What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

2015 SF Giants Defending World Champions Thread (1 Viewer)

Eephus

Footballguy
2,000,000,000 - estimated value of the Giants according to Forbes with estimated 2014 revenues of $387M and income of $68.4M. That's an incredible turnaround for an organization that was on its deathbed as recently as 1992.

99,000,000 - estimated difference between the Dodgers and Giants 2015 payrolls.

18,000,000 - dollars remaining on Tim Lincecum's contract. Anything from him this year will be a bonus. Fortunately his career decline has coincided with the team's success.

470 - career games caught by Buster Posey. Bochy has been good about spotting him at 1B to keep his bat in the lineup and preserve his body. That's much harder to do if Brandon Belt is healthy and productive.

324 - number of games Hunter Pence played in 2013-14 (out of 324). The string will be broken on opening day--he'll miss the first month of the season and the team will be hard pressed to replace his bat.

270 - innings pitched by Madison Bumgarner in 2014. He's a horse though.

90 1/3 - innings pitched by Matt Cain in 2014. He's been impressive this spring although he's acknowledged some elbow discomfort. He's a horse though.

73 - number of regular season games for Joe Panik. He seems like the high floor, low ceiling guy the Giants drafted in the 1st round in 2011. Panik and Brandon Crawford are a solid DP combination with much more value in real-life than in fantasy.

31 - number of 2014 GIDPs for new 3B Casey McGehee. The Giants have such low roster turnover that the new guy gets a lot of attention. His GB/FB ratios aren't outrageous so I'm hoping he won't lead the league in DPs this year. But if he does, I have him covered in Gobbler.

9 - total number of 2014 HRs hit by the starting OF of Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco and Norichika Aoki. Knock it down to 6 if Pagan's back keeps him out and he's replaced by Justin Maxwell.

3 - championships in 5 years. They've never been a juggernaut but have been just good enough to make the expanded playoffs and efficient once they get there. 3 and 5 are both odd numbers. We like even numbers better.

2 - number of people in the organization that Pablo Sandoval will miss. The interview was a public service if it helps people with panda hats get over him. When he waddles off the field for the last time, I'm pretty sure the Giants will have gotten his best years from Sandoval.

0 - number of negative posts I'm going to make about Brian Sabean this year. He's surrounded himself with smart people and appears willing to listen to them when appropriate. I miss some of the hot stove fun that comes with a bunch of new arrivals but it's not as much fun as celebrating championships.

 
0 - number of negative posts I'm going to make about Brian Sabean this year. He's surrounded himself with smart people and appears willing to listen to them when appropriate. I miss some of the hot stove fun that comes with a bunch of new arrivals but it's not as much fun as celebrating championships.
I heard a guy on the radio talking about **** Tidrow. He gets called the "Pitcher Whisperer". He watched Bumgarner pitch four innings of a high school game, and made the decision to draft him in the first round. I remember Tidrow's time with the Cubs. He and Ray Burris had some of the best facial hair in the major leagues.

 
Juan Perez, Andrew Susac and Hunter Strickland optioned to Sacramento

Hector Sanchez will back up Posey.

Justin Maxwell looks like he'll get the OF4 slot. That could mean a lot of playing time with Pence out and Pagan's uncertain back. Maxwell is one of those guys who looks like a ballplayer from Central Casting. He's big, athletic and has a nice looking swing but it makes you realize just how specialized the required skills are to hit MLB pitching.

 
Sabean and Bochy extended through 2019.

If he plays out the contract, it'll be 23 years at the helm for Sabean. GM churn happens at a much lower rate than for managers but it's been a long run by any standards.

 
The Matt Williams trade was inspired. Giants fans hated it at the time, which was a good indication that he was on to something.
It's not dissimilar to Beane's Josh Donaldson trade. Both Williams and Donaldson were All-Star 3B at near peak value. Williams was 30, Donaldson is 29. The package in return centered on a young red-assed 2B. I don't view Lawrie as future MVP but few considered Kent as that at the time of the deal. The A's got multiple young arms while the Giants got a 23 year old Julian Taverez who was a hot prospect. There's no equivalent for Jose Vizcaino but that's not the way Beane rolls.

