The Core Four: A Retrospective

The San Francisco Giants have won three World Series since moving to the city in 1958. Each and every championship included four relief pitchers better known as “The Core Four.” Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla and Javier Lopez. With Affeldt’s retirement at the end of the 2015 season and the pending free agency of Romo, Casilla and Lopez, we may have seen the last of the strongest bullpen in Giants history.



Since the 2010 trade deadline, when the San Francisco Giants acquired Lopez from the Pittsburgh Pirates, these four pitchers have been literal Giants. They have been the core of a bullpen that consistently stopped some of the best lineups in baseball. Affeldt’s scoreless inning streak of 23 innings was recently passed by starter Madison Bumgarner. Only future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera has a longer streak than Bumgarner.

Romo, Casilla and Lopez all had scoreless inning streaks heading into the 2016 post-season as well. When it came to Bruce Bochy‘s bullpen, it seemed he could always count on these four men in October. Many fans became frustrated with the group in the last two seasons, and it was understandable.

When the expectation is dominance and you have seen these pitchers perform at an elite level for so long, you take it for granted how hard it is to replicate. The Giants have made a Wall of Fame outside AT&T Park, and soon all four members of “The Core Four” will have their own plaque. As the years pass, fans will remember more fondly with how strong the group was and how rare it really is for a team to have so much talent in one bullpen.

With the current post-season showcasing relief pitchers being used in the middle innings, we can see that Major League bullpens are being redefined before our eyes. Pitchers such as American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Andrew Miller of the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and the Chicago Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, pitchers are being asked to pitch in the innings with the highest stress instead of just save situations. The Baltimore Orioles Zach Britton was infamously left out of the American League wild card game that went extra innings because the Orioles never put their team in the position to have a save situation. Meanwhile, the best groundball pitcher in the game wasn’t used in situations that needed a double play from their best relief pitcher.



However, this phenomenon isn’t new in San Francisco. The Giants have been doing this for the last seven seasons. Even though they have used a traditional closer, they have always known spending on their bullpen was vital. Keeping each member of their core when other teams would have used the money elsewhere allowed for them to have great pitchers for those high stress middle innings. They never had to overuse just one pitcher when they had four.

When the Giants needed an out in the middle innings, Affeldt and Casilla were often used to get out both right handed and left handed batters. When the team needed to get out an elite right handed bat, Romo was often called. And if the team needed to take the bat out of the hands of a team’s best left handed batters, Javier Lopez was the “LOOGY” that was called upon.

Lopez was used in so many key moments in 2010 to get out powerful left handed hitters like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Josh Hamilton. In 2012, Romo struck out one of the best right handed hitters in the game in Miguel Cabrera. It was easy to overlook how important these core members were when they were so consistent but would be used in such short bursts.



It’s so much easier for fans to remember Pablo Sandoval hitting three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series or a Bumgarner complete game shutout. But without “The Core Four,” there might not be any championships in San Francisco.

Looking back on what the Giants had from 2010 to 2016, it was clear that the Giants had pitchers with closer “stuff” they could use in those high stress situations. Affeldt famously pitched in the second inning of Game seven of the World Series in 2014, and he became the first pitcher in baseball history to be brought in from the second through the ninth inning in the post-season during his career.



2016 was rough for the remaining members of the core four and there might be thought that the legacy of the group might even be impacted with the way the season ended for Romo, Casilla and Lopez. However, if you look at the entirety of the last seven seasons, it it clear that the success outweighs the failures.

#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.

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.

Top 10 Reasons the Giants are a Dynasty

Top 10 Reasons the Giants are a Dynasty
By Michael Saltzman
On Twitter @CandlestickWill

So many players, coaches, front office people and members of the ownership group have had their hand in the three championships the San Francisco Giants have won over the last five years. But who is the most responsible. Nothing like a top 10 list to debate who had the biggest impact and who is the biggest reason the Giants are being referred to as a dynasty.

Honorable Mentioned:

The 6 Castoffs & Misfits: Andres Torres, Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell, Juan Uribe and Cody Ross


The Giants had never won a World Series in San Francisco until these 6 men became Giants. All 6 had important roles in a Giants patchwork lineup that out hit the Braves, Phillies and Rangers in 2010. What makes these men unique in this historic run of the Giants is that none of them were able to do much for the Giants outside of 2010. Torres, Sanchez and Uribe were members of the Giants in 2009, but played smaller roles. Huff, Burrell and Ross had terrific numbers as Giants in 2010.

Wins Above Replacement in 2010:
Aubrey Huff (5.7)
Andres Torres (5.3)
Pat Burrell (2.1)
Freddy Sanchez (1.8)
Juan Uribe (1.5)

Cody Ross, who only played a month for the Giants before the post-season, made up for it in October, hitting .294 with 15 hits, 10 runs batted in and 5 home runs or a 1.076 OPS. Andres Torres highest WAR after 2010 was a 1.4 he had for the Mets in 2012.

