1. Stay Healthy
Last season, devastating injuries to key players throughout the season plagued the Giants. Pablo Sandoval, Carlos Beltran and Brian Wilson missed long stretches while Freddy Sanchez and Buster Posey suffered season ending injuries within three weeks of one another. Bruce Bochy was forced to mix and match his lineup throughout season. The Giants went on to be the lowest scoring team in Major League Baseball. The ‘11 Giants set a record for futility, becoming the lowest scoring team as a defending World Series Champion ever.
Good health is critical for the Giants to be successful this season. Sadly the Giants are off to a very unhealthy start. The bullpen has already been hit hard; eccentric closer Brian Wilson is out for the year requiring his second Tommy John surgery. Guillermo Mota has been suspended 100 games for abusing the illegal substance policy for the second time, effectively ending his career as a Giant. Also, Jeremy Affeldt has hurt himself for the second year in a row with an off the field self-inflicted injury. The bullpen was a strong suit for this team going into the season, now dissipated, it possesses some glaring holes.
Before Pablo Sandoval got hurt, he was putting together another All-Star season, leading the team in a multitude of offensive categories. Losing Panda has been the low point so far of the season. Sandoval has now broken bones in both hands in as many seasons. The Giants need to get through this unhealthy patch without falling too far behind the Dodgers and Diamondbacks and pray that none of their prized starting pitching catches the injury bug.
2. Team Unity
When the Giants made their improbable, impossible and extraordinary run to the World Championship in 2010; the team possessed an uncanny and magical chemistry. Twenty-five players had complete trust in one another and they were all striving for the same goal; the team bonded so tightly believing they couldn’t lose. For this Giants ballclub to be successful they need to find that same chemistry. However they already have had a major setback. First baseman, and clubhouse old-timer, Aubrey Huff was forced to go on the 15 day DL due to anxiety issues. The struggling veteran dipped out of town without telling any of teammates what was wrong. Whether the fans support it or not, Huff is not going anywhere, he is owed in the range of eleven millions dollars so releasing him is not an option. The clubhouse needs to find a way to rally around Huff and get his head straight, like it or not Aubrey Huff is a piece of the Giants puzzle. Younger players need to step up and replace the veterans of the past, Uribe and Burrell are gone and Wilson has been lost for the season. If this team is to reach the fall classic, they need to rediscover the moxy and attitude that carried the ‘10 Giants.
3. Average Offense
For the Giants to be successful they just need their run production to be average, but a clear step up from the dismal offense of last year. Top flight pitching can carry an average scoring team day in and day out. The Giants got off to a fast offensive start, being the top scoring team in the MLB the first week of the season. It’s gone downhill since then, with the middle infield struggling with the nightly lineup changes. Bochy has been so far unsuccessful finding the right combination of defense with a hope of offense: Ryan Theriot, Emmanuel Burriss and Brandon Crawford have all been subpar so far. Bochy has turned to journeyman Joaquin Arias who has been a pleasant discovery coming through with impressive defensive plays while getting some hits under pressure. The Giants frankly need to get production from newly acquired Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan and the repaired Buster Posey. If the top of the order bats do not produce until Sandoval gets back, this could be a long season.
The Giants should able to right the ship if they overcome their recent injury epidemic, remain together as a team and score just enough runs. With the new playoff format, which adds an additional wild card team, the Giants have the talent to achieve that second wild card or better. It will just be a matter of them putting it all together.
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