This...is a very okay Giants team. It's so relentlessly okay that even at fourth place, it's not quite as interesting as what's going on above it in the standings.
Nobody's doing BADLY per se, it's just...everyone's either doing alright or WAS doing alright and got injured. And the injuries are, like, 'for-the-season' type stuff (especially Johnny Cueto).
The guys who are doing well are only doing well enough. Brandon Belt has the highest WAR, and it's a 2.9, which is low compared to standouts in LA, Colorado and Arizona. Some players have gained traction like wildfire, such as the pitching talents of Dereck Rodriguez, who will likely spin wonders if given a full, non-injury-prone season. Some players have just done the same things they always do, like Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford. This team has good players on it, but they can't do much if the team, as a whole, can't lift off the ground.
What the Giants seem to have discovered, earlier on, is that the 'old people' strategy they tried in April will not work, and a lot of younger players, like Rodriguez, Reyes Moronta and Alen Hanson, will need to carry this team in the future. I'm not sure if the Giants will be able to give a lot of these players up during the offseason, as a lot of them are very crucial to the team, and won rings with them, and can't simply be handed off to Milwaukee or something, but...I can only imagine that the farm system is beginning to spit out gems, and if the team continues to be dominated by 30-year-olds, none of them are gonna see any playing time.
At least the Giants will just enjoy the 4th place ride while they can. I don't know when it'll get better, but it can't be this bad for long.
Coming Tomorrow: Speaking of 'can't be this bad for long', the longest-tenured New York Yankee.
No comments:
Post a Comment