We need to revisit what a fan is

My name is Michael Saltzman and I am a San Francisco Giants fan. Like all fans, I have died hard with my team. I have survived the torture of 2003, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1993, 1989, 1987, etc... I  have also enjoyed the highest of highs with the championships of 2010, 2012, and 2014. That's what fans do. They figuratively live and die with their team. Through the good times, through the bad times, and through Scott Speizio.

As a fan growing up in the late 1980's, I fell in love with Bay Area baseball. Both the Giants and A's were outstanding teams. Guys like Will Clark, Robby Thompson and Matt Williams were coming up through the minor league system at the time for the Giants, and they became the foundation of many successful seasons in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the A's had a great team of their own with some Hall of Fame talent like Rickey Henderson and Dennis Eckersley, along with the Bash Brothers, Dave Henderson, Dave Parker and Terry Steinbach.

However, during the 1989 World Series, I came to a crossroads in the rule of fandom.

1. 1st rule of Fandom: You can only have 1 team.
2. 2nd rule of Fandom: YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 1 TEAM!!

You weren't allowed to root for both teams. Those hats they came out with that had the A's on one half and the Giants on the other were disgusting, not creative. At least that's how I was brainwashed to think. I had a problem. I was nine years old, and I had favorites on both. I loved Kevin Mitchell. He was my absolute favorite player. His 1989 season led to an MVP award and his 47 home runs and 125 runs batted in led the way for the Giants that season. Rickey and Dave Henderson were also great for the A's and I loved watching Rickey run the bases and loved watching the swagger of Hendu in centerfield.

But, you can only have 1 favorite team. You can only have 1 team you die hard for. So, I had to make a decision, and like the first paragraph explained, I am still a proud Giants fan.

But let's go back to those favorite players for a minute. Mitchell was my favorite as a 9 year old boy in 1989, and his posters were on my wall and his baseball cards were in my school binders. In 1992, the Giants betrayed me and traded Mitchell to the Seattle Mariners. How could they do that? That was my favorite player. Other favorites would be gone soon after as Will Clark and Matt Williams were both gone during the next few seasons. So, even if I had picked Clark or Williams to be my favorite player, or even my new favorite player, I would have suddenly had to start watching Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians games respectively. Despite my favorite player being shipped to Seattle, I stayed with the Giants. It wasn't easy, and I did "root" for Mitchell, Clark, Williams, and other former Giants when I watched them play elsewhere.

This brings me to the main reason I am writing this article and why I gave you my personal back story as well. We basically become fans for 1 of two reasons.

A. We were born near the team we root for.
B. We have a favorite player

There rarely is a third reason. My brother-in-law was born in Australia and the only games broadcast there when he was growing up were Yankees games, so he became a die hard Yankees fan and a die hard Don Mattingly fan as well. I still include that into the A category because when you aren't near a team, the team that gets broadcast the most where you live will often become your honorary team. This is one of the very reasons the Cubs and Braves have had such a great national following, because of their games being shown nationally on basic cable television for so many years.

I was born in San Jose, California, and went to many games at Candlestick Park and the Oakland Coliseum. It wasn't an accident that those two teams were my favorite teams, or that my favorite players were on those teams.

So let's talk about B for a minute then. Sometimes, we have a favorite player. That player usually is on the local team, but not always. There are certainly fans of Derek Jeter who never spent time in New York and there are certainly Giants fans because of Buster Posey who have never been to California.

So let's take a player who is great, and who has been traded and look at the dynamics of the fandom surrounding that player. Unfortunately, the Oakland A's have traded away many players in recent years and those players have gone to perform well in their new homes. Meanwhile, friends of mine are stuck rooting for the constantly changing roster in Oakland. Josh Donaldson, one of the best players in the game and an MVP candidate in 2015 for the Toronto Blue Jays, was an Oakland A's third baseman in 2014.

Very few fans of Josh Donaldson became Blue Jays fans. Most Josh Donaldson fans stayed Oakland A's fans.

WHY!!!!

This is the part of fandom that I never understood and even as an adult and victim to the rationale we give for why this always happens.

I understand that loyalty to your hometown is similar to loyalty to your family for many people and when you are a fan of a team from the place you are from, there is a bond that feels just as strong as the bond with your family. However, many fans of Josh Donaldson and the A's became fans of Donaldson because of his abilities on the field. The playoff success the A's have had in recent seasons gave them many more casual fans and those fans loved the way that Donaldson played the game.

So when Billy Beane traded Donaldson, why aren't fans allowed to root for the Blue Jays? Why do they have to root for Brett Lawrie, the A's new third baseman, more than Donaldson.

