American League West

* – indicates new to team
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves

1. Los Angeles Angels
The offense gets even better with an improved bullpen.
2. Oakland Athletics
Their bullpen is scary good and their depth is better than last year.
3. Texas Rangers
A disappointing offseason had them take two steps backward.
4. Seattle Mariners
With a better lineup the pitching will need another year to develop.
5. Houston Astros
A lot of growing pains as they switch to the American League.

Player to Watch: OF Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels
Not only is he going to be the most watch player in this division, but in all of baseball. He has become the best example of what a ‘five tool’ player looks like and plays like. What will he do for an encore has everyone talking.
Best Acquisition: OF Josh Hamilton Los Angeles Angels
The division rival Angels swooped in and snatched a big bat from the Texas Rangers lineup. Not only does he offer protection for Albert Pujols, but takes pressure off Mark Trumbo who struggled down the stretch last season. It’s a win-win for Albert and Mark.
New Kid on the Block: INF Jurickson Profar Texas Rangers
He’s the reason why the Rangers decided to deal their franchise mainstay Michael Young. If he doesn’t play from the beginning of the season, you will see him at some point this year. Far too talented to let stay in the minors for very long.

Angels Lineup

1. LF Mike Trout

.326 AVG 32 HR 95 RBI

2. SS Erick Aybar

.290 AVG 8 RH 45 RBI

3. 1B Albert Pujols

.285 AVG 30 HR 105 RBI

4. RF Josh Hamilton*

.285 AVG 43 HR 128 RBI

5. DH Mark Trumbo

.268 AVG 32 HR 95 RBI

6. 2B Howie Kendrick

.287 AVG 8 HR 67 RBI

7. 3B Alberto Callaspo

.252 AVG 10 HR 53 RBI

8. C Chris Iannetta

.240 AVG 9 RH 26 RBI

9. CF Peter Bourjos

.220 AVG 3 HR 19 RBI

Bench

C Hank Conger

.295 AVG 10 HR 42 RBI (AAA stats)

INF Andrew Romine

.285 AVG 4 HR 39 RBI (AAA stats)

OF Kole Calhoun

.298 AVG 14 HR 73 RBI (AAA stats)

Rotation

1. Jered Weaver

20-5 2.81 ERA

2. C.J. Wilson

13-10 3.83 ERA

3. Tommy Hanson*

13-10 4.48 ERA

4. Jason Vargas*

14-11 3.85 ERA

5. Joe Blanton*

10-13 4.71 ERA

Setup

Scott Downs

1-1 3.15 ERA

Closer

Ernesto Frieri

23 SV 2.32 ERA

Mike Scioscia’s Job: Don’t have another slow start.

Most Important Player: OF Mike Trout

Athletics Lineup

1. DH Coco Crisp

.259 AVG 11 HR 46 RBI

2. 3B Jed Lowrie*

.244 AVG 16 HR 42 RBI

3. LF Yoenis Cespedes

.292 AVG 23 HR 82 RBI

4. 1B Brandon Moss

.291 AVG 21 HR 52 RBI

5. RF Josh Reddick

.242 AVG 32 HR 85 RBI

6. CF Chris Young*

.231 AVG 14 HR 41 RBI

7. C John Jaso*

.276 AVG 10 HR 50 RBI

8. 2B Jemile Weeks

.221 AVG 2 HR 20 RBI

9. SS Hiroyuki Nakamjima*

.311 AVG 13 HR 74 RBI (Japan)

Bench

OF Seth Smith

.240 AVG 14 HR 52 RBI

INF Scott Sizemore

Did not play

C Derek Norris

.201 AVG 7 HR 34 RBI

Rotation

1. Brett Anderson

4-2 2.57 ERA

2. Jarrod Parker

13-8 3.47 ERA

3. Tommy Milone

13-10 3.74 ERA

4. Bartolo Colon

10-9 3.43 ERA

5. A.J. Griffin

7-1 3.06 ERA

Setup

Ryan Cook

6-2 2.09 ERA

Closer

Grant Balfour

24 SV 2.53 ERA

Bob Melvin’s Job: Find the groove from last year.

