San Francisco Giants: 18 Questions for the 2018 season

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Baseball begins tomorrow and for the 2018 San Francisco Giants, there are many questions still unanswered.

Just one week ago, the Giants were enjoying one of their healthiest springs in recent memory and were preparing to erase the 98 losses of 2017 from their collective thoughts forever.

Instead, we have added more questions to an already question filled season.

Question #1: When will Madison Bumgarner return from injury?

June.

We begin at the top. The Giants unquestioned ace had surgery last week on his pitching hand and is not expected until June.

Question #2: How good will Bumgarner be when he returns from injury?

He will be MadBum.

With how he was pitching before the injury and the fact that broken bones tend to heal back to 100%, I expect him to be MadBum when he returns.

Question #3: Is there enough protection for Buster Posey in the lineup?

Yes.

Last year, Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford were expected to be Posey’s protection in the lineup. Now with the additions of Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen, the team’s best hitter should see better pitches to hit and should be able to take advantage of it.

Question #4: Will Longoria and McCutchen be enough to improve the lineup?

Yes.

Not only do they provide Posey help, but it’s what they also do for Joe Panik, Pence, Belt and Crawford. The top 7 spots in the order will look vastly different from last season and that will take pressure off of the incumbent Giants at the plate as well. Also, Longoria will not be alone, with McCutchen right there with him and vice versa.

Question #5: What’s up with Mark Melancon?

No idea.

The expensive closer is letting doubt creep in once again about his durability since becoming a Giant with the team giving unusual responses to his latest arm injury. I think it is safe to say that fans should be pessimistic about Melancon going forward and thanking the front office for adding Tony Watson this off-season.

Question #6: Can Johnny Cueto be an ace again?

Yes.

With Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija out with injury and questions swirling around Melancon, Cueto is the only other big name and big money pitcher left on the Opening Day roster. Cueto started the All-Star game in 2016, but injuries limited his success last season. Cueto has shown flashes this spring that 2016 Cueto is still there, so a lot will be put on his shoulders and shimmying hips between now and June. Cueto can do it, but this answer will be more wait and see.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – MARCH 09: Brandon Belt /

Question #7: Will Brandon Belt stay healthy and productive?

Yes.

Brandon Belt will never be able to be embraced by all Giants fans, but he still was the Giants best offensive player before his concussion last season. Many questions will return if Belt were to suffer a fifth concussion at any point this season. Until then, the expectations should be for another productive offensive season and another above average defensive season.

Question #8: Will Crawnik continue to thrive in 2018?

Yes.

While both Crawford and Panik struggled at the plate at times last season, they showed a lot in the 2nd half of the season and in Spring Training to suggest that they will be able to start 2018 strong. Panik looks like a perfect fit at the top of the lineup and Crawford is still the best glove in the National League. The double play combo should be a pitcher’s best friend once again this season.

Question #9: Will Hunter Pence make it work in left field?

Yes.

Pence had a terrible 2017 and his move to left field should minimize his defensive struggles from last season. He has also looked much stronger at the plate and moving him down in the order has seemed to help as well. Moving to left field should actually make for a much more productive season for the fan favorite. There is also the added bonus of stronger depth behind him in the outfield, with Gregor Blanco returning and Mac Williamson, Austin Slater and Chris Shaw in the minor leagues. If Pence does struggle, they will have competent options to replace him in the everyday lineup.

Question #10: Can Ty Blach, Chris Stratton and Derek Holland do well enough to make up for the absences of Bumgarner and Samardzija?

No.

Another question with wait and see all over it. Blach showed enough last season, that there is optimism that he can do the job, especially early in the season. He seemed to run out of gas last season, so there should be some doubt whether he can handle a workload over 160 innings. Stratton was brilliant at times at the end of last season and has had a full off-season and Spring Training to prove that last season was no fluke. Fans should be more confident in Stratton than Blach at this point. Holland, who San Francisco fans remember from an awful Game 2 of the 2010 World Series where he walked like 1,000 Giants in a row while with the Texas Rangers, is now the veteran lefty who made the 2018 roster. From his strong Spring Training numbers to his flawless impersonations off the field, there is a lot to like with Holland.