Without these 6 men, the Giants don't win in 2010. Without winning it all in 2010, is there any talk of a dynasty?

Marco Scutaro:
What the misfits were to 2010, Scutaro was to 2012. Injuries plagued his 2013 season that he tried to play through and ultimately his back wouldn't let him play in 2014. He was recently designated for assignment by the Giants. However, his impact on the Giants in 2012 was enormous. He had a 2.1 WAR despite only 268 at bats. He hit .500 in the NLCS alone with 14 hits and a 1.140 OPS. His patience at the plate and his influence in the locker room helped the entire roster play smarter and more efficient. While he doesn't make my top 10, he certainly is one of the most influential figures in this dynasty for the Giants.



The Top 10

#10: Ownership Group
I'm not going to pretend to know all the interworkings of the front office to know who among the group approved the salary raises for our homegrown players or told Brian Sabean he could make a certain trade or sign a certain player.

According to Baseball Prospectus the Giants went from a payroll of $95M at the end of 2009 to a current payroll of $179M in 2014. That kind of financial commitment has as much to do with the success of the franchise as any other factor.

The combination of re-signing homegrown talent and trading or signing players to free agent contracts, wouldn't be possible without the support of the ownership group.

#9: Coaching Staff
Again, it's hard to designate one member of the staff as head and shoulders above the others. Dave Righetti, the team's pitching coach, has been tremendous in preparing the staff over the years and specifically during the playoff rounds where the Giants have out pitched some great staffs. But How can we say that his impact on the staff is more valuable than bullpen coach Mark Gardner or bullpen catcher Bill Hayes.  What Henry "Bam Bam" Muelens has done as the hitting coach has been vastly underrated. What Roberto Kelly and Tim Flannery have done at 1st and 3rd base respectively, has been incredible. If you don't think what they've done is valuable, go through the twitter response to Flannery announcing his retirement. And maybe the most influential part of the staff is bench coach Ron Wotus. Kelly and Wotus were in charge of the infield and outfield positioning. But Wotus was also the right hand man of Bruce Bochy. Bochy has said repeatedly how valuable his staff has been and how much responsibility he has given them. Wotus, for example, has been in charge of Spring Training camp for years now.

#8. Pablo Sandoval
Fans owe the Panda a standing ovation the next time Boston comes to San Francisco. For any animosity they may have over him choosing to leave the Bay Area, needs to be trumped by the three championships he was a part of. As the MVP of the World Series in 2012, he became a instant legend with three home runs in Game 1, joining the likes of Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. However, it's his overall playoff performances that are truly outstanding.

In 2010, 2012 and 2014 he slashed a .344/.389/.545/.935 postseason line.  Sandoval also has the 2nd highest WAR among hitters since 2010 among Giants.

For all the weight issues, contract disputes, and slumps, Sandoval was most productive when it mattered most. That can't ever be forgotten. 

#7. Hunter Pence
Despite only being a part of two of the three championships, it's hard not to rank Pence even higher than 7th for what he means to the team on and off the field. He is the heartbeat of the Giants and the team is always better with him in the lineup. The effort Pence gives on ground out to 2nd base is why he leads the Giants every season in infield hits. The passion Pence plays with is why the team always seems to find ways to win.

His speech in Cincinnati with the Giants on the brink of elimination was the stuff of legends, and the fact that it led to winning six elimination games that post-season is tremendous.

His speech to the fans at the end of the 2014 regular season will forever make him a San Francisco icon.  Do the fans believe in value of Hunter Pence? YES! YES! YES!

#6. Core 4

The Giants have looked very different over the years and from the castoffs to Hunter Pence and Angel Pagan to Andres Torres and Gregor Blanco, the team has continually brought in new faces. One of the constants has been the pitching staff, and specifically the bullpen. Javy Lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo have each won three World Series as a member of the Giants. While their roles have changed throughout the run, their effectiveness hasn't.

In 2010, Brian Wilson was the closer, while the Core 4 were all used as setup men depending on the matchups.

In 2012, Sergio Romo was the closer, with the Affeldt, Casilla and Lopez each playing critical setup roles again.

In 2014, it was Santiago Casilla's turn to pitch the 9th inning, but again, all four were lights out throughout the playoffs.

The value of Casilla, Romo, Affeldt and Lopez has been one of the most underrated elements of the Giants dynasty. That is why they deserve such a high ranking. That is also why they are all still members of the best bullpen in baseball.

#5. Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain
It's never been easy for me to decide between the value of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain and which pitcher has been more valuable during this dynasty.  Instead of ranking them separately, I've decided to put them together because this team doesn't win championships without both.

Lincecum had won back to back Cy Young Awards in 2008 and 2009, but his 2010 might be the best year of his career when you combine his regular and post-season.  From his 1st ever post-season appearance in 2010 of 8 scoreless innings and 14 strikeouts vs the Braves to his last post-season appearance of 8 innings of 1 run ball and 10 strikeouts vs the Rangers.

