The last and final division I will be covering is the National League West. And to begin me breaking down the NL West, I am starting with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are coming off a 29-31 season where they finished in 3rd place last year. The Giants are stuck in a position teams don’t usually like to be in, and that’s where teams are rebuilding but are stuck with players with big contracts. The Giants have to decide whether they want to retain players like Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Buster Posey or move on to players like Joey Bart. They have to figure that out by the trade deadline. If I am them, I tear it down and trade away Brandon Belt. If they trade Belt away, Posey can move to 1st if he doesn’t retire, and Crawford can still be productive. Moving on, I think the moves the Giants did in the offseason, kept them in the same spot they were in recent years. I think the team they have is passable at best. Let’s take a look.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Kevin Gausman |
| 2 | Johnny Cueto |
| 3 | Alex Wood |
| 4 | Anthony Desclafani |
| 5 | Aaron Sanchez |
The rotation is middle of the road. 2 of the 5 pitchers are reclamation projects, one is on a decline in regards to production, one is on his way to being a good starter, and one that is middle of the road. The 2 “reclamation projects” are Aaron Sanchez and Anthony Desclafani. Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the big leagues for several years due to injuries. It’s rumored that a reason he wasn’t offered a contract last year was because his medical records, in a way scared teams away. He had a big upside when he was with the Blue Jays, but injuries have held him back. This year may in fact be his last shot. Desclafani had a good half season in Cincinnati several years back, but that’s all. He may be just one of those pitchers that gives you innings but isn’t very good. The last one I will touch on will be Johnny Cueto. Cueto is on the decline but he can still be productive on his way out. The thing that makes me believe this is because unlike many young starters, Cueto is not a thrower who can reach 100 mph, he is a pitcher who can get himself out of tough situations. I don’t expect the pitching to be good, I expect them to keep the team around .500 win percentage, but the weak link for them may be the bullpen.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | RF Mike Yastrzemski | L |
| 2 | LF Alex Dickerson | L |
| 3 | 2B Donovan Solano | R |
| 4 | 1B Brandon Belt | L |
| 5 | 3B Tommy LaStella | L |
| 6 | C Buster Posey | R |
| 7 | SS Brandon Crawford | L |
| 8 | CF Marucio Dubon | R |
| 9 | P Pitcher | – |
The 2 names that I want to touch on when it comes to the lineup, are Mike Yastrzemski and Buster Posey. Mike has a lot of hype to live up to being the grandson of one of the getting hitters of all time Carl Yastrzemski. People will always compare the two because of the last names, but Mike, and I mean this with no disrespect, will not be as good as his grandfather. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be good. He’s put up two good seasons and I think that trend will continue. That is one bright spot for the Giants. With Buster Posey, he’s in the opposite position that Mike is. Buster decided to sit out last year, because he and his wife had adopted twins that were born prematurely and wanted to be with his family. The one question regarding Buster, is whether he will be able to bounce back after missing a season. People are also asking whether or not he will retire soon. He’s only 33 years old, but because of the injuries he’s dealt with, people think he should be retiring. I think Buster can still be productive for the team, but he will not be the catcher for the Giants for long. I see him moving over to 1st base and letting top prospect Joey Bart become the catcher of the future. With all this being said, I see the lineup being okay, in regards to production.
2021 PECOTA NL West Projections
Looking at the PECOTA projections above, they have the Giants finishing in 4th. I think I may agree with these completely. The only ones I will argue are the Giants and Diamondbacks. I can see either of them finishing in 3rd or 4th. But ultimately at the the end of the season, I see the Giants finishing in 4th. So I completely agree with PECOTA projection for the entire division.