Most Important Player: OF Yoenis Cespedes

Rangers Lineup

1. 2B Ian Kinsler

.256 AVG 19 HR 72 RBI

2. SS Elvis Andrus

.286 AVG 3 HR 62 RBI

3. DH Lance Berkman*

.259 AVG 2 HR 7 RBI

4. 3B Adrian Beltre

.321 AVG 36 HR 102 RBI

5. C A.J. Pierzynski*

.278 AVG 27 HR 77 RBI

6. RF Nelson Cruz

.260 AVG 24 HR 90 RBI

7. LF David Murphy

.304 AVG 15 HR 61 RBI

8. 1B Mitch Moreland

.275 AVG 15 HR 50 RBI

9. CF Leonys Martin

.359 AVG 12 HR 42 RBI (AAA stats)

Bench

OF Craig Gentry

.304 AVG 1 HR 26 RBI

C Geovany Soto

.198 AVG 11 HR 39 RBI

INF Jurickson Profar

.281 AVG 14 HR 62 RBI (AA stats)

Rotation

1. Matt Harrison

18-11 3.29 ERA

2. Yu Darvish

16-9 3.90 ERA

3. Derek Holland

12-7 4.67 ERA

4. Alexi Ogando

2-0 3.27 ERA

5. Martin Perez

1-4 5.45 ERA

Setup

Jason Frasor*

1-1 4.12 ERA

Closer

Joe Nathan

37 SV 2.80 ERA

Ron Washington’s Job: Salvage the pitching staff.

Most Important Player: OF Nelson Cruz

Mariners Lineup

1. 2B Dustin Ackley

.226 AVG 12 HR 50 RBI

2. CF Franklin Gutierrez

.260 AVG 4 HR 17 RBI

3. 3B Kyle Seager

.259 AVG 20 HR 86 RBI

4. LF Michael Morse*

.291 AVG 18 HR 62 RBI

5. DH Kendrys Morales*

.273 AVG 22 HR 73 RBI

6. C Jesus Montero

.260 AVG 15 HR 62 RBI

7. 1B Justin Smoak

.217 AVG 19 HR 51 RBI

8. RF Michael Saunders

.247 AVG 19 HR 57 RBI

9. SS Brendan Ryan

.194 AVG 3 HR 31 RBI

Bench

OF/DH Raul Ibanez*

.240 AVG 19 RH 62 RBI

INF Robert Andino*

.211 AVG 7 HR 28 RBI

OF Jason Bay*

.165 AVG 8 HR 20 RBI

Rotation

1. Felix Hernandez

13-9 3.06 ERA

2. Joe Saunders*

9-13 4.07 ERA

3. Hisashi Iwakuma

9-5 3.16 ERA

4. Blake Beavan

11-11 4.43 ERA

5. Erasmo Ramirez

1-3 3.36 ERA

Setup

Charlie Furbush

5-2 2.72 ERA

Closer

Tom Wilhelmsen

29 SV 2.50 ERA

Eric Wedge’s Job: Find the best lineup.

Most Important Player: P Felix Hernandez

Astros Lineup

1. CF Brandon Barnes

.321 AVG 12 HR 69 RBI (AA and AAA stats)

2. 2B Jose Altuve

.290 AVG 7 HR 37 RBI

3. RF Justin Maxwell

.229 AVG 18 HR 53 RBI

4. 1B Carlos Pena*

.197 AVG 19 HR 61 RBI

5. DH Chris Carter*

.239 AVG 16 HR 39 RBI

6. 3B Brett Wallace

.253 AVG 9 HR 24 RBI

7. LF Fernando Martinez

.314 AVG 13 HR 62 RBI (AAA stats)

8. C Jason Castro

.257 AVG 6 HR 29 RBI

9. SS Ronny Cedeno*

.259 AVG 4 HR 22 RBI

Bench

INF Marwin Gonzalez

.234 AVG 2 HR 12 RBI

3B Matt Dominguez

.257 AVG 9 HR 69 RBI (AAA stats)

C Carlos Corporan

.286 AVG 6 HR 31 RBI

Rotation

1. Bud Norris

7-13 4.65 ERA

2. Lucas Harrell

11-11 3.76 ERA

3. Alex White*

2-9 5.51 ERA

4. Philip Humber*

5-5 6.44 ERA

5. Jordan Lyles

5-12 5.09 ERA

Setup

Wesley Wright

2-2 3.27 ERA

Closer

Jose Veras*

1 SV 3.63 ERA

Bo Porter’s Job: Remain competitive.

