San Francisco Giants 2017 Team Preview

The San Francisco Giants’ even-year magic ended in 2016 with a deflating ninth-inning collapse against the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 of the NLDS. Let’s take a look at what’s in store for the Giants in 2017.

It was a tale of two halves for the Giants in 2016. Before the All-Star break, the Giants owned the best record in baseball at 57-33 and held a comfortable 6.5-game lead over their division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

Following the All-Star break, the offense went stale and the team struggled through the Dog Days of Summer. They went 30-42 after the Mid-Summer Classic and finished with an overall record of 87-75. The Dodgers passed the Giants and won the NL West. San Francisco clinched the second Wild Card spot, after edging out the St. Louis Cardinals by one game in the final weekend of the season.

A big weak spot for the 2016 Giants was their inability to close out games. As a team, they led the league in blown saves during the regular season with 30. This issue was never more evident than in Game 4 of the NLDS. The Giants entered the ninth inning with a 5-2 lead. Bruce Bochy sent out four different pitchers in the ninth but none could record three outs before the Cubs took a 6-5 lead. The blown lead knocked the Giants out of the 2016 playoffs.

Flash forward to 2017 and the Giants look like one of the best teams heading into the regular season. The Giants hope that their offseason adjustments can lead them back to the playoffs, a possible NL West title and potentially another World Series title.

Here’s a breakdown of the Giants’ offseason moves and how they fare against their competition in the 2017 season.