San Francisco Giants: X-Factors For The 2015 Season

Apr 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik (12) congratulates the Giants outfield after the final out in the ninth inning in an exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. San Francisco Giants won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

With the hype and hoopla of Opening Day behind us, the San Francisco Giants as well as the other teams around the Major Leagues, can start to focus on the bigger picture at hand — winning the World Series.

But to be the best, you have to beat the best.

While the Giants didn’t splurge in free agency, or bring in a Cuban superstar, they are still the defending World Series champion, and have held that title three of the past five years. The Giants have won their titles with great pitching and a solid offense, all coached up by one of the best in the game in Bruce Bochy.

As the 2015 season rolls around, the NL West looks much different than it has in past years. This year it seems to be a three team race with the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants all vying for the division crown.

We all know about the Madison Bumgarner‘s and the Buster Posey‘s in San Francisco, but if the Giants truly want to compete in 2015, it will come down to more than just the core of their roster performing at a high level.

There will be certain “x-factors,” players that need to go beyond their projections, for the Giants to reach maximum success. Bochy and the Giants have their work cut out for them in the crowded NL West and the National League as a whole, but if San Francisco’s “x-factors” perform as well as their core players do, anything is possible for the 2015 Giants.

Next: Third Base: Casey McGhee