Since winning the World Series, the Giants have been branded with several labels. Misfits. Awful lineup. Forgettable. One of the worst champions in history. They finished with a solid record, but their division was awful with the light-hitting Padres leading most of the way through the year. The Giants were 9th in the National League and 17th in the Majors in runs scored. Their World Series lineup was nothing scary. Of their 9 hitters for the Series-clinching game 5, 3 of them didn't even start the year in the Giants 25 man roster. 2 of them, Pat Burrell and Cody Ross, were picked off the scrap heap. World Series MVP SS Edgar Renteria is so nondescript that the Giants declined his option for next season. Certainly, when compared to the titan offense of Philadelphia, New York, and Texas, San Francisco simply didn't stack up. The Giants won the old fashioned way: relying on their pitching and timely hitting from a few cornerstone players. But more impressive is how they attained their pitching staff: through a series of hits in the draft.
The Giants won through the type of shrewd moves that teams must make when they don't have the finances of the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, or Mets. The Giants have a respectable payroll number, 92 million dollars, 9th highest in the league. But when you factor in how the money is divided, it isn't exactly efficient. SP Barry Zito, who wasn't in the rotation for the playoffs, was paid 18.5 million. Edgar Renteria, well as he played in the post-season, wasn't worth 10 million dollars in 2010. Aaron Rowand was paid 13.6 million to bat .230 and hit 11 homers. Jose Guillen was a 12 million dollar player who got designated for assignment, and the Giants paid for 47 games remaining on the year.
Instead, it was the home grown staff and a stud rookie catcher than proved to be the difference. Tim Lincecum, 2 time Cy Young award winner who beat Cliff Lee twice in the Series, was selected 10th overall in 2006. Matt Cain, who twirled 2 post season shutouts including game 2 of the Series, was the 25th overall pick in 2002 out of high school. Madison Bumgarner, the 21 year old rookie who looked beyond his years in throwing a game 4 shut out, was drafted 10th overall out of high school in 2007. And the best hitter in the lineup, Buster Posey, was drafted 5th overall in 2008. The Giants also picked up key staffers Jonathan Sanchez (27th round, 2004), closer Brian Wilson (23rd round, 2003), and set up Sergio Romo (28th round, 2005) later in the draft. Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez, and Bumgarner are the first entirely home grown playoff rotation to win the Series in 24 years. Add on the 2 primary pieces on the back end, and that streak goes even longer. Plus a rookie of the year hitter. That is astounding drafting when you consider the sport, where going back to 1990, less than half of the overall #1 picks have ever made an MLB all-star game and a large amount of young, highly drafted players flame out in the majors or before they even reach that level.
Cornerstone players win games. The Giants had that, and most of that was in the starting pitching rotation. So before you label the Giants as "misfits" and "forgettable", just know that in the sport with the most hit-or-miss draft in North America, the Giants knocked several out of the park. No pun intended.
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