Imagine your emotions in the following scenario: You and your best friend are die hard A's fans. You sat on the couch and watched the 2014 post-season and were crushed when the Royals stormed back to defeat your favorite team. In the off-season, you hear the news that Beane has traded Donaldson to the Blue Jays for Lawrie and prospects. You go to see your friend a few days later and they are sitting on that same couch wearing a Blue Jays jersey.

Do you feel?

A. Betrayed
B. Angry
C. Baffled
D. Confused
E. All of the Above

You're damn right ALL OF THE ABOVE. What a traitor! What kind of fan are you!?!? How could you leave our A's for the stupid Blue Jays? I guess the big money teams can buy your loyalty too.

Why does this happen? Why do you let ourselves fall in love with players on our favorite team, and then treat them like chess pieces when they move elsewhere? These are our favorite players. We should be allowed to root for those individual players no matter where they play. If you are a Josh Donaldson fan, you should be rooting for him in Toronto.  And yet, we don't. We stick with our team because the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back.

But how many of us fell in love with our favorite team because of a player. How many Yankees fans, are actually just Derek Jeter fans. How many of those Jeter fans are now sitting around their room with all of their Yankees memorabilia trying to convince themselves that they love the Yankees and not just Jeter. It's not hard and it's actually quite typical.

It's human nature. For those Jeter fans, they ended up watching many Yankees games over the years, and when Aaron Boone, or Scott Brosius or Hideki Matsui had a big moment, they cheered just as loud as if Jeter got that hit. They want Jeter to do well, and for him to win, the other 24 guys have to play well too. That's why we end up buying other replica jerseys and generic memorabilia that has nothing to do with our favorite player as the years go. We end up liking other guys too. And, we also know that when our favorite player retires, we will need a new favorite to keep the line moving.

Many fans of my Giants began because of Posey. However, since they started following the Giants in 2010, they also became fans of Madison Bumgarner, Hunter Pence and Matt Duffy. This is not surprising. It happens to every fan. We end up liking other players, but our reason for liking the "team" in the first place is only because of the one guy. When Posey retires, these fans will feel obligated by the rules of fandom to stay with the Giants. That is because of the infamous "Rule #3."

3. 3rd rule of fandom: You cannot change allegiances no matter what.
4. 4th rule of fandom: YOU CANNOT...I love Fight Club.

We vilify fans for changing teams. If the team they change to is good, regardless of the reason, we say they jumped on the bandwagon.  We again rip them for their lack of loyalty. We tell them that they are not worthy of calling themselves fans because they didn't stick with their team no matter what. We use the term die hard and we figuratively mean it. We "kill" fans for changing their loyalty.

We need to realize that this is entertainment and our entertainment should be best spent on the people who entertain us the most. When Jeter retires, fans don't owe the Yankees anything. They should be allowed to shift to a new favorite player, regardless of whether they are on the Yankees or not. Same with Posey. Same with Donaldson. Same with whoever your favorite player is.

The name on the back of the jersey means more than the name on the front. That's what a true fanatic really should be. They are crazy about the players that make them fall in love with the game every day. If you love your team, the way I love the Giants, feel free to stick to your team through thick and thin. I'm going to even after writing this story. Like I said in the beginning of this article: I am Michael Saltzman and I am a San Francisco Giants fan.

Free Agents Aren't Worth It.

For the last several off-seasons, big money teams have thrown millions of dollars to high priced free agents. They have also signed players on their rosters to extensions and traded for high priced players. All of these moves were made with a simple idea in mind. These teams felt like the piece their team was missing was either a frontline starter or middle of the order bat. By spending large sums of their profits to bring in this All-Star caliber player, these teams have felt it was the missing piece to much future success.

That has to be the reason. It wouldn't make sense for it to be any other way. That's why the Texas Rangers gave Alex Rodriguez $252 million in 2001. That's the reason the Angels gave Albert Pujols $240 million in 2012 and why the Mariners gave Robinson Cano the same last off-season.

Of the 20 largest contracts ever given to free agents in baseball history to change teams, only four players have won rings with that team: Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Barry Zito.  The Red Sox handed Ramirez a $160 million deal in 2001, and three years later, he helped the Sox break "The Curse of the Bambino" to finally win the World Series and then won again in 2007. By the end of the contract, Manny was being Manny too often and he left Boston. Considering the recent history of large contacts, however, this was the clear winner as the most successful free agent signing in the last 15 years.

The Yankees gave Sabathia $161 million and Texieira $180 million in 2009 and it paid immediate dividends, as they led the Yankees to their 27th title that season. Sabathia was their ace for the next four years, but has struggled the last three seasons. Teixeira also had good seasons through 2012, and then struggled in 2013 and 2014 like Sabathia. In a tragic turn of events, Sabathia has checked himself into rehab for alcohol and his future is in doubt. Teixeira had a Comeback Player of the Year worthy season in 2015, and now heads into the final year of his contract with some hope.

