6 San Francisco Giants Players Who Must Step Up to Drive Deep Playoff Run

The San Francisco Giants completed the 2014 regular season with a record of 88-74. They will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates in the Wild Card Game.

The Giants have a battle-tested team with a lot of postseason experience. Manager Bruce Bochy is one of the best in the game at putting his players in good positions to be successful. Bochy and the Giants hope to recapture the magic that led them to World Series victories in 2010 and 2012.

We can talk about the ancillary players at great length; however, if the Giants are to make a deep postseason run, it will be up to their stars to lead them.

Let's take a look at six key players who will be critical to postseason success for San Francisco.

Buster Posey

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Buster Posey has had an excellent year for the Giants.

Buster Posey has become a quiet leader for the Giants. In contrast to Hunter Pence's bombastic, excitable personality, Posey leads by example with a dogged consistency and quiet intensity.

Posey led the Giants in almost every offensive category. He hit .311 with 22 home runs and 89 RBI. Posey's OBP was .364, and he had an OPS of .854.

In addition to Posey's offensive success, he also works very well with the Giants' pitchers.

If the Giants are to have any chance to win their third world championship in five years, Posey will need to help lead them to the promised land.

Pablo Sandoval

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Pablo Sandoval has played a solid third base for the Giants this year.

Pablo Sandoval broke into the big leagues with the Giants organization in 2008. He is now set to become a free agent when the 2014 season is complete. We could be seeing the final few days of Sandoval in a San Francisco uniform.

Sandoval is a fan favorite with his effervescent personality and constant smile. He is affectionately known as the Kung Fu Panda, and there are panda hats throughout AT&T Park.

Sandoval had a decent, though not outstanding, season. In 588 at-bats, Sandoval hit .279 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI. His OBP was .324, and his OPS was .739.

The relatively low RBI total is particularly troubling, as Sandoval hit in the cleanup spot in the batting order for almost the entire season. 

Playing third base, Sandoval has been solid defensively. The weight he lost prior to spring training helped his mobility and range. 

It remains to be seen whether the Giants will be able to sign Sandoval. We can expect many teams to be interested, and since there is a dearth of quality third basemen available, Sandoval will be coveted.

However, that is then and this is now. If Sandoval can get hot now, he can carry a team on his broad shoulders.

Hunter Pence

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Hunter Pence gave a rousing, albeit profanity-laced, speech after the Giants clinched a playoff berth.

The reverend is back on the pulpit. As the Giants celebrated in the clubhouse for making the playoffs, Hunter Pence gathered the team and went into full-reverend mode. He gave a rousing speech to excite his teammates in hopes of spurring them on to another world championship.

Pence is a well-respected vocal leader of the Giants, and his all-out hustle on every play is something to behold. 

Pence did whatever he could to help the Giants and even hit at the top of the order for a good period of time when Angel Pagan was injured and Gregor Blanco slumped.

For the year, Pence hit .277 with an OBP of .332 and OPS of .777. For the seventh consecutive year, Pence had at least 20 home runs, finishing the season at 20, with 74 RBI and 106 runs scored.

His 106 runs scored easily led the team, with Buster Posey a distant second with 72.

As reported by Chris Haft of MLB.com, Pence's team-first attitude was on display in the Giants' penultimate game. Although he had started 331 consecutive games, Pence agreed to sit out when it was suggested that he would benefit by taking a rest.

Pence has been in a protracted slump, so it made sense for him to sit out and get refreshed. He opted to do so, even though it meant ending his streak. Pence stressed that his goal was not to keep the streak going, but to win the World Series.

"The only reason I go out there and play every day is to get to the playoffs and World Series," he said. "We know we're going on the road now, so I have to try to get in the best shape to be ready in the playoffs—get fresh."

It is this type of attitude and team-oriented focus that makes Pence one of the most important Giants on the field and in the clubhouse. 

Pence also took the microphone to thank and fire up the AT&T crowd following the Giants' final game of the regular season. Check out the report from FanSided.com.

This is yet another reason why he is such a beloved player in San Francisco. He is genuine and gives everything he has for the team. You cannot ask for anything more.

Madison Bumgarner

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Madison Bumgarner will face the Pirates in the wild-card playoff game.

The San Francisco Giants would not want anyone else on the mound to win a game other than Madison Bumgarner. He is the unquestioned ace of the staff, and his competitive nature has shown through in many crucial situations in the past.

Bumgarner has had an outstanding year with a record of 18-10. He worked 217.1 innings, allowing 194 hits and 43 walks while striking out a career-high 219. His ERA was a stellar 2.98 to go along with a WHIP of 1.090.

No player is more important than Bumgarner to the Giants' success this postseason. If the Giants fail to win the Wild Card Game, their season is over. They are counting on Bumgarner to deliver.

If Bumgarner and the Giants beat Pittsburgh on Wednesday, they will open a best-of-five series against the Washington Nationals on Friday. Bumgarner would be slated to pitch in the third game of the series back at home on Monday.

Bumgarner also won the most prestigious award of the season in San Francisco. He was named the Willie Mac Award winner by his fellow players. This award, named after Willie McCovey, honors Bumgarner's excellence both on and off the field.

Jake Peavy

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Starting pitcher Jake Peavy #22 of the San Francisco Giants shouts as he comes off the field after finishing a scoreless seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 22, 2014 in Los Angeles

The Giants acquired Jake Peavy in a trade-deadline deal. He replaced the injured Matt Cain in the rotation.

Since joining the Giants, Peavy has worked 78.2 innings and allowed 65 hits and 17 walks while striking out 58.

If the Giants defeat the Pirates, Peavy will likely start the Giants' first game at Washington. He has brought a fiery attitude and passion to the mound.

Peavy began his career in San Diego and pitched under Bruce Bochy there. Now in San Francisco, Peavy has found a familiar comfort zone working with Bochy. 

Santiago Casilla

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Santiago Casilla had 19 saves this season.

It is the Giants' hope that Santiago Casilla will be closing out several victories. 

Casilla threw 58.1 innings, allowing 35 hits and 15 walks while striking out 45. His 19 saves were second-best on the team, as Sergio Romo leads the Giants with 23.

In 2010 and 2012, Casilla worked in a setup man role. This time, he will be the closer. Hopefully for the Giants, he is up to the challenge.