Cain had some great seasons as a Giant, but his 2012 was his best. He started the All-Star game, and led the Giants staff by pitching the clinching game of each round of the post-season. When the season was on the line, the Giants went to Cain.

Cain was injured in 2014, and Lincecum was limited to 1.2 innings pitched in the 2014 World Series. However their impact on the pitching staff and their success in 2010 and 2012 was astronomical. The Giants did outhit their opponents in their post-season series, but that was mostly due to the lack of hitting from the other teams. One of the main reasons for that was the starting staff that was led by Lincecum and Cain in 2010 and 2012.

#4. Madison Bumgarner
If 2010 & 2012 were dominated by Lincecum and Cain, 2014 was dominated by Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is the only starting pitcher over the last three post-seasons that has had a dominating performance in all three World Series.

His 2014 post-season was one of the greatest we have ever seen. It was so good that he was awarded the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, despite not being the best pitcher during the regular season.

It wasn't just 2014 that makes Bumgarner ranked so highly on this list. It was his 8 shutout innings in Game 4 of the 2010 World Series as a 20 year old. It was his 7 shutout innings in Game 2 of the 2012 World Series. And that, combined with his otherworldly 2014 performance, and Bumgarner may go down as the best post-season pitcher of his generation.

Scariest part is he is 25 years old.

If you aren't convinced that Bumgarner is the best pitcher on this staff over the last five years, let's use his bat as the tie breaker.

 
#3. Brian Sabean, Bobby Evans, Dick Tidrow and John Barr
Everyone in baseball knows Brian Sabean, but few realize the all-star front office he has put together. Bobby Evans, the assistant general manager has taken over for Ned Colletti and the transition has been seamless. His ability to work out contracts with the roster and work with the agents and other teams has been masterful. Dick Tidrow is the team's scouting director and the homegrown talent he has amassed over the years is staggering. John Barr has overseen the amateur and international scouting for the team among other responsibilities. These four men have led the Giants from a good organization to an elite one.

Fans are always quick to remember a front office's worst moves. Sabean and his team have had their share of moves that fans have criticized. From re-signing guys like Huff, Lincecum, Scutaro, or from trades like Carlos Beltran for Zach Wheeler or from not signing guys like Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, or Yasmany Tomas.

However, when you look at some of the best moves Sabean has made, it's pretty special.

• Hunter Pence for Tommy Joseph and Nate Shierholtz
• Marco Scutaro for Charlie Culberson
• Angel Pagan for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez (who both came back to the Giants)
• Pat Burrell for the league minimum
• Cody Ross for nothing
• Aubrey Huff for $3M
• Freddy Sanchez for Tim Alderson
• Juan Uribe, Torres and Gregor Blanco as a spring training invite
• Extensions for Madison Bumgarner, Pablo Sandoval, etc...
• Drafting Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Bumgarner, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik, etc...

Sabean was always hamstrung in the Bonds years because they were always looking to replace young talent with veterans. Now that he has the backing of the ownership group, has brought in a tremendous coaching staff and has the personnel around him in Evans, Tidrow, Barr and others, he has been able to blend young homegrown talent with shrewd trades and signings. This has allowed the Giants to have the best front office in baseball.

#2. Bruce Bochy
Bochy will go down as the greatest manager in San Francisco history when he retires. Not because of what he may still do, but with what he has already done. Three championship rings is three more than any other manager. Bochy has always been known as a players manager, but what makes Bochy stand out among other managers in the game today is his ability to get the most out of the entire 25 man roster by playing all 25 guys on the team.

This isn't commonplace around the league, as some guys may go weeks without seeing the field. For all the frustration fans may have with unproductive guys getting playing time, Bochy will always let a guy on his roster earn what he gets. The guys at the end of the bench or the guys at the end of the bullpen will play. They will play and if they perform, they will continue to play. If they don't perform, they will eventually be replaced. Fans may want guys sent away sooner sometimes, but it is clear that there is a method to Bochy's approach. He wants guys to know they were given a chance to succeed and that gets Bochy's teams to play up to their potential.

Other managers have had more talent in each playoff run, but the 9 straight playoff series wins is not by accident. Being the underdog in nearly every series is because the other teams have usually had more talent on paper. However, winning each and every series is because of Bochy as much as nearly everyone in the organization.

#1. Buster Posey
When all is said in done, Posey might be on the Mount Rushmore of Catchers. Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra are the top tier of catchers in baseball history. Both are hall of famers as much because of their numbers on the field as the World Series trophies they helped win.  Posey now has 3 World Series trophies he has helped win in his four healthy seasons.

Posey has a 23.3 WAR since his debut in 2010, by far the most for any hitter since that first championship season.

His ability to catch the incredible staff the Giants have had throughout the run is another reason he has shown to be the most valuable player in the last five years.

Posey has a Rookie of the Year trophy, Comeback Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player, as well as a batting title, two Silver Slugger awards, The Hank Aaron award, the Willie Mac award and a two time All-Star.

The scary part is that he is only 27 and so he is just entering his prime.