With game 81 coming to a close we can officially celebrate the halfway mark of the season! Except there hasn’t been much to celebrate recently…. the Giants are on a four game losing streak and have only won three of their last eighteen games…….meanwhile the dodgers have been red-hot winning 13 of 19 games good for a .684 winning percentage. But it’s not all ho-hum in San Fran, Puff the magic dragon a.k.a Tim Lincecum did just throw his second career no-hitter! (Lincecum > Padres) Brandon Belt is on his way back from the DL and the All-Star game is right around the corner. Ok time to hand out grades.

Position Players:

Hunter Pence RF (.293/.356/..469, 11 HR, 16 2B, 4 3B, 58 R, 30 RBI, 7 SB) Pence has been arguably the best Giants hitter. He’s been really hot in June. He is a great defender with once of the best arms from right field. He hits for average, has a little power, drives in RBI’s, steals a few bases, he does it all. Most importantly he is the Ironman of baseball. He hasn’t missed a game in over 200 games. Hunter Pence doesn’t get enough credit for how important he is to the Giants success.

Grade A

Pablo Sandoval 3B (.266/.318/.420, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 38 R) The Panda came into spring in great shape. Everyone was expecting big things from him considering this was his contract year. He started off the year horribly but he has been doing better. Pablo isn’t the most nimble baseball player but he is at least average defensively. He is good as long as you keep him away from lefties. He’s good but in my opinion he’s gonna ask too much money to resign him. Sadly I think this is the last season the Panda will be in a Giants uniform.

Grade B-

Michael Morse LF (.278/.331/.504, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 32 R) This looks like the second best signing by Brian Sabean this off-season. Morse started off this season really hot hitting 11 HR’s in two months. He has cooled off hitting only 2 HR’s in June and only .241. As long as he is facing righties Morse is great. He is useless against lefties. He is also a bad defensive left fielder. Usually Bochy takes him out by the seventh inning and replaces him with Blanco, Colvin or Perez. Overall for how little it cost the Giants it has been a solid signing. Morse should hit 25 HR’s this year.

Grade B

Buster Posey C (.293/.351/.448, 9 HR, 40 RBI, 32 R) I think it’s unfair to expect Buster Posey to hit like his MVP season every year. Buster Posey has sorta under-preformed expectations this year but he had a bad slump at the beginning of the year. H is very good against lefties. He is also the hottest hitter on the Giants over the last month so his look for his numbers to improve. He is a good defensive catcher. I don’t seem him competing for the MVP this year but I see him still being the most valuable catchers in the MLB.

Grade B+

Brandon Crawford SS (.255/.331/.451, 8 3B, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 34 R, 2 SB) People don’t give Brandon Crawford enough credit. The defensive metrics say he is a below average defender but anyone who sees him play knows that is ludicrous. He doesn’t hit for average but at least he can play everyday with a .250 batting average. He is faster than he looks as proven by his 8 triples and 13 doubles and 2 stolen bases. He hits with enough power to hit 15 home runs maybe 60+ RBI. He has improved tremendously the last year. He also mashes Lefties, he is the best on the team hitting .338. I like Brandon Crawford and besides it’s not like Adrianza or Arias are raking right now so the Giants will stay with Crawford. They could do allot worse.

Grade B-

Angel Pagan CF (.307/.356/.411, 3 HR, 37 R, 19 RBI, 11 SB) Angel Pagan is key to the Giants success. He is a great lead off man. He is fast, hits for a high average. He hits righties to a tune of .321. He is great defensive center fielder. His only problem is he is always hurt. If he isn’t on the DL he is DTD with something. If he could stay healthy for a whole year I honestly believe he could be one of the best players in the major leagues. That is a big if. The injuries keep him from getting an A

Grade B+

Brandon Hicks 2B (.168/.287/.332, 8 HR, 27 R, 22 RBI, 1 CS, 75 K) He started of well. It looked like they had a solid replacement for Marco Scutaro, someone who might even hit twenty home runs. The power made the sub 2 batting average and outrageous strikeouts manageable. He’s also really good with the glove. But now he hasn’t hit a home run for a month. It’s gotten so bad that the Giants hit the Panik button and called up Joe from AAA Fresno. Hicks can’t hit lefties or righties. It’s a hard decision about who to drop when Scutaro comes back, Arias Hicks or Adrianza. It was such a shame I loved hearing the Brandon-to-Brandon-to-Brandon double play. If I was giving the grade a month ago I would have gave him a C+

