San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants (94-68) – First Place NL West, Division Champions, World Series Champions

Today we end our series of 2012 season reviews with the World Series champion San Francisco Giants.  The Giants, as is their pedigree, were led by their phenomenal pitching staff, even with the struggles of former Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum and the early season injury to quirky and hilarious closer Brian Wilson.

Pitchers- The Giants rotation was fantastic yet again in 2012, led by Matt Cain.  Cain went 16-5 with a sparkling 2.79 ERA and an amazing 1.04 WHIP.  Madison Bumgarner also won 16 games with only a slightly higher ERA of 3.37.  Ryan Vogelsong had the same exact ERA as Bumgarner and won 14 games.  Perhaps the surprise of the rotation was Barry Zito.  After signing a massive contract, Zito has been a huge disappointment for the Giants.  The Giants ended the season by winning 14 consecutive games in which Zito started, and Zito even outdueled Justin Verlander in game 1 of the World Series.  Tim Lincecum was an extreme disappointment.  “The Freak” with the goofy windup lost 15 games and had an abnormally high 5.18 ERA.  The closer by committee system for the bullpen actually worked well, led by Santiago Casilla, but finished by Sergio Romo, or the beard #2.  Romo converted 14 of 15 saves with a 1.79 ERA, and was absolutely brilliant in the postseason.  Also, a quick shout out to Niles West High School (even though Niles North is better) graduate George Kontos for his great season.  Kontos struck out just over a batter per inning and had a 2.47 ERA.

Sergio Romo is the king of the photobomb

Infield- Catcher Buster Posey was unreal for the Giants in 2012, which led him to win the NL MVP award.  Posey hit .336 with 24 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .408 on base percentage.  However, Posey might not even be the team MVP, especially when it came to the playoffs.  That honor goes to Marco Scutaro.  After being traded for in July, all Scutaro did was hit .362 with 44 RBIs in only 61 games.  Pablo Sandoval, who might have the best nickname in baseball (Kung Fu Panda), was also good.  Sandoval missed some time due to injury, but he still hit .283 with 12 home runs and 63 RBIs.  First baseman Brandon Belt had a solid sophomore campaign, hitting .275 with 56 RBIs and a surprising 12 steals.  Belt also provided great defense, as did shortstop Brandon Crawford, despite the latter not offering very much at the plate.   

Outfield- Angel Pagan might have been the surprise of the year in the outfield for the Giants.  Pagan hit .288 with 95 runs and 29 stolen bases, both great numbers for a leadoff man.  The biggest disappointment however was the 50 game suspension of Melky Cabrera.  Before having to serve his suspension, Cabrera hit an astonishing .346 while slugging 11 home runs and driving in 60.  Hunter Pence was traded to the Giants in July, and while he was a great emotional presence in the dugout in the postseason, he didn’t provide much at the plate.  Pence hit just .219 after coming to the Giants, although he did drive in 45 runs in 59 games.

Twitter Account of the Day- We have 2 today, Sergio Romo, who is good for some funny comments, and Brandon Belt, who always takes time to answer fan questions, so don’t hesitate to shoot him one, no matter what it is.  @SergioRomo54 and @bbelt9

Now enjoy Brian Wilson and his show "Uncaged with Sasquatch"

While our season reviews are over, don’t forget to check in daily to learn about the biggest trades and free agent signings throughout the off-season, as we will be breaking down all of them.  Also, check back in after the New Year as we give our 2013 season previews and predictions.

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