Sizing Up the Competition: San Francisco Giants

Mar 3, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher

(40) throws in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at HoHoKam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Positives

First, let’s start with the positives. Under direction of manager Bruce Bochy, who has three rings, the Giants retain Catcher Buster Posey and legitimate ace, left handed hurler Madison Bumgarner. Posey is a previous MVP and Bumgarner’s numbers from last season solidify him as the Giant’s ace. He had a regular season record of 18-10 with a 2.98 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP over 217 1/3 innings while striking out 219 batters. The lefty finished fourth in the N.L. Cy Young vote last season. Bumgarner also had one of the greatest postseason performances by a pitcher of all time. FanGraphs projects Bumgarner will finish the regular season with a 13-10 record, with 206 innings pitched, and a similar ERA at 2.92.

Not a bad start to the 2015 campaign right?