The San Francisco Giants are headed towards lacking the playoffs for the seventh time within the final eight seasons. They have not gained a playoff collection since 2016 — should you rely successful the one-game Wild Card a “collection” — and have not been previous the divisional spherical since 2014.
Given the stature of the franchise and the top-10 payroll, this needs to be fairly disappointing. Plus, the Giants added a veteran and well-respected supervisor this previous offseason in Bob Melvin. To be sitting proper now at 71-73, 7 1/2 video games out of a playoff spot doubtless is not acceptable to Melvin, both.
The truth is, he referred to as this the “hardest yr” he is ever had as a supervisor.
“My first yr in Seattle was actually laborious as a result of I used to be a first-year supervisor,” Melvin advised The Athletic. “And we gained 93 video games. My first yr in San Diego was robust as a result of I had come from Oakland, the place I would been for 11 years, and it was a totally completely different deal there. And we went to the NLCS. So that you get impressed by coming to a brand new place. Now, right here it was utterly completely different, as a result of that is San Francisco. That is the signature staff within the Bay Space. That is every part I’ve dreamed of coming in right here. And so for it to not go effectively — and my expectation was that it could go effectively — makes it in all probability the toughest yr I’ve had.
“Final yr was laborious in San Diego due to what we achieved the yr earlier than. However this yr was extra private as a result of it is San Francisco. So in that respect, this has been a really troublesome yr for me. Now, it isn’t over. There’s nonetheless so much to perform with among the youthful gamers and the fellows that we’ve got main into subsequent yr. However there are nights when it’s extremely uncomfortable for me.”
The Giants weren’t precisely anticipated to be a juggernaut or something. The Dodgers had been coping with sky-high expectations heading into the season whereas the Padres once more had plenty of expertise and the Diamondbacks had been coming off an NL pennant. Most projection techniques had the Giants competing with the Diamondbacks and Padres for second place, although that clearly left fourth place in play. The playing win totals for the three heading into the season had the D-backs at 84.5 and each the Giants and Padres at 82.5.
It seems to be just like the Padres and Diamondbacks will hit their overs whereas the Giants almost definitely are available in beneath. That is the place the frustration components in, particularly since ending second on this division would imply a wild-card spot.
I’ve little doubt that some would love to position plenty of blame on Melvin. Doing a nasty job with the bullpen is all the time an accusation levied at managers with disappointing groups. The Giants appear to be missing expertise greater than something, although, and that is extra the entrance workplace than the supervisor. President of baseball operations Fahan Zaidi has been there since 2018.
The Giants enter Monday’s motion rating nineteenth in batting common, nineteenth in OPS, nineteenth in dwelling runs and twenty ninth in stolen bases. On the pitching facet, they’re twenty first in ERA and twenty second in WHIP. They’re twenty seventh in defensive effectivity.
Mainly, they are not actually good at something. Positive, there have been accidents, however each staff has these to some extent. I am inclined to place much more blame on the Zaidi administration than on Melvin himself, even when the supervisor has to shoulder among the duty.
Regardless, the Giants are a mediocre baseball staff for the third straight season.
