Baseball

San Francisco Giants: Is Brandon Belt Really Their First Baseman of the Future?

June 25, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) celebrates after scoring a run in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Brandon Belt has always had an enormous amount of potential. Offensively, he has power, a good eye, and an ability to find ways to get on base. Defensively, Belt has been the strongest first baseman in the the Giants’ farm system.

After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, he rose quickly through the Giants’ system and played at three different levels of minor league baseball in 2010. Belt was brought up to San Francisco in 2011 but was sent back and forth between the Giants and their AAA team, the Fresno Grizzlies, several times.

Belt has always had to compete for his starts and his at-bats, whether it be against Aubrey Huff or Brett Pill. After struggling in the beginning of last season, Belt secured his starting role and had a quality second half when he hit .293 and had a .362 OBP.

This year was the first time in his career that he knew going into the season that he was the Giants’ everyday first baseman. Despite knowing this, Belt’s stats have been up and down all season. He started off the season slowly by only hitting .235 in April. He improved slightly in May when he hit .266 and improved a little more in June when he hit .289. Then he only hit .225 in July.

However, Belt has had an incredible August. He’s currently hitting .379 with five home runs and 11 RBI’s, and he has a .463 OBP, a .776 slugging percentage, and a 1.239 OPS, which ranks first among all NL first basemen in August. Also, Belt ranks fourth in the NL with a .822 OPS for the whole season, only behind Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt, and Freddie Freeman.

Throughout his career, Belt has been labeled as “too good for the minors but too inconsistent in the big leagues.” So where does that leave him on this Giants team? Is he truly their first baseman of the future?

Even though he’s been inconsistent throughout his short career, Belt has made a big statement to the Giants and their fans this August. He’s hitting the ball extremely well right now, and, as always, he’s playing stellar first base.

However, this isn’t the big statement that he’s made. Belt has shown that he is willing to make adjustments for the betterment of the team, and that is the type of player that the Giants will want for the future.

Belt has had to make adjustments his whole career. He’s made several minor tweaks to his swing over the years, in order to find that same consistency and dominance that he displayed in the minor leagues.

The Giants have tried many times to make more permanent, drastic adjustments to the basic mechanics of his swing, but, for the most part, Belt has stuck with the same swing that he used in the minors.

“I was stubborn in the sense that I had had success a certain way before, and I was assuming I could get back to being successful that way,” Belt said.

Belt’s reluctance to alter his swing wasn’t because he wasn’t willing to change. He has had a lot thrown at him during his time with the Giants, and many people forget that he’s still developing as a major league hitter. Adjusting the swing that a player has used his entire life and has had success with is a lot to ask of a young player. He is a true professional, and he wants what’s best for the team.

The Giants know that Belt has potential to be a serious middle-of-the-order threat given his power and high OBP. That’s why they wanted Belt to adjust his swing recently, in order to help themselves in the future but to also help Belt have a more prominent career.

Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens found a way to “convince” Belt that a new grip would help him reach his potential. Meulens saw this same adjustment made by a similar player in style to Belt, Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies. Both of these players are 25 years-old, they’re both 6-foot-5, they’re both left-handed hitters, and they were both top prospects.

May 14, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (9) hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Brown changed his grip on the bat recently, and he has had a breakout season because of it. He’s hitting .277 with 27 home runs and 78 RBI’s, and he was selected to be a 2013 NL All-Star. Brown told Meulens that this change of grip only took him a few days to fully adjust to, which was appealing to Belt that it wasn’t a major adjustment.

After consulting other Giants such as Buster Posey, Belt decided to try out the new, looser grip. Bruce Bochy also noticed that Belt was moving up in the batter’s box in anticipation of hitting the ball. In order to address this, Belt now positions himself further back in the batter’s box, which allows him to see the pitches longer.

Clearly, based on his statistics from August, the adjustment has paid off.

“I want to make the jump,” Belt said. “I didn’t want to keep spinning my wheels in the same spot. I knew there was more in there. I just went all-in on these changes, and it’s working so far.”