Most Important Player: 2B Jose Altuve

National League West

* – indicates new to team
AVG – Batting Average
ERA – Earned Run Average
HR – Home Runs
RBI – Runs Batted In
SV – Saves

1. San Francisco Giants
The best rotation in baseball makes them hard to bet against.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
An impressive spending spree has them in contention for many years.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
They’re good, but they would be better with Justin Upton.
4. San Diego Padres
If they contend it will surprise everyone in the NL West.
5. Colorado Rockies
Managing High School kids is a lot easier than Major Leaguers.

Player to Watch: OF Matt Kemp Los Angeles Dodgers
He is capable of winning multiple MVP awards (almost had one in 2011). If the Dodgers are to remain in the pennant race at any point this season they will need a healthy Matt Kemp to lead them.
Best Acquisition: P Zack Greinke Los Angeles Dodgers
The newest pitcher to be awarded a $100 million dollar contract, Greinke is now thrown into one of the biggest media markets to go along with the expectations that his new contract brings. It could spell trouble, but he is far too talented to let that happen.
New Kid on the Block: OF Adam Eaton Arizona Diamondbacks
One big reason Arizona’s GM Kevin Towers decided to trade OF Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves is because of the potential of Eaton. Arizona has a stacked stable of outfielders and Upton became the odd man out with Eaton waiting in the wings.

Giants Lineup

1. CF Angel Pagan

.288 AVG 8 HR 56 RBI

2. 2B Marco Scutaro

.306 AVG 7 HR 74 RBI

3. 3B Pablo Sandoval

.283 AVG 12 HR 63 RBI

4. C Buster Posey

.336 AVG 24 HR 103 RBI

5. RF Hunter Pence

.253 AVG 24 HR 104 RBI

6. 1B Brandon Belt

.275 AVG 7 HR 56 RBI

7. LF Gregor Blanco

.244 AVG 5 HR 34 RBI

8. SS Brandon Crawford

.248 AVG 4 HR 45 RBI

Bench

C Hector Sanchez

.280 AVG 3 HR 34 RBI

OF Andres Torres*

.230 AVG 3 HR 35 RBI

INF Joaquin Arias

.270 AVG 5 HR 34 RBI

Rotation

1. Matt Cain

16-5 2.79 ERA

2. Madison Bumgarner

16-11 3.37 ERA

3. Tim Lincecum

10-15 5.18 ERA

4. Ryan Vogelsong

14-9 3.37 ERA

5. Barry Zito

15-8 4.15 ERA

Setup

Santiago Casilla

7-6 2.84 ERA

Closer

Sergio Romo

14 SV 1.79 ERA

Bruce Bochy’s Job: Do exactly what you did last year

Most Important Player: P Tim Lincecum

Dodgers Lineup

1. LF Carl Crawford

.282 AVG 3 HR 19 RBI
2. 2B Mark Ellis
.258 AVG 7 HR 31 RBI
3. 1B Adrian Gonzalez
.299 AVG 18 HR 108 RBI
4. CF Matt Kemp
.303 AVG 23 HR 69 RBI
5. RF Andre Ethier
.284 AVG 20 HR 89 RBI
6. SS Hanley Ramirez
.257 AVG 24 HR 92 RBI
7. 3B Luis Cruz
.297 AVG 6 HR 40 RBI
8. C A.J. Ellis
.270 AVG 13 HR 52 RBI

