New Look 49ers

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With training camp just around the corner, it’s almost time for the NFL again. When the San Francisco 49ers report for training camp, there will be a lot of new faces, starting with the head coach. Jim Harbaugh left the team amid reports he was going to be fired and took the University of Michigan head coaching vacancy. Enter Jim Tomsula, former 49ers defensive line coach, now 49ers head coach. The team as a whole looks different as well.

Will Selva - Patrick Willis

Patrick Willis

On offense, longtime running back Frank Gore almost signed with the Philadelphia Eagles but eventually signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree signed with the Raiders and guard Mike Iupati signed with the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers did bring in wide receiver Torrey Smith from the Baltimore Ravens to play opposite of Anquan Boldin. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson lasted just 1 season with the team and signed with the San Diego Chargers following his release from San Francisco. With Gore’s departure, the 49ers signed Reggie Bush to help handle the load in the backfield with Carlos Hyde.

The defense took an even larger hit. All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis shockingly retired at the age of 30. You can’t speak to how big of a loss Willis is to a team. Regarded as one of the best linebackers in the game, you can’t just replace him with anyone. The 49ers also lost All-Pro defensive end Justin Smith. A phenomenal player, Smith retiring wasn’t as big of a shock being that he was turning 36 by the start of the 2015 season. Smith compiled 87 career sacks but provided a tremendous amount of run stuffing efforts that don’t make the stat book. Another player that retired was linebacker Chris Borland. Borland was just 24 years old and shocked not only the organization but the league with his announcement. They have added Darnell Dockett on the line but he is coming off an ACL tear from last August and is 33 years old.

There will be many new faces in the 49ers locker room this season. It’ll be interesting to see if the 49ers can keep up in the ultra competitive NFC West. They have a great dynamic duo now in Boldin and Smith that should provide Kaepernick with deep ball and short over the middle opportunities. Having Reggie Bush available out of the backfield on 3rd downs should provide a great safety net for Kaepernick when he’s in trouble.

Here Come the San Francisco Giants

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Will Selva - SF GiantsAfter starting the season 4-10, 5th in their own division, the Giants are beginning to hit their stride. Currently on a 5 game winning streak and having won 7 of their last 10, the Giants are now 22-18, good for second in the NL West. Lets take a look at what has changed and gone right for the Giants since their slow start.

SP Madison Bumgarner

After starting 1-1 with an ERA over 5, Bumgarner has settled down. It was noted that he may struggle because he had thrown 270 innings between last regular and postseason. In three starts for the month of May, Bumgarner is 2-1 and sporting a 2.33 ERA. For the year, he’s now 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA. He has certainly improved since early on and I expect his numbers to get even better has the Giants get more competitive in the NL West.

C Buster Posey

Buster Posey was also off to a slow start hitting .229 with just 2 home runs and 6 runs batted in. Posey is now hitting right on par with his career .307 average with a .308 average. He also has 7 home runs to go with 21 runs batted in. He only has 3 doubles which is a bit concerning but he should find the gaps sooner or later.

Giants Hitting Overall

The Giants are hitting as a team .268, good for fourth in the MLB. A lot of this rides on Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Nori Aoki, Joe Panik, and Matt Duffy who all hold averages over .286. Nori Aoki has also flashed some speed on the base paths having swiped 10 bags this season. Belt, Pagan, and Posey all have averages over .300 for the season.

The Giants just got Hunter Pence back and hope to have pitcher Matt Cain back around the All-Star break. With the Giants also in the market for a third baseman, look out for the upward trending San Francisco Giants.

Optimism for the Defending NL Champs

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The San Francisco Giants are off to a slow start in 2015. At 4-10, they currently sit 5th in the NL West, six games behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers. While they did lose third basemen Pablo Sandoval to the Boston Red Sox in the off season, many of the pieces from last year remain.. they just may be currently sidelined or off to a slow start.

OF Hunter Pence

Last year, Pence was a cog in the Giants lineup hitting .277 with 20 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 29 doubles, and 10 triples. He even swiped 13 bags. He was hit by a pitch in spring training back in March and is expected back in the coming weeks. He should bring more pop to the lineup which is currently hitting .233 as a team.

SP Matt Cain

Will Selva - Matt Cain

Pitcher Matt Cain is dealing with injury

Cain has been with the Giants since 2005 and has been the ace of the staff at times. Cain can be dominant and a big plus for the Giants when healthy. When healthy is a question mark. Cain started only 15 games last year and currently has yet to see the field. He’s currently on the 15 day disabled list with a flexor tendon strain and may be out longer than expected. While he was expected to begin throwing on the side next week, some are saying he still may not be ready. When healthy, Cain can be a top of the rotation pitcher for the Giants.

C Buster Posey

Posey is a career .307 hitter which is phenomenal for a catcher. However, Posey has got off to a slow start hitting just .229 with 2 home runs and 6 runs batted in. This should not last long and should be seen only as an early season slump. Posey has never hit lower than .284 for a season.

SP Madison Bumgarner

Bumgarner was unstoppable last year in both the regular and post season. He ended up pitching a total of 270 innings last year which can be much on a young arm. He too has got off to a slow start with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 5.29, a whole 2 points above his career ERA of 3.10. He’s closing in on 1,000 innings pitched at the major league level and is still just 25 years old which is extremely worrisome when he is pitching the way he has this year. Hopefully, it’s just the case of a few rusty starts and he regains form.

Harbaugh Saga in S.F.

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The unfolding Jim Harbaugh saga in San Francisco is a bizarre one considering its timing and its scope. First, let’s start with the timing of it. This story is nearly overshadowing the most captivating football theater at the present moment for those of us starved to satisfy our voracious pigskin appetites: The NFL Scouting Combine.

We’ve been treated to Jadeveon Clowney’s freakishness, Johnny Manziel’s scaled-back bravado, and Michael Sam’s inspiring self-awareness, but in between the 40 times and pressers, it’s been all Harbaugh, all the time. 49ers CEO Jed York denied the initial report over the weekend, then finally admitted to SI’s Peter King that the team had conversations involving Harbaugh with the Browns. When the Browns released the statement on the report, they didn’t exactly go out of their way to deny it. Owner Jimmy Haslam then confirmed it, all the while the thick tension between Jim Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke only continues to germinate at 49ers headquarters.

will_selva_JimHarbaughsfblog

Jim Harbaugh is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Harbaugh wants a new contract and he wants it right now. This is just another power play in what could be a protracted tug-of-war over the head coach’s worth. Although Harbaugh wore down Stanford during his time there, he’s the one that made the Cardinal a power. Remember Stanford before he got there? Yeah, me neither. I do remember what it was like before the 49ers landed Harbaugh and it wasn’t pretty.

San Francisco was so far removed from the glory years and it’s model organization distinction. It resorted to hiring the likes of Mike Nolan, Dennis Erickson and Mike Singletary to restore the winning and, well, we all know how that went. The 49ers are getting spoiled with the recent winning under Harbaugh. While I don’t believe he’ll be there long-term given the tenor of the relationship between Harbaugh and Baalke, I do think the team risks alienating it’s best asset. They are moving into a shiny new stadium and having any uncertainty over the head coach’s status is the last PR landmine you want to deal with. Who’s got it better than the 49ers? Nooooobody.