SF Giants: 3 reasons they will win the National League West

SF Giants: 3 reasons they will win the National League West

Reason #1: The rotation will stay strong

The starting rotation was one of the biggest question marks for the Giants coming into this season. We figured that Kevin Gausman would be similar to the pitcher he was last season, but beyond that there was much uncertainty.

Thus far, that uncertainty has turned into optimism. Alex Wood, despite some rough outings as of late, has shown shades of the pitcher he was in 2017 when he earned a spot in the All-Star Game. Anthony DeSclafani has been similarly strong, posting a 3.09 ERA thus far.

Additionally, Gausman has been even better than he was last year, winning the honor of National League Pitcher of the Month for the month of May. Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb have both dealt with injuries thus far, but they have been reliable when healthy.

However, it is important to note that the Giants do have a little bit of depth when it comes to the rotation if injuries or underperformance become a bigger issue. Aaron Sanchez was serviceable before he had to go on the IL and Sammy Long was superb in his debut outing on Wednesday against the Rangers. Plus, we know Conner Menez can be a starter and he has looked very solid in relief this season.

We know how huge the starting rotation was in all three of the SF Giants World Series wins, but we also know that you do not need five aces to win a division. The Giants won the division in 2012 with a struggling Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain in his prime, Madison Bumgarner approaching his prime, a resurgent Ryan Vogelsong, and a well-past-his-prime Barry Zito.

The rotation still has plenty of time to regress this season, but there is not anything we have seen thus far to suggest that it will completely implode. If all their starters stay right around their current level, they are going to be in a good position in September.

SF Giants: 3 reasons they will win the National League West

Reason #2: Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford

One of the most surprising things this season has been the resurgence of Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford. Posey has dealt with injuries in recent years which has led to underperformance while Crawford simply has underperformed with the bat.

However, they are both looking like they are in their prime at this point in the season and there is a good chance that both of them will earn All-Star nods. The big question remains though: can they keep this up?

With Buster Posey, the answer is more likely to be yes. If the SF Giants stay committed to the careful approach they have taken with Buster this season by giving him plenty of days off, there is a good chance that he will stay rested and healthy and will continue to produce.

With Crawford, the story may be a little different. The Giants really need Crawford to play just about every day for the team. Mauricio Dubón is a more than capable shortstop when Crawford needs a day off, but the value Crawford brings defensively and offensively is just too valuable.

That’s not to say that Crawford will not continue to have a great season. Perhaps the Giants will be a little more careful with him in the second half of the year to ensure that he is as healthy as possible for what we all hope is a fruitful postseason run in the last few months of the season.

If the Giants are to win the NL West, it will likely be because Posey and Crawford continue to produce at a high level and channel their 2015 selves.

SF Giants: 3 reasons they will win the National League West

Reason #3: The bullpen will get better

This may be the most controversial reason of the three. We all know how much the Giants bullpen has struggled at times this season. It is actually quite remarkable that the team still has the best record in baseball despite all of the bullpen mishaps.

This should give us hope because I imagine that the front office makes a move or two around the trade deadline to get some reliable relievers. Even if they don’t, our own Marc Delucchi described three different avenues to upgrade the pen from within the organization. The Giants are just an arm or two away from upgrading their bullpen from below average to above average.

Of course, shopping for bullpen arms at the deadline can be a little bit of a crapshoot. It can work out spectacularly like it did with Javier Lopez in 2010, who went on to become a fixture of the team’s bullpen in the championship runs, but a trade can just as easily not work out.

We have already seen the Giants trying to figure out the bullpen this season. They have traded relievers, designated them for assignment, and sent them back to the minors. They are still trying to figure out which guys are worth keeping around for the second half which can be a messy process.

It is worth keeping in mind that part of the reason why the bullpen was so bad in 2020 was because the Giants only had 60 games to try to figure the bullpen out. This season, with a full 162-game schedule, they will have more time to put together all of the pieces and construct a solid bullpen.

Of course, if the bullpen continues to blow games late into the season, then these words will come back to bite me, but I believe that there are already some solid pieces in the bullpen and that just one or two key additions could really make a huge difference for the team.

So there you have it, three reasons why the Giants will win the NL West. No matter what, we should be proud that the Giants are even legitimate division contenders when basically nobody was giving them a shot at the start of the season.

If the team’s starters stay hot, if Posey and Crawford continue their renaissance, and if the bullpen sorts itself out in time (all big ifs, I know), then the SF Giants will have a very legitimate shot at winning the National League West.