San Francisco Giants: Who Surprised and Who Disappointed in 2013

The only real positive thing about the San Francisco Giants season right now is that it's almost over. The defending World Series champions have spent most of the season near the bottom of the National League West, and very little of it defending their crown.

After winning two out of the last three championships, the Giants have fallen flat on their faces in 2013. They've had few pleasant surprises, and plenty of disappointments.

The Giants are 20th in ERA, 21st in runs, 19th in defensive efficiency and 20th in winning percentage. They've been below average in every facet of the game.

The disappointment begins with the starting rotation. Despite playing in the pitcher-friendly confines of AT&T Park, the Giants have the second-worst rotation ERA in the National League.

Ace Matt Cain emerged as the leader of the staff by posting a combined 2.93 ERA from 2009-12. The Giants rewarded Cain with a six-year, $127.5 million extension prior to last season. His ERA shot up to 5.06 in the first half of this season as he appeared to battle fatigue from last year's playoff run. 

Cain has bounced back with a 2.65 ERA over nine starts since the All-Star break. If the Giants are going to contend in 2014, they'll need Cain to post a sub-3.00 ERA again.

Ryan Vogelsong went 27-16 with a 3.05 ERA during 2011-12. He was also the ace of the staff last postseason, going 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA over four starts.

This year, Vogelsong has posted a 5.73 ERA over 17 starts. He's 36 years old and his fastball velocity is down nearly two mph from last season, so this could be the end of the line for Vogelsong. However, the Giants will likely pick up his $6.5 million option for 2014 to find out if there's anything left in the tank.

Fellow postseason hero Barry Zito also came crashing back to earth this year. After posting a solid 4.15 ERA at the back of San Francisco's rotation in 2012, Zito saved the season by throwing 7.2 shutout innings in Game 5 of the NLCS with Giants down in the series 3-1. He then out-dueled Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series.

Zito has put up a 5.91 ERA while losing his spot in the rotation this year.

Offensively, the Giants' most troubling spot has been left field. The ill-fated platoon of Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres, along with castoff Jeff Francoeur and non-prospects like Roger Kieschnick and Kensuke Tanaka have combined to hit a league-worst three home runs. The Giants' collective .636 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) from left field is also the worst in the game.

Pablo Sandoval has also had a down year. He showed up to camp out of shape and missed time with a foot strain. He's currently hitting just .274/.335/.409 with 13 home runs.

The Giants needed more thump from Sandoval in order to make up for the loss of Melky Cabrera in left field. Instead, Sandoval took a step back.

The biggest blow for the offense was the loss of center fielder Angel Pagan in late May. Pagan has hit a solid .289/.344/.423. However, a hamstring tear has cost him all but 62 games this season.

When Pagan went down after hitting a walk-off, inside-the-park home run on May 25, the Giants were 27-22. They went just 32-52 during his absence.

Since Pagan returned on August 31, the Giants are 11-7. His health and production at the top of the lineup are clearly essential to the Giants' success.

Even star catcher Buster Posey is a letdown since his MVP season in 2012. Posey's OPS is down 108 points and he's hit nine fewer home runs thus far.

He posted a .931 OPS and blasted 13 home runs in the first half. However, he's hit only two home runs while managing a tepid .685 OPS since the All-Star break.

There weren't many positive surprises for the Giants this year. Madison Bumgarner has been the best pitcher on the staff, but that was to be expected given how excellent the 24-year-old lefty has been throughout his career.

Hunter Pence currently leads the offense in home runs, RBI, extra-base hits, slugging percentage and wins above replacement (WAR). Pence has had a very good career, but it's been somewhat of a surprise that he's having his best season at the age of 30, particularly after he hit just .219 after the Giants acquired him at last year's trading deadline.

Chad Gaudin was perhaps the club's biggest surprise in 2013. After signing as a minor league free agent, Gaudin made the roster out of spring training. Over 30 appearances, including 12 starts, he's posted an outstanding 3.06 ERA.

Fellow journeyman Yusmeiro Petit has been a nice addition as well. Over six games since being called up, Petit has posted a 3.08 ERA. He came within one strike of a perfect game on September 6.

Brandon Belt has looked like a potential star during the second half. He's hit .333/.401/.533 since the All-Star break, likely due to some long overdue mechanical changes.

As disappointing as 2013 has been, the Giants have too much talent returning to be this bad again in 2014.

Cain and Sandoval are good bets to rebound given their strong track records. Cain has been better down the stretch, and Sandoval has hit .321 thus far in September. Posey has looked worn down during the second half, but he's still one of the best players in the game. Bumgarner has emerged as one of the top arms in the sport, as well.

The Giants have too much talent to be a 70-81 team. With a few offseason tweaks, they should contend again in 2014.

This has been a year of disappointments and unpleasant surprises. However, the last time the Giants missed the playoffs in 2011, they rebounded to win it all the following year. 

Perhaps the sting of 2013 will lead to a return to glory next season.

All statistics in this article are courtesy of ESPN and Baseball-Reference.