Grade D+

Gregor Blanco LF (.240/.312/.305, 15 RBI, 8 SB) Gregor Blanco is the MVP of the Giants bench. That is not saying much. Blanco isn’t on the roster for his bat let’s face the facts. He will hit a few singles now and then maybe an odd double or triple but that is it. He is there for his great glove. As long as he continues to catch the ball and hit over the Mendoza line I can tolerate him being on the roster. He is also fast, he’s stolen eight bases and only been thrown out twice. He’s been the best bench option this year.

Grade C+

Hector Sanchez C (.200/.233/.319, 3 HR, 25 RBI) We all know why Hector Sanchez is on the roster. He is there to give Buster Posey a rest every fifth day. He can’t hit righties (.184/.229/.306). he can;t really hit lefties either. The RBI’s have been nice. It seemed like Sanchez was doing much better than his stats show. His defense isn’t great he needs to improve if he wants to hold the backup job. I would like to see Andrew Susac get a look he’s been doing OK at Fresno (.275/.383/.450 with 6 HR, 23 RBI). Overall he’s not going anywhere unless Susac gets really hot.

Grade C+

Brandon Belt 1B (.264/.317/.504 9 HR, 18 RBI) I hate you Paul Maholm! Brandon Belt looked like he was turning a corner. Since the second half of 2013 he has been good. He’s been batting .300 with 16 HR. He had just broken out of a small slump then bam! Broken hand out 6 weeks. He’s been doing really well in his rehab assignment going 6 for 10 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI’s in three games between A and AAA. Hopefully he is back for the start of the series in San Diego on July 4th. If it wasn’t for the injury his grade would have been much higher.

Grade B-

Tyler Colvin LF (.242/.283/.434, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB) Colvin signed a minor league deal with the Giants in February. They signed him cause they needed some power. He has yet to deliver on that only hitting 1 HR. His defense is average at best. He actually hits lefties pretty well, he has a .294 AVG. Overall he has been one of the better bench bat’s for the Giants this year. That’s not saying much though.

Grade C-

Joaquin Arias 3B (.183/.214/.183, 8 RBI) Wow, Arias cannot hit to save his life. His SLG% is lower than his OBP because he has yet to have an extra-base hit. He has been horrific against lefties and righties. His defense is good but Crawford doesn’t need a defensive replacement. I imagine once Scutaro eventually comes back Arias will DFA’d. I can’t see why they would keep him any longer.

Grade D-

Ehire Adrianza 2B (.213/.259/.267, 4 RBI, 1 SB) Currently on the DL. Some call him the shortstop of the future for the Giants. I say otherwise. He can’t hit worth a lick. I’m not saying that Brandon Crawford is an offensive juggernaut but at least he has been showing improvement. A .267 SLG is mind-numbing awful even for a middle infielder. I would start Crawford or Panik over him. He is completely useless against lefties hitting a minuscule .167. He is out of options so if the Giants try to send him down someone might claim him. His defense is pretty good though, not that Brandon Crawford needs a defensive replacement.

Grade D

Juan Perez CF (.158/.200/.289, 1 HR, 2 RBI) He’s been sent down and called up three times this season. He’s only had 38 AB’s. He’s been sent down three times because he just can’t hit. Gregor Blanco and Tyler Colvin have been OK as the 4th and 5th outfielders so unless someone is injured (like now) I don’t see how Perez has a spot on the 25 man roster. Once Pagan returns its back to the minors for Perez. He is a good defensive replacement in center for what it’s worth. He is actually hitting .333/.400/.427 in AAA Fresno so maybe he just needs more at-bats to get into a rhythm. Until then you can’t give him a good grade.

