San Francisco Giants: 5 Reasons Fans Should Look Forward to 2012

The 2011 MLB season has not turned out to be a happy one for the defending World Series Champions Giants. Currently 78-70, the Giants are 8.5 games back from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West and 6.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the Wild Card. Looking at wRC+, a park and league adjusted measurement of offensive runs created, the team's offense dropped from roughly league average (93 team wRC+) in 2010 to the absolute worst in the senior circuit (77 team wRC+) this season. The timely hitting and "torture" wins have been absent, replaced with long streaks of mediocrity and one or two-run performances from the anemic offense. 

During such a disappointing follow-up to a World Championship season, it is easy for Giants fans to forget the many positives the team has going forwards. While this season may have been one to forget, let's take a look at how the Giants are poised to excel going forward.

5. Pablo Sandoval

While the vast majority of the important offensive contributors to the Giants' 2010 World Series Championship either disappointed or were injured in 2011, Pablo Sandoval has put together an excellent and very promising season. In a season where he missed over a month with a broken hamate bone in his wrist, Sandoval is currently hitting .304/.347/.515 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs, good for a .863 OPS.

After losing 40 pounds over the offseason, Sandoval has bounced back admirably from a subpar 2010, having arguably his best season yet in a Giants uniform. In 423 plate appearances, Sandoval has accumulated 4.7 WAR (wins above replacement) with 14 games left to play this season. In his breakout 2009 season, Sandoval accumulated 4.8 WAR in 633 plate appearances. 

Sandoval's defensive play has also improved dramatically since his increase in fitness. According to fanGraphs, Sandoval's 21.3 UZR/150, a measure of the defensive effectiveness of a player over a standardized period of 150 games, is currently the best in the National league. If Sandoval can stay fit and continue to produce at his current level, he will be a star player for the Giants for many years to come.

4. The Pitching Staff

The woeful state of the 2011 Giants' offense has masked another excellent season for Giants' pitchers. The Giants's staff is second in the majors in team ERA at 3.10, second in quality starts with 97, and first in batting average against, with a stingy .229. While not as hyped as the Philadelphia Phillies' foursome of Halladay, Hamels, Lee, and Oswalt, the Giants are poised to challenge for the title of best pitching staff in the majors yet again in 2012. 

Two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum has quietly put together another excellent season in 2011, posting a 2.68 ERA and a 1.187 WHIP while striking out 206 batters in 198.0 innings pitched, good for a 9.4 K/9 ratio. His 12-12 Won/Lost record is mostly due to extremely poor run support, as his numbers have returned to nearly their 2008/2009 Cy Young winning levels. 

The oft-underappreciated Matt Cain has continued to be a consistently excellent starter for the Giants. In 209.1 innings of work, Cain has posted a 2.79 ERA and a 1.065 WHIP, while striking out 170 batters for a 7.3 K/9. Cain continues to be a workhorse, and can be counted on to consistently perform well deep into games.

Ryan Vogelsong has been one of the biggest feel-good stories of the 2011 season, beginning the season as a non-roster invitee to spring training and ending up an all-star starting pitcher. While he has cooled off a bit from his red-hot start, Vogelsong has still put together a remarkable season, posting a 2.66 ERA and a 1.251 WHIP while striking out 124 over 162.1 innings of work. 

While the No. 5 slot in the Giants rotation was a major concern for most of the season, with Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito both proving to be ineffective and injury-prone, recent call-up Eric Surkamp has managed to put up solid numbers since his debut, and the Giants are 3-0 in his starts. Surkamp currently has a 3.24 ERA and a 1.380 WHIP in 16.2 innings of Major League work to go along with a 1.94 ERA and 1.072 WHIP over 148.1 innings in the Minors. While it is far too early to crown him the next great Giants pitcher, he has staked a claim to the No. 5 slot for the time being.

3. Madison Bumgarner

Conspicuously absent from the last slide on the Giants rotation was lefty Madison Bumgarner. The young pitcher has put together an impressive enough first full season in the majors that he deserves a slide all to himself.

Bumgarner, at age 22, has posted a 3.33 ERA, a 1.232 WHIP, and has struck out 178 batters through 186.2 innings of work, good for an 8.6 K/9 ratio. Excluding two extremely terrible appearances, these numbers would be even better. Equally impressively, he has only walked 45 batters over that same span, posting an excellent 2.2 BB/9. Over his first two years, he has posted an ERA+ of 119, one of the top 10 such marks of all time for lefties under 22 years old according to the analysts at Bay City Ball.

Bumgarner's FIP (fielding independent pitching, a statistic designed to measure pitching effectiveness entirely independent of defense) of 2.67 leads all Giants starters, and ranks fourth among all pitchers in the Major Leagues. Bumgarner has won his last four starts, and has struck out 34 in 27.2 innings over that same period. It has been and will continue to be a joy to watch Bumgarner develop into a legitimate ace, making the Giants' already frightening rotation even better.

2. The Financial Situation

The Giants go into the offseason in the best financial state they have seen in years. Due to the 2010 World Series win, the Giants have sold out every home game of the 2011 season, and merchandise sales have risen dramatically. Additionally, many under-producing veteran players who currently require large paychecks are due for free agency, freeing up even more money for Brian Sabean to spend in the offseason. 

The Giants' front office currently has the wherewithal to make significant free agent signings to improve the team's offense. With MVP-caliber hitters such as Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder on the market this offseason, along with the potential re-signing of Carlos Beltran, the Giants are poised to make dramatic improvements to the offense that could make them World Series contenders for years to come.

1. Returning Players from Injury

As I mentioned in the first slide, the Giants' offense in 2010 was roughly league average, which is all a team with the incredible pitching staff San Francisco has needs to put together a remarkable season. While some of the blame for the dramatic drop-off in offensive production in 2011 can be put on the shoulders of under-performing veterans such as Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada, the Giants were also a team plagued by injury in 2011. 

For the 2012 season, the Giants will return 2010 Rookie of the Year and team leader Buster Posey (.305/.357/.505 in 2010, .284/.368/.389 in 2011 before injury), and 2B Freddy Sanchez (.292/.342/.397 in 2010, .289/.332/.397 in 2011 before injury), both of whom will significantly contribute to bringing the Giants' offense back to 2010 levels or above. 

On the pitching front, the Giants will return closer Brian Wilson (1.81 ERA, 48 SV, 74.2 IP, 93 K in 2010), who was often injured in 2011. 

Overall, the return of crucial players combined with the continued excellence of the pitching staff and promising financial situation for the offseason should make 2011 an unfortunate blip on the radar as the young and talent-laden Giants will contend for a title again in 2012.