Yes, Belt has made adjustments before, and he has had hot streaks after making adjustments before. This time is different though. He knows he is the Giants’ everyday first baseman. He’s not making adjustments in order to gain an edge over someone. He already has that edge.

In a way, he’s already proven that he’s a quality first baseman. He was the Giants’ starting first baseman when they won the World Series last year.

Belt must search for consistency though. If he’s able to consistently apply his new grip to his hitting, Belt could finish this season strong and potentially have a breakout season next year.

Yes, his development has possibly been rushed, which could be a significant contributor to his inconsistency. Also, given the amount of changes he’s had to endure over his short career has most likely messed with his confidence at times.

However, he’s shown that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Now, the Giants just have to trust in his ability.

“He continues to learn as a hitter, and the better hitter he becomes, the more power you’re going to see,” Brian Sabean said. “And he’s very much on the path to being a Gold Glove first baseman. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Sabean believes that Brandon Belt is the Giants’ first baseman of the future. Now it’s Belt’s turn to believe it.

San Francisco Giants: Should They Call Up Gary Brown and Heath Hembree?

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Gary Brown and Heath Hembree (Kyle Terada / USA TODAY Sports)

The San Francisco Giants are starting to focus on the future.

They currently have a 52-65 record, are 15.5 games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and are in last place in the NL West. Based on their disappointing season, Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy will perhaps decide soon to play their regular players less and call up more players from AAA, such as Gary Brown and Heath Hembree, to see who could possibly contribute to the team during the 2014 season.

However, the Giants are not in complete rebuild mode, since they already have several valuable pieces on their roster who can contribute next season. The Giants have to finish this year strong. If they completely give up now, they will have no momentum whatsoever going into the offseason and going into next season.

Also, Sabean wants to be cautious with rushing players’ development. He said recently that the Giants might have rushed Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford too quickly throughout the minor leagues. He said this might be the reason why they have taken more time to develop as hitters.

Because of this, it seems rather unlikely that Sabean will call up Brown or Hembree soon. When the rosters expand in September, the Giants could easily decide to call them up. For now though, the Giants want to stick to the group that they have, especially because their current roster is very similar to the roster that won the World Series last year.

Besides getting a closer look at some of their prospects, the Giants don’t have a lot of reason to call up Brown and Hembree now based on their performances this year.

Brown has had a disappointing 2013 season. The center fielder currently has a .228 average, 12 home runs, 46 RBI’s, a .286 OBP, and a .384 slugging percentage. He also has 13 stolen bases, but he’s been caught 10 times.

Brown had a promising year in Richmond in 2012 when he hit .279, had a .347 OBP, and had 33 stolen bases. After such a strong year, the Giants have certainly been tracking his progress this year in AAA to see if he should be called up.

However, Brown started off the 2013 season struggling, as he hit .180 in April and .248 in May. After a promising June when he hit .278, Brown has continued to struggle, as he hit .233 in July and .128 in August.

The Giants are in dire need of some help in the outfield and the leadoff spot, but Brown is not the answer, right now at least. He has a low OBP this year, and he hasn’t had success stealing bases.

They could also use his right-handed bat off the bench to hit left-handed pitching, since Jeff Francoeur has not been productive and Joaquin Arias has been injured off and on this season. However, Brown has struggled against left-handed pitchers though, as he’s only hit .247 off them this season. He hasn’t hit right-handed pitchers well either, as he has hit .223 against them this season.

The Giants have also struggled all season with clutch hitting, which hasn’t exactly been a strength of Brown’s this season either. He’s hit only .205 with runners in scoring position so far.

Mar 11, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Heath Hembree (72) pitches during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

As for Heath Hembree, he has had a fairly disappointing season in Fresno also. The right-hander currently has a 4.15 ERA with 26 saves in 47.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 58, but he has allowed 47 hits and given up 15 walks.

