The Giants didn’t defend their 2010 World Series Championship too well in 2011. They finished in 2nd place in the N.L. West with a 86-76 record, and 8 games behind the Diamondbacks. Here is a look at what stood out to me about the Giants in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 25-year old switch-hitting 3B Pablo Sandoval had a big time comeback season for the Giants in 2011. He played in 117 games for the Giants last year and he was 134 of 426 (.315 avg, .909 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 23 homers, 70 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Sandoval was the only guy hitting for the Giants in 2011.

BEST PITCHER: This is a tie between 27-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Lincecum pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants in 2011 and he was 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He only gave up 176 hits in 217 innings while whiffing 220 batters last year. Matt Cain pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants in 2011 and he was 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He only gave up 177 hits in 221 2/3 innings while whiffing 220 batters. Both of these guys would have won 20 games last year if the pitched on a team that could hit.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 34-year old righty starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was a very big longshot to make the Giants out of spring training. Well, not only did he make the team…..but he turned into a really good starting pitcher. Vogelsong pitched in 30 games (28 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: This was a solid four way tie between Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross, Andres Torres and Miguel Tejada. 34-year old lefty swinging 1B Aubrey Huff was supposed to be a rock in the middle of the lineup for the Giants in 2011. Instead, he played in 150 games for the Giants in which he was 128 of 521 (.246 avg, .676 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 12 homers, 59 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 30-year old righty swinging outfielder was a post-season hero for the Giants last year, but this year, he brought next to nothing to the table. Ross played in 121 games for the Giants in 2011 and he was 97 of 405 (.240 avg, .730 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 14 homers, 52 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. 33-year old switch-hitting CF Andres Torres came out of nowhere in 2010, but he failed in 2011 when given the starting job. Torres played in 112 games for the Giants in 2011 and he was 77 for 348 (.221 avg, .643 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 4 homers, 19 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. 37-year old righty swinging Miguel Tejada was brought in to start at SS for the Giants in 2011, and he was lousy. He played in 91 games for the Giants in 2011 and he was 77 for 322 (.239 avg, .596 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 4 homers, 26 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.