Three Reasons Why The Giants Won't Miss The Playoffs Next Year
By now, the story is clear - the Giants win the World Series on even years, and miss the playoffs on the odd years, making them one of the strangest dynasties in sports. What reason is there to believe that they could buck that trend next? Stay tuned...
1. Healthy Matt Cain
Healthy Matt Cain helps the team more than Disabled List Matt Cain. Bold statement, I know - but, prior to this season, Cain was viewed as the ace of the pitching staff. The arm issues that ended his season likely traced back to the 2013 year, and eventually they became too much to overcome. Somehow, they overcame the loss of Cain, which means that they will only improve when he returns.
2. Healthy Buster Posey
Spotting a trend here? Posey missed the entire 2011 season with a broken leg, and the Giants missed the playoffs. It's no coincidence - aside from the fact that three of the last five World Series champions had Posey behind the plate, look at the teams not named the Giants that have won a title: Red Sox (Mike Napoli), Cardinals (Yadier Molina), Yankees (Jorge Posada), etc. The trend is clear - have a stud behind the plate if you want to compete in October.
3. Healthy Angel Pagan
Why switch it up now? The loss of Pagan nearly sunk the Giants' season. After leading the Giants to the best record in baseball through the early stages of the season, Pagan went down late in the year and the Giants struggled to play .500 ball. There are only a small handful of centerfielders that can hit well, and Pagan is one of them. Much like Posey behind the plate, certain positions add more value to a team when they hit well - catcher, shortstop, and centerfield are the top three - and having that guy back in the lineup will be a huge boost to their postseason chances in 2015.