Bench

INF/OF Jerry Hairston
.273 AVG 4 HR 26 RBI
INF Skip Schumaker*
.276 AVG 1 HR 28 RBI
INF Nick Punto
.219 AVG 1 HR 10 RBI

Rotation

1. Clayton Kershaw
14-9 2.53 ERA
2. Zack Greinke*
15-5 3.48 ERA
3. Hyun-Jin Ryu*
9-9 2.66 ERA (South Korea)
4. Josh Beckett
7-14 4.65 ERA
5. Chris Capuano
12-12 3.72 ERA

Setup

Kenley Jansen
25 SV 2.35 ERA

Closer

Brandon League
15 SV 3.13 ERA

Don Mattingly’s Job: Forget about the expectations and just play ball.

Most Important Player: P Clayton Kershaw

Diamondbacks Lineup

1. CF Adam Eaton

.381 AVG 7 HR 45 RBI (AAA stats)

2. 3B Martin Prado*
.301 AVG 10 HR 70 RBI
3. 2B Aaron Hill
.302 AVG 26 HR 85 RBI
4. C Miguel Montero
.286 AVG 15 HR 88 RBI
5. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
.286 AVG 20 HR 82 RBI
6. LF Jason Kubel
.253 AVG 30 HR 90 RBI
7. RF Cody Ross*
.267 AVG 22 HR 81 RBI
8. SS Cliff Pennington*
.215 AVG 6 HR 28 RBI

Bench

OF Gerardo Parra
.273 AVG 7 HR 36 RBI
INF/OF Eric Hinske*
.197 AVG 2 HR 13 RBI
INF Eric Chavez*
.281 AVG 16 HR 37 RBI

Rotation

1. Ian Kennedy
15-12 4.02 ERA
2. Trevor Cahill
13-12 3.78 ERA
3. Wade Miley
16-11 3.33 ERA
4. Brandon McCarthy*
8-6 3.24 ERA
5. Patrick Corbin
6-8 4.54 ERA

Setup

David Hernandez
2-3 2.50 ERA

Closer

J.J. Putz
32 SV 2.82 ERA

Kirk Gibson’s Job: Keep everyone on the same page.

Most Important Player: C Miguel Montero

Padres Lineup

1. CF Cameron Maybin

.243 AVG 8 RH 45 RBI

2. SS Everth Cabrera

.246 AVG 2 HR 24 RBI

3. 1B Yonder Alonso

.273 AVG 9 HR 62 RBI

4. 3B Chase Headley

.286 AVG 31 HR 115 RBI

5. LF Carlos Quentin

.261 AVG 16 HR 46 RBI

6. RF Will Venable

.264 AVG 9 HR 45 RBI

7. C Nick Hundley

.157 AVG 3 HR 22 RBI

8. 2B Logan Forsythe

.273 AVG 6 HR 26 RBI

Bench

OF Chris Denorfia

.293 AVG 8 HR 36 RBI

INF Alexi Amarista

.240 AVG 5 HR 32 RBI

1B/OF Jesus Guzman

.247 AVG 9 HR 48 RBI

Rotation

1. Clayton Richard

14-14 3.99 ERA

2. Edinson Volquez

11-11 4.14 ERA

3. Jason Marquis

8-11 5.22 ERA

4. Eric Stults

8-3 2.91 ERA

5. Tyson Ross*

2-11 6.50 ERA

Setup

Luke Gregerson

2-0 2.39 ERA

Closer

Huston Street

23 SV 1.85 ERA

Bud Black’s Job: Keep them going in the right direction.

