Your Guide to the NLDS (Giants Offense)

Like the Braves, the Giants live off a great pitching staff and get by with an average offense. If you look at season stats, the Braves have the better offense. But this is why you don’t look at season stats to compare. The NLDS is about who is hotter and who gets the breaks, and the Giants are better off right now due to power.

In September and October, the Giants posted a team wOBA of .307 compared to the Braves at .303. The Braves continued to live off walks as they did all season, posting the third best number in the league for the month at over 9%. The Giants didn’t walk to begin with and it continued in this stretch, walking at a rate of 7%. However, the Braves’ power dipped to an ISO of .113 compared to the Giants at .175. The Braves are creating their chances as they have all season, but their power has gotten so bad it doesn’t even matter. Meanwhile, the Giants create chances by slugging their way to runs. Which would you rather have in a do-or-die series? Exactly.

Andres Torres ended with a .363 wOBA, posting a ISO of .211. His BB/K sat at 0.44, which isn’t that great, but he got on base enough to go along with the great slugging numbers. Torres was worth six wins above replacement according to Fangraphs, tied for sixth best in the league. He struggled and dealt with an appendectomy, but he appears to be healthy heading into the series.

Freddy Sanchez is pretty average at second base, sporting a .327 wOBA. He doesn’t strike out, but he doesn’t walk and has no power. Sounds familiar.

Aubrey Huff went crazy with the bat in 2010, posting a .388 wOBA and .216 ISO. He walked at over 12%. He was worth 5.7 wins above replacement. All of these were his career bests, even topping his 2008 season with the Orioles except for power. Huff is lethal in the third spot and should be avoided. Bobby Cox will most definitely throw a lefty out there if given the chance, but Huff is equally dangerous against a LHP.

Buster Posey is known as Jason Heyward‘s competition for ROY. He has a wOBA of .368 and ISO of .200, sporting a BB/K of 0.55. He doesn’t walk much but also doesn’t strike out, and makes up for the lack of walks with solid power. Obviously you can’t avoid two straight hitters, and of the two, I’d take my chances with Posey.

Pat Burrell destroyed the Braves this season, which is rather new to me. He has been a pleasant surprise for the Giants, posting a wOBA of .371. He has the best walk rate on the team at 13.8%, and the best power numbers at .242 ISO. Nobody expected this kind of production from Burrell, not even the Giants. As I said, Burrell almost single-handedly killed the Braves in August and you know the Braves remember this.

Juan Uribe is the hard-swinging shortstop who posted a .322 wOBA and .192 ISO. He walks more than I figured (7.8%) and keeps his strikeouts low for the amount of power he has. Uribe is more controlled than you’d think when looking at his swing. He’s not the on-base machine at shortstop, but he provides another charge of power behind the middle hitters.

Jose Guillen recorded a wOBA of .309 and insane walk rate of 3.6%. He showed zero power and ability to get on base. Still, Guillen is given every chance in right field and provides a very strong arm out there, which is probably where his value lies.

Pablo Sandoval was a major disappointment in his sophomore season, posting a wOBA of .314. A BB/K of 0.58 shows his discipline didn’t change, but his power disappeared, recording a .140 ISO. A major threat in the lineup has been a hole for much of this season, but the Braves can’t let up against him. Sandoval is much stronger from the right side, so don’t expect Bobby Cox to turn him around.

Cody Ross is an option for the Giants in right field and you may see him starting. He has a wOBA of .379 and was hot for much of September. We all know what he does. Nate Schierholtz is a solid defensive backup for the outfield. Aaron Rowand is alive and kicking and may make the roster. Mike Fontenot is the backup option for the infield, not providing much on offense.