The Giants have overcome a lot this season, haven’t they? But wait… didn’t they also… design the team that way?
Sometimes, it’s important to be reminded of who we’re dealing with here. In last night’s telecast on NBC Sports Bay Area, the broadcast showed the following graphic to describe just how tough of a season it’s been for the San Francisco Giants, which in part necessitated the call-up of baby-faced Hayden Birdsong (who had a great start that is captured wonderfully in Brady’s recap):
The graphic’s headline of “Getting It Done” is obviously an attempt to create an underdog story or sign of perserverance. The underdog storyline is a potent and profitable angle for players and teams to play and it’s important to never lose sight of the fact that the Giants are trying to sell the team at all times.
But all sell jobs aren’t created equally. Some are sweatier than others. You can see the poppycock shooting out of it! Hear the balderdash in its tone.
The graphic notes that the Giants have used 47 players this season and those players have lost a combined 748 games due to injuries. They also step back to 2023 to capture this note that there have been 23 MLB debuts made in a Giants uniform (13 by pitchers) which are both 2nd-most in MLB — again, since last season. And they end the card with a note that says, “Currently 3 games out of Wild Card.” Let’s break it all down, working backwards:
“Currently 3 games out of Wild Card”
That’s not impressive. There are 8 other teams within 5 games of the Wild Card, 9 if you count Wild Card #1, the Atlanta Braves. This post-COVID Wild Card format feels a lot like a participation trophy Olympics and the quality of play seems to be aiming as close to the gutter as the owners can get away with; that the Giants are a luxury tax payer this year really goes to show how big of a talent gap they have with the rest of the league. The amount of money they’re spending just to be within 3 games of the final Wild Card spot is inefficient. They’ll never put that on a graphic!
“Since 2023: 23 MLB Debuts (13 by pitchers), Both 2nd-most in Majors”
Now, you can’t argue with facts, and these facts are indisputable. The debuts since 2023:
2023 (12)
Patrick Bailey
Luis Matos
Blake Sabol
Casey Schmitt
Brett Wisely
Wade Meckler
Marco Luciano
Tyler Fitzgerald
Ryan Walker
Keaton Winn
Tristan Beck
Kyle Harrison
2024 (11)
Jung Hoo Lee
Landen Roupp
Nick Avila
Trenton Brooks
Erik Miller
Spencer Bivens
Raymond Burgos
Kai-Wei Teng
Mason Black
Randy Rodriguez
Hayden Birdsong
That 2023 group stands out quite a lot more than the 2024 group (Jung Hoo Lee), wouldn’t you say? Nine pitchers out of the 13 touted by the graphic. I wonder… I wonder why that is?
“This season: 47 players used, 4th-most in Majors. 748 games lost to injuries, 4th-most in Majors”
Could it be that the San Francisco Giants willingly traded for Robbie Ray, who was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery? Or that they picked up the option for Alex Cobb knowing he was going to miss a chunk of time due to hip surgery? Did they think that signing Blake Snell — a pitcher who has thrown more than 130 innings just twice in his 9-year career — 8 days before Opening Day would not lead to some IL days?
Ray & Cobb’s 160 games missed as of that graphic — though, who knows? Perhaps they were counting last night’s game, the Giants’ 81st in the total? — accounts for 21.4% of the 748 games. The team, the smartest franchise in the history of professional sports, also acquired big-time injury guy Tom Murphy and accumulated other pitchers with known injuries and injury risk: Ethan Small, Austin Warren, Keaton Winn. Tristan Beck’s blood clot was a shock to be sure, as was Jung Hoo Lee’s season-ending surgery. But Mike Yastrzemski missing time and LaMonte Wade Jr. missing extended time? Not a surprise at all.
If you’re obsessed with the Giants, it’s impossible to look at the data and draw the same conclusion as the broadcast. The injury issues were planned. What is “it” they’re getting done? The team knows that most viewers are casual fans and so the false transparency of this data to push the idea that the Giants are “just 3 games out of a playoff spot despite all these injuries and rookies!” will be good enough. Enough to cover for the palpable disappointment of a $230 million roster being 39-42.