Another baseball season has come and gone, and with it comes another chance to reflect on the past eight months and consider what we have learnt.
The most obvious lesson of the 2014 Major League Baseball post-season is that Madison Bumgarner is very good at his job.
The San Francisco Giants left-hander won both of his World Series starts, one of which was a shutout, then came back on two days’ rest to pitch five scoreless innings and save Game 7.
Bumgarner’s dominance evoked memories of other dominant World Series pitching performances.
While more aged and sedate observers know that Bumgarner’s heroics were not the equal of Christy Mathewson in the 1905 World Series – Mathewson threw three shutouts, the second on two day’s rest and the third on one – there is no doubting his performance leaves him in elite company.
San Francisco’s third World Series title in five years also illustrated just how subjective and malleable the term “dynasty” can be.
Winning 60 per cent of the five most recent championships would seem an obvious way into the club, but missing the play-offs twice and finishing under .500 once in that same stretch tempers the enthusiasm. Purists may also baulk at the Giants finishing this season tied for the fourth-best record in the National League and needing the second wild card to make the play-offs.
Are the Giants a dynasty or not? It is all in the eye of the beholder. San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt said it best: “You can call us whatever you want to. We’re a great team, I know that.”
San Francisco also showed that while one dominant player is enough to get a team to the post-season, it is not enough to keep them there. Consider the two biggest baseball stars in Los Angeles, Mike Trout of the Angels and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
Their teams amassed impressive regular-season win totals, yet they found themselves going home disappointed after the divisional round.
The same goes for Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.
Teams need more than one transcendent player to win when it matters.
One lesson every team can learn from the Giants’ success is that a healthy, well-rounded roster with contributions coming from all sides can get the job done. Catcher Buster Posey was San Francisco’s only national name, among their hitters, but veterans, journeymen and youngsters alike came good at the right time.
Lastly, as many teams have learnt to their peril, relying on blockbuster trades and big-name free agents may put people in seats, but they are no guarantee of on-field results. Of all the factors behind San Francisco’s success, one that should not be underestimated is their core of home-grown talent.
Scouting, developing and signing players through their prime years is more sustainable and cost-effective than swinging for the fences in the short term.
If more teams recognise that, baseball will be better in the long run.
pfreelend@thenational.ae
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