And the San Francisco Giants Oscar Nominations Are…

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Jun 17, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) and San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) practice during pregame against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Actor in a Starring Role

If you look at the 2016 season there were a lot of strong individual performances. From dominant starting pitching at times, to a potent lineup and world class defense. Those strengths weren’t as consistent throughout the year as the team or fans would have liked, but there are several players who still ended up having productive seasons.

The Giants top two starting pitchers clearly led the way on the mound, while the Giants lineup gave them a run for their money.

And the Nominees for best Actor in a Starring Role Are…

Brandon Belt
Madison Bumgarner
Brandon Crawford
Johnny Cueto
Buster Posey

And the Winner is:

Madison Bumgarner

Bumgarner may have had his best statistical season of his career in 2016 and his performance on the field showed from April through October. If there was any doubt of his season, those were erased in New York facing fellow ace Noah Syndergaard in the one game Wild Card playoff.

His dominance on that night added another exclamation point to his already storied postseason career. His performance during the regular season was also his strongest to date, finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting.

Lowest Postseason ERA
Wild-Card Era (Since 1994) – Min. 10 Starts
Madison Bumgarner 2.11
Curt Schilling 2.12
Jon Lester 2.50
Cliff Lee 2.52
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 21, 2016

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The bench and bullpen for the Giants, like every team in baseball, will have their ups-and-downs over 162 games. The Giants asked a lot of their bench this season with several injuries to key players throughout the season. With injuries to Matt Duffy and Joe Panik early on, several different infielders were brought in to try and keep the line moving. The bullpen had a erratic year to say the least and several young unproven arms were asked to pitch in critical situations.

And the Nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role are:

And the Winner is:

Conor Gillaspie

Gillaspie became one of the most reliable players on the team by September. His play at third base, as well as in the Giants lineup, was a huge boost to a team desperate for consistency. From his incredible catch of a pop fly in Game 162 vs the Los Angeles Dodgers to make the postseason, to the dramatic home run in the Wild Card game to send the Giants to the NLDS, Gillaspie had some of the biggest individual plays and moments of the entire season.