Key Stats: In 2009 Greinke established himself as an "ace", 16-8 record, 2.16 ERA, 242 K's and an AL Cy Young Award. He "fell apart" in 2010, losing record, ERA over 4.00, lower K rate, higher BB rate. It wasn't a pretty picture. The Brewers traded for him, and he found his old form again in Milwaukee. Back to 16 wins, back over 200 K's, back to being an "ace". The best part about Greinke regaining his form is that all of his peripheral ERA stats are significantly lower than his actual ERA implying he pitched even better than the surface shows. If you toss the disastrous 2010 season out, his K% has gone up every year since 2005.

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Key Stats: Ben Zobrist has been ranked 41st and 39th according to the Yahoo player rater in two out of the last three seasons. Last season he did not hit for as many home runs as he did in his breakout 2009 season, but he did have a career best 46 doubles - good for third in the AL. 

Skeptics Say: Even though the 2009 and 2011 seasons appear to indicate Zobrist is a consistent player, last year was not nearly as good as his 2009 season, and he should start to decline as he works his way into his 30s. In the 2009 season, his OPS was .948, but last season it went down to .822.  no comments

Key Stats: Upton has had two seasons where he put up a respectable average to go along with his power and speed. Unfortunately, it's been 3 years since those two seasons have passed. There is good news though. Upton is assured a starting job, and he is assured of finishing in the neighborhood of 20 HR's and 40 steals. That kind of power and speed combination is tough to come by, as evidenced by a Mock Draft Central ADP in the 5th round despite not batting over .243 the last three years.

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Key Stats: Say what you will about Great American Ballpark being a haven for power hitters (it was the number three best park for home runs in the big leagues last season according to ESPN Park Factors), but Jay Bruce was just as lethal on the road last year. He hit 16 home runs at home and 16 on the road. Bruce finished the season ranked as the 59^th overall player in the Yahoo system, and is only going to be 25 this season. He could be a dangerous player as he moves toward his prime.

Skeptics Say: If you are squeamish turn to peer comparison because this is going to get ugly. Take out Bruce’s magnificent May - the month that made him the NL Player of the Month. Here would be a 160-game pace for the rest of his numbers:

Runs	RBI	HR	AVG	OBP	OPS	SB
76	82	25	.236	.322	.733	8

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Key Stats: Let's get down to the brass tacks here. Posey is the Giants offense. He hit over .320 in four of his stops in the minors, with ISO's all around .200, except for a 7 game appearance in rookie ball when it was .308. He was called up with all the hype in the world and played a major part in the Giants 2010 World Series run teeing off 18 times in 108 games. A broken ankle ended his season after 45 games last year, and with that, the Giants hope at another World Series run.

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Key Stats: It’s been many years since he was dubbed the Greek God of Walks, but Kevin Youkilis is still at it. His BB% was tied for 11^th last season and for the third straight season he was over 13% in his walk rate. Four out of the last five seasons his OBP has been at .390 or better. Leagues that carry OBP should take special note of this because usually player ranking formulas are based on traditional 5x5 stats and not adjusted for a change in the categories a league might carry.

Skeptics Say: Youk has missed at least 15 games for six straight seasons. He hasn’t had 500 at-bats since 2008. It’s sort of a good thing that it hasn’t really been one injury that’s kept him out of action, but the fact is that he will be 33 this season. It’s going to be increasingly unlikely that he can stay on the field and even if he does, the best is probably behind him. no comments

Key Stats: Yovani Gallardo went from good to great last season. He always had the ability to strikeout one hitter per inning, but last season he demonstrated better control than ever before by posting a career best 2.6 BB/9. That was a full walk lower than the season before. As a result, Gallardo was able to throw more pitches, pitches under less stress (from the wind up as opposed to the stretch), and ultimately made 2 more starts and pitched 22.1 innings.

Skeptics Say: Prince Fielder and his five straight seasons of 30+ home runs are gone from Gallardo’s run support. That will make it hard for him to replicate the 17 wins he had last season. Also concerning were his numbers away from Miller Park. Gallardo’s ERA was more than a run worse on the road last year. no comments

Key Stats: Madison Bumgarner finished 2012 with a flourish. In the month of August he was the 36^th best player in fantasy baseball and in September he was the 11^th best player. Overall after the all-star break, Bumgarner had a 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 100 innings. Sometimes splits are over emphasized, but for a player with Bumgarner’s experience (2011 was his first full season), I think the splits are signs of adjustments (for better or worse).

Skeptics Say: Bumgarner struck out 8.4 batters per 9 inning last season, but in 2010 there were people that were doubting his ability to strikeout hitters when his K/9 was below in the minors and at the MLB level. Perhaps throwing a harder slider last year (3 miles per hour harder according to Fangraphs) helped him overcome whatever issues he was having.

Doubt will linger in his ability to be a pitcher that gets wins. Despite his success and good health last season, he won only 13 of his 33 starts. The Giants offense gets Buster Posey back, but they are still a below average team offensively. 

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