Hembree got off to a hot start, as he had a 2.19 ERA and seven saves in 12 games in April. However, he had a dreadful May and June when he had a 5.73 ERA with six saves in 11 games and then a 7.84 ERA with only three saves in nine games. He has bounced back relatively well though. He had a 2.53 ERA in July with seven saves in 11 games, and, so far, he’s had a 0.00 ERA with three saves in four games in August.

Hembree has been an intriguing prospect for the Giants. He’s shown that he’s a promising closer, but he still needs more time to develop. He has a 2.60 ERA against right-handers, but he has a 6.30 ERA against left-handers. He also has a 6.75 ERA with runners in scoring position, which is unacceptable for a closer.

There is a strong possibility that when the rosters expand in September that Brown and Hembree could be called up. However, before then, it doesn’t make much sense for the Giants to rush their development.

They’d much rather stick to the players that rode them to their second World Series title in three years, even if making the playoffs is impossible. The Giants are a loyal organization, and they want this group to finish out this season strong.

San Francisco Giants: Their 3 Biggest Struggles This Season

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Jul 30, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito (75) wipes the sweat off his head during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Giants 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

After winning two World Series titles in three years, the San Francisco Giants have been extremely disappointing this season. They currently have a 50-63 record and are 13 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Although it’s almost impossible that they will make the playoffs, the Giants are always going to believe that they can come back. They have a “never say die” attitude that rode them to a World Series title last season.

However, if they want to even attempt to make a comeback, or at least just finish out the season strong, they will have to be more consistent in several areas of their game. Here are three of those areas:

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San Francisco Giants: Are There Any Distinct Hopes of a Second Half Comeback?

Oct 11, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence (center) huddles with his team prior to the game five of the 2012 NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed as if the San Francisco Giants had the perfect recipe to repeat this season as World Series champions. First of all, they basically have the same roster that they did last season, minus a few players who are injured.

Second, despite the struggles they’ve endured this season, they won six elimination games to stay alive in the playoffs last season, so they’re a resilient team. Because of these facts, you would think the Giants have what it takes to make a miraculous comeback and somehow sneak into the playoffs at the end of the season, just like they did in 2010.

However, that would be an incredible feat, bordering on impossible and closer to extremely unlikely. The Giants have an incredible ability to never give up, but the numbers alone might prevent them from going to the playoffs this season.

First of all, they currently have a 50-61 record and are 12 games back from the Dodgers in the NL West. They’d have to go 31-20 the rest of the season, just to reach .500. However, reaching .500 is rarely good enough to make the playoffs.

The Giants are currently in last place in the NL West. Even though the NL West has been a little disgraceful this season, there is still very little chance the Giants could win the division. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 62-49, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in second at 56-55, the San Diego Padres are 52-60, and the Colorado Rockies are 52-61. The Dodgers, unfortunately, will most likely be representing the NL West in the playoffs.

The Giants would have a rough time making the playoffs though even in a wild card spot. The Atlanta Braves will most likely win the NL East, and there isn’t much competition for a wild card spot there since the second-place team is the Washington Nationals, who have a 54-58 record right now. There are three incredibly talented teams in the NL Central though, so two of them will most likely take the two wild card spots. The Pittsburgh Pirates are currently first with a 67-44 record, the St. Louis Cardinals are second with a 65-46 record, and the Cincinnati Reds are third with a 61-51 record.

Since the starting pitchers are doing well right now, Ryan Vogelsong is coming back soon, the rest of the division isn’t making a strong push to the playoffs (besides the Dodgers), Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig are dealing with injuries, and with this current series against the last-place Milwaukee Brewers, the Giants would’ve had an opportunity to turn this August into a meaningful month.

However, the Giants are still 12 games back, which is a significant amount of games to overcome, even if the NL West is pretty awful. If the Giants had had a good homestand against the Miami Marlins, the New York mets, and the Chicago Cubs, they could’ve had a shot at coming back.

Instead, the Giants went 3-7 and basically eliminated all hope at making a second half comeback. The Giants have failed to meet expectations all season, and they’ve had several chances to at least stay competitive too.

