As recently as 2014 the San Francisco Giants were World Series champions and enjoyed their status as a perennial contender that won three Fall Classics from 2010 through 2014. But since their last playoff appearance in 2016 the Giants have fallen on hard times. San Francisco has not posted a winning record in the past three years. And although they managed to turn a profit on the MLB board for 2019 the three previous seasons were a blood bath. The Giants rebuild continues with the departure of championship manager Bruce Bochy, who was replaced by Gabe Kapler. Kapler was a controversial hire to say the least and it will be a radical departure from the steady Bochy. The over under of 68.5 for the 2020 season does not project optimism.
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2020 San Francisco Giants Win Total Odds at Bookmaker.eu: 68.5, -120 over, -110 under
San Francisco was 77-85 in 2019 which was good for third place in the National League West. The Giants suffered from terrible run production and weak starting pitching. The one thing in their favor is playing in the inferior National League West. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers are vastly superior. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres are teams that the Giants can compete with.
Manager Gabe Kapler
In his two previous seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Gabe Kapler posted records of 80-82 followed by 81-81 last year. In particular the 2019 season was a disappointment. The arrival of Bryce Harper triggered a lot of hype and high expectations but Kapler’s Phillies stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. He was fired at season’s end.
On the Hill
San Francisco ranked 15th in Major League Baseball for staff earned run average but 23rd for quality starts. The Giants bullpen ranked 15th in MLB.
Although he is the projected number one starter, Johnny Cueto has seen very limited action the past two seasons. Cueto pitched 53 innings in 2018 while going just 16 innings for 2019. His last productive season was 2016 in which he went 18-5 with a 2.79 earned run average. Cueto was an AL All-Star in 2014 and 2016 but his future effectiveness remains in doubt. The fact that he is the number one man in the Giants rotation should be concerning.
Number two starter Jeff Samardzija does have a recent record of performance to fall back on. Last year he was 11-12 with a respectable 3.52 earned run average and WHIP of 1.11. It was a nice recovery campaign by Samardzija after he pitched only 44.2 innings the season before.
The role of closer is up for grabs as spring training hits high gear. Tory Watson, Shaun Anderson, and Trevor Gott will compete for the role.
At the Plate
The Giants ranked 28th in MLB for run production last year with marks of 27th for batting average, 28th for OPS, and 26th for home runs. There is not much evidence of dramatic improvement on the horizon.
Left fielder Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of the great Carl Yastrzemski, is coming off a promising rookie season in which he produced 64 runs, 22 doubles, 21 home runs, 55 runs batted in, a .272 average, .518 slugging percentage, and .852 OPS.
2020 San Francisco Giants Win Total MLB Betting Odds Pick
It’s looking like a long year in San Francisco starting with the questionable hire of Kapler. The Giants lack depth in the rotation, a proven closer, and ability to generate runs with any consistency. They should fight it out with Colorado to avoid the NL West basement.
2020 San Francisco Giants MLB Betting Odds Prediction: Under 68.5 wins
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