 
Went to last two games,what a difference in ballparks and fan bases. No additional comments needed (though a reader is probably needed for Oakland fans ).

We need another bat. Badly. Gonna be an 80 win year without one.

 
Went to last two games,what a difference in ballparks and fan bases. No additional comments needed (though a reader is probably needed for Oakland fans ).

We need another bat. Badly. Gonna be an 80 win year without one.
Burrell?
Pat wouldn't be bad. You guys are going to be fun this year. Lots of talent and depth.
You were just insulting myself and my people about four posts ago. You don't have to be nice. :lmao:

Granted, we are all neanderthal/criminals/loadies, but your assessment of "needing another bat" is a bit reductive. Find a guy who fields well enough (hint: now playing for NYY), and he more than makes up for the lack of "a bat." More than one way to skin a cat.

 
3 up 1 down for the champs. Not much to complain about so far unless you're a Yusmeiro Petit owner.

 
It looks like the Giants will come very close to their projected pre-season W/L line of 85 (currently 82-75 with 5 to play). I guess that's about what you'd expect from a big payroll team but I think it's probably safe to say they overachieved this year.

The team had a ton of injuries and one reliable SP. The OF was a patchwork all season with Justin Maxwell logging more more PAs than Hunter Pence. Joe Panik followed up his All-Star appearance with 12 ABs in August and September. The rotation was Bumgarner and pray for rain. Chris Heston looks like a decent option for the back end of the rotation but he was asked to do a lot more than that. Peavy pitched well in spurts but tended to collapse the third time through the lineup. Cain and Lincecum provided nothing and I hope Tim Hudson enjoys his retirement.

On the plus side, the Giants got another outstanding year from Posey. The team does an effective job of managing his workload while keeping his bat in the lineup. I promise never to mention moving him to 3B ever again because it's obvious watching him run that the ship has sailed. Matt Duffy made the leap from AA to fill a Panda sized hole at 3B. Brandon Belt blows hot and cold but should provide solid production through his two remaining arbitration years. Brandon Crawford is 28 so his fine season smells more like a career year than a breakout but even with some offensive regression, he'll be a solid two way player. The bullpen was generally solid with good years from George Kontos and Hunter Strickland supplementing the usual suspects. Vaya con Dios to Jeremy Affeldt, a good Giant and a better man.

Starting pitching is the big need area for next year. They'll probably be in the mix for every top FA arm. Hudson is gone and Lincecum probably will be. Mike Leake was neither lucky or very good during his rental but could return. Cain may have a dead cat bounce in him but it's not something to plan around. It's not the Giants' way to throw rookie SP into the fire while mathematically alive. It's not the way I would have done it but I haven't won three World Series.

The rest of the lineup is in decent shape. The infield is solid assuming Panik's back problems aren't chronic. They could use another OF bat but that's been the case more or less since they traded George Foster in 1971. Tracking of Marlon Byrd's vesting option has been a local sideshow since his acquisition. He's currently 15 PA short with 5 games left. How the club handles them will be the most interesting part of them playing out the string (he's not in the lineup tonight).

2016 is an even number year.

 
Good Jesus. I guess they can just bury Byrd, but that and the Leake pickup are looking pretty ugly right now.

I would expect any Giants fan who buys into the #evenyear hokum to put down a sizable futures bet on SF come next spring, and just rake in the 1500-2000% return several months later. It's just that easy!

The Dodgers are going to be a severe problem for the rest of the NL West, possibly for the extended future. There's no reason SF won't contend for the WC if they invest in reinforcements this offseason, but it's going to be a feat to get past LA and do better than a coinflip game that uses Bumgarner and probably precludes him from appearing twice in the LDS.

Their IF is in great shape and Bumgarner, so that's something to build on. But they need real SP.

 
Good Jesus. I guess they can just bury Byrd, but that and the Leake pickup are looking pretty ugly right now.

I would expect any Giants fan who buys into the #evenyear hokum to put down a sizable futures bet on SF come next spring, and just rake in the 1500-2000% return several months later. It's just that easy!

The Dodgers are going to be a severe problem for the rest of the NL West, possibly for the extended future. There's no reason SF won't contend for the WC if they invest in reinforcements this offseason, but it's going to be a feat to get past LA and do better than a coinflip game that uses Bumgarner and probably precludes him from appearing twice in the LDS.