For example, on this last road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Giants went 3-3. Although this doesn’t sound like a poor record, the Giants could’ve easily finished the road trip with a better record. Their starting pitching was excellent and they started getting more offensive contributions from Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford. However, they lost two one-run games to end the trip, so what could have been a quality road trip turned into a disappointment.

The Giants tried to be sellers and trade Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, or Javier Lopez at the trade deadline. They shopped them in order to try to get back a major league-ready starting pitcher in return, which they will need next next season. Even though the Giants didn’t end up trading any of those players, the Giants made a statement to the rest of MLB that they wanted to focus on next year and move on from this season.

Until it becomes mathematically impossible, the Giants are always going to believe that they can come back. This is valid, given their success in last season’s playoffs. Even though it’s unlikely the Giants will make a second half comeback, fans around the Bay Area and the nation have to admire their “never say die” attitude.

San Francisco Giants: Why Fans Need to Get Over Brian Wilson

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Many San Francisco Giants fans were crushed when news broke out that former closer Brian Wilson had signed with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Wilson was a hero for the Giants during their 2010 postseason run, but he was not a part of their 2012 World Series win.

He had Tommy John surgery in April 2012, and at the end of the season, the Giants didn’t tender him a contract. The Giants would’ve had to pay him about $6.5 million, which would’ve been a considerable amount given the uncertainty of his health after such a serious surgery.

Oct 11, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Brian Wilson walks off the field after defeating the Cincinnati Reds to win the 2012 NLDS at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

He hadn’t signed with another team in 2013, because he was rehabbing in Hawaii for a while. Also, many executives were more concerned about his “act” or attitude than if his arm would return to full strength.

After pitching in a private session with Dave Righetti and then in two open tryouts this past Thursday and Saturday, Wilson was hoping to sign with a contender for the remainder of the season, in order to try to sign a longer contract in the offseason.

By signing a contract for just six to eight weeks with the Dodgers, his “act” is less of a concern to executives. However, he probably enjoys being in the spotlight again. The added publicity he will get by joining his former team’s rival has got to please him too.

Instead of reliving the past and being mad at Wilson, Giants fans need to get over him. They need to move on from Wilson, not just because he didn’t re-sign with the Giants, but also because he’s not worth mourning over.

Yes, Wilson had some incredible performances for the Giants in 2010. He had a 1.81 ERA, 48 saves, and 93 strikeouts in 74.2 innings. In the postseason in 2010, he had a 0.00 ERA, 6 saves, and 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. Giants fans can commend him for his stellar performances in 2010, but they should get over him because of his personality and actions off the field.

It started with the beard. Wilson decided to grow out a beard during the 2010 season and said he wouldn’t shave it until the Giants won the World Series. He also was dyeing it, which made him look especially radical. This was the beginning of the media craze for Wilson.

Even today, Wilson continues to have the full-bodied, ridiculous beard. He can’t let go of the beard, and doesn’t want to let go of it, because he knows the beard is what distinguishes him from other baseball players and gives him more attention in the media. The beard was a funny, marketable “act” by Wilson in the past. Now, it’s just another example of how he wants to hold on to anything that will keep him in the spotlight and keep him relevant. It’s quite sad and idiotic, to be honest.

He also loved being on TV, of course, so he could showcase how cool he was. He had his own reality TV show called “Life of Brian,” which seemed very contrived. Big surprise.

It was clear that Wilson enjoyed the spotlight and would do anything to stay in it. For example, he also wore a sea captain costume on The George Lopez show. This was the point where his antics started becoming concerning, in the sense that he was clearly focused on chasing fame.

Then there was “The Machine.” On an episode of The Cheap Seats, Wilson had a man, called the “Machine,” walk behind him in leather fetish apparel. Not only was this bizarre and slightly creepy, it was just annoyingly dumb. Wilson was more focused on trying to be funny and getting attention than talking about baseball.

