The San Francisco Giants won the World Series for the second time in three years in 2012 (2010)! The Giants were 11-5 (68.8%) in the post-season this year. The Giants won the N.L. West by 8 games over the Dodgers with a 94-68 (58%) record during the regular season. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts for the Giants in 2012, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Buster Posey - 25-year old righty swinging catcher Buster Posey was easily the best player for the Giants in 2012. He played in 148 games for the Giants last year and he was 178 of 530 (.336 avg, .957 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 24 homers, 103 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Posey has already been named the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year for 2012 and he could wind up winning the MVP Award too.

Best Pitcher: Matt Cain - 28-year old righty starting pitcher Matt Cain was by far the best pitcher on the Giants in 2012. Cain pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Giants this year and he was 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He only gave up 177 hits and 51 walks while whiffing 193 batters in 219 1/3 innings in 2012, which is pretty darn impressive.

Biggest Surprise: Barry Zito - 34-year old lefty starting pitcher Barry Zito really bounced back big time for the Giants in 2012. Zito started 32 games for the Giants this year and he was 15-8 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. He gave up 186 hits and walked 70 batters while whiffing 114 batters in 184 1/3 innings in 2012.

Biggest Disappointment: Tim Lincecum - 28-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Lincecum was awful for the Giants during the regular season in 2012. He pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Giants in 2012 and he was 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Lincecum gave up 183 hits and he walked a staggering 90 batters while whiffing 190 of them in 186 innings pitched.

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.