San Francisco Giants: The Secret to Why This Team Is "Overperforming"

Many in the baseball world are still rubbing their eyes trying to make sure that what they saw last October actually happened.

To all of you that fall into this category, you can stop squinting.  It's true.

A team whose catcher and fifth starter were mid-season rookie call-ups; whose left fielder was out of baseball in May; whose best offensive player had a terrible sophomore slump; whose starting shortstop was a 36-year-old injury-prone veteran; whose right fielder was an August waiver wire pickup that the team only acquired to keep him away from a division rival; whose center fielder had been in professional baseball for nine years before becoming an everyday starter; and whose first baseman hadn't played in a postseason game in his entire decade-long career; defeated the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers to claim the World Series title.

How did this team accomplish so much last year, and why are the Giants overachieving in 2011? Or as ESPN puts it in a recent article, why are the Giants the most "overperforming" team in the National League today?

According to ESPN, Baseball-Reference.com and Clay Davenport's Third Order Wins used a mathematical calculation adjusted for strength of schedule to determine who the top overachieving teams are in the National League right now, and the Giants made both lists, topping the list for Baseball-Reference.com.

ESPN's Christina Kahrl writes that the Giants rank so high as overachievers because of their injury-riddled lineup, resulting in the sidelining of some of their best hitters, including catcher Buster Posey and second baseman Freddy Sanchez (not to mention Pablo Sandoval, who was out for two months but has now returned from the disabled list).

So what's the secret? Why are the Giants such overachievers?

Well, the answer lies in the fact that we all think these guys are overachieving.

You're probably thinking, "What? Why would it matter what anyone else thinks of the team? They're still professional athletes, and they should be immune to what people think about their abilities."

While it's true that we're talking about professional athletes who likely don't care about what outsiders think about their individual capabilities, the Giants as a team have constructed an identity built around the very perception outsiders have of them.

Hence the nickname "Band of Misfits".

It wasn't just the media hype of how the Giants are a team filled with personnel nobody else wanted, that drove the Giants to new heights of success.

It was much bigger.

It was the birth of a new brand of baseball.  One that does not rely on traditional symbols of a good baseball club such as a cleanup man that hits 40 home runs or hitters up and down the lineup that hit .310.

It did not depend on big-league experience, evidenced by the uncanny poise under pressure shown by rookies Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner in the 2010 postseason.

And it certainly did not depend on reputation, as proven by Pat Burrell, a veteran released by the Tampa Bay Rays and unemployed for a week in May before San Francisco called; or Cody Ross, who was the most unlikely hero of them all, earning the NLCS MVP award for his stunning display against the Phillies last October.

No, success for this team depends on underestimation. It's all about being underrated, and showing the world that you're better than what the powers-at-be say you are.

It's almost as if the very shock-value of doing the impossible, winning the World Series with this cast, is what drove them along with their desire for the commissioner's trophy.

So the answer to why the San Francisco Giants continue to "overperform": we think they're overachieving, when they know they're doing exactly what they're capable of doing.

The latest example: Ryan Vogelsong, who was all but washed up as he went all the way to Japan to keep his professional baseball season alive, is now one of the best starting pitchers in the big leagues, currently boasting a 5-1 record and 1.86 ERA in 11 starts for the Giants.

A baseball season is a marathon. One hundred and sixty-two games over six months will feature highs and lows, but in the end, winning eleven postseason games is what it all boils down to.

That's exactly what these "overperformers" did last season, and I'd implore anyone who scoffs at that accomplishment to reconsider their assessment of how likely it is that the San Francisco Giants can repeat as world champions in 2011.