The Giants gave Zito $126 million back in 2007. For the first four seasons, Zito was widely considered by fans in the Bay Area to be a terrible signing and when the team went to the post-season in 2010, he wasn't included on the playoff roster. Now as any Giants fan will tell you now, Zito's pitching performance in the 2012 post-season wiped all the bad thoughts and all the bad seasons.  However, this also shows just how unlikely it is for your team's big free agent signing being the missing link.

Max Scherzer and Zach Greinke, who signed with the Nationals and Dodgers, respectively, as free agents, just has Cy Young caliber seasons in 2015. Scherzer is in the first season of his mega deal. Greinke, who signed for $147 million in 2013, has an opt-out in the contract that allows him to become a free agent again this year. Scherzer certainly wasn't the problem in Washington, and his contract still has time to be "worth the price." Greinke helped the Dodgers win the National League West three straight seasons, something the Dodgers had never done before. However, by opting out this year, and because the Dodgers didn't win a World Series in that short time, was Greinke's signing worth it?

Prince Fielder helped lead the Detroit Tigers to the World Series in 2012, the same year he signed with the Tigers for $214 million. However, he is already an ex-Tiger, helping lead the Texas Rangers now.

Carl Crawford was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2011 and quickly traded to the Dodgers along with Adrian Gonzalez and others. That trade helped shaped the 2013 Red Sox that won the World Series, but it was their much more affordable replacements that helped David Ortiz lead the Sox that year.

Alex Rodriguez signed his $275 million extension in 2008 and Derek Jeter signed his $189 million deal in 2001. Both were on the 2009 Yankees that won the World Series with Sabathia. A-Rod and Jeter were already Yankees at the time, but they are also the only players among the top 10 contracts to win a ring during their deal.

The Yankees 2009 team had a payroll of more than $220 million according to Baseball Prospectus. Adding Sabathia and Teixeira to a team that already had Jeter and Rodriguez is something that only the Yankees could have afforded at the time. The Dodgers, among others, are now willing to outspend the Yankees and it has led to bloated contracts being given out to players outside of the Bronx. Outside of that 2009 team the Yankees bought, there has been very little success from buying players in free agency.

Buster Posey signed a $167 million extension in 2013 and the Giants won a third World Series championship in 2014. That seems to be the smarter play for teams looking to shell out huge dollars for players. Matt Cain's extension came in 2012 for $127.5 million and he led the Giants staff that season. However, Cain's struggles since because of injuries and inconsistency show how fragile these signings can be.

For a team like the Giants, Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox, the teams are able to withstand the blow more than others. With no salary cap in baseball, teams can spend whatever money they have, based on their profits and the revenue sharing rules that have been recently added. That revenue sharing has helped teams that don't have the same profits as some of the larger market teams, but it hasn't allowed them to overpay for multiple free agents. It also hasn't allowed them to re-sign their own for the price players can earn on the free agent market. We are seeing this now with International signings as well, as the Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, and others are battling for all of the top players.

Giancarlo Stanton will begin playing under his record setting $325 million contract next year. Will the Marlins win a third World Series during the 13 years of the contract? Will Stanton opt out the way Greinke has this off-season, and pursue a larger deal after the 2020 season. Or will Stanton be traded by 2018, when his contract bumps up to $25 million a season?

#SFGiantsMadness down to the Sweet 16

Jeremy Affeldt & Ryan Vogelsong are both still alive in #SFGiantsMadness

After a week of voting on Twitter, we are down to the Sweet 16, and this year we had some incredible upsets. Top seeds went down as fans clearly voted for this current group of Giants over past legends. Last year, the voting was pretty consistent and many top seeds advanced. There were some upsets last year as well, as fan favorites such as Mike Krukow and Hunter Pence made it to the sweet 16 last year. This year, they were joined by some other unlikely winners.

#SFGiantsMadness Dominican Dandy Bracket: 1. RT for Juan Marichal 16. FAV for @JeremyAffeldt #ThanksAffeldt pic.twitter.com/x3ABoL8msN

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) October 15, 2015

#SFGiantsMadness Dominican Dandy Bracket: 2. RT for @OrlandoCepeda30 15. FAV for Ryan Vogelsong pic.twitter.com/v7SS7OZm72

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) October 15, 2015

#16 seed Jeremy Affeldt and #2 seed Ryan Vogelsong took out Hall of Famers Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda respectively. Affeldt announced his retirement this season, and Vogelsong may have also thrown his last pitch in orange and black, so fans certainly wanted to show these men some love in the voting. However, it is still a shocker to see them dethrone legends like Marichal and Cepeda. Not only are they Hall of Famers, but they also are well known to the fan base as the Giants consistently have them be a part of every ceremony and championship parade and event. Current fans know who these legends are, even if they were too young to see them play. It just goes to show that voting is always going to be based on fan preference and sometimes that means upsets happen.