However, that is still a lot to ask for three guys who were fighting for the end of the rotation at the start of camp. I would be cautiously optimistic.

Question #11: Will the bullpen last the season?

No.

The bullpen had the potential to be the team’s strength. Melancon, Watson, and Sam Dyson all have closer experience and Will Smith is expected to return May 1st. Combine that with Hunter Strickland and Cory Gearrin, who each had strong 2017 seasons and this bullpen was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Now, it is hard to be optimistic when Melancon may be injured again and suddenly the depth looks bleak. Injuries will derail the bullpen, so Giants fans will need to hope that Watson and Dyson can start the year off strong.

Question #12: When will see Steven Duggar?

Soon.

Duggar was on the doorstep of the starting center field job. One reason he may not have made the Opening Day roster is simply the heavy amount of left handed starters the Giants will face early in the year. Had Duggar started in center field on Opening Day, his first major league at bat would have been against Clayton Kershaw. That seems a little extreme for a prospect who is known for his glove more than his bat.

I expect to see Duggar by May 1 and believe he will end up with the most center field starts this season for the Giants.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 20: Austin Jackson /

Question #13: Did the Giants do enough to address their outfield problems?

Yes.

The additions of McCutchen and Austin Jackson are significant and the return of Blanco is also big for a team in desperate need of talent and also veterans in the locker room. This team does not have as much youth as fans and scouting experts want, but they do have plenty of new talent.

2017 began with Chris Marrero and Aaron Hill playing in left field. The team was counting on Jarrett Parker to be a possible every day left fielder when Williamson was hurt and there was no answer other than Gorkys Hernandez when Denard Span and Hunter Pence struggled in the outfield defensively.

Now the team has four outfielders in Triple-A Sacramento that could have made this team. Shaw, Slater, Williamson and Duggar are on deck for a Giants outfield with five major league outfielders better positioned offensively and defensively in 2018.

Question #14: Did the Giants do enough to catch the National League West?

No.

The Giants are vastly improved, but they are in one of the strongest divisions in baseball. While the Padres, who finished fourth, might be worse than the Giants on paper, they were worse last year too and still won more games. With the additions of Eric Hosmer, Freddy Galvis and Chase Headley, they will have a much improved infield to their young core. I doubt they have the pitching to win more than the Giants in 2018, but the Giants pitching has suddenly become below average.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks each made the playoffs last season, and while I think each will win less games in 2018, they could all easily end up with more wins than the Giants. The Giants could go from 64 wins to 81 and still finish fourth in the division.

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Question #15: So, can the Giants make the playoffs?

Yes.

A lot can happen in 162 games in less than 200 days. Many injuries will happen across baseball because that is what happens. The Dodgers already lost one of their best players, Justin Turner, for several weeks. The Giants have much more depth this year than they had last year. If that depth can play well in April and May, they could go into June with Bumgarner, Samardzija, Melancon and Will Smith all back. Suddenly, their below average pitching staff can carry them.

Question #16: When will we know if the Giants are for real or not in 2018?

July 1.

The Giants begin with a front loaded schedule, facing the Dodgers ten times early on, and are without two of their top three starting pitchers. Unless they completely collapse in the standings in May, they can make up a lot of ground in May and June with the return of their injured arms.

A month of Bumgarner starts in June should show whether this group can compete with the best teams or if this is a lost season and they should trade their veterans at the deadline.

Question #17: Would the Giants cross the luxury tax line at the deadline if they are for real?

Yes.

The team proved that earlier in the off-season going after Giancarlo Stanton. They proved they would blow up the luxury tax line if it was for the right player. If the Giants are facing the NL West in July, August and September with a winning record, the team will absolutely go make a trade for a player that can help them get to the post-season.

Question #18: So, how many wins for the Giants in 2018?

82.

Next: Giants Beat the Athletics

The Giants will have a winning record, but they will not make the playoffs. Going from 64 to 82 wins is as much because of the inevitable slow start without their top arms. It is also because 19 games each against the Dodgers, Rockies, and Diamondbacks is no joke.

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Baseball begins tomorrow and for the 2018 San Francisco Giants, there are many questions still unanswered.

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