Their IF is in great shape and Bumgarner, so that's something to build on. But they need real SP.
The Giants were in a playoffs position as of August 1. They needed to rent Byrd and Leake to make their run but things didn't work out to plan. Byrd certainly held up his end of the bargain with some key hits down the stretch. If Keury Mella turns into Juan Marichal someday, it'll look bad but the Giants have generally done a good job of assessing their prospects.

The Dodgers' Pythagorean wins number is actually less than SF's. Kershaw and Greinke have been outstanding of course but the rest of their lineup is less than awe inspiring. I have no more idea what to expect from Puig than the Dodgers do. Pederson was much scarier three months ago although Seager looks like all that. They did deal away a lot more talent than the Giants did at the deadline. I think this particular group of LA players has a shorter window than the Giants although their young talent and massive financial resources means they can reload on the fly.

 
Good Jesus. I guess they can just bury Byrd, but that and the Leake pickup are looking pretty ugly right now.

I would expect any Giants fan who buys into the #evenyear hokum to put down a sizable futures bet on SF come next spring, and just rake in the 1500-2000% return several months later. It's just that easy!

The Dodgers are going to be a severe problem for the rest of the NL West, possibly for the extended future. There's no reason SF won't contend for the WC if they invest in reinforcements this offseason, but it's going to be a feat to get past LA and do better than a coinflip game that uses Bumgarner and probably precludes him from appearing twice in the LDS.

Their IF is in great shape and Bumgarner, so that's something to build on. But they need real SP.
The Giants were in a playoffs position as of August 1. They needed to rent Byrd and Leake to make their run but things didn't work out to plan. Byrd certainly held up his end of the bargain with some key hits down the stretch. If Keury Mella turns into Juan Marichal someday, it'll look bad but the Giants have generally done a good job of assessing their prospects.

The Dodgers' Pythagorean wins number is actually less than SF's. Kershaw and Greinke have been outstanding of course but the rest of their lineup is less than awe inspiring. I have no more idea what to expect from Puig than the Dodgers do. Pederson was much scarier three months ago although Seager looks like all that. They did deal away a lot more talent than the Giants did at the deadline. I think this particular group of LA players has a shorter window than the Giants although their young talent and massive financial resources means they can reload on the fly.
LA is 8 wins ahead of SF in terms of third-order wins: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/

They'll also have more money to spend (My estimate is 90mm vs 50mm), and fewer holes to fill on their ML roster. The only real glaring hole LA has is 2B and SP (don't forget McCarthy and Ryu), and then I suppose they can make luxury upgrades to SP (they will) and OF (probably that too). SF is in more dire need of one OF as well as probably two solid SP.

The Dodgers are in better shape at this moment, have a smarter front office, and they have more money to spend. They're going to re-sign Greinke, get Zobrist for 2B, and have piles of money left over. :shrug:

 
Eephus said:
On the other hand, the Padres, Rockies & Diamondbacks
Very true. And that's a big advantage when competing for a WC, but the Mets/Nats may have just as much of an advantage being in the East. Maybe the Pirates fall off? Maybe the Mets squander their opportunity by continuing to pinch pennies? Who knows.

SF has money, at least.

 
Organizations rise and fall over time but right now, the NL looks like 7 haves and 8 have-nots. Philadelphia has the financial resources to move back up and I'd figure on one or two others to develop/acquire enough talent to compete.

The AL by comparison seems tighter.

 
Giants apparently undecided on picking up Aoki's 5.5mm option or even tendering arbitration to Petit. :cry: :lmao:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don't think Petit is a pocket ace or anything but the Giants' handling of him has been kind of weird. With all the problems they had with the rotation behind Bumgarner, I'm surprised they never stretched him out and gave him a shot. What possible reason is there to give Vogelsong 22 starts, Lincecum 15 and Petit 1.

 
I don't think Petit is a pocket ace or anything but the Giants' handling of him has been kind of weird. With all the problems they had with the rotation behind Bumgarner, I'm surprised they never stretched him out and gave him a shot. What possible reason is there to give Vogelsong 22 starts, Lincecum 15 and Petit 1.
Didn't have as many years as a Giant as the other two. That's a key stat.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top