San Francisco Giants: Big Questions That Will Need Answers in 2018

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow, meaning it’s almost time for the San Francisco Giants to start answering the big questions for 2018.

These are 30 questions I have, in no particular order, for the San Francisco Giants as they try to erase 2017 and get back into contention in 2018.

1 – Can Steven Duggar grab hold of the center field job?

Duggar is highly thought-of within the organization, particularly by Brian Sabean, but has still played only 13 games in Triple-A. Is pushing him like this detrimental to his development, or will the young man grab hold of the opportunity and make the front office look like geniuses? They don’t need to push him with Austin Jackson now in the fold, but the team makes it sound like they want Duggar to prove himself and push Jackson into a super utility outfielder role in Spring Training.

2 – Can Hunter Pence survive a full season?

Since his iron-man streak ended in Spring Training 2015, Pence has averaged less than 100 games played in the last three years, with his hamstrings giving him the most problems. Getting him away from the spacious right field should ease the burden on him, but can the soon-to-be-35-year-old make it through the year?

3 – Can Pence continue the hot streak that ended the 2017 season?

2017 was a bad year for Pence overall, but he finished strong with a .289/.361/.457 slash-line and 118 wRC+ in August and September. He doesn’t need to be a big-time thumper in the middle of the order anymore, but carrying those numbers in 2018 (or at least getting somewhat close) will make the lineup that much better.

4 – Who will break camp as the fifth starter?

Trading Matt Moore may have been a smart move (who knows how things would have gone this offseason without that extra cap space), but it created an opening in the rotation. Ty Blach has experience as a big league starter, but fizzled out toward the end of 2017. Can a youngster like Tyler Beede or Andrew Suarez grab the job? Can Blach earn another chance? Or will a veteran non-roster player (i.e. Derek Holland) give the younger guys extra development time?

5 – Where does Blach best fit?

Back to Blach, is he best served in the rotation? He’s had some brilliant moments in his young career, but also had his fair share of stinkers in 2017. He was quite good facing batters the first time through the order (.216/.278/.332), so maybe he’s best served in shorter stints. He’s held lefties in check so far (.236/.284/.282), so the bullpen could be his destination as a sort of utility reliever. That’s something that needs to be figured out.

6 – Can they rely on Will Smith?

Smith was also supposed to be a big part of the bullpen in 2017, but had his season ended before it started because of Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to be ready to participate in Spring Training, but how much can the team rely on him so soon after the injury? The left side of the bullpen is still a question mark, and having an unreliable Smith would be a terrible blow.

7 – Who will be the second lefty in the bullpen?

Alongside Smith, the Giants have to find another reliable left-handed arm out of the bullpen. And maybe for a short time, they need someone to be the top lefty until Smith gets his sea legs back under him. Steven Okert has been up and down, Josh Osich has struggled mightily for two years running, and D.J. Snelten hasn’t appeared in the big leagues yet. Snelten had a tremendous year in 2017, and a great showing during the Spring could propel him to an Opening Day job. Could Blach slide in? Would they throw Andrew Suarez in there if he doesn’t win a starter’s job? Are Holland’s days as a starter over, and his time in the bullpen beginning?

8 – Can Derek Law find his rookie season form again?

Law was a stud as a rookie in a bullpen full of question marks in 2016, pitching to a 2.13 ERA, 0.964 WHIP, and 2.53 FIP. He struggled in 2017, with his ERA rocketing up to 5.06 and his WHIP to 1.580. His FIP (4.31) suggests that a level of bad luck was involved, but still doesn’t inspire that much confidence. He seemed to lose feel for all of his pitches in 2017. Can he find it again? The Giants’ bullpen would greatly appreciate it if he did.

9 – Will you other teams PLEASE stop hitting Brandon Belt in the head?

Belt had tied his career-high with 18 home runs in early August, and was the only real power threat on a team devoid of power. But another concussion, his third in four years, cut his season short and ended the possibility of the Giants having a 20-home run hitter. So, please, stop hitting Belt in the head. Please?

10 – Can the added protection revive some of Buster Posey’s power?

