Cabrera's Suspension is a Blessing in Disguise for Posey's MVP Chances

 Melky Cabrera’s drug scandal will likely overshadow any success the Giants and Posey have over the next few weeks. But for Posey, this situation couldn’t get any sweeter. It might sound silly, but Cabrera’s suspension is a blessing in disguise for his MVP chances.

Cabrera was seemingly a top five MVP candidate prior to his suspension. His power numbers don’t match up with Posey’s but he was second in baseball in batting average at the time of the suspension. Basically, Posey has a chance to prove the baseball world wrong. The suspension will do one of two things: Open up another spot for another contender. Two, his absence will provide Posey the chance to build his legacy.

How?

Experts, writers, insiders, and fans practically flushed the Giants’ playoff hopes down the drain in the wake of Cabrera’s suspension seeing that his loss is too much to sustain for an already punchless offensive, although they’ve shown flashes of late. This creates a nearly perfect situation for Posey to prove just how valuable he is to the Giants. The baseball world has already counted the Giants out, but if he leads them to the postseason, the amount of credit he would get would be unimaginable simply because he beat the odds.

Entering play Sunday, the All-Star catcher remains among the best in the National League. His stats since the All-Star break haven’t dipped even the slightest amount, while his overall stats continue to climb the leader boards. He’s second in the N.L in batting average (.333), third in on-base percentage (.409), third in slugging percentage (.550), and sixth in WAR (5.3). Throw in the fact that the Giants remain in the playoff hunt, you might be looking at the frontrunner.

MVP’s are generally picked from winning teams. And the likes of David Wright, Ryan Braun, and possibly Andrew McCutchen might not have much working in their favor as their respective teams are slowly trickling out of the playoff chase.

However, Posey won’t be able to take home the MVP award with a tad bit of help from his fellow teammates, particularly Hunter Pence. See, pitchers aren’t even going to bother pitching to Posey if Pence falls in the pedestrian category. Though, if Pence hits, Posey won’t be get the walk treatment. It’s really that simple.

The Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen’s walk treatment has already began, and in result, his stats have plummeted. Since August began, he’s hitting just .262/.387/.410 with just two home runs. While his recent dry spell isn’t entirely due to the fact that the Pirates don’t have much protection around him, it’s a big factor. To put things into perspective, Pirates’ cleanup hitters have hit for an abyssal .266/.315.450 triple slash this season. Why face an MVP candidate when you can face something in the realm of Garrett Jones or Pedro Alvarez?

Posey sat in a similar position before the arrival of Pence. Cabrera had always batted in front of him. However, the fifth spot (behind him), was anything but productive. Pablo Sandoval bounced between the DL and the fifth spot, and Brandon Belt even received a chance to staple that spot in the order, but until Pence, there wasn’t a clear picture as to who would be in that spot everyday. The stats are there too, as hitters who have hit in the fifth spot for the Giants are hitting an atrocious .249/.295/.377. The worst part---only three home runs have come out of that spot. Yes, this does include Pence’s short stint too.

Posey is already experiencing the benefits of having Pence batting behind him, as he’s hit north of .400 since having him behind him.

Posey already has the comeback player of the year award in the bag, but he’s sniffing a much bigger award. His success will be a benefactor of Pence’s success.

What path will he and Pence take? Time will only tell.

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Don't Flush the Giants' Playoffs Down the Toilet Just Yet

The Giants’ road to the postseason just got a lot steeper. News broke Wednesday morning that Melky Cabrera tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. And just like that, the air was sucked right out of the Giants’ clubhouse.

Cabrera, who was in the midst of a career year, batting .346 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs, will miss the remainder of the regular season, and if the Giants are to move onto the postseason, he will miss the first round. Quite simply, he won’t be wearing the orange and black again this season, and possibly ever. Even if San Francisco reaches the NLCS, it’s unlikely that the organization would let Cabrera return. It’s not like he would be returning from an injury. He would be returning from a drug scandal. He even admitted it.

So while everyone presses the panic button, don’t forget about the 1-2-3 punch of Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, and Hunter Pence. Yes, Cabrera was arguably their best hitter, but it’s not a loss that instantly salvages their postseason hopes. In comparison, his absence won’t be as meaningful as Posey’s was last season simply because they still have the pieces to make a run at the postseason. Last season, Sandoval was the lone bopper left in the mix.

However, a player like Cabrera, who had a 4.5 WAR this season, can’t be replaced at this point in the year, six weeks away from the end of the season. Gregor Blanco will seemingly be the prime candidate to takeover left field. Although, coming into today’s game, he hadn’t had a hit in 19 at-bats. The Giants are left to wonder if he could transform back into May form where he posted an .884 OPS. Everybody can dream, though, right?

What the suspension truly does though, is amplify how important the trade for Hunter Pence was for the Giants. Granted, Pence is nowhere near a replica of Cabrera, but he will have to be the guy who steps up in the wake of this suspension. No one should forget about Pablo Sandoval, either. Manager Bruce Bochy had Cabrera, Posey, Sandoval, and Pence all in the same lineup on the same day exactly once this season. Ironically, that day was Tuesday night, the night that will always been remembered as the Melk Man’s last game in 2012.

The point is, the Giants still have enough to advance to the playoffs. While Cabrera departs San Francisco facing a ton of questions, they can still reach the playoffs without him. In fact, in the back of Bochy’s head, I bet he has the slightest intention that this could benefit the team’s mentality. Cabrera is irreplaceable at this point. That’s crystal clear. Yet, the loss of him could bring together the Giants’ clubhouse even more so that it already is. Of course they have always been a tightly knitted group, but they need to pick each other up now more than ever.

For Cabrera, the $50+ million contract that he was eyeing to sign after season’s end, becomes a lost cause. The 201 hits he collected last season, and the numbers he put up in 113 games this season, now seems suspicious more than anything. Not just because of the positive testing, but also because he had never had a batting average higher than .300 before breaking out last year. Ryan Braun was essentially in the same boat during the offseason, but he won his appeal and is currently on pace to have a better year this season than he did last year in his MVP campaign. So that comparison shouldn’t even be considered.

Yes, some team will take a flyer on him, though it won’t be a long term contract. At most, it will be a two year deal because he needs to prove that he can perform without the PEDs.

Will that team be the Giants? Only time will tell.

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