Also in the 2nd round, Sergio Romo defeated Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in a #10 vs #2 matchup. Romo took an early lead and never relinquished it, despite a last ditch effort by fans to send more votes to Perry.

2nd Round #SFGiantsMadness Stretch Bracket: 2. RT for Gaylord Perry 10. FAV for @SergioRomo54 PC: @bradmangin pic.twitter.com/TNc5lStjIO

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) October 16, 2015

In 2014, Krukow and Pence won in the 1st round despite being #11 and #14 seeds. Only Pence made it to the 2nd round, however, because they just so happen to be in the same bracket.

2nd Round 2014 #SFGiantsMadness The GOAT Bracket 11. RT for Mike Krukow 14. FAV for @hunterpence pic.twitter.com/jTaI8EMB8m

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) December 26, 2014

This season, both were #11 seeds and both are cruising into the Sweet 16 with 2nd round victories. Krukow taking down former teammate Robby Thompson and Pence taking down Matt Williams.

Round 2 #SFGiantsMadness Say Hey Kid Bracket: 3. RT for Robby Thompson 11. FAV for Mike Krukow pic.twitter.com/pJso8fDiN7

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) October 19, 2015

Round 2 #SFGiantsMadness Barry! Barry! Bracket: 3. RT for Matt Williams 11. FAV for @hunterpence pic.twitter.com/YD1rNP93IS

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) October 19, 2015

Three #1 seeds remain, with Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds. Only two #2 seeds remain, with Will Clark and Buster Posey. Matt Cain is also the only #3 seed left standing, as #6 seed J.T. Snow took down Bobby Bonds, along with Krukow and Pence.

The champion may still end up being the defending champion Mays, and it's possible that 7 of the 8 winners in round 3 could be a top 3 seed. However, if the previous two rounds are any indication, this is going to be madness.

#SFGiantsMadness is BACK and it's New and Improved!

Willie Mays won #SFGiantsMadness last season. Will he win it again in 2015?

Last off-season, thanks to Twitter follower @RedSox_Stuff, I began putting together a March Madness style bracket to celebrate all the great players in San Francisco Giants history. I decided to rank players based solely on their contributions to the Giants since their move from New York in 1958. This allowed fans to have much more knowledge of the players being seeded and also allowed for more current players to make the cut. Both of these factors made it a much more popular game.

The highlight from last year came when Giants legend Rich Aurilia chimed in on the bracket he was placed in, where he had to face off against Willie McCovey.

I have no chance, tough matchup.“@CandlestickWill: 2nd Round 2014 #SFGiantsMadness 1. RT for Willie McCovey 8. FAV for @RichAurilia35

— RichAurilia35 (@RichAurilia35) December 27, 2014

Ultimately, there were some close calls where some legendary players of yesteryear faced off against current World Series heroes. This 3rd round matchup was epic:

2nd Round 2014 #SFGiantsMadness Say Hey Kid Bracket 1. RT for Willie Mays 8. FAV for Madison Bumgarner pic.twitter.com/S5bX5Wq21k

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) December 26, 2014

The seeding last year was also limited to Wins Above Replacement (WAR) rankings. This worked well for the most part, but short changed players who had tremendous individual seasons in short lived careers with the team and crippled relief pitchers the most.

However, at the end of the tournament last off-season, the Championship did come down to the two greatest Giants of all-time:

Championship Matchup of #SFGiantsMadness is: RT for Willie Mays Fav for @BarryBonds Because of course it is... pic.twitter.com/CXTqns33EM

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) December 29, 2014

This year, I have added some factors that should make the rankings more true to where players fall in fans eyes.

1. Wins Above Replacement
2. World Series Rings
3. Playoff Seasons
4. Most Valuable Player Awards (2)
5. Rookie of the Year (2)
6. Cy Young Awards (2)
7. Willie Mac Award
8. All-Star Appearances
9. Gold Gloves
10. Player of the Month

Ryan Vogelsong has been with the team from 2011-2015 and has earned a 3.7 WAR in that time. He has also been to the playoffs twice, won two World Series rings, and has won the Willie Mac Award and made the All-Star team. That brings his total "value" to 9.7.

Ellis Burks, in his three seasons in San Francisco, earned a WAR of 8.8, with 1 post season appearance and winning the Willie Mac Award as well. His "value" was 10.8.

As fans look back on the careers of several key Giants, it's important to look at many factors, and because of the success of the recent teams, players on those teams are looked at more favorably. At the same time, there is so much value in what Sabermetrics has done for baseball in giving us a more true value of on field performance.

