In 2021, the San Francisco Giants had the most shocking season in recent memory.
With strong (and unexpected) bounce-back seasons from Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria, Darin Ruf, LaMonte Wade Jr. and other players, they were able to squeeze 107 wins out of their roster.
That was enough to take the NL West crown from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who looked on in disappointment about how their bitter rivals forced them to play a single-elimination game with the St. Louis Cardinals: the Wild Card Game.
Los Angeles not only won the Wild Card Game, but also eliminated the Giants in the Division Series, in the maximum of five games last year.
This year, the Giants have fallen flat on their face.
Not only have they failed to replicate their 2021 success, but they are playing under .500 with a 76-78 record.
It’s hard to remember such a year-to-year collapse.
After Tuesday’s games, San Francisco is now about to fall out of the race.
MLB dot com is showing that the #SFGiants are eliminated, but not sure why that'd be the case. The Giants would finish with 84 wins if they won out, and Philly only has 83 wins. Not that this realistically matters, but still. pic.twitter.com/O2VHOkRLn2
— Ben Kaspick (@BenKaspick) September 28, 2022
The Giants would virtually need to win out and for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers not to win anymore.
It would take a miracle: realistically speaking, they are out.
The Roster Isn’t As Strong This Year
Coming into the season, the Giants were expected to compete.
But Posey retired, Crawford hasn’t been the same (an 89 wRC+, below the league average of 100), Ruf was traded, and Longoria wasn’t able to carry the team.
The offense just hasn’t been nearly as productive as last year; and the pitching staff lost Kevin Gausman to free agency.
They did bring in Carlos Rodon (5.8 Wins Above Replacement) to replace Gausman, and Logan Webb remains a steady pitcher.
After those two, injuries and inconsistencies have derailed the good work performed last year.
It just has been one of those years for San Francisco.
They are obviously not as good as they were last year, but they are also better than .500.
With the right moves, they could contend again in 2023.
NEXT: Buster Posey Has An Exciting New Giants Role