San Francisco Giants: 5 Reasons the Giants Didn't Get to Defend Their Title

With the San Francisco Giants officially eliminated from playoff contention, there will be a new World Champion crowned this season. After a dream-like 2010 season, the magic inside AT&T Park (and especially away from it) evaporated.

It is now time to look back on the year that was and point fingers at certain players who failed to live up to expectations and curse the heavens for the tragedy that was the San Francisco Giants 2011 season. 

Reason No. 1: Injuries

No (expletive deleted) Sherlock. That’s what you’re thinking.

It is no small secret that the San Francisco Giants hope for a repeat took a massive blow when Scott Cousins collided with Buster Posey. A major offensive threat from a generally weak offensive position (catcher) was removed from the lineup and the club house. But I argue that the damage was done even before Buster Posey went down.

It is very easy to forget that both Pablo Sandoval and Barry Zito were on the disabled list at the time Buster was injured. Losing Freddy Sanchez to injury a mere two weeks after the loss of Posey exacerbated the Giants’ offensive woes.

Down the stretch, the players were going in and out of the trainer’s room so often that the scene must have resembled a celebrity rehab center. Virtually every player on the Giants’ active roster spent at least some time on the disabled list this season, especially the position players.

It also did not help much, by the way, that the Giants were without their closer Brian Wilson and setup man Sergio Romo during their late-August meltdown. 

Reason No. 2: Key Players Not Performing Up to Par

Aubrey Huff followed an MVP-type season with a LVP (Least Valuable Player) type season. Cody Ross’ bat lay dormant for most of the summer. Andres Torres must have stopped taking his ADD medication, as he seemed to lack focus at the plate.

Nobody really expected Aaron Rowand, Barry Zito, or Miguel Tejada to substantially contribute, yet all three of those players managed to somehow under-perform even the modest expectations laid out before them.

Before too much hatred is aired on the much maligned Huff, however, consider that he essentially led the team throughout June. With no Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez, or Brandon Belt, and with Pablo Sandoval mired in a slump, Aubrey Huff put up 2010 type numbers throughout the month of June. The Giants should have collapsed long before they did. 

Reason No. 3: Certain Rookies Not Playing

You can interpret this statement in one of two ways. The first and more common way is to blame manager Bruce Bochy for favoring veterans over younger “talent.” There was a very vocal community throughout the summer that wanted Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford to play every day. By the time it was admittedly too late, Bochy granted both players more playing time.

This leads me to the other way to interpret that statement. Neither Brandon Belt nor Brandon Crawford really “played.” They donned their jerseys. They showed up in the dugout. They performed fairly reliably at their positions. But let’s face it, Giants fans: Neither player can hit Major League pitching at this stage in their career.

I am highly skeptical that either player will amount to a “special” big leaguer. Certainly, 2012 will be a make-or-break season for Brandon Belt. If he under-performs next season, look for him to be traded. Giraffe hats be damned. 

Reason No. 4: Starting Pitchers Not Good Enough

I’m going to lose some of you with this slide. “Augustin,” you might say, “have you been drinking tainted Kool-Aid?”

The San Francisco Giants have had a wonderful pitching staff this season. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong all have ERAs under 3.00. Madison Bumgarner’s ERA would be under 3.00 were it not for two or three calamitously bad outings. So where is the fault?

The first fault is that there was no reliable fifth starter. I do not advocate acquiring a new fifth starter. The job of the fifth starter is to give the team a decent chance at winning. He is not expected to have a sub 4.00 ERA. He is not expected to be dominant. He is not even expected to have a winning record.

He is, however, expected not to walk an endless stream of opposing hitters and last less than three innings. Barry Zito, Jonathan Sanchez, and even Eric Surkamp have managed to mess up the No. 5 role pretty well.

The second fault is that the pitchers just are not channeling Gaylord Perry enough. Perry was notorious for pitching to the score. He won his fair share of 2-1 games. He also won his fair share of 9-8 games. I understand that Lincecum could do naught when his team scored zero runs in his starts.

But at a certain point, you just need to step up and win the game. If your team gives you two runs, or even one run, that’s the night that you’re going to need to step up and give up one or zero runs. When your team scores you five runs, then you can give up three or four yourself.

If you watched most of the games this season, you know that the statistics don’t really demonstrate the fact that our pitchers often did not rise to the occasion. To be the best, you must beat the best. Justin Verlander did. Clayton Kershaw did. Ian Kennedy did. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum frequently did not. 

Reason No. 5: Arizona Diamondbacks Were Better

The last reason is also perhaps the most legitimate reason. Last year, the San Diego Padres were perhaps a better team than the San Francisco Giants. The Giants won the division and the World Series. This season, the San Francisco Giants were perhaps (at least on paper) a better team than the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks won the division.

Kirk Gibson has managed a group of scrappy overachievers in much the same way that Bruce Bochy managed the famous “cast-offs and misfits” of last season.

Justin Upton is having a career year. Ian Kennedy will likely finish second to Clayton Kershaw in the Cy Young voting. Power surges throughout the lineup. There are timely hits on any given night. And, after we won the first few contests against them, the Diamondbacks thoroughly humiliated us the rest of the year.

The Diamondbacks were better than the Giants in 2011. Now it is up to the ownership group, front office, and individual players to make sure that the Giants are more competitive in 2012.