Post by Rog on Feb 10, 2016 9:44:06 GMT -5
Here are the Giants who made the top 15 ranking at their positions (CBS Sports):
C Buster Posey #1 -- No surprise here
1B Brandon Belt #10 -- CBS Sports says of Brandon "As a 27 year old last season, Belt hit .280/.356/.478 with 33 doubles and 18 homers. He also stole nine bases. When one looks at that and considers that he put up those numbers despite the number of games he missed, one can see how he might make the top 10 despite heavy competition.
2B Joe Panik #5 (Tie) -- CBS says "The 25-year-old Panik boasts a career OPS+ of 120, which is an excellent figure for a middle infielder, and he's a quality defender. However, last season back problems limited him to just 15 games played in the second half. If he proves he can stay healthy, then he'll be higher on this list a year from now." Pretty good for a player with less than two full seasons of play.
SS Brandon Crawford #2 -- CBS: "Crawford has long been a standout defender at the position, and over the course his big-league career he's methodically developed into a productive hitter. Last season, Crawford batted .256/.321/.462 with 21 homers and 33 doubles. He just turned 29, so decline shouldn't be in the immediate offing." Brandon finished behind only Carlos Correa, beating out Troy Tulowitzki and youngsters Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Seager.
3B Matt Duffy #12 -- I expected Matt to finish higher here, but he did beat out Justin Turner, Maikel Franco and David Wright, which is a nice accomplishment in itself.
RF Hunter Pence #8 -- "Though he fills the stat sheet, Pence's overall value can't be measured in numbers. The Giants were 34-17 when he started last season and 50-61 when he didn't."
SP Madison Bumgarner #9 -- Madison could have been ranked higher in a group of top-notch starters.
SP Johnny Cueto #18 (Out of 30 ranked) -- CBS: "Hazarding an estimation of Cueto in 2016 means indulging in some guesswork. From 2011-14, Cueto put up an ERA of 2.48 (156 ERA+) while averaging a qualifying number of innings per season. Last season, though, his performance degraded badly as the season deepened, and he was anything but his usual self after the trade to KC. Injury? Age-related decline? Temporary aberration? Each is possible, of course. For now, though, we'll bet on the larger body of work and the Giants' due diligence prior to signing him to a big contract." It should be noted that Cueto finished ahead of Jon Lester (#19) and both Jordan Zimmerman and James Shields, who weren't ranked.
C Buster Posey #1 -- No surprise here
1B Brandon Belt #10 -- CBS Sports says of Brandon "As a 27 year old last season, Belt hit .280/.356/.478 with 33 doubles and 18 homers. He also stole nine bases. When one looks at that and considers that he put up those numbers despite the number of games he missed, one can see how he might make the top 10 despite heavy competition.
2B Joe Panik #5 (Tie) -- CBS says "The 25-year-old Panik boasts a career OPS+ of 120, which is an excellent figure for a middle infielder, and he's a quality defender. However, last season back problems limited him to just 15 games played in the second half. If he proves he can stay healthy, then he'll be higher on this list a year from now." Pretty good for a player with less than two full seasons of play.
SS Brandon Crawford #2 -- CBS: "Crawford has long been a standout defender at the position, and over the course his big-league career he's methodically developed into a productive hitter. Last season, Crawford batted .256/.321/.462 with 21 homers and 33 doubles. He just turned 29, so decline shouldn't be in the immediate offing." Brandon finished behind only Carlos Correa, beating out Troy Tulowitzki and youngsters Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Seager.
3B Matt Duffy #12 -- I expected Matt to finish higher here, but he did beat out Justin Turner, Maikel Franco and David Wright, which is a nice accomplishment in itself.
RF Hunter Pence #8 -- "Though he fills the stat sheet, Pence's overall value can't be measured in numbers. The Giants were 34-17 when he started last season and 50-61 when he didn't."
SP Madison Bumgarner #9 -- Madison could have been ranked higher in a group of top-notch starters.
SP Johnny Cueto #18 (Out of 30 ranked) -- CBS: "Hazarding an estimation of Cueto in 2016 means indulging in some guesswork. From 2011-14, Cueto put up an ERA of 2.48 (156 ERA+) while averaging a qualifying number of innings per season. Last season, though, his performance degraded badly as the season deepened, and he was anything but his usual self after the trade to KC. Injury? Age-related decline? Temporary aberration? Each is possible, of course. For now, though, we'll bet on the larger body of work and the Giants' due diligence prior to signing him to a big contract." It should be noted that Cueto finished ahead of Jon Lester (#19) and both Jordan Zimmerman and James Shields, who weren't ranked.
