Vegas Predicts San Francisco Giants Will Take Major Step Back After Winning 107 Games Last Season
By Matt De Saro
San Francisco Giants fans who are hoping for a repeat of the team’s 107 win season are going to be disappointed. At least that is what their season win total from WynnBET Sportsbook is suggesting. The Giants are predicted to win 86 games this year. 21 fewer games than what they were able to accomplish in 2021.
It’s no secret that the Giants played well over expectations last year. Many didn’t even have them finishing with a winning record, much less with the best record in baseball. But that is exactly what they did by edging out their NL West rivals, the LA Dodgers, by one game. It was an amazing run, to say the least. But it’s hard to expect that lightning will strike twice in a row for the Giants.
Expect Regression from the Giants
San Fran lost a few key pieces of their lineup this offseason. None bigger than Buster Posey. While Posey wasn’t the same player he once was, he still won a Silver Slugger award and went to the ASG in his final year. The seven-time All-Star won three World Series titles with the Giants, an MVP, and a Rookie of the Year Award. He was the longest-tenured member of the Giants and the first player in franchise history to catch 1,000 games. His presence will be missed. The Giants also saw Kevin Gausman and Kris Bryant depart via free agency. These two were never expected to sign long-term, but they both helped the Giants a lot last year.
That’s not to say there are no ballers on this team. The Giants will have a lineup that includes guys like Brandon Crawford, Joc Pederson, Mike Yastrzemski, Evan Longoria, and Brandon Belt. But, some of those guys are a little long in the tooth to be leading an offense. I’m 37 and I can barely go down the stairs most mornings without the railing. Longoria is 36, Crawford and Jake McGee are 35. A lot of their other major contributors are over 31 years old. It is possible they make it through 2022 without issue. But we know father time always wins in the MLB.
I think that the success for the Giants in terms of this season's win total comes down to their pitching. Specifically, Carlos Rodón.
Rodón, a 29-year-old southpaw, had a phenomenal season for the White Sox in 2021. He won 13 games with an ERA of 2.37 and a WHIP of 0.95. Rodón received 34 points in the Cy Young voting last year and probably deserved more. So far this spring, Rodón has a 1.35 ERA in 6 ⅔ innings with eight strikeouts and three hits.
While I think it is obvious the Giants don’t see 100 wins again this year, I don’t believe they are going to be as bad as these odds suggest. I want to see a little more from Rodón in Spring Training but as of now am leaning towards taking San Francisco to go over 86 wins.