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San Francisco Giants: Five Predictions for the Upcoming Season

By Sean Bialaszek

Mar 13, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies mascot Phanatic (right) and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Hak-Ju Lee (36) entertain the crowd during a spring training baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies mascot Phanatic (right) and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Hak-Ju Lee (36) entertain the crowd during a spring training baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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San Francisco Giants
Jul 24, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawfod (35) celebrates with second baseman Jo Panik (12) after scoring against the Oakland Athletics during the second inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

Three Giants’ Infielders Will Be Named All-Stars

Since moving to San Francisco, the Giants have not had three All-Stars from the same infield group in a single season. It hasn’t happened since the Giants called New York home, when first baseman Whitey Lockman, shortstop Alvin Dark, and third baseman Bobby Thomson were All-Star teammates in 1952. That will change this year.

As our own Maggie Pilloton wrote last week, the Giants’ young and extremely talented homegrown infielders look to be in line for a big season in 2016, and three of them will have such big seasons that they will be invited to Petco Park in July as All-Stars. The Giants had two of their infielders, the guys up the middle as All-Stars last year, as second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford were both first timers in the Mid-Summer Classic.

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Panik looks primed to not only become an All-Star again, but take over as the premier second baseman in baseball. In 173 games, just over a full season’s worth of time at the big league level, Panik is a .309 hitter with 201 hits, more than Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper in the career span. His double-play partner Crawford is coming off his best season yet, and at 29 years old, he is right in those typical “prime years”.

First baseman Brandon Belt, despite a good bit of criticism, is a darn good hitter, but he’ll have a tough time cracking the All-Star roster with such a good group of National League first basemen, like Adrian Gonzalez, Joey Votto, and Paul Goldschmidt. On the other side of the diamond, third baseman Matt Duffy broke out in a big way during his senior season, and after an offseason of work, he could be in for a huge year. With Todd Frazier out of the National League, maybe Duffy and Nolan Arenado could become stalwarts in the All-Star Game. They’ll have to fight with uber-prospect (thought not a prospect anymore) Kris Bryant.

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