San Francisco Giants: 3 Things to Look Forward to in 2019

Reason #1: The Young Studs

The Giants have a number of exciting young players that will either be getting their major league debut in 2019 or will be getting more playing time than they have in the past.

Nobody wants to be that person who goes to a Giants game next year and goes,”Hey, who’s the surfer kid on the mound?” in reference to Shaun Anderson. You want to be the person sitting next to this uninformed oaf who goes, “That’s Shaun Anderson. He had his major league debut last year on whatever date and pitched however many innings surrendering x number of runs.”

We all want to be the smartest person in the room, so why not be the smartest person at the yard?

Who doesn’t want to be able to say they saw Joey Bart hit his first ever big league home run? Seeing the possible heir apparent to the legendary Buster Posey hit his first dinger would, in a perfect dream world, be like seeing Steve Young throw his first touchdown pass for the Niners.

And what about Chris Shaw? After a rough 2018 could he be the first homegrown Giants outfielder in what seems like centuries to become a fixture in the middle of the lineup and possibly even a power threat?

There is only one way to find out, and that’s to watch the games! Who knows, maybe even some other young guy who we aren’t all that familiar with yet will emerge as a star of the future.

I for one want to see these guys before they possibly become stars. I don’t want to be that one guy in 1968 who was like,”Bro, have you heard of the Beatles? They’re like, really really good.”

Reason #2: Maybe the Last Chance to See the Legends

We already know that this will be Bruce Bochy‘s last season as manager of the Giants, but there is a possibility that it could be the last year in orange and black for some other Giants as well.

The early part of the offseason was spent debating whether it would be a good idea or not to trade Madison Bumgarner. That chatter died down near the end but that doesn’t mean Bumgarner is now an automatic Giant for life.

There is a decent chance that Bumgarner will be shopped around the trade deadline as teams will surely be interested in a proven ace with sterling postseason bonafides.

That means we only get to see Madison Bumgarner as a Giant for a few more months. We should cherish that time because it goes without saying that he is one of the greatest San Francisco Giants of all time and he’s not even thirty years old.

I would say Brandon Belt should be thought of in a similar way to Bumgarner in terms of possibly being traded. There was speculation that Belt would be traded this offseason as well and if he stays healthy and plays as well as we’ve seen him when he’s at his best there will be teams inquiring about his availability come mid-season.

Joe Panik is another player to cherish while we can. His value is not as high as Belt’s or Bumgarner’s but if he, just like Belt, plays up to his capabilities and stays healthy, I would not be surprised if he gets dealt if the Giants aren’t in the playoff hunt.

All three of these players played a huge part in helping the team win three championships. All three may not be San Francisco Giants post-2019. It is likely that they won’t get the same loving send-offs that Ryan Vogelsong, Matt Cain, Jeremy Affeldt, and Hunter Pence got over the last few years.

As good Giants fans we must be sure to cherish them while we can.

Reason #3: The Other Stuff

There are lots of reasons to watch your favorite team even if they’re having a tough year. As Giants fans, we’re lucky that we have even more reasons than other fanbases to tune in even if it’s a rout.

I know that not every Giants fan loves Kruk and Kuip as announcers, but I think that they are the best in the business. And you know what, they were the best in the business even before Vin Scully retired.

I’m not just saying that just because he was the Dodgers’ announcer for a century or whatever, I really never enjoyed the way he called games. Too many stories and miscellaneous anecdotes for my taste. Plus his voice was too annoying for me.

The only good thing he ever did, in my biased opinion, was call Dwight Clark’s ‘The Catch’. But anyways, Kruk and Kuip are amazing in my opinion. They make an otherwise boring game fun and entertaining.

Not to mention, Oracle Park is objectively one of the most picturesque stadiums in sport, and even watching it on TV is a treat. And beyond all that there’s still just the joy of sitting down and watching a ballgame.

Whether you’re by yourself or with some friends and family, baseball still brings us together and ultimately gives us something to do. It may not be the most exciting game to everyone, but if you love it then you can’t stand life without it.

Plus, being a fairweather fan is the worst. The fake Giants fans from the championship years have been burned off so only the truly allegiant are left and they’re some of the best fans in baseball.

So before you decide to swear off the Giants this year, keep some of the reasons I laid out in mind and keep on rootin’ for the home team.