Grade D-

Joe Panik 2B (.200/.273/.250, 2 RBI) Just recently called up from AAA Fresno. Seems like he is expected to take over 2B responsibilities from the incumbent Brandon Hicks who is no longer doing his Brandon thing, until Marco Scutaro comes back. He’s only had 20 AB’s so its too early to really give him a grade. He was mashing at AAA hitting.321/.382/.444 with 45 RBI’s. That would a big improvement over Brandon hicks. He doesn’t hit for power which is sad because i was getting used to having a 2B with power. He isn’t anything flashy but he is a solid defender. Average speed nothing to write home about. Like Duvall haven’t seen enough of him to give him a fair grade.

Grade N/A

Adam Duvall 3B (.182/.182/.545, 1 HR, 1 RBI) He just got called up and has only come to bat 11 times. Not really long enough for a fair assessment. He was hitting .297/.360/.620 with 23 HR’s and 67 RBI’s in AAA Fresno. He doesn’t walk much or hit for average but has good power. I’m really hoping that power shows up at the Major league level since the Giants have been lacking since Brandon Belt went on the DL. He isn’t supposed to be a gold glove at third or even a decent fielder. He doesn’t run either. If Panda leaves he might be our third baseman of the future so here’s hoping he’s good. Haven’t seen enough of him to give him a fair grade.

Grade N/A

Starting Rotation

Madison Bumgarner (9-5, 99.2 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) MadBum has been nothing bu exceptional this year. Opponents are hitting .246 against him, he has a K/9 of 9.44, a BB/9 of 2.2 and a HR/9 of 0.7. His FIP of 2.76 shows his ERA should be even better than it is right now. He has been nothing but amazing. In May he went 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He will challenge for the Cy Young this year. Somehow he has been the second best pitcher on the Giants this year.

Grade A

Tim Hudson (7-4, 99.2 IP, 2.62 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) You could say that Tim Hudson has done pretty good for a 39-year old coming off a major injury. Tim Hudson’s control is amazing. His BB/9 is 1.44 which is unreal. He had a streak of 30 innings pitched without a walk the longest since Tiny Bonham’s 33-inning streak in 1944. His last too starts he was roughed up. But besides that he has been simply unreal. His ERA was 1.72. That was a pretty good investment by the Giants. He loses marks for his last two outings but otherwise he;s been amazing.

Grade A-

Tim Lincecum (6-5, 91.2 IP, 4.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) Lincecum came back this year sporting a new mustache hoping that would help him transition back into the Cy Young pitcher he was early in his career. So far that hasn’t worked. He hasn’t even been able to repeat his performance in 2013. Of course everyone knows about his second no-hitter thrown against the San Diego Padres. His strikeouts are down. But his FIP says he has been much better than his ERA says. He is very inconsistent and it looks like he will continue to be inconsistent.

Grade C

Ryan Vogelsong (5-4, 91.0 IP, 3.96 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) The good news is Vogey is pitching more like his old self from 2012 not 2013. The bad news is that he’s struggled in June, his ERA was over 5. His FIP shows he is actually better than his ERA shows. Overall he has been a solid number 5 starter. Hopefully he can turn it around in July.

Grade B-

Matt Cain (1-6, 71.0 IP, 4.82 ERA, 1.24 WHIP): He’s had two trips to the DL already. When he’s been healthy he has been very inconsistent. It seems like Cain never get’s any run support when he goes and pitches a great game. According to his FIP he is actually worse than his ERA shows. Since signing his big extension he has regressed. His K/9 has gone down two seasons in a row. His HR/9 has gone up and so has his BB/9. His ERA ballooned up to 4 last year. His FIP has risen the last two years. Cain is just not as good as he used to be. Hopefully Cain can turn it around this year.

Grade D

Bullpen

Yusmeiro Petit (3-3, 57.0 IP, 4.11 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 54/14 K/BB): With Cain hitting the DL twice in May it sure was nice having Petit there to start for him. He started 5 games and has appeared in relief 17 times. Petit’s K/9 is a nice sitting at 8.53 and his BB/9 of 2.21 is also good. The 4.11 ERA isn’t pretty but not awful either. Let’s be honest with ourselves here, he’s there to be a emergency starter or long man if needed that’s it. Even so I get nervous whenever he is announced as the starter so I’m thinking might be a good idea for the giants to possibly look into acquiring another sixth starter/long man, if one of the starters go down for an extended period of time Petit may not be good enough to stop the bleeding.

