NL West: 2nd
Despite more gaudy numbers from Barry Bonds, the Giants failed to make the play-offs due to a lack of pitching.
What went well?:
Another outstanding season from Barry Bonds. Even though the subsequent BALCO case may have tarnished his recent achievements, Bonds was putting up ridiculous numbers (.362, 45 HR, 101 RBIs, 232 walks) as he continues his chase of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, even without much support from anyone else.
Pedro Feliz (.276, 22 HR, 84 RBIs) and the seemingly ageless Marquis Grissom (.279, 22 HR, 90 RBIs) were the only other decent power threats.
J.T. Snow (.327, 12 HR, 60 RBIs) rebounded from a poor 2003 to provide some more offense to go with his excellent defense.
Jason Schmidt (18-7, 3.20 ERA) was the best pitcher on the staff by a mile, and still one of the best in the National League.
Noah Lowry (6-0, 3.82 ERA) performed very well in his first year, and looks one for the future.
What didn't go well?:
Injuries limited Ray Durham (.282, 17 HR, 65 RBIs), an important spark at the top of the line-up, to 120 games.
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski (.272, 11 HR, 77 RBIs) caused some clubhouse problems with the pitching staff.
Schmidt's workload is very heavy, and his durability has been affected by injury.
None of the other starters won more than 11 games, as Kirk Reuter (9-12, 4.73 ERA) struggled with form and Jerome Williams (10-7, 4.24 ERA) missed time hurt.
The bullpen missed Robb Nen, Tim Worrell and Joe Nathan, as the closing role swapped between Matt Herges (4-5, 5.23 ERA, 23 saves) and Dustin Hermanson (6-9, 4.53 ERA, 17 saves), neither of whom would be considered dominant enough to be closers on most other teams.
What about next year?:
The Giants will continue to go for it as long as Bonds is playing for them. Expect some milestone moments from Bonds, and for the Giants to mount a strong play-off push once again.
The Giants have added some more veterans to help Bonds out in Moises Alou, Omar Vizquel, Armando Benitez and Mike Matheny. Although the new guys have been good players for a long time, the fact remains that the starting line-up is very, very old AND there are not many young position players on the horizon from the minor league system.
The Giants have to hope that Schmidt can keep going, and that Lowry/Williams/Reuter can be a legitimate no. 2 starter behind him. Schmidt needs some help carrying the load.
Overall, the Giants have the experience, but if I were a Giants fan, I would worry that any injuries could seriously dent their hopes.