San Francisco Giants: 5 keys to success in 2020

Pitching and Defense

Along with timely hitting, pitching and defense were the main ingredients in the Giants’ championship recipe.

The pitching staff has been solid this year and the defense has been stout. Going forward, they will need to ensure that they remain strengths.

Even if Bumgarner is traded, that’s still possible.

Johnny Cueto could return next season, though what kind of pitcher he’ll be is anyone’s guess. Even if he can be a serviceable middle-of-the-rotation arm, it would be a welcome addition to the Giants staff.

There are no jaw-dropping pitching prospects in the organization right now.

However, Tyler Beede showed some promise during spring training, Andrew Suarez is solid depth in Triple-A and Shaun Anderson has already shown flashes of building off his 2018 breakout.

At the MLB level, Dereck Rodriguez has looked at times like the ace of the future. The 2019 season will be huge for him as he looks to further develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter.

The defense is solid as well. The Giants could have five Gold Glove winners on the field at once, and the addition of Kevin Pillar has made the outfield one of the soundest defensively in the majors.

At some point, the Giants may have to sacrifice some defense in exchange for offense. They can’t forget that sound defense is a huge part of any championship team, though, and they need look no further than their own three championships.