San Francisco Giants: Remember Who You Are, With or Without Buster Posey

As Buster Posey's fibula cracked and his ankle ligaments tore apart in the now infamous home plate collision at AT&T Park on May 25, a traumatic scene was seared into the memory of every Giants fan, one that placed the fate of the defending world champions in the balance and left them with no inkling as to what comes next.

The question now becomes, how will this story end?

Many observers of the game lamented the Posey injury as the end of the Giants' title defense, effectively destroying any hopes San Francisco has of repeating as world champions after a magical postseason run last October.

But the doubters discount some compelling evidence that points to the contrary: the Giants still have the requisite tools to not only make the postseason, but to thrive once they get there.

With and Without Buster Posey

Buster Posey sparked the San Francisco Giants in 2010.  From the day he was called up a year ago last Sunday, Posey injected the fuel the Giants needed to morph from a .500 ball-club into a playoff contender and eventual World Series winner.

Posey's rise is legendary.  His veteran demeanor and graceful display of pure baseball intuition, in just his first season in the big leagues, gave fans of the Giants and even fans of the game at large reason to pause and witness what they knew deep inside was the beginning of a historic career.

But even with his uncanny abilities and leadership qualities, Buster Posey would probably tell you that his Giants have what it takes to win and win consistently, even without him in the lineup.

And aside from skipper Bruce Bochy, Buster would be the best man to explain why: pitching, pitching, and ... ah yes, pitching.

Remembering What Carried San Francisco in 2010

In 2009 the San Francisco Giants won 88 games and missed the postseason.  In 2010, they won 92 games and became world champions.  While the presence of Buster Posey in 2010 was much greater than just the four additional wins would indicate, the fact remains that San Francisco won 88 games without Posey in 2009.

That's right, with all of the magic and excitement that embodied 2010 for San Francisco baseball, the difference between defeat and ultimate victory was a mere four games.

The Giants are not a team built to run away with a division title, and they proved that last season by clinching the NL West on the final day of the regular season.

But the number of wins a team records means little when it comes to the postseason.  The playoffs mark the beginning of a new season, a fresh start, a clean slate.

When a team reaches the playoffs, all that matters is winning eleven games, because that's how many it takes to win the World Series.

So how did the 2010 Giants, who won just four more games than in 2009, manage to win it all?  Pitching.  Simply put, the Giants out-pitched every other team in the 2010 postseason and ended up with the commissioner's trophy when all was said and done.

San Francisco's arms produced four shutouts, posted a 2.47 ERA, and held opponents to a meager .196 batting average in the 2010 postseason.  Their performance was historic, and it led to a historic outcome.

The Giants also, believe it or not, scored the second-most runs out of any team in the postseason (59), showing just how hot they were in October.  Though as a team they only hit .235, the offensive production stood up because of the outstanding pitching.

While Buster Posey hit well in the postseason (.288), he was not the club's leading run producer.  Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff were second and fourth, respectively, in the entire postseason field of players, in RBI.  Both remain in the lineup today for the Giants.

While Buster Posey is a huge presence for the Giants behind the plate and in the lineup, the Giants still have arguably the best pitching corps in all of baseball.

Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong have all pitched extremely well this season, and there is no reason to think they won't continue to perform well, or even better than they have thus far.

The staff is extremely comfortable with Posey's replacement, Eli Whiteside, and as long as San Francisco's arms put up zeros, the Giants are always within striking distance of a victory, day in and day out.

The Hits Will Come

The hitters in San Francisco's lineup are good enough.  And that's all the Giants' pitching staff needs: enough.  Giants hitters will not light up the scoreboard, we all know that.  But even without Buster Posey, veteran hitters such as Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff are going to get the job done, along with young infusions of energy from Brandon Belt and now Brandon Crawford.

The Giants won't score much, but they'll score enough.

It's All About Being Hot At the Right Time

Last season the Giants made a huge push in September, playing very well and clinching a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season.  Once they got into the playoffs, they continued playing the best baseball Giants fans have seen in a long time, going 11-4 in the postseason and even blowing out opponents in some games (think games one and two of the World Series against the Rangers).

In the NL West this season, the Giants will always be in the running for a postseason berth, and what really matters is how the club is playing at the end of the regular season when they approach the finish line.

With the type of pitching this team has, from the starting rotation all the way through the bullpen down to Brian Wilson, the Giants should be (though they probably won't, knowing the baseball media establishment) one of the favorites to go deep into the playoffs, and possibly repeat as world champions.

The Giants Have an Identity, and They Can't Forget That

The Giants are a team built around pitching during an age of pitching.  As the steroid era has now come to a close, the era of the pitcher now reigns.

And the San Francisco Giants lead the charge, becoming the first team in the pitching-dominant era to win with the new formula: pitching + timely hitting = world championship.

To the Giants I would say this: Buster is your captain, but pitching is at the very core of your identity.  Remember that and you'll be standing at the end.