One of the last straws for his insanity was when he wore the famous spandex tuxedo to the 2011 ESPY Awards. His outfit went a little beyond the border of eccentric and into the territory of insanity. This was no longer a funny “act” for Wilson. He started living this selfish, media-hungry lifestyle, and this was the beginning of the end for Wilson and his credibility as a MLB closer.

Also in July 2011, he showed more than just an intensity, but, instead, a lack of anger management and professionalism. Wilson blew a save against the Detroit Tigers, and, once he got back to the dugout, he threw a Gatorade cooler in frustration. It didn’t stop there though. He then proceeded to take a bat and hit the cooler repeatedly and forcefully. Athletes are allowed to take their anger out while playing their respective sport, but reaching a destructive level is wildly unprofessional.

In another display of his unprofessionalism, Wilson lied to the team in 2012 when he injured his elbow. At the beginning of the 2012 season in a game against the Colorado Rockies, Wilson didn’t want to leave a game after he knew he injured his elbow, so, instead, he told the training staff that he turned his ankle and was fine.

Sep 28, 2011; San Francisco CA, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Brian Wilson (38) in the dugout during the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at AT

Pitchers have lied before about their health so they can continue to contribute to their team, but, often, they become a detriment. Wilson chose to lie in order to protect his image and his place on the team. Sergio Romo had shown his dominance in a late-inning role, so Wilson had to protect his job and his potential loss of fame.

While rehabbing from surgery, he decided to stay with the team as much as possible. This wasn’t necessarily an act of consideration towards his teammates; it was an opportunity to get more of the spotlight. Even though he wasn’t pitching, the media loved showing him during games and how “hilarious” he was.

“That guy’s got one hell of an act, man,” Dennis Eckersley once said about Wilson.

Wilson has always been focused on himself and his “act.” At the beginning of this season, the Giants invited him to their World Series ring ceremony, but Wilson never responded to them. He clearly was still bitter about them not tendering his contract.

Besides that though, as an adult, he should’ve been able to put his childish feelings aside and celebrate with his ex-teammates. As an athlete, he should’ve respected the fans and their passion by showing up. On the other hand, the ring ceremony was celebrating what the Giants had accomplished in 2012, without him. Since the ceremony was not completely centered around him, it makes sense why he didn’t care to attend or even respond.

Wilson was most likely scripted while tweeting how grateful he was to the Giants fans after he signed with the Dodgers. He claims they made a significant impact on his life, yet, he hadn’t publicly acknowledged them in a long time. How ironic.

The Giants monitored his progress during this season, but there never seemed to be a great amount of interest in bringing him back. The scouts that attended his tryouts said he had fairly good command of his pitches, and he was topping out at 94 MPH. Given these positive comments, there must’ve been a reason why the Giants did not extend Wilson an offer. The Giants simply don’t need his drama.

On the field, he was incredible for the Giants in 2010. He will always be remembered as closing the game that brought the Giants their first World Series since 1954.

However, the Giants have moved on. It makes sense why the they would much rather have Buster Posey, a gracious and humble role model, representing them as the face of the franchise instead of Wilson, an egocentric maniac.

Now it’s time for Giants fans to move on too.

San Francisco Giants: Are Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean Given Too Much Credit?

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

After winning two World Series titles in the past three years, the San Francisco Giants are having a disappointing 2013 season. The Giants are seeing why it is so difficult for reigning World Series champions to win the World Series again the next year.

In 2011, the Giants had an excuse for why they weren’t able to repeat as champions. Buster Posey suffered a gruesome left ankle injury in May of 2011 and was out for the rest of the season.

This season though, the Giants have an almost identical roster as last season’s championship team. Yes, there have been some injuries to key players such as Angel Pagan and Ryan Vogelsong, but this isn’t the main reason why the Giants are struggling.

Jul 23, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Giants infield players watch as San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Sergio Romo (54) warms up during the eighth inning in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at AT

The Giants have been inconsistent all season. Right now, they are consistently bad. They are a season-high 12 games below .500 and have a 46-58 record. They also are 10 games out of first place and fifth in the NL West.

