SF Giants: Three Reasons the Playoffs are a Possibility in 2021

The arrival of a new season brings a lot of optimism and hope that the season result in a playoff birth for the SF Giants.

Last season, the SF Giants surprised many when they were able to go 29-31 and missed out on the final Wild Card spot by the tiebreaker. Because of that, there is a new-found hope that the team will push through this year and make it in.

Yet, many people appear to be sleeping on them as Spring Training gets underway. The PECOTA Projections have the Giants going 75-87 and finishing fourth in the National League West.

With that being said, let’s take a look at the reasons why the Giants could surprise everyone and sneak into the postseason.

Three reasons the SF Giants will make the playoffs

1. Improved pitching depth

It is no secret that the Giants had a rough time with their pitching last season. Luckily, the team made a bunch of under-the-radar moves that should help.

The Giants added a handful of arms during the winter including Alex Wood, Anthony Discelfani, Aaron Sanchez, Matt Wisler, and Jake McGee. On top of that, Reyes Moronta will also be back and should be a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen. There was also a multitude of players who showed some promise last season.

It’s not even close to the caliber of pitching that the Dodgers and Padres have. But if manager Gabe Kapler and the coaching staff can put players in the best position to succeed, they could surprise a lot of folks.

This is an area that needed some help. Last year, the bullpen blew 11 save opportunities. Had they converted half of them, they would’ve qualified for the postseason with ease. This means that a slight improvement could help the Giants get over the hump and play in the postseason.

The offense shouldn’t be the issue, which leaves pitching. Most of the time, if you’re good at two out of the three facets of the game you’ll have a chance.

Three reasons the SF Giants will make the playoffs

2. The Schedule

Naturally, the schedule is always a variable that comes into play. But there are a few parts of the schedule that could be especially favorable this season.

This year, the Giants will again face everyone in the American League West in interleague play. Last season, the only team to finish with a winning record was the Giants Bay Area rivals – the Oakland Athletics.

While the AL West might be stronger than in 2020, there still a couple of teams like the Texas Rangers and the Seatle Mariners who are rebuilding. The SF Giants will need to take advantage of those matchups.

Where things get interesting is with the presumed top two teams in the AL West. The Giants lost two out of three against the Astros last season. They also lost five out of their six meetings with the A’s. Winning a few more games against these teams will be a must-do if the Giants want to sniff the postseason.

Then, there’s the National League portion of the schedule. Within the division, the Giants will need to take advantage of the Rockies and Diamondbacks, both of whom they will play 19 times apiece. The NL Central will provide plenty of opportunities for series wins as well.

When some parts of the schedule are favorable, that also means there will be other tough parts. Obviously, being in the same division as the Dodgers and Padres will be tough. The key here is for the Giants to play these teams tight and at-best split the season series against them. The same can be said with the majority of the NL East.

With all that being said, it’s one thing to have certain series circled as opportunities to do well, but it’s another thing to execute.