Most Important Player: 3B Chase Headley

Rockies Lineup

1. CF Dexter Fowler

.300 AVG 13 HR 53 RBI

2. 3B Chris Nelson

.301 AVG 9 HR 53 RBI

3. LF Carlos Gonzalez

.303 AVG 22 HR 85 RBI

4. SS Troy Tulowitzki

.287 AVG 8 HR 27 RBI

5. 1B Todd Helton

.238 AVG 7 HR 37 RBI

6. RF Michael Cuddyer

.260 AVG 16 HR 58 RBI

7. C Wilin Rosario

.270 AVG 28 HR 71 RBI

8. 2B Josh Rutledge

.274 AVG 8 RH 37 RBI

Bench

OF Tyler Colvin

.290 AVG 18 HR 72 RBI

INF Jordan Pacheco

.309 AVG 5 HR 54 RBI

OF Eric Young

.316 AVG 4 HR 15 RBI

Rotation

1. Jorge De La Rosa

0-2 9.28 ERA

2. Jhoulys Chacin

3-5 4.43 ERA

3. Jeff Francis

6-7 5.58 ERA

4. Juan Nicasio

2-3 5.28 ERA

5. Jon Garland*

1-5 4.33 ERA (2011 stats)

Setup

Wilton Lopez*

6-3 2.17 ERA

Closer

Rafael Betancourt

31 SV 2.81 ERA

Walt Weiss’ Job: Learn as much as you can.

Most Important Player: SS Troy Tulowitzki

MLB Offseason Recap

For my Christmas gift to you this year I will take a moment to discuss some of the offseason moves that some teams have made. I’m picking five teams that made moves that would improve their team. Lets see who those five were.

1. Kansas City Royals

Additions

P Jeremy Guthrie (re-signed)

P Ervin Santana (trade)

P Wade Davis (trade)

P James Shields (trade)

Sure, one could say that these moves aren’t going immediately pay off for the lowly Royals who haven’t had a winning season since 2003. And haven’t won more than 90 games since 1989. But it has been even longer since the Royals had as deep a rotation as they show today. Getting Shields and Davis from Tampa Bay was one of the biggest coups of the offseason. Now to go along with Santana and Guthrie the Royals have a starting four that can be matched with almost every team in baseball. Their bullpen still needs work, but the Royals young and talented lineup will have less pressure on them to produce with a deep rotation to back them. The Detroit Tigers are still atop the lowly AL Central, but the Royals are right behind them now.

2. Los Angeles Angels

Additions

P Joe Blanton (free agent)

P Sean Burnett (free agent)

P Tommy Hanson (trade)

P Ryan Madson (free agent)

P Jason Vargas (trade)

C Chris Iannetta (re-signed)

OF Josh Hamilton (free agent)

They seem to always be a sneaky team in the offseason under GM Jerry DiPoto. They were heavily focused on pitching for most of the offseason. First dealt P Ervin Santana (Royals) and almost dealt Dan Haren to the Chicago Cubs, but that deal fell through. He found a home in Washington with the Nationals on a one year deal. Afterwards they acquired former Atlanta Braves starter Tommy Hanson for reliever Jordan Walden. Madson, Burnett and Blanton were all acquired right around the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Then came the big prize, Josh Hamilton. He probably won’t be able to live up to his contract, but he does fill a need for the Angels. Protection for Albert Pujols. With the recent trade of Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners for Jason Vargas it provides even more depth to their rotation that they didn’t have last year. Granted their starting staff isn’t as good as last year, but with the added bullpen arms and depth the Angels staff will be among the deepest in the league.

3. Los Angeles Dogers

Additions

P Zack Greinke (free agent)

P Brandon League (re-signed)

P Hyun-Jin Ryu (free agent)

INF Skip Schumaker (trade)

Obviously since August of last season the Dodgers have been on a spending spree of epic proportions. Nothing changed in the offseason as they shelled out over $200 million on just Greinke and Ryu alone. With those two additions to their rotation, the Dodgers staff stands at eight starters. Obviously that includes two injured starters, Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley, but that’s a staggering amount of depth they have. It’s possible the likes of Aaron Harang or Chris Capuano could be dealt to fill a need elsewhere, but Spring Training is still a long ways away. Not all of this spending guarantees a World Series title, but it brings an added buzz to a city that wants to see the Dodgers succeed. No matter the cost.