So have Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean been given too much credit for constructing and developing this team that’s played so horrible this season?

The simple answer is no. Despite the team’s struggles this season, Bochy and Sabean have found the winning formula. The team just hasn’t displayed it this season.

The Giants have done so well in the past few seasons because they have followed the general formula for success in baseball: pitching wins championships. The Giants have had stellar starting pitching and relief pitching the past few seasons.

With quality pitching, it takes some pressure off the offense, because it allows hitters to play more naturally and not grind too hard to get hits. If the starting pitcher is struggling, players feel more pressure on defense too to limit the damage the starter caused.

The Giants haven’t been known for their high-powered offense in the past couple seasons, so their starting pitching carried them. If the Giants were only able to score a run or two, they knew they could still win the game behind a quality outing from their starter.

This hasn’t been the case for the Giants this season though. Bochy and Sabean brought back the same starting rotation from last season’s World Series run: Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, and Vogelsong.

Cain has struggled with command all season, and he’s supposedly not dealing with any hidden injuries. Bumgarner has been the most consistent starter. Lincecum, despite throwing a no-hitter recently, has also been inconsistent, even though he has been pitching better in the past couple months. Zito has been good at home, but, on the road, he is a completely different pitcher with a sky-high ERA. Vogelsong has been out with a right hand injury since May, but he started to show improvements in his command in the start where he got injured.

There’s no way that Bochy and Sabean could’ve predicted these types of struggles. In fact, no one predicted that Cain would be as inconsistent as he’s been. Lincecum and Zito’s struggles might have been predictable, but Bochy and Sabean weren’t going to trade them or demote them after some incredible pitching performances in last season’s playoffs. Of course, Vogelsong’s injury couldn’t have been predicted either.

Because of the inconsistent starting pitching, the Giants’ offense has felt more pressure to score more runs, especially recently. In the month of July, the Giants are hitting .230, which ranks last in the NL. Posey has had a fantastic season so far, but as of now, he hasn’t gotten a hit in his last 18 at-bats.

Apr 27, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) prior to the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Defensively, the Giants are one of the worst teams in the league, which probably can be connected to the team’s poor starting pitching, as mentioned before. The Giants have 76 errors so far this season, which ranks second-to-last in all of MLB.

Given all these problems, some fans have criticized Sabean for not being active enough at the trade deadline. Right now, with the Giants struggling as much as they are, they don’t even really have the option to be buyers. The Giants haven’t been playing well enough to be able to score a deal (other teams could be wary of the Giants’ struggles or raise the price due to their desperation).

Some fans say that the Giants need to be sellers at the trade deadline. This past homestand was a key part of the Giants’ schedule, and they went 3-7. This might be the time that Sabean should concede the season and starting building for next season.

With Lincecum and Zito becoming free agents at the end of this season (Vogelsong has a team option for next season), the Giants need to address their need for a starting pitcher soon. The Giants don’t have many starting pitching prospects in AAA, so perhaps they can start selling some players, such as Hunter Pence or Javier Lopez, in order to start re-building their starting pitching rotation.

Sabean has been questioned for some trades in the past, but in the past few years, he’s made several key trades that have allowed the Giants to be as successful as they have been. In 2010, he brought in players such as Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Cody Ross, Andres Torres, Juan Uribe, and Lopez. Even though these players were outcasts and misfits, Bochy believed in them and put them in a position to succeed.

In 2012, Sabean brought in Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro. Bochy again made it possible for his players to succeed by putting them in new roles and constantly encouraging and believing in them. For example, he made Sergio Romo the closer, used Lincecum out of the bullpen, and stuck by his young players, Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford, despite some struggles at the plate.

Even though the Giants have had a disappointing season, it does not mean that Bochy and Sabean have been given too much credit for this team’s past success. They were the two masterminds behind constructing teams who won two World Series titles. The Giants have won two World Series titles in three years for a reason, and both Bochy and Sabean have played key roles.