Assuming the Giants make the postseason, here’s my roster projection. They’ll probably need to win a Wild Card “play-in” game against the Pirates just to make it to the NLDS, unless they somehow overtake the Dodgers. The Cubs aren’t helping the Giants in their series against the Dodgers so far, and the Giants can’t sleep on the Padres (who are 30-27 since the All-Star break). But ESPN says the Giants’ playoff probability is currently at 99.7%, so that’s good enough for me.
Pitchers (12)
- Jeremy Affeldt
- Madison Bumgarner
- Santiago Casilla
- Tim Hudson
- George Kontos
- Javier Lopez
- Jean Machi
- Jake Peavy
- Yusmeiro Petit
- Sergio Romo
- Hunter Strickland
- Ryan Vogelsong
Notes: Tim Lincecum won’t get named to a postseason roster until he proves he can be trusted, and Bruce Bochy doesn’t trust him enough to let him pitch. It’s not like Hudson, Vogelsong or Affeldt have performed well lately, but none of those guys were recently demoted. The Giants carried 11 pitchers on their 2010 postseason roster and 12 in 2012.
Catchers (2)
- Buster Posey
- Andrew Susac
Notes: With all due respect to Guillermo Quiroz, this one’s set in stone.
Infielders (7)
- Joaquin Arias
- Brandon Belt
- Brandon Crawford
- Matt Duffy
- Travis Ishikawa
- Joe Panik
- Pablo Sandoval
Notes: Duffy is 4-for-10 as a pinch hitter, which solidifies his spot on the roster — pretty amazing for a player who skipped Triple-A. Ishikawa could be asked to play left field in an emergency.
Outfielders (4)
- Gregor Blanco
- Michael Morse
- Angel Pagan
- Hunter Pence
Notes: This is assuming Pagan and Morse are healthy enough to play. Pagan’s availability seems likelier, as Bochy has mentioned how Morse’s recovery has been “slower” than expected/hoped on at least two occasions. If Morse can’t go, Blanco moves into the starting lineup, Juan Perez becomes the fourth outfielder, and Giants fans will take it all in stride (just kidding, they’ll freak out like always).