With so little in the way of threats in the lineup around Posey last year, teams didn’t have a reason to give Posey something juicy to hit. He still got his hits, batting .320 with 34 doubles, but just couldn’t drive it out of the park. His home run total dipped for the third straight season to a full-year career-low 12, but will he get some better pitches to hit with the new guys around him? (A healthy Belt would help, too, so STOP HITTING HIM IN THE HEAD.)

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11 – Is Chris Stratton legit?

The Giants and their manager are putting a lot of faith in Chris Stratton this year, and it’s earned after the way he finished the season last year. He posted a 2.27 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning in his last eight starts, and was always calm, cool, and collected despite pitching through weird circumstances more often than not. But that is a two-month sample size, and he was extremely close to earning the bust label as a failed first-round pick. Can he follow up the finish to 2017 and reward the team’s faith?

12 – Will Osich ever find his command?

Stuff-wise, Josh Osich may be the best pitcher in the Giants’ bullpen. He features a nasty, 95-plus mph sinker and a sharp curveball, and when he’s on, he can get anyone out. The problem is, though, that he’s rarely ever “on”. His walks per nine innings rose for the second straight year in 2017, up to 5.6, and he threw far too many in the hitter’s wheelhouse while trying to get out of the bad counts he put himself in. He has the stuff to be an excellent option out of the bullpen, but can a new pitching coach get the best Osich out of him?

13 – Can Madison Bumgarner hold up over the entire season?

For a long time, Bumgarner was the one constant in the Giants’ rotation. As Cain, Lincecum, and others fell on hard times, Bumgarner was always there to hold them up. That Atlas-like facade crumbled last season with just one dirt-bike accident. The guy has tree trunks for legs and came back strong after the injury last year, but that question will still be there, niggling around in the back of our minds.

14 – Will a regular Spring Training help get Johnny Cueto back to form?

Cueto didn’t get a normal Spring Training last year, as he stayed back in the Dominican Republic to care for his sick father. That likely played a part in his rough year, and the Giants will need him to be back to his 2016, 2.79 ERA form if they want to compete. Can that happen?

15 – Can Cueto avoid the blister monster?

Oh, look, Cueto again. He was a victim of the new baseball last season (just admit it, MLB), and suffered through blisters for a lot of the year, which certainly played a part in his subpar year. Can he avoid those blisters and regain the command that made him so tough to beat in 2016? And in turn, can that fix the disappearance of his groundball pitch (50.2 percent groundball rate in 2016, 39.4 percent in 2017)?

16 – Which “under the radar” player emerges in 2018?

Can a guy like Alen Hanson, a former top prospect that has yet to stick in the big leagues, make an impact as a non-roster player? Maybe Kyle Jensen, who hit 34 doubles and 30 home runs in Triple-A in 2016, can stick as an NRI. Will an unknown prospect burst onto the scene and be the Giants’ next diamond in the rough?

17 – Where does Chris Shaw play?

This one coincides with questions number two and nine. If Pence can’t survive the season, Shaw can get his first crack at the big leagues as a left fielder. If other teams are mean to Belt again, Shaw can revert to his original minor league position of first base. Either way, Shaw should certainly see the field in San Francisco at some point in 2018 (hopefully sooner rather than later), but where will he play?

18 – Is Mark Melancon the reliever they thought they signed?

Melancon was brought in for the 2017 season with the idea that he would be the calming influence in the rough seas of the Giants’ bullpen, but that never happened. He spent a good portion of the year on the disabled list (his first career DL stints), and wasn’t effective when he was on the field. He had a great track record before the year (1.80 ERA, 0.914 WHIP in the four seasons prior), but can he regain that form after offseason injury?

19 – Can Crawford’s bat bounce back?

With so much happening away from the field in 2017, Brandon Crawford went through his worst season with the bat since his early days in the big leagues. Much like Pence, Crawford was able to find a way to improve his swing late in the season, finishing with a .331/.390/.532 slash-line, plus 13 doubles and five home runs in his last 41 games. Without the off-field distractions and with a new hitting coach, can Crawford pick up where he left off at the end of last year?

20 – Will someone reach 20 home runs?