For whatever flaws may be in the new seeding format I created, one thing is certain. Whether people vote with their heart or their minds, fans get to decide for themselves.

Matt Cain and the 7 Underappreciated Seasons

Matt Cain has an impressive resume. He has won three world championships as a member of the San Francisco Giants, he is a three time All-Star, including starting the Midsummer Classic in 2012, and has also thrown a perfect game. Cain has been a "horse" for the Giants rotation since his call up in 2005.

In the storied history of the Giants, pitchers such as Christy Matthewson, Juan Marichal, Tim Lincecum, Jason Schmidt and Kirk Rueter have seemed to get more respect and love from the fan base. Cain always seemed to be overshadowed throughout his career.  From the huge shadow of Barry Bonds, to the bigger names in the rotation like Schmidt, Barry Zito and Lincecum. And even now with the emergence of Madison Bumgarner, who is the latest great pitcher to join the franchise's encyclopedia of greats, Cain has always seemed to be the other guy. However, from 2006-2012, Cain may have been the best pitcher the Giants have ever seen to start a career since they arrived in San Francisco in 1958.

Matt Cain, in those 7 seasons, had a 30 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Cain was 21 years old when he began the 2006 season and was 27 during his 2012 campaign. To put that in perspective, Greg Maddux, from 21-27, had a WAR of 32.2. Bob Gibson, who was 24 years old in his 2nd season, had a WAR of 30.2.

Cain's 30 WAR is better than Max Scherzer, Barry Zito, CC Sabathia, Jim Palmer, Andy Pettitte, David Price, Randy Johnson, Gaylord Perry, Vida Blue, Jon Lester and Roy Halladay among others in those same seasons.

To put his 30 WAR in perspective another way: Only 37 pitchers in the history of the game have a WAR of 35 or better from their 2nd through 8th seasons and only 15 pitchers since 1958. Only 23 have a WAR of 40 of higher and only 8 since 1958.  Matt Cain was on a 1st ballot Hall of Fame path through his 2012 season.

Matthewson and Marichal were far and away better than Cain in those seasons, but nobody else who's worn a Giants uniform is. Cain has been the greatest pitcher in San Francisco Giants history since Marichal and yet most fans look at everyone from Lincecum, to Bumgarner to Schmidt or even Rueter when looking at the great pitchers in Giants history.

Cain has shown an amazing consistency throughout his career with the Giants. Here is some statistical proof.

Matt Cain has struck out 1506 batters: 213 in April 266 in May 292 in June 209 in July 279 in August 236 in September

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) December 5, 2014

What makes Cain so special was his ability to pitch despite consistently pitching for the inferior team early in his career. Before all the championships, Cain pitched for the 2006-2009 Giants that did not reach the post-season. Just look at what Cain accomplished by age 25.

Through his age 25 season: Matt Cain 24.2 WAR (Best ever in @SFGiants history & 27th highest all-time) Meanwhile, a 57-62 record #Cained

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) August 28, 2015

In 2007 and 2008, in particular, Cain had a win-loss record of 15-30. Despite such a dismal record, only 15 pitchers in all of baseball had a better WAR than Cain's 9.2. In that same two year stretch, Roy Halladay had a record of 36-18 with a WAR of 9.7. Cain had 28 games in those two years where he pitched 7 or more innings and gave up 3 or fewer runs, yet had a Win-Loss record of 9-9 in those 28 games with a 1.97 ERA. In the 26 games Andy Pettitte pitched in that 2 year span, he had a 16-5 record and a 1.91 ERA.

Giants fans refer to these types of losses as getting #Cained with it's own hashtag on Twitter.  Pitching 7 or more innings and giving up 3 runs or fewer is not an uncommon thing for Cain. What is also uncommon are the Giants losing in those games. 125 times in Matt Cain's career, he has hit the 7 inning and 3 runs or less mark. Cain dominated with a 1.58 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP in those games, yet is 60-21. That means the team has #Cained him 65 times. Twenty-one times, he has taken the loss and the other 44 times, he was officially given a no decision. The team has also only won 81 of those 125 games.

For comparison, Tim Hudson has 130 games over the last 10 years of 7 innings or more and three runs or less and his W-L record is 84-20, despite a near identical 1.57 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.  Winning the game is the most important part of any sport. However, in a team sport, you need teammates and Cain struggled to get the run support and defense necessary to make his great pitching reflect the scoreboard.

Baseball statistics guru @AceBallStats shared some incredible statistical proof that Matt Cain was in fact #Cained an incredible number of times.

#SFGiants Matt Cain has lost 95 career games, 37.9% (36) of them have been quality starts.

— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) August 14, 2014

#SFGiants Matt Cain has 102 career non-win quality starts, he is 0-35 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.028 WHIP, 7.43 K/9, & 0.74 HR/9 in those starts.

— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) June 19, 2014

The #SFGiants bullpen has blown 33 games in which Matt Cain departed in line for the win; he has 94 career wins.

— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) June 17, 2014

Active, most career quality start non-wins: Mark Buehrle 104 Matt Cain 101 Barry Zito 100 A.J. Burnett 98 Dan Haren 96 Tim Hudson 95

— Ace of MLB Stats (@theaceofspaeder) April 30, 2014

Ultimately, when Matt Cain's career comes to a close, regardless of how it ends, baseball fans need to read between the lines and see that Cain was one of the best pitchers of his era. Cain has struggled the last three seasons to stay healthy and his last three years has called his value into question. There is no minimizing his value to the team for his first seven full seasons. Not when you look at all the numbers and all the factors and realize what Cain accomplished.

Giants will win in 2016 because: Even Year Magic...and talent.

The San Francisco Giants have had an interesting last 6 seasons. Three World Series championships. Three seasons without a playoff appearance. Every even season they win it all. Every odd year, they don't even make it to the dance. How can we explain this? It's very simple. Even year magic. Also, baseball is very hard and making the post-season is never easy. In pro basketball or hockey, more teams make the post-season than stay at home. In Major League baseball, only 10 of the 30 teams reach the playoffs, and two of the 10 only get guaranteed 9 innings.

There are some obvious reasons 2011, 2013 and 2015 ended without October baseball. For one, the team suffered some back breaking injuries, both literally and figuratively in each of those seasons. From Buster Posey's broken leg and Freddy Sanchez broken back in '11, to Angel Pagan's hamstring and Marco Scutaro's broken back in '13, to Hunter Pence's various injuries and Joe Panik's broken back in '15. If there was one thing we knew was going to happen in odd years, it was a critical member of the lineup was going down for several months and the team's second baseman was going to injure their back.

Fans wanted the "odd year curse" to be over this season, and had high hopes that the Giants could get back to the post-season in back to back years for the 1st time since 2002-03. There was reason to be hopeful too. Hunter Pence did play some games this season and the Giants were 34-18 in those games. That .653 winning percentage would translate to 105 wins. That doesn't mean the Giants were going to win 105 games, or even 95 games, but since the Dodgers won 92 games to win the National League West, a healthy Pence could have made a huge difference.

Also, there were those pesky 1 run games. The Giants won 19 1 run games in 2015, which is more than the 15 the Blue Jays won, but it was there 2-15 record in 1 run games down the stretch that made all the difference. The Giants had several starters out during those 17 games, including Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Gregor Blanco and Nori Aoki and several key pitchers out, including Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, Mike Leake and Jeremy Affeldt.

Looking ahead in 2016, there is room for much optimism. First and foremost, the Giants still have 3 of the best players in baseball in the prime of their careers. Madison Bumgarner will not win the Cy Young this year, primarily because of some of the greatest pitching seasons we've seen in the National League in a decade. However, Bumgarner had an incredible season that proves he is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. His 8.9 Wins Above Replacement over the past two seasons is 13th best in baseball. And compared to those other 12 pitchers, his ERA of 2.95 is tied for 10th best, while his FIP is 8th. He also hit 5 home runs this season and has become a legitimate threat to the lineup when he bats. His pinch hit at bats have become epic performances. His .468 Slugging percentage was higher than Evan Gattis and Prince Fielder, among others.

When healthy, Pence has been incredible for the Giants, as the 34-18 record and World Series victory in 2014 has showed in recent seasons. If Pence can get back to being an everyday player that can play 150 games, the Giants will be much improved without making any upgrades. Buster Posey is still the team's primary catcher, despite fans and media members questioning when he'll move to first base.  However, one of the main reasons he is the team's primary backstop is because he is an elite catcher. He may very well be a finalist for the Gold Glove this season, and could win it for his ability to throw out runners, call a game and frame pitches. His offense was once again MVP caliber, as he narrowly missed a 2nd batting title. If it wasn't for Bryce Harper's otherworldly season, Posey could make a case for his second MVP.

The Giants defense has always been a source of strength during their successful runs to the post-season and to the World Series, and the two main players in the greatest double play in World Series history are coming off tremendous seasons. Crawford and Panik are both going to be finalists for Gold Gloves in their own right, and Crawford also ended up leading the Giants in home runs with 21. He is the first shortstop to lead the Giants in home runs in over 100 seasons. Panik, despite a back injury that ended his season, had a tremendous sophomore year and will certainly be one of the anchors of the team going forward.

