Three reasons to believe in the San Francisco Giants

1. Been there, done that

This year’s team is drastically different from the 2014 or 2016 version in a lot of ways. Yet, so much remains the same.

Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, and Pablo Sandoval are all key players across the infield. Madison Bumgarner is anchoring the rotation. Jeff Samardzija is pitching well and he may soon be joined by fellow veteran Johnny Cueto.

The last time the Giants were in the playoffs in 2016, it was Bumgarner, Samardzija, and Cueto who carried a below-average offensive team with a historically bad bullpen into October.

Who’s to say they can’t do it again?

They are all older now, but aging doesn’t follow a strictly linear model. Players do not always slowly get better, peak, and then slowly taper off before riding off into the sunset. In fact, models are predicated on the variability of their data, but that’s more than enough math talk.

Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans were often ridiculed for the lack of advanced analytical tools in their front office. However, that duo built this veteran core, and they’ll happily take that criticism along with three World Series rings they won.