4. San Francisco Giants

Additions

P Jeremy Affeldt (re-signed)

2B Marco Scutaro (re-signed)

OF Angel Pagan (re-signed)

OF Andres Torres (free agent)

Now the defending champion San Francisco Giants didn’t make any splashy moves, but in their eyes they made the right moves. And there is nothing to suggest that they were wrong in making them. Two of their postseason heroes, Scutaro and Pagan received nice extensions for their performances. As did Affeldt who had another strong season in the bay area. Bringing back Andres Torres, who was their leadoff hitter for their World Series run in 2010, won’t replace what Melky Cabrera did for the Giants last season. But he brings added depth and speed that their bench didn’t have for much of last season. When you have a full season with Hunter Pence in your lineup next year, you don’t need to get the big bat. And with their depth in the pitching staff, they don’t need to make any quick fixes either.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

Additions

P Mark Buehrle (trade)

P R.A. Dickey (trade)

P Josh Johnson (trade)

INF Maicer Izturis (free agent)

SS Jose Reyes (trade)

UTL Emilio Bonifacio (trade)

OF Melky Cabrera (free agent)

Someone was going to benefit from the Miami Marlins fire sale. It happened to be the Toronto Blue Jays. A lot of players were involved in this amazingly complicated trade. Yet, the outcome of it is unknown at least for now. Will the Marlins win another title after another fire sale? Will the Blue Jays immediately be contenders? Those are just two of them. Regardless of that, the Blue Jays know that the time is now to try and win. With the New York Yankees suddenly being cautious in their spending and the Boston Red Sox in a state of transition. All that stands in Toronto’s way is the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Neither of which made any significant moves to improve upon their teams from last year. Toronto acquired three former aces of their previous teams. Put those three, Buehrle, Dickey and Johnson together with Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow. You have yourself a hell of a rotation. Getting one of the best leadoff hitters in the game today in Reyes was an even bigger deal than the pitchers. Toronto’s lineup is stacked with power, but no threat at the top of the order until now. Cabrera had a career year last year, albeit with the help of performance enhancers. He won’t repeat that performance again, but he is a good slap hitter that will help setup Reyes in scoring position often. Bonifacio and Izturis provide depth to a team that hasn’t had it since their last postseason appearance in 1993. This will be an interesting team to watch in 2013.

As Bad As It Gets

I never thought I’d see the day come that someone would actually be a worse owner than former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. Well, that day has come and it’s none other than Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria (pictured above).

He’s as brazen as the come. To say that Mr. Loria is a bold face liar wouldn’t be enough to describe him. He was willing to spend to help keep the Marlins competitive after getting a new baseball only ballpark built, paid for by the taxpayers.

After one of the worst seasons in franchise history, what does he decide to do? Dismantle the entire team or pretty close to it. Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell have all been traded just one year into their contracts with the Marlins.

Now Reyes and Buehrle haven’t officially been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, but it seems pretty apparent that it’s going to happen. Their not going alone as they will be joined by their ace Josh Johnson, super utility man Emilio Bonifacio and their starting catcher John Buck.

The Miami Marlins brass will definitely spin this latest fire sale as the best way to put a contending team out on the field. That may be true, but at what cost? You’ve basically given up on the next two seasons. If you think you can have a crazy turnaround i.e, the 2012 Oakland Athletics, you’re begging.

That doesn’t happen without talent first and foremost. Not to mention a manager that can put it all together. Bob Melvin was named AL Manager of the Year for the Oakland Athletics this week.

I’m not saying that Ozzie Guillen would have turned things around if given another year. He burned his bridge in Miami before the season started with his comments praising Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. I don’t care if they were taken out of context. You don’t say anything about a dictator that would come close to praise.

Mike Redmond is not going to help them along. That’s no knock on him, but it puts him in an even worse position than when he first accepted the job. You think Loria is going to take having the Marlins in last place again? Well, maybe he will, but he’s as unpredictable as they come.

His comments about the proposed trade to Toronto say it all about his attitude about the franchise.

“We finished in last place. Figure it out. We have to get better. We can’t finish in last place. We finished in last place. That’s unacceptable. We have to take a new course.”

I’ve figured it out, but I can’t figure out Jeffrey Loria. I mean I know the type of personality he has, but I just don’t understand how someone can be so blatantly oblivious. I hope he doesn’t think that the fans, if there are any left, will continue to support this team while he’s the owner.

