MLB: Outlook for 2018 SanFrancisco Giants/National League

Man, would I ever love to be a part of that magic that goes on down by the bay. World Series champions, 2010, 2012, 2014. The atmosphere seemed so electric, so inspiring.You just got that feel that something really special was happening. I can hear Giants broadcaster, Duane Kuiper from the top of his lungs, “IT  IS OUT  OF HEEERRE !!!”. And than all the sudden, there he is, front man of the iconic rock group Journey, Steve Perry bellowing “Don’t stop believing, hold on to that feeliinayinn!!” It all looked so magical.

Since moving to ATandT stadium the Giants have had a loyal and passionate fan base, they’ve been virtually sold out every game. This franchise has to be ranked amongst the best in all of professional sports. So what in the world happened to this iconic franchise last year. To sum it up, it was disastrous. Tied for last with the Detroit Tigers for worst in all of baseball with a record of, 64 wins and 98 losses.The freak accident in the offseason suffered by Madison Bumgarner was a springboard into a brutal season. Johnny Cueto was incredibly pedestrian, 4.52 era, 8 wins in 25 starts.

A huge lack of offensive production was prevalent throughout the lineup, Buster Posey did post a very respectable season(.320 batting .avg, 12 homers, 67 runs batted in).Other then him and maybe Denard Span the offense was very lack luster. To erase this from the minds of the San Francisco faithful, ownership has a renewed focus on competing to get them back to glory as soon as possible. The outfield now appears to be way more solid with the addition of All-star Andrew McCutchen, and quality center fielder Austin Jackson. This is a much improved trio. They both join Hunter Pence. The void at third base will be filled by all-star Even Longoria, he like McCutchen , are consistent with their offensive outputs.(We are hoping that McCutchen is more like last year and years previous then 2016) The homerun total may not be as good given half of their games will be played at pitcher friendly ATandT.

So what will it take to get the Giants back to the promise land. The main stay that is so important to this franchise over almost the last decade is well-respected and beloved manager Bruce Bochey. He has a way with his players,expect him to get the most out of this veteran group. MadBun, if all goes well, coming back from injury,will be dominant as usual, the rest of the rotation isn’t as good as some but is respectable. I hate to quantify a bullpen as usually it can be a crap shoot, however there are some nice pieces given the names, Melanson, Strickland, Dyson, and Guerrin are all very capable of getting the job done.

Bovada at the time of this writing has them at +1800 to win the World Series,other teams are: St.Louis Cardinals at +2000, Arizona Diamondbacks, +2500, Milwaukee Brewers,+3300.I don’t really consider any of these teams to be World Series threats. The Dodgers are primed to win the N.L., the Nationals are just as talented, and the Cubs will be competitive as well. It will probably take some serious magic and players getting in the zone at the right time for a serious push, not saying a miracle gets them to the promise land but it would be something of that sort. The smart money is on the Giants and the Cardinals to just make the playoffs. Cardinals are retooled as well, they have an outstanding outfield of newly acquired,Marcel Ozuna, Tommy Pham, and Dexter Fowler. A decent infield led by Matt Carpenter, and up coming power threat, Paul Dejong makes for a very good lineup. The key to their success lies with former number one prospect, Alex Reyes. He is set to return in May,if he pans out, this rotation goes from mediocre to pretty good. The Brew Crew have made improvements, but they lack pitching. The Diamondbacks, if they don’t sign JD Martinez won’t be as good, the Rockies seem to be a mystery every year. The biggest concern may be the N.Y. Mets, we can’t forget about how good that pitching staff can be. At +2800, they could be a nice little play.

Where it is incredibly early to make any predictions, even the odds makers haven’t released any other season long futures(Bovada). I will suggest you take a look at the N.Y.Mets as a great return on investment type play. I don’t think that they can overtake the Nationals as division winners, but I do think there could be a chance at overcoming last seasons brutal showing. They are very similar to the San Francisco Giants. If you can find futures that offer, “making the playoffs” type plays, take a flyer on both, I’m more confident in the Giants as they are more of a complete team, but a little wager on the Metropolitans also could be beneficial.

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