5/3/2023 0 Comments Magic bar card shark![]() "I just look at our lineup and you know, pretty much everybody one through nine in our lineup has the ability to hit 20 homers, if they haven't hit 20 homers in the past," he said. ![]() Last year's team only hit 183 homers, but Zaidi thinks power will again be the calling card for the offense. They hit a franchise-record 241 homers, leading the National League, and did so without a single player reaching 30. The most shocking part of the 107-win season was the way the Giants got there offensively. On days when they start Bryce Johnson, they could actually be well above-average in center field. Joc Pederson is a DH after a very rough season in left field, which means the Giants should at least be solid out in left when Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Mitch Haniger and Austin Slater are all healthy. The Giants chased Judge, Correa, Cody Bellinger and others in the offseason but ultimately ended up focusing on raising the defensive floor. So, why did a good 2022 rotation watch the playoffs from home? You can point directly at the defense, which was the worst in the majors. "These guys have all thrown the ball really well." Catch The Ball! ![]() "That's going to be the strength of this team, the starting pitching, the depth and the quality," president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. There's enough depth to avoid the bullpen games that became such a staple last season, and there's the potential for an injection of upside if Harrison makes quick work of Triple-A hitters. All of the starters - but especially Logan Webb and Cobb - should benefit from the team's improved defense. Last year's group included Rodón, but the Giants expect big things from Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea, who has shown a jump in velocity this spring. We don't have all the best names, but we know what we're capable of." "I mean, we knew we were good," right-hander Alex Cobb said. Then there's this: It was the Giants, not one of the groups with bigger names, who led the majors in rotation FIP last year, and by a pretty healthy margin. The Giants have six healthy and experienced starters, with Jakob Junis and Sean Hjelle in the 'pen and Kyle Harrison in Triple-A. The San Diego Padres' depth has been tested by a spring injury to Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish's slow buildup because of the World Baseball Classic. 4 and rookie Ryan Pepiot filling out the rotation. With Walker Buehler rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and Tony Gonsolin sidelined by an ankle injury, the Los Angeles Dodgers have Noah Syndergaard as their No. It's not hyperbole to suggest the Giants currently have the most stable rotation situation in the NL West. 500 team back into the postseason conversation: Lead The Way Here are five key areas where improvement, or simply living up to expectations, could get a. The Giants don't need everything to go right to get back to the playoffs, but they do need a lot to break their way. The 2021 season was a reminder that sometimes everything just goes right, but that's a once-in-a-lifetime situation for most in the game. "It's the deepest pitching staff, the most experienced and battle-tested bullpen, and I think it's an improved defense on last year's." "I think it's the best roster we've started a season with since I've been here," he said. Before the final game of a long spring, manager Gabe Kapler found plenty of reasons for optimism. But the Giants don't believe that has to be a problem. In San Francisco, it's going to be, well, different. There's no escaping those matchups and the chatter that will surround them, and it certainly won't help that a disgruntled fan base will look down the coast and see competitors with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and other stars leading the way. At the end of May, the Giants will visit the Minnesota Twins and Carlos Correa. ![]() While they won't face Carlos Rodón this weekend, their co-ace from last season will be in the other dugout. They will open their season in New York against the Yankees and Aaron Judge, the recipient of the best sales pitch the organization has ever put together for a free agent. SAN FRANCISCO - As much as they hate it, the Giants know the 2023 MLB season will be in part about who isn't here.
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