Grade C

Juan Gutierrez (1-2, 36.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 28/6 K/BB, 10 HLD, 0 SV, 1 BLSV) If I could describe Juan in one word it would be average. He doesn’t walk anyone which is nice. He’s kinda been used as the workhorse for the bullpen logging the most inning for someone who hasn’t started a game. He eats lefties for breakfast allowing only a .176 batting average against. His WHIP is nice and low as well meaning not many hits. He doesn’t give up home runs either so I am sort of puzzled as to why his ERA is so high. Besides the Blown Save he been a solid bullpen arm.

Grade B

Jean Machi (5-0, 33.0 IP, 1.36 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 25/7 K/BB, 11 HLD, 2 SV) “Mean Jean The Machine Machi” has arguably been the best reliever in the Giants bullpen. Most didn’t think he was gonna make the team. Has he ever proved them wrong. Machi is behind only Gutierrez in IP for pitchers who haven’t started. Not only is he a workhorse, he doesn’t walk anyone. His 0.91 WHIP also shows he doesn’t give up many hits either. His ERA is a nice 1.36 ERA which is even more impressive when you consider he just came off a really brutal outing where he gave up four runs. Besides that he has been almost untouchable. He even had a streak of 25 1/3 inning without allowing a run. At the beginning of the season Machi was acting like a vulture stealing wins, at one point he was tied for the league lead. He’s held opponents to a .205 batting average while being particularly cruel to lefties keeping them to a lowly .147. Machi came out of nowhere and became arguably the best arm in the Giants bullpen. I have to believe that if Romo continues to struggle he would be in line to see a few save opportunities. I know there is no one else I would rather have in the ninth inning of a close game.

Grade A+

Sergio Romo (3-3, 31.1, 5.17 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 26/7 K/BB, 22 SV, 5 BLSV): Put yourselves in Brian Sabean’s shoes after the 2012 World Series. You are the newly crowed World Champions but you have a decision to make. Brian Wilson was an essential part of your 2010 World Series team but was injured for most of the season. He is coming off his second Tommy John surgery. Do you take a risk on him or stay with Sergio Romo, the wiz kid who pitched to a tune of 0.84 ERA, 0.47 WHIP and 4 SV’s in the playoffs? The Giants made their decision deciding to cut ties with Wilson in favor of Romo. It’s starting to look like neither were the answer. Brian Wilson is pitching for the Dodgers and struggling but so is Sergio Romo. He is coming off blowing a save by giving up a two-run home run to Brandon Phillips in the ninth. His Slider is just plain nasty but he threw it 4-5 times so eventually Brandon Phillips was going to adjust. He’s already blown 5 saves matching his total last year. His K/9 has dropped ever year since 2011. His opponents AVG, OBP, SLG have all gone up every year as well. There are whispers that if he continues to struggle he will lose his closer job. If that happens I imagine Santiago Casilla will take over the role with Jean Machi sliding into the Setup role. Overall not a very strong showing for someone who is in their contract year. He’s better than this but if he keeps under preforming they gave to give the job to Casilla.

Grade D+

Santiago Casilla (1-1, 30.2 IP, 1.17 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 21/9 K/BB, 10 HLD, 1 SV, 3 BLSV) Santiago has been used primarily as Sergio Romo’s setup man this year. This season has been pretty good overall but not perfect. Firstly he went on the DL after straining his hamstring trying to beat a grounder to first. Secondly he’s blown three save chances. Besides that he’s been really good. He has the lowest ERA and WHIP of all Giant pitchers, even better than “The Machine” Jean Machi. Opponents are hitting .178 against him! He’s been especially hard on righties allowing only a .147 batting average. Casilla has been arguably the best reliever this year, so much so that if Sergio Romo continues to struggle I could see him getting save chances, but I have to dock him marks for the blown saves and DL stint.

