The San Francisco Giants are legit, and appear to be here to stay.
They currently have the best record in MLB, at 71-41.
Against all odds, they have been able to hold off advances from the reigning World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the talented San Diego Padres in the competitive National League West division.
We have been expecting the Giants’ fall all season, anticipating that the Dodgers and Padres had better rosters and would ultimately end up topping the division, sending San Francisco to third place.
That hasn’t happened yet, and it may not happen at all.
It’s time to give the Giants some much-deserved respect.
However, it’s fair to wonder if they are truly built to make a run at the World Series.
The answer is yes.
A Forward-Thinking Organization
The Giants are a modern team, with a savvy front office who knows the right way to approach roster building.
The have come to understand that batting average is not such an important aspect of talent evaluation these days.
In fact, with a .244 mark, they are just 11th in batting average so far in 2021.
However, they prioritize two things when it comes to offense: OBP and slugging.
They know walks are valuable, and power is perhaps even more valuable.
San Francisco is eighth in overall OBP, with .326, and third in slugging percentage, with .436.
They are MLB’s top-ranked team in home runs as of Monday afternoon, with 169.
Their pitching is absolutely elite.
They have the fewest runs allowed per game, at 3.7.
They are third in ERA with 3.35, first in WHIP with 1.11, and third in batting average against with .222.
The Right Use Of Resources
They prioritize player development and scouting over irresponsible buys, and understand it’s a better use of resources.
Through analytics, they managed to rescue a couple of veterans, Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford, and made them important contributors again.
#analytics always wins. The San Francisco giants completely buy into analytics and sit 47-26 and in first place in the West.
— C (@LURCH____) June 23, 2021
The former is slashing .328/.418/.534 with 13 homers, and the latter is at .291/.360/.528 with 18 dingers and nine stolen bases.
The Giants have also extracted value from several journeymen, like Steven Duggar (1.8 Wins Above Replacement, or WAR) and Darin Ruf (1.9 WAR).
On the pitching side of things, they gave Kevin Gausman (2.31 ERA in 132.1 innings), Anthony DeSclafani (3.28 ERA), and Logan Webb (3.19 ERA) the tools to break out.
Additionally, they paired Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers at the back of the bullpen, resurrected Alex Wood’s career, and brought over Kris Bryant at the deadline.
The addition of Bryant signals what the Giants are all about: getting value.
They gave up two somewhat unheralded prospects for the opportunity to get a game-changing rental with obvious pedigree and playoff experience.
Farhan Zaidi called Kris Bryant “a perfect fit for our roster.” The Giants had a narrow band of targets and Bryant was a primary one. Bryant told him he’s thrilled to come to San Francisco.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) July 30, 2021
The Bryant trade tells us that the Giants are going for it this season, and they should.
They may not have a superstar, like Mookie Betts or Fernando Tatis Jr., but they do have a well-oiled machine ready and prepared to win it all, one that goes well beyond the diamond.
The Giants have every reason to believe they can win the World Series, even if they are underdogs.
