Right then, I am back after a little ten day break spent hanging out with my parents, who were visiting from California, and watching the Giants demolish, destroy and demoralize the hated Dodgers. The last time I posted the Giants were 4.5 games back in the NL West and now they are a game up. I’d say it was a pretty nice break.

With Dusty Baker and the Reds in town and the Giants set to honor the 2002 team, I thought it would be interesting to compare the 2012 version of our beloved Giants to their 2002 counterparts. What makes this interesting is that in my mind, the current Giants are the best all-around team assembled since that 2002 squad that made it all the way to the World Series.

Yes, I know, the 2010 team won the whole thing and for that we will always love that group. But I think if we’re being honest as fans we know that team was as much about magic and timing as it was about the quality of the players on the team. This year’s team is much more balanced offensively and you could argue even stronger in the starting rotation as Vogelsong is a massive upgrade over Sanchez. Even with Timmy scuffling and no Brian Wilson, I really love what is happening right now with this team. But how do they compare with that fantastic 2002 team? Let’s find out…

Catcher: Benito Santiago vs. Buster Posey

When Santiago joined the Giants in 2001 he was already on his 8th big league team having broken in with the Padres in 1986. Perhaps best known for his ability to throw out base-stealers from his knees, Santiago was never a “great” catcher, and his two best seasons were his rookie campaign in 1987 and 1988. In those two seasons combined, Santiago compiled a 6.5 WAR and those were the only two seasons he topped 3.0 in terms of WAR.

Posey meanwhile is only in his third season as a big league ballplayer, and because of a mid-season call-up (2010) and injury (2011), he has yet to play a full season. Despite that, Posey has already posted one season of 4.0 WAR and established himself as perhaps the best catcher in the NL. His career wOBA of .357 and wRC+ of 124 dwarf Santiago’s .313 and 89 marks, albeit in over 6,500 fewer plate appearances for Posey.

The bottom line here is that Posey is a star and barring injury will be one of the faces of the organization for years to come. Santiago was a solid player for the Giants, but because he was near the end of his career at the time, I have to go with Posey here.

Advantage: 2012 – Buster Posey

First Base: J.T. Snow vs. Brandon Belt

This one is definitely the most complicated for me as it depends completely on what you think Belt could become and less about what each player was/is.

Snow was a favorite of mine as a slick-fielding, steady ballplayer who really stabilized an infield that wasn’t exactly filled with top-notch defenders. Interestingly, 2002 was actually Snow’s worst season for the Giants as he limped to a .246 BA and a -0.8 WAR. Numbers aside, Snow was an integral part of the Giants success in their run to the World Series and it’s hard to imagine that team making it that far without him.

As the namesake of this particular blog, it’s hard for me to not be a little biased towards Belt as I view him as the future of the position for the Giants. During his recent run of steady playing time it has become clear that he can more than handle his own and as he gets more comfortable it’s not hard to imagine him becoming an all-star caliber player down the line. Combining plate discipline (.351 wOBA) with extra base pop and above-average defense, he’s an all-around contributor with a tremendous upside.

All that to say, because Belt is so unproven I have to side with Snow simply because of his body of work as a Giant. By season’s end my opinion here could change depending on how Belt’s season goes, but for now, it’s Snow.

Advantage: 2002 – J.T. Snow

Second Base: Jeff Kent vs. Ryan Theriot

I don’t really have to explain this, right?

Advantage: 2002 – Jeff Kent

Shortstop: Rich Aurilia vs. Brandon Crawford

This is another big advantage for the 2002 team as Aurilia was just a year removed from his career-year in 2001 when he posted a 7.6 WAR. He wasn’t nearly as good in 2002, but was still a good player for the Giants, posting a 2.9 WAR. Never a flashy defender, Aurilia was solid at the game’s toughest defensive position.

Crawford has been better lately, especially against right handed pitching, hitting .256 with 10 doubles against his opposite side. We all know how good a defender he is despite a run of errors and shaky play early in the season, but even with his superior defensive ability he can’t hold a candle to what Aurilia was in 2002.

Advantage: 2002 – Rich Aurilia

Third Base: David Bell vs. Pablo Sandoval

On the surface, this one would seem like a bit of a cake walk for the Kung Fu Panda. Bell, while a nice player who carved out a decent career, was never a star and posted a 16 WAR over his 12 years in the big leagues. Sandoval on the other hand has managed to post a 14.9 WAR in a little over three full seasons. This, it would seem, is not very close.