Third base was the biggest hole from last season with the departure of Pablo Sandoval, and not just because of his weight. Sandoval was a member of all three championship seasons and his absence was evident immediately. Casey McGahee, brought in to replace the "Panda" did so poorly in the first five weeks of the season, that rookie utility player Matt Duffy replaced him in the starting lineup. Duffy, who had never played third base regularly in his professional career, became an instant success, ended up winning the team's prestigious Willie Mac Award, and will be a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award. Like Posey, who will lose out to Harper, Duffy will probably lose out to Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs. However, Duffy has made fans, teammates and front office people forget about Sandoval and completes a homegrown infield with Posey, Crawford, Panik and Belt.

Injuries were the story all season in the outfield. Not only did the team miss Pence, but Pagan, Blanco, Aoki and Juan Perez all missed significant time. The team tried several players from outside the organization, from Justin Maxwell, who made the team out of spring, to Marlon Byrd and Alejandro De Aza, who the team traded for during the season. Byrd and Aoki could both be options to return in 2016. Blanco and Pagan are signed for next season, but will both be free agents in 2017. Pence is the only lock to be with the team in 2016, and he ended the season on the disabled list. Needless to say, the outfield has huge question marks.

The outfield isn't a huge concern for fans because they are too busy being worried about the starting rotation. For all the superlatives fans can say and make about Bumgarner, there isn't another pitcher in the rotation that is a lock to have a strong 2016. Jake Peavy is the most likely, after ending both 2014 and 2015 strong. However, there is no guarantee that Peavy will stay as effective as is the case with any pitcher in their mid-30's. Same goes for Matt Cain, a "horse" for the Giants for nearly a decade, Cain has struggled the last three seasons to stay healthy. Cain, who showed flashes of being his old self in the season finale, will need to be healthy if the team wants to battle in the National League next season. The team wants to re-sign Mike Leake, who will be a free agent this winter, but even if the Giants sign Leake, they may want to try to bring in another starter in case Cain struggles or in case some of their young pitchers, like Chris Heston, struggle. Heston, who had a very strong 1st half that included no hitting the New York Mets, struggled in the 2nd half and now his roster spot on the 25 man roster is in doubt. With Lincecum, Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong all free agents and Yusmeiro Petit due a raise in arbitration, the starting staff could look vastly different in 2016.

The bullpen and the bench are always in flux every season for every team. They are the two hardest areas of a baseball team to have consistency because of the nature of the job descriptions. The bench, in particular, because one of the hardest things to do in sports is to perform consistently when you play inconsistently. Same goes for the bullpen, where pitchers may go several day without pitching at all and other days where they pitch many days in a row. That being said, one of the strengths of the Giants these last six seasons has been the consistency of their bullpen. The "core four" as they have been named, each have three World Series rings. Affeldt is retiring, so the team will no longer have all four members of the core. Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez will all be back, but all will be in the final year of their contracts. So even if they all perform well in 2016, this could be the final year for the remaining three members of the core four. Josh Osich, another rookie who was brought up due to all the team's injuries, will look to replace Affeldt in the 'pen. Hunter Strickland, another rookie pitcher, will be asked to take on a more prominent role in 2016. George Kontos had a career year in 2015, and should be another lock for the bullpen next year.

The bench could include Byrd or Aoki or Blanco or Perez but it also could be rookies Jarrett Parker and Mac Williamson, two of the young players promoted in September. Parker and Williamson may be long shots because they have the option of returning to Sacramento and start the year in Triple-A. The team has expressed interest in bringing Byrd and Aoki back. They may platoon in LF, or they may both begin the year on the bench. The team will only start the year with five outfielders, so if Pagan isn't traded, the team will have a numbers crunch. Andrew Susac should be back healthy and his play at catcher has been encouraging. One of the bright spots of 2015 was the late emergence of Kelby Tomlinson. Tomlinson is primarily a second baseman, so the team has suggested he spend time this winter in center field. Much like Duffy in 2014, Tomlinson was initially an afterthought in 2015, but now looks like he could be a key contributor in 2016. That may be the one positive to all the injuries is the opportunities it gave Tomlinson, Osich and others.

This winter will have a lot of Hot Stove talk about the Giants going after the top pitchers on the market, such as David Price, Zach Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and others. However, the Giants have proven over the last six seasons that they don't always need to find the best free agents. Sometimes they just need to find the right fits for their ballpark and their clubhouse. Leake and Byrd could be two of those fits.  Will those moves be enough? Will the Giants buck recent trends and overpay for the top tier free agents? Will they stick to their blueprint and try to be more strategic about who they sign? Should be a fun winter.

