Continuing series of Baseball Joes in which Ken predicts which paired team will win more games in 2015 (“projected wins” via FanGraphs) …
Athletics (83 projected wins) vs. Giants (82)
Maybe the most fascinating comparison of all.
The Giants are the defending World Series champions. The Athletics, after failing to win a postseason game, underwent a stunning transformation. And yet, I tend to agree with Fangraphs: the A’s are the slightly better club.
It’s dangerous to underrate the Giants, even in an odd year. But which pitcher do you trust in their rotation beyond left-hander Madison Bumgarner? And how will an offense that's already short on power perform if right fielder Hunter Pence indeed misses the first month or more with a fractured left forearm?
The Athletics are no sure thing, either, not with left fielder Coco Crisp dealing with a triceps issue and Josh Reddick already down with a right oblique strain. Don’t ask where their power will come from. But the A’s again will be a collection of interlocking pieces, greater than the sum or their parts. Their rotation is more deep than talented; their bullpen should be quite good even without lefty Sean Doolittle at the outset. And if the A's need a piece at the deadline, Billy Beane will go get it.
My pick: Athletics 85 wins, Giants 78