However, Bell’s 2002 campaign was arguably his best as a pro, with only his 2004 season with the Phillies rivaling it. Bell was worth 3.6 wins above replacement in 2002, the second-highest mark of his career, to go along with a .331 wOBA and a 103 wRC+. Rock solid at the hot corner, Bell was a fantastic addition to the Giants and one of Brian Sabean’s bigger steals as he came over from the Mariners in a January 2002 trade that sent Desi Relaford and cash to Seattle.

Sandoval has been equal parts superstar third baseman and injury-prone underachiever over the course of his young career, which makes this decision a little tough. If you assume he’ll stay healthy for the rest of the year, it’s hard not to believe his numbers will eclipse those of Bell’s 2002 campaign. Although the 20 homeruns that Bell hit that year may be tough for the Panda to replicate when you consider the power-sapping hamate injury he sustained and the fact that he only has five homeruns as of today. Still, it’s hard for me to not pick Sandoval here if for no other reason that I think he’s the better player overall despite some of his defensive shortcomings.

Advantage: 2012 – Pablo Sandoval

Left Field: Barry Bonds vs. Melky Cabrera

This sucks as Cabrera has been the Giants best offensive player since opening day and one of the best outfielders in the game, but Barry Bonds is one of the two best players I have ever seen with my own two eyes (Ken Griffey Jr. being the other) and all of the numbers back me up. For fun, here is what Bonds did in 2002:

Bonds – 12.5 WAR / .370 BA / 46 HRs / .546 wOBA / 245 wRC+ / 198 BBs / 47 Ks

Um, holy shit.

Advantage: 2002 – Barry Bonds

Center Field: Tsuyoshi Shinjo/Kenny Lofton vs. Angel Pagan

This is a tricky one as the better half of the 2002 duo was Lofton who was picked up in a deadline deal with the White Sox. The other half was Shinjo, who actually put up a 1.5 WAR in 2002, bolstered mostly by a solid defensive showing in center field. Lofton proved to be a major spark down the stretch for the Giants even though his overall numbers with the team were not particularly great. I know I will never forget being at AT&T Park for game 5 of the NLCS that year and watching Lofton stroke the game-winning hit off Steve Kline, sending the Giants to the World Series and the city into a frenzy.

For all of Lofton’s heroics though, it’s hard to discount what Pagan has meant to the Giants so far this season. Despite a maddening penchant for taking circuitous routes to fly balls, Pagan has been everything and more the Giants could have hoped for when they acquired him from the Mets. Lofton was 35-years-old when he played for the Giants, and while he remained a productive player for several years after 2002, the fact that he only spent a few months with the club makes it hard for me to pick him here. Barring injury, Pagan will certainly outperform the Shinjo/Lofton combo over the course of the season, and therefore I give him the advantage.

Advantage: 2012 – Angel Pagan

Right Field: Reggie Sanders vs. Gregor Blanco

Another matchup where the answer seems obvious, this one is quite a bit closer than you might think. Sanders played only one season in San Francisco and had a pretty nice year, posting a 3.2 WAR. He nearly reached the 20/20 plateau, smacking 23 homeruns to go along with 18 stolen bases, and had a .338 wOBA as well as a 108 wRC+. Like David Bell at third base, Sanders was nothing if not solid for the Giants in 2002.

Blanco meanwhile has probably been the biggest surprise of the season for the Giants so far, and despite falling on some hard times recently, has really solidified the top of the batting order with his patient approach. Through 67 games and 250 plate appearances, Blanco actually has an identical .338 wOBA and higher wRC+ of 114 than that of Sanders. Blanco has also been worth 2.2 wins above replacement, the same as Buster Posey to this point in the season. Despite the fact that Blanco doesn’t have much in the way of a track record, I firmly believe in his skills and am a huge fan of his approach. Because of that, I think Blanco will end up having a superior season to that of Sanders in 2002 and give him the very slight edge here.

Advantage: 2012 Gregor Blanco

Starting Pitchers: Jason Schmidt, Russ Ortiz, Livan Hernandez, Kirk Rueter and Ryan Jensen vs. Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong

I won’t spend a lot of time here discussing numbers because this piece has already gotten long and I don’t need to further bore you with the stats.

As good as the 2002 staff was, it was very top heavy with Schmidt leading the way. Ortiz, Hernandez and Rueter all had solid seasons, but none of them were spectacular. Probably the best thing you can say for that staff was that they were very durable, making all but four of the starts that season with Schmidt the only one to not start 30+ games. That said, only Schmidt finished the season with a xFIP under 4.00 and the two other pitchers to post ERA’s under 4.00 (Ortiz and Rueter) did so with very low BABIP’s, suggesting they pitched in very good luck all season.