Grade A

Jeremy Affeldt (2-1, 27.0 IP, 1.33 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 23/7 K/BB, 12 HLD, 0 SV, 1 BLSV): Started his season on the DL. Raise of hands who here was suprised? Put your hand down, stop kidding yourself you knew he was gonna get injured. He hurt himself when his spike got caught in the dirt. Honestly what is next, having season ending injury because he cut himself while separating frozen hamburger patties? Wait, what? That already happened….Oh. Anyways after finally coming back he pitched pretty good besides the one blown save. He kept Righties to a .176 Batting average while averaging 7.67 K/9. The 1.33 ERA and 1.00 WHIP are great. As long as he avoids injuries Affeldt will be one of the best options in the bullpen for the Giants.

Grade A-

David Huff (0-1, 20.0 IP, 6.30 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 11/6 K/BB, 1 HLD) : He wasn’t that bad, if you removed his last two outing where he got shelled for four runs each game he had an ERA of 2.70. He also spent time on the disabled list. He was designated for assignment on June 6th then traded back to the Yankees for cash. And so ends David Huff’s incredibly short stint with the San Francisco Giants.

Grade: D-

Javier Lopez (1-1, 16.1 IP, 3.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 9/7 K/BB, 6 HLD, 0 SV, 2 BLSV): How much are we paying this guy?? What did you say? 4 million this season and next season and 5 million in 2016? Oh boy, this is starting to look bad. When I first heard how much they resigned Lopez for I didn’t like it. Now I don’t like it even more. His numbers are past not being pretty, they are downright ugly. 3.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and more walks than strikeouts are pretty bad considering he is supposed to be a LOOGY (Left-Handed One Out Guy). In his defense his ERA is a little inflated since he was lit up for 4 earned runs in his last 3 appearances. I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if he was destroying lefties….but he’s not. The .211 batting average against versus lefties isn’t horrible but considering his one and only job is to get lefties out it’s not good. Also consider that Juan Gutierrez and Mean Jean The Machine Machi have both more effective against lefties. The last straw is the walks , they are killing me… seriously every time he comes in it seems like he walks at least one. Remember he usually only faces one or two hitters. HOW HARD IS IT TO THROW A BALL IN THE STRIKE ZONE???? How much are we paying this guy again?

Grade D

George Kontos (1-0, 14.2 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 16/5 K/BB): He has been recalled and optioned twice already. He actually ok in his limited appearences. He should get the call if there is another bullpen injury. He has a 3.30 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 3 SV in 30 IP in AAA Fresno. He blew one save this year.

Grade: C

Jake Dunning Insufficient data. He only pitched for 2/3 of an inning. He walked one guy, no hits, no runs. He has a 5.88 ERA, and 1.57 WHIP in 33.2 IP in AAA Fresno. He was successful in his one and only save opportunity.

Grade: N/A

Final Grades

Position Players: Grade B The offense has exceeded expectations this year placing 11th in runs scored and 11th in home runs. If Pagan and Belt hadn’t spent so much time on the DL they would have been better. Their only glaring weakness is second base and hopefully Panik can stop the bleeding until Scutaro comes back.

Bench: Grade D+ The bench has been nothing but horrible. When Gregor Blanco has been your best bench bat you know you have problems. The Giants need to trade for a reliable 25th man.

Starting Rotation: Grade B Madison Bumgarner and Tim Hudson are pitching like aces and Lincecum and Vogelsong have been somewhat inconsistent but overall good. Matt Cain has been the weak link of the group. Overall the group is second in WHIP and 8th in ERA. They need to get a sixth starter just in case someone goes down with an injury.

Relievers: Grade B+ Santiago Casilla, Jean Machi and Jeremy Affeldt are an impressive 1-2-3 in the bullpen. If Romo and Lopez can turn their seasons around the Giants will have one of the if not the best bullpens in baseball.

Team Rating: Grade B The Giants were the best team in baseball before they hit their slump. Hopefully they turn it around soon. Their Bullpen and Rotation have been really good and the offense has been better than expected. The bench and second base are the only glaring concerns. For a team that wasn’t supposed to make the playoffs a one game lead over one of the best teams in baseball is pretty good. I think the Dodgers will eventually pass the Giants but the Giants will hold on to a Wild Card Spot.

Make sure to follow me @agiantamongjays

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