The San Francisco Giants Don’t Possess Last Year’s Devil Magic
At this point, it’s safe to say the 2021 San Francisco Giants were an absolute fluke. Everything clicked their way with all the pieces falling into place at the right time. It was remarkable, and frankly, unbelievable. One year later, the roster hasn’t changed much, yet the Giants are a lot worse.
It’s downright weird to think that a year ago, San Francisco won 107 games. They were a steamroller, seemingly winning every game. They narrowly edged out the Dodgers by one game in the NL west, yet fell victim to them in the NLDS. In 2022, they are six games below .500 and in third place.
Not only was the 2021 team as a whole fluky, but certain players were, also. First baseman Brandon Belt had an unprecedented year. In only 97 games, he hit a career-best 29 home runs and slashed an astounding .274/.378/.597. His previous high in homers was only 18, and that was in a full season!
This year has been a steep fall for the Giants’ captain. Although battling through injuries both seasons, in 2022, he’s batting .213/.326/.350 with eight home runs in 78 games.
Another odd anomaly like this is shortstop Brandon Crawford. He went from finishing fourth in MVP voting, hitting a career-high 24 homers and 90 RBI, to eight homers and a miserable slash line of .223/.304/.339 for this year’s San Francisco team.
The Giants’ pitching has taken a decline as well. Logan Webb is solid this season, but not unhittable like last. They were also able to replace the epicness of Kevin Gausman with Carlos Rodon, but that hasn’t filled the void of their lack of solid pitching.
Lack of performance isn’t the only thing happening to the current San Francisco team. Starter Anthony Desclafani is out for the year, catcher Joey Bart (who’s supposed to be Buster Posey’s replacement) is underperforming, and Belt is officially out for the year with knee surgery.
This season has been a tough one for the Giants faithful. The team is very mediocre but also has the potential to be good if they’re able to acquire the right pieces in the offseason. They still would have to compete, though, with the powerhouse Dodgers and Padres, which is no small task.
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