This year’s staff on the other hand is full of dominant or near-dominant starters, three of which are either in their primes (Cain and Lincecum) or still in the process of getting there (Bumgarner). Suffice it to say, even with Zito and the back end, this is a very special group that is arguably the best in the game right now and that’s even with a struggling Lincecum. Easy decision here.

Advantage: 2012 – Lincecum, Cain, Bungarner, Zito and Vogelsong

Bullpen

I won’t bother listing the names here as they are many and could change as this season goes on. Much like the starting rotation comparison, the 2002 team was blessed with one dominant member in closer Robb Nen who saved 43 games in 2002 with an xFIP of 2.80. The only other member of the Giants pen to post a xFIP under 4.00 was Jay Witasick. Nen’s main setup men, Tim Worrell and Felix Hernandez, were an adventure to say the least and unfortunately were exposed in the World Series.

The 2012 bullpen lacks the dominant closer with the injury to Brian Wilson, but overall is a far more effective unit. Sergio Romo is one of the best relief pitchers in the game today, boasting a career 10.95 K per 9 mark to go along with a 2.86 xFIP. Javier Lopez eats left-handed hitters alive and combined with Romo gives the Giants a left/right combo at the back end of the bullpen that few teams can match. Santiago Casilla has had his ups and downs as the team’s closer, but he’s been more good than bad. Even the middle of the pen consisting of Jeremy Affeldt, Clay Hensley, Shane Loux and George Kontos has been solid and is every bit as good as the 2002 group, if not better.

The 2012 version of the Giants is built much more on pitching than the 2002 group was, so it’s no surprise that they come out on top here.

Advantage: 2012 Bullpen

Bench

One of the unsung keys to the success of the 2002 team was the relative strength of the bench players at Dusty Baker’s disposal. Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Martinez, Damon Minor, Tom Goodwin, Marvin Benard and Pedro Feliz all played a major part in getting the Giants to the World Series that year and should not be overlooked. The six players I mentioned were good for a combined 5.3 WAR and Torrealba, Martinez and Minor all had a wRC+ over 100. All in all they were an indispensable group that complimented the starters on that club very well.

The 2012 bench on the other hand is frighteningly thin with only three players, Nate Schierholtz, Hector Sanchez and Joaquin Arias, providing any value. Not a single player on the current Giants bench has a wRC+ higher than Sanchez’s 89 and the end of the bench comprised of Manny Burriss, Justin Christian and Aubrey Huff (when healthy) are well below replacement level players. Sanchez, Schierholtz and Arias have all had their moments this season, but Bruce Bochy and company better pray none of their current starters gets injured for a long period of time or it could get ugly quick.

Advantage: 2002 Bench

Manager: Dusty Baker vs. Bruce Bochy

Say what you want about Baker, he had a very nice run as the skipper of the Giants. Sure, he was blessed with Barry Bonds, but that doesn’t diminish his accomplishments in my eyes. He had a great ability to get his players to play for him, and that is a rare trait in any coach at the professional level. The one thing you could never say about a Baker-led club was that they didn’t play hard and that’s a testament to Baker. That said, he was not a very good in-game manager, a fact that has been proven time and again during his more recent stints with the Cubs and Reds.

Bochy has also shown an ability to squeeze quality performances out of his players, never more so than in 2010 when he led the magical group of cast-offs and misfits to the title. Bochy has proven to be much better at handling his pitching staff than Baker ever was, showing a pretty good feel for when to pull the plug on a starting pitcher. If I have one major complaint with Bochy it has been his reluctance to trust young players with upside over veterans. He’s getting a bit better with that, so I’ll give him credit for modifying his old school ways. Like most managers in the big leagues, Bochy still makes tactical mistakes (i.e. sac bunting, pulling the infield in, etc.) but that is something we just have to live with I suppose. The fact that he took the Giants to the World Series and won is the separator for me here.

Advantage: 2012 – Bruce Bochy

Conclusion: 2012 Giants 7 – 2002 Giants 5

So there you have it, on the strength of a far superior pitching staff the 2012 Giants edge out the 2002 Giants in this particular breakdown. It remains to be seen how the current team will finish this season, but Giants fans have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the team’s chances. Let me know what you think in the comments or tweet me your thoughts at @AdamDoctolero.