JoPandering to the Fans: SF Giants Holiday Edition

Welcome to the first edition of "JoPandering to the Fans", a quarterly segment where we uplift some thoughts and reflections on this past 2021 SF Giants season.

JoPandering to the Fans: SF Giants Holiday Edition

With Thanksgiving 2021 having just passed, it would be a great opportunity to showcase some fan reflections on who and what they have been thankful for throughout this past season. For this edition of Jopandering to the Fans, we ask the following: 1) Given the expectations for this 2021 SF Giants team, what was the most surprising highlight for you as a fan? 2) Which player or moment are you most thankful for this 2021 season?

Of course, it bears mentioning that a team who shockingly won 107 games to nab the NL West title from the Los Angeles Dodgers on the final game of the season will be full of surprises. This year's team set a franchise record for 107 season victories and it feels like expectations have been elevated as they head into the 2022 season (whenever that is).

Without further adieu, let's shift to our first respondent, who highlighted the improbable rise of a local pitcher to staff ace.

Logan Webb's rise to SF Giants ace

Many fans were floored by the development and growth of our starting rotation. Anthony DeSclafani's surprisingly strong arm, Kevin Gausman's All-Star season, and the ace-like rise of Rocklin's own Logan Webb came to mind when thinking of our pitching staff.

Name: Raymond Stone
Twitter handle: @RaymondStone
Age: 34
San Francisco, CA

"It’s understandably tempting to use the career resurgences of the vets, but I’ve seen late-career resurgences by many former all-stars in the past. So with this one, I’ll go with the emergence of the starting pitching. Anthony DeSclafani came into 2021 with about as average of a résumé as they come, but gave the Giants a borderline all-star first half. Kevin Gausman similarly came into 2021 with an average résumé, but pitched well enough to make the first half Cy Young conversation about him versus DeGrom. "

"At the beginning of the season Logan Webb appeared to be the clear weakest link of the six starters before Sánchez went down, but then he ended up being the single greatest reason the Giants had any chance to advance beyond the NLDS."

Brandon Crawford's MVP-caliber season for the SF Giants

For others, it's the resurgence of many fan favorites, such as 2021 MVP candidate Brandon Crawford's historic campaign, that sparked joy in our Orange and Black hearts.

Name: Wrenzie
Twitter: @giantprospectiv
Age: 25
Philippines

"I am probably thankful for Brandon Crawford. We think of him as a guy that was on his way out before the season started and the expectation is that one of these star shortstop free agents will replace him. However, he proved everyone wrong and ended up as the guy to keep all along with a resurgent season and bagged a nice extension. His value with his bat and especially his glove is unmatched this season and it's great to see him back for next season after Posey decided to hang his cleats."

Brandon Belt dubs himself the SF Giants captain

Having gone through so much in the pandemic years, many fans were thankful to have something fun and unified to look forward to. Whether it be Buster Posey's swan song season or the comedic stylings of Captain Brandon Belt, the SF Giants fandom has plenty to be thankful for before the 2022 season begins.

Name: Nikki
Twitter: @nikkibythebay
Age: 28
California

"The whole Captain movement was absurdly entertaining, and Belt’s silly, deadpan humor was something that players and fans collectively reveled in and rallied around.

After a year of social isolation, it was so fun and relieving to have in-person conversations with Giants fans that started over a simple acknowledgement of their crudely taped Cs and captain hats. The Captain persona was gimmicky, but I unashamedly enjoyed it. And the best part of all this insanity? I never felt alone enjoying it."

Buster Posey's final season with the SF Giants

We did not know it before this season but the 2021 campaign would be Buster Posey's last on a baseball field. The longtime Giants catcher posted a .304/.390/.499 line (140 OPS+) while being worth 3.5 WAR in 454 plate appearances. He earned his seventh All-Star nod and received some down-ballot MVP votes as well.

Name: Niko Labendeira
Twitter handle:
Age: 29
Fresno, CA

"The player I’m most grateful for is Buster Posey. Buster was a once-in-a-lifetime player to watch and I feel honored to have been a fan of his since he was a Fresno Grizzly. A really special moment for me as a Giants fan was when I realized he was the first Giant my 2-year-old son knew by name. My son may be too young to remember watching this season with me, but I’ll never forget it and who his first favorite Giant was."