SF Giants: Why lack of media attention is a good thing

“April showers bring May flowers” is holding true for the SF Giants. They’ve made it rain throughout April and have set themselves up to blossom as spring sprouts into summer. But if you turn on any sports channel, it probably seems like the Giants don’t exist. Yet, as frustrating as it may be for most fans, the lack of national media attention is perfectly fine.

Even after a crushing defeat on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, the Giants are 18-12 atop the NL West with the best record in Major League Baseball. However, if you ask anyone what’s been the best rivalry this season, almost everyone would say the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Those are the teams getting national media attention.

The SF Giants may not be getting the media attention their record justifies, but that might be a good thing.

So why isn’t the media talking about the Giants? Simply put: they aren’t considered contenders.

Looking at past history, it’s understandable. San Francisco hasn’t been a legit playoff contender since the pre-All-Star break in 2016. The Dodgers will forever be favorites and the Padres will always be in the media’s eye with Fernadno Tatis Jr. But until the Giants either win the World Series or have a star who’s worth the national media’s attention, they’ll be on the backburner.

Just recently MLB.com released their power rankings and to no SF Giants fan surprise, they were out of the top five again. They did jump from 16th to eighth spot, but for a division leading squad with the best record in baseball, it still leaves something to be desired.

The Giants seem to be humming along just fine anyway. They’ve won six series so far. Their ERA is the second-lowest in MLB just behind the Padres. And they’re tied with the Padres with 11 shutouts. (We’ll ignore the bullpen’s inconsistency. Positive vibes only for those relievers.)

Despite being shut out only twice, San Francisco’s OBP is barely over .300 and they’re operating at a .220 average. Each rank outside the top 20. This is something they can work on while flying under the radar.

As long as the SF Giants can keep rolling and relying on their starting pitching and most of their relievers, they’ll be able to hang around and fight for a wild card spot, maybe the division. But if they’re fortunate enough to play October baseball, they’ll need to find ways to put up more runs.

Playoff baseball is when everyone tunes in. The Giants will need to have their offense worked out by then to make a run at the World Series.

For now, the media can keep overlooking the SF Giants. They still have a lot of flaws to work out. But it’ll keep them motivated and focused as they fight for a wild card spot and possibly the NL West title.