Over the past two seasons, 208 players have hit 20 home runs in a season. None of them played for the Giants. Crawford was the last to reach that mark, launching 21 over the fence back in 2015. Belt would have blown past that mark last year but the Baseball Gods wouldn’t allow it. They’ve added two players who’ve hit a combined 108 home runs over the past two seasons, so the pieces are in place for someone, anyone, to finally get to the 20-mark again.

21 – Can McCutchen and Longoria remain durable?

Longoria has appeared 798 games over the past five seasons, which leads baseball. Last season, he played 156 games, his lowest total in that five-year span. Will moving from turf to natural grass keep him just as, if not more, healthy? McCutchen has appeared in at least 145 games and made at least 650 plate appearances in each of the past eight seasons. Can they both remain that consistent presence on the field for San Franisco?

22 – Can the bench be a strength?

Can Pablo Sandoval prove he can hit enough to stick as an option off a big league bench? Will Gorkys Hernandez be back on the bench now that his hamate problem is fixed? Will Austin Jackson be an everyday player, or utility outfielder of the bench? Can Nick Hundley provide pop in Posey’s place again? Will Kelby Tomlinson continue to act as a pinch-hit extraordinaire, and admirable fill-in player? Who fills in the other spots, and can those players make the Giants’ bench stronger?

23 – What will the lineup look like?

There are so many options for the lineup this season. McCutchen could lead off, hit second, or provide protection behind Posey. Longoria could hit just about anywhere in the middle of the order. Panik is versatile enough to fit almost anywhere as well. Belt could hit second, third, or drop behind the righties. That still leaves Jackson, Crawford, and Pence to shuffle in, which leads to a ridiculous number of lineup options. So what will Bochy choose?

24 – Will Murphy’s Law rule again?

Murphy’s Law is an old adage that states “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. That defined the Giants in 2017. From Smith’s injury to Bumgarner’s injury to Cueto’s entire season to the entire lineup commonly going cold at once, to myriad other things that didn’t go their way, Murphy’s Law ravaged the team. Can they avoid that this year, or will it be more of the some?

25 – Will August 11th’s game be meaningful?

On August 11th, the Giants will do the exact right thing and retire Barry Bonds’ number before their game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On that date in 2017, the Giants were 35.5 games out of the divisional race, and not much closer in the wildcard race. Will 2018’s version bring a meaningful game, and give fans a reason to tune in, other than Barry Bonds?

26 – Who will be this year’s surprise return?

If you’re a wrestling fan, watching the Giants is sometimes like watching the Royal Rumble. Every year, there’s going to be a surprise return that draws a big pop from the fans but ultimately doesn’t factor that much into the season. Last year, it was Michael Morse and Pablo Sandoval. Who will it be this year? Chris Heston, Hector Sanchez, and Gregor Blanco are all back on minor league deals, and Tim Lincecum is about to throw a showcase. The options are there for the nostalgia hit.

27 – Will Ron Wotus succeed as third base coach?

The Giants have had a rough go with third base coaches since Tim Flannery’s retirement, with Roberto Kelly and Phil Nevin both underwhelming in the coach’s box. Wotus was at one point the Giants’ third base coach, but that was all the way back in 1998, and he’s spent nearly two decades as the team’s bench coach. Can he bring back some of the Flannery swag?

28 – Will the analytical approach help the offense?

Alonzo Powell was brought in as the new hitting coach due in part to Houston’s success offensively the last few years. They’ve been one of the teams at the forefront of the analytical boom, and Powell certainly will bring some of that with him. Can he help some hitters to the best season of their careers, or will it be much ado about nothing?

29 – Can Curt Young replicate Dave Righetti’s success?

Righetti was long recognized as one of the game’s best pitching coaches, but has been moved to the front office. That leaves Young, who was hired at Righetti’s recommendation, as the man to lead the pitching staff. He’s earned rave reviews from his time with the Oakland A’s, but has his work cut out for him. Can he help guys like Osich, Law, and Okert, among others, reach their full potential?

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30 – Was going hard for it this offseason worth it?

This one is self-explanatory, and the biggest one of them all. Were the McCutchen and Longoria trades worth it, and will losing Arroyo and Reynolds come back to haunt them? Can they compete in the tough NL West? Will they rise from the ashes while so many other teams in the league seem to be insistent on tanking?