The San Francisco Giants were the 2010 World Series Champions. They finished the season with a 92-70 record that helped them win the National League West. It seems kind of weird that they spent just 33 days in first place and their biggest lead was just three games. The turn was a late season slide by the Padres, while the Giants went 18-8 in September. That was just their second best month. They did go 38-34 in their division, but struggled against the Padres and the Colorado Rockies. Collectively they were 15-21 against those two teams. They also only went 7-8 in interleague play.
When we look at the numbers their offense put up we see a pretty average offense. They scored 697 runs just 9th best of the 16 NL clubs. They did have 1,411 hits, 162 of which were home runs. However both of those numbers are sixth or worse compared to the other NL teams. Their team batting average was just .257 and that was only 8th best on the senior circuit. Giants’ batters struck out 1,099 times and drew just 487 walks.
Of course their average offense is balanced out by probably the best pitching staff of 2010. Their staff ERA was 3.36; they struck out 1,331 batters, and issued only 416 walks. They also only surrendered 1,279 hits. All of those numbers were best in the NL, and almost the best of the 30 MLB teams.
This team needs to find some offensive, relying on this pitching staff seems like an ok gamble but if they want another title they will need to do better at the plate. That will be tough as their payroll has already grown to 120 million with the contracts they already have. I don’t see them making another magical run in 2011, but stranger things have happened.
Related Links:
- San Francisco Giants news and notes
- The Business of Major League Baseball
- Joshua Lobdell.com
