The San Francisco Giants came into the 2024 season with higher expectations after a big offseason. The first month of the season was a major failure.
So far, the Giants record sits at 17-23. They’re locked in mediocre play that has been as boring as it has been uninspired. First-year manager Bob Melvin is looking across the Bay at his former team the Oakland Athletics, who are leaving the Bay Area this year, but at the very least playing inspired baseball.
The team has been wrecked with a massive amount of injuries to start the season. Key offseason acquisitions like Blake Snell and Jorge Soler have hit the Injured List already. Patrick Bailey, Alex Cobb, and others are notable names who have also been injured.
The offense hasn’t been there and the pitching has been mediocre. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi and the rest of the front office have to be wondering what else they need to do to put a winning ballclub out on the field.
Will they be able to turn it around?
San Francisco Giants Offseason Moves Have Failed
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The San Francisco Giants went out and swung big and missed at signing Shoehei Ohtani, but came away with several other key players. Jung-Hoo Lee, Soler, Snell, Matt Chapman, and Robbie Ray all came to the team in the offseason. None of those names have worked out aside from Lee.
Chapman is a four-time Gold Glove Award winner and is somehow tied for the MLB lead in errors. Snell was getting shelled before hitting the Injured List, while Soler was whiffing quite often before also joining the Injured List. Robbie Ray hasn’t even been on the field yet and isn’t expected to return until after the All-Star Break.
All of these players were brought in to boost a team that seemed to be falling further and further behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. If you took out the Dodgers, it could’ve been argued that the San Francisco Giants were the champions of the offseason. But this is why the World Series isn’t handed out in the offseason.
Blake Snell and Matt Chapman have several player options on their contracts that will enable them to either opt in or out of their deals with the Giants after this season. Based on how they are performing this season, they might not get as lucrative of contracts as they got in San Francisco if they opt out and go elsewhere. The Giants need each of these guys to step up or else the season looks cooked.
The Offense Is Borderline Offensive
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For a team with players like Mike Yastremski, Wilmer Flores, and Thairo Estrada, the offense has been ugly. The only hitters on the team who have been consistently good are Lamonte Wade Jr. and Michael Conforto. Dating back to the start of the season, the San Francisco Giants are currently third in MLB for games where they haven’t been able to score more than three runs.
Giants hitters only have an on-base percentage of .306, a team batting average of .240, and have been extremely notable for leaving runners in scoring position. Finding ways to avoid scoring runs with runners in scoring position has been a legacy issue for this team dating back to the last couple of seasons. One thing that could be causing issues is the lack of a hitting identity.
Tyler Fitzgerald leads the team with just four stolen bases despite being a bench player, and the rest of the roster isn’t known for having blazing speed. On top of that, nobody on the team has a batting average of over .300 except for Wade Jr, and nobody on the team has hit the 10-home run mark yet. Starting outfielder Austin Slater is hitting .128 with one RBI yet continues to get regular at-bats and starts.
When you have a lineup that doesn’t play small ball well, but also doesn’t hit for power, it leaves you in a bit of a bind. Hitters aren’t getting on base, and even if they are, there is only one stolen base threat on the San Francisco Giants roster. Even without the speed, there is nobody on the roster who has been able to drive in multiple runs at a time with a home run.
It’s Still Early for the San Francisco Giants
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While the San Francisco Giants sit in fourth place in the National League West, it is still early. The season is still young and they are only nine games out of first place. While things have been bleak to open this season, there have been some bright spots.
Kyle Harrison has proven to be an incredible pitcher this season and Logan Webb continues to be the ace of the pitching staff. Wade Jr. is once again crushing right-handed pitching while holding down first base.
There is also the talent in the prospect pool. Mason Black was recently called up to pitch in place of Snell, and Black is the third-ranked prospect in the Giants organization. Heliot Ramos was crushing Triple-A pitching and is now back on the MLB roster. There’s also hope that players like Casey Schmitt and Luis Matos might get called back up and be able to contribute to the big club.
The season is far from over for the San Francisco Giants. While the team might just be the most unlucky club in all of baseball, they are still a very talented roster. They just need to find a formula to get things going.
About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports and Total Apex Gaming. He’s a loyal fan of many teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco Giants. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti
