Comparing Springs: Where the San Francisco Giants core finished

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – AUGUST 10: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants hits a two run single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at AT&T Park on August 10, 2018 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-10. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

When the San Francisco Giants started Spring Training, as with any team, it was wise not to invest too much in their performance. As we start approaching the regular season though, it becomes more and more real.

The San Francisco Giants are facing up against guys they will actually see in a regular season, as opposed to future used car salesmen. Games become more competitive, the regulars are playing longer and the lineup becomes more apparent day-by-day.

The Giants “core” had a pretty varied Spring Training. Some have actually had the best Spring Training of their careers, while others have had their worst. Either way, it’s interesting to see how these numbers compare up to other Spring Trainings. It’s also interesting to see what each player’s regular season result is from their best (or worst) Spring Training. We’ll take a dive in and look at the potential Opening Day lineup and see where their comparative numbers are at.

Buster Posey

2019 Spring Training: .222/.263/.333, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 7 K, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: .331/.399/.504, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 SO, 4 BB

The Spring numbers were not there for Posey, capping off his worst Spring Training on record. For what it’s worth, in 2015 he produced a slash line of .292/.404/.479, making it his second statistically worst Spring Training. That season he finished 9th in MVP voting and earned his third Silver Slugger. This Spring, Posey started out pretty well from the gate and hit the bricks towards the middle of the month with a 12 at-bat drought, to which he answered with at least one hit in back-to-back games. Unfortunately, he cooled off towards the end of it all. The back stiffness will need to be kept an eye on though, but I expect Posey to have a “par for the course” year.

Brandon Belt

2019 Spring Training: .370/.453/.674, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SO, 6 BB
Average Spring Training: .340/.410/.609, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 14 SO, 7 BB

Belt was on fire this Spring, however, he did cool off towards the end. These are by far his best Spring numbers since 2013 when he posted a slash line of .410/.432/.833 with 8 HR and 19 RBI. What followed was arguably one of his best regular seasons, compared to 2016. Still, the name of the game for the 30-year-old first baseman is to stay healthy. Belt’s focus is to keep hitting, keep getting on base and keep the lineup moving. If he stays healthy, he can very well be a part of the 20 HR club, which would be a very welcome thing this season.

Joe Panik

2019 Spring Training: .426/.449/.511, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 8 SO, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: .277/.335/.418, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 SO, 3 BB

Much like Belt, Panik is having a Spring Training to remember. He’s posted up his best lines since 2012, which is way above his average Spring Training slash line. With that being said, a good Spring Training doesn’t always translate into a good season. However, most of Joe Panik’s Spring Trainings have not been good, even in the regular seasons where he was stellar. The hope is that a great Spring Training turns into a great season. He will have quite a bit to prove this season as the Giants beefed up their middle infield in the off-season.

Brandon Crawford

2019 Spring Training: .234/.308/.277, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 8 SO, 4 BB
Average Spring Training: .278/.346/.424, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 8 SO, 4 BB

Opposite his peers on the right side of the infield, Crawford had his worst statistical Spring Training on record. This was more in part due to the slow start he had where he went through his first 14 at-bats without a single hit. For his particular pattern, this is troubling, because Crawford’s best seasons have come after some of his best Spring Trainings. Relying primarily on his stellar defense seems to be status quo, so that is likely what we’ll be expecting more of this season. You could easily forgive a guy hitting below .250 if he is a shoo-in for a Gold Glove, right?

Evan Longoria

2019 Spring Training: .295/.333/.455, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 15 SO, 3 BB
Average Spring Training: .286/.350/.513, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SO, 4 BB

Evan Longoria had another good Spring for the Giants. The problem was injury slowed him down when he started heating up in the last season, and then the season was basically over when he started heating up again after returning. Longoria’s Spring Training numbers don’t always line up consistently with the Regular Season. In 2016, he finished with some of his worst numbers in Spring Training (.243/.282/.432) but still hit 36 home runs and gathered 98 RBI in that regular season. Since his numbers this Spring are near his average, we can likely expect another average season for the veteran.

Mac Williamson

2019 Spring Training: .237/.286/.322, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 18 SO, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: .297/.357/.554, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 9 SO, 2 BB

Outside of his injury in the last game of Spring Training, there were some alarming things about Mac Williamson’s offense this Spring. First, he had the worst slash line in Spring Training for his career. Secondly, his strikeout totals are way up from any other year. For someone who has bounced back from a concussion and is looking to prove something this season, he has not shown a lot of promise. He did start out slowly this Spring, but his numbers did not really pick up. Last Spring Training he posted some of his best numbers after changing his approach at the plate, but it might start looking more and more like a fluke as the games go by. Then again, his inability to stay healthy isn’t doing him any favors either.

Steven Duggar

2019 Spring Training: .333/.396/.438, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 11 SO, 5 BB
Average Spring Training: .284/.371/.457, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 9 SO, 4 BB

Although the power numbers weren’t quite what they were last Spring, Duggar had a pretty successful month of March. So well in fact that he’s cemented himself as the starting centerfielder, a far cry from last season when the Giants were convinced they could tide up with Austin Jackson, Gorkys Hernandez and Gregor Blanco. Much like a few of his lineup mates, he’s going to need to stay healthy if he plans on contributing anything positive to the team. His main focus is to simply worry about getting on-base and letting Panik move him over.

Gerardo Parra

2019 Spring Training: .341/.388/.614, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 9 SO, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: .304/.359/.457, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 8 SO, 4 BB

Coming in as a very welcome addition to a depleted outfield, Gerardo Parra shined in Spring Training. This is by no doubt one of Parra’s best Spring Trainings, next to 2017. Of course, 2017 ended up being one of his best statistical seasons but was hampered by a strained right quad. If he can stay healthy, which he did last season, he can provide the Giants with great gap-to-gap hitting as well as good defensive range and a pretty good arm. He can definitely benefit the team on both sides of the ball, and he should.

Next. Is this Mac Williamson's last go around?

Madison Bumgarner

2019 Spring Training: 1-3, 8.27 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 20 K, 2 BB
Average Spring Training: 1-1, 4.27 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 19 K, 4 BB

I was hesitant to include a starting pitcher, or really any pitcher, but Madison Bumgarner’s Spring numbers made my eyebrows raise quite a bit. Although the numbers were bad, they certainly weren’t his worst. But here’s an interesting factoid: his worst Spring Training (2016) did not translate into a bad Regular Season. In fact, 2016 was arguably one of his best seasons on record, finishing with a season-high 251 strikeouts and a season-low 2.74 ERA. Now, the problem is going to come down to health. Like a broken record with everyone else in this locker room, Bumgarner needs to find a way to avoid the injury bug. The Giants are trusting him with the top of the rotation, and I really don’t think he’s going to let anyone down, especially since he becomes a free agent after the season.

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When the San Francisco Giants started Spring Training, as with any team, it was wise not to invest too much in their performance. As we start approaching the regular season though, it becomes more and more real.

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