San Francisco Giants: 5 Players Who Need to Step Up in the Second Half

The San Francisco Giants are dwindling on the edge of contention. Here are five players who need to step up in the second half as the Giants push for the postseason.

The San Francisco Giants are in an interesting spot. They’re four games back of the division as they start the second half, and are four games back of a wild card place. The problem though, is that they’re only two games over .500, and sitting fourth in the West. They have some divisional hurdles to clear in the second half, especially as the Dodgers begin to loom large. With their acquisition of Manny Machado, the Giants will certainly need to have their big names step up as well.

With the first half of the season being rather tumultuous in terms of injury, and performance, the Giants will look to straighten that out as they go on in the second half. There are plenty of dudes who need to step up going forward, but we’re only going to name five. I’m sure you can figure out who a few are, but will any surprise you? You’ll just have to click through and find out! Time to get started on our five players who need to step up if a postseason run is going to come together.

Joe Panik has had two big injuries that have set him back in his first half, leading to a difficult time getting into a rhythm. But, don’t let that distract you from the fact that he’s having the worst season of his big league career.

Panik is only striking out at a 5% clip, which is a career best. However, his BABIP is an ugly .238. which is two points lower than his actual batting average. That’s really bad. On top of that his OPS is an ugly .654, with an 81 wRC+. NINETEEN PERCENT BELOW LEAGUE AVERAGE AT CREATING RUNS! That’s incredibly bad. For comparison, guys hovering around that number in 2017 were: Carlos Gonzalez, Trevor Story, Mark Trumbo, Freddy Galvis, and and Jose Bautista. Not good.

Panik, as much as he is loved by the fanbase is just not cutting it when he is on the field, and can’t seem to stay healthy enough to play consistently. That’s of great concern not only for me, but I’m sure it is becoming a concern for the front office. When Panik comes back he needs to step it up, because at some point, his defense, as good as it is, won’t be able to keep him on the field, especially with how Alen Hanson has been playing. Both Hanson’s defense and bat, on paper, have played better than what Panik has done so far.

The Giants could potentially look to upgrade that position with a rental this trade window, leaving Panik on the outside looking in. If he wants to be a regular again, he’s going to have to step it up as his play this year should not warrant a guaranteed spot when he returns from his injury.

Buster Posey won’t draw as much ire from me as Panik. Buster still has a wRC+ over 100, he’s surpassed his defensive numbers from last year, which is good as well. He doesn’t have that 23 dRS like he did in 2016, but 7>2, and last year was a down year for him behind the plate. We know the work he’s done with the young pitching staff as well.

The fact he’s done that all while being hurt is really impressive. Obviously his injury has hindered him when it comes to the power in his swing and that is precisely what I’m looking for when I say “Posey can step it up a bit.”

Posey’s power is a big miss. While he’s been fine in the two hole, it would be nice to have a little more power coming from that spot. His slugging percentage is down 60 points, and his OPS is down almost 100 points from last season.

I’m sure his lower Batting average, lower BABIP, and lower OBP are all playing into the same injury factor that is affecting his power. Posey’s bat is key to them moving forward. If he could have a second half near as good as his second half in 2012, Posey alone could spur the Giants on to the postseason. But they don’t have to rely on Posey alone anymore, which is why any improvement on his first half will be impactful enough on the Giants going forward.

We’ll have to see how he keeps moving forward with the injury. If the time off and cortisone shot helped spur him on to a good and healthy second half, then that will be fantastic. The Giants absolutely need their face of the franchise to be playing to the best of his abilities if they’re going to make the postseason.

Longoria shouldn’t be of any surprise on this list. Another one of the Giants former all-stars that they acquired this offseason has underperformed what is expected of him. He is 32 and outside of the prime of his career. However, the Giants are frustratingly stuck with his contract for the next five years.

Longoria has struck out more and walked less in 2018 than he did in 2017, and 2017 was a down year for him anyways. His wRC+ is under 100, which is not good at all, and that .246 average does not look pleasant. With how often he’s striking out, and how little he gets on base outside of getting a hit, Longo has become a really frustrating member of the Giants.

Cover your eyes when you look at his defensive stats as well. His -4 DRS is well below his pace which led to a gold glove in 2017. He’s also committed 11 errors in just 60 games. His career high is 14.

All around, Longoria has been pretty disappointing in 2018. If he can begin to step up in the second half, and we can even catch a glimpse of the All-Star/MVP candidate version of Longoria, it will help the Giants immensley. If he doesn’t, I think the Giants would have little problem turning the position over to Pablo Sandoval, who has played increasingly well with his increased playing time thanks to Longoria’s injury. Longoria will for sure be given the chance when he comes back. But if he doesn’t do it, Giants fans will begin to bemoan that trade.

Sam Dyson is one heck of a conundrum. Dyson started bad, then got really good. He was so good in fact, that the Giants gave him the keys to the closer role FIRST when Hunter Strickland angrily busted his hand on a door after blowing a save. As soon as he got put into that role, he got lit up and didn’t start to look good until the end of the first half.

Dyson has still been pretty good this season. At first glance, a 3.13 ERA and 1.11 WHIP look really freaking nice. But out of the Giants current crop of relievers (minus Ty Blach because he’s a long man and it doesn’t count for this), his 3.13 ERA is the worst of all of them.

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When Strickland gets back, there could be a chance Dyson is the odd man out if he doesn’t step it up. But if he does step it up, then it could be Ty Blach. Ray Black has been phenomenal since he got called up, and to no surprise either.

Will Smith could earn comeback player of the year for his efforts post Tommy John, and Melancon, Moronta, and Watson have been solid, if not lights out all season long. The Giants bullpen is absolutely stacked. But if anyone has fallen away in recent weeks, it’s been Dyson.

Dyson is also a potential trade piece, so this evaluation of him needing to “step up” may be a lost cause. Or it could not be after all. If he really does start pitching well, he would make the Giants bullpen that much better. It’s already one of the best in baseball, and a strong Sam Dyson performance in the second half could round it out as the best in all of baseball.

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The San Francisco Giants will begin their second half with their final series against the A’s. They’ll head across the bay to the decrepit Oakland Colesium for the second leg of the Bay Bridge Series. Friday night, at 6:35 local time will be when they start their second half.