectacular.
But can he do it again?
There's a problem with Cabrera—he's very streaky. He's a career .275 hitter who averages 10 home runs 66 RBI and 13 stolen bases.
Three teams have let him go.
Still, if he hits around his averages, he's a decent late-round pick.
No. 8: Angel Pagan
3 of 10Angel Pagan is a quality, versatile pickup for fantasy leagues.
Hitting near the top of the order, he should net owners plenty of points through hits and runs scored.
He'll steal over 30 bags and hit about seven home runs.
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No. 7: Brandon Belt
4 of 10Brandon Belt has the talent to force his way into the lineup somehow.
He'll have a difficult time squeezing into the outfield. He'd have to steal a spot from Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera or Nate Schierholtz.
With Aubrey Huff on the decline, Belt can easily win the first base spot soon.
Fantasy owners won't get a full season's worth of production due to the late start, but once he's a starter, he'll earn a .269 batting average with 16 home runs and 58 RBI.
No. 6: Buster Posey
5 of 10In 45 games last year, Buster Posey hit .284 with four home runs and 21 RBI.
Now he's healthy and ready to assume his role as the next big Giants slugger.
He's a catcher and San Francisco will protect him, so he won't get anywhere near 160 games.
But in the 135 he will play, Posey should be good for a .290 average, 15 home runs and 67 RBI.
No. 5: Brian Wilson
6 of 10Brian Wilson is one of the premiere closers in baseball.
He had two bad years early in his career which have "ballooned" his ERA up to 3.17.
Still not bad.
Most fantasy leagues award points for wins, strikeouts, ERA and saves. Wilson won't get many wins, but he'll earn owners everything else.
He's good for about 70 strikeouts and 40 saves each year.
No. 4: Madison Bumgarner
7 of 10Last season, Madison Bumgarner ate up 200 innings while maintaining a 3.21 ERA.
He also struck out just under 200 batters on his way to 13 wins.
If Bumgarner can reproduce similar stats in 2012, he's a must-have for fantasy teams.
No. 3: Pablo Sandoval
8 of 10Pablo Sandoval is a beastly hitter who can lend a boost to any fantasy team.
Sandoval will hit around .300 and impressively put just under 30 home runs over the wall at AT&T Park.
His 500 hits and 80 RBI will pad the fantasy points further.
No. 2: Matt Cain
9 of 10A consistent double-digit winner, Cain is a fantastic option for several reasons.
Routinely pitching around 220 innings every year, Cain has notched 13 complete games in his career.
He strikes out around 180 batters per season and has kept a WHIP of 1.08 in the last two.
With a better offense in 2012, Cain should benefit with more wins.
No. 1: Tim Lincecum
10 of 10Pitcher Tim Lincecum is the perfect player for fantasy owners.
He'll easily pitch to 15 victories—if not more—with a sub-3.00 ERA.
Lincecum is good for at least one shutout and one complete game every year too. He'll go deep into games, netting 230 innings for the season.
Best of all, Lincecum will strike out an amazing 250 or so batters.
Wins, ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts. He does it all.
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