How much time will be left for Giancarlo Stanton in Miami? He is by far their best player even before they started wheeling and dealing. Will they get equal value for him? Probably not because teams will just wait for him to be a free agent. There’s no way Stanton takes an extension knowing he could be dealt at any time.

There’s no trust in this organization anymore. Just when baseball thought they had rid themselves of Frank McCourt’s misdeeds in Los Angeles. Now they have a new headache in Miami in the shape of Loria’s fat head.

2012 World Series Champions

World Series MVP: 3B Pablo Sandoval – San Francisco Giants

.500 AVG, 3 HR, 4 RBI

If there was ever a team that truly personifies the slogan, ‘you win as a team’, the 2012 San Francisco Giants showed how it’s done. These guys had a lot of hurdles and question marks going into the postseason. And yet they played to their strengths and kept moving forward.

Forget the matchup in the World Series for a moment. They lost arguably their best player at the time, Melky Cabrera to a 50 game suspension for having an abnormal amount of testosterone in his system. With that and his agent creating a fake website to help clear him, the Giants said goodbye to Melky. The irony here is that he was the MVP of the 2012 All-Star game in Kansas City in July.

Their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers make a splashy trade getting Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford from the Boston Red Sox in late August. Everyone figured that would get the Dodgers into the postseason and the Giants would be in trouble. Not so as the Giants stayed ahead of the Dodgers winning the NL West. Los Angeles fell flat and out of the NL Wild Card race as well.

Those were just two examples. I could mention the fact that their closer Brian Wilson was lost in April to Tommy John surgery. Alas that didn’t affect them as much as it would for almost every other team in baseball.

The Giants were down 2-0 to the Cincinnati Reds in the Division Series. They had to win three straight in Cincinnati to advance. Not a problem.

The Giants were down 3-1 to the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. Game 5 was in St. Louis and the Giants had to win to take the series back to San Francisco. Not a problem.

When they returned to San Francisco, the Giants gained new life in their offense. And their pitching was even better than in previous games.

Surprisingly a lot of folks assumed that the Detroit Tigers were going to easily beat the Giants in the World Series. Not saying they were going to sweep the Giants, but that the Tigers lineup would provide some tough matchup problems for the Giants pitchers.

On the contrary. The Giants pitchers were just fine and their lineup was giving the Tigers pitchers matchup problems. NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro batted a measly .250 in the World Series (that’s compared to his NLCS average of .500). But he provided the game winning hit in the 10th inning of Game 4. Pablo Sandoval crushed 3 home runs in Game 1, two of them off Tigers ace Justin Verlander. That performance propelled him into legend status and to the World Series MVP honor.

The rotation of Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Madison Bumgarner were phenomenal. Closer Sergio Romo had his nasty slider working. And Jeremy Affeldt struck out four straight Tigers (Cabrera, Fielder, Young and Dirks) during his 1 2/3 innings of relief during Game 4.

Only two Tigers had a batting average of over .300 (min 4 games played). They were Delmon Young (.357) and Omar Infante (.333). The rest batted .231 or less.

The Giants depth in their rotation also provided an additional weapon for their bullpen in Tim Lincecum. He’s still a starter in my mind. Winning two NL Cy Young awards is no fluke. Not to mention they were back-to-back. Regardless that was a tremendous boost to their bullpen knowing they had another pitcher that could go for a long stretch if need be.

Timely hitting and excellent pitching were the keys to the San Francisco Giants winning their second World Series in the last three years. Whether it was Buster Posey’s grand slam in the Division Series. To Marco Scutaro opening the flood gates in Game 6 of the NLCS. Or even Gregor Blanco getting a triple in Game 3 of the World Series.

The Giants weren’t a team of destiny. They just played the game of baseball as a team. Plain and simple.

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for winning their 7th World Series title. They were a fun team to watch.

An opinionated and analytical view of sports since 2009.

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MLB Offseason Recap

As Bad As It Gets

2012 World Series Champions