As a long time San Francisco Giants fan, I love watching and cheering on the Orange and Black. I’ve been a fan of the Giants since the late 1990s. Specifically when JT Snow (one of my all-time favorite players) made his way from the California Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim…I still think that is the dumbest name) all the way up the state to the San Francisco Giants team. I was living in southern California in the mid 90’s and was not heavily into baseball, but on occasion, I liked to catch JT Snow and his team playing.

When JT snow moved to the bay, and I followed suit very shortly after, it was inevitable that the Giants would become my team. My very first baseball game was at Pac Bell Park (now Oracle). Sadly, I missed the Candlestick era, but Oracle is one of the most beautiful stadiums we have in the MLB. Although I haven’t been to all of them yet, it is a bucket list item to see each and every one of them. I will admit, the atmosphere and feel at Wrigley Stadium in Chicago rivals just about all other stadiums, but Oracle is such a beautfiul and comfortable park.

Although I didn’t get to see them through the Candlestick era, I was around and a huge supporter in the Triple World Series days. I remember distinctly being at a playoff game in San Francisco in the nosebleeds section watching Johnny Cueto warm up as a Cincinnati Red long before he played for the Giants. I recall being very nervous that Cueto was on the mound against my team. But, out of nowhere, before the game even made it past the first inning, he was pulled from the mound due to an injury. We later heard it was back spasms and he returned later in the series. But that moment, watching him walk off the field, was one of the most exhilarating moments for me because it meant we had a chance! Cut to our loss in that game, but hey, at least it awas a good one.

My favorite era is this one, with the core team of players from Matt Cain, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford among so many other amazing players. I was thrilled to have had a chance to see so many of them play live and even got to meet a few of them at spring training games.

Nowadays, watching the Giants play is rough. It feels like lately, (and not just this year), they can’t seem to stabilize. They play 10 great games in a row and then throw 7 in a row with no run support or too many errors. I love the sport and I love the team, but the anxiety watching them play even some of the worst teams in baseball is rough. As it stands, somehow the Giants have scored less runs that the Oakland A’s in the last 2 months. In case you haven’t been following baseball, the Oakland A’s are having maybe their worst year on record, having won 42 games all season and losing 96 so far…thats a .304 record on the year. They have officially been eliminated from the playoffs as of the beginning of September, maybe sooner. And yet, the Giants have less runs scored across the last 2 months…

So what needs to happen? Magic? I don’t know. We do have a very new crop of players coming up. In some ways, it feels reminiscent of the 2010 days when we had the band of misfits somehow finding their groove. That 2010 team should not have made it all the way with all of the things they had going on, but they did. And then they repeated it, twice, in less than 5 years.

So is that a possibility again? When Patrick Bailey was first called up, I was hesitant. Joey Bart, our then catcher, was not playing horribly, but certainly had some room to grow. But let’s be fair, Buster Posey is an incredibly hard act to follow, even when you aren’t directly after him. But Bailey really seemed to shine from the minute he stepped behind the plate. He can call a pretty good game and his speed at throwing out stealers is remarkable. He’s still young, but I am encouraged.

Casey Schmitt is another prospect that was called up and seemed to be turning heads right off the bat. Sadly, that bat has cooled off a bit in recent games. With Brandon Crawford likely nearing the end of his career, it is not surprising that the Giants are looking for a talented young Short Stop from the farm leagues to fill that gap. While Crawford has consistently had lackluster batting numbers, his defense is almost unparralleled. Watching him play is such a fun experience. Schmitt will also have big shoes to fill, but with the right conditions, it’s very possible he can do it.

And Camilo Doval…in some ways I see some Brian Wilson in him. He is an effective closer with a great arm. He has completed 35 saves thus far this year for the Giants, 2nd most in the MLB at this time. He does have 7 blown saves, more than half of which came in the last couple of weeks, but I’m hopeful he will turn it around and hit that stride again. Hopefully we can see a strong finish for him.

The Rogers twins have been fun to watch as well. Having your twin brother on a major league team with you must be a trip. It seems like Tyler and Taylor Rogers play off one another and they are both pretty strong with their throwing arms. They seem to be on the same track even when it comes to their stats, with similar numbers across the board. I’m encouraged with them and hopeful we can see more good stuff out of the bullpen.

The last few weeks have been a bit of a downer for the Giants. The Dodgers are all but confirmed as the NL West winners, and there are a good 6 teams still in the running for those wildcard spots. The Giants are at the bottom of the pack, but not out of it yet…will we see them in the playoffs in 2023? Can this be the beginning of another resurgence like we saw over a decade ago?

I am cautiously optimistic. For now, I’ll try to keep my anxiety at bay.