Jeremy Affeldt is the greatest pitcher in San Francisco Giants post-season history

Jeremy Affeldt announced his retirement on Thursday, and it's left Giants fans with many talking points. Most of them center around Affeldt's seven years with the team and more specifically, his time in the post-season. For all the acclaim and fanfare Tim Lincecum received in 2010, Matt Cain earned in 2012 and Madison Bumgarner deserved in 2014, no pitcher was more important to all three championship rings than Affeldt. In my mind, it's not even close, either. Affeldt, a member of the Giants "core four" along with Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, and Santiago Casilla, was at his absolute best when it mattered most. His consecutive game scoreless streak in the post-season is second best all-time, just one game behind Mariano Rivera. Ultimately, he did not allow a run in his final 22 appearances in the post-season. He was dominant throughout the playoffs during all three championship runs and he had signature moments in every championship that may have been the most critical moments of each.

Game 6 of the NLCS vs Philadelphia in 2010
During the 1st improbable run in 2010, Affeldt and his teammates faced the powerful Philadelphia Phillies and based on all the experts, were just too good for the band of misfits that were the Giants. Keith Law and Buster Olney had the Phillies winning in 5, Rob Neyer, Karl Ravech had them in 6 and Jayson Stark and Tim Kurkjian had them in 7. Fast forward to Game 6 with the certain to lose Giants up 3 games to 2 and a chance to clinch.  Giants general manger Brian Sabean, manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Dave Righetti had talked before the game about what to do if starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez struggled. With such a left handed lineup as Philadelphia had, the plan was to go with Affeldt, Bumgarner and Lopez, all lefties, in relief roles if necessary. Sanchez struggled. He also got frustrated, and for no apparent reason got upset with Chase Utley and it led to the benches clearing. When benches clear in baseball, so do bullpens. Every member of the bullpen ran onto the field, except for one. Affeldt. Mark Gardner, the Giants bullpen coach, told Affeldt to stay in the 'pen and start throwing because he knew Sanchez was going to be taken out of the game. Affeldt was going to replace him and he needed to be focused on the task at hand. The task: 2 on and no out in a 2-2 game in the 3rd inning. Affeldt, normally a setup man who was more used to pitching in the last three innings, was asked to pitch in the 3rd inning. He struck out Ryan Howard on a high fastball, made Jayson Werth flyout to Cody Ross in right and then forced Shane Victorino to ground out to Aubrey Huff at first and the inning was over. He again went three-up-three-down in the 4th inning and his two scoreless frames helped the Giants keep the game locked at 2-2 after 4 innings. The Giants would go on to win the game thanks in large part to Juan Uribe's 8th inning home run, but it was Affeldt's brilliance in the 3rd and 4th innings that saved the day and led to the Giants first trip to the World Series in 8 years.

Click Here to watch Jeremy Affeldt go 6 up 6 down vs the Phillies.

Game 4 of the World Series vs Detroit in 2012
Affeldt was called into the 8th inning of Game 4 of the World Series in 2012 to face the heart of the Tigers order. Again, the game was tied, this time 3-3. Even though Affeldt was left handed, he had been called on many times in the past by Bochy to get out tough right handed hitters. This would be the toughest test yet of that faith, as Affeldt began the inning facing triple crown winner, Miguel Cabrera. Affeldt struck him out swinging on a nasty 0-2 breaking ball. Prince Fielder was up next and struck out swinging as well, and after Delmon Young did the same, it was the most impressive inning of Affeldt's post-season career. The Giants would go on to win the World Series that night in the 10th inning.

Click Here to watch Jeremy Affeldt strike out the side.

Game 7 of the World Series vs Kansas City in 2014
Game 7 began like a storybook for 39 year old Tim Hudson. He had waited 16 seasons to pitch in the World Series and here he was being asked to pitch Game 7. The game every kid dreams of playing in when they are dreaming in the backyard. However, much like the night for Jonathan Sanchez 5 years earlier, Hudson got hit hard early and before the 2nd inning was over, it was deja vu all over again for Affeldt. Bochy had once again mentioned to Affeldt before the game that if he needed to take his starting pitcher out early, he would go to him first. Affeldt didn't expect to be called on in the 2nd inning, but like the previous 21 appearances with the Giants, he wasn't going to let the team down. With 2 on and 2 out in the 2nd inning, Affeldt got Nori Aoki to ground out and the inning was over. The next two innings included two double plays, including Joe Panik's glove flip to Brandon Crawford that may go down as one of the greatest double plays in World Series history. Affeldt, often considered a ground ball pitcher throughout his career, forced ground balls to one of the best infields he had ever pitched in front of and once again, Affeldt did the job.
This game has become Affeldt's best moment in professional sports. He said as much in the press conference to announce his retirement and in post game interviews that night for how his career had come full circle. Affeldt began his professional career in Kansas City and didn't like the way his tenure there ended. To be named the winning pitcher of Game 7 that night in Kansas City completed a journey that has made him San Francisco's greatest post-season pitcher